Kalistani Major History

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The People's Press
Treason in the Opposition Offices
Bonucci lambasts 'oppresive and totalitarian' Conservatives
Kaliburg, Ananto
August 25th, 4060


Lorella Bonucci addresses an adoring crowd at the annual Labour Party conference

Recent months in Kalistani politics have been a constant maelstrom of discussion, debate and disagreement. Having passed the halfway point of the term, we sat down with the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party to gain some insight into her perspective of the events so far:

Q[uestioner]: Good evening Miss Bonucci, let's get straight into the big questions. Do you agree with the Premier that there are 'regressive and fascist operators' in Kalistan?

B[onucci]: Yes. Yes, I genuinely do believe that. I'm not in the business of being vague or ambiguous though so let me be clear: in my view, the Conservative Independence Party behaves in an oppressive and totalitarian manner. All you have to do is look at their recent military plan: they want to bring back land mines, nuclear weaponry, biological weaponry and chemical weaponry. These are weapons which don't simply kill people, they cause generations upon generations of people to experience physical and mental scarring. How can we not rally against this kind of behaviour? It is contrary to everything which Kalistan has stood for in Terra for decades.

Q: Do you have any comment on their 'better democracy' bill?

B: Of course. The idea that members of the National Assembly should be paid considerably more than the average citizen, it's pure cronyism. The Labour Party made clear that we wouldn't accept the increased pay although we're optimistic it won't get to this point because we are urging our friends in the Socialist Party parties to vote against it. That's not the point, though, we can't allow this kind of behaviour to pass by without scrutiny. There are countless other bills that we could point to: the ones relating to tobacco, to drug regulation, to pornography, to public display of affection, I could go on! I won't though instead I'll encourage anybody reading this to evaluate these bills for themselves and reach their own conclusions.

Q: What about their opposition to the 'Commitment to the Republic Act'?

B: It just shows that they can't be trusted. They don't even want our nation to exist! It is tantamount to treason in my mind. No amount of name changes and new leaders can cover up the fact that ultimately they were formed as the Ananto National Party with their primary goal being the destruction of the United Republic of Kalistan. They even claimed that Labour voters supported this idea! Any Labour Party supporter I've met would take that as personally insulting.

Q: Okay, I think we've covered the CIP enough now. How about the other big party in Kalistan right now: the Socialist Party? You mentioned them as your friends; what do you make of claims that your coalition is undemocratic?

B: Frankly, I think it's utter balderdash. If you look at the raw figures, the combination of our two parties now represents a vast majority of the electorate so whilst some parties may want early elections, it won't happen. We understand their frustration, it wasn't long ago the Labour Party itself was in a similar position but Kalistan has had enough turmoil over the past few years and it is about time we focused on policy. We're starting to do that now and it would be stupid to set back the clock by calling an election, we understand the unique circumstances with the KLP collapsing but this shouldn't distract us from our own parties.

Q: On the matter of policy: the Labour Party recently tabled a plan to nationalise the agricultural sector, what do you make of the opposition to this?

B: Unfortunately for the Kalistani public, they have been deprived of any real criticism of this plan so far. It's a shame because we know this bill isn't perfect- and that's why we are holding off on voting so that we can talk through some of the finer details- but most of the opposition has been petty and illogical. Hopefully, the debate will enhance and the plan can be examined so that it may be executed perfectly but this doesn't seem likely at the moment.

Q: There's still some time yet but what about the next elections, how do you see the Labour Party performing?

B: I'm confident that we have a real chance to do well. The dissolution of the KLP and the decision by President Bennots- who might I add has served Kalistan superbly- not to run again really opens up the race. We'll be campaigning extremely hard and, with any luck, we should be able to increase our seats and enter back into government. We certainly aren't taking anything for granted though because many of the new parties could be extremely alluring to those who feel that the current system doesn't work for them. We want to say to people, "Look we understand Kalistan isn't perfect but we are doing everything we can to help it get there".

Q: Can you offer any details on the rumoured confidential meeting Premier Curti had with trade union leaders?

B: No, not at this time. I can tell you that Mr Curti will be running for President however and that he will be seeking support and endorsement from a variety of sources, including trade unions.

Q: Okay well thank you very much for your time Miss Bonucci and good luck next January!

B: It has been my pleasure, don't you worry we'll keep the red flag flying!

Miss Bonucci has experienced a rise in support within the party in recent months, culminating in her being appointed as Deputy Leader when Francesca Totti resigned her position. She is said to compliment Luca Curti's revolutionary left wing agenda with her own commitment to civil liberties and personal freedoms and, as an aside, was the first person to be interviewed at the new headquarters of the People's Press in Kaliburg, after their previous offices became too small for their operation.