NationStates Jolt Archive

(Thread for the Merano Regency (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Merano_Regency)'s interview with Siobhan Donovan of the Rainbow Party (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Rainbow_Party).)

Interviewer Kimberly Wren: Hello, Ms. Donovan.

Donovan: "Hello, Ms. Wren! How are you?"

Wren: Good, thank you, and yourself?

Donovan (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Rainbow_Party): "I'm fine." (grins) "And thrilled to be here."

Wren: That's good.

So...before we get too specific, what is the general state of politics in West Ariddia?

Donovan: "Messy." (laughs) "But isn't it everywhere? No, more seriously, there are two big parties, which are absolutely opposed on most issues. So that's very divisive for society. They're about equal in strength, but until recently the FDP was always in pow- Oh, I should tell you what they are first.

Well, the FDP - that's Free Democratic Party - is the party that basically says there should be as little government as possible. Everything to let the economy work on its own. Until recently they were always in power, and West Ariddia was, well, an extreme example of capitalism. Almost no government at all.

The other big party is the Democratic Communist Party. They're in power now, for the first time, and, well, they're essentially the opposite of the FDP. Big government, lots of social laws. They're struggling, though, to try and apply their policies. Lots of resistance from businesses and various people. As I said, politically, we're a very divided society.

And then there's all the little parties. Including the Rainbow Party, that I'm the spokeswoman of."

Wren: And what exactly makes the Rainbow Party so unique?

Donovan: "Well, we're the only party that- Well, I say 'we'. I should probably say that I'm not actually a member. I'm just the spokeswoman. But I'm the candidate, I represent them, so 'we'. Anyway... They, or we, have one important policy that no one else is suggesting. We want to bring in honest government, and stop this division and quarrels, and all the bad things about politics. So what we suggest, and what the Rainbow Party will do if ever it gets to power, is give all power to Parliament - we'll abolish the Cabinet, and the President, you see - give all power to Parliament, and fill it with people, with citizens, selected completely at random. They'd have to serve a three year term, then they'd be replaced by another random lot.

That would completely change the way government works, and, in the opinion of the Rainbow Party, take us out of these dishonest and quarreling politics. It'll be a lot more democratic, a lot more representative."

Wren: If you are not a member, then where do your own political sympathies lie?

Donovan: "Ah. You're not the first one to ask me that." (smiles) "When the Rainbow Party came to me, I was 19, and I'd never been really interested in politics. That's changed, of course, and I... Well, at different times I've felt close to some things that some parties have said, but as representative of the Rainbows I can't really tell you more than that." (smiles) "All I can say really is that I vote Rainbow. I've voted for myself in the past three presidential elections." (laughs) "I mean, it would have been a bit silly not to, no?"

Wren: There are some who might classify your entire party as "silly", I'd assume.

Donovan: "Oh, well, yes... That's what some people have said. Because we only have this one big idea, I suppose... But that's really not very nice. Oh, and because they don't think it can be done. Although of course it can. Or they don't think it would be good... Of course, it would be the end of the big parties, so that's why they don't like us, I think.

I mean, think of it. MPs selected at random. No President, no ministers. Either you'd have people with no strong political beliefs, and they'd just do what's best for the country, and that'd be the FDP and the DCP completely out of the way. Or, some of those MPs would have strong political beliefs, pro-DCP or pro-FDP or whatever... And they'd have to work together. It wouldn't just be one party monopolising power for five years, with over half the population excluded. They'd have to work together, for the good of the country, and everybody's beliefs, all the citizens, would be represented.

That's why I said our way is so much more democratic. So it's a very serious idea, and those who call us 'silly', those who just insult us instead of answering our ideas, well, I think they just want to cling to power. Even if it's not what's best for our country, and for all West Ariddians.

So I think it's a way of trying to dismiss the Rainbows, so people don't listen to us."

Wren: (shaking off an expression from thinking of it) So, why did the Party choose you as a candidate?

Donovan: (smiles) "They didn't. Well, I mean it wasn't a choice in the usual sense. They picked my name completely at random from a phone directory. They had no idea who I was."

Wren: Who are you, would you say, as a person?

Donovan: "Hmm... That's a tricky one. You mean... not as a 'politician', then? Well... I was born in... what you'd call a working class background, I suppose. Started working when I was 13. I never had the money to get into any proper training, so I've just always done very basic jobs. I'm a waitress right now; have been for about four months or so...

Let's see... More importantly, I suppose, I'm married, and I've got a wonderful little girl called Maria, who's four. I... like music, all kinds of music. Reading, anything really, though I haven't got much money for books. And watching TV, I suppose." (laughs) "And my favourite colour's yellow. I'm just a normal young woman in her thirties. Which is the point, really, you know. What I was saying about democracy and representation, remember? I'm just... a random citizen." (laughs)

Wren: I understand that the Rainbow Party faces considerable opposition. If you were not elected to the presidency, are there other ways for it to influence politics?

Donovan: "Hmmm... Well, I'll probably be standing for President again next time round, but if we don't win... Well, the very fact that we're in politics means that we have a voice out there, and we're heard... Of course, that's not really enough yet. We do try to get people into Parliament. So hopefully one day we'll we'll have a few MPs. That'll enable the Rainbows to have some influence at least on politics."

Wren: And if you were elected, what specific policies would you support beyond the general overhaul of the government?

Donovan: "Well, if I were elected, I would have to resign." (smiles) "See, that's the thing. We'd implement the new system. Summon a new Parliament, composed of citizens selected at random, with a three year mandate. Of course, the transfer couldn't be immediate. We'll probably have to do it gradually. Keep the old Parliament for a while, bringing in new MPs, so they can be trained, learn how to run a government... All the civil service will still be there, of course, so it'll all go smoothly. Then I'll resign as President, and government will be in the hands of Parliament."

Wren: So what reaction has the party generated?

Donovan: "Depends who you ask, really... People do vote for us, so there are people out there who agree with us, and we'll continue to represent them. There's a new law that's been made recently, which says that all media must give equal time for all candidates to express themselves during an election campaign. So I'm hoping that'll get our message across to more people for the next election.

Other than that, there are customers when I'm at work who recognise me, and talk to me. A couple of weeks ago there was a man who said 'I can't believe I'm ordering drinks from the person I voted for in the last election'." (smiles) "Some even ask for my autograph, which is really weird. So yes, we do get across to some people.

The problem is, our country is really split between the two big parties, I think. It's difficult for anyone else to make all that much of an impact. But I think things are changing, slowly."

Wren: That law sounds intriguing: it provides for equal coverage for all parties, but must have been passed by the ones already in power?

Donovan: "Yes, it was done by the DCP. Some members of the FDP supported it too, as being more democratic, but others said that the media should not be forced to do anything - that they should be able to interview whoever they want. So that's why the FDP never did this while they were in power.

We supported the idea, of course."

Wren: How does the presence of such various small parties affect the larger ones?

Donovan: "Well, we'll find out in the next election, I suppose. But I think a lot of citizens simply weren't really aware of us, and of other 'small' parties, until now. So hopefully that'll change, and we'll see the change in the result of the election.

It may be that the small parties will hold the balance in Parliament. I mean, if neither of the big parties has a majority of seats, we'll be in quite a powerful position."

Wren: Will you be able to work with them successfully? How does the Rainbow Party compare to other small parties? Not just in ideologies, but also in terms of recognition...Whatever the important variables are.

Donovan: "Will we be able to work with the other small parties? Yes, I think so. Although... It depends what their position is. I mean, we're not going to ally, I think, with either of the big parties. Except if they take our views, our policies, our demands into account.

I think the small party most people are aware of is the Socialist Party. They're essentially centrist. Well, centre-left. They call themselves centrists, and say they're the only moderate party. They want change, like us, and they want to stop these divisive politics between two big parties which are both extremist and never compromise. But they want to, basically, keep the current system as it is. And we - well, the Rainbows - don't think that'll work.

There's the Morality Party... We haven't really got much in common with them. And if you don't count fascists and joke parties, the only other party really is the Blank Party. I think they're on the rise, too, which is a sign that a lot of people want things to change. But the Blank Party doesn't work at all with other parties, on anything. They're just... I don't know, a protest vote. Unlike us, they're not trying to get anything done. Just trying to destroy the old, you know, without bringing anything new."

Wren: So you don't think that the current system can work if stays as is? What are the eventual consequences if it does?

Donovan: "I think if things don't change, we'll continue to have a completely divided society, with a lot of tension. The communists and the capitalists - the DCP and the FDP - never compromise with each other. They make no effort to work together. When the DCP got to power, it undid all the FDP had done, and when the FDP comes back it'll undo all the DCP has done, and there'll be a lot of anger and resentment. We always thought the FDP would stay in power permanently, but if the FDP and the DCP are going to alternate in power... things are going to get very, very messy. I mean, you can't have a society that works properly if, every five or ten years, it goes back and forth like a yo-yo between radical communism and extreme capitalism. It makes no sense, you know? It's just... Well, I think people are going to get tired of the two big parties pulling them between two extremes, and changing everything now and then despite half the population being against them... and then it gets changed back again, so it wasn't a real change to begin with.

I mean, for example, we'll have had the communists in power for 10 years, and they've done a lot of things, very radical things. Now, if the FDP is elected, they're just going to undo it all. So what will have been the point of the communists being in power in the first place? We can't work with politics that are so divisive, and that... well, never get anywhere."

Wren: Have the major parties been able to get anything of importance done legislatively? Bipartisanly?

Donovan: "No." (shakes head) "At least not recently. Their ideological differences are just too strong. Sometimes you have one or two members of one party supporting a policy coming from the other, but it's rare, and there's never full cooperation between the two parties. Each one says it just can't work with the other."

Wren: "Says"? As opposed to the actuality?

Donovan: (laughs) "I don't know. I'm not sure I meant it that way... You reporters have a way with words, haven't you?

Well... We can't really know, can we? Maybe there are at least some agreements made in private by some. But the important thing is, those two parties don't want to try to work together. And I'm not sure they could even if they wanted to. I mean, they disagree on so much, there's no real room for compromise."

Wren: (laughs) Just double-checking...Part of the job.

Donovan: "That's fine." (smiles) "It's a good question, really. They spend a lot of time criticising one another, saying they're so different... But they're still politicians, so who knows?" (grins)

Wren: ...and you're attempting to become a politician? (stifling laughter)

Donovan: (giggles) "Ouch. You've trapped me. Well, not really... Of course you know I'm going to say I'm not a politician like all the others." (grins) "I've been a candidate in elections for quite a few years now, taking part in political campaigns. The party I represent stands for genuine change. The Rainbow Party wants to bring something new and better to our society, to make it work properly again. We're trying to get rid of career politicians, remember?" (smiles)

Wren: (making a mock of writing it all down dutifully): In the best case scenario, if you were elected and able to overhaul the political system, what would you do after office?

Donovan: "Hmm... You know, I've never really thought about that? I suppose... It'll just be life as usual. I'll still be having to work for a living, sometimes looking for a better job. I'll still be looking for what's best for my daughter, making sure she has a good life, with better opportunities than I've had. I'll be trying very hard to make money to pay for her to have a better education than I've had. The problems of every day life.

But with a better system in place, I'm confident we'd have a better society, and my daughter will grow up in a better society than the one I grew up in. And that will be true for everyone's children. That's the whole point."

Wren: Would a truly random Parliament have, in general, the same political ratios as the current setup? Some capitalists, some communists, some in-between?

Donovan: "Statistically, it's probable, yes. But the big difference, I think, is that many of them may have no strong ideological beliefs, and others may be more flexible too. So we'd have Members of Parliament who are a lot more able to work together. The extremes would have to find some way of working with those who are willing to be reasonable and compromise."

Wren: So if most people are moderates, how do the extremes get to power?

Donovan: "Well, that's quite interesting. The problem, you see, is that a lot of people think nothing can change, because we have these two big parties. People don't always realise how powerful their own vote is. We're all used to seeing the two big parties in power, so a lot of voters simply pick the big party that they disagree least with, so as to keep the other one out of power. The Rainbow Party thinks that's a shame, and that people should understand that there's no law which says that one of the two big parties will always be in power. You can choose another one instead."

Wren: Intriguing.

Your policies are obviously quite different from either of the two major parties'. In spite of this, are you ever accused of playing "spoiler"?

Donovan: "Do you mean, do some people think we're messing up something that should be left alone? In a way, I suppose... There are also people who say that voting for the 'little' parties is pointless. But think of it this way. If the Rainbow Party can get into Parliament and obtain even, say, four seats out of ninety-nine... we can prevent either of the two big parties from having an absolute majority of seats, and we can force them into compromises. We can force them to listen to our proposals. This is really showing, in practical terms, that the Rainbow Party can make a real difference, and bring real change."

Wren: Is that a reasonable possibility? Four out of ninety-nine seats?

Donovan: "I think so. I really do think so. People are starting to turn to the smaller parties. We may not get four seats in the next election, but maybe three, or even one or two. But four isn't impossible." (smiles) "However many it is, we can start to make a difference."

Wren: Anything else you'd like to share?

Donovan: "Hmmm... No, not really. Just that I've been grateful for this opportunity to talk to your readers; thank you for taking an interest.

If I'm elected President in two years, perhaps I can give you an exclusive interview? (laughs) More seriously, though, the Rainbow Party does stand for serious issues, and it's good to get those issues out into the public debate."

Wren: You're welcome. Thanks for your time, and I'll be sure to pencil in that interview well in advance. (wink)

Donovan: (laughs) "That's great! Thank you, Ms. Wren, and have a nice day."