11-10-2017, 03:38 PM

NOVEMBER 11TH 1887
A MINISTER FOR THE COMMON MAN
CAMPAIN PROGRESS TELLING FOR CANDIDATES' FOCUS |
The Prophet received an anonymous letter recently, criticizing several Minister candidates for the apparent exclusivity of their campaigns. This articulate letter is reprinted in full below: The candidates for Minister this election season have made, for the most part, an abysmally poor showing and have demonstrated that they really have no idea what it means to be the Minister of Magic. Many candidates have focused on campaign events aimed to seduce the rich and powerful; since these are historically the people most likely to vote (and most likely to have the ability to vote), this is perhaps understandable, but it shows a complete misconception of what the position of Minister is meant to do. The Minister is not meant to represent the interests of the interred members of the Wizengamot; these men have a voice and can speak for themselves. A Minister should cater to the voiceless--to the disenfranchised, to the poor, to the women, and to the children. This may not be a popular stance for those more comfortable among their own kind--the idle rich--but for the sake of England, our country needs a Minister willing to represent all of her citizens, not merely the ones who already hold the majority of the power. Why has Mr. Justin Ross so far been the only candidate to publish his views in the Daily Prophet, for all the world--not only the rich and powerful--to see? Most likely it is because the other candidates, men like Stephen Flint and Roman Crouch who were born into wealth and power and cannot comprehend the lack of it--do not place any value in the citizens they would be representing, as Minister. Why should they care to make their political stances known to the nation when they have already decided they will represent only their own interests, and the interests of people like them? _____________________________________________________________ |
Anyone with a vote should know that we cannot trust scheming men who make decisions in secrecy. If they are unwilling to publish their views in the Prophet, what are they hiding? These men of no opinion ought to be ousted from the election on principle, and they do not deserve your support. The point raised by the anonymous letter writer--that of the significant lack of campaign platforms being published this election season--is not the only telling sign when discerning where a candidate's focus lies. Fundraisers and other campaign events can also be illuminating. Stephen Flint's campaign seems to have been predominantly kept to the halls of his gentleman's club so far, aside from a fundraiser ball last month which included members of his department. Conri Power has also made very little secret of aiming his campaign primarily at wealthy gentleman. Justin Ross' campaign has been very active and has included events targeted at all social classes. Eugene Scamander has also been inclusive, though less active than Ross. The more recent candidates, including authoress Eleanora Brownhill and Dueling Commissioner Barnabas Skeeter, have also been appealing to a variety of audiences through their fundraisers, campaigning, and speeches. On the opposite side of the spectrum, lawyer Justus Pilliwickle has made every attempt to appeal to the disenfranchised, almost to the exclusion of the wealthier members of society. Antonia Greyback, despite her own wealth, seems to be tracking along those lines and has chosen halfbreed rights as a particular campaign platform, though she has made no concrete statements about what she plans to do to address the problem if elected. The latest addition to the campaign, Chief Warlock Herschel Dawlish, seems to still be getting his feet beneath him; what sort of campaign he intends to run remains to be seen. AUTHOR: IAN PENGLOSS / ANONYMOUS |