The room where it happened

[Sander 3312]

Some politicians, most notably of which Jonah Stahl-Elendil, discuss in private.

The room where it happened:
A reflection upon the less-transparent times of my tenure in the House of Commons
by Karl Amador

While many probably still remember me as a member of the House of Commons of the Imperial Diet, it has been some time since I retired from public office. We live in a much different world from the time I will discuss in this writ; Hanseti-Ruska has gained independence from the Empire for example, and many of the men to whom I looked up to learn in my career as a statesman; Sir Terrence May, Sir Konrad Stafyr and Conrad Barclay, have since then all passed away. So for those of the younger nature, let me briefly introduce myself before I proceed.

My name is Karl Amador, I hail from the Barony of Mondstadt in Hanseti-Ruska and I served as a representative of the Everardine Party and later as an Independent in the House of Commons pretty much since its creation until my resignation two elections ago. Now during this time in office I saw a lot change in the way the Diet was run. Upon gaining my seat in the House, it had just been created as the successor to the Senate, and during my tenure it was still very much developing itself. Many will see it as an open, transparent form of proto-democracy, on show for all of the Empire and the rest of the world to observe when in session. But I will share in this writ of some of the more shady, less-transparent side of the House of Commons that isn’t shown to the public. Private meetings, dirty secrets and cross-party agreements.

I feel the need to share these instances to not only give the public a more thorough understanding of the nature of the way the House of Commons was run, but also some of these accounts concern a truth that has not been, and might otherwise never be, revealed.

Private meetings
While I strongly believe in the transparent nature that any form of political deliberation such as the House of Commons should have, it was not uncommon for some of the more contested and interesting matters to be debated outside of the big room in Varoche Hall. The name I most strongly associate with this practice is that of Sir Jonah Stahl-Elendil, who under his leadership of the Josephite faction (and with that, practical leadership over the House), made it a feature of the Commons.

Elendil would frequently meet with members of the House of Commons outside of session, to discuss important matters in private meetings with no transcript that would never see the light of day. I was among these members with whom he from time to time sauntered off to his office upstairs in Varoche Hall. I clearly recall talks he wished to have with my about the state of the budget, economy, and financial practices of the Empire. He would show budget transcripts that weren’t to be observed outside of the Imperial Treasury like it was nothing much of a secret, let alone classified information. He laid out extensive visions for a redistribution of this budget and a change of the economy that. Lowered taxes, an increase in spending: Elendil’s plans could be far from realistic.

A second private meeting in Elendil’s office that I recall on a personal level was one about the taxation of Haense and Kaedrin. He invited me, miss Bykov and mister Galbraith to his office to have a lengthy discussion about how to enforce taxes on the provinces; a goal I recall him having for a long time. I was opposed to the notion of taxation, considering the vast majority or nearly all of the spending was done in the Crownlands, especially Helena. Bykov I recall being sceptical, but Galbraith was strongly in favor, much like Elendil.
Aside from our opinions on the matter though, what matters more is the belief that one of the most controversial, dividing matters of the Empire, could be discussed and attempted to resolve in such a private meeting in an office, rather than openly on the floor of Varoche Hall. I found it, and still find it, an offense to the dignity of both the House of Commons, and the people of the Empire (and now Haense).

A cross-party agreement
Naturally, cross-party agreements are nothing controversial or shady in general. After all, cross-party agreements are what make the House of Commons work effectively. What I mean specifically however, is a cross-party agreement that ‘crosses the line’, so to speak. An agreement I too am guilty of being a part of.

What I mean specifically is the so-called ‘Haeseni Caucus’ that evolved over the later years of the House of Commons. A secret agreement, made between Josephites, Everardines and Independents alike, where all of the Haeseni representatives banded together into a voting bloc. We agreed among us, that in any matter or bill that concerned the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska in any way, we would all vote together in the way that protected and preserved the interests of the Haeseni Crown, regardless of personal ideological beliefs or party-directed stance.

To this day, I do not regret being a part of this Haeseni Caucus. I believe that what we did was right. We protected the interests of our monarch and our people from Imperial meddling, fending off anything that further breached Hanseti-Ruska’s integrity. While I do not regret us Haeseni representatives taking this measure, I will admit that it was somewhat shady and something we hid from not only our Imperial colleagues but also the public, which is less than commendable.

A secret most foul
What I saved for last is what I consider the piéce de resistance of this writ. A most hideous secret that I was let in on due to leading the Everardine faction at the time. I do not doubt there were many more dirty secrets, given the less offensive name of ‘classified information’, that were shared in the corridors and offices of Varoche Hall, but this is the only major one I have been informed of. Thus this serves as an example of the backroom practices the Imperial Government hides from its people.
 

[!] A reprint of an official document was included in the writ [!]

During another private meeting in Sir Elendil´s office, a high-ranking officer of the Imperial State Army, Officer Tovelm, knocked on the door, coming to pick our brains as party leaders, on a matter he had been working on for the IOMI together with the Imperial Cabinet. What later became public as Operation Enduring Freedom; the declaration of war on Sutica, framed as an attempt to ‘free Sutica from the tyrant Corwin Alstreim’, started as something very different.

The reprint of the classified document above is what I was delivered by an Imperial Soldier the day after, as a summary transcript of what the Officer Tovelm had discussed with us in Elendil’s office the day before. He told us about the plan to buy Sutica from Trade Prince Corwin Alstreim, who would become a vassal of the Empire, much like the King of Hanseti-Ruska. Sutica was to be gradually incorporated as a full on part of the Empire, with the Trade Prince being offered 100,000 minas for his allegiance. Yes, the Imperial government offered 100,000 minas to a man they would condemn as a tyrant and the biggest threat to the Empire just months later.

This would be only step 1 of a grander plan however, Officer Tovelm was so kind to inform us. Sutica was not only to serve as an enormous tax income for the Empire, but also as a military outpost. A jumping off point from which the Imperial Crown planned to conquer all, or most, of southern Arcas in the years to come. Officer Tovelm mentioned nations such as the Talus Grove or Aegrothong, who would have to be put under Imperial rule or be incorporated in the Imperial sphere of influence in this view.

I do not know what else is to be said by me about this plan. This is what we were informed of that day in Elendil’s office. The rest is history, as months later, the plan had failed with the Trade Prince refusing the offer, and the Imperial government declaring war upon Sutica and her allies. 

-[+]-

I do not know what consequences my writ might have. I do not know how much of this information exactly had already been (somewhat) known by the public. What I do know is that I am happy for the truth to be publicly exposed nonetheless. If anybody feels I incompletely exposed one of these matters, they are free to send me a letter and ask questions to inquire if I have more to share that I forgot to mention here.

Though now divided by borders,
Your obedient servant,
K. Amador

[LithiumSedai 5750]

”Can’t believe I could have been a hundred thousand minas richer and gotten a free wig,” lamented the former Trade Monarch upon reviewing the missive, nonetheless wiping at his tears with several ten-thousand-mina banknotes.

[Hanrahan 2983]

Edward Napier looks upon the document with extreme prejudice.

 

“A man who served in Government as long as Mr. Amador should be able to tell a forgery when he sees one. The seal is wrong, the formatting is wrong, the script is wrong, and the titling is wrong. This is embarrassing, and a worthless attempt at some greasy gambit by a man spurned. A fool!”

[Andustar 4143]

“Highly disturbing. I expect an adequate response to explain this intrigue...” 

Olórin Telmenar would comment with disdain, a frown set upon his visage.