"Progress of the Party," by C. Carlüs Xheraltescù

Several months down the line and we’re all still partying hard in the Liberal Congress. It has been a tricky one for all of us, knowing what the best procedures to put in place are and improving our understanding of the common political philosophy which binds us together. But so far we seem to have managed a peaceful co-existence. We now have 1 9 seats in the Cosa and a Senator in the Senate, and we don’t seem to have fallen out (yet).

Going about founding your own political party is a particularly rewarding experience. In particular, aiming to fill a gap in the political market with a party whose aims align very closely with my own passions macronationally is overwhelmingly fulfilling. Seeing new people feel a magnetic pull towards your party similarly encourages a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

I count my fellow Liberals in Talossa to be among my closest friends micronationally, and I have a helluva good time chatting with them. They’re funny, articulate, and occasionally wise; they’re great people, and it is an absolute pleasure to work with them.

It isn’t without its challenges though, as I’m sure you guessed. As someone who was already politically active in Talossa, there really never was a good time to leave the party I inhabited previously. I was at that point incredibly worried about upsetting those with whom I had worked closely since before Reunision, and the decision to step down was up there with voting for Reunision when it comes to the hardest decisions I have had to make in Talossa. Worried though I was, I’m pleased to say that I still get on fabulously with my former party (and now coalition) colleagues, both professionally and as friends.

Further challenges also arise when it comes to maintaining the force behind our campaigns. It is incredibly difficult to keep people interested in the active running of the political party when a lot of people already have barely enough time to ‘do Talossa’ at all. It is a challenge which has forced me to try a variety of ways in trying to encourage participation. We still regularly share inter-party communications via e-mail, host the occasional caucus discussion via our forum, and chat on Facebook. Forums aren’t actually very good forums of communicating, I’ve learnt in any case. What’s stopped us from moving away from that so far has largely been a fear of people thinking us weak for doing so. In reality, of course, it’s simply because people just lack the time to check a whole other forum, when an e-mail will be checked regardless.

In any case, it is a continuous stream of excitement for us in the Liberal Congress. After having only fought one election, we’re in government, we’re legislating successfully for key policies. We’ve got a column here in Beric’ht Talossan, and we’re a prominent political force in Talossa that is very much one not to be taken lightly. I rarely talk about my own party in this column, but when I do it is with heartfelt pride. Setting up an ardently liberal party in Talossa has been one of the best decisions I have made – you’ll find absolutely no regrets here, and I hope my friends in the party feel the same way.