Election Broadcast: Meet the Candidates

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Mervyn had never been so well prepared for a broadcast. Generally, insofar as the term generally could be applied to someone who had only been in the job for three months, Mervyn favoured the wing it and pray method. And why wouldn't he? It hadn't let him down yet. It was a magic of its own variety, the amount of nonsense he could talk without anybody questioning his knowledge of the subject at hand. Some of the things that came out of his mouth were news to him.

But today was different. Today, Mervyn was hosting a party election broadcast, and, lest anybody higher up think he wasn't taking this great responsibility seriously, he had put in a solid hour of research. Well, fifty minutes. Forty-five, allowing for the snack break. In his defence, Leda had already told him all the important details. Having a writer for a fiancée had its upsides, especially to a man who couldn't be bothered to read.

When the introductions were over and the important but dull rundown was complete, Mervyn ushered the candidates into the studio. "'Ave a seat," he said, gesturing to the chairs ranged around the table, "and stick a pair of them 'eadphones on, or you won't be able to 'ear nuthink." Mervyn let his headphones snap over his ears and sat down. "Remember, you've got three minutes each on the air, them's the rules, no exceptions - so keep it nice and succinct. We wanna 'ear about your platform, what changes you fink you can make, and why it matters to you. Everybody ready? Good stuff - and there's the countdown..."

The last few seconds were said to be the most anxiety inducing. Mervyn found them the most exciting. Who knew what was about to come out of his mouth! "Good evenin', people of New Zealand! Are you well? Are you comfortable? Are you excited? I for one am very excited. I fink you can probably guess why. Go on. 'Ave a guess. That's right - cos we've just bought a new potted plant for the studio. Only jokin' - well, we 'ave bought a fern, and I've called 'er Fifi, but that is, while an occasion worvy of celebration, not the sole cause for me excitement. It is of course time for our election broadcast, and I do 'ave sittin' across from me some very special guests 'oo are keen to introduce themselves. Let's see - first up to talk about their platform is Siobhan McGowan. 'Ello, Siobhan. Tell us about yourself and what brought you 'ere."

Out of Character:

Candidates: Please be cautious of the strict timeline that we have. @Siobhan McGowan will go first. After her post, it does not matter who goes next. Mervyn is only here to make sure nothing goes wrong. Feel free to godmod Mervyn helping if your candidate is not very savvy with the equipment.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan had been a little anxious for the upcoming radio broadcast. While many quidditch players knew her name, she wasn't really as well known as some of the other candidates, which would definitely be a detriment to her campaign. Making her way into the studio, she greeted the others with a friendly smile until they were ushered into the recording area. Since her sister was a gamer, Siobhan was rather familiar with all the equipment being used and placed the headphones on her head as Mervyn began to speak. She'd never listened to his show, but he seemed to have a good sense of humor that helped lighten her anxiety.

When she was introduced, Siobhan cleared her throat before moving a little closer to the microphone. "Hello, Mervyn," she started, her Irish accent slightly shining through as she spoke to him. "I'm very honored and excited to be here today so your listeners can know a little more about me and what I'm passionate about. I was born in Ireland but did attend school in New Zealand for the first years before unfortunately having to head back to the UK. However, this beautiful place stole my heart, and I came back, starting a life for myself here. New Zealand changed my life: it brought me my son and my partner. It provided with a career at the Quidditch League Head for the past few years, and it has truly become my home." Siobhan had rehearsed the points she wanted to bring out over the last few weeks with Fin that she almost regretted asking her sister to be her campaign manager because it meant never really getting away from it all. But in the end, she knew that the practice was serving her well.

"I've decided to run for Minister of Magic because I want to help our community. Minister Holland has does a phenomenal job, but of course, there is always more work to be done. The pillars of my campaign revolve around education, better resources and support for families through the Ministry, and buidling a safer and happier magical community. I think it's important that the Ministry serves as not only an organization keeps everyone safe but also provides a resource so our everyday lives can be simpler and happier." Siobhan paused for a moment to make sure she had covered all she wanted to say. "I know I'm close to time, so I want to thank you again Mervyn and all the other candidates." The former Gryffindor sat back so the next candidate could begin.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire felt very very nervous about this. It was one thing to come up with a campaign, begin to build the staff for it and another to really officially launch it. Once this interview was done backing down was not going to be an option for her. She wouldn't want it either, she'd already put so much work into this, she'd already told her children about it, already primed her husband for it. Victoire was doing this and if it went horribly then at least she knew and would never regret not having at least tried. It would be good to make a proper difference to the magical world that she'd come into. It would be good to help make the lives of the people in the world better and safer. She arrived with the other candidates at the radio studio and had been sat down. It was all very foreign to Victoire who hadn't interacted with anything like this in a good while. She recognised a few of the candidates, specifically James Cade, who'd been in the same year as her brother at school. She knew he'd become an Auror and though she didn't know him, it was almost a little nice to see a face she was familiar with.

Victoire put the headphones on, adjusting their fit as the man, Mervyn, began speaking. She had wanted to bring some notes with her, to help keep her on message, but a conversation with the team had said this would be a perhaps unprofessional look, and really Victoire didn't need it, she knew her campaign, her messaging, there was nothing that could throw her off, this was the first big test but it would be a simple one too, there would be nothing too complex hopefully in this. She watched the woman, Siobhan go first, the quidditch one, and she listened to the woman's introduction and campaign. She nodded along, thinking it all sounded very measured and correct. And then it was motioned to her to get started. Victoire felt a moment of panic before she started speaking.

"Good evening, thanks for having me here Mervyn. My name is Victoire Fontaine, I was born in Belgium but I moved to Australia when I was ten, and then New Zealand for Hogwarts where I was a Gryffindor and Head Girl," she said, keeping her tone clear, not speaking too fast but not too slow. She'd long since lost the accent she'd once had, having a more neutral New Zealand accent with perhaps the odd flourish on words. "I had always known that I wanted to work in the ministry so, upon graduation I joined the international office of Law. A place I thoroughly enjoy working, but have always had an interest in making a more substantive difference in our magical community,"

Victoire paused for a moment, "Which was why, come this cycle, I decided to put my name forward. I was an intern on Ms Holland's campaign, and was raised by parents who were very politically minded, so this felt like the right time, to take all my ideas, and passions and lived experience and use them to try to improve our magical world. I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. McGowan's statement, that the work Claudia has put in has been incredible, truly a formidable woman, but there is more that could be done," Victoire motioned to the other candidate though no one aside from those in the office could see it.

"My goal if I were to be Minister would be to keep the community in New Zealand safe, prosperous and fair. When I say I want to make our community safer, I don't just mean in terms of getting bad wizards who are committing crimes off the street, though of course that is part of it, I also mean in helping wizards have financial security, job security and even just putting mechanisms in place to help prevent someone leaving for school and never returning home because of something that could in theory have been prevented," Victoire took a small breathe, knowing that perhaps at this table only James Cade would know what she was referencing. "I would want to see all people in the community prosper, from the kids just entering hogwarts who haven't yet figured out what they want to do, to someone deciding to turn their passion into a business or someone whose passion is just to be a stay at home parent. I want to make our community fair, providing everyone with equal opportunity and equal standing, so no muggleborn is at a disadvantage because they're new to the world and by that know less, so no parent has to scarifice their work to look after the kids because they don't have that wide familial network or the means to get a nanny, or that someone whose single, isn't priced out of homes or a business opportunity in the area because they're a single income household."

"Specifically, some of this would be worked towards by a creche in the ministry, keeping ministry and professor's wages competitive and in line with inflation and improve funds and reduce red tape to allow small businesses to start and flourish which will keep our economy moving, make sports and lakes safer. Introduce early learning stipends to allow all parents the opportunity to hire tutors and work if they opt to, or stay at home and afford materials for homeschooling and finally I would look to introduce a new ministry department tasked with the welfare of children, helping those who need it to either be placed into a new home, receive advice or provide monetory aid, especially to those kids who are right on the cusp of turning seventeen." Victoire stopped taking a little breath, knowing that her three minutes were definitely up. "I know I'm out of time, so if any listeners would like any more information I'll be at Flourish and Blotts tomorrow, feel free to come by and ask more questions, thank you so much Mervyn and to the other candidates for this today," ​

 

[Rupert Cresswell]

Rupert had been waiting for today ever since he had been informed of the event, eager for the opportunity to get his voice out there and begin making an impression on the people of New Zealand. He was very much an outsider and an underdog in this race, coming neither from the Ministry nor the country in question, and as a result he knew he would have to work twice as hard to win people over. First impressions were everything, and Rupert was relieved that he was coming into this with so much experience in how to make a good one.

He had been pleasantly surprised to find the radio host was a fellow brit, though his accent was a far cry from Rupert's own crisp RP. Several of the other candidates were foreigners as well, to Rupert's surprise, and as he listened to Ms. McGowan introduce herself, he began to feel more and more relieved that he wasn't going to stick out like a sore thumb. Certainly he would stand a better chance than the youngest candidate, who seemed barely more than a child. He listened with polite interest as the first two women introduced themselves, paying attention in particular to their policy. Ms. Fontaine went into far more depth and he absorbed the information readily, using it to calculate the tone of his own speech. Once she was finished, Rupert gave a polite incline of his head before beginning his own address.

"My turn is it? Lovely." Rupert said with an easy chuckle. "My name is Rupert Cresswell, and I suppose I'm the newest New Zealander in this lineup, but that by no means makes me any less passionate about this campaign." He said, choosing to lean in to his unique circumstances rather than hide them. "I'm - clearly - originally from London, educated at the Hogwarts of the north. I was a Ravenclaw, a year ahead of the Minister Holland, as a matter of fact, and at school I developed a great passion for solving puzzles. To me, there is no greater puzzle than that of how to run a country, and this is the greatest driving force that has motivated me thus far. I want to solve people's problems; for all the wonderful things about this country there are always issues to be solved as society evolves, and there is absolutely nothing I love more than a really difficult puzzle."

Rupert smiled, tone easy as he carried on. "My love of puzzles was also what led me to my career. I've dedicated my life thus far to curse-breaking. This has, of course, given me quite a broad magical skillset and grounding in international law, as I've had the fortune to work in many beautiful countries all around the world, all with their own complex and delightful ways of doing things. Curse-breaking is just another form of problem solving, picking dark magic apart piece by piece to find a safe and happy outcome for everyone involved. And it's also where I'd like to pivot to talking about policy."

Rupert knew the audiences at home couldn't see him, but he hoped his broad, comfortable smile would be clear in his tone as he spoke. "As thrilling as my career is, it's given me a lot of insight into the darker elements of magical society. I understand how the criminal element plan things, how they structure their work, and it's quite a different perspective to traditional law enforcement. Having seen inside the minds of criminals is the framework for my policies relating to crime - I would like to put a much stronger emphasis on surveillance and infiltration. Early warning can be key in the prevention of crime, and the more work we can do behind the scenes to keep the average magical citizen safe, the better. An Auror on the street can minimise a dangerous situation, but ten aurors with early knowledge of the enemy's plan can eliminate that danger entirely."

He knew it was perhaps a dangerous subject to broach with multiple law enforcement professionals in the room, but Rupert's insight into the criminal mind was unique, one he knew none of his opponents could boast. Still, he moved on quickly, eager to end on a lighter note. "My other policies focus around problem-solving as well. Creating more ways for people to make their voices heard. If the average citizen has a concern that I need to hear, I want a framework within the Ministry for that concern to make it to my desk, without mountains of paperwork and months of waiting. I want a more transparent Ministry, so that ordinary people can easily understand the decisions that are being made about things that affect their lives. I want the Ministry to have a better relationship with local businesses, to support those already keeping our retail spaces so vibrant, and to offer a helping hand to those looking to begin their own business journey. I've run an independent business my entire adult life, and it's a struggle I understand all too well."

Rupert glanced to the host as he spoke, well aware that the end of his time was approaching far too fast. "I want to support our educational institutions - keeping Hogwarts education moving with new developments in magical research, as well as creating opportunities for continued study and apprenticeships for those who want them. I want outreach, communication and sharing. Lower taxes, higher standard of living, better communication, safer communities. But most importantly, I want to hear from you. The Minister, ultimately, works for their people, not the way around. As your Minister, I will be working directly for you, and I want to hear the issues important to you. My campaign is entirely open and transparent. Anyone is welcome to contact me with their concerns any time, and I'll work with my people to see how we can help. Politics belongs to the people, and I want to bring you all in to the team." He smiled beatifically, giving an acknowledging nod to the young man running the show. "And unfortunately, I've overrun my time by a smidge, so I'll be handing you over to the next candidate now. But I would strongly encourage anyone interested in getting involved or having their issues heard to contact my campaign, I'm excited to hear from you." He finally leaned back from the microphone, certain that he had done well even if he had gone on a bit more than intended.

 

[Professor James Cade]

The nerves were palpable as the candidates for the minister for magic waited for their turn to regurgitate their platforms. The format for the event was curious as it didn't allow for any back and forth between the candidates or with the interviewer. They were just giving stump speeches over the radio and while James wasn't going to pass on an opportunity to get his message out to the people, he wasn't sure how useful the whole thing was going to be.

James listened to the other candidates as they each laid out their qualifications for the job, the life experience they believed put them in good stead to lead the wizarding government. No experience ever really prepared someone to be in charge of an entire country's magical community and James was under no illusion that he was qualified to do the job but he was young and he had a different way of seeing the world than anyone who had been elected to the position in recent years.

When it was finally his turn James adjusted in his seat to face Mervyn, a boy he remembered being at school with. Times had indeed changed and they found themselves in strange positions. "So I'm James Cade, born and raised in the US, attended HNZ where I was fortunate enough to be in Gryffindor, played as a seeker, captained the Gryffindor Quidditch team, lead the Brotherhood and served as a prefect, all of these things demonstrate my experience as a leader that is true and now I am serving the community as an Auror with the ministry, but does that qualify me to lead a country? Well that's for the voters to decide isn't it?"

James paused as he prepared to begin the main bulk of his stump speech. "The way I see it, New Zealand is pretty good, right? Crime is low, the Scitorari haven't done anything of note in a long time, have they? Education is pretty good, could it be better? Absolutely but that's my point most things in our community is pretty good but could be better by making small changes, trimming the fat as it were,"

He took a breath before continuing. "My main priorities are improving cooperation between international communities and one of the ways I want to do this is reintroduce the Triwizard tournament, factoring in all necessary safety precautions, of course, to ensure that it is held in the spirit of cooperation and the safety of our students is emphasised at every turn, then, of course, I want to organise ministry led career fairs for OWL and NEWT students every year so they can see what opportunities lay ahead of them, many magical children go through their education with no idea what kind of career they might be heading into we need to change that so students can make informed decisions about their future and lastly we want to keep our streets safe like I said our community is pretty safe right now and we want to keep it that way, what I propose is ensuring our magical law enforcement squad has an approachable presence on the streets so people know who to turn to if they need to," James nodded to signal to Mervyn that he was finished.

"I want to thank you, Mervyn, for giving me this platform, your listeners for hearing me out and my fellow candidates for coming along and engaging in the process, my campaign will have a permanent presence at the Leaky Cauldron in Obsidian Harbour and there you can find information about our upcoming campaign events or enquire about volunteering opportunities and remember, life is good, but it can be better"

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar had been surprised when she had received the letter sayingthat her application to run for minister had been progressed to the candidate stage. She had not really expected to be selected but now she actually had a chance at being minister. She had told her family and friends and met with the aurors who were to be guarding her glad tha willow was not one of them. Today was the day that they would go live. The radio announcement of all of those running through the position. She sat in the recording booth as the man told her wha o do. She put the headphones on and was ready. At least physically. She still had the ideas of what she was going to say running around her mind like gnomes and fairies. She was the last of the candidates to talk. She was unsure if this was a good thing or not. she listened as each of the others gave their presentation which didn’t really settle her much. Eventually, it was her turn.

"Tēnā koutou Hello. My name is Biar Rowan-Cullen. And I am pleased to be one of your candidates for minister. She started to see it wasn’t that bad. She had done many interviews before. And given a couple of speeches. The most notable was the graduation speech back at school. Which she had ended up telling everyone to get lost. ”I have lived in New Zealand for over 20 years now and seen how the wizarding community has grown in that time.” she said. ”As an eleven-year-old who has been brought up scared of magic Hogwarts became a home. I found a family amongst the people here. I played quidditch for one of the country's teams before moving to the ministry and have spent twenty years working in the department of medical creatures. During that time leading the werewolf support services before taking on the whole department under minister holland.” she continued. “New Zealand is a special country, unique in its environment both geographical and social, something that we need to look after and nurture to ensure the best for future generations.” She said. she had always had a strong connection to the lands she lived in. from the tribe of centaurs in Europe to the Margera family in America the idea that the lind was to be protected was something she had always grown up with. “The magical community here is young. It isn’t weighed down by centuries of history and prejudices that have grown in other areas. That is what makes the community in New Zealand so special." She continued. “do you think I would be sitting here today introducing my candidature as a werewolf if the community wasn’t so diverse?” she said. she looked around the other candidates. She knew her status was not a secret. She had spent years campaigning for werewolf rights. And had appeared and the newspaper a few times to leave comments on the subject. “My fellow candidates have shown how much variety the community has. Everyone has their own strengths. If we make everyone feel included we can harness each other's unique contributions we can really make the society grow into the best and strongest form ” she said. her passion coming through in her voice. “So thank you for listening and thank you Mervin for having us today. And If you want to hear more about my Ideas and stance I will be at Takaro Park on Saturday, just follow your nose to the sound of sausages. so Tū maia Tū kaha, Aroha atu aroha mai Tātou i a Tātou katoa Stand tall be strong and let us have respect for each other” she finished. glad that she had got through it smoothly.

 

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Mervyn wasn't used to letting other people do the talking. He had to bite back so many interjections that by the time Briar Rowan-Cullen wrapped up her speech, his tongue was feeling swollen. An uncertain pause followed. Oh, right. Mervyn leaned forward and grabbed the stem of the microphone. "Thank you very much everyone, thank you," he said, a great release of pressure audible in his voice. "This has been very insightful, yes, I'm sure the listeners at 'ome will agree. Thank you very much for bein' on the show - it 'as been nuthink short of a pleasure to 'ave you, and I am sure we will be 'earin' a lot more from you all in the near future." Once they were off the air, Mervyn gave the candidates a double thumbs up. "Beautiful. Well done, everyone."