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Cassirin 09-06-2016 12:31 AM

Election 2090 - South End Q&A
 
Election 2090 - Candidate Q&A

The fall air is crisp and clean, just perfect for a day out on Diagon Alley. Tucked in one corner of the Alley is a hastily constructed stage with several podiums set facing the street. Ribbons hang from every podium, each a different color and lined with the name and motto of one of the candidates.

Today's event is a Question and Answer session, which means that the candidates on stage are prepared to take questions from the crowd about their policies and plans if they win the election. Ask one or all, and pay careful attention to their answers - your future Minister is standing before you!
South End Candidates:
  • Nairne, Josephina
  • Paton, Seth
  • Reynolds, Nolan
  • Scabior, Althea
  • Smith, Willow
  • Summit, Victoria



OOC Note: the structure of this thread is pretty free form. Ask questions, and the candidates will answer as completely as they can. Don't forget to indicate who the question is for, or everyone will answer it.

TeafortheSoul 09-06-2016 01:00 AM

Yay!
 
A nice day for it. Althea Scabior was certainly ready for this event. She was one of the first to arrive and her campaign team were all milling about somewhere. Husband and children too.

It was time to get down to the nitty-gritty of this. To her it seemed like interest in politics had seemingly waned which she thought unfortunate. It was in everybody's best interest to have a voice and an opinion so that the Minister would be someone who could represent them. Certainly she had a loud enough voice to get things done. She'd spent her whole life getting things done. No nerves today. Althea truly believed she could make a difference.

She was ready to respond to any questions. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long before it got underway.

Lissy Longbottom 09-06-2016 01:54 AM

Nolan was excited and nervous. He was SOOO glad there weren't going to be any debates, but he was more than ready to respond to any critiques by the other candidates as well. This day could make or break his entire campaign - he HAD to do well. He HAD to impress. If he didn't he might as well bow out now.

"Althea," he said in greeting with a smile as he approached his assigned area. He had already fielded a couple of questions at that meet and greet at the bowling alley - he could certainly handle anything that they threw at him today. In fact, he was anxious to get on with it already. BRING ON THE QUESTIONS!

PhoenixWizard 09-06-2016 02:15 AM

After a long day yesterday preparing herself, mentally and socially, Victoria was ready for the Q&A. For years she has been preparing to run for Minister. She has been working in the Minister's Office and that was one place you can see the behind the scenes at the Ministry of Magic. Victoria has been working there for the past couple years, although she doesn't like to mention how many (it makes her feel old at the age of 40... 29). Aside the number of working years in the Ministry, she felt prepared for what she will face during this election.

Victoria's goal was to arrive early or on time today and that is what happened. She arrived perfectly on time. She saw two other candidate already here and ready for the questions. With a smile she nodded at Nolan and Althea, "Hello." She walked over to her assigned area. Once she was settled in she got herself prepared for the up coming questions the voters would ask her. Was she nervous? Honestly, yes. This was the first time she will be asked questions from the voters directly to her. BUT she was ready!

sweetpinkpixie 09-06-2016 09:35 AM

hello you three :3 excuse him -__-
 
The former Hogwarts Astronomy professor was running a bit behind schedule due to his interview being pushed back and back and back again by other candidates either taking too long or arriving late to their assigned times. Needless to say...the man was NOT in the best of moods. Which really made for the optimum atmosphere to drill his future Minister who, upon looking over the candidates biographies and their assigned podiums in Diagon Alley, was among those here.

Well, in his opinion anyway.

"Afternoon, candidates," Airey greeted, traditional Vulcan salute offered with his right hand. "Live long and prosper." Which was perhaps only something permissible at Hogwarts and now his appointed post with the UK Space Agency, but he was still very much a man of habit and it would take a bit to rewrite what he had conditioned himself to do for over a decade. "Airey Flamsteed, former professor of Astronomy and Gryffindor Head of House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and now current employee at the UK Space Agency," he introduced, offering each of the three a proper handshake like any normal human being.

His blue eyes glanced over those present and naturally made a few flash judgments - although educated judgments. Althea Scabior, with whom he felt he had a well established professional working relationship with considering her position with the Hogwarts Board of Governors as long as he had been employed at the school, so he knew she was fully capable...even if she was still terrifying as ever. The lack of fiery red hair was helpful, however.

Sort of.

Nolan Reynolds. The man was TRYING not to make snap judgments, but his association with Divination already knocked the man down a peg. Or several. In the minuses really...so he had the LONGEST way to go...even with his work as Vice President of Hogwarts Board of Governors of which the astronomer had been able to experience the benefits first hand. But, because Calista would frown and fuss at him for being a black hole, he would try to remain impartial. Outwardly.

.....

The final candidate present...Airey must have misplaced their candidacy portfolio or else the Ministry had neglected to include it when owling out information about the election, something none of his colleagues and minuscule group of friends had received either...so she was a mystery to him and therefore....his initial assumptions were not all that pleasant. Surely if she were serious about her campaign she would have sought to rectify this error. Still, not at the bottom of the totem pole for the man. There were no claims to pseudo scientific hokum that he was aware of.

So...did he just dive right in? He had been mulling over his thoughts quite a bit given his unexpected abundance of free time during all that waiting.

PhoenixRising 09-06-2016 11:09 AM

*waves at all of you*
 
Having re-checked her appearance about five times, Josephina was running late. Although she wasn't late, but she wasn't early either judging from the fact that three of her running mates were already there along with one of the voters whom she would recognize from a mile away; she only sat NEXT to him for YEARS at Hogwarts. And honestly, if she could tolerate that, she could be minister, right?

Stepping up behind the podium that had her name, the former Hogwarts Professor was readier than she'd ever be for questions and answers. All she would need was for some general public who cared enough to ask what she was about and what she would do for them. The answer, well she WAS a Hufflepuff and that meant she'd do just about anything. She smiled at two of the running mates who were also former professors. Professors just made good ministers. And a smile for the other girl - Victoria was her name - who Fina did not know but knew she already worked for the ministry.

Cassirin 09-07-2016 02:08 AM

The candidates were gathering on the stage, but Carrigan Howard lurked in the back of the growing crowd. It was important to be here, part of the whole political process, but maybe it wasn't so important for her to ask a question directly. Right? Standing at the back of the crowd was fine. Being present was the point.

It would help if people jumped in and started asking questions, though. Would make it feel less like Carrigan was shirking her duties as a citizen...

Fine. Just one easy question, then, since no one was even paying attention yet. Carrigan slipped to the front of the crowd and raised her hand. "Excuse me? I'm... Carrigan Howard, Department of Accidents and Catastrophes. Candidates often lay out their most important goals as the things they want to accomplish in the first thirty or sixty or one hundred days in office. What is your one hundred day plan if you get elected?"

TakemetotheBurrow 09-07-2016 08:47 PM

In attendance, in support of Althea, and keeping an eye on her watch, Blaire stood towards the back of the crowd. She wasn't big on mingling and while she'd said her polite HIs and HELLOs, she was more interested in hearing what the candidates had to say for themselves.

The first question was a good one and the blonde assumed clear, concise, and passionate answers would gain the most favor with the crowd. They'd also spark more inquiries, she was sure. Piercing blue eyes settled on the podium of her preferred choice, she waited and watched eagerly. This is where the race started and she was excited.

TeafortheSoul 09-08-2016 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin (Post 12034164)
The candidates were gathering on the stage, but Carrigan Howard lurked in the back of the growing crowd. It was important to be here, part of the whole political process, but maybe it wasn't so important for her to ask a question directly. Right? Standing at the back of the crowd was fine. Being present was the point.

It would help if people jumped in and started asking questions, though. Would make it feel less like Carrigan was shirking her duties as a citizen...

Fine. Just one easy question, then, since no one was even paying attention yet. Carrigan slipped to the front of the crowd and raised her hand. "Excuse me? I'm... Carrigan Howard, Department of Accidents and Catastrophes. Candidates often lay out their most important goals as the things they want to accomplish in the first thirty or sixty or one hundred days in office. What is your one hundred day plan if you get elected?"

Althea, of course, greeted her fellow candidates as they arrived, but she wasn't here for them. So after a polite nod to Nolan she was focused on the questions that began to come their way.

She listened closely as the young woman, Carrigan Howard, spoke and asked the first question. A good question. Althea stepped to the microphone and responded.

"Thank you, Ms Howard. I myself formerly was head of your department, so I believe very strongly in having a plan but also being able to respond and change a plan accordingly if circumstances arise which require some other action to be taken. My 100 day plan, therefore, has been laid out very particularly and yet if issues arise early on in my service to the Wizarding public, I will certainly take those into account. Flexibility is just as important as having concrete goals.

My plan is thus: I believe it is important that channels of communication between the Ministry and the community are established and maintained appropriately. So when I am elected I will schedule a regular open session time when community members are able to apply to attend and may address any concerns they might have. The content of these sessions will be publicly available for those who are unable to attend."
Those who didn't care about politics or about how the wizarding government worked could continue ignoring it as they pleased, but those who did care and did have issues they wanted to raise, would be able to.

"In the first 100 days we will begin work on appropriate minimum wage increases across the Wizarding United Kingdom, including financial support where required- this is of utmost importance because many magic folk do not have appropriate identification which would make muggle government support possible, so a living wage needs to be a requirement so that our young people will have a stable base from which they may choose to work up from if they wish to have higher education as an option, or if they have children or families to support." This was the short version. There was much more to be said on this topic, but much of it would be expanded upon after the first 100 days so she was sticking to the question.

"The first 100 days will also be a time where I will introduce legislated equality measures for all witches and wizards regardless of heritage, background, gender, and sexuality." Unfortunately prejudice was still alive and well in the wizarding world, and Althea had no time for it.

"During this time we will begin the process of providing further professional growth support for ministry employees, as well as implementing widespread upskilling opportunities. I believe it is important that all ministry workers are able to achieve to their best potential, and in order to do that the opportunities must be provided." She believed that the ministry needed skilled people. And she knew from her time as a department head that there was an inordinate number of entry level workers who were eager to advance, if only the infrastructure to support that existed across all departments rather than just in a select few.

"Additionally we will begin addressing concerns regarding the environment and what we as a society can do to combat climate change and other environmental concerns and how we might use our magic effectively in this area. During the first 100 days, we will plan a summit meeting with environment issues at the forefront of the agenda." They had a well-equipped Department, it only needed to be better enabled to take action, and to have it linked up with other groups around the Wizarding World would only empower them to make a further difference.

"Thank you for your question, Ms Howard." Althea finished, giving the young woman a nod. There were a lot of things she was excited to get underway and she knew perfectly well that the first 100 days were the most important: of course she had a plan for it, far more detailed than what she had summarized.

sweetpinkpixie 09-08-2016 01:39 AM

The astronomer quickly took notice of his former colleague and bowed his head slightly towards her in greeting. Formalities and small talk would need to wait for another time as someone had finally gotten the ball rolling. Taking a file out of his enchanted breast pocket, Airey carefully leafed through it to revisit the platforms and promises of each candidate. There were a few things in particular, given his field, that were of especial interest to him.

"To add to Miss...." Er...what had her name been? ".........Ho-wa-rd's question..." Nailed it. "...I am particularly curious how candidates Scabior and Nairne seek to implement plans towards combating climate change during those initial 100 days."

Or was it perhaps more of a backseat platform to more pressing issues on their agenda?

The other candidates, as far as he had read, had not listed this particular issue on their biographies but were welcome to address it as well.

Awarlesta Black 09-08-2016 03:35 AM

Willie set her pet crup on her lap as she sat down amongst her fellow candidates. Wonderful weather they were having today. Felt very nice on her skin and by the look of her crup's face, he was enjoying it too.

All smiles, she sat quietly, listening to Althea's response and petting the crup's soft fur. Oh, what wonderful weather!

TeafortheSoul 09-08-2016 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie (Post 12035021)
The astronomer quickly took notice of his former colleague and bowed his head slightly towards her in greeting. Formalities and small talk would need to wait for another time as someone had finally gotten the ball rolling. Taking a file out of his enchanted breast pocket, Airey carefully leafed through it to revisit the platforms and promises of each candidate. There were a few things in particular, given his field, that were of especial interest to him.

"To add to Miss...." Er...what had her name been? ".........Ho-wa-rd's question..." Nailed it. "...I am particularly curious how candidates Scabior and Nairne seek to implement plans towards combating climate change during those initial 100 days."

Or was it perhaps more of a backseat platform to more pressing issues on their agenda?

The other candidates, as far as he had read, had not listed this particular issue on their biographies but were welcome to address it as well.


"Of course." Althea said with a nod of acknowledgement at Flamsteed. She could elaborate somewhat on what she had said already.

"As I said, we will make a start at addressing environment concerns, which includes climate change. Initially I wish to host a summit meeting, making use of the expertise present within the Department of Environmental Regulation and Protection, which as you are no doubt aware, is a department that is unique to the British Ministry, and a relatively recently established department in relation to the history of our Ministry as a whole. The International Confederation of Wizards, the International Taskforce, and several notable activist groups will also be invited to the summit. From this point we will open a dialogue and build a plan and develop methodology wherein Magical folk can potentially use our abilities not only to continue safeguarding magical environs, but also potentially help turn the tide in 'muggle' environments, because after all, pollution and destruction of the environment effect all of us." Althea began.

"Education is an important aspect of any anti-climate change campaign. Legislation regarding safe and energy efficient use of muggle technology may be part of this, as will be taken into consideration by focus groups. Support to help Wizarding homes be self-sufficient may be made available - by which I mean warm, energy efficient, healthy homes, without sole reliance on magic. More focus groups will potentially be made use of in regards to the topic of sustainability."

Overall, it was a long-term goal, but Althea certainly intended to begin taking the right steps within the first 100 days. The summit meeting would be the most important aspect of this during that time, as well as the focus groups, in all of which the environment department would be particularly important and for more than just habitat monitoring and herbology research. There was a huge skill base there which she very much wanted to make use of. She finished speaking and nodded again at Flamsteed.


Kaos.Doodles 09-08-2016 12:32 PM

Kyroh was SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!! He had never been able to witness a q&a sessions before and especially not when it came to who would be the next Minister of Magic. But MORE exciting than that was- LOOK at how professional his mum looked!

She looked like she could destroy everyone in her path with a nice curt smile and then go right back home and make him some delicious cookies. He shifted Jade off his back and he placed her in a chair before sitting down himself. His dad was here somewhere too but Kyroh wasn't sure exactly where. He couldn't focus on that anyways. Almost as soon as his mum had answered a question Kyroh raised his hand (did you raise your hand in these things? He wasn't sure).

"What are your thoughts on Dragons and possibly intergrading them more into the Wizarding community? Er- this question is for everyone. " The first year university student beamed.

kayquilz 09-08-2016 10:34 PM

Iwin had been here the entire time, hands in his pockets as he watched and listened. Emmalee had the girls, which allowed him to come alone. He had thought about asking his Gran to attend with him, since all of this was her cup of tea as well, but she had been busy today.

He had read extensively on the candidates. He was informed. His eyes were set on Althea Scabior, just to be honest, but he didn't mind asking the other questions. Or listening. Just to be here and listen...was....well, he liked it. And thinking of the Ministry was no longer painful for him. Emmalee was a department head here, and he was actually very glad they hadn't done much along the lines of hanging out with coworkers. Thank Merlin for her separation of...work and home life, or whatever she used to say.

Because he didn't know anyone, and it was delightful.

But he finally had a question and he raised his hand slightly. "I see many of you have plans to increase the minimum wage-" he raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing so--with what means?" As a rather wealthy fellow, he took interest in this issue. And to be honest, he was a bit on the fence in regards to whether he thought it should be done or not.

Lissy Longbottom 09-09-2016 10:11 PM

SPOILER!!: Victoria
Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixWizard (Post 12033482)
After a long day yesterday preparing herself, mentally and socially, Victoria was ready for the Q&A. For years she has been preparing to run for Minister. She has been working in the Minister's Office and that was one place you can see the behind the scenes at the Ministry of Magic. Victoria has been working there for the past couple years, although she doesn't like to mention how many (it makes her feel old at the age of 40... 29). Aside the number of working years in the Ministry, she felt prepared for what she will face during this election.

Victoria's goal was to arrive early or on time today and that is what happened. She arrived perfectly on time. She saw two other candidate already here and ready for the questions. With a smile she nodded at Nolan and Althea, "Hello." She walked over to her assigned area. Once she was settled in she got herself prepared for the up coming questions the voters would ask her. Was she nervous? Honestly, yes. This was the first time she will be asked questions from the voters directly to her. BUT she was ready!



Nolan smiled at Victoria as she entered the area. She was nice - too nice, really, and not a threat to him in his opinion. "Hello, good to see you...and good luck," he added with a playful grin. Had to keep up the positive attitude even though this could all very well turn into a bloodbath...

SPOILER!!: Airey!
Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie (Post 12033591)
The former Hogwarts Astronomy professor was running a bit behind schedule due to his interview being pushed back and back and back again by other candidates either taking too long or arriving late to their assigned times. Needless to say...the man was NOT in the best of moods. Which really made for the optimum atmosphere to drill his future Minister who, upon looking over the candidates biographies and their assigned podiums in Diagon Alley, was among those here.

Well, in his opinion anyway.

"Afternoon, candidates," Airey greeted, traditional Vulcan salute offered with his right hand. "Live long and prosper." Which was perhaps only something permissible at Hogwarts and now his appointed post with the UK Space Agency, but he was still very much a man of habit and it would take a bit to rewrite what he had conditioned himself to do for over a decade. "Airey Flamsteed, former professor of Astronomy and Gryffindor Head of House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and now current employee at the UK Space Agency," he introduced, offering each of the three a proper handshake like any normal human being.

His blue eyes glanced over those present and naturally made a few flash judgments - although educated judgments. Althea Scabior, with whom he felt he had a well established professional working relationship with considering her position with the Hogwarts Board of Governors as long as he had been employed at the school, so he knew she was fully capable...even if she was still terrifying as ever. The lack of fiery red hair was helpful, however.

Sort of.

Nolan Reynolds. The man was TRYING not to make snap judgments, but his association with Divination already knocked the man down a peg. Or several. In the minuses really...so he had the LONGEST way to go...even with his work as Vice President of Hogwarts Board of Governors of which the astronomer had been able to experience the benefits first hand. But, because Calista would frown and fuss at him for being a black hole, he would try to remain impartial. Outwardly.

.....

The final candidate present...Airey must have misplaced their candidacy portfolio or else the Ministry had neglected to include it when owling out information about the election, something none of his colleagues and minuscule group of friends had received either...so she was a mystery to him and therefore....his initial assumptions were not all that pleasant. Surely if she were serious about her campaign she would have sought to rectify this error. Still, not at the bottom of the totem pole for the man. There were no claims to pseudo scientific hokum that he was aware of.

So...did he just dive right in? He had been mulling over his thoughts quite a bit given his unexpected abundance of free time during all that waiting.



Nolan grinned and accepted Flamsteed's handshake. He knew the man from his time of the Board of course, and Scarlett had simply raved about him when she came back from break. He was a good professor and he was sad to hear that he had left, but he understood that they couldn't all be professors their entire lives...

"Very nice to see you again, Flamsteed," he told him. Genuinely, it was. Although he was...uncharacteristically quiet at the moment. Hmm.

SPOILER!!: QUESTION TIME!
Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin (Post 12034164)
The candidates were gathering on the stage, but Carrigan Howard lurked in the back of the growing crowd. It was important to be here, part of the whole political process, but maybe it wasn't so important for her to ask a question directly. Right? Standing at the back of the crowd was fine. Being present was the point.

It would help if people jumped in and started asking questions, though. Would make it feel less like Carrigan was shirking her duties as a citizen...

Fine. Just one easy question, then, since no one was even paying attention yet. Carrigan slipped to the front of the crowd and raised her hand. "Excuse me? I'm... Carrigan Howard, Department of Accidents and Catastrophes. Candidates often lay out their most important goals as the things they want to accomplish in the first thirty or sixty or one hundred days in office. What is your one hundred day plan if you get elected?"



OH FINALLY, question time! Nolan could feel his heart begin to race as she addressed them, and once her question had concluded, he waited as Althea immediately jumped into her own plan and laid out her ideas. He expected nothing less from her, really - he still considered her his biggest and let's be real, his ONLY competition in this whole thing. He wanted to hear her plan as well in case he had the opportunity to weigh in and critique later. Ladies first!

Once she was finished, he turned to the Department Head and smiled. "Excellent question, thank you. My first and most important goal as Minister would be to rework the foundation of Hogwarts to assure that it gets the funding it deserves. This is the first time in years that the school has been fully staffed, and the fact that it has taken that long to get to this point is unacceptable. As a former member of the Board of Governors, I know first hand how hard it was to get the necessary support from the Ministry to assure that the school is run the way it should be. Therefore, it is extremely important that we look at the budget for the Ministry and fix how money is distributed in our world."

"Now don't worry - I don't plan on taking money from places that need it, but simply moving the budget around so everyone gets their proper share. The way it is currently set up places too many programs above others and they have money coming out of their ears. If we work together to come up with an equally divided budget, we won't have to increase taxes and will be able to provide all departments with the appropriate funding, therefore making them more efficient, and making our employees more money," he explained. He would need a good team to help him do it, which he knew there would be no shortage of in the Ministry. It wasn't just Hogwarts he was going to make sure got the proper funding they needed - EVERYONE would be on his list, and he would stay up many nights if he had to analyzing the budget in order to make it work for as many people as he could.

"In addition, once we have the budget figured out and have more opportunities for our employees to be successful, I want to work with St. Mungos to have a plan in place to allow employees access to mental health care if they feel they need it. Work can be extremely stressful and demanding - I gave up probably one of the most enjoyable careers I've had in my life because of it," he admitted. It was no secret that his anxiety and panic attacks caused him to step down, but had he been able to handle it, along with the other issues he'd been facing, and not just shut down, he might have stuck around Hogwarts longer. "I want the Ministry to be a fun place to work - if you don't feel like you're wasting your life away in an office, you're happy outside of work as well. Studies have shown that having good life balance with work increases productivity, and as I stated earlier, that is a big part of my plan to increase revenue without having to increase taxes," he explained.

"Finally, my third and final goal for those 100 days would be to develop legislation to create more national parks across Great Britain which would subsequently be wildlife preserves for our magical creatures that have been forced out of their natural habitats by wizards and muggles alike," he added, since environment seemed to be a key issue that many of these people were driving at. "It's a large agenda, but with the help of Ministry employees and the wizarding community, I KNOW we can change things for the better around here and assure that all wizards in Great Britain, from school age to the retired, are living their life to the fullest, hand in hand with the Ministry," he concluded. There. His platform was made known - which he had already sort of touched on earlier in the bowling alley event, but it was nice to have a large, public, professional setting to set forth his agenda in as well.

SPOILER!!: Airey again
Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie (Post 12035021)
The astronomer quickly took notice of his former colleague and bowed his head slightly towards her in greeting. Formalities and small talk would need to wait for another time as someone had finally gotten the ball rolling. Taking a file out of his enchanted breast pocket, Airey carefully leafed through it to revisit the platforms and promises of each candidate. There were a few things in particular, given his field, that were of especial interest to him.

"To add to Miss...." Er...what had her name been? ".........Ho-wa-rd's question..." Nailed it. "...I am particularly curious how candidates Scabior and Nairne seek to implement plans towards combating climate change during those initial 100 days."

Or was it perhaps more of a backseat platform to more pressing issues on their agenda?

The other candidates, as far as he had read, had not listed this particular issue on their biographies but were welcome to address it as well.



Hmm, climate change. That was a good one. He knew that Flamsteed had not addressed him, but he waited to hear what Althea had to say before making his move. "If I may, I know you did not specifically address me, Mr. Flamsteed, but I do want to weigh in on this. As I stated previously I'm looking to make national parks more prevalent in the area, which will also require help from the Muggle Prime Minister. Once I have established a good relationship with the Minister we can work together with the muggle community to advocate for climate change, as many muggle inventions can both help - and hurt - the environment. Without the help of the muggles there really is no way we can make the great strides we need to make, but I firmly believe we can start heading down that road and we can do it during my time in office by taking this first step," he pointed out. The muggles really were the key to pretty much everything climate change related, to be honest. They got them in this mess, they were going to have to work with them to get them out.

SPOILER!!: D'awww Kyroh
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles (Post 12035330)
Kyroh was SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!! He had never been able to witness a q&a sessions before and especially not when it came to who would be the next Minister of Magic. But MORE exciting than that was- LOOK at how professional his mum looked!

She looked like she could destroy everyone in her path with a nice curt smile and then go right back home and make him some delicious cookies. He shifted Jade off his back and he placed her in a chair before sitting down himself. His dad was here somewhere too but Kyroh wasn't sure exactly where. He couldn't focus on that anyways. Almost as soon as his mum had answered a question Kyroh raised his hand (did you raise your hand in these things? He wasn't sure).

"What are your thoughts on Dragons and possibly intergrading them more into the Wizarding community? Er- this question is for everyone. " The first year university student beamed.



Nolan squinted a bit into the audience. Was that...Althea's son? Was he allowed to be at these things and ask questions? If so Nolan was TOTALLY going to employee all six of his children - even the little ones - to be there, mostly to be cute and make him look good of course. Regardless, he had asked a question, and a good one too, and he had to focus on THAT right now.

"Dragons are tricky creatures,"
he said with a chuckle. "But with my plan to increase national parks across Great Britain, they will have more areas to roam free and will not be forced into lands occupied by muggles or wizards in order to stay alive and hunt as they should. More education needs to be added to the curriculum at Hogwarts as well, as much of the illegal trading of dragons is based off lies and myths about their care, tricking naive wizards into thinking they can handle them as pets" he answered. "They're amazing creatures and should be treated as such."

SPOILER!!: Iwin
Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz (Post 12035613)
Iwin had been here the entire time, hands in his pockets as he watched and listened. Emmalee had the girls, which allowed him to come alone. He had thought about asking his Gran to attend with him, since all of this was her cup of tea as well, but she had been busy today.

He had read extensively on the candidates. He was informed. His eyes were set on Althea Scabior, just to be honest, but he didn't mind asking the other questions. Or listening. Just to be here and listen...was....well, he liked it. And thinking of the Ministry was no longer painful for him. Emmalee was a department head here, and he was actually very glad they hadn't done much along the lines of hanging out with coworkers. Thank Merlin for her separation of...work and home life, or whatever she used to say.

Because he didn't know anyone, and it was delightful.

But he finally had a question and he raised his hand slightly. "I see many of you have plans to increase the minimum wage-" he raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing so--with what means?" As a rather wealthy fellow, he took interest in this issue. And to be honest, he was a bit on the fence in regards to whether he thought it should be done or not.



Ah the minimum wage question again. Nolan knew they'd likely be bringing this up a number of times during the election circuit. People were concerned with money, more importantly, THEIR money, so of course it would be a popular issue.

"As I stated earlier, the minimum wage can be increased if we have a stronger economy and allow businesses and the Ministry more funding to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Once the budget has been reworked and all areas of the Ministry are receiving enough money to do their jobs correctly and regulate businesses in a way that will help them become more profitable, the problem will work itself out," he explained. That was how economics worked, after all. "A tax increase will not be necessary in order to compensate for the increased wages. We simply have to move the money around so that it makes sense and everyone gets their fair share, but also what is appropriate. For example, the budget for Environmental Protection will be much different than the budget for Magical Law Enforcement, and this has not been addressed under the current administration. I intend to fix that," he told him confidently.

Govoni 09-10-2016 02:46 AM

Marilyn checking in! #TeamScabior
 
Politics.

More often than not, they could be quite messy, but Marilyn had to hand it to Althea. She was truly grace under fire, tackling every question being thrown at her with intelligence, class, and quick wit. It was an impressive spectacle to behold. And much the same could be said for Mr. Reynolds. Though, Marilyn wasn't working on his campaign, and couldn't comment further.

Settled towards the back with a stack of parchments clipped to a board, the blonde was steadfast in her appraisal of the crowd; marking their public demographic and jotting notes on comments being made. There was still a lot of work to be done, but she was confident in the team they'd handpicked. Very much so.

It was a beautiful day, as well. Pleasant atmosphere, no troublesome witches or wizards to speak of. They were right on track.

AlwaysSnapesGirl 09-10-2016 03:35 AM

Of course Skyler would attend an event like this. For one, it was an excellent topic to write about; and second, this was the sort of thing that interested him regardless of his job anyway. He was not interested enough to run - not that he was old enough to anyway - but he certainly wanted to keep up as best he could in order to make informed decisions.

Having found a nice spot around the back of the crowd, he set his enchanted quill to work copying down each question and the answers the candidates gave. He also had an additional notepad on which he himself could copy whatever caught his interest. It was easier to gather his thoughts this way and perhaps form them into questions of his own.

For now, though, he was content to listen and observe.

TeafortheSoul 09-10-2016 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles (Post 12035330)
Kyroh was SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!! He had never been able to witness a q&a sessions before and especially not when it came to who would be the next Minister of Magic. But MORE exciting than that was- LOOK at how professional his mum looked!

She looked like she could destroy everyone in her path with a nice curt smile and then go right back home and make him some delicious cookies. He shifted Jade off his back and he placed her in a chair before sitting down himself. His dad was here somewhere too but Kyroh wasn't sure exactly where. He couldn't focus on that anyways. Almost as soon as his mum had answered a question Kyroh raised his hand (did you raise your hand in these things? He wasn't sure).

"What are your thoughts on Dragons and possibly intergrading them more into the Wizarding community? Er- this question is for everyone. " The first year university student beamed.

Oh Kyroh. Sweetheart. Of course he was asking about dragons. Althea thought it was best she didn't answer her own child's question however, unless someone else specifically requested to hear her answer, in which case she happily would.


Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz (Post 12035613)

Because he didn't know anyone, and it was delightful.

But he finally had a question and he raised his hand slightly. "I see many of you have plans to increase the minimum wage-" he raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing so--with what means?" As a rather wealthy fellow, he took interest in this issue. And to be honest, he was a bit on the fence in regards to whether he thought it should be done or not.

This was interesting, and relevant to her. Althea waited for others to respond first, and listened closely to Nolan Reynolds as he spoke and also gave his response to the 100 days question. She had thoughts about some of those things but they could wait for certain. Her trump card would remain unrevealed for now. However she also wasn't the sort of person to run her campaign by tearing others' campaigns to shreds (not that she thought Nolan's was a bad one, he was a very good candidate whom she approved of and would consider endorsing if she herself fell out of the race). So far it seemed the candidates were polite and supportive of one another, or at least she had been lucky to be with this group, who knew what was happening at the other end of the street right now.

She gave it a moment after Nolan and when nobody else spoke up she addressed the man's question about minimum wage increases.

"Any blanket minimum wage increase requires a dialogue with business owners, analysis and consultation with labour economists, and negotiation of potential Wizarding versus muggle taxation. I'm not adverse to liaising with the muggle prime minister regarding additional support through muggle channels as Wizardkind are now contributing greatly to the muggle economy and it may be time to renegotiate the contracts that are already in place.

Its a truth that a blanket minimum wage increase can transfer cost by increasing how much products and services are offered for, or by reducing the number of employees overall, particularly in the case of small and medium sized businesses. However this is balanced by economic stimulation where low-wage workers spend their additional earnings which in turn creates demand for products and services, and therefore more job opportunities.

Its also combated by a reduction in employee turnover- when people are paid more and looked after they are more likely to remain in a role which can reduce employment and training costs, meaning more stability in the workforce. This is where it is particularly relevant to the Ministry, which is where we will begin any establishment and increase of a minimum wage, as a flagship, so to speak.

Quite simply it is already within the current Ministry budget to establish a minimum wage and plan for a gradual increase over time to reflect gains in the Wizarding economy. Galleons are wasted in the ministry when new employees are hired, trained, and then choose to move on to work elsewhere and the cycle must begin again with someone new. This greatly and negatively impacts department efficiency when the turnover remains high. The same pattern occurs on a smaller scale in other Wizarding businesses.

I understand some people may be concerned about tax issues, but it is unlikely to come to that in the foreseeable future as many other avenues are available for our very unique economy, which cannot be modeled directly on that which is employed in the muggle world."
Essentially Althea's focus was to do with efficiency, as well as a desire to look after all Wizarding citizens, and she knew how to do it. It was less about shuffling and more about streamlining, and being sure that the community was not disadvantaged in any way. She nodded her thanks at the gentleman who had asked the minimum wage question and waited for the next one.

PhoenixRising 09-12-2016 12:37 AM

As the questions began pouring in, Josephina had been listening to her fellow candidates and former colleagues speak first. Having worked with both Nolan and Althea, she knew firsthand that the both of them would make stellar ministers, and had she not been running herself, they definitely would have had her support and she'd have had a difficult time choosing. But she was running and she was not going to let two viable candidates deter her or knock her down. She was a strong candidate in her own right and though she would be diplomatic for now in letting them answer first, she listened politely before speaking up.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin (Post 12034164)
The candidates were gathering on the stage, but Carrigan Howard lurked in the back of the growing crowd. It was important to be here, part of the whole political process, but maybe it wasn't so important for her to ask a question directly. Right? Standing at the back of the crowd was fine. Being present was the point.

It would help if people jumped in and started asking questions, though. Would make it feel less like Carrigan was shirking her duties as a citizen...

Fine. Just one easy question, then, since no one was even paying attention yet. Carrigan slipped to the front of the crowd and raised her hand. "Excuse me? I'm... Carrigan Howard, Department of Accidents and Catastrophes. Candidates often lay out their most important goals as the things they want to accomplish in the first thirty or sixty or one hundred days in office. What is your one hundred day plan if you get elected?"

First one, one of the department of accidents and catastrophes, where Seren's husband was the head of. "Ah yes, Ms Howard, the first hundred days of office. Excellent question." Which was roughly the first three months.

"As you all know, I'm educator at heart, so when elected, I do hope to continue that education path with initially opening the channels of communication between the ministry and the community. You can't have quality education without first knowing what the community wants and what the ministry wants. My first thirty days will therefore be spent mostly surveying the community and the ministry, finding out what is the current situation and taking detailed inventory into the current happenings.

My next thirty to forty days will then be spent formulating a plan of action for how I can improve the current situation."
Now that she had studied the happenings and planned what she would do... there was only one thing left. "And finally, I'll begin in my third month of office now that I've formulated a plan, of taking action and working toward a better, brighter Ministry. One where people can be proud to work for and enhancing our current system."


Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie (Post 12035021)
The astronomer quickly took notice of his former colleague and bowed his head slightly towards her in greeting. Formalities and small talk would need to wait for another time as someone had finally gotten the ball rolling. Taking a file out of his enchanted breast pocket, Airey carefully leafed through it to revisit the platforms and promises of each candidate. There were a few things in particular, given his field, that were of especial interest to him.

"To add to Miss...." Er...what had her name been? ".........Ho-wa-rd's question..." Nailed it. "...I am particularly curious how candidates Scabior and Nairne seek to implement plans towards combating climate change during those initial 100 days."

Or was it perhaps more of a backseat platform to more pressing issues on their agenda?

The other candidates, as far as he had read, had not listed this particular issue on their biographies but were welcome to address it as well.

And Airey wasn't just here to listen; apparently he had questions for them too and specifically addressed herself and Althea about their platforms on climate change. Well that would make sense that he would be interested in that considering how climate change was involved with his line of study.

"Ah thank you, Mr Flamsteed for that question. Climate change is inevitable but I think we can all make an effort to minimize our impact on it by analyzing our daily activities and how much energy we use just by simple light fixture changes. Perhaps seeing if adjusting simply the lighting in the Ministry to something more, magical, can reduce our energy use."

"This goes hand in hand with advancing the wizarding transportation system because so much energy gets wasted on simple outdated transportation methods. We are capable, educated witches and wizards who should be able to get from one place to the next with use of minimal energy on both our part, but also electrical energy in the atmosphere."



Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles (Post 12035330)
Kyroh was SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!! He had never been able to witness a q&a sessions before and especially not when it came to who would be the next Minister of Magic. But MORE exciting than that was- LOOK at how professional his mum looked!

She looked like she could destroy everyone in her path with a nice curt smile and then go right back home and make him some delicious cookies. He shifted Jade off his back and he placed her in a chair before sitting down himself. His dad was here somewhere too but Kyroh wasn't sure exactly where. He couldn't focus on that anyways. Almost as soon as his mum had answered a question Kyroh raised his hand (did you raise your hand in these things? He wasn't sure).

"What are your thoughts on Dragons and possibly intergrading them more into the Wizarding community? Er- this question is for everyone. " The first year university student beamed.

WAIT. WAIT. Hold the phone.

Kyroh Scabior was an ADULT?! She'd taught the boy back when he was a first and second year and remembered him even before he started at Hogwarts when he was at school with his father.

And yet here he was, adult!Kyroh, standing before them and asking them such intelligent questions. Swallow your pride, Josephina, the brunette scolded herself mentally as she focused more on the question.

"Good question, Kyroh and I think that dragons should be integrated but also on the same token we need to protect them as a species as well. We have many skilled dragon tamers and I'm not saying we should all have dragons in our backyards, but perhaps having dragons be not ... hidden would be to our advantage. When properly tamed and with the right restrictions in place, dragons could definitely become an integral part of our world and even help to educate the wizarding community more on the species."


Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz (Post 12035613)
Iwin had been here the entire time, hands in his pockets as he watched and listened. Emmalee had the girls, which allowed him to come alone. He had thought about asking his Gran to attend with him, since all of this was her cup of tea as well, but she had been busy today.

He had read extensively on the candidates. He was informed. His eyes were set on Althea Scabior, just to be honest, but he didn't mind asking the other questions. Or listening. Just to be here and listen...was....well, he liked it. And thinking of the Ministry was no longer painful for him. Emmalee was a department head here, and he was actually very glad they hadn't done much along the lines of hanging out with coworkers. Thank Merlin for her separation of...work and home life, or whatever she used to say.

Because he didn't know anyone, and it was delightful.

But he finally had a question and he raised his hand slightly. "I see many of you have plans to increase the minimum wage-" he raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing so--with what means?" As a rather wealthy fellow, he took interest in this issue. And to be honest, he was a bit on the fence in regards to whether he thought it should be done or not.

She didn't have plans to increase the minimum wage, because she wasn't convinced minimum wage was the issue. She did have plans to increase funding to various programs and incentives though, which she supposed was rather similar enough.

"I don't think a minimum wage increase is the issue. It's lack of higher paying jobs for well qualified individuals that is more of an issue. Which is where my platform comes into play on closing the income gap; I don't intend to do this by increasing minimum wage, because I think that would have a negative impact on the economy and small business. I do think that what we can do is provide educational resources to those of lower income status to help them achieve higher paying jobs. Educate people on entrepreneurship and research and sports programs. Help people learn and expand their skill set so they can find work that pays them more. Minimum wage jobs aren't meant to be living wage jobs, but they are a stepping stone to get people to a better place. And we need to educate the public more about that better place and what options they have. We need to create more higher paying jobs. Which we can do this by opening the channels of communication and working together toward a richer, more sustainable future. "

TeafortheSoul 09-12-2016 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising (Post 12039385)


"Ah thank you, Mr Flamsteed for that question. Climate change is inevitable but I think we can all make an effort to minimize our impact on it by analyzing our daily activities and how much energy we use just by simple light fixture changes. Perhaps seeing if adjusting simply the lighting in the Ministry to something more, magical, can reduce our energy use."

While there were a few things Althea didn't precisely agree with when it came to her former colleague's platform, particularly in regard to education (the woman should run for the board NOT minister, in Althea's opinion, like many the candidates who seemed to think this election was about Hogwarts and other privately run institutions for some reason), mostly Althea chose not to respond or bring those up things just now, but there was one thing that had her raise her eyebrow and speak up.

"The ministry already DOES run on magic, NOT electricity, due to the interference between magic resonance and electrical devices, as with anywhere in the Wizarding world." So what exactly was she on about in that regard? It was literally unassailably common knowledge. Perhaps a slip of the tongue? "The Wizarding contribution to combating climate change and other environmental concerns cannot be a simple copy and paste solution of muggle methodology because it simply is not applicable. However I strongly believe in looking to muggle methodology when it comes to magical individuals who choose to use muggle technology, as many of us do to some degree or another in our homes, but this is not applicable within the ministry itself."

Althea gave Josephina a firm but respectful nod when she finished and gazed out over the crowd once more.


PhoenixRising 09-12-2016 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz (Post 12039395)
While there were a few things Althea didn't precisely agree with when it came to her former colleague's platform, particularly in regard to education (the woman should run for the board NOT minister, in Althea's opinion, like many the candidates who seemed to think this election was about Hogwarts and other privately run institutions for some reason), mostly Althea chose not to respond or bring those up things just now, but there was one thing that had her raise her eyebrow and speak up.

"The ministry already DOES run on magic, NOT electricity, due to the interference between magic resonance and electrical devices, as with anywhere in the Wizarding world." So what exactly was she on about in that regard? It was literally unassailably common knowledge. Perhaps a slip of the tongue? "The Wizarding contribution to combating climate change and other environmental concerns cannot be a simple copy and paste solution of muggle methodology because it simply is not applicable. However I strongly believe in looking to muggle methodology when it comes to magical individuals who choose to use muggle technology, as many of us do to some degree or another in our homes, but this is not applicable within the ministry itself."

Althea gave Josephina a firm but respectful nod when she finished and gazed out over the crowd once more.


Though this was not a debate and Josephina did not really intend to make it one, she did do a double take when Althea commented on her answer about climate change. Looking down at her notes briefly and then back up at the woman, she shook her head.

"Ah right, my apologies, but yes, I had merely meant to insinuate that we should continue to use our magical abilities to aid in minimizing our carbon footprint." Her sister did work as a climate controller, and while she wasn't fully aware of all that it involved, she knew there was more to it than simply maintaining room temperatures, but had to do with pressures and other stuff too that Alex didn't really like to speak of.

"But I do believe we can, as you had insinuated, use the Department of Environmental Protection and Regulation to our advantage in minimizing our carbon footprint even moreso and learning more methodologies."

kayquilz 09-12-2016 04:11 PM

It seemed all candidates had quite different answers to his question. He was pleased that a few of them seemed to think it was...not the best idea. Or, they at least had their own spin on it. He kind of liked the way Josephina Hadley worded HER answer, and he was always impressed with Scabior. But the other candidates were performing well, too. Hmph. He listened to some child ask about dragons--please, really?

He looked at his nails as they focused on some other questions. He was listening. Taking mental notes. He had no other questions yet. The brief back and forth between Scabior and Hadley was distracting, but it was fine.

Awarlesta Black 09-13-2016 03:10 AM

SPOILER!!: Kyroh
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles (Post 12035330)
Kyroh was SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!! He had never been able to witness a q&a sessions before and especially not when it came to who would be the next Minister of Magic. But MORE exciting than that was- LOOK at how professional his mum looked!

She looked like she could destroy everyone in her path with a nice curt smile and then go right back home and make him some delicious cookies. He shifted Jade off his back and he placed her in a chair before sitting down himself. His dad was here somewhere too but Kyroh wasn't sure exactly where. He couldn't focus on that anyways. Almost as soon as his mum had answered a question Kyroh raised his hand (did you raise your hand in these things? He wasn't sure).

"What are your thoughts on Dragons and possibly intergrading them more into the Wizarding community? Er- this question is for everyone. " The first year university student beamed.



Willie perked up at the young man's questions. "DRAGONS!" Scooter, the crup, jumped slightly haven been awaken by Willie's exclaim. "Dragons are just MAGNIFICENT creatures, aren't they?!" She raised a tattooed arm to shield her eyes from the sun to get a better look at the boy. "Of course as magnificent as they are, I would love for the wizarding community to learn about them more." She remembers her encounter with dragons in Romania. "Dragons are also as dangerous as they are incredible, which is why I'd like to consult with various professional dragon keepers and look for a safe way to conduct this." BEAM. "Thank you for the question."

Lissy Longbottom 09-14-2016 05:18 PM

Comments to Althea :D
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz (Post 12037416)

Its also combated by a reduction in employee turnover- when people are paid more and looked after they are more likely to remain in a role which can reduce employment and training costs, meaning more stability in the workforce. This is where it is particularly relevant to the Ministry, which is where we will begin any establishment and increase of a minimum wage, as a flagship, so to speak.

Nolan listened intently to everyone's answers, and smiled at Josephina and Willie's answers. Willie was very peppy and a lovely addition to the race in that regard - but she only focused on the dragon answer, which was surprising to him. Did she not have any ideas about the economy or climate change? Hmmm.

There was one thing that Althea had said that Nolan wanted to touch on, though. Once the other candidates had spoken, he cleared his throat. "If I may, Miss Scabior, comment on your notes about employee turnover. I agree that this is a waste of money and something that is continuously throwing our economy out of balance. However, I don't think wage alone can combat this. With the Department Heads alone we see a very high rate of turnover, and they're getting paid more than your average worker, so we cannot say just an increase in wage would be effective."

"This is where my idea to increase mental health support from St. Mungos comes into play. While wage is a big issue for many when deciding to leave their job, happiness is by far the most important factor. To truly stop employee turnover, we have to work to provide employees with more mental health resources to assure that they're not being consumed by their work and allowing it to affect their daily lives. We have to also work to increase efficiency, so that one person is not doing the work of ten and actually able to leave work on time and they can take that paid vacation time without feeling like they're letting their whole department down by taking some time off," he explained. This issue was very close to his heart - so he had quite a bit to say on it. "Work life balance is key to creating a happy, harmonious work environment. Yes, minimum wage will help, but if you can't use that money to create a stable home life or invest it in the things you love, what is the point?" he finished.

He finished by flashing a grin at Althea, to show once again that there were no hard feelings between them - even though he was sure she already knew that. This was a game and he had come to WIN.

TeafortheSoul 09-14-2016 10:13 PM

Of course. Althea nodded at Josephina's response. She'd outright said that about the Environment department, not simply insinuated. If Josephina wished to simply insinuate in her campaign that was fine, but Althea would continue to make her stance very clear.

And that other young woman was responding to Kyroh which of course endeared her to Althea on a personal level, but on a professional level she remained unmoved and briefly wondering why the woman had not taken the opportunity to comment on more pressing concerns. Strange.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom (Post 12041550)
There was one thing that Althea had said that Nolan wanted to touch on, though. Once the other candidates had spoken, he cleared his throat. "If I may, Miss Scabior, comment on your notes about employee turnover. I agree that this is a waste of money and something that is continuously throwing our economy out of balance. However, I don't think wage alone can combat this. With the Department Heads alone we see a very high rate of turnover, and they're getting paid more than your average worker, so we cannot say just an increase in wage would be effective."

"This is where my idea to increase mental health support from St. Mungos comes into play. While wage is a big issue for many when deciding to leave their job, happiness is by far the most important factor. To truly stop employee turnover, we have to work to provide employees with more mental health resources to assure that they're not being consumed by their work and allowing it to affect their daily lives. We have to also work to increase efficiency, so that one person is not doing the work of ten and actually able to leave work on time and they can take that paid vacation time without feeling like they're letting their whole department down by taking some time off," he explained. This issue was very close to his heart - so he had quite a bit to say on it. "Work life balance is key to creating a happy, harmonious work environment. Yes, minimum wage will help, but if you can't use that money to create a stable home life or invest it in the things you love, what is the point?" he finished.

He finished by flashing a grin at Althea, to show once again that there were no hard feelings between them - even though he was sure she already knew that. This was a game and he had come to WIN.

That was MRS Scabior but Althea didn't correct him, obviously her goal was to be MINISTER Scabior soon enough anyhow. She listened as Nolan selectively pulled out one of her comments and used it as a segue into an unrelated concern. Cleverly done and yet she was sure she wasn't the only one who noticed that. All the same, the mental health issue was one that she did care about, her own son was reason enough for that.

"Of course minimum wage is not the be all and end all of our economic concerns, nor indeed of our wider, holistic approach to leading this community." Althea spoke, addressing her comments mostly to the audience. "But as you say, Mr Reynolds, 'minimum wage will help' and I will implement as many of those helpful changes in support of the Wizarding community as is possible and realistic. And while I will not make any blanket statements regarding the mental health and wellbeing of individuals who have chosen to move on from the ministry, I also pledge to work with mental health professionals and mindhealers to provide support for those who need it, and do my utmost to lessen external and environmental pressures -such as insufficient income- to enjoy that work life balance of which Mr Reynolds reminds us. So thank you, Mr Reynolds." She nodded right back, respectful, but unruffled.

Her support for legislated equality for all witches and wizards would also feed into that. As well as the upskilling and professional development, and continued support for higher learning so that anyone who wished to improve on their situation, and develop more confidence and self-belief could do so.

She was also reluctant to focus her campaign specifically on privately run institutions. She wanted a more general approach, where any and all institutions -educational and medical alike- would follow her lead, rather than her interfering specifically with the running of a standalone business. However she did agree with Nolan regarding a closer working relationship with St Mungos, not just in regard to mental health, and generally communication was a huge part of her campaign, so there was that.


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