Entry 22 - Those Who Stand for Nothing (5E130)

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Entry posted by Linoa06 · September 15, 2015

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Heya everyone!

This year, Glenvale ties for fastest growth with Amesbury. With local elections ahead, let's take a quick look at the city, shall we?

An Intercity train races across town, headed for the Capitol. The sun shines, general aviation buzzes overhead, it's a warm spring day... It is a normal day in Glenvale.

Beyond the University that's also opening this year, the city's ambitions are towards better park-and-ride facilities and increasing frequency on some of the heaviest bus lines.

But do the elites really care? The subway is all nice and good, but trams would have been cheaper, and taxes wouldn't have risen so sharply. 12% council tax rate city-wide!

Yet life carries on, and amidst nuclear fears the very first Nuclear Vault in Kingscote was opened by Fault-Tec in the heart of Glenvale - as an exhibit, they say.

Meanwhile, the seas are rising, and nobody seems to care. Does anybody ever care? They should - local elections are looming.

Probably not for the passengers of the luxurious cruise ship SS Galaxy, who sail the southern Kingscote seas, and delight at every sight.

South, endless seas. North...endless concrete.

You'd think a city so proud of its environment would do something about climate change. You'd wish they had proper guidelines when the volcanos the city straddles awaken once again.

The drought might have come and gone across the state, but the government is more intent on building yet more roads. Do you feel it? There's some sweet unrest in Glenvale, ushered in cafes, in meetings.

At the Edenvale District Hall, local council members are worried about the change. Their party, the Progressive Party of Cathnoquey, is slowing down. Once the party of change, now that of complacency. They took the Federals by surprise in Glenvale, but they only won by a margin, mostly thanks to the Aldmeri Standoff.

And with minor parties gaining more and more momentum, the elites running Glenvale know their time is at an end. Economic recovery, yes, but when? For the manufactories that kept closing, it looked more like disaster than anything, fueling the hatred of the National Party; for environmentalists, Green was the new red.

And if Glenvale was undergoing recovery, then were did the money go? It can't have possibly all gone into the new subway and freeway. Hospitals such as the Falsworth Hospital are all at capacity, with little federal relief.

And you can feed the populace Quiddich matches all you want, even have the Glenvale Gliders come out on top of the Quiddich Premier League if you like, it can't smother out completely the worries of an entire people.

When does it all break down? Latest polls reported by the Glenvale Herald put the Greens on top of both county and local elections, with a 20% lead on the PPC.

Perhaps it would prove to be a victory for commuters. The Greens have pledged better transportation and construction of bike and bus lanes, in due time. Some parts of town are awfully jammed, and bikes would probably quicken commuting times for a lot of Glenvale residents.

Not to mention that some of the infrastructure is ageing, and shows signs of weaknesses. They will have to be replaced in time - for the main parties, shutting down the major bridges in town would amount to political suicide.

But what if it's what the people want? Glenvale relies on its freeway network more than other cities in the state, after all. Collapsing bridges wouldn't be good for business.

And if the Greens won't necessarily have it easy, they're also drawing a lot more attention than four years ago.

Those are shaky days ahead for the political elite of Glenvale and its surrounding towns. In the streets, many want to believe things will get better.

Now, even some high-profile businesses endorse the Greens openly - including Chirper, Inc. The PPC has trouble adjusting to this scenario, so they lowered transport fares, hoping to ease up the pressure.

Then again, perhaps the only solution for the PPC is to take a lift down from their patios and offices and expensive downtown flats - and into the streets and lives of ordinary residents.

With local Greens leader Jane Haaleri planning to shut down a nuclear plant and set up toll booths and a "congestion zone" in the heart of the city, though, both the PPC and Liberals can hope to score political points.

Meanwhile, the Whiterun-born Liberals leader, a charismatic Nord called Antony Bittneld, has decided to regain Glenvale for his party and is about to hold his presidential bid in the city Convention Center - well ahead of his rivals - in order to swing the election his way.

Only two months to the local election, and the Liberals have gained massive ground - but they're still trailing the Greens, whose leader has been described as "possibly the first Dunmer to win City Hall". In fact, if she wins, Glenvale would become the biggest city in the nation headed by a Dunmer.

Even in this day and age, Cathnoquey still has several issues regarding race. The Aldmer and people of Akaviri descent (the Tang Mo and Ka-Po-Tun, who are ironically closer to humanity than elves are) are the usual suspects because of geopolitical tensions. Dark Elves and the beastkin also face undue racial discrimination despite many laws written to tackle the issue. A Dunmer at the head of one of the country's biggest cities would be a major victory for civil rights activists.

Will the Greens vision of a tram and bike friendly city - and of a progressive one - prevail, or will the Liberals appeal to "common sense" and strong economic growth through less taxes on businesses and residents alike? And will the incumbent Progressives manage to survive the death blow that's coming to them, in Glenvale and nation-wide?

The Nationals are out after their far-right movement was found guilty of burning down the homes of local Khajiit and Bosmer businessmen - banned from all state elections for six years. Too much freedom of speech kills freedom of speech, Judge Carson said as he made his way out of the Court of Commons amidst both praise and outcry from other activists.

And then there is the local oddball - this election sees Mai'q the Liar, son of Mai'q the Liar, grandson of Mai'q the Liar (and so on), self-proclaimed "most honest politician" in Glenvale, who campaigns not as himself but as his Shiba Inu dog...

Yet, on the sandy shores of Glenvale, many people care little about politics and just try to catch the last warm rays of the year. Don't they know the results of the election - the future of their city - rest on their shoulders?

Nothing is to be taken for granted in Glenvale. The wind blows, the hills overlook the city, traffic rushes along the narrow streets in the final week to the election...It's a normal day in Glenvale to fall for anything.

That's it for today, thanks for reading! Please leave feedback as always, and see you next time! =)