Three of the four PM candidates competing to be the first elect Prime Minister of OWL League parliament sat down with a moderator to discuss how they would tackle the important issues of the league. Below is the transcipt.
Thanks to Lord Luz of the Roxas City Magic for organizing the debate and inviting the Daily Horoscope.
One of the candidates, Lady Kitsune of the Kyoto Foxes LC could not attend the debate but released a statement instead, which can be seen below. Click here to see the Daily Horoscope's coverage of their electoral campaigns and platforms for all four candidates.
Lady Kitsune's Statement
Hi everyone. Obviously with the parliament vote closing tonight, I wanted to make sure that you all had the opportunity to know why I am running for PM.
Kyoto Foxes LC was a brand new club this year, which meant that I had the opportunity to shape a club that embodies the values that I believe should be central, not only to my own team, but also to the wider league. These primarily focused on a commitment to our community and our fans, as well as building a friendly and welcoming club that incorporates inclusiveness into its core policies. We encouraged and funded our entire team in their ventures for charity and community service. Through a team retreat, we ensured that there was time for our team to build relationships and prioritized their mental health and well-being throughout the season. We provided funding for the league-wide charity work and invested in the merchandise scheme because we believe in backing the OWL league to ensure its success.
As PM, I would endeavour to use these values of community, fairness, and inclusivity as a guide in my decision making and agenda. I think that an important role of a leader is to ensure that people get a voice. That parliament provides a space that allows everyone to present their ideas and voice their opinions. I have demonstrated my commitment to this through parliament meetings where I have chaired and led the parliamentarians through fair and balanced agendas which encouraged multiple perspectives to be heard for each issue.
I believe that this is a critical phase for the OWL league. It is a time where we can build the sport of Ludomancy into something great - a global community which we can all be proud to belong to and which focuses on people before profit. But to succeed at this we need a leader who is determined and respectful, as well as shows integrity and empathy. I strongly believe I can be that leader and guide this league into the future.
Debate Transcript
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester, Lady Elina of Queens, and Lord Sam of Alexandria in attendance.
Debate Moderator:
Hi everyone and welcome to the first annual OWL Ludomancy League Prime Minister debate!
We have four great candidates running, three of whom were able to attend the debate tonight.
The first is Lady Cordelia of the Worchester Ravens.
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
"The OWL League is in a very important time right now with it being our inaugural season and needs the right leader in parliament to keep it moving forward. To ensure all of our clubs continue to participate and that their opinions are heard. We need someone who is fair, who has the future in mind, who drives fan and player participation, and who can work on solutions for current and future issues to make sure the league as a whole lives on. I believe that I can fill these roles if I am given the chance to serve as the Prime Minister. "
Debate Moderator:
The second is Lord Sam of the Alexandria Sirens.
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
I share the stage with three other quality candidates for this position. This debate boils down to priorities. My priorities are simple: a fan-first agenda while maintaining franchise autonomy. I support bills that boost popularity and dissent against any bills that limit franchise choices. This is my record, and I am consistent. The future of OWL depends on fans and future magicians. A minor league is critical to this process, which explains the POP Act's nudge for all teams to support the minor league. More players means more fun, less cost, more profit.
Debate Moderator:
Last but not least is Lady Elina of the Queens 35ers.
Lady Elina of Queens:
I stand before you today with one task: to protect everyone’s smiles. Right now, Parliament is a house divided, one that has drawn out the best and worst in all of us. I want Ludomancy to be a community where everyone feels better for being part of it. Through open dialogue and personal outreach I will ensure everyone’s voices are heard, so we can put aside our differences to uplift our communities. I want to be your Prime Minister because I want you to know that you are not alone, and that together we will create our fabulous future!
Debate Moderator:
Unfortunately, Lady Kitsune of the Kyoto Foxes declined to be here tonight. I'm sure I echo my fellow Lords and Ladies when I say that we have an exceptionally qualified group of candidates here tonight, and we would by lucky to have any of them serve as our Prime Minister!
To start things off, I would love to hear from the candidates what they consider their biggest accomplishment so far this season!
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
Returning Ludomancy to our roots and giving our fans a chance to participate in games is by far my biggest win. It has bolstered league popularity and brought the game back home.
Debate Moderator:
Lord Sam's work to demuffle the stadiums and form a minor league has definitely helped to boost the popularity of the sport!
Lady Elina of Queens:
That’s the merchandising bill I proposed– it’s opt-in and provides significant financial gain for all those who have invested in it, and has helped create a revenue stream not based solely on ticket sales. It was also a product of collaboration, which I think all successful legislation should be.
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Debate Moderator:
With all this additional money flowing into the sport, we'll definitely be able to help Ludomancy flourish in future seasons!
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
I'd say that my biggest accomplishment has been maintaining a level of decorum and civility that we should expect from the leadership of this fine organization. I’ve listened to all sides of any matters that have been brought to me with an open mind and strive to continue this in the future no matter the outcome of the PM race.
Debate Moderator:
Regardless of what happens on the field or in parliament, it's definitely important that we all remain supporters of each other and Ludomancy at the end of the day.
Now I'll give each candidate the chance to respond to each others' answers and dig deeper into their accomplishments.
Lady Elina of Queens:
I'd first like to congratulate Lady Cordelia for setting a fine example for all of us. Could I also ask you to elaborate on the bill you did bring forward, on investigating gem interactions?
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
Of course! I strongly believe that we need to learn more overall about the gems involved in our beloved sport, and increased knowledge can only lead to good things. So far we still have much to learn, our first look at them was very… colorful… but not informative.
Lady Elina of Queens:
So I saw on the news! I must say, I really love the pastels ^^
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
They have taken a moment to get used to but I'm sure I'll miss them when they are gone!
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
Agreed, and the best way to learn is to work with the Ministry of Magic. I look forward to helping OWL League forge a working relationship with the Ministry of Magic next season.
Parliament has made several decisions that disproportionately damaged some teams and benefited others this season. Had you been PM, how would you have prevented this injustice?
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
I don't want to say what I would have done this season as I already have the benefit of seeing how different proposals played out when they passed or not. I can say that in the future I would attempt to discuss with different clubs trying to push an agenda that benefited them over others and try to find ways to make their requests and suggestions good for the whole.
Lady Elina of Queens:
Not every policy will benefit all parties - this is not dressmaking, where one client and one designer make one result. But we can use that process, of constant and deliberate consultation during the process of creation, to prevent that injustice. It's easier to change a design in progress than to adjust a dress afterwards.
Now, on my end, Lord Sam: how have you felt about the demuffling since the decision was made, and how do you feel about the traditions governing the rules of Ludomancy?
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
Great question! Ludomancy's current form dates back centuries -- even back to a time when the nonmagical could participate. Sounds archaic, especially in today's magical atmosphere. Unfortunately, today we are bogged down in boring bureaucratic tussles over budgetary rounding errors. As PM, I will commission a study to help make old new again. Whether it involves training a brave nonmagical person to join the fray or weighing the cost benefits of Ludomancy's biggest "what if": dragons on the paths --- OWL League can move forward in fans' hearts and minds by reinventing our past.
Lady Elina of Queens:
I heartily concur with the idea of dragons on the path! There's a space in our sport for such majestic beings to join us, and I can't really think of any good reason not to let them rush the lanes with the rest of us~
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Debate Moderator:
Since we're focused more on the future now, my next question for the candidates is if you could change one thing about Parliament, what would it be?
Lady Elina of Queens:
Right now Parliamentary debates are overwhelmed by the loudest personalities, leaving little breathing room for other opinions. Outside of session I’d like us to reach out to Lords with busier schedules, so they can at least prepare statements to share their views.
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
I believe in order to make more informed decisions we need to have participation from all members of Parliament, not just vocal ones. Too many proposals are decided by too few clubs, leading to vocal clubs getting to decide the fate of all of OWL. We need strong leadership who will reach out to the quiet ones and engage with them, to improve Parliament's decisions.
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
Sages and Hands need more a say in our process, and we need to make it more challenging for a loud minority to impose rules against other teams.
Debate Moderator:
Making sure everyone gets heard in Parliament is something it sounds like we agree on! It's worth noting that each PM candidate submitted their responses to this question without knowledge of what the others said. The following dialogue is in response to each other’s statements.
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
I am happy to find consensus about the justice and louder voices challenge, and I look forward to working with all of OWL League to overcome this challenge moving forward.
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
It is nice to see all three of us wanting to address this issue of the loud overwhelming the quiet!
Lady Elina of Queens:
Absolutely. Parliament should be representative of the voices of the League collectively, so I think we’re all going to take active steps to address the issue once this is through.
Debate Moderator:
Outside of needed increased inclusion, parliament has room to grow and impact the sport of Ludomancy, our individual communities, and the Magical world at large. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the league right now?
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
For the sake of a healthy league, all teams must have fair access to the tools they need to win. Right now the lack of free agents and the rampant spending on their contracts led to a season where teams that fell behind were left behind with no hope of catching up.
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
The free agency-salary cap issue misses the point cause by supply and demand. We need more quality magicians, not arcane rules about spending. More magicians means more supply, lesser cost, and a more profitable league.
Lady Elina of Queens:
The biggest challenge is the ideological rift in management styles. Some teams are hyperfocused on winning the championship, no matter what that takes. Some are run more like businesses, investing in long-term gains. Whatever we do moving forward needs to carefully consider both sides of this divide.
Debate Moderator:
Those are some really insightful ideas. I’m super I speak on behalf of the other Lords and Ladies when I say that we’re excited to see how things pan out in the future. Now before we close things out, any parting thoughts?
Lord Sam of Alexandria:
The other three candidates have all supported issues that make incremental steps towards a better OWL League. I have pushed for issues that revolutionize OWL League. I've been ahead of the issues before - like on muffling - and I have a clear view into the next season. We must expand into developing markets. That's where the money is. We must nurture the next wave of magicians. They are where the profit lies. We must invest today to ensure the stability and profitablity of OWL in the future. I am in this race to secure a better OWL League -- #forourfans, #forourfuture.
Lady Elina of Queens:
We stand at the doorway to Ludomancy’s future, and it’s imperative we think about how we want to greet whatever lies beyond it. Will we falter and lose our balance, tripping in the face of progress? Or will we strut our way through with confidence and vigour, eager to meet the challenges ahead? As Prime Minister I will ensure that as a League all of us, from staff, to players, to fans, to the Lords and Lieges watching ever onwards, will be able to meet the next day with a brilliant smile, a confident heart, and a wardrobe to match. So let’s have some fun and run towards the future together!
Lady Cordeilia of Worcester:
Even though the Ravens have had a winning season, it is my desire that moving forward we eliminate situations where a few teams dominate all of their games and a few teams end up losing near every game in the season. By helping create an OWL little league, I have helped move towards a more fair environment, allowing for more healthy competition. Thank you for taking me into consideration for this important role!
Debate Moderator:
Thank you all for your contributions to Ludomancy this season and for your participation in this debate. I think we’ll be in good hands no matter where the Prime Minister mantle lands. Good luck in the election!
And to continue the OWL hype, here's the Astrological Favor Rankings for the semi-final matches.
Note. The Astrological Favor Rankings will change by the time of the OWL League Finals.
1 | Aquarius (most favored)
2 | Taurus
3 | Gemini
4 | Cancer
5 | Leo
6 | Virgo
7 | Libra
8 | Scorpio
9 | Sagittarius
10 | Capricorn
11 | Aries
12 | Pisces