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New Bava

New Bava - The Newspaper for the Twenty-First Century - Circulation 233,500 est.

24 October 1998

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Current issue: 6

Cyberia Split over Election Result

The election results in Cyberia were in doubt for some days as Electoral Commissioner Terry Clare attempted to annul the results, with the support of Peter Hickey. Arguments over the election became so heated that Hickey, Clare and Thacker left Cyberia, although Mr Hickey later decided to return as an Independent.

Vadim Pokolitov, the Chief Justice, accepted that the Electoral Commissioner had the power to annul election results, but ruled that this action had not been appropriate in this case. The Cyberian election had not been perfectly fair, but nor had the results been affected by the irregularities. There was but muted response to the Chief Justice's verdict.

The upshot is that Ken Kerns of the Liberal Party is again President of Cyberia, while Quentyn Daniels, PFP, is the Vice-President.

Cyberia Gripped by Religious Debate

This week Cyberia was gripped by vibrant religious debate. Tim Dunkin, in a bizarre twist of illogic, argued that Socialists themselves are responsible for the plight of the poor, while Richard Pond pointed out that it is largely thanks to Socialists that so many countries now have minimum wages, maximum working hours, minimum holidays, health and safety regulations, and trade union rights. Indeed, in many countries universal suffrage itself developed largely as a result of the agitation by Socialists and their allies for working people's rights. And Martin Luther King, one of the key forces in arguing for blacks' equality in the US, was an avowed socialist - interestingly, a religious one. Governor Pond and "East Cyberian" (suspected to be a codename for Mike Rosario) have both posted on the cultural forum about the contribution of religious people to socialism.

Adam Graham meanwhile has been putting forward his own interpretation of the Bible. He agrees that Christians should help the poor and weak, but believes it is a private rather than a governmental duty. Peter Hickey has launched a new organization, Freethinkers of Cyberia, to campaign against the growing religious fundamentalism and biblical literalism among Cyberia's new churches and several of its rightwing citizens. Adam Graham is one of his key sparring partners.

Conservatives Continue to Bicker

The Cyberian right has continued to argue virulently among itself, with Jack Santucci pointing out to fellow conservatives that "liberalism is the trend of the 90s" and that traditional social conservatism is dead. Adam Graham and others have responded with disbelief to what they see as a sell-out by Santucci.

The racism and sexism traditionally associated with conservatism have been dropped, at least in public, by all Cyberia's conservatives. But homosexuality and abortion remain highly contentious issues. On these, the right has yet to accept defeat.