The end of eternity

Saidercray's left after the schism

September 2006: Re-elected president Ian Woshkal, PPJ, and his deputy, the socialist Harry Old, present the new coalition agreement for the legislative period 2006/2007. It seals the fifth PPJ-SPS coalition in series. When Old speaks of an "eternal alliance" between socialists and left-wing liberals, a crowd cheers which could serve as a cross-section of the nation's political left.

For the coalition united everything what is left, overcame the internationally widespread division of the leftists, which weakens them in many countries. It was the alliance of two collecting basins which perfectly complemented each other. The SPS, as classical left party, adressed workers, unemployed, retirees and other socially disadvantaged people whose position and conditions of life it wanted to improve. It united marxists who dreamed of doing this in a revolutionary way and democratic socialists who were always dominant in the government and aimed at reallocation of assets, extension of the social services a.s.o. And where the SPS wasn't well received, there began clientele of the PPJ, a left-wing party for the intellectual bourgeoisie who pocketed all the members of the middle and upper classes who care about the nation's and the world's poor. Further, it also gained the votes of many critics of globalisation and of pacifists.

All this has been topical until one year ago. But the political crisis of the last months, which was predominantly a crisis of the political left, showed one thing: The party who wanted to overcome capitalism and the party who wanted to shape it in a way which should ensure that everybody would profit from it and no-one would left behind, they were no lovers. What made them stick together despite these differences was the perspective of power which, for both parties, ultimately only existed with if they collaborated with the other one. When this perspective had ceased to exist after Stevens's victory in the presidential election 2007, it took only a short time until the claim to power disunited the two parties instead of unifying them, when differences became highlighted instead of commonalities. The PPJ's party program of January 2008, which refuted socialism, and the rise of Stalinist Ron Glean within the SPS are the clearest signs for a development which smouldered already for a long time on both sides and which only success could prevent from flourishing. Could.

Facing the chaos we experienced then during the last nine months, it sound almost surreal that at least for the CPS and for the two big right-wing parties, we can see rather clear prospects for the nearer future. Uncertain, instead, is primarily the development of the MLPP. But let's deal with them sequentially. The CPS probably will reduce bit by bit to its radical core since the extremists are afloat and will frighten off and/or redline the remaining moderate forces and their adherents. Since Glean's coup, it defines itself as an antagonist of all other parties and the system they represent. This will reduce the parliamentary influence of the CPS, which on its part will then reinforce anti-parliamentarian tendencies and make the communist party aiming at a closing of ranks with non-parliamentarian groups. Working towards the big revolution loses its alternatives. If everything goes well, the CPS becomes as harmless as the NEO on the extreme right wing. If not, we will have a problem, so caution is advised.

While the CPS will be a loser of the crisis, the opposite holds true for the LUSC and the VAC. Neoliberals and conservatives had and used many opportunities to present themselves as forces who moderate, are interested in a politics dealing with problems outside the individual parties and who augur stability. This will provide them with a lot of votes in the next elections. These gains can thoroughly be permanent depending on how the two parties will act after the elections and on how strongly the people are frustrated of the left parties.

This, again, will mainly be shown by the fate of the MLPP, which is now the clear left-wing hegemon. As such, it can become the second big loser or the second big winner. In the best case, the former moderate part of the SPS now serves as the classical social-democratic section the PPJ never had, and brings along votes from the working class. This can outweigh the losses which will result of the voters' disappointment after the crisis and stabilize the MLPP around the same result the PPJ has achieved in recent elections, 30% +- 5%. But also the opposite case is possible, that the amalgamation of PPJ and half of the SPS will decompose as rapidly as it developped. Either because the ex SPS members could feel marginalized by the concentrated power of the former PPJ, or because the latter one could see the newbies from the more traditional left party as stumbling blocks in the process of modernization which the PPJ had just heralded towards the end of the Woshkal era.

But notwithstanding how powerful the MLPP will be or not be, the parliamentary dominance of the left wing in which no coalition without the PPJ was possible is broken. In future elections, beginning with this year's one, we will experience a competition between two approximately equally strong blocks, one consisting of the VCA and the LUSC, the other one of the MLPP and the two small parties GDP and MPI. One can only hope that politics will use this new situation and other appropriate means like the new election law to make up for the disenchantment with politics the passed year has created. Then Saidercray could even profit from the crisis which then would have removed outdated inherited burdens of the political system without having caused to much sustainable problems. But here again, the best case scenario is accompanied by an equally possible worst case one.

--- This article has been first published in the printed edition of Saidercray Today, Sunday, June 22, 2008, p. 3-5.

Campaings open with presidential surprises

The election campaigns for the 2007 National Elections on July 28 have begun. Unlike last year, we face clear conditions from the beginning onwards, since PPJ and SPS aswell as VCA and LUSC expressed their intent to form common coalitions. The nominations of the candidates for Presidency brought several premières to Saidercrayan politics. But let's have a look at all the big parties.

- The Party for Peace and Justice, PPJ: After three years as President of Saidercray, Ian Woshkal was not allowed to stand for this year's Presidential Election. The party members decided for Melanie Wathers, Minster of Foreign Affairs, as his successor both as candidate for Presidency and as party leader. Already now, she undertook the latter post from Woshkal to strengthen her position before the election.
For the political aims of the PPJ, the change towards Wathers means a change towards internationalism -as expressed in the campaign's motto "One nation in one world"- and towards some economic liberalism. The re-vitalisation of the IDUC is one of the PPJ’s main aims for 2008/2009. The party seems to aim at conquering the deserted social-democratic position without losing much of its old regular voters by "striking for a more moderately leftist policy than the socialists and a much more humane policy than the neoliberals and the conservatives."

- The Socialist Party of Saidercray, SPS: This year, the socialists’ leader herself, Angela Fintosthane, was chosen to apply for the state’s highest post, making this year the first one in which the majority of the Presidential candidates are women. Though critisizing the PPJ for its change in economical policy, Fintosthane didn’t allow any doubts towards whether the PPJ-SPS- coalition shall continue. The socialist campaign “One step further” intercedes for a more intensive continuation of the present policy.

- The Virtuous Conservative Alliance, VCA: Under the motto “At the brink of the abyss”, the VCA requires to undo the clear majority of the PPJ-SPS reforms over the last five years, from same-sex marriages to nationwide all-day schools, from the Conargo to the arms reduction. The party clearly committed itself to the LUSC after its shipwreck with the PPJ in 2007 and bolstered this by extensively turning in the capitalists’ economical course.

- The Liberal Union of Saidercrayan Capitalists, LUSC: “Entering the global way of success” is the title of the LUSC’s campaign which, as always, mainly deals with economical issues. The party promised to, if elected in government, join the IDU’s Free Trade Agreement, to privatize the whole Saidercrayan economy and to establish a low flat tax.

Both VCA and LUSC dispensed with a Presidential candidate of their own and nominated a common, non-party candidate – another novum for Saidercray. The conservative-capitalist candidate is Michael D. Stevens, who agrees to the VCA’s social and the LUSC’s economical opinions and became known by several polarising books in which he commented on the policy of Saidercray.

The small mono-thematical parties Green Democratic Party, Multinational Party for Immigrants, National Electoral Offensive and Saidercrayan Women’s Feminist Party didn’t nominate candidates for Presidency. The MPI and the SWFP clearly distanced from a coalition with the VCA, while the GDP declared that it could also imagine a conservative-capitalist-green coalition. The NEO doesn’t want to join next term’s government.

Right after the capaign openings ended, first representative polls were carried out, and Saidercray Today has the results. In brackets, we show the parties’ results in the 2007 National Election.

PPJ: 30 (27)

SPS: 22 (25)

VCA: 21 (17)

LUSC: 13 (17)

MPI: 6 (6)

GDP: 6 (8)

SWFP: 1 (0)

NEO: 1(0)

The Parliamentary Election steers for the next victory for PPJ and SPS. There is no doubt that these two will build a coaliton, either alone or together with one or two smaller parties. Politologists analysing the poll say that the PPJ’s new course opened the party for some non-socialist LUSC voters aswell as for soft-core socialists from the SPS who formerly missed a clear eligible economical alternative. The attestation of the socially liberal course made conservative PPJ voters, which the party also had for long years, vote for the VCA. The LUSC lost those voters who wanted to protest against the VCA’s coalition plan last year by voting for the then scorned party.

In the Presidential Election, the situation is as excting as it is predictable in the Parliamentary. He are the poll results:

- Melanie Wathers (PPJ): 38

- Michael Stevens (VCA & LUSC): 35

- Harry Old (SPS): 27

To explain this results, it helps to realise that VCA and LUSC together stand already at 34%. Empirical data say that the majority of those who vote for MPI or GDP tend to vote for the PPJ’s Presidential candidate due to all three parties’ social liberalism. Old, the socialist candidate, simply doesn’t get enough votes from the small party voters to equalize the PPJ’s advantage of his party, which is an advantage of 8% at the moment.

While it already occured that the President came from the second strongest party of a coalition, this year’s election might result in the very new and very interesting situation that the President, if he will be Michael Stevens, doesn’t have any majority in the parliament.

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And they're all won

Estresse Intenso - Saidercray 0-2
Saidercray: Palmington - Humphrey, Bank (46. Garvew), Zuckerer - Butcher (57. Giney), Encel, Mortey, Moycon - Johnson-Clark, Ho (68. Brownland), Pawlson
Goals: 0-1 Moycon 27., 0-2 Johnson-Clark 56.

The series of victories simply doesn't break off. Saidercray's B-team, in which third goalkeeper Jeffrey Palmington made his debut for the national team, won 2-0 against Estresse Intenso and shot them out of the olympic football tournament.
Contrary to what croaks had predicted, the already established group winners from Saidercray apply themselves to listless ball-passing, but joined in the game as if something would be on stake for them - especially the permanent substitutes like Palmington or Johnson-Clark wanted to use their chance to present themselves and their capacities in an international set exercise.
The Estresse Intenso team, obviously having reckoned with another way of playing, reacted startledly and couldn't put up a lot against the white dressed Storks in the first15 minutes. Then, it appeared that Estresse, who had good chances to advance with a victory, had managed to adjust to the situation, and first good attacks from their side were seen. But this endured only until minute 27, when after a very good chance for Estresse a long goal kick of Palmington flied over the withdrawing team to right midfielder Moycon who shot it into the goal before a defender had catched up with him. After another 10 minutes of despairing assault resulting into a great chance, but not into the equalizer, Estresse's fighting spirit was broken and the match shallowed, as also Saidercray feeled that the 1-0 could probably be enough for the 5th victory. However, one more goal should follow in the mostly boring second half, in which no team did much more than necessary: Close to Estresse's penalty area, Johnson-Clark snatched a horizontal pass and directly kicked the ball into the goal's net, scoring his first goal in his third match for Saidercray.

In the quarterfinals, Saidercray, which is the only IDU team which survived the groups, is the favourite against Reineberg, 2nd placed team from group D with good offensive qualities, as they scored 14 goals in 5 matches. Experts expect that Vondelick will trust on the defense which has grown a lot stronger since IDUFC 06, which shall catch Reineberg's attacks and directly introduce counter attacks with fast forwards like Dishyatt or the recovered Cunio.
In the three other quarterfinals, home team Capitalizt Slani plays against St. Samuel, Wentland against Cafundeu and Ariddia, who profited by Saidercray's last victory, against Bazalonia.

A look at other sports

In female basketball, Saidercray advanced along with Malabra and will face Sativaville in the quarterfinal. The female football team clearly missed the first two places in its group and has thus been eliminated, as is the male basketball team. Cyclists Key and Tyler qualified for the first round in men's individual pursuit, and Kevin Inide will participate in the 100 m breaststroke finals, although his chances to gain a medal are small. Those of Susan Chaah are better, who qualified together with Prisca Vigoda for the woman's 100m breastroke final and was 4th in the semifinal.
Tabler's gold from cycling remains Saidercray's only medal so far, but more may come.

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A frontier to chaos

A report from the former Saidercray-Brechenlass frontier

More than 1,500 km of demarcation line formed the frontier between Saidercray and Brechenlass, which could be reached within an hour by car from the cities of Dropaney and Hilngare, and it didn't take much more time to arrive at Saidercray coming from north Brechenlassian cities New Saratoga or Himmlichstadt.
The frontier to Brechenlass extended trough hills and mountains, hit and left rivers. With a ruin of a castle here, a rural highlander village there and many rocks and trees inbetween, our western borderland is a landscape which you can either call idyllic or boring and which wouldn't have anyone's guess for the place where a large-scale operation of red cross, police, military etc. would try to prevent a humanitarian catastrophy in late spring 2007.

Kedalfaxes "Kennerwyck Times and Post" of April 29 reported from Kedalfaxian Commonwealth member state Brechenlass: "[A] sudden, quick, and violent struggle erupted in Brechenlass, destroying the government, and leaving an unknown number of people dead. Power and communication infrastructure was knocked out completely." More dramatically spoken: What once has been our frontier to Brechenlass, is now our border to chaos.

News do not arrive from -former?- Brechenlass since, yet something else does: refugees. They do not know why all this happened in their state, they do not know what happened in general, but they know what happened right to them, and knowing this made them flee, taking with them not much more than what is purely necessary to survive. Fortunately for Saidercray, all major Brechenlassian cities are closer to Schnauzerland or Eisophca than they are to us, so most of those who escaped might have escaped to one of these states, but the number of those who chose Saidercray as their destination is big enough.Those of our provinces which border or Brechenlass, which are five of ten, from Burgow in central northern Saidercray over Tynborough, Varaylia and Fainland to our most southern province Coastland, have been put into state of emergency by President Woshkal.

Tent towns are built to receive the refugees which arrive covered with dust, with their faces marked by their occurences, but without any home. Hospitals in western Saidercray run on low flame for doctors have been sent borderwards, and relief organizations call for contribution in nationwide collection campaign.

The vague situation in our western neighbour country renders everything more difficult. There is no person to speak to on the other side, since the old government has obviously been overwhelmed without a new leader of whatsoever kind having risen afterwards, which means that all diplomatic contact is torn. There is no answer on who the men behind the uprising are and on what their motivation is. In an unlikely, yet not impossible worst case, the riots might spread to neighbouring states like Saidercray. To prevent this, border controls have been tightened to keep all those out who might be troublemakers instead of refugees.

It appears that until there are clear pointers to the backgrounds and the outcome of the chaos, Saidercray can only wait and do its very best to help.

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Saidercray advances to second round

Saidercray - Abu Omar 3-1
Saidercray: Simpson - Lardon, Uguel, Zuckerer - Baqura, Dacker (61. Moycon), Encel (46. Mortey), Ungcade - Brownland, Pawlson (80. Dishyatt), Ho
Goals: 1-0 Uguel 24., 1-1 26., 2-1 Baqura 43., 3-1 Ho 60.

Already in the last but one group match, the Saidercray national team has made the advancement and the group victory clear. After a 3-1 victory against the team of Abu Omar, Saidercray leads with an advantage of 6 points and 5 goals to the 2nd place.

With the self-confidence of three victories, Saidercray controlled the match from the beginning to the end.

In minute 24, defender and team captain Uguel headed the ball into the goal of Abu Omar after a corner by Baqura. Yet only two minutes later, Abu Omar equalized, again with a header following a corner. For the next 17 minutes, the match became more open, until Baqura scored the lead for his team when he kicked a ball into the goal which had hit the crossbar shortly before after a shot of Pawlson. In the second half, only one more goal should follow: In minute 60, Ho increased to the upshot of 3-1. Mortey, who had come in minute 46, played a flat cross into the penalty area, and Ho conveyed it into the goal with the sole of his foot.

Only three goals against Saidercray in four matches speak a clear language: Marco Vondelick's plan to improve the defense after IDUFC 2006 (Saidercray Today reported) obviously yields fruits. Though still playing 3-4-3, Saidercray does no longer rush against the adverse goal, yet aims at transfering the events slowly, but continuously into the opponents' part of the field and, once it is there, sticking it to this are until there is a chance for a goal. Furthermore, team captain Uguel who injuredly missed the IDUFC performs excellently in his role as the head of the defense rank.

Directly after the match, while first fans already began to celebrate into local pubs, Vondelick proclaimed the new devise: go for gold. "Where is the team against which these boys cannot win? It's nowhere. We do now want the golden medals and we know we can get them."
For the last group match against Estresse Intenso, he furthermore announced to let many young players have their turn in the beginning team - news which might annoy Ariddians since both Ariddia and Estresse Intenso have 6 points at the moment.
Meanwhile, hopes for a new match against Mikitivity disintegrated. The IDUFC 2006 winner who eliminated the Storks in the semi-final is the last team in group B with 1 point from four matches. On the other hand, the third IDU team, Malabra's, still has good chances to advance aswell.

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Brownland brings second round near at hand

Saidercray - Kelssek 1-0
Saidercray: Simpson - Bank, Humphrey, Garvew (66. Zuckerer) - Giney, Ungcade (66. Butcher), Encel, Moycon - Dishyatt (46. Pawlson), Brownland, Johnson-Clark
Goal: 1-0 Brownland 12.

Saidercray has won its third of so far three matches. As early as in minute 12, Gareth Brownland succeeded in shooting the goal of the day. The forward who had come into the team for injured player Cunio, who will also miss the two remaining group matches, scored a penalty after Moycon had been tackled from behind.
After continuing to play offensively for another quarter of an hour, the Storks saw that they could gain victory with less effort since Kelssek played very harmlessly. Yet in the second half, the team would almost have been punished for this tactic, but keeper Simpson thwarted two good chances of Kelssek. Afterwards, Vondelicj brought two new players and Saidercray played better again, so that victory was safe from then on.

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Storks march on

Ariddia - Saidercray 1-2
Saidercray: Simpson - Lardon (46. Bank), Uguel, Humphrey - Butcher, Moycon (60. Dacker), Ungcade, Mortey, Baqura - Ho, Cunio (70. Dishyatt)
Goals: 0-1 Ho 25., 1-1 36., 1-2 Dishyatt 75.

In a tactically ambitious match against current KPB world ranking's 16th and former World Cup winner Ariddia, Saidercray achieved its second victory in the second game and climbed the summit in group C.

Coach Marco Vondelick switched from the traditional 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2 system with two defensive, one central and two offensive midfielders. Against the very offensive Ariddians, Saidercray thus got the upper hand in the midfield and could quickly change over from defense into offense, thanks to the excellent performance of central midfielder Ungcade.
The teams neutralized each other at a very high level and a match developped which bored ordinary fans and which inspired tactic experts.
It was Saidercray's third chance at all which made the team take the lead in minute 25. Ho successfully chased a long pass, got the ball close to the touchline and crossed it to forward mate Cunio. Instead of shooting onto the goal himself, Cunio saw that Ho had meanwhile entered the penalty area and passed the ball back to him who completed from acute angle.
Afterwards, the match became more attractive with Arriddia reinforcing their offensive efforts and Saidercray aiming at a quick second goal to knock down their opponent. Right when it looked like Saidercray was becoming more and more dominant, Ariddia got a direct free kick at 22 meters to Simpson's goal. The ball flew against the post and from there to an Ariddian forward who the scored the 1-1 in minute 36.
In the 2nd half, the old tactical match developped again. In minute 70, Cunio was injured in a n in itself harmless duel and was replaced by Lawrence Dishyatt. Only three hundred seconds later, the striker from Dropaney marked the goal by which Saidercray carried the day. In a one-on-one situation against an Ariddian defender, Dishyatt outlined a pass to Baqura, yet instead of this he revolved about the player and shot the ball into the goal of Ariddia.

Being group C's only team which has won its first two matches, Saidercray has gained a very good starting point. Another win in the next match, and the team's advancement is almost certain.

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First golden medal for Saidercray

Cyclist Angela Tabler provides historical triumph

Stretching both fisted hands into the air, Angela Tabler crossed the finishing line of the Cycling Women's Road Race. With a time of three hours, 26 minutes and 35 seconds, she won her and Saidercray's first golden medal at the Olympics. Silver went to cyclists from Quakmybush.

The Saidercrayan team, furthermore containing Irene Rondra, who arrived 6th, and Muriel Young, kept to itself for a long time of the race. 40 km in front of the finish, Rondra joint a group of runaways, yet they were overtaken again about 15 km later. Shortly after this, Tabler started her decisive attack: together with another cyclist, she drove away from the main group, and finally shook off her colleague at an ascent, so that she arrived at the finishing line with a by a wide margin of more than two minutes.

"It's a fantastic feeling and a great success", the victorious sportswoman from north-eastern Saidercray made known. "I think that's what every athlete dreams of, standing on the top of the pedestal, listening to the hymn while the flag ascends in front of the evening sky. A great moment coronating a great race."

Football: Saidercray-Quakmybush 2-1
Saidercray: Simpson - Humphrey (66. Zuckerer), Uguel, Bank - Baqura, Encel, Dacker (46. Giney), Mortey - Cunio, Pawlson (61. Ho), Dishyatt
Goals: 0-1 17., 1-1 Cunio 58., 2-1 Giney 80.

Together with the teams of Abu-Omar, Kelssek, Ariddia, Estresse Intenso an Quakmybush, Saidercray plays in group C. "A strong group, with many good teams in it: it is a challenge which we want to tackle and in which we can triumph", national coach Marco Vondelick commented on the result of the draw.

In Saidercray's first match, the spectators witnessed two entirely different halfs. The Quakmybushian team dominated from the whistle and settled in the Saidercrayan part of the field. While the Storks only had very few chance, the new number 1 in the goal of Saidercray, Timothy Simpson, was often compelled to perform fantastic saves. Nonetheless, even he was powerless against the strong shot for Quakmybush's 0-1 in minute 17. But the nearer the half-time came, the more strongly it became obvious that Quakmybush couldn't continue their fast run on any longer. More and more stabilizing the defense, the Storks now began to play kick-and-rush and almost equalized in minute 47, yet Pawlson stood offside.
Finally, it was Steven Cunio who scored the 1-1. In his third match for Saidercray, the small spearhead outwitted two defenders and perfected his solo-attempt with a well-placed shot into the opponents' net. From this moment on, Saidercray controlled the game and got a lot of chances, one of which resulted into the decisive 2-1: A free kick of Frank Encel found the head of Fan Wai Ho. The goalkeeper could repulse Ho's header, but couldn't catch the ball so that it dropped down in front of Patrick Giney who maneuvered it into the goal.

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Olympic athletes arrive at Querzakhi

It was 16.03 o'clock when the team of the Saidercrayan Olympic Commitee (SOC) left the airplane of SaidercrAir after a flight of several hours and set foot on the earth of the city Querzakhi, on whose stadium the eyes of the sports world will fix during the coming days.

For the first time ever, Saidercray will be represented by these athletes at a supraregional sporting event. The men and women from 18 to 39 years are a mothley mixed ensemble of nationwidely famous notabilities and young, aspiring talents like Michael Arebarm or Susan Chaah. The nation's hope for medals focusses on the national football team, consisting mostly of the same players who enthused us half a year ago, the penthatletes, the female basketball team and the marathon runners.

The atmosphere within the team is dominated by anticipated joy towards world's most famous and most time-honoured sports competition with its history going back into the ancient days of Greek antiquity. Concerning the expectations towards success, most may subscribe to what 100m runner Disa Foldap said to an STV reporter at the arrival in the Olympic Village: "For most of us, this is the first international competition, thus it's hard to say where we stand compared to the others. But we're all highly motivated and want to emit the best for our country."

Directing the attention to the national football team's matches and to final decisions where Saidercrayan athletes can win medals, Saidercray Today will report from the Secund Summer Olympics. Let's keep our fingers crossed for our athletes.

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New currency to replace the Thaler

For 90 years and a half, people in Saidercray paid their bread, their hotel rooms, their books and whatever they needed and wanted with the coins and banknotes of the Saidercray Thaler. "I still remember when I was given my first 10 Saidercray Pennies to go and buy me some ice-cream at Johnny's Ice Paradise, down Union Street", says Douglas Taner, 98. Meanwhile, the Ice Paradise has closed, and Douglas' ice-cream is bought at the new "All-in-One" supermarket and driven to the rest-home where Douglas lives, price: 3 Saidercray Thalers. So many has changed since summer 1916, that the end of the Thaler might appear next link in this chain; yet not to Douglas. For him, the Thaler is not a part of history nor will it ever become, it is - until now - one of the few constants of his long life.

Just a couple of roads away from Douglas, at River Lane, we meet young theology student Jade, and with her a completely different attitude towards the Conargo or Argo, as the new currency will most likely be called. "This will help the people of the region grow together, and of course the countries aswell", she gushes, and sees a lot of new facilities when the currency arrives: "My boyfriend lives at Inatra [Antrium], and it's pretty trying that whenever we want to meet each other one of us has to change the money and all, and the same is valid for all who travel to other countries". Problems which will, indeed, vanish when the new currency comes.

According to most recent advices, all nations which, like Saidercray, introduce the new currency shall be allowed to individually design one side of the coins (5, 10, 25 cent), while the banknotes (1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100) shall receive an internationally equal design. Whereas the future look of these banknotes is still unknown, Minster of Finance Catherine O´Conor presented today a three drawings by artist Bartholomew March, which shall serve as pattern for the Saidercrayan design of the coins: drawn with soft, long lines, they show:
- a mulberry tree in the midst of a field of heartseases (planned for the 5 cent coin, a composition of the national tree and the national flower)
- two storks flying side by side with a rising sun in the background (planned for the 10 cent coin, an allegory on the history and present of Saidercray)
- a mother who sits on a beach and hands some fruits to her child (planned for the 25 cent coin, a personification of the national anthem's lines "We are children of your shapely shores, and your fruits have made us grow")
With the new currency corresponding to about 1.2 $ and the Saidercray Thaler corresponding to 0.5 $, the conversion factor from Saidercray Thaler to the new currency will be about 2.4:1, so that people get one (Con)argo for approximately 2ST, 40SP.

In politics, several parties welcome the new currency and claim it for their ideology. Minister of Finance O'Conor, PPJ, sees the new currency as a realization of President Woshkal's (PPJ) plan to integrate Saidercray into the IDU without giving up sovereignty: "The new currency will facilitate financial, economical and touristical contact and relations between the different nations. I want to emphasize that the introduction of the new currency does not result into any single change of our tariff policy, it is not the end of our ability to use tariffs as a means of shaping."

Vice President Harry Old (SPS) directed to the positive influence of socialist policy onto the change of currency: "1 and 2 cent coins have been prevented. Saidercray's working class will not be sent to the seas of manipulative exploitation, and neither shall it have to face sudden higher prices everywhere, because our nationalized enterprises serve the people's needs, not the profit's greeds."

In opposition to this, politicians of the capitalist LUSC welcomed the new currency for very different reasons. Vice chairman Luke Anderson: "We are happy to see that the government is able to learn, and unhappy to see that it doesn't recognize this itself. The day when the new currency arrives is a day of defeat for protectionism, and a day of victory for capitalism and gloablization, which now finally knock at the door of the United Republic."

Mostly critical voices towards the new currency come from the VCA, whose leader Janet Finnigan called the Saidercray Thaler "a piece of national tradition, culture and identity. It is unworthy to throw it on the dust-heap of history."

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