AND I WILL TRY TO BE MORE REGULAR IN THE FUTURE
“Thank you, Mister Speaker, and thanks also to various friends who called to my attention…” Elektra began.
“Surely, as a leading member of the Coalition, questions to me should be addressed in private,” Cedric interrupted, “that’s how things are…”
“Point of order, Mister Speaker,” Elektra intruded, “I have not yielded the floor to the Honorable Member.”
“Surely there’s no need for such formality…” Cedric began.
“The Honorable Member will be in order,” Speaker D’Angelo ordered. “Such remonstrations would be be in order as part of the Honorable Member’s response to Lady De Witt’s question.”
Cedric bit his tongue. “Thank you, Mister Speaker,” Elektra continued. “As I was saying, and in defense of my good friend at the podium, I am raising an issue that has been raised in the Cabinet. It is no secret that progress in trade negotiations with the Stellar Republic has been extremely slow. One might wonder if there were extraneous issues delaying matters.”
“Our Ambassador on Mogado…” Cedric began again.
“That was not my question. Indeed, it was not a question at all, though I am grateful to my friend for the lead of my next sentence,” Elektra said. She could see several of the Senators who were Drummond-McLaren’s handlers gesturing to him to be patient. “Indeed, our Ambassador on Mogado reported this week, a matter of public record, that the Republic House of State had been distracted by other issues, but that there were no legal or political obstacles to concluding the negotiations.”
Cedric nodded vigorously.
“However, Mister Speaker,” Elektra continued, “my good friends in America have called my attention to two pieces of legislation recently signed into Stellar Republic Law. They are “An Act Restating Safety Standards for Transporting Certain Minor Classes of Rarely-Imported Goods” and “An Act Protecting the Cultural Status of Underprivileged Neighboring States”. Mister Speaker, the reason these laws are of interest is that the first requires that our exports to the Republic may henceforth only be carried in Anglic Union star freighters…when we possess no star freighters. The second of these laws restricts trade, requiring that our balance of payments may not be significantly positive or negative…”
“It isn’t,” Cedric mumbled.
