“I’d’ve preferred more time between the unveiling and the confidence motion,” Fanshaw said,  “the better to line up all our votes.  But I would oppose removing Elektra as Party Leader.”  She, Elektra thought, will be bringing several votes with her, against the motion.

A few moments later the vote was eleven to three in favor of DeWitt.

“Nose count for no confidence?” Heather Parkinson asked.  “Can we lobby for that?  I’ve not read these laws or the  letters.”

“General message to all supporters,” Elektra said.  “Lobby all upper house members, even NatRen supporters, not to promise their vote either way until the documents are all read.”

“On it,” Fenstermacher said.  “I’ll have a text for you in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Joseph,” Elektra said.  “Your short messages are always sparkling gems.”

“We may disagree on things,” Fenstermacher answered, “but this really is for the good of the Union.”

“Now,” Grigsby said, “Elektra, are you to be wanting to organize a new government, or do you want fresh elections, those being two months off, if you insist on those?

“Yes,” she answered.  “Being clever, we do both. I get to submit, tomorrow morning, a bill of particulars for my motion.  And the day before the motion, a responder to whatever Cedric says.   I think we can make Cedric’s position impossible, even within his own party.  Pending new elections there’s an ‘all-parties’ government, but the President gets to propose as to who gets each Cabinet post.  We line up the votes properly, and any government he proposes other than ours loses,especially if we tie down good people from each party to be with us.  That includes the NatRens.  When Glorious Day Alberg learns what happened to his Federal Technical Universities scheme, Cedric sabotaging the idea, he’ll go orbital, and bring a bunch of his party with him.  Then we have a General Election, like the one we almost won, except this time the NatRens have some little difficulties with the voters.  At a guess, the Union Democrats and the National Front make significant advances  from the right, and we advance from the center.  So we choose First Minister now, and keep it after the election.”