Whitehouse: "Stalus is Laughing at Us"

Deputy Imperial Chancellor Sheldon Whitehouse made an uncharacteristically emotional speech at a public venue in his home state of Tapanuo this evening amid a flurry of politically-charged accusations being levied against the government. A transcript is included below the fold.
"Ladies and gentlemen: I scheduled this event here, where I grew up, and where a decade ago I began my political career passing out pamphlets for a little old political party called the Popular Republican Movement that nobody had ever heard of. I scheduled it here at the last minute, as soon as the venue was available, because the media cycle has been pure insanity and I needed to get a few things off my chest. You all know what I'm talking about of course - you see it everywhere you look: attacks from the opposition; attacks from within the government; attacks from the FCB; and most devastatingly, attacks - literally in some cases - from our own people in the overseas territories. What has gone so wrong in the last month or two that has stirred such hate and division among us?"
"What must our allies think? What must my son think in Jaharnum? I pray that he doesn't know half the extent of our division in the face of adversity. And what must our enemies think? Somewhere out there, a tyrant named Maxim Stalus gets to see us blame ourselves for the war he forced on the world. For the sake of the Four, Stalus is laughing at us! 'Look what good their freedom is doing them!' he must be saying to thunderous laughter with his authoritarian thugs! We're on the verge of victory, and yet here we are with dirty politics as usual - it makes me feel violently ill."
"The slander is inexcusable. For people to suggest that we're making no progress mere days after the unconditional surrender of Draaz to our forces is worse than a lie. It's scandalous! To knowingly lie to the people to score some cheap political points! And to think I was enough of a fool to think that perhaps the election of Ruth Davidson would be the beginning of a better chapter for UKIP - how wrong I was. There she was, shamelessly bragging of the achievements of Nigel Farage while dragging the names of everyone who has worked to win this war through the mud. Shame on you, Mz. Davidson! Falleentium deserves better than your lies!"
"So here is the truth, and it's as simple and blunt as I can make it. We're going to have peace - and we're going to have it very soon. We all want it so desperately, and we will have it. We've already won so many fronts - Draaz, Jeet, Haals, and plenty more. We only have one left. Jaharnum is the last step. The last thing we need to make the right peace for Falleentium - one final location that we must deny to the invasive forces of the Red Federation. And it's an important step - we want a lasting peace, and one which does not reward the Red Federation by permitting them to occupy a free nation that they have attacked in their insatiable lust for geopolitical power. I'm not going to stand by and cower to the political vultures and rush some half-measure peace deal that surrenders the free people of Jaharnum to the Red Federation's mercy."
"That is why I'm here. This is a plea directly to you, the people, to hold confidence in me and the Chancellor and the Foreign Secretary to finish this soon, and finish this right. The talking heads won't go away, and they won't suddenly start supporting us because of anything I've said here today. We don't need these genius political hacks on our side to get the job done - but we do need you, the people. So I stand before you, opening up my heart - won't you trust us to finish the job once and for all, to get the best outcome we can, and as fast as it is possible? I humbly hope you will provide us the faith we need to get it done. Thank you."
Category:The Imperial Constitution