“What is the most important change you hope to offer magical Britain?”
“Progress,” Jude said simply. “There is always more progress to be made if we are striving towards a fairer society. We have made some great strides in recent years towards equality,” because Minister Ross and Urquart had done what they could to push for it, if their predecessors and the old guard of the Wizengamot had not, “but there is further to go. The government should represent the interests of the people – people of all classes – including those without generational inheritances or landowning capital or centuries of pureblood connections from which to profit.”
Perhaps he should have equivocated more, tried expressly not to alienate voters or aggravate half the audience with statements like that, if he wanted to be elected; but Jude had been sharing his beliefs publicly for far too long to pretend ambiguity or soften his principles now. “If a society’s success is judged upon how it treats its poorest citizens, equality is the strongest foundation we can work towards. I’m interested in a system that can represent and benefit everyone.”
“Mr. Jude Wright. If you had the power to change only one viewpoint held by one of your competitors, which would it be?”
(Only one? That was just unfair.) “If I could change a viewpoint, it would be the preoccupation with defining people by their identity alone: members of the magical community are too often reduced to what they are, rather than what they choose to do. It is that kind of attitude that encourages differentiation and discrimination, and helps nobody. It makes no difference whether someone is pureblood or muggleborn. Women – who’ve had the same education as men; who are subject to the same laws;” (and yet were frequently left worse off by them), “who embark on the same careers or else contribute lifetimes of unpaid labour; who make up half of society – should not be barred from equal participation in its politics.” The vote, to start with; though that alone would not undo the rest. “People with non-human parentage or who are afflicted with lycanthropy, who never chose their situation, should have adequate protection, not persecution, in our laws.” He didn’t need to look at Picardy as he said it, and didn’t try to find Kieran in the crowd.
“Would you change or maintain the marriage ban between humans and non-humans?”
Most of the candidates, Jude expected, would agree there ought to be more nuance. “If not repealing the marriage ban altogether, at the very least I believe there should be some capacity for appeal against it, dependent on individual circumstances. It is unfortunate that some who strive to be law-abiding in all respects have been maligned by the ban and their inability to marry.” (Better that he didn’t get into his opinions of the institution of marriage today, or there might be riots.) “In addition,” Jude added, thinking darkly of the Hogwarts governors and what might happen under someone like Picardy, “I believe the right of all children to an education must be protected at all costs, no matter their parentage.”
“Ministers typically appoint at least one member of the Wizengamot during their terms. If elected, who would you chose for Wizengamot, and why?”
“I do not believe, as it stands, that the Wizengamot is fit for purpose as our sole legislative body,” Jude said carefully. The thing about not having a written constitution was that nothing was bound by it to remain that way for eternity, if it no longer served its purpose – and the Wizengamot, in his opinion, was one of the ways magical Britain was being held back by the past. “Members of the Wizengamot have more responsibility and more power than anyone in magical Britain, and can retain their seat for life. That is longer than anyone else in government –” including the Minister of Magic, “and means that some on it have served since the beginning of the century. Yes, it ensures stability for the country – but we shouldn’t choose stability at the cost of stagnation. I believe the Wizengamot is in need of some reform – whether by reducing the length of service or increasing the membership to more broadly, and more proportionally, represent the society it legislates for. Or indeed, perhaps by introducing another elected Assembly entirely.” The muggle world was ahead in this already, with a House of Lords balanced by the House of Commons. He could go on; but he supposed he had probably gone far enough for today.
“Progress,” Jude said simply. “There is always more progress to be made if we are striving towards a fairer society. We have made some great strides in recent years towards equality,” because Minister Ross and Urquart had done what they could to push for it, if their predecessors and the old guard of the Wizengamot had not, “but there is further to go. The government should represent the interests of the people – people of all classes – including those without generational inheritances or landowning capital or centuries of pureblood connections from which to profit.”
Perhaps he should have equivocated more, tried expressly not to alienate voters or aggravate half the audience with statements like that, if he wanted to be elected; but Jude had been sharing his beliefs publicly for far too long to pretend ambiguity or soften his principles now. “If a society’s success is judged upon how it treats its poorest citizens, equality is the strongest foundation we can work towards. I’m interested in a system that can represent and benefit everyone.”
“Mr. Jude Wright. If you had the power to change only one viewpoint held by one of your competitors, which would it be?”
(Only one? That was just unfair.) “If I could change a viewpoint, it would be the preoccupation with defining people by their identity alone: members of the magical community are too often reduced to what they are, rather than what they choose to do. It is that kind of attitude that encourages differentiation and discrimination, and helps nobody. It makes no difference whether someone is pureblood or muggleborn. Women – who’ve had the same education as men; who are subject to the same laws;” (and yet were frequently left worse off by them), “who embark on the same careers or else contribute lifetimes of unpaid labour; who make up half of society – should not be barred from equal participation in its politics.” The vote, to start with; though that alone would not undo the rest. “People with non-human parentage or who are afflicted with lycanthropy, who never chose their situation, should have adequate protection, not persecution, in our laws.” He didn’t need to look at Picardy as he said it, and didn’t try to find Kieran in the crowd.
“Would you change or maintain the marriage ban between humans and non-humans?”
Most of the candidates, Jude expected, would agree there ought to be more nuance. “If not repealing the marriage ban altogether, at the very least I believe there should be some capacity for appeal against it, dependent on individual circumstances. It is unfortunate that some who strive to be law-abiding in all respects have been maligned by the ban and their inability to marry.” (Better that he didn’t get into his opinions of the institution of marriage today, or there might be riots.) “In addition,” Jude added, thinking darkly of the Hogwarts governors and what might happen under someone like Picardy, “I believe the right of all children to an education must be protected at all costs, no matter their parentage.”
“Ministers typically appoint at least one member of the Wizengamot during their terms. If elected, who would you chose for Wizengamot, and why?”
“I do not believe, as it stands, that the Wizengamot is fit for purpose as our sole legislative body,” Jude said carefully. The thing about not having a written constitution was that nothing was bound by it to remain that way for eternity, if it no longer served its purpose – and the Wizengamot, in his opinion, was one of the ways magical Britain was being held back by the past. “Members of the Wizengamot have more responsibility and more power than anyone in magical Britain, and can retain their seat for life. That is longer than anyone else in government –” including the Minister of Magic, “and means that some on it have served since the beginning of the century. Yes, it ensures stability for the country – but we shouldn’t choose stability at the cost of stagnation. I believe the Wizengamot is in need of some reform – whether by reducing the length of service or increasing the membership to more broadly, and more proportionally, represent the society it legislates for. Or indeed, perhaps by introducing another elected Assembly entirely.” The muggle world was ahead in this already, with a House of Lords balanced by the House of Commons. He could go on; but he supposed he had probably gone far enough for today.
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Dorian Rosier, Jessamine Parkinson, Juliana Ainsworth
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