Rhetorics

15. Emotions in politics (Madara)

The tension between us was unfathomable.

I was surrounded by an electrical cloud of tingling excitement, and so was he, my cloud being a positive pole and his a negative one, making them discharge in raging thunderbolts around us. It was impossible that nobody in parliament saw it.

Days before Christmas, the debates in parliament were starting. And today, the first day, the day after I had followed Hashirama home, I was debating him. The whole situation was so hot I was trembling in my most expensive black suit and black shirt. I had my hair down and straightened so it fell down thick and course over one shoulder. Hashirama had broken my mahogany chopstick because he liked my hair loose, and I hoped it would bring him some distraction that I actually catered for him. Or, at least I tried to tell myself that wanting to distract him was the reason behind me wearing my hair down for parliament, something I'd never done before. In reality, I just wanted to cater for him.

I looked at him where he sat in front of me. We had ignored each other since we came in. If it was because we didn't want to bother the other or because we knew that if we came too close to each other, we wouldn't be able to hold back, I didn't know. But when he'd walked in, I'd put my head down, and ever since he sat down on his guest spot, he hadn't turned around to look at me. I only saw him in front of me with his light grey shirt, his hair in a bun, the opposite of me in many more ways than one.

"Welcome to the first day of debates", the chairman said. "Today we have Madara Uchiha of the left, and Hashirama Senju of the right debating immigration politics. Please, come up to the stage."

I stood up and walked to the front. As I passed his table, he was also ready to go, entailing that we walked next to each other up to the podium.

"I'm going to destroy you worse than yesterday", he murmured.

I turned my head to him and saw he was smirking. Was it malicious or flirtatious? Don't let him get to you, I told myself. Don't lose focus.

"By going harder, or faster?" I asked.

He couldn't speak.

We took one lectern each, me on Senju's right-hand-side, a comfortable distance between us.

"Madara Uchiha." It was the chairman. "Please, begin."

I was quiet for a while, looking straight ahead. I didn't clear my throat. I didn't use any small word before I began, like 'so'. I just took an invisible breath and spoke.

"Last year", I said. "The percentage of immigrants increased by fifty percent. An alarming number, some may think. Where will we house them?" I was quiet, letting people contemplate what I said. "Mr Senju with his party wants us to believe that there is no room." I said 'Mr Senju with his party' and not 'Mr Senju's party', a trick he'd taught me himself that made the audience associate what I said with him more than a group of people. "Truth is, we don't have a bad housing situation in our country at the moment. We had four years ago when the left took over government from the right. But now, the left has fixed that problem. The problem is instead the people who just arrived in our country being put in bunkers for months, waiting for asylum before getting a home."

I continued by bringing forth research showing the benefits of quick integration, as well as speaking about the suggestions of Hashirama's party and how that would destroy the people who came. All in all, I did a very strong case for myself.

"Hashirama, please", the chairman said.

"Madara." I had to do my uttermost not to jerk. He used my first name! He used my first name in parliament! It was unheard of and it made one thing clear for the television cameras; we either hated each other, or we were fucking. "There is one very simple solution to avoid the suffering of immigrants in our country, as well as avoiding a huge chunk of our already stretched budget to be delivered to people who don't live here. And that is to not let them in to begin with."

He kept speaking, loud and clear, making points so radical yet so simplified that even I almost believed him. Fuck, Hashirama Senju was an exceptional speaker. It was hot. And it was destroying me. Harder, Sir.

He listened to my silent cue, went on to destroy me not subtly as I'd done with him but full-on, using my first name, saying my politics was that of a coward's.

And it was time for the true debate. We bounced questions back and forth creating an even and constructive debate. Then, finally, he asked that one question.

"Do you, Madara, believe that emotions belong in politics? Because it seems like you do."

Shit, this question. I saw he was turned to me. I didn't turn to him, but spoke directly into a television camera. This was so, so important to get right.

"Politics was not made for cities." I paused. "It was not made for provinces or countries. Politics was made for people." I paused again, letting my words sink in. "To make politics without emotions is to make politics for people without emotions. I won't say such people do not exist, but they're rare, certainly not a majority. In a democracy, we cater to the majority. Thus people with emotions." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hashirama looking at me. Please, be impressed by me. Please, please, please be impressed by me. "It's easy to ignore that the people we make our politics for have emotions like ours. It doesn't matter that they dress differently or have other, in our eyes radical, cultures. They feel. And when they get left behind in a country raged by war, by famine, by poverty, they feel. You ask me over and over, Mr Senju." I turned to him, making a point of addressing him politely. I don't need to use your first name to humiliate you. "How we feel when our sisters, our daughters, our wives walk down the street with the risk of being raped and murdered by immigrants. I ask the same question back, albeit differently. There are sisters, daughters and wives abroad in wars getting raped and murdered with no chance to flee if our borders are closed. What about them? You speak about politics without emotions, yet you use emotions in politics yourself. You go against yourself. And before you say those women of colour are raped and murdered by other people of colour, hear me out in that they are not. Wars in their country are created by our countries. Countries of the west." I made a point of not saying 'white men' to distinguish myself. "And it's them who rape and murder. We need to stop the wars. And we need to open our borders. Your skin colour does not define your worth as a mother, a daughter or a wife."

I breathed out. The parliament was dead silent. Then, one person applauded. Then, another. Finally, everyone in parliament applauded. I breathed heavily in pure emotions. I looked over at Hashirama. He nodded at me so subtly, only I would be able to see it. We needed this. My party really needed this. Everything made us believe the left were losing their place in government the next mandate. Winning the hesitant voters over to our side was vital. I had, without a doubt, won some over just now.

"You did well", he murmured into my ear as we walked off stage.

I knew. But I still couldn't enjoy it. As I sat down, I couldn't focus. I was indescribably jittery. Hashirama, don't you understand how DESPERATELY I want you to...

I tore out a piece of paper from my notebook and wrote on it. On our way out, I pushed it into his hand from behind.

Meet me at the cathedral tomorrow 17.30 pm.