Cassidy Laurens, the former leader of the Social Democratic Party announced today that she had left the SDP and would be joining the Feminist Party. In the 2019 elections, Laurens’ party’s share of the vote dropped rapidly following comments caught on microphone where Laurens’ appeared to praise Kerlile’s attitude to gender relations. The SDP lost all their seats in the 2019 election, and many commentators have pointed to Laurens’ Kerlile comments as the final nail in the coffin.
This change of party has led to many on social media declaring that they feel ‘vindicated’ for accusing Laurens’ of being a Kerlian agent two years ago. However, Laurens’ and the Feminist Party deny any links with Kerlile. Allegations that Laurens’ is a Kerlian sleeper agent known as an ‘Aurora’ have also been refuted by a spokesperson for the Lauchenoirian Intelligence & Security Agency.
In Laurens’ statement about the change, she says that this has come from following “years of soul-searching” and that she believes only a gender-inclusive social democratic government can deliver the society Lauchenoirians deserve. “There has been an increase in misogyny in the last few years in Lauchenoiria. I think this is in part due to false rumours about Kerlile, and a perception of Kerlile that is at odds with a nation that is currently reforming their worst policies.”
Laurens’ has condemned the previous Kerlian regime in articles before, but she has praised their recent attempts at reform, and has urged the Lauchenoirian government to consider trying to improve relations with their northern neighbour in light of these changes. Laurens’ says that her new choice of parties has nothing to do with Kerlile, but rather is a result of “sustained sexism directed at myself and others by misogynistic figures such as Paul Doberman who have been given a free run by a society which associates tackling misogyny as somehow backing Kerlile.”
Commenting on social media, Mr Doberman responded with “like flocks to like, Kerlian spies flock to Kerlian spies. #ArrestLaurens #ArrestWright [Katherine Wright, Feminist Party leader] #ArrestAuroras”. The Feminist Party leader welcomed Laurens as a new member of the party, and stated that she “looks forward to working with [Laurens] to advance the cause of women’s rights in Lauchenoiria”. The SDP, which still has minimal representation in provincial parliaments, did not respond to a request for comment.
