Saber

Saber is a Dogger politician and leader the Liberal Party and leader of the official opposition in the the National Assembly of Doggerland. He formerly served as Prime Minister, Minister of Justice as well as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and held numerous shadow ministerial posts. He previously served as the Mayor of Leestrom between 2008 to 2020. He was the second Liberal Prime Minister after Triangle, and was the Leader of the Opposition. He later founded the Grand National Caucus.

Early life
Saber was born in 1964 in Port Nandels, Brun-Nord to a Korean-English agnostic liberal family. His ancestry dates back to protestant Spanish immigrants in 1500 hence his surname, however, he is only referred to by his first name Saber. He also has part Dutch ancestry. His Korean heritage begins in 1901 when in order to flee Japanese colonialism in Korea his ancestors fled across Asia to Europe and eventually settled in Doggerland.

His family had a strong tradition of working in agriculture with his father briefly working in agriculture in the family cabbage farm. However, his father moved to Port Nandels in the 1930s to become an author, it was there his father met his mother who was working in the civil service. This led to Saber frequently visiting the family farm in the Bergplet municipality in Brun-Nord and gained moderate knowledge of agricultural affairs. Growing up, however, Saber would have a higher interest in intellectual discussion and literature being inspired by his father's profession.

Saber showed early proficiency in debate and politics, famously winning debate competitions in sides which many expected he would lose. He would also gain a reputation for a boisterous attitude during debates proving himself as a skilled orator. He also voraciously studied and read history writing several papers that were recommended for commendation. Though not excelling in grades Saber was considered an intellectual by many of his teachers. He graduated high school in 1982 and attended the University of Carabou obtaining an LLB degree and graduating in 1986. It was during his tenure at university that he met his wife and married her after they both graduated.

Prosecutorial career
After obtaining an LLB degree Saber began working as a prosecutor in Nandels Port first being tasked with assisting on cases involving splinter groups of the Brink crime family. In initial months he simply assisted more senior prosecutors, but gradually his efficiency in organising evidence and developing arguments to obtain convictions led to him being made lead prosecutor on many cases.

Brink crime family

In 1987 Saber was assigned as a lead prosecutor during a coordinated effort to take down multiple splinter groups and low ranking members of the Brink crime family. His team was ruthlessly gaining convictions against lieutenants and distributors of narcotics. He would later join a multi-pronged effort with police to sever communication between various groups under control of the Brink crime family disrupting their efforts.

Between 1988 and 1990, his efforts continued against the Brinks to ensure that its decline continued aggressively pursuing splinters and low-level groups. When journalists asked him what his task officially was he said "we tidy up the surroundings so the main group can focus on the big guys". In 1990 Saber was the target of an assassination attempt by a Brink soldier during which he was almost stabbed. He survived by dodging and later punching the attacker in the face.

Dråbenfjord murders

In 1991, he was assigned to assist in investigating the murder of 3 persons in Dråbenfjord and successfully caught the suspect with local police. When asked as to why he was assigned to such a remote case he explained that it was because he fell out of favour of senior officials after being a consistent voice for prosecutorial reform. He also explained that the experience of investigating was his most hellish experience as he was only able to sleep 4 hours a day to go over evidence and profiles, but his success in catching the suspect made it worth it. The trial itself would also go in Saber's favour winning a conviction.

Anti-corruption efforts

In 1992, Saber was tasked with investigating government officials as part of a wide-ranging anti-corruption efforts to clean up remnants of the corruption resulted from Brink activities. His team would join in investigating and arresting 31 corrupt government officials. The coordinated effort as a whole led to more than a hundred corrupt government officials being arrested. These efforts were considered to have played a key role in the decline of the Brink crime family.

Human rights lawyer
In 1992 Saber became a lawyer he worked across not just Doggerland but Europe to help fight for social justice and defend those who couldn't afford counsel. He focused mainly on defending the disenfranchised but at times joined counsel for several businesses which he said was necessary to bolster his finances. A famous case was when he successfully acquitted a police officer who used his firearm to disable a suspect to protect his partner, and another case when he won a sexual harassment conviction for a client who was a victim. He later advocated for labour rights and advocated for anti-corruption measures.

Early political career
In 2001, he once again retired from his profession to pursue a career in politics by first working in various councils and government institutions. He also frequently joined in protests for workers' rights and rallies to fight against legal injustices.

In 2002, he worked primarily in Leestrom. He was invited in 2004 by the central government to help run a panel for legal reforms across the country. He first decided not to join any political party but was closely affiliated with the Liberal Party due to his personal ideologies. His first experience in being elected was when he became a member of the Leestrom city council in 2006 during a by-election, however, he was still an independent although he would caucus with the Liberal Party. His victory in the by-election was considered a major upset as he was a relative newcomer to the city compared to his opponent, however, his oratory skills and reputation made him win by a narrow margin.

First term
Saber retired from his seat in 2008 to run for mayor of Leestrom in the 2008 Leestrom mayoral election, and after being endorsed by the Liberal Party and several independents he won by a narrow 51.41% in the runoff. The election was tense and controversial as Thomas Lloyd the incumbent was popular and was seen as more native to the city, but Saber still ran an expert campaign of portraying himself as a more competent figure and outperformed Lloyd in debates. He also noticeably utilised populist tactics rallying voters to turn against a left-wing mayoral administration.

His tenure as mayor was marked with popularity as he improved and increased access to public transport and made the welfare programme more comprehensive for the elderly and youth. Another signature policy was the construction of public housing to curb rising real estate prices. This project was credited with avoiding a potential real estate crisis averting unaffordable prices. Leestrom's debt was also eliminated after major changes to the city's fiscal planning was made. Soon after, in 2011 he undertook a massive redevelopment project across each areas of the city.

In 2010, Saber oversaw what was a continued reorganisation of the city's welfare, expanding it but also keeping costs low by prematurely investing in human development. He ensured mandatory accident insurance for construction workers, and initiated a support programme for postpartum care for mothers and fathers.

One of his greatest projects in his first term was the "Leestrom City Sharing Project" which involved the expanding of Leestrom's infrastructure and technological knowledge to develop other areas. This involved helping invest in agricultural technology in surrounding farms to boost the inflow of agricultural products into Leestrom. Saber subsequently developed close relations with other agrarian groups in the region. He also helped in the creation of agricultural cooperatives across Zuibete. This shared development also ensured that human development also improved in both the city and vcinity across the city.

Another key policy of his first term as mayor was improving security and safety in the city. He did this by ordering an increase in installation of more streetlights and ordering a renovation of public facilities.

Second term
In 2012 he ran again and won with an increased majority of 55.11%, however, the Liberals in the city council lost their majority which marked decreased cooperation and productivity. The loss was credited to how although Saber himself was a famous mayor, the city's residents were still yet to fully transition to being liberal voters resulting in close races. He still remained popular implementing a youth dividend where budget surpluses would be used as dividends for students aged 18 to 22 between 2012-2014. Leestrom Cultural District was also established in 2015 creating a shopping street, department stores, coffeehouses, and restaurants. The district was designated a no-smoking zone in early 2016, and remains a consistently high source of revenue for the city and a tourist attraction for the both Doggers and foreigners. This project was credited with being a major boost in Leestrom's tourism. His second term also saw him working closely with local trade unions, working together to draft workplace safety guidelines and negotiating regulations on both businesses and unions.

His most major project, however, was considered the entire restructuring of the public transport system in Leestrom. He created the local Leestrom Transportation Board and oversaw the replacement of old buses with new ones and retrofitting the local trams. He also initiated the partial privatisation of public transport in the city and modelled the city's public transportation after Singapore only maintaining privatisation if efficiency was proven. During this restructuring disability discrimination was also eliminated with every means public transport being required to have disability access. Following on from this his administration ensured every crosswalk and path was made disability friendly in a massive programme to retrofit the city.

He also presided over the first pride parade in 9 years in Leestrom (Leestrom is LGBT-friendly but due to its smaller size rarely held pride parades). Saber declared that the city should be LGBT-friendly city and said that no matter an individual's orientation they should be welcome.

In his last year of 2016 just prior to the election Saber's administration made school uniforms free for all Leestrom's students.

Third term
In 2016, he was reelected with 56.12% for his last term with the Liberal Party regaining the majority in the city. His last term saw him establishing Leestrom City Hospital and reducing the rate of poverty. His final policies involved funding projects to make the buses in Leestrom fully electric or hybrid. Congestion pricing was also introduced after public transport in the city was given a A- rating. He garnered controversy when he frequently ignored the needs of both left-wing and right-wing protesters never uttering a mention of having attention towards their issues.

A controversial event was when he banned ultra-conservative christian groups from advertising on Leestrom's buses which compared homosexuality to an illness and promoted conversion therapy. The group accused Saber of infringing on freedom of speech, to which Saber simply stated "if I don't want you advertising on our buses how the heck is it infringing on freedom of speech? I don't want to receive money to spread lies".

On 19 October 2017, Saber visited Sadiq Khan in London to discuss increased partnership after taking a notably much more economically liberal stance. He also visited several cities across South Korea and Japan hoping to increase the number of sister cities.

A major boost in popularity came during his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Leestrom. His early action of implementing social distancing rules, mask mandates, and rapidly acquiring test kits led to the city having a relatively low rate of infection compared to the rest of Doggerland and Europe.

By the time he left he had an approval rating of 61%, while his highest was 65% and lowest being 43%. In 2021, Saber was named the city's best mayor in a legacy poll.

Joining the Liberal Party
In 2021, Saber joined the Liberal Party after realising his position as a centrist liberal and gained an interest in national politics. He helped draft the social and justice mandates for the Liberal Party manifesto earning a 4th place spot on the party list for the 2021 January election. Saber was subsequently appointed the Shadow Chancellor of the Treasury.

February election
After again drafting the social and justice policy, and newly the Home policy, Saber was once again placed 4th on the list and reelected. He chose not to become a minister due to personal reasons.

2021 February Senate election
On 23 February, Saber announced his official candidacy for the 8th Senate district, subsequently announcing his change to becoming a candidate in the 5th district. He later moved to Abester. He lost the election by one vote to Robert La Follette.

2021 March Liberal Party Deputy Leadership election
After Triangle's death and InsertUsernameHere's resignation, Saber ran for deputy leader handily winning.

Leader of the Liberal Party
Saber assumed the leadership of the Liberal Party after InsertUsernameHere resigned, and subsequently became the official leader after winning with 7 votes against Baveland's 1.

In April 2021, Saber announced his tour across select countries in Europe and Asia to expand his knowledge of foreign policy as his new position as shadow foreign minister. This meant that although he will remain the official leader, Baveland would become the interim leader on any occasion of Saber's absence. In reality the tour was a lore reasoning when in real life Saber had IB exams so he would be more busy than usual.

On 23 July, Saber announced his planned resignation as leader of the Liberal Party, citing primarily that he's the longest serving leader of a party at 5 months and that he personally believed that someone new taking the LP into a newer direction would be better. He stated that he would remain active in politics after his resignation. He would later cite personal reasons for playing a part in his decision as he personally felt that he was exhausted in his tenure due to the seemingly endless stream of hatred and vitriol hurled at him for being the liberal leader. Individuals like MapDude and Baal Moss, however, would praise his tenure as leader for practising a careful balancing act as the party in the centre.

Minister of Justice
After the April 2021 elections Saber was appointed the Minister of Justice after entering a broad coalition. He was tasked with bringing forth charges to Beady for his electoral misconduct.

Tenure in cabinet
After lengthy negotiations Saber was appointed Prime Minister with an investiture of 67 to 65 after the May election. He would be ousted after the June election but return to cabinet after the July elections.

First term
Saber's premiership has been marked with legislative productivity but also increased hostility and partisanship within Dogger politics. Signature policies included Doggerstat, his personal creation of the DNACF, and establishing a Prime Minister's Question by means of his own bill. His government collapsed after the IDP withdrew from the government leading to a snap election in June, meaning that his government couldn't pass a budget nor pass all of the bills that were in line during his premiership. However, his tenure was marked with high approval with 63.02% approval ratings and despite heightened partisanship his efforts were still acknowledged by some members of the Assembly across the political spectrum.



Spell in opposition
After the Liberal Party suffered losses and a new government was formed under Trashman he openly stated his hopes for a peaceful transition and stated he will continue his efforts in opposition. He was subsequently named the leader of the opposition after forming an opposition coalition.

Hexagon Government
After the July 2021 Doggerland legislative elections Saber joined the Hexagon Government and became Deputy Prime Minister. He was interim Prime Minister after Trashman vacated office and served in the position until Avery Wagers was elected the new LWP leader.

Political views
The political theory that follows Saber's ideological tenets has been described as Saberism-Pardónism.

Saber identifies as socially progressive and pragmatic in economic affairs while maintaining a largely liberal ideology. He supports LGBTQIA+ rights, women's rights, minority rights, and social progressivism. Saber is a supporter of centrism and rejects far-left and far-right approaches to politics. He used to identify as centre-left but has shifted slightly right but maintains a broad centrist approach on most issues. Saber is also a secular humanist.

In his campaign for Senate, he described his ideology as "liberalism inspired by social democracy" alluding to his past as being socialist. He personally considers himself to be on the more centrist wing of the party being able to lean towards either side.

To summarise combining his actions and his self proclaimed ideology, Saber can be considered to be either a conservative liberal or simply social liberal while maintaining an eclectic approach when interacting with other ideologies. He also prefers to be beholden to pragmatism with regards to governance rather than being committed to ideological doctrine. Saber also personally prefers a party structure that ensures a united backing of its members, but it is also his view that for the sake of governance that at times dissent must be sidestepped if necessary but still considered.

Previous views
Originally while growing up and learning about other ideologies, Saber had dabbled in various beliefs. Once a strong left-wing nationalist, and briefly a communist, Saber gradually transformed his views after engaging with other centrist and right-leaning ideologies. He still harbours social-democratic sentiments which is part of the reason why he can still lean left on some issues, or at least has an easier time understanding a left-wing perspective. Saber used to be moderately socially conservative and can still be so in certain areas involving crime and to lesser extents immigration, but for the most part is socially progressive.

Personal influences
Saber looks up to figures such as Lee Kuan Yew and Helmut Schmidt with regards to dealing with national policy. His ideology is largely moulded by Korean and European liberals, especially the VVD and D66 of the Netherlands and the FDP of Germany, although he isn't always as economically liberal as the parties. He also has strong social democratic influences and briefly considered himself a subscriber of third way once being a strong believer in Tony Blair's premiership that waned after Iraq. He also respects various contemporary figures such as Angela Merkel or Barack Obama but doesn't consider himself to align with their ideology or stances.

Senate
Originally ambivalent and later staunch opponent of the Senate as an institution after the stabbing of Triangle, his views have changed believing that it is better to bring about its return to balance out both houses of government as long as there are reformations in place. He would assist in developing a new bill to reestablish the Senate.

Social policy
Saber is extremely socially progressive supportive of the rights of all, except religious rights due to his personal opposition to it. He remains critical of stringent social/cultural conservatism tending to be in favour of advancement over preservation, but on certain topics he maintains conservative stances. He also supports the decriminalisation of soft drugs and the sale of such drugs, with his own philosophy being "if cigarettes and alcohol can be legal why not marijuana?"

Originally on the fence regarding LGBTQIA+ rights while growing up, after learning further and engaging with members of the community his views have completely changed and remains a strong supporter of the community. He is a stalwart supporter of same-sex marriage and vehemently opposes discrimination.

Saber is also strongly pro-choice believing it is more unethical to force a woman to keep her fetus, supporting abortion up to 24 weeks and late term abortion if the pregnancy has threats to the mother or has abnormalities. He also supports euthanasia stemming from the experience of him watching his father passing from cancer.

Saber moderately opposes communitarianism believing that if an individual does well then society as a whole does well but does believe certain checks do have to be maintained.

Economic policy
Saber is supportive of unions and the partial democratisation of the economy, however, opposes an entire transfer. A fervent believer in a social market economy akin to that of Germany and the UK, Saber is strongly opposed to both radical right-wing and left-wing policies, favouring moderate and pragmatic practices. His approach can be seen as regulating corporations while liberalising the local economy and preventing corruption to ensure fair practices. He has affection for Taiwan's model where there are a few conglomerates alongside a strong economy from small and medium-sized businesses. Continuing on from that he believes that both a statist economy or a free market solving everything to be a fantasy.

In terms of wealth and taxation Saber believes that it is important to make sure that every corporation pays its workers accordingly, that they don't abuse workers, and eliminating corruption. However, he also believes that it is wrong for a government to take too much of one's wealth whether extremely rich or poor preferring at best a top tax rate of 55% for income taxes and believes that at least for small and medium-sized businesses taxation should be low. It is his stance that great social benefits aren't going to incentivise too much people to stay in a country.

As aforementioned he is also supportive of unions deeming them a necessary balance against businesses but thinks that unions gaining too much power against large businesses wouldn't be in the economy's best interest, thinking the same for the reverse.

Saber personally supports a wealth tax but is doubtful of its implementation with his understanding that it isn't sustainable in the long-term as the wealthy would simply leave the country to one which has lower tax rates.

He is also in favour of implementing policy to ensures wage ratios (e.g. so if a company has higher profit then everyone regardless of whether they're CEOs or janitors receive a higher wage, supporting a multiplier rather than a minimum wage. Albeit he hasn't presented any legislation to implement this as of yet. Though he is not opposed to a high minimum wage he understands that some businesses can have an especially difficult time affording it. Saber supports expansionary fiscal policy and long-term supply-side policies to increase economic growth and production.

Saber supports a Universal Basic Income, however, he feels that it should only be to substitute the cost of living not take it over and is in favour of the approach that seeks to undo welfare in favour of UBI believing it to be more fiscally responsible. He was well aware of the certain downsides of welfare as it puts limitations on who can receive such funds while those who receive welfare often ended up having an incentive to work. He was strongly critical of welfare

Foreign policy and immigration
Saber is a soft Eurosceptic and believes the EU should remain in its current state not expanding its powers, but is in favour of joining the union. His views on European federalism has changed recently becoming slightly more favourable but he states that he isn't well-versed enough on the issue to make any great input.

Saber also supports a points-based system for skilled immigrants while only providing visas for manual workers with a potential path to citizenship. It is his opinion that a country can only go so far in handling and receiving immigrants. He is also an assimilationist believing that it is okay for an immigrant to hold on to certain cultural traits from their place of origin but must ultimately be largely assimilated into the society of where they immigrated. He also strongly believes that immigrants should learn the language of the nation they immigratedand that they shouldn't complain about a nation's customs after immigrating to a new country.

Saber is also in favour of joining NATO as a commitment to both allies and security. He also opposes becoming too closely affiliated with countries like Russia and China. Saber also supports the Hong Kong protests, and Taiwanese nationalism.

Monarchy
Saber is neither supportive nor opposed to the monarchy, remaining ambivalent. His personal views do favour a republic but feels that it would be a waste of time to change the nation's status.

Religion
Saber is an atheist but does his best to maintain respect for other religions, however, he maintains disdain radicalism. This grew due to the lack of social tolerance by religious groups and what he deems a hindrance to government affairs. It is his belief that with a cabinet filled with the fanatically religious it only makes it more likely for that cabinet will be intolerant and that it will be an interference in governance. This was born out of him viewing several instances of religious violence, doctrines, and his own personal beliefs developing in his own way. He holds Hitchens's Razor close to his thought. Nonetheless, Saber remains a strong secularist believing it to be dangerous when religion and politics mix. He expressed that he understands when religious individuals are offended or opposed to certain laws, but believes that if it means improving lives at the sacrifice of ideals such individuals shouldn't restrict government policy.

His views are largely likened to Lee Kuan Yew believing that religion should simply be separate from politics believing that they naturally cannot mix. He believes that if the role of the government is to make people's lives better and that it shouldn't matter whether or not it contradicts an individual's faith. He has acknowledgement for certain christian values and doesn't oppose individuals choosing to become religious, but it is his fervent stance that nobody should choose to become radicalised. He also believes that it is okay for the religious to read religious texts like the bible and Quran for guidance but that people should be aware of how the texts are contextualised in a time period separate from the modern age's knowledge and technology.

Despite this he does get along with those who are religious, with his own clarification being that he opposes the faith not necessarily the faithful. Notably he got along well with most of the religious groups in Leestrom, and famously had moderate knowledge of buddhist, hindu, and muslim traditions. He also had sparse but moderate biblical knowledge relative to other irreligious groups and associated well with the christian communities. He frequently performed customs and traditions while visiting the communities. He also remains close friends with local priests of the churches of Leestrom once giving a speech at a ceremony praising local services for the socially disadvantaged famously saying "across all our differences we can all still learn from the kindness of the devout in this city".

When interviewed in 2013, Saber was asked which faith he is most partial to and he responded with Buddhism as he considers it to be more of a way of life and guidance. Saber also said he doesn't believe in an afterlife, personally thinking it's pointless to wish to live further after dying stating "life no matter how good is miserable on too many occasions, why should I want to live again through spirit in heaven or reincarnation".

Neoliberalism
Saber is opposed to neoliberalism believing that it undoes too much of social security and welfare and considers a humane approach to an economy extremely important viewing over-deregulation as an inefficient way of economic management, while he also believes over-regulation to likewise be inefficient. Complementing his views he opposes austerity in most cases believing that simply cutting a budget isn't the right solution and that it causes more harm than good, but is in favour of austerity if the social cost isn't too great. He also thinks that the philosophy that a free market solves everything is untrue.

Communism and fascism
Saber has sympathy for communism and socialism but has grown distasteful of the ideologies after seeing their consistent failure in implementation and personal evolution of his belief. He understands that a truly communist society would be utopian in that everyone would be able to maintain creative expression, and still hold on to their jobs but disagrees vehemently with the idea that outcome should be the same believing in equality of opportunity instead. He also acknowledges how every communist state is not a perfect representation of what a communist utopia would be, but he believes that the outcome of these countries failing to obtain a communist future to be the indication that it simply isn't possible. His personal justification is that Cuba tried but had to allow some local private business, China tried and had to open special economic zones, and the Soviet Union tried but ultimately ended up failing. Saber has a similar view of fascism seeing it as an ideology that like communism or any other extremist ideology isn't sustainable.

Socialist Reform Bill
Saber has shown staunch opposition to the Socialist Reform Bill, believing its economic and societal impacts will be extremely negative for Doggerland. Despite this, he has moderated his stance and has come to accept certain parts of the bill advocating for drastic modification. He famously proposed a bill to establish the United Health System which would formalise the nationalised health service and was critical of all governments including his own and himself for lagging behind on formalisation of nationalised healthcare.

Family
Saber is married with 2 sons. He is an only child. He met his wife in 1990 when he was still working as a prosecutor and later married her in 1991. His wife still works as a civil servant. His eldest son runs a cafe in Nandels Port, while his youngest son works as a federal police officer.

Saber frequently visits his mother in Port Nandels, but struggled to do so during the COVID-19 Pandemic. His father had passed in 2013, to this day Saber keeps his father's influence on him close to his heart.

Residence
Saber owns three houses, one in Leestrom, Nandels Port, and Abester, originally residing in Leestrom after moving back from his Senate campaign. After he became Prime Minister, Saber moved to Nandels Port.

Language proficiency
Saber speaks British English and Korean. He is in the process of learning Dutch, however, he struggles only being able to speak in translators.

Relationship with other politicians
Saber like everyone in the server famously clashed with those of opposing views having fierce debate on frequent occasion, particularly with the Communist Party and Doggerland Left. However, like everyone else he has cordial or friendly relations with most other members outside of the political discussion. He has frequently worked with other MNAs and Senator when legislating like most others.

Honours
On 8 August, 2021, Saber was awarded with the Doggerland Medal of Honor for "his tremendous work within the Liberal Party and hardworking commitment for national betterment".

Redevelopments and 2011 fight
In March 2011, Saber attended a local fair but got into a fight with protestors who were dissatisfied with certain redevelopment projects. His projects were credited with increasing the city's economy with the majority of the public supporting it but it required the relocation of certain residences. Most of the inhabitants of the residences received compensation and left, however, a few remained in protest of the redevelopment and it also happened to be in the most left-wing district of the city with many accusing him of having a personal agenda.

Although the accusations are unconfirmed with Saber vehemently denying it, it led to him being assaulted by protestors in the 2011 Leestrom City Fair which led to him getting a broken arm. A major source of controversy was what he said during the fight when he repeatedly told his guards to call the police and arrest the protesters. He was also criticised for his usage of offensive language.

Clashes and arguments in Leestrom City Council
Saber during his tenure as mayor had no shortage of clashes with other members of the city council when being questioned even between him and members of the Liberal Party. His responses often had criticism for harsh answers and quickness to shoot down questions.

Lack of filter
During his tenure as mayor Saber was famous for rarely having a filter when making statements, notably never having a speechwriter. He was consistently harsh towards left-wing members of the city council and criticised anti-capitalist movements in the city. A notable event was in a 2013 interview when he was asked if there were flaws in his approach to economic development and he replied with "of course but what would you have me do, go full commie and ruin this city?". He was also equally harsh to far-right protesters saying he doesn't have time to work with "crazies". He would frequently be criticised, and he would respond in a speech in 2017 by saying "anyone can accuse me of anything, but I will never be afraid to speak my mind".

Allegations of affair
In the 2016 election controversy over Saber having an affair resurfaced after an actress by the name of Annelies Lempers confirmed the rumours which surfaced in 2010. Saber categorically denied the allegations and asked for evidence with his stance being backed up by his party. Saber openly threatened to press charges for libel but backed off after his staff reportedly advised him not to in order to let the issue die down. Although most voters supported Saber, many found Lempers' interview convincing.

The scandal came to a head in 2018 when Lempers claimed that he had a "big mole" on his back and a frustrated Saber officially pressed chargers for libel with his body being examined by doctors with reporters present to confirm the absence of such a mark. He won the case and asked for there to be no more "useless and stupid debate".

Strengths

 * Saber is one of the most active communicators and proficient debaters in Doggerland whether it was during his tenure as mayor or his tenure as a member of the National Assembly. His personal views regarding liberalism has also not changed remaining largely consistent irrespective of whether he shifted right or left. He is also a proficient debater, despite the majority deeming Beady to be the victor after Beady debated Saber, Saber still received acknowledgement for his proficiency rebutting every argument and making his own strong case. When he ran for Senate and was pressed on various topics Saber remained unfazed being able to concoct comprehensive answers for every question.


 * His tenure as mayor left behind a high level of satisfaction which even the left-wing politicians of Leestrom does not deny. Polls during his tenure as mayor had his own personal performance rating consistently above 60%, and even in certain districts which were considered left-wing strongholds satisfaction ranged from 59%-68%. This is credited to his comprehensive and effective welfare policies which has satisfied many citizens.


 * All of his controversies are never of legal or moral issue with him having none regarding corruption, nepotism, or any other illegal act. Essentially all of his controversies are removed from the need of legal inquiries.


 * Despite living in a heavily left-wing province he created a pocket of centrist liberal voters in Leestrom after his tenure as mayor leaving a lasting legacy.


 * As the mayor of Leestrom, Saber proved his administrative capabilities making a city that doesn't even have a population of 90,000 into a famous hub for tourism, business, and high quality of life. During his 12 years he eliminated Leestrom's debt that mounted during Thomas Lloyd's tenure and made the welfare system more comprehensive. He also implemented popular policies with the surplus such as the youth dividend and the Leestrom Cultural District. His finishing of making Leestrom disability-friendly also led to his support with disabled persons rising.


 * His first tenure as Prime Minister received a lot of vitriol from the left, however, there was never major doubt regarding his ability and capability as Prime Minister. With his approval remaining high.


 * Although Saber is close with alleged members of the deep state, he remains distant from deep state affairs often being oblivious to events conducted by them. This made him immune from controversy surrounding the deep state and distant from affairs regarding coups.


 * Saber has a penchant for proposing bipartisan bills only having one bill which he proposed being voted down which was the National Bureau of Investigation Act.

Weakness

 * Although a generally well-respected figure among the centre to right-wing and to certain extents the centre-left, Saber himself receives a lot of vitriol from left-wing to far-left voters. He is frequently called a 'libtard' due to many presuming it to be an insult as it includes 'lib' within the word. It isn't clear if some individuals have true hate towards him, nonetheless, it is clear that he doesn't receive as much favourability compared to other supposed bipartisan figures.


 * Saber is liked on a personal level by many but often not liked enough to be voted for in great scale. He is also hated for being a liberal and the deep prejudicial treatment towards liberals have frequently been a bane towards him when manoeuvring politics.


 * Even if his opponents and critics deem him a good debater and communicator, those who oppose him or those who aren't considerate towards him and his allies rarely ever accept his skills. He also rarely ever participates in debates and currently prefers to stay away from engaging members of the left-wing and far-left due to his aversion of speaking with uncompromising persons.


 * Saber is an atheist and although a respectable figure it led to him being pressed on several occasions regarding his views. Despite rarely if ever expressing his views on religion the fact that he's an atheist alone made him a target for many religious (particularly christian) individuals in Doggerland. Albeit rarely ever being pressed and it being rarely brought up it has casted doubts for even those he is close with.


 * Even if Saber was an extremely efficient mayor, his tenure was still marked with a fair number of conflicts and controversy. Even though he disproved the allegations of his affair the scandal still stuck, and the fractious relationship with left-wing members of the council poised questions regarding his character.