The Jovial Contrarian

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The Jovial Contrarian has had Feducci's chair brought to Mutton Island and put up in a place of honour. "Mayoral tradition," he calls it. "That I have just made up."

"The beauty of it, if I may say so myself, is that it can represent whoever or whatever you want it to. My policies, Feducci's, Feducci himself. Really: we should abolish the Mayoralty and replace it with that chair."

The Jovial Contrarian is a writer and a lover of debate who successfully ran for Mayor of London in 1896. In the timeline of Sunless Skies, he is (probably) aboard the Berrenger in Eleutheria, wearing the mask of the Recalcitrant and arguing that the Berrenger itself is a waste of time.

He's Pretty Cool

Known to flip-flop between positions from column to column and conversation to conversation, the Contrarian ran for mayor twice on opposite platforms. He succeeded the second time, and was elected Mayor of London in 1896.

The Contrarian is one of London's most infamous figures, as he has a recurrent tendency to give people conniptions just by arguing with them. That said, he was a competent mayor and manager during his term; those under his service worked reasonable hours and were paid well. The Contrarian is disabled and a wheelchair user.

As Mayor of London, the Jovial Contrarian largely worked behind the scenes, though he occasionally hosted surgeries in his new mayoral residence (after Feducci blew up the old one). He also worked to limit the power of the Constables and make them more independent of the Ministry (and by extension, the Masters). Toward the end of his term, he published several articles decrying all three candidates, and in his last act as Mayor, he declared the mayoral position to be "corrupt, shambolic and altogether unfit for purpose" and replaced it with the position of Lord Mayor. His successor, Virginia, was the first to hold this title.

Or Perhaps Not

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There's a "volume of polemic" in a depository of knowledge used by the Calendar Council - that is, a book about debate and the joy of the spoken word. Given his other ties with Revolutionaries, it seems likely that the Contrarian is the author of this book. He actually serves as August, one of the Calendar Council, and January was his campaign manager for his second run. Unlike his comrades, he stands against the Liberation of Night; he instead strives to find a way to relieve London from the The Masters' control without having to resort to such extreme measures.

He is close to April, though they do not always agree, and respects January. He has considerable affection for September, and some kind of relationship and/or rivalry with the Affluent Photographer.