Icholasen News Media
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NBC 1 12/08/19 - Politics Corner with Stephanie DeVey
Stephanie DeVey: Hello and welcome to Politics Corner, with me Stephanie DeVey. Today on the show we’ll be focusing on the new poll released by Jpoll which indicates an interesting shift in predicted voting patterns in Saint Romain. With me to discuss this is pollster and politics Professor at the University of Saint Romain, Martin Sandown.
Martin Sandown: It’s lovely to be here with you again Stephanie.
SDV: And you Professor. What would say is the main takeaway from the poll? Here is a graphic that we have made of where 2017 voters are turning to in this crucial by-election.
MS: Well first of all, we can see that some of the Party of June vote has predictably changed to NAP following Whiteford’s leftist policy changes. If we could change the graphic to see this…
MS: Here we can see that 21% of Party of June voters are now at least considering voting for the NAP. That’s a huge change, and represents a difficult - but not impossible change for Whiteford at the next General Election. We mustn’t take this particular region as evidence of a nationwide swing to the NAP, however, because the MN (Nonet Member) here was popular as a member of the Party of June and many Party of June voters will feel loyalty to her as she did great things for this region, as MN pushing for many new infrastructure projects in Saint Romain such as the Saint Romain tramline.
SDV: How much impact do you think this popular MN has on the by-election then?
MS: I would say it has a massive impact. Though if she loses her Nonet seat then it will lose her a lot of influence, and will be a hugely failed gamble. That is of course possible. Of course the Nonet has only 9 members so losing a seat in that is massive. But the NAP can spin that to be less negative as they didn’t hold the seat before, they only got it because of a defection.
SDV: Other than personality politics, what reasons would someone in the Party of June switch to the NAP?
MS: Of course the major policy differences of the NAP and the PoJ are defence, public spending and nuclear power. Firstly on defence, Kate Germain who called this by-election as MN for Saint Romain quit the government over defence spending not being raised fast enough, and many people in the right of the Party of June agree with her. However, on the left side they’re completely opposed to raising military spending much further than now. On public spending, Whiteford wants to reduce the national spending slowly, whereas the NAP want to do it more rapidly, seeing lots of public waster left over from when the Socialists were in power from 2008 to 2015, such as free dental care. This is seen as wasteful as some people can afford to pay for dental care. And then finally, on nuclear power the NAP is much more pro-nuclear than Whiteford and the new Party of June establishment. They want to wait until at least 2022 for new nuclear power construction, preferring to see if there are any more advancements in renewable electricity.
SDV: And so what about vice versa, what does 2017 NAP voters changing to the Party of June say about this by-election but also about national trends.
MS: If again we could change the graphic…
MS: So here we can see that about 10% of NAP voters are likely to vote for the Party of June this time around, this is most likely because they’re not NAP loyalists, they probably switch between the NAP and the Party of June at every election depending on what curries their fancy. Though this is a small amount, they could decide the re-election of Kate Germain as the Party of June are tied, and of course the Nonet member is decided by which party gets the most votes.
SDV: As well as this, what do you think about the seeming collapse of the LDS?
MS: Well as we can see from this graphic
MS: The LDS are allegedly about to lose about 2 thirds of their voters. Of course their entire existence as a party is now within the margin of error, so it’s hard to tell whether this is going to materialise or not. However, the Party of June seems to resemble the LDS more and more, so perhaps some LDS voters feel as though their hopes are with the Party of June.
SDV: The LDS and the Party of June work together on a few Dominion assemblies, but why would a LDS voter not vote for the Party of June, what differences remain?
MS: Well the LDS are very pro-pacificism and nuclear disarmament, that’s probably why they’d struggle to join a national Party of June coalition, but on local issues they’re much more aligned, such as on spending priorities.
SDV: So you don’t think there’ll be any mergers or electoral pacts?
MS: I personally don’t think so, but politics can change. Maybe in the regions with a close Party of June and NAP vote, but not in Saint Regina where the LDS get 10 of their 20 seats.
SDV: And so what about the other smaller parties, the Parti Romain and the Socialists, what is going on with their vote shares?
MS: As we can see in this graphic
MS: The Parti Romain loses some voters to the Party of June and the Socialists, but the vote staying for the large part in tact. This is bad news for the Socialists who hoped to capitalise on the only other hard-left party, by offering a better alternative. On this graphic we can see this nightmare for the socialists.
MS: They’re losing more than a quarter of their voters to the Parti Romain, which in recent years has presented itself as a civic nationalist party. They want pretty much the same things as the Socialists, but with independence for Romain or at least more powers.
SDV: Do you think this represents a big rise in pro-independence sentiment?
MS: Well the Socialists in Romain haven’t exactly been in love with the Union of Dominions that Icholasen is since the 2015 election, they’ve been desperate for votes in Portland and in Romain, and most regional nationalists in Icholasen are left-wing nationalists. This poll represents a huge problem for the Socialists if they’re ever going to be in government again. The 2015 election was massive defeat for them and I have no idea if they’ll ever recover.
SDV: It’ll be interesting to see how accurate these polls are, seeing as we have a few weeks to go until the election.
MS: Well of course the only poll that matters is the election.
SDV: Thank you Professor Sandown, and thank you at home for tuning into Politics Corner.
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NBC News:
Georgia Jeffries: Hello and welcome to NBC News. Tonight, after the LDS primary, we can now give the names of all the people running for the Nonet seat in Saint Romain. The Dominion-wide election will take place on the 31st of August, and will be the second time that a Dominion-wide by-election has been triggered by the assembly of a Dominion. The first being in 2002 when the Socialists lost a vote of no confidence in the chamber of the Saint Regina Dominion Assembly. That is, what some say, was one of the many factors that eventually lead to the fall of their government in 2003. Will the same happen to Whiteford?
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From the NBC News Channel
(OOC: the questions were asked by @Icholasen, but responded to by @Kemeistan)
Stephanie DeVey: Hello President Kett, it’s lovely to make your acquaintance. Your country lies over the ocean from Icholasen, not our closest neighbour by any means, but a neighbour nonetheless. My question is how are you today?
Dewe Kett: My darling Stephanie, it is so lovely to finally meet you in person. My my, your profile picture on Twitter dot com does not do you justice.
Stephanie DeVey: Oh, well thank you I—
Dewe Kett: But to answer your question, I am doing very well. I have recovered from my flu and am on top form following Kemeistan’s latest success in the discovery of our new island inhabitants.
Stephanie DeVey: Of course, you must be very excited Mr. President. Can you tell me a little more about what you found?
Dewe Kett: Absolutely. We, for decades, believed the island to be isolated. Recent explorations have uncovered a community of somewhat indigenous people native to the island, advancements of which are a little behind ours. We currently have expert linguists out with our exploration team trying to establish communications with the group. We as a country are excited to welcome them into our union.
Stephanie DeVey: Well that’s just incredible. Just how many people do you believe are on the island? Do you have any idea how long it will be until formal integration with Kemeistan society begins?
Dewe Kett: We hope to begin proceedings within the month, and we Kemeistanis will rejoice in the expansion of our community. My head of Explorations reports that there are in the region of 5000 natives on the island, so a somewhat sizeable number. We will be giving anyone on the island Kemeistani citizenship and a passport.
Stephanie DeVey: All very exciting Mr. President! Now on an endnote, are you excited about the upcoming Arts and Culture Gala in Aurelis?
Dewe Kett: [Redacted] yes I am! Oh, sorry, forgot the cursing. I am ecstatic to have been invited to the Gala, I am a massive fan of all things artful and beautiful, such as yourself—
Stephanie DeVey: Thank you Mr. President, that’s all we’ve got time for. The Gala airs on September 7th, catch full coverage of the event and exclusive red carpet interviews on NBC News!
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The National Times
Icholasen Launches its Third Supercarrier
Queen Anastasia activated the automatic champagne smasher to Christen the new Royal Nicoleizian Navy Supercarrier, HMNS Anastasia, at the docks in southern Saint Romain Dominion earlier today. "God Bless this ship and all who sail in her." Anastasia said, as God Save the Queen played. Surrounding the Queen as she activated the automatic champagne smasher, was Eilidh Whiteford, and the Chief Admiral George Scott. This ship comes as part of the Party of June's militarisation effort, raising the budget of the Nicoleizian Armed Forces since taking power in 2015. Funding has not increased much since this initial burst. The Party of June has been maintaining the current forces and sticking to their 2015 plan of which the HMNS Anastasia is a part.
Eilidh Whiteford declared: "Icholasen as an island must be able to protect her territorial waters. This Supercarrier will help us to do just that, but also to extend peacekeeping efforts across the world. But finally my stark message to those who seek to harm Icholasen or her allies, look upon HMNS Anastasia and reconsider." This drew criticism from some opponents, but the NAP has remained silent. The Parti Romain leader commented: "Militarism is no cure for our nation's woes. Furthermore, this building project has been a temporary alleviation of unemployment in Romain, but the government has no plans whatsoever to replace the jobs that will no longer come from the shipyards after this plan is completed. Some maintenance engineers will stay, but what of the others? The Party of June claims this initiative has benefitted Romain, but they should have invested in sustainable measures instead of one off projects." The LDS candidate for Nonet in Saint Romain in the coming election Georges Laurent claimed "does the world really need more weapons of war? What is war good for?" He checked his notes, sarcastically searching desperately to find out. "Absolutely nothing."
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Debate in Saint Romain for the election on the 11th, broadcast on numerous channels, summarised in this article for the National Times.
In Saint Romain yesterday evening, a debate took place with the leader of the Parti Romain, and the Nonet Candidates from the 4 other parties competing in the Saint Romain by-election. The debate was mediated by Stephanie DeVey and was broadcast in the VO, French, and also dubbed into English and Nicoleizian. In the debate many issues came up, and in this article we will try and summarise what each of the party representatives have said.
In the first section, candidates were asked to say yes, no or maybe about a statement.
‘Do you agree that Icholasen should have nuclear weapons?'
Kate Germain, NAP: Yes
Clara André, PoJ: Yes
Pierre François, Socialists: Yes
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: No
Georges Laurent, LDS: No'Would you cut spending if in office?'
Kate Germain, NAP: Yes
Clara André, PoJ: Yes
Pierre François, Socialists: No
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: No
Georges Laurent, LDS: Yes‘Do you think the current rates of immigration are acceptable?'
Kate Germain, NAP: No
Clara André, PoJ: Yes
Pierre François, Socialists: No
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: Yes
Georges Laurent, LDS: Yes‘Would you support further devolution to the Dominions of Icholasen?’
Kate Germain, NAP: No
Clara André, PoJ: Maybe
Pierre François, Socialists: No
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: Yes
Georges Laurent, LDS: Maybe‘Do you agree that Icholasen should integrate further with the European Union?'
Kate Germain, NAP: No
Clara André, PoJ: Yes
Pierre François, Socialists: No
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: Yes
Georges Laurent, LDS: Yes‘Do you agree that nationalisation is a good way for a nation to manage its industry?’
Kate Germain, NAP: No
Clara André, PoJ: No
Pierre François, Socialists: Yes
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: Maybe
Georges Laurent, LDS: No‘Do you think that Icholasen should scale back its military to focus more on domestic issues?’
Kate Germain, NAP: No
Clara André, PoJ: No
Pierre François, Socialists: No
Anne-Marie David, Parti Romain: No
Georges Laurent, LDS: YesThe proper debate then started with the topic of defence policy - the new Nicoleizian Supercarrier being inaugurated only days before the debate. The NAP’s Kate Germain applauded the move, but decried the fact that no new ships were planned to be build. The PoJ’s Clara Andre retorted that there are lots of ships in construction right now. The LDS claimed that this new militarism has no place in society, and this constitutes much more than a defensive force and was unnecessary to keep Icholasen safe. The Socialists largely agreed that a large military was necessary, Pierre François is a so-called ‘old’ Socialist who wants Icholasen to continue the trend of the former Communist regime which included both leftist thought and militarism. The Parti Romain’s Anne-Marie David stated that she believed that the jobs created by ship-yards were not sustainable, as the Party of June is not planning to build more ships beyond the ones already commissioned.
The debate continued onto the economy. The NAP’s Kate Germain attacked Whiteford’s economic policy, saying that it is ‘absurd that we, a relatively large military power really do not have the economy to back it up.’ Germain continued to say ‘it’s atrocious how little progress the Party of June has made in both raising GDP and lowering spending as a percentage of GDP.’ Clara Andre attacked back, saying that 'progress cannot be rushed. This is not a communist 5 year plan where people must suffer. We’re a modern country, and can afford to make slow and steady progress.’ The Socialist candidate for Nonet, Pierre François said that all of the Party of June’s growth has only served the richest Nicoleizians, and has not done enough to help everyone out. Anne-Marie David, the leader of the Parti-Romain said also that the Party of June’s growth programmes and also their cutting of public services has affected areas outside of Saint Regina and Saint Novella, affecting ‘what the Party of June must see as backwards peripheral provinces the most’. And the LDS’s Georges Laurent made the case for moderation and was largely the same as the Party of June’s economic stance.
The next topic tackled by the panel was the European Union. Kate Germain said that she believes Whiteford is not doing enough in Europe to secure Icholasen’s national interest, and she accused Whiteford of being a ‘typical career politician who hasn’t got the guts to take on the European establishment, because she is the European establishment.’ Germain continued saying that Europe was far too left-wing, even comparing the EU to the former Communist Federation of Icholasen. Clara Andre made a defence of the European Union, saying that the Union protected Icholasen’s interests, as it cooperated with former foes and current allies. She continued; 'Icholasen leads on the European stage, we work together with former foes to create a peaceful Europe.’ Pierre François of the Socialists took a Eurosceptic response to the issue, saying that 'cooperating with Capitalist countries means that we will be forced to undergo a neoliberal scheme whereby we will both lose sovereignty of our government and our economy to the 1%.’ However, both the Parti-Romain and the LDS took a pro-European standpoint, but Kate Germain of the NAP butted in to say Anne-Marie David is a hypocrite for loving one union but hating another.
Next, the debate turned to Health policy. Whiteford’s government refused to stop the government’s programmes of free basic glasses (more expensive and designer glasses cost money), and free dental care and prescriptions for people aged 0-25 and 60+. Kate Germain quit as Foreign Minister because of Whiteford’s refusal to cancel this policy, due to her personal connection to this policy was allowed to speak first. Germain argued that this is wasteful spending and Icholasen cannot really afford it. She continued, saying that though it would be nice to have these things, we should prioritise for people who really cannot afford it. Paying for everyone to have these services, she said, would just reduce the amount the government can spend on the truly downtrodden. Clara André (PoJ) said, however, that the bureaucratic costs to find out who would actually be entitled for these programmes would cost so much money that it isn’t worth it. It also, André continued, would lead to more stigma surrounding the access of medical services which Germain scoffed at. The Socialists’ Pierre François decried that either Party would even consider reducing this funding. ‘There is literally billions in uncollected tax that is just waiting to be invested into our communities. It is shameful that the NAP are even considering scrapping this egalitarian piece of legislation.’ The Parti Romain’s Anne-Marie David said that ‘these cuts would only fuel inequality between the Dominions of Icholasen.’
The debate then turned to the climate. Kate Germain started out by saying that there needs to be a carbon-neutral Icholasen by the year 2050 and that NAP Senators would vote for the creation of new Nuclear Power Plants, and would advocate for many more to be build in Icholasen to make sure that Icholasen could be carbon neutral. Germain was presented with allegations that in both the North and South Regina assemblies, NAP Assembly Members had voted against wind farms. She claimed that on-shore wind where it would spoil natural beauty should be banned, saying that both nuclear and off-shore wind were okay with her to reach a carbon-neutral future. Clara André said that she would like to see a carbon-neutral Icholasen and European Union by 2040, and if elected she would petition for more climate policy on the European level. She, however, wants to achieve carbon neutral status by avoiding the use of nuclear power wherever possible, and relying on onshore and offshore wind. Kate Germain of the NAP claimed that this would never be enough to reach the 2040 goal, and the 2050 goal was more realistic. The Socialist party has certain wings that deny climate science, and advocate a return to coal to power the nation. Pierre François skirted around the issue and said that he would support green cooperatives. The LDS’s Georges Laurent was the most ambitious on the stage, calling for carbon-neutrality by 2030 or sooner, and admitted that this would take a major hit to the economy ‘but not as big as the hit if Saint Regina and other coastal areas are under 5 metres of water.’ The Parti Romain set an ambitious target but called for the closure of all coal power plants in Romain.
Then, the constitutional arrangements in place for Romain came up. As of now, Romain is made up of 2 Dominions with 2 Noneters out of 9, and 93 Senators out of 500. Saint Romain is but one of these Dominions. Anne-Marie David started off this discussion by saying that Kate Germain started, stating that the NAP’s position is firm unionism, and that they are content that she wants the Dominions within Romain to unify into one as the ‘artificial’ borders were causing more harm than good. I want a pan-Romain parliament so that our nation’s concerns can be discussed centrally. Kate Germain of the NAP disagreed, saying that the current situation was more than satisfactory, with many powers being given to the 2 Dominions in Romain but uniting into one parliament made no sense. Clara André said that she thought it was a good idea, and would petition Whiteford to support a bill that would ask the people of Romain in a referendum if they wanted to unify their Assemblies into a parliament. The LDS agreed with this stance, however the Socialist Pierre François argued for more centralisation to insure that Socialist laws could be extended to as many people as possible.
Then the candidates were asked about social issues. Gay marriage and cannabis are both legal in Icholasen, but there is a growing debate surrounding the legalisation of either magic mushrooms, cocaine, LSD or all three. As well as this, there are growing calls to add an X option to passports and drivers licenses to respect non-binary gender identities. Clara André started by saying that she supports the decriminalisation of drugs, but not of drug dealing. She says that heroin addicts, for example, should be given clemency so that we can help save their lives. She admitted that she would support the legalisation of magic mushrooms. Kate Germain jumped on this saying that 'if you want your kids to smoke crack, you need only vote for the Party of June.’ André sighed at this accusation and then continued, saying that the Party of June is going to propose a bill to allow for an X gender identity on identification. Kate Germain spoke again, saying that if the NAP get into government, they will ban legal cannabis and other harmful drugs. The LDS’s Georges Laurent asked if she would ban alcohol or cigarettes as well, and when Germain said no, Laurent claimed that it’s ‘hypocritical’ to ban one harmful drug and not another. The Socialist, Pierre François claimed that Kate Germain was in the pocket of Big Tobacco and would promote 'kiddy cigarettes' in the Nonet. Germain was confused by this conspiracy theory. Anne-Marie David said that drug policy should be devolved to the Dominions instead of these laws being taken by the central government.
Candidates were then asked to make a final one sentence appeal to voters.
Kate Germain of the NAP said: ‘If you want lower taxes and a reduction of waste vote NAP.’
Clara André of the Party of June said: ‘If you want a moderate, liberal Icholasen, vote PoJ.’
Pierre François of the Socialists: ‘Injustice is the enemy of the proletariat, for full equality, vote Socialist.'
Anne-Marie David of Parti Romain: ‘If you believe the issues of a nation should be taken within that nation, vote Parti Romain.'
Georges Laurent, LDS: ‘If you want to give peace a chance, vote LDS.'Commentators are torn between saying if André won or if Germain won the debate. The others are widely regarded as just filler candidates and André and Germain are the only serious contenders for the Nonet post. As for the Senate seats, different dynamics could emerge.
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Opinion in the National Times:
If the NAP can win the Saint Romain by-election, they will be our next party of government
The NAP haven’t been in government since 2008. This is incredibly bad news since they were once one half of the two party system that is now non-existent. Before, one would expect if there wasn’t a Socialist Korojaun or Korojaunu (Prime Minister), there would be an NAP one. Yet, in 2015 the Party of June ripped up all that we know about Nicoleizian politics and though the NAP is the official head of the opposition, they’re not nearly as big as the Party of June by a factor of 100 Senators.
But by winning in Saint Romain, they’ll have 4 Nonet seats equalising with the Party of June’s 4, and outshining the Socialists' 1. The NAP then just have to capitalise on gains in the coastal urban Dominions and in Portland, maybe not even winning the most seats in all of these regions, but enough to make a difference. Though this may seem a tall order now, the NAP have done it before. By the time Whiteford’s government winds to its inevitable political death, the NAP are poised to take seats in areas where the Party of June did well before. They might be a minority government, but a government nonetheless.
This does come with a caveat: the NAP must moderate their position somewhat to appeal to Party of June voters. The reason the Party of June was founded was because there was a huge gap in the centre that needed to be filled. If the NAP encroaches on that centre ground as the PoJ begins to fall, they will reap the rewards. However, some in the party are dead-set in keeping themselves a right wing party. No one else occupies that space, say some in the party. But is it better to stick to principals or to win? They have an immense opportunity that they should not pass up.
Yet, the NAP needs to win the Saint Romain by-election in order to show themselves as a viable candidate to govern. By inflicting a huge loss on Whiteford’s government, they will show that they offer the credible opposition to the PoJ that the public have been scrambling for.
By Juirju Tihannus
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The National Times
The Senate and Nonet opened today in a ceremony lead by Queen Anastasia. The Queen entered the Senate, sitting in a throne with Prince Tommy, the Duke of Romain next to her as her second in line until Princess Augusta comes of age. The first proposal the new Senate is voting on is the Queen’s speech, setting out Whiteford’s government’s priorities for the year ahead.
Queen Anastasia then started with proposed constitutional changes, saying that referendums will be offered to Dominion Assemblies for unification of their Assemblies into national bodies. Then Queen Anastasia outlined the government’s deficit reduction plan saying that there would be limited new defence spending, but all contracts planned would be completed.
The central government would also leave Postal Services down to each Dominion, recommending to Party of June lead Assemblies that they privatise it to save money. The Queen continued that this deficit reduction programme would raise the maximum amount Universities can charge from 5,000 Shillings per annum to 7,000 but offer more generous low interest maintenance loans which will remain dependent on family income. With these changes, more people can claim more. However the government is raising the student loan amnesty age from 30 years after the degree is complete, to 40. The government will also engage in efficiency measures wherever possible, reducing people misusing systems such as benefits.
The Queen continued onto Green policy, saying that the government would pay farmers a subsidy to reforest some of their fields to help to make Icholasen carbon neutral and also increase the areas in which people can run, walk and cycle. The central government will allocate more funds to help green areas stay clean, green and accessible. Queen Anastasia continued that her government will also launch an enquiry into whether a carbon tax is feasible, and what form this tax would take.
The Senate then debated the Queen’s speech for the rest of the day and voted on it. There were 260 votes for which was all of the Party of June’s senators, and 240 against which represents every other party. The Parti Romain and Portland is a Nation Party were happy with some aspects of the Speech, but not enough to vote for it. Korojaunu Whiteford then made a speech saying that she looked forward to allocating more power to the Dominions and to restore historic boundaries that people relate to more strongly than their Dominion.
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The Saint Romain Tribune
Clara André, Nonétrice and thus head of the executive of Saint Romain has formed a minority government in the Saint Romain Assembly. The Parti Romain will act as their confidence and supply partners. André will support the Parti Romain's campaign for a united Romain Assembly, working with Romain Proper Party of June DAMs to vote for a referendum to allow this to come to pass. This is the key policy that the Parti Romain demanded be heeded by the Party of June in return for support.
Key: Party of June (centrist): orange, 19 seats, Parti Romain (nationalist left): purple, 4 Seats, Socialists (left): red, 5 seats, National Awakening Party (right): blue, 17 seatsThe Party of June has 19 seats in the new Saint Romain Assembly, with 23 needed for a majority for any motion. Luckily, the PR managed to get 4 DAMs in the recent by-election which makes this arrangement perfect in terms of Assembly mathematics. As Nonétrice, André does have tie-break powers in the Assembly, as in all Dominions which could give her the edge in certain issues that make votes very close.
Nonéteurs and Nonétrices across the country often head the legislature of their region as the Nonet doesn't normally have much business to discuss and they have special powers within the Dominion Assembly that they can act on. Those in quieter Dominions where there is a majority in their favour often take up a Ministry as well, like Samantha Terrace, Nonétrice for Saint Novella who is the Health Minister.
The Party of June is a Unionist party and they believe that Icholasen should remain as one country, but the Parti Romain is the opposite. André stated however that both the PR and the PoJ want what is best for Romain and that entering into a loose electoral pact does not mean mutual endorsement of all policies, including those on the Union.
André has stated that she will look to the NAP for support on the privatisation of postal services along with other parties issues on which they share common ground. André has said she accepts that the Party of June does not have a free-reign to do whatever they please in the Assembly and she continued to say that the recent by-election result will be taken into account, saying that more nationalist voters means we need to deliver more devolution and offer a referendum into more powers for the nation of Romain.
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NBC 6:
Questions to the First Minister: Saint Novella Dominion
Samantha Terrace is taking questions as First Minister of the Dominion of Saint Novella
Saint Novella CityThe President of the Assembly: Our first questions come from Fabian Greene, Mr Greene, you’re hereby allotted 3 questions for the First Minister.
Fabian Greene, leader of the Opposition, Socialist Party: Will the First Minister be joining the other Dominion’s in privatising the Postal Services, and does she accept that this will lead to slower post and isolation of the most isolated areas.
Samantha Terrace, First Minister, Party of June: Yes my executive plans to privatise postal services. What I’d like to highlight is that use of the postal services is declining in our Dominion, we’re a very urban Dominion so that’s not exactly a surprise. Most parcels are sent by courier services which are already private companies. I reject your proposition that the private sector is slower, it is the opposite. It makes sense to privatise postal services for our Dominion.
Fabian Greene, Leader of the Opposition, Socialist Party: Is it the policy of this executive to legalise magic mushrooms and other drugs if and when the Central government allows these powers to Dominion governments? If so will she push for the release of those already jailed for the crimes?
Samantha Terrace, First Minister, Party of June: The Saint Novella executive plans to offer a free vote for our DAMs, but we strongly advise a vote for the decriminalisation of magic mushrooms. As for your second point, we will release anyone convicted of crimes that are made legal by this Assembly. As well as this, we will fund drug preventative measures - just because this executive’s policy is going to be decriminalising certain drugs, that doesn’t mean that we condone their use. We will be strongly advising against drug use, but we don’t think it’s a crime, rather a health concern.
Fabian Greene, leader of the Opposition, Socialist Party: Housing is an increasingly big problem for people in Saint Novella city. What is the First Minister doing to remedy this problem and avoid people being unable to live in the city?
Samantha Terrace, First Minister, Party of June: Our plans involve using our powers to build housing with our powers to commission public transport. We have a short term plan which is to build more housing period, but the executive has been working on a longer term plan which plans to use brownfield sites to build new communities with concentrated public transport options to facilitate transport into the city.
The President of the Assembly: Alexander Kensington.
Alexander Kensington, NAP Leader in the Assembly: I commend the First Minister for her decision to privatise postal services and lower the tax burden on us. Will the First Minister use this money for tax breaks or to unnecessarily increase the size of the government?
Samantha Terrace, First Minister, Party of June: Thank you for that rare compliment. Our executive has decided that the tax burden will be reduced, but that some of the money saved by privatising the postal services will be moved to the modern equivalent: broadband. Our infrastructure relating to broadband is in constant need of repairs and improvements and we would like to see our system updated in this Dominion so that it is fit for the years ahead and all major problems should hopefully be eliminated.
The President of the Assembly: Russo Tunrons
Russo Tunrons, Liberal Democratic Socialist Dominion Assembly Member: I welcome the First Minister’s commitment to decriminalise magic mushrooms, but could she be more specific as to which other drugs she thinks should be decriminalised and what drugs the central government will allow us to consider their legalisation?
Samantha Terrace, First Minister, Party of June: Korojaunu Whiteford has stated that magic mushrooms will be on the table, but other drugs such as cocaine are still in play. The First Minister of Saint Regina has said she wants a chance to decriminalise drugs like cocaine, I don’t know how much I agree with her, but the legislation made in Saint Regina will be the legislation we have to abide by and we will bring it to a vote when we have the right to. Now, if I may, I’d like to close proceedings - I will continue my duties in this house later today and in the Nonet this week.
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Whiteford Passes Major Constitutional Reforms
Whiteford has managed to pass her reforms to reform Icholasen's outdated 9 Dominion model, after working since the election in 2017 to change up the Nicoleizian political system. Whiteford's reasoning for this is there are 4 nations in Icholasen, not 9. The new system makes Romain, Portland, and Regina their own Dominions, incorporating the coastal cities and removing north/south boundaries. The same number of Nonet seats will be given to the Dominions as now. Regina will have a massive 4 Nonet seats up for grabs. The Nonet will now be elected in cycles with 2 groups. One being elected in 2020 and the other in 2022 for a 5 year term. For the Lower House, (the Sénat) elections will now take place every 3 years, with the newly re-merged Dominions voting in 2 blocks. One will start in 2020, and the other in 2022.
Another major departure is that Icholasen will now be a Presidential system, with the executive having no base in the legislature. Whiteford has said that "this change critical as the Korojaunu (Head of Government) needs a separate mandate because Icholasen, rightly, has a fully proportionally representative Lower House. This rarely produces majorities and with a Presidential system, we can have both proportional representation and strong governments." The Korojaunoaul (presidential) mandate will last 4 years, the first election taking place in 2021.
On the Dominion level, FPTP will be used as this is where local citizens have a chance to raise their concerns about local issues. The elections will happen every 5 years in cycles and the Dominion Assemblies will keep using the Westminster system to elect their head of government.
These changes will come in gradually as the terms start their cycles in the next couple of years. This ambitious legislation aims to democratise Icholasen even further, giving Nicoleizians the opportunity to directly elect even more people to represent them.
The timetable of elections for the next decade:
And the geographical regions that will be voting:
Whiteford hopes that these first reforms to the political structures of Icholasen since 1995 will increase federalism, democracy, and healthy regional pride (with the Six Nations coming up!) . Cynics say Whiteford only wanted a Presidential system as she cannot hope to command the support of the Sénat for much longer, but others say that a Presidency is even more democratic. There was clearly a political appetite for the reunification of the nations of Icholasen into one body, as people often complained that their nation was not unified no matter what nation they belonged to.
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Samantha Terrace, Nonet Majority Leader took to the podium to bring forward a motion to give Korojaunu Whiteford a mandate to pursue military intervention in Reitzmag for 2 months, any further action will need to be approved again. Terrace began the debate with a short speech.“Nonéteurs, Nonétrices, we are gathered here on a matter of grave importance. Despicable communist evil threatens one of our of fellow European Union member states. This cannot stand. I hereby move to give Korojaunu Whiteford executive power, on behalf of our 4 Dominions, to launch military action. The Nonet as a body represents equally the 4 nations that make up Icholasen. As a union, we must act together to stop communism wherever it crops up. I open the floor to debate."
Sandra Cartier, Nonet Minority Leader took to the podium.
“Nonéteurs, Nonétrices, the NAP Nonet caucus agrees with Madame Terrace, we must give Whiteford the powers she needs to coordinate Ichoalsen’s response against communist terror. And, we need to aid Inquista as part of our longstanding alliance.”
Tisuph Kaushuronu, the only Socialist Nonéteur took to the podium.
“This is unfounded aggression that will not stand. The armies in Reitzmag are fighting against an unjust government that must not be allowed to remain in power. I will be voting against this bill and I beg that everyone here does too. This Nonet needs to respect the rights to self determination of the rebels in Reitzmag. If this Nonet votes against the wishes of the people of New Nicoleizia, then it will show this house to be an anti-New Nicoleizia body that has no respect for our sovereignty under the constitution, and people in New Nicoleizia will see this Assembly for what it is, an oppressive tool of centralisation.”
The Nonet votes 8 to 1 to give Korojaunu Whiteford the power to engage in military action against the communist rebels. Tisuph Kaushuronu walked out in anger about the decision. It is unclear whether he will return to his post as the Nonet will need to re-ratify this bill in 2 month's time.
