Amendment to European Council Political Groups Act 2016
-
That exact pretense is the point of the argument I presented in my previous statement. We're not having a discussion on whether we should commend two-person entities as the gold standard of eurogroups. The point is that we should allow eurogroups to form more easily so that they can grow from there. All eurogroups starts from somewhere. EPA started at four. It could of quite easily started with two. Liberals started at four, went up to five or six at some point, and then collapsed. Any other sort of eurogroup could just as easily start from two and go from there.
Inherently, a two person eurogroup minimum would mean that most eurogroups would probably last longer than under a three person minimum. It's easier to maintain two than three members. The European Liberals were hanging on to bare threads with two councillors for months and months before I dissolved it. If they were supposed to have three, then they would of been dissolved like a year ago already. The argument that eurogroups should only exist if they are "real permanent" and and are guaranteed to last is ridiculous. The Council isn't a planned economy. The situation is always ebbing and flowing. Besides, eurogroups are supposed to be blocs of like-minded councillors. Councillors change all the time. We have new ones all the time. Many leave. Naturally, the politics of the Council always changes. Eurogroups are supposed to serve councillors anyway, not the other way around. Instead, we're going to keep an arbitrarily high hurdle in front of councillors.
Also, I've always disliked the argument that nothing should be done unless it becomes some sort of permanent fixture or it's guaranteed to be a success from the beginning. Imagine if we look at anything else the same way. I can use businesses as an example. Small and medium sized businesses? Sorry to break the news sweeties, but you're flops. Get out, big businesses only! If you can't start out as a big business, then you're not even worth it. Are you even real permanent, bro? Things grow with time.
This goes beyond eurogroups and even includes europarties. Anyone remember when the EPP and ECR merged to make the UEC? Had like two members to start with. I mean, we all remember when they ended up flopping anyway, with like 6 people running in a Commission election, so maybe we should of just dissolved it? Anyone remember the EFP? Another very famous flop. Started with only two members - the iconic Lizcows and Alexander Kligenberg. It totally didn't dominate the Council for like 2 years after that.
Eurogroups, like political parties, girl groups, businesses, whatever, should all be allowed to come and go. They don't have to be permanent or some monolith to warrant an existence. Even though ABBA dissolved too soon for my liking, I'm still glad we had them in the end. Even as the Chairman of the EPA, I say the same about the Liberals and I openly welcome any new eurogroups to the fray. Councillors should be able to form their own eurogroups more easily and that's that.
I sponsored the continuation of this amendment because I think it has merit independent of the ideology of the person who wrote it. I quite literally kicked the author from the Council floor, so if that's not a condemnation, then I don't know what is. I'm still supportive of this amendment though. For any communists out there watching: I just want you to know that I recognize Eilidh Whiteford as the legitimate head of Nicoelizian government. Also, I support small and medium sized businesses and #StandWithTheKulaks.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista -
I would hardly call a two person political group a living organisation that has any potential. With all do respect, but I feel that I have exhausted all the reason to not support this bill to the Councillor from Inquista. Yet he is adamant on supporting this naively written bill. I would, of course, support more political groups in this chamber but ones that actually have potential to be meaningful to pass good laws.
I commend the Councillor from Inquista for throwing out an illegitimate Chancellor, but to sponsor a bill that this Council has condemned does not merit, in my government's opinion, appraisal.
Su Tevfik
European Councillor from the Court of Osman -
I gave several examples of how eurogroups and europarties could grow from just having two members. I suppose the UEC and EFP were useless organization which had no "potential". Both became the most dominant forces in the regional for quite a long time. You've exhausted your argument because it is absurd. Apparently, nothing ever grows, even though this region has several successful cases demonstrating otherwise. Not only do things never grow according to your logic, but they shouldn't even be allowed to have the potential to grow.
Anyway, I need to stop using examples and stating facts about past europarties or eurogroups. As the leader and founder of the EPA - the largest and only eurgroup - and as a successor of Alexander Kligenberg's legacy as Councillor - who help found the EPA - I clearly know nothing about the potential of eurogroups. Glad that Councillor Tevfik has finally enlightened me and the region on the matter.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista -
Eurogroups do have potential, and but not how they are currently operated. They're limiting instead of expanding what the old Europarties were able to do. Lowering the threshold to two Councillor will help a little bit. What we should do is remove the limit on a Councillor only being allowed to be a member of only one Eurogroup at a time. This will allow for the creation of single-issue caucuses such as a Denuclearisation caucus etc. We could have informal groups, however, without making these official Eurogroups it ends up just relegating the Eurogroup we have to being a failed Europarty effectively.
What I would like to see to help this as well, is allow national parties to become associate organizations to Eurogroups. Eurogroups would still be organized, and regulated by the Council. But by introducing national parties as associate organizations it will showcase the practical application of Eurogroups at the national level. For example Cllr. Firoux before the military coup in Icholasen, you were taking part in their primary process for one of their Cllr. nominees. That's the real potential of Eurogroups, however, as is they are drastically limited in what they should be doing.
Cllr. Carita Falk
Archrepublic of Vayinaod -
At the moment, we only have an Eurogroup, the European Progressive Alliance, and do you know why? Because of the lack of interest by other councillors to try searching for new members for them. The European Liberals have dissapeared, and now it's the EPA the one that keeps alive. At the moemnt, we must start thinking on our democracy, and also say: "We need to enocurage people to have diverse ideas". Why? Because that's what democracy is about. If you don't agree with that, maybe you should ask yourself if you are a democratic person, or else, your country is democratic.
This will of course have my complete support, as I'd like to see more divrse ideas in the European Union. But please, if you want to make your own Eurogroup, think that you'll have to keep it active, and much important, you'll have to search for new members. If you aren't able to do that, you'd like to think 2 times about doing an Eurogroup.
Cllr. Donald D. Tusk
Councillor for Spain -
Final voting begins NOW and will last until 23:15 GMT on April 8th, 2020.
On hehalf of the Most Blessed State of Inquista, I vote FOR this amendment.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista -
On behalf of the Kingdom of Gallorum, I vote FOR this amendment.
Marion Rousselot
Deputy Speaker, Councillor for the Kingdom of Gallorum -
The Kingdom of Fremet votes FOR this amendment.
Charles Michel
Councillor for the Kingdom of Fremet -
The Ottoman State votes AGAINST this admendment.
Su Tevfik
European Councillor from the Court of Osman -
On behalf of the Kingdom of Reitzmag, I vote FOR this amendment.
Friedrich van Allen
Councilor, Kingdom of Reitzmag -
On behalf of the Archrepublic of Vayinaod, I vote FOR this act.
Carita Falk
Councillor for the Archrepublic of Vayinaod -
On behalf of the United Dominions of Icholasen, I vote FOR this amendment.
Councillor (Duchess) Poppy Carlton-Romanov
The United Dominions of Icholasen -
On behalf of the Kingdom of Spain, I vote FOR this act.
Cllr. Donald. D. Tusk
Councillor for Spain -
With 7 votes FOR and 1 vote AGAINST, this amendment has PASSED.
The European Council Political Groups Act of 2016 will be ammended accordingly.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista
The Kingdom of Spain
