NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - RBC interviewed former associate justice Sozland, discussing his time in the High Court, unconstitutional legislation and real life politics.
Interviewer: The United States of the Greater Canadian Republic (USGCR) USGCR: A little while ago, you resigned from your position as a Justice in the high court. Why was this? Sozland: Well as I had stated in my leaving message, it was because I was rather busy with my personal life at the time. Then I had my school exams and such. Someone I knew had also decided to take their own life so I didn't want to delay the court in it's hearings, so I resigned. In a way I also gave the High Court a new justice as I had been in the High Court for 5 or so months. USGCR: I'm very sorry to hear that, and your decision is very understandable. Do you miss the Court? Sozland: Well, I would say there are some aspects of it I miss. Such as the fact that I am having a say in how the government is run and deciding what is lawful or not. But, other than that, not really. The reasoning behind this is because I found the court became repetitive. There were countless times that someone challenged L.R. 73. USGCR: Ah, an excellent link you've just provided me with! What's your opinion (other than repetitiveness) on the case being heard now, the constitutional challenge to LR 73? Sozland: Well I find that L.R. 73 has its pros and cons just as any other legislation. It certainly helps provide stability as people aren't swapping parties after being elected. But it also stops people from being able to change parties if they feel as if that party has changed from when they were elected and some might say it stops democracy. In my opinion however, I support the bill. I believe that when you're elected, the people vote for not just you, but your party as well, seeing as the majority of support comes from the people who are apart of the party the candidate is in. And when people vote for you, they're not voting for the party you join after being elected under a different party as well. USGCR: So you support the bill on principle, but cast your mind back to those countless rulings on the bill. Were you in the bills favour or against it, constitutionally-speaking? Sozland: I do believe at times I had my doubts in the bill. At times I had gotten so frustrated by the constant challenges in the bill. But to my knowledge I believe that I had always voted for the bill. I also think that the bill had always been constitutional, this may be bias however as I have never been a man of constitutions myself. They define countries but I believe that when they become so old they don't reflect on what defines the country anymore and that legislation should not be held hostage by a constitution. Of course they protect the freedoms of people but if a government were to strip people of their liberty then the people themselves would fight for it, not a document. In conclusion what I'm saying is that if legislation is passed then it should be constitutional USGCR: Suternia and I back in November would beg to differ with your conclusion. Moving on! Do you think you'll return to the politics of the region? Sozland: At the moment no, in the future, maybe. This year is my final year of school and I have to spend more time on that rather than this at the moment. USGCR: A wise decision. I asked The Thin White Duke a tough question - it would only be fair to ask you one too: when you were a justice, did the slowness of the court (namely two justices) ever irritate you? Sozland: Yes it did, as much as it did to everyone else. We would always get our rulings in less than 24 hours a majority of the time, but then we would have to wait days, possibly weeks, for two justices to simply say if they agree or disagree. USGCR: As I briefly mentioned earlier, last senate term, there was furore over what people considered unconstitutional legislation. None of these bills actually came before the court, but if they had, what do you think the court would have done? Sozland: And which bills were these? USGCR: For example, the party chairman CTE act, the Purge Bill, the election season military neutrality act too, I believe Sozland: Well I believe that I wouldn't be able to comment, it would be up to the situation to happen to get the result. USGCR: Alright, then, keep your secrets. USGCR: Since you are busy this year and given its relatively small role in government, if you were given the chance, would you join the Monarchy? Sozland: No, I find that the monarchy is only a role for UDR really. I find that expanding it beyond that is pointless USGCR: With regard to real life politics, how would you identify? Sozland: I would say centrism. While some might question that, I have found myself to be open to ideas from the left and right, and while a long time ago I may have portrayed myself as a 'communist' then a 'conservative'. I would most likely say I have centre politics as I have views that would make one question if I am a conservative and some that would make people question if I was a liberal. Now I'm not directly in the centre but I think we use indeitity politics far too much as it is intended to be. If you were to be slightly in the left, you're a liberal and if you're slightly in the right, a conservative. I find that wrong. Talking New Zealand political parties, I would actually support Labour and possibly the Greens at the moment. National has shaped itself in a party that I wouldn't want to be affiliated with(edited) USGCR: You've expressed interest in European politics. What do you think of the EU and the movements which seek to dismantle it? Sozland: I'm very much a pro-EU person. They have provided stability to the European Continent and funded the infrastructure to bring other countries in the Union up with the top players. One issue I do have with the EU is that it is rather bureaucratic, other than that I think it's a positive force for good. Most movements which seek to pull their country from the EU are just the by product of nationalism and xenophobia in a way, seeing as the EU was willing to give refuge to the refugees. The issue I have with that plan however was the countries did not have a plan to deal with the massive influx of refugees such as Germany and Sweden who didn't give them work which lead to crime as they had no money. But I don't think pulling your country from the EU is a good solution, as we've seen with Brexit. It's created chaos in the U.K. and now it looks like they might be leaving without a deal.(edited) USGCR: I can certainly agree with you on Brexit. Sozland, thank you very much for the interview Sozland: It's been a pleasure
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NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - In the first interview since he became a senator again, Liberal Democrat The Thin White Duke spoke to RBC about The Senate, the Activists and The Monarchy.
Interviewer: The United States of the Greater Canadian Republic (USGCR) USGCR: You have recently begun your term as a senator for the Liberal Democratic Party. How does it feel to be back in the Senate? The Thin White Duke: It's quite nice. I have previously been Senator under the Activist party, but evantually left the party. I've always enjoyed the Legislative process of our region. USGCR: So, now that you are a liberal democrat, what is your opinion of the co-chancellorship deal your party reached with the Constructivists, and the constitutionally challenge which was posed to the court against it? The Thin White Duke: I don't have a problem with it. I support Josephtan and his efforts to make the Lib Dems more equally represented. The constitutionality it is up to individual interpretation, and while the constitution doesn't strictly 2 Chancellors are allowed, I've yet to see any valid argument against a cochancellorship using the Constitution. I believe most of the naysayers about the Cochancellorship were jealous they didn't get into the majority coalition. USGCR: Speaking of the chancellorship, could we see you contending for the post in the near future? The Thin White Duke: It's not a possibility I won't rule out, however I have a different course of action in mind. USGCR: I wouldn't expect you to elaborate on that, but do so if you wish. The Thin White Duke: I'll be more descriptive when the right time presents itself. USGCR: Fair enough. In the past, you have been highly critical of Chancellor Calponia for having "no backbone". What do you think he could have done differently last term? The Thin White Duke: I definitely think he should pushed unconstitutional Legislation to the bottom of the docket or eradicated it all together. I feel like he didn't say no enough and didn't listen to his party mates and peers with unconstitutional Legislation. Let it be known, however, I think Calponia is a wonderful person and asset to the region, but his performance was lack luster in my opinion. USGCR: Since you asked for a tough question, here you go: another member of the region you - as you said, a former Activist - have been critical of is Activist Chairman Riost, criticising his leadership compared to former chairman Hevern. What do you think he is doing wrong, or could do to improve the Activists' fortune? The Thin White Duke: That is a tough question, and a complicated situation. One quality I definitely think Riost can take from Hevern is the ability to realize the spirit of the party. Many former big name Activists, myself included, immediately felt alienated because the spirit of the Party had disappeared. We felt like the image we had worked to create had been torn down. I don't believe the current Activist party has much in common with Hevern's Activists aside from the name. USGCR: Has this image built by Hevern been torn down solely because of his departure or due to other factor(s)? The Thin White Duke: A bit of both. Hevern's personality was an influencing factor, but it's unfair to judge solely off of that because Riost and Hevern are different people. The elephant in the room is definitely the party symbology. The flower had been a trademark of the Activist party for years, and it was a symbol of Social Democracy. The flower gave our ambition for equality and Justice for all a symbol, an image. I think Riost fails to see the importance of an image other than it's aesthetic value. While sure, a dragon looks cool it doesn't hold the identity of the party and who it represented. If you change an iconic logo after so long, of course the serious members are going to be upset. USGCR: Final question: if you were given the chance, would you return to the Monarchy? The Thin White Duke: I wouldn't say at the moment because I'm pursuing a political career, but perhaps in the distant future I might. It was a position I enjoyed, and ultimately sacrificed for the good of the region. There are many misconceptions around the New Ex Patria situation, which is unfortunate because I sacrificed my nation and monarchy position to end those misconceptions USGCR: Very interesting indeed. Thank you very much, The Thin White Duke, for the interview. The Thin White Duke: Thank you for allowing me to. NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Ten days after the last RBC report, the government has entered a state of relative torpidity: stagnation in the Immigration and Diplomacy Ministries, no communication from the Communications Ministry, inactivity in the High Court and so too the Justice Ministry, one single vote in the Senate and puppetry in the role-play.
Prime Minister Reformed Badad and Deputy Prime Minister Maylande assumed office thirteen days ago - and little has changed since then. The last RBC article reported that regional populace was sitting steadily at 452 nations. That has barely changed. The region now has 458 nations. The Ministry saw a dip in the population, which at its lowest, reached the mid 440s. Evidently, the population has recovered since then, at the advice of former Immigration Minister Baconbacon123. The Ministry is also expected to produce the first ever Seasonal Net Migration Report on February 1st. It is noteworthy that during this time of stagnation, the World Assembly (WA) population has also remained stagnant. The IM targets WA members, so the fault resulting in this stagnation can be (at least partially) deflected from the Ministry itself. Moving from one region of stagnation to another, the Diplomacy Ministry saw a great deal in terms of diplomacy but little in terms of results. According to the weekly DM report produced by the Diplomacy Minister Becklana, the region received zero formal embassy proposals and four informal (it is assumed that this means a foreign/diplomacy minister of another region telegrammed officials in the DM) proposals, all of which were rejected on the grounds of inadequacy. The regions '10000 Islands' and the Union of Democratic States (UDS) both rejected the Ministry's embassy proposals, citing the Ex Patria scandal and no true apparent reason respectively. Adding to yet another idle Ministry, the Communications Ministry has been ironically silent over the past few days. In fairness, however, nothing has happened worthy of any activity from the Ministry, so Communications Minister could be excused for the Ministry's silence. Moving from the Communications Ministry to the Justice Ministry, it too has seen a slight downturn in activity. The Ministry is waiting for the conclusion of the motion posed by Bergonnia to dismiss the constitutional challenge to the co-chancellorship deal posed by Activist Senator Ghan, meanwhile the constitutional challenge to the Political Integrity Act (L.R. 73) has begun. Justice Minister Cesorion, who is representing the government, is yet to make his opening statement. The inactivity in the Justice Ministry can largely be attributed to the Court, which has yet to respond - as stated above - to a motion to dismiss the constitutional challenge of the co-chancellorship deal, a motion which was filed by Bergonnia. This motion was filed sixteen days ago - the court case itself has not even properly begun. According to Justice O-Broki, three of the justices have submitted their opinion and two have not. It is impossible to tell which justices could possibly be taking so long. As has already been mentioned, the court is also occupied with the constitutional challenge of Legislative Resolution 73 (The Political Integrity Act). This bill - which has not been exempt from controversy - has been challenged before, however the Court was evenly split 2-2 therefore the case is being reviewed. The challenge has been filed by Dukna, the former Justice Minister. Interestingly, this law is the sole reason why he is the former Justice Minister, after a botched attempt to switch parties forced him to resign. The body from which that bill originated - the Senate - has not bucked the trend of relative governmental lethargy. As stated in the previous RBC article, the Contempt of Legislature Act (CoLA) was considered by senators over ten days and rejected by a very large margin - 3 Ayes; 16 Nays; 1 Abstention. Shortly after this, the age-old argument of abstentions arose fiercely in the Senate. Under the status quo, abstentions are, in essence, Nay votes since they do not add to the Aye column, nor reduce the threshold needed for legislation to pass. The Senate, having defeated the CoLA, now moves on to the NWA Holidays Creation Act, proposed by Justice Trump and Pence establishing regional holidays on the birthdays of former Prime Ministers and the Monarch. It is being considered at the time of writing this article, and also rather fiercely at that. The bill has been commended by some as an addition to the NWA's culture, and retorted by others as unnecessary and takes too many days away from the government's time over a seemingly trivial purpose. As if the passion-filled arguments could not be more numerous, the regional role-play also witnessed some controversy. Former National Party member Robulov was accused, with a considerable pile of evidence collated by RP Director Crimson Isles, of violating RP rules by creating puppets. Having reviewed the evidence, it can be safely said that his attempts at deceit were sloppy at best. The disgraced resident - who claimed to have been a Prime Minister of another region not once, not twice, not three times, no. He claimed he was PM seven times. Believable, right? He has since 'fled' the region after the Justice Ministry was in the early stages of preparing a prosecution to Europe, a region which also has been embroiled in controversy over WA-related drama. Europe's foreign ministry has been contacted, on the Justice Ministry's request, by the Diplomacy Ministry, informing them of the nature of the character who has just joined their region. Exactly three weeks into the new government, optimism is, slowly, fading as the region comes off of the sugar high we call elections. It is, however, much too early to be making valid predictions of the effectiveness of this government. Only time shall tell. 11/1/2019 The Senate, bickering; The Court, grumbling; The Executive, enduring; The Government, functioningRead NowNEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - The Eleventh Government is now fully functional, and there's without a trace of doubt a great deal to be reported. On the legislative front, The Senate finally delved into its duties after a bruising election season since the last RBC article, passing a bill from the Justice Ministry which has been sitting in the docket for more than 6 months. On the judicial front, the Court's work continued to pile as multiple rulings were made and a somewhat-new constitutional challenge filed. On the executive front, rumours of Prime Minister (PM) Frost-Hammer's resignations were proven to be true, resulting in Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Reformed Badad succeeding him. All of these political events occurring in such a relatively short time span have made the NWA's Eleventh government's functions intriguing, fast-paced yet somewhat unstable in its first month in the eyes of the one who witnesses.
As could be expected, the Senate has been up to mischief once again this term. Deputy Immigration Minister Suternia (UNI) - who is not a senator - won the Senate Clerk election, to the dismay of some. The general feeling seems to be apathetic towards this, especially since he has proven to be very committed and effective at maintaining the Senate's bureaucratic documents: the overview, the passed resolution registry, the failed resolution registry, the voting record, et cetera. Also making some political noise were the Liberal Democrats, as two heavy-weight names returned to the Senate. Said Liberal Democrats are Former Duke The Thin White Duke (yes, that sounds quite weird) and Former Prime Minister Bergonnia. Both characters are vocal of their opinions on matters spanning from real life issues to the simplest squabbles of the NWA, and have made this clear by their use of the #senate channel on the regional discord server. The Thin White Duke has hinted at a desire to bring order back to a Senate which has seemed to lack it for so long; Bergonnia has returned to the Senate after losing re-election as Prime Minster. Bergonnia has also taken control of the Liberal Democratic Caucus, while Senator Josephtan remains as co-chancellor - further adding to the complexity of the Liberal Democrats' power structure in the Senate. It must be honestly stated that the Senators engaged in a laughably petulant fight recently not over a bill, not over a coalition, not even over the Constitution - no - they fought over... anime. Yes. Really. Newly-elected Senate Clerk Suternia added the 'Anime' tag to the Senate of the NWA region as a joke, prompting newly-elected Senator The Thin White Duke and newly-elected Senator Communaccord to call for its removal, though most acknowledged the (meagre attempt at) humour. However, with regard to actual legislative content, the Senate is about to move onto its second bill this session - thought to be the newly-proposed Contempt of Legislature Act, proposed by former Senator USGCR, prohibiting inappropriate use of the Senate RMB by senators and citizens participating in debate. On the other hand, the previous bill to be considered by the legislature was the NWA Attorney and Public Defence Act, which passed with an impressive supermajority. This bill has been sitting patiently in the docket for more than six months, proposed when now-Diplomacy Minister Becklana was chancellor, to the great frustration of the Justice Ministry. Though it received criticism (namely from National Senator Grand Rebels) for being unnecessary, it shall sure bring relief to the Justice Ministry now that the bill has passed after so long in idleness. Speaking of the Justice Ministry, its Minister Cesorion announced that Bergonnia - who was not expected to be mentioned in this article again - will be defending the co-chancellorship deal which was constitutionally challenged by Senator Ghan. The Activist representative has yet to state his counsel, if he chooses any. Adding more to the Court's plate was Former Justice Minister Dukna, who brought forward a constitutional challenge of Legislative Resolution 73 (The Political Integrity Act), arguing that it violates the guaranteed right to leave a political party. This case caused a brief stir in the Justice Ministry, as this bill and another like it (The Political Deceit Act) has already been challenged in the Court and found to be constitutional. The High Court is deliberating on whether to hear the case. In other Court News, Chief Justice Katarial was clearly back in action after temporarily resigning due to a personal loss last year, posting two full rulings and an announcement from the Court within twenty-four hours. In contrast to Chief Justice Katarial's return to the public sphere, the executive branch bade goodbye to its short-lived Prime Minister Frost-Hammer, who will become inactive for the foreseeable future due to enrolment in the United States Military. His successor, former DPM Reformed Badad, was appointed to the office on the 8th January 2019, with Senator Maylande becoming his DPM. This is significant because Maylande is now the NWA's first ever female Deputy Prime Minister, a true representative of the region's diversity. This region's diversity can only increase thanks to the Immigration Ministry, which has overseen a slight stagnation in regional population. At the time of writing this article, the population sits at 452 nations. It should be noted, though, that the ministry was almost universally celebrated in its debut performance for also overseeing an increase of up to 50 nations, so a small slip-up can most likely be expected or at least understood. The other ministries have remained relatively quiet, something which has been quite rare over the past few tumultuous weeks in the NWA's government. Regardless of the rockiness of the road to this region's ever-increasing greatness, the government has continued to function as it did in the Tenth Government, though more effectively. From the Senate's bickering to the Court's often-jargon-full rulings to the frequently-mundane Executive, the NWA has a great deal to look forward to and, arguably more importantly, to expect from this government as it matures and finds its true nature and place in the NWA and its ever-evolving future. 3/1/2019 Senator Ghan Challenges CON-LDP Power-sharing Agreement in Court and Other High Court NewsRead Now
NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - On the 1st January 2019, the Eleventh Government of the NWA was inaugurated. The Cabinet consists of the following: Prime Minister Frost-Hammer, CON; Deputy Prime Minister Reformed Badad, CON; Communications Minister Lucenzia, CON; Justice Minister Cesorion, CON; Diplomacy Minister Becklana, ACT and Immigration Minster Banan Man154; LDP. This places the Constructive party in control of the executive branch, holding three out of five cabinet positions. In the Diplomacy Ministry, after weeks and weeks of diplomatic inactivity, Becklana has implemented a number of changes, including the opening of the DM Discord Server and an application form is available for residents who seek to become regional diplomats. On the Immigration Ministry's front, newly-elected minister Banana Man154 has overseen the region's population's increase to above 450 nations, while his deputy, Suternia, has posted daily reports on the NWA RMB. Quite the improvement from the previous administration, and a reason for a great deal of optimism in the NWA's future. There are two items, however, which have perplexed the NWA: a possible resignation and an unexpected DPM. Within hours of being inaugurated, word spread that a resignation would be incoming in the next two weeks from Prime Minister Frost-Hammer. Many called his run, assuming he knew of the swift departure he would need, "irresponsible". The Deputy Prime Minister, Reformed Badad, would take over from Frost-Hammer if this were to be true. This itself confused many residents as highly-popular senator and Chancellor Calponia was expected to be the Prime Minister's running mate. This caused a particular Constructive senator to draft a constitutional amendment, which is being discussed on the Senate floor (though the Senate is technically not in business yet) right now. This Constructive senator is Baconbacon123, former long-time Immigration Minister. The amendment requires a snap election for the position held by any elected official who leaves government with more than 75% of their term remaining. It initally received the support of numerous senators, though its popularity has since dwindled. In other news from the Senate, the leadership of the Activist and Unity parties were left seething with anger after a proposed Grand Coalition fell through. Liberal Democratic Caucus Leader Josephtan approached the Constructivists, then the Activists, with a proposal: 'We'll give you the Liberal Democrats' Senate seats if you make me Chancellor.' Both parties rejected the offer, instead initially opting for a Grand Coalition (where the Activists and Constructivists join forces). This quickly came to an awkward conclusion, as the Constructivist party decided to return to their current coalition, with the Liberal Democrats and the National Party - despite leaving both of them to temporarily join the Activists. The result of this political sparring is two chancellors - Ormantum (CON) and Josephtan (LDP). The details of how this relationship will work are yet to be revealed. Taking the Senate and the region at large by surprise, Senator and Deputy Justice Minister USGCR resigned from his posts and his party due to real-life pressures, among a cocktail of other factors. This leaves the Activists without a Caucus Leader and who will replace him as the head of the Activist Caucus is yet to be determined. He has hinted at a return in late May-June, however this is only a hint. Adding to this resignation, Becklana resigned as Deputy Chairman of the Activist party, citing a wish to "spend more time on the Diplomacy Ministry & other [real-life] ambitions". Long-time Liberal Democrat Ebania has risen to replace Becklana in this role, to the surprise of some. As for the last branch of government - The High Court - it remains in recess until the 3rd of January, so there is very little to report from there. As the newly-inaugurated government settles into its new identity, so too will the region after unexpectedly close elections, some of which became very charged. A bright future is in the NWA's horizon, and a government with an assortment of veterans and newbies will be sure to deliver that. |
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