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Messages - xpb

#61
Vuode / Re: A Proposal for Provincial Development
October 19, 2023, 11:01:01 AM
Quote from: Bentxami Puntmasleu on October 19, 2023, 12:36:55 AMI had an idea earlier today that I would like to run by my fellow Vuodean citizens. Maybe when the next General Session begins, the Estats Xhenerais could work on implementing it if there's any interest. I am working on a draft proposal. This proposal has two main parts.

The first part of this proposal is to establish a mechanism by which provincial citizens can claim residence in one of the townships and, by extension, parishes and cantons. For most (if not all) of us, this residence would be ceremonial. Those of us who actually reside within Vuode (I do not, by the way) might claim their township of actual residence, although I suppose they could claim ceremonial residence elsewhere instead if they would prefer. Of course, given our provincial population and rate of growth, the vast majority of our townships and parishes would not have any Talossan residents for the foreseeable future. Further, of the townships that do have Talossan residents, most (if not all) would have only one). I don't see that as a major problem. It might actually simplify the second part of this idea. I will point out that this idea doesn't necessarily mandate provincial citizens to claim a township (and/or a parish and canton). I don't see why some provincial citizens couldn't opt of residing anywhere but the Province of Vuode at large, if they would prefer. This claiming of residence would be voluntary.

The second part of this proposal is for the township, parishes, and cantons that do have Talossan residents to exercise limited home rule. A township, parish, or canton with at least one resident could then choose to incorporate by proposing to the Premier (or someone else entrusted by the Premier for this purpose) a charter for democratic local governance. Pending the Premier's (or deputy's) approval of the charter, the now incorporated township, parish, or canton could govern itself in accordance with its charter. Examples of what an incorporated community could do include naming features within the community, designing a flag for the community, and proclaiming holidays.

It is important to note that this wouldn't be a federalization of the province. The incorporated communities would be totally subject to the provincial authorities, whose approval would be necessary for acts of the incorporated community to take effect. Provincial authorities could also amend, revoke, etc. any act of and incorporated community or event he charter itself.

In incorporated communities with just one resident (likely, the most common as stated above) the process of local governance wou;d be very simple. In incorporated communities with more that one resident, all the residents would constitute a local legislature, with one resident elected as leader, to facilitate this legislature, keep record of its acts, petition the provincial authorities for approval, etc. A community would not necessarily have to incorporate either. For example, if the townships of Saxony and Inkcone both had residents and were incorporated, the residents of both wouldn't necessarily have to incorporate Cone Parish. They might agree among themselves to do so, but they wouldn't have to.

I feel this arrangement would benefit the province by allowing detailed characteristics to develop with the provincial government itself having to act. Each citizen (or very small group of citizens) could develop pieces of the Vuodean history and culture in their own township of residence. I realize there may be a lot of hiccups to work out, but I do think it is worth considering.

Great ideas, and also it would be interesting if your province would support seasonal occasional non-residential spots in Vuode for those from other locations. 

Of note, anyone has the opportunity to claim 3x3 meters (approx 100 f^2) via an Act to secure Homesteads on the Isle of Cézembre and thus far there have been 12 grants to individuals and one grant to the Tourism office on this map
#62
This thread will be used for October 2023 public votes for Sénéchal and l'Etats de Cézembre

As per statue, the nomination process was set for 9-16 October.  The polling should have started yesterday (however I was traveling and could not get it completed) thus it starts now and must end by statute on 30 October.


Part 1: for Sénéchal

There is one candidate

1. @þerxh Sant-Enogat

You may vote for the candidate or vote present.

Part 2: for l'Etats de Cézembre

There are three candidates:

1. @Glüc da Dhi S.H. of the Moderate Radical Party of Cézembre (MRPC)

2. @þerxh Sant-Enogat of the Talossan National Congress [TNC]

3. @X. Pol Briga of the XPB party

You can vote present, or vote for one, two, or three candidates for l'Etats

HOW TO VOTE

PUBLIC: Voters will be able to vote on Wittenberg publicly in a single vote thread (THIS THREAD) created for casting votes on Wittenberg.  Voters may vote for a candidate for Part 1, or up to three candidates in Part 2, or vote PRESENT on or before 30 October, 2023 19:30 TST (UTC-5) (This corresponds to 19:30 in Milwaukee (WI), USA and 31 October 2023 02:30 CÉST Cézembre Time)

SECRET: Voters will receive by email a ballot from the Electionbuddy.com system by which they may cast their ballot in the same timeframe
#63
I will add the Moderate Radical Party of Cézembre (MRPC) along with your name to the election.

I am traveling back from out of state tomorrow and will try to setup election thread and email at the airport or on Wednesdays.
#64
Should anyone with standing wish to officially seek an injunction regarding my operations of the elections of the province, it would be appropriate to do so within the nomination period which expires in around 12 hours from now.

At the moment, there are only two declared entities for seats in l'Etats, and each entity there placed can only hold 6 seats out of the 20 total seats, so there is room for additional entities to declare their intent at parity of representation, or further subdivision should there be multiple more declarations and an election of some fashion held to promote the balance of that representation.
#65
Ok I tell you what, I declare that I am a party X Pol Briga, representing the X Pol Briga party and declare as candidate for l'Etats de Cézembre within the defined nomination period.   I am not a candidate for the next Sénéchal but as the acting, current Sénéchal and elected leader of Cezembre. I shall have the power to issue proclamations which have the force of law such as the proclamation of this election.

This will go along with the previous announcement of candidacy by þerxh Sant-Enogat.

I look forward to other declarations of candidacy in whatever form those entities see fit to do.  Should someone else desire to run the election I am happy to provide access to electionbuddy.com for secret balloting, but perhaps the primary place for votes should be within the forum in an election thread.  I have always voted in public and will continue to do so.
#66
This was a copy of the previous 2 elections, the more recent of which was announced at https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=2115.0

"party" has taken on a number of useful meanings, including "any of the people engaged in a formal legal proceeding," which dates from the early 14th century.

First noted in the 17th century is the sense of "an organized political group or faction"

I have followed the earlier definition.
#67
Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on October 09, 2023, 03:51:24 AM
Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on October 07, 2023, 06:07:05 PMFor the time being Im assuming there won't be a court case to challenge the results so you'll have to do with me as your senator.

Heh, looks like I spoke too soon.

Possibly, but I could file an amicus statement with that of Miestră Schivă, UrN posted in Hammond v Chancery if requested (I don't think I can until I am a party to that case.
#68
A PROCLAMATION OF THE OCTOBER 2023 ELECTION FOR L'ETATS DE CÉZEMBRE

This information mirrors information sent via email cezembrelandoffice@gmail.com to Cézembre citizens

As current Sénéchal I shall conduct the upcoming election for l'Etats de Cézembre according to existing law, and the administrative authority vested in this office.  I have invoked Article 8 of the constitution to hold local elections, and am updating the previous proper notice both in this forum and via email.  Cézembre election law is found within the Administrative Guide and various amendments quoted for reference after this proclamation.

The election for l'Etats shall proceed by nomination by name of any Cézembre citizen to serve in l'Etats.   Those citizens named as candidates may identify with no party, or one party, or multiple parties as they wish, however, votes shall be cast only for the name listed on the ballot which must be declared in the nomination period defined in the first week of the election period, with voting taking place in the second and third week of the election period.  These can be self nominations, or nominations by Cézembre citizens of other Cézembre citizens who subsequently affirm their intent to stand for election within the nomination period.

The times of the election based upon the constitution and the existing Chancery election to the Ziu shall establish the first week of nominations on October 9 19:30 TST (October 10 at 0230 CZT) until October 16 19:30 TST (October 17 at 0230 CZT) and the election October 17-31 (November 1 at 0230 CZT).  Candidates are encouraged to make their self-nominations known even prior to the election in this thread, or via email, and as early as possible within the nomination period to assist in the balloting process.  Those who nominate someone else should communicate their wishes to the nominee such that the candidate may affirm their standing within the nomination period.

The election will take place in an official voting thread, or via the electionbuddy.com system which has been tested and found satisfactory and conformant to the requirements of the constitution, or via email, or telephone, or postal mail as any individual Cézembre citizen may desire when the official ballot is issued. (Note: electionbuddy can be used without cost for up to 20 voters, and the current population of Cézembre is currenty 16.)

Those who wish to raise questions with this proclamation are advised to bring said questions to this Wittenberg thread before the end of the nomination period.  This will be the place for any adjustment of the process, however, those not satisfied may seek relief via Cort Pü Inalt as per Article 19 & 20 of the CAG.  This proclamation, after ratification by the Governor-General also will be sent via email to those who do not participate in these forums for response.

X. Pol Briga a.k.a. xpb

Specific references to the CÉZEMBREAN ADMINISTRATION GUIDE (hereinafter CAG) follow with full document found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XCY--bYdWUBIhpNAARCSMt56yNcuJtbb/view?usp=sharing

Constitution of the Sovereign Province of Cézembre
From Article 1.  ...Cézembre is an autonomous and self-governing...

From Article 7. ...l'Etats shall consist of no more and no less than twenty (20) seats.
Seats in l'Etats de Cézembre can only be assigned to citizens of Cézembre. Citizens may hold more than one seat, but no more than six. One seat cannot be divided among nor assigned to more than one citizen.

From Article 8 ... The Sénéchal (or the Governor-General in case the Sénéchal has been absent
for more than one week) may request the chancery not to conduct those elections in no less than one week before balloting day. If the Sénéchal (or Governor-General) makes such a request, the Sénéchal (or the Governor-General) shall conduct the elections in accordance with provincial election laws and rules.

Article 11. Le Sénéchal shall be the elected leader of Cezembre. Le Sénéchal shall have the power to issue proclamations which have the force of law. These proclamations may be appealed or amended as regular laws. These proclamations may not act as acts of attainders or any activity prohibited by the Organic Law (with regards to Prime Dictats). These proclamations must be counter-signed by the Governor-General (or the King, in case of, by lack of appointment or by long-term absence, a Governor-General).

Article 14. Elections as described by article 10 will take, no less and no longer than 3 weeks. Cézembrians must announce their candidacy in the first week of the election and polls shall open on the first day of the 2nd week and close on the last day of the third week.

Article 15. Elections, as described in articles 10 and 11 will start no earlier than one week and no later than two weeks after the election deadline of Talossan general elections or after a resolution has been approved by a majority of the l'Etats de Cézembre removing the previous
Sénéchal or should the Sénéchal, resign, die or be unable to fulfill his duties for any reason.
#69
Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on October 07, 2023, 06:07:05 PMSo first of all many thanks to @xpb for organising the election.

And also thanks to the Cézembreans who voted for me. I know there was no other choice, but I appreciate the support anyway.

It's unfortunate that there weren't any other candidates, especially since I am not too motivated by current politics myself and I might not be the best senator at the moment because of that. @þerxh Sant-Enogat would have been a great candidate of course, even more because of his activity at the provincial level and connection to our island, but unfortunately in this case the limitations set by the Organic Law prevented that.



I am somewhat uneasy about the election however, because according to our constitution the election should be conducted by the chancery if no provincial statutes exist. This appears to have been the case. I think this is a good thing because the alternative is for the sénéchal to basically invent the rules themselves (as happened in this case by choosing fptp when both chancery conducted elections and previous statute-based elections used irv).

This is not to diminish the appreciation for the work xpb has done. He has put great effort into calling for candidates and setting everything up and I don't doubt his integrity. Also he has kept provincial activity going when nobody else could be bothered. However, I don't think it is correct for one person to unilaterally choose the election rules, which is what happens when there aren't any (valid) rules in place, which is why the constitution says the chancery should be requested to conduct the election in that case.

I apologise for being so late too voice this concern. I suppose I couldn't be bothered to argue about it earlier. For now it is probably a moot point and I dont think it would have affected the outcome with only one declared candidate.

For next time maybe l'Etats should maybe pass a bill to clarify that no laws are in place and therefore the Chancery should in accordance with the constitution be requested to conduct senate elections. (Or write a law to conduct the elections ourselves, but I personally wouldnt be in favour of that since Chancery elections have been well organised and tend to have higher turnout than provincially conducted elections. Provincial activity has been quite low for a while but Cézembreans still have an interest in being represented at the national level.)



For the time being Im assuming there won't be a court case to challenge the results so you'll have to do with me as your senator. As promised I intend to read and vote on every bill. If anyone has any questions about my views feel free to ask. Also if anyone has opinions on legislation before the senate feel free to contact me. I can't promise I will change my vote accordingly but I will always try to carefully consider the arguments made.

Thanks for the notes on this.  I attempted to interpret the existing law, but perhaps failed in complete understanding.  I was trying to run the simplest election possible without the problems that have occurred in other provinces.  I should have just said one candidate is sufficient to be elected if they get one vote, which occurred.
#70
I think we can just agree to disagree on this concept.
#71
Quote from: Ian Plätschisch on October 05, 2023, 05:12:46 PM
Quote from: xpb on October 05, 2023, 04:57:20 PM
Quote from: Ian Plätschisch on October 05, 2023, 03:59:31 PM
Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on October 05, 2023, 08:59:21 AMI do not think it's a good idea to start the term by reducing the powers of the king.
This bill does not reduce any of the King's powers

It would seem to reduce the King's powers to appoint a Cunstavál for any duration
There is no limit to the amount of times a Cunstaval could be reappointed.

If we are really concerned about overburdening the King by requiring reappointments once every three years, perhaps he should retire.

Your argument tries to deflect the actual core concept -- that the King (or Queen) has the power to appoint for a day or indefinitely, as they alone should see fit to do.
#72
Quote from: Ian Plätschisch on October 05, 2023, 03:59:31 PM
Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on October 05, 2023, 08:59:21 AMI do not think it's a good idea to start the term by reducing the powers of the king.
This bill does not reduce any of the King's powers

It would seem to reduce the King's powers to appoint a Cunstavál for any duration
#73
Report of the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue for the period 31 Mar 2023 to 03 Oct 2023.

(i) Balances of Treasury accounts:

ℓ832.21 ($1,248.25) Kingdom of Talossa savings account at Ally.com bank currently earning 4.25% APY,
held in trust by Istefan Perþonest with third party administration by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue X. Pol Briga.

ℓ31.06 ($46.60) Kingdom of Talossa checking account at Ally.com bank, held in trust by
Istefan Perþonest with third party administration by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue X. Pol Briga

ℓ264.80 ($397.00) Kingdom of Talossa online account at Paypal.com for online transactions via stamps@talossa.com
Held in trust by Istefan Perþonest with third party administration by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue X. Pol Briga

TOTAL ℓ1128.46 ($1691.85)

(ii) Non-cash tangible assets:

0¤20 Stamps:
2500 were printed (date UNKNOWN). An uncounted coil is now in possession of current Burgermeister with some damage in transit including lost stamps stuck together from improper packaging.
Number of stamps in circulation = UNKNOWN [12 JAN 2020 was 652] there was no report generated between 12 JAN 2020 and 31 MAR 2023.  From 18 MAR 2023 to 03 AUG 2023 there were purchases of 14 stamps, and one stamp was affixed to the exterior of each shipment along with USA postage
Nominal value of stamps in circulation = UNKNOWN [12 JAN 2020 was 217¤20 ($326.00)] no report generated until 31 MAR 2023
Nominal value of unsold stamps = UNKNOWN [12 JAN 2020 was ℓ616 ($924.00)]
Number of unsold stamps held = UNKNOWN [12 JAN 2020 was 1,848]

ℓ5 Coins:
333 minted as per previous report. Current Burgermeister has possession of 192.  They were improperly packed for shipment in loose in a recycled package, along with the stamps.

Number of coins in circulation = UNKNOWN [12 JAN 2020 was 105] there have been 15 coins sold since 18 Mar 2023 for a total of 120, added to the 192 in the treasury is 305, thus 21 are not accounted for.
Nominal value of coins in circulation = UNKNOWN [12 JAN 2020 was ℓ525 ($787.50)] plus the 15 known sold is ℓ600 ($900) with ℓ105 unaccounted for and presumed lost.

Nominal value of unsold coins in the treasury = ℓ580 ($1470)
Number of unsold coins held = 192 [12 JAN 2020 was reported 228] with 15 sold is 207, with the difference of 21 not accounted for, which is 10 less than the count attributable to the original minting number reported.

NOTE: that expenses for postage have been donated by the Burgermeister to fulfill items through 3 October (approximate contribution $50 overall). 
There was one shipment made internationally that has not been received nor returned which is under investigation.

(iii) Report of income and expenditure 31 Mar to 03 Oct 2023

Previous requests to purchase stamps and coins have been fulfilled to as early as 18 Mar 2023 to include those made on March 18 and March 23 in the previous report

EXPENSE               Gross   Fee   Net
4/26/2023   The Voices Project   -$50.00   $0.00   -$50.00
6/16/2023   NameSilo, LLC      -$54.27   $0.00   -$54.27  (later refunded)
9/11/2023   R S      -$ 5.00   $0.00   -$ 5.00  (refund for spurious Senate fee)

      TOTAL         -$109.27
            
INCOME               Gross   Fee   Net
5/1/2023   Our Commonwealth Inc      $25.00   -$1.34   $23.66
5/1/2023   Our Commonwealth Inc      $5.00   -$0.34   $4.66
5/23/2023   Printify, Inc         $10.20   $0.00   $10.20
5/23/2023   A D      $10.00   -$0.59   $9.41
6/1/2023   J M      $25.75   -$1.37   $24.38
6/1/2023   E H      $10.55   -$0.62   $9.93
6/6/2023   J C      $5.00   -$0.34   $4.66
7/17/2023   P V d E      $6.00   -$0.48   $5.52
7/25/2023   NameSilo, LLC         $9.95   $0.00   $9.95 refund
7/25/2023   NameSilo, LLC         $9.95   $0.00   $9.95 refund
7/25/2023   NameSilo, LLC         $11.79   $0.00   $11.79 refund
7/25/2023   NameSilo, LLC         $11.79   $0.00   $11.79 refund
7/25/2023   NameSilo, LLC         $10.79   $0.00   $10.79 refund
8/30/2023   City Design & Graphics      $21.00   -$1.14   $19.86
8/30/2023   City Design & Graphics      $2.00   -$0.19   $1.81
8/31/2023   R S         $5.00   -$0.41   $4.59
9/9/2023          R S         $10.00   -$0.74   $9.26
9/22/2023   D T               $10.00   -$0.30   $9.70
10/2/2023   C W                $5.00   -$0.15   $4.85
10/2/2023   D L         $10.00   -$0.45   $9.55
10/2/2023   M P-C             $5.00   -$0.22   $4.78
            
      TOTAL         $211.09

#74
l'Etats / Call for Cézembre Referenda
October 02, 2023, 09:37:40 AM
l'Etats shall consider referenda from the body or as brought to the body by citizens in the week between the general election and leading up to the Cézembrean election beginning 9 October as per the Cézembrean Administrative Guide.