So I no longer see the Discord "Shoutbox" at the bottom of the Witt home screen; I get the attached screenshot.

I've pointed this out to STUFF before, Eddie says he can't see anything wrong on his end, but I kept force-reloading and I can't seem to get it to change. Anyone else getting this?

The 55th Cosa was just officially opened. Unfortunately for whatever reason, I couldn't see the Speech from the Throne from my end; but since it was pre-recorded, I'm pretty sure this transcript is accurate. The Leader of the Opposition gave a firm rebuttal (and was dressed better than I was), which I hope he'll post in text form too. Props to the Túischac'h for organising it.

===

To our trusty and well-beloved Senators and Members of the Cosă, greeting.

It gives us the greatest pleasure to open the 55th Cosă of the Kingdom of Talossa. We commend all the new Members of the Ziu on their election, and look forward to working together on legislation which will help Talossa thrive and flourish for the coming six months.
We congratulate Miestra Schiva on being elected Seneschal for a third term by the Cosă. Despite our many political differences, we have established a strong working relationship with Dama Miestra for the preceding two terms, and we look forward to our relationship going forward on a platform of mutual respect.

We also congratulate the members of the incoming Cabinet: S:reux Grischün, Börnatfiglheu, dal Vál, Nouacastra, and Davinescù. It gives us great pleasure to formally appoint them to the posts chosen for them by the Seneschál.

After the major changes to the Organic Law of the last two Cosă terms, we are satisfied to announce that the incoming Government will concentrate on initiatives and legal reforms which will improve the day-to-day functioning of Talossa, and encourage activity from all citizens, whether they support the governing parties or not.

We commend in particular the incoming Minister of STUFF, S:reu Grischün, for "hitting the ground running" in his portfolio. Not only has he already launched the Second Talossan Activity Survey, but he has massively revamped our official national website, bringing it up-to-date and enacting measures that will keep it so. We are currently in discussions with him about handing over several Talossa-related domain names, currently in our personal possession, to the Government.

Our government will continue the process of going through our statute law, El Lexhatx, and reforming or repealing archaic or inoperative provisions. A smaller Lexhatx is a good Lexhatx; too many prescriptive laws do not serve to motivate apathetic Governments, and only hinder the initiative of active Governments.

Our Ministry of Culture will prioritise "games and competitions", as per the last National Survey, and other "fun" Talossanity. The government will provide prizes and trophies for privately and publicly organized competitions, and create additional, easy-to-participate competitions. There will be at least one art show of non-digital Talossan art, with possible prizes to be funded.

We will also prioritise translations of important State texts into ár glheþ naziunál and working with SIGN to publish a revised official Grammar of the Talossan language. The Culture Ministry will work with the Defence Ministry and the Zuavs on increasing rewards for use of the Talossan language, and explore with the Chancery the possibility of banner advertisements for Talossan endeavours on Wittenberg.
Our Ministry of Finance will commit to increasing our national income by starting a Voluntary Donations campaign, with a pre-determined goal. We will investigate further avenues to sell our coins and stamps. Among the initiatives we will examine for feasibility will be: naming a Registered Agent for Talossa in the State of Wisconsin, to enable Talossa to own online and other property as an Unincorporated Association under Wisconsin law; and a digital version of Talossan currency that can be bought with macronational currency, and used for trade between Talossans, to complement our current coins.

One recurring problem in Talossa in recent years has been, on one hand, too many offices with not enough people to fill them; and on the other hand, citizens with talent and enthusiasm becoming bored and alienated through not having a chance to do a "Talossan job" which engages them and helps their nation. Our government will use the newly-established Talossan Job Centre to fill vacancies in the Talossan governing apparatus, and to fit interested citizens to appropriate jobs. We will also examine a governmental services procurement system, featuring guidelines by which non-Talossans may be found to perform certain Government jobs for which no Talossans are available, for whose performance the relevant Minister will be accountable. This latter is particularly important in the realm of "information technology" and web administration, where qualified citizens are all too rare and often over-burdened.

The Interior Ministry, and the new Permanent Secretary of Immigration, will use the New Citizens' Information Packet being developed by STUFF, and other online resources such as the New Talossan History Project, to make sure prospective and new citizens have all the information they need to fully participate in Talossan life. They will also use all other means to engage new citizens and inactive citizens returning to Talossan life. This may include using the Job Centre to find appropriate tasks for enthusiastic new citizens. The question of whether the currently-inactive New Citizens' Coterie will be restarted is still being examined.

The Ministry of Justice, meanwhile, has a mandate to examine proposals for fundamental reforms of our Organic and Statute law. We shall set up two Ziu committees with equal Govt/Opposition representation with a mandate to produce reports, including proposed legislation if appropriate, on possible legal and constitutional reforms. One committee will deal with possible reforms to the Ziu, including the Cosă's size, electoral system and ways of assigning seats; the possibility of a unicameral Ziu; and moving responsibility for the Clark from the Chancery to the Mençéi and the Tuíschac'h. The other will deal with questions of judicial reform. This might include: removing Wisconsin law from el Lexhatx in favour of an indigenous equivalent; moving to an inquisitorial rather than adversarial Cort system; moving to a civil law rather than a common law system. In addition to all this, the Minister of Justice will be going through El Lexhatx to make sure all references to other sections of the Lexhatx and to the Organic Law are up to date, especially following the "Still Into This" Amendment enacted last year.

Our Foreign Ministry will prioritise active engagement with the micronational community, seeking cultural exchanges and friendship with other Talossa-like entities, as opposed to non-serious "bug nations". Meanwhile, our Defence Ministry  shall prioritise the activities of the Zuavs, including naming a new Capitan, and increasing rewards for use of the Talossan language. We also take great pleasure in announcing our interest in re-starting "BEER", Talossa's now-defunct rocketry/aeronautics/space programme, for which the incoming Deputy Minister, Munditenens Tresplet MC, shall take primary responsibility.

The governing parties have already introduced a raft of legislative proposals into the Hopper. We shall watch their progress with interest, and we hope to offer timely feedback on any improvements that might come to our attention.

To conclude, we offer our heartiest sympathies to all Talossans whose lives have been touched by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our Government stands ready to enact a Solidarity Fund to support any Talossans who have found themselves in financial peril due to the effects of this ghastly disease. The safety and health of the Talossan people is the primary concern of this State.

Once again, we offer our best wishes to all Talossans, and we hope that the 55th Cosă will be the most productive in a long time; and that it will preside over a flowering of activity in our ImagiNation.

¡Så vivadra Talossa!

Based on my brief conversation with the Túischac'h at the State Opening of Parliament, I can now declare that I think it imperative that we have regular live audio chats using the Talossan language because, without that, no-one apart from we language nerds who can read IPA have clue one how it's actually supposed to sound.

Ziscutetz.

At the request of the Regent, the SIGN convenor whipped up this handy template of key words and phrases for Government work. Enjoy.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH the recent Government statement on the Regency, summarised as follows:

• The King of Talossa, Ián I of the House of Lupúl, has for years frustrated successive elected Governments and Ziu majorities with his lack of consultation, his unpredictable use of the legislative veto, and his "surprise attacks" on his political opponents, such as the veto which caused the Proclamation Crisis;


• In recent terms, this has been compounded by simple inactivity;


• His surprise decision to appoint a Regent follows more than 2 months of inactivity, consequent upon the Ziu and people of Talossa endorsing Organic Law amendments removing his right to name the Seneschál and to pass the throne on in his hereditary line;


• This can succinctly, if colloquially, be construed as "a sulk, followed by a rage-quit";


• He decided without consultation to appoint a Regent who - notwithstanding his competence or performance so far in the role - was guaranteed to outrage the opinion of the Government and Ziu majority;


• All these render him no longer a fit and proper person to be Head of State of Talossa, much less one with a life-long term;

BE IT ENACTED THAT the Ziu of Talossa hereby "legislatively decapitates" King John I, by amending Organic Law II.3 to read as follows:

QuoteThe role of King of Talossa is currently vacant, and until further amendment of this Organic Law, all the powers of the King of Talossa shall be held by the Uppermost Cort, including the right to appoint a Regent or a Council of Regency as described in II.5 below.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH the recent Government statement on the Regency;

AND IN THE UNDERSTANDING THAT the issue here is the King's signal disrespect to the Ziu in making this appointment without warning or consultation, rather than any fault in the Regent;

AND IN THE UNDERSTANDING THAT this bill is being Hoppered so that it may be Clarked and and when necessary, that being in the case of irretrievable breakdown between the Regent and the Government/Ziu majority;

AND IN THE UNDERSTANDING THAT the details of any such breakdown will be included in this Preamble before any Clarking;

BE IT ENACTED by the Ziu of Talossa that, in accordance with Organic Law II.5, Sir Alexandreu Davinescù is removed from the position of Regent of the Kingdom of Talossa.

WHEREAS the King has long held the following domain names on behalf of the nation, viz:

• kingdomoftalossa.net
• kingdomoftalossa.com
• kingdomoftalossa.org
• talossa.net
• talossan.com

AND WHEREAS the Lannister Act (50RZ31) made the first of these the official property of the Kingdom, whose registrant was to be reimbursed for this by the State;

AND WHEREAS the King has previously shared this duty with the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue, who pays for our webhosting which currently includes the domain name talossa.com;

AND WHEREAS the King has graciously decided to relinquish not only kingdomoftalossa.net, but all the other domain names above, to the direct control of the State;

AND WHEREAS the cost of adding these domain names to the Kingdom's current webhosting at DeRoyal Servers is $US 79.75;

AND WHEREAS there is no provision for this fee in the 54th Cosă budget, and this fee cannot wait for the new Budget to be approved;

AND WHEREAS El Lexhatx D.2.1.9 provides as follows:

Quote2.1.9. Emergency Spending. During times when any budgeted funds have been exhausted, when no budget has been approved due to rejection by the Ziu, lack of the Financial Report or dissolution of the Cosa without action on a budget; the Prime Minister may issue a Prime Dictate to provide only for emergency spending, but may not act to cause withdrawal of funds from the Royal Treasury to fulfill the terms of any Prime Dictate unless and until the King has explicitly assented to the Prime Dictate.

THEREFORE I, Miestră Antôniă Patriciasefiglhă Schivă, Seneschál of the Kingdom of Talossa, issue the following Prime Dictate under the provisions of Organic Law VI.4:

The expenditure of seventy-nine dollars and seventy-five cents in United States dollars ($US79.75) in favour of DeRoyal Servers for transfer of registration of the domain names listed above is authorised.

The following statement, issued by the Seneschál, has been endorsed by a majority of the Government of Talossa with no objections. We are grateful to members of the Free Democrats of Talossa for their input into this draft.

It is proper to first issue congratulations to Sir Alexandreu Davinescù for his appointment as Regent, or as I call it, "Temporary Bogus Head of State"; the pinnacle of a long Talossan career full of interest and variety. Some people have monarchy thrust upon them, it appears.

That said, it is now also proper to announce that this is the proverbial last straw. John Woolley has committed an act of irresponsible constitutional vandalism. Clearly upset at the results of the recent referenda, which removed both the hereditary aspect of the  monarchy and his right to choose the Seneschál, King John has decided to effectively "rage-quit".

An honest abdication, however, would not have given him the right to choose his successor; so he has taken the current path, of handing over his power – without any prior consultation and warning - to the person most calculated to irritate the majority in the Ziu. A person who recently committed an act of vandalism on the Organic Law to make a political point. A person who advised the current Seneschal: "It probably would be a bit helpful if you resigned and became inactive". We can only interpret this as a middle finger of truly epic proportions to the Ziu majority.

Historical parallels to this event include:

• King Robert I's appointment of M. Carbonèl, at that time the least popular person in Talossa, as Seneschál during the Hallowe'en Crisis of late 2003, precisely because he was the candidate whom his opponents wanted the least. (See G. Valcádac'h, A Nation Sundered, pp. 42ff);
• The infamous "Bob Fights Ticket" of 1988, a party whose goal was to restore Robert I to the Throne at the same time as making his worst enemy, Robert Murphy, Seneschál. The initiators of that party clearly felt that "funny fights" were a good thing to have in Talossa. I disagree and always have. (See R. Ben Madison, Ár Päts, p.47).

We might also remember the lines from the Provincial Anthem of Vuode: "L'Apîntat o fäts'ci qët o volt, / Contrâ bhen és contrâ tradiziuns" (http://wiki.talossa.com/%27N_Regeu_Xhust), and pray to Allà that they do not come true for us.

The Appointee, as the legal Temporary Bogus Head of State, will of course have our full co-operation in the day-to-day business of governing. However, it is with heavy heart we warn the Nation that we are not confident that this co-operation will be reciprocated, in particular in the legislative arena..

The Government has in the past had issues with the King on his wanton and unannounced use of the royal legislative veto. Judging by recent debates on Wittenberg - where the now-Regent has assembled a laundry list of ways he thinks that the current Attorney-General wrote the recent Organic Law reforms wrongly - we fear that this state of affairs may continue, or even get worse, under the Regency.
(Parenthetically: it's not known whether the Appointee knew the appointment was coming while he made this thread. If he did, it would be a masterpiece of trolling, to rile up members of the Government with criticisms of their legal drafting skills, and - after they react with various degrees of irritation or dismissal - to pull an ace out of one's sleeve: "Don't like my suggestions? Well, guess what? I now have veto power over new legislation! LOL AT YOU". A top "own", as they say on social media. Not conducive to civil peace or cordial relationships, however.)

If the worst fears of the Government with regards to the Regency were to come true, the Regent would:

• build on his work in the recent Wittenberg thread to find ways to use any possible infelicities of legal language, in order to obstruct the Government's platform and to embarrass the Attorney-General in particular.
• use the legislative veto like a flamethrower, and, following the King's example, without warning. Again, the agenda would be to embarrass and infuriate the Government, rather than to improve the quality of legislation.

When news of the Regency arose, the nightmare scenario which arose in the minds of the Government was a return to the dark days of 2002-2005, where the King waged a form of "cold civil war" against the Ziu majority in an admitted effort to drive his political enemies out. Imagine a Regent leading a full-fledged campaign of sabotage, trolling and provocation against the Ziu majority, with the admitted or covert agenda of upsetting, frustrating and infuriating Government MZs/ministers to the point where they would, actually,"resign and become inactive".

These might seem harsh or even paranoid suspicions. And, let's be fair - the Regent has done nothing to substantiate them in his first 24 hours. He has, in fact, adequately performed the traditional functions of the constitutional monarch - "the rights to be consulted, to encourage, and to warn" - with regard to transfer of the national domain names. He is to be commended for this.

But let's not kid ourselves. Every single Talossan, and the dogs in the street in Vuode Province, know this: the King of Talossa, without consultation or warning, chose a Regent whom he knew was calculated to cause maximum annoyance to the Government.

I consider it unlikely that John Woolley will be coming back soon, if at all, as long as his Regent remains in power. If things go badly, if the Regent does decide on a test of strength with the Ziu majority, the coming year(s?) in Talossa will be as unpleasant as we've ever known. Sensible Talossans will flee from the constant fighting and abuse, or give up in disgust, while the King watches from a distance and smirks at his revenge on his political adversaries. But even in the very best case scenario - if Sir Alexandreu performs his new role with the grace and honesty of which we know he is capable - the way he got it was (though legal) massively disrespectful to the nation.

I, the Seneschál, am a Talossan Republican, while other members of the Cabinet support a constitutional monarchy which abstains from politics. But we are united in the idea that Talossa belongs to all Talossans, that the role of Head of State is in the gift of the people, not of the incumbent. In contrast, the way the Regency was established shows that John Woolley considers Talossa to be his personal property, to be handed off to his trusted friends when he can't be bothered fulfilling his functions. And, under the current constitution, he's right. Let's fix that.

The question is no longer one of 'republic vs monarchy', in the abstract. The question is: should Talossa's government be directed by a majority mandate from the people, albeit with constitutional safeguards to protect minority rights? Or does Talossa "belong" to the most conservative, resentful people in the nation; the people who grabbed power in 2005-2012 and think it's their personal property, rather than a trust given by the nation; the people who would destroy social peace rather than lose their veto power over our future?

The Government pledges:

• That John Woolley will never resume the powers of the monarchy of Talossa, if we have anything to say about it. He has rage-sulked at the recent Organic Law reforms, and this appointment is his revenge on Talossa, on the majority of Talossan electors who decided to limit his powers. While the Government will bow to the wishes of the majority as to whether to retain the Monarchy, time is up for its incumbent. We intend to continue with our plans to hold a Ranked-Choice Referendum on Talossa's constitutional situation, and - even if the people of Talossa choose to preserve the monarchy - we will find a replacement for John Woolley as our permanent head of state. We should warn the Regent that, should he veto the bill authorising this referendum, the Government will skip directly to introducing our own preferred constitutional reform.
  
• That despite all that, as long as Sir Alexandreu Davinescù is legally exercising the powers of the Head of State of Talossa, we will engage with him in good faith, and make a "No First Strike" pledge of a sort. We at least owe him the chance of demonstrating that he is capable of growing into the role, that he can treat his political opponents with respect. Nevertheless, as a warning shot, we will Hopper a bill under Organic Law II.5 to "legislatively decapitate" the Regent. Assuming the Regent uses his veto power (an excellent assumption), to pass this bill would require the co-operation of the minority in the Cosa. That said, the Leader of the Opposition is capable of recognizing vandalism and trolling-as-a-governing-strategy when he sees it, and we trust his judgment if the Regent oversteps his bounds.

¡Så vivadra Talossa! ¡Så vivadra Talossa, liveradă és democrätic!

Estimadăs és estimats citaxhiens, I draw your attention to El Lexhatx H.1.1.:

QuoteFollowing each General Election there shall be an official "State Opening of the Cosa". At the start of the State Opening, the new Seneschal shall be sworn to the office publicly. The Sovereign shall then deliver a speech outlining the Government's legislative agenda and programme for the term. The contents of this speech shall be communicated to the Sovereign by the incoming Seneschal prior to the ceremony. The Seneschal may announce Cabinet Ministers during the ceremony. A rebuttal by the Leader of the Opposition shall follow, which may be followed by a further rebuttal by the leader of the third largest party. When practical, the State Opening shall be held during an official Living Cosă for which food and drink shall be featured and as many Talossans as possible shall be invited to attend.

I have the pleasure to announce that the Government has set the State Opening of the 55th Cosă for Saturday, October 24th, TST. We hope to confirm that date with His Majesty, and we are working on the content of the Speech from the Throne.

Questions? Comments?

In accordance with El Lexhatx D.2.8.1.2 as it currently exists:

Quote2.8.1.2. The Finance Minister with the assistance of the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue shall deliver a Financial Report at the end of each Cosa term. This Report shall be required to contain the following information: (38RZ15)

                2.8.1.2.1. the amount, location, liquidity, and availability of all funds held by or for the Royal Treasury,

                2.8.1.2.2. a detailed list of all changes in the account balances of the Royal Treasury since the last Report,

                2.8.1.2.3. a balance sheet which clearly lists all expenses linking them to the relative sheet items in the budget bills approved in the Cosa,

                2.8.1.2.4. the investment policy that is will be pursued by the Ministry of Finance for any amount of the Treasury that has been budgeted by the Ziu for use in investment,

                2.8.1.2.5. the current valuation of the louis with respect to other foreign currency,

                2.8.1.2.6. the total amount of louise and postal items in circulation.

I present the following Financial Report from the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue.

---

Funds:
$1,072.72 Kingdom of Talossa savings account, held in trust by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue Istefan Perþonest.
$   39.37 Kingdom of Talossa checking account, held in trust by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue Istefan Perþonest.
$   53.25 Kingdom of Talossa PayPal account for online transactions (treasury@talossa.com)
-----------
$1,165.34 Total Funds balance

Non-cash assets:
$329.00 Nominal value of 658 0¤20 stamps in circulation
$921.00 Nominal value of 1,842 unsold 0¤20 stamps held by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue
$802.50 Nominal value of 107 ℓ5 coins in circulation
$1,695.00 Nominal value of 226 unsold ℓ5 coins held by Burgermeister of Inland Revenue

Changes to total treasury balance since January 12, 2020
$1,169.06 Total funds balance, January 12, 2020

    $2.50 Sale of 4 stamps
   -$0.18 PayPal Fee
   
   $10.00 Party Registration Fee
   -$0.70 PayPal Fee
   
    $5.00 Donation in lieu of Senate fee
   -$0.38 PayPal Fee
   
    $5.00 Donation
   -$0.38 PayPal Fee
   
   $10.00 Party Registration Fee
   
  -$69.20 Payment for Webhosting (as provided for in the 54th Cosă Budget)
 
    $1.50 Sale of 2 stamps
   -$0.13 PayPal Fee

   $10.00 Party Registration Fee
   -$0.55 PayPal Fee
   
   $10.50 Sale of 2 ℓcoins
   -$0.58 PayPal Fee
   
    $5.00 Donation
   -$0.30 PayPal Fee
   
   -$1.65 Cost of postage for stamp and coin sales
    $1.65 Donation of cost of postage for stamp and coin sales.

$ 0.00 Cumulative interest paid on checking account
$ 9.18 Cumulative interest paid on savings account
---------
$1165.34 Total Funds balance, September 25, 2020.

---

FURTHERMORE, as of September 27 2020, the current value of the Louis against other currencies is as follows:

United States Dollar   USD   1.50
Canadian Dollar           CAD         2.01
Euro                           EUR   1.29
Pound Sterling           GBP        1.18
Swiss Franc                   CHF   1.39
Australian Dollar           AUD   2.13
New Zealand Dollar    NZD   2.29
Japanese Yen                   JPY       158.31
Chinese Yuan                   RMB      10.23
Saudi Riyal                 SAR   5.62
Mexican Peso            MXN   33.52
South Korean Won          KRW    1762.41

Investment Policy
FURTHERMORE, His Majesty's Government hereby directs the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue to invest all held funds into an interest-bearing savings account unless or until otherwise directed or advised by act of the Ziu.

Under the Provisions of Article VIII Section 4 of the Organic Law of the Kingdom of Talossa, BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosă and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu Assembled that @Istefan Perþonest is nominated as Puisne Justice of the Uppermost Cort of Talossa.

The Cabinet Code of Conduct, endorsed by the incoming cabinet this very week, reads in part:

QuoteCabinet members will also strive to conduct themselves professionally while interacting with the general
public and/or other officers of State while exercising their functions.

It is my judgement, as Seneschál, that Attorney-General Açafat dal Val has not been upholding this commitment when replying to (admittedly sharp, and in some cases unfounded) criticism from Opposition figures and members of the public, re: the Cabinet decision to withdraw our support for naming Sir A. Davinescù to the Uppermost Cort.

Further, the Code says:

QuoteThe Seneschál is responsible for upholding this Code of Conduct, and shall publicly warn any violators.

I am doing so.

I will conclude by saying that I admire the Attorney-General's energy and enthusiasm and Talossan patriotism; I hope we can put the current unpleasantness behind us and move on to great things in the rest of this term.

Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on September 22, 2020, 04:59:12 PM
he did use his sockpuppets to vote, engage in political arguments, attack political opponents and in one case pretend to support a party he didnt like in a way that made the sockpuppet (and thus the party) look like a complete tool.

Perhaps its true he was just trying to see how much he could get away with. I think its very likely he was also motivated by partisan interest.

This is a tendentious rewriting of history. ESB's sock puppets - inc. Benedict Stamford - personally attacked me in a way that makes AD's sniping look like friendly banter. A strange way to go about it if he wanted to help the ZRT win. Of course most of the socks voted ZRT, but that surely comes under "supporting a party in such a way that made the party look like a complete tool", as you say.

In any case, this is why we should have a paragraph on the ESB Affair in the New Talossan History Project. Maybe you should write, Glüc?

WHEREAS as the incoming Minister of Finance it is my duty to review the sections of law that relate to my office;

AND WHEREAS in doing so, I found the whole thing is something of a mess;

AND WHEREAS the current law provides that the Financial Report from the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue is due at "the end of each Cosa term" (Lex D.2.8.1.2), and that is not what has been happening, and that needs to be cleared up;

AND WHEREAS for some reason it's the Seneschál's job to write the Budget rather than the Finance Minister's, in which case what do we have a Finance Minister for anyway,

AND WHEREAS of course the Seneschál can step in to do any Cabinet Minister's job anyway (Lex D.1.1.3);

AND WHEREAS Lex D.2.9., the Corporations Law, has never, ever been used and would be better replaced by something simple and effective;

AND WHEREAS, as I have mentioned elsewhere, I oppose compulsory Seneschál's reports as a waste of time and energy, and an excuse for inactivity by the Opposition who should be getting this information via Terpelaziuns;

AND WHEREAS, once again, a shorter Lexhatx is a better Lexhatx;

BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosa and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu assembled that:

1. El Lexhatx Sections D.2.1.1-D.2.1.3, which currently read as follows:

Quote2.1.1. The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Talossa is directed to issue a report every two months, detailing actions taken by his or her office and appointed Ministers. The first report of a new Prime Minister will be delivered within the first month of taking office, and subsequent reports will be issued no less often than every two months thereafter. If possible reports will be posted in the primary forum, rather virtual or physical, however, they must emailed to all citizens immediately after their completion. (39RZ16)

        2.1.2. A blog may be set up for the Prime Minister to post the report on instead of, or in addition to, the other requirements for distribution stated above

        2.1.3. Each report must be issued no sooner than the first day of the month in which it is due to be filed, and no later than the last day of said month. If the Prime Minister is unable to file such a report by the deadlines specified above, he or she may delegate the task to the Distain or other member of the government, provided that their signature, as well as that of the Prime Minister, are affixed to the report.

are deleted in their enterity.

2. El Lexhatx Sections D.2.1.5-D.2.1.11, which give the Seneschál responsibility for presenting the Budget, are deleted in their entirety, to be re-inserted (with some amendments) as provided below.

3. El Lexhatx Section D.2.1.4:

QuoteThe Ziu strongly urges the current and future Prime Ministers of Talossa to use the power of the Prime Dictate with caution and respect, limiting its usage to memorials, congratulatory notices, internal Government organization, executive policy clarification, and other appropriate and limited governmental matters, and leave legislation solely for democratic consideration by the whole Ziu.

is retained, and renumbered Section D.2.1.1.

4. El Lexhatx D.2.8.1.2 is amended to read as follows, in its entirety:

QuoteThe Finance Minister with the assistance of the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue shall deliver a Financial Report at the same time as the Budget for each Cosa. This Report shall be required to contain the following information:

                2.8.1.2.1. the amount, location, liquidity, and availability of all funds held by or for the Royal Treasury,

                2.8.1.2.2. a detailed list of all changes in the account balances of the Royal Treasury since the last Report,

                2.8.1.2.3. a balance sheet which clearly lists all expenses linking them to the relative sheet items in the budget bills approved in the Cosa,

                2.8.1.2.4. the total amount of louise and postal items in circulation.

5. The following new sections of El Lexhatx are added:

Quote2.8.3. The Minister of Finance (or, if the Minister of Finance is not a Member of the Cosa, an MC designated by the Minister of Finance) shall be required to submit to the Ziu, in time for consideration by the second Clark of the Cosa, a government bill approved by the whole Cabinet, to be entitled the Budget and Financial Planning Bill for the (X)th Cosa, which shall contain the following:
   2.8.3.1. the Financial Report as required in D.2.8.1.1;
   2.8.3.2. a detailed Budget of the Kingdom of Talossa, listing all planned expenses of the State through the current Cosa, specifying the amounts to be requisitioned for each Cabinet Ministry or Officer of the Royal Household and the purpose of each such expense, sufficient to provide for all expenses of the Kingdom of Talossa until the next budget shall be presented, during the subsequent Cosa;
   2.8.3.3. any amount of the Treasury to be set aside for investment, and the investment policy that will be pursued;
   2.8.3.4. the total amount in louise of any planned currency minting and printing, and postage issuance to be executed by the Royal Bank & Post during the term of the current Cosa;
   2.8.3.5. the total amount in louise of any planned donations proposed to be requested from Talossan citizens towards the upkeep of the State. Neither this nor any other section of el Lexhatx shall be interpreted in such a way as to require compulsory taxation or mandatory donations of any kind.

2.8.4. The Budget of the Kingdom of Talossa shall always include funds for re-imbursing the Talossan Web Registrant and others for any payments towards domain registration and hosting on talossa.com and other government run websites made during the previous Cosa term that were not re-imbursed during the previous Cosa term, provided that the government or the previous government has been informed about these payments properly and on time.

2.8.5 All withdrawals from the Royal Treasury (except as provided for by D.2.8.6, below) must be authorized by action of the Ziu approving the expense for which the withdrawal is made, either in the Budget and Financial Planning Bill required by D.2.8.3 above, or by supplemental budgeting legislation. In accordance with such authorized budgeted expenses, the Government of the day is empowered to requisition such funds from the Royal Treasury (said withdrawal to be performed in fact only by the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue or an authorised deputy).

2.8.6. Emergency Spending. During times when any budgeted funds have been exhausted, when no budget has been approved due to rejection by the Ziu, lack of the Financial Report or dissolution of the Cosa without action on a budget; the Prime Minister may issue a Prime Dictate to provide only for emergency spending, but may not act to cause withdrawal of funds from the Royal Treasury to fulfill the terms of any Prime Dictate unless and until the King has explicitly assented to the Prime Dictate.

2.8.7. Spending Authority Removal. At any time before an allocation is disbursed by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue, members representing at least one-third of the Cosâ by seats may petition the government that such spending shall not be incurred until such issuance shall be ordered by an act of the Ziu. The Burgermeister of Inland Revenue shall be required to grant all such petitions until such time as an act of the Ziu restores the funding.

2.8.8. The Minister of Finance may take such actions as might be necessary to create, manage, and promote a voluntary fundraising campaign to the citizens of Talossa and other interested parties each year. The targeted amount for this campaign shall be the amount given in D.2.8.3.5. Unless otherwise authorized by the Ziu, the fundraising campaign will be concluded in a given term once that targeted amount is reached. Unless otherwise authorized by the Ziu, no more than one fundraising campaign per term will be conducted.

2.8.9. The Minister of Finance shall publish information as to the value of the Talossan louis against other currencies as and when necessary, desired or requested.

6. El Lexhatx D.2.9. is replaced in its entirety as follows:

QuoteThe Finance Minister shall create a Register of Talossan Enterprises, available to all Talossan citizens. Any Talossan who produces goods and services, whether commercially or as a hobby, may provide a description, no longer than 100 words, of their enterprise together with their contact details, for the purposes of advertisement and information. An enterprise shall be removed from the register at the request of the registrant; or by a determination by the Finance Minister that the enterprise is no longer active, or not of a character with which the Kingdom of Talossa wishes to be associated. Such determinations shall be subject to judicial review.

It has long been my personal belief that Talossa's assets (financial and digital, in particular) should be protected in some way by macronational law, for preference, by the law of our neighbour, the State of Wisconsin. Right now, our website and most of our domain names are "technically" in the name of the Burgermeister of Internal Revenue, while kingdomoftalossa.net is in the name of the King.  Agents of the elected Government have all the passwords to the above. This is okay, assuming good will on all sides (and MinSTUFF is currently preparing law to make sure that non-political officials also have these passwords, to ensure continuity should there be a change of government).

But there has been discussion about whether a recurrence of the events of June 2004 - when national assets were appropriated by "rebels" in a Talossan power struggle - could ever happen again.  I would like that to become impossible - that if some reprobate were to attempt a Bloody Take Over, we could take them to macronational law, rather than, I don't know, sending a Zuav assassination squad out.

Anyway, it is my belief that the best way to stop this happening is for Talossa to have some kind of "personality" in Wisconsin law. I am informed by cxhn. @Dien Tresplet as follows:

QuoteThere  is an Unincorporated Association document for Talossa appointing a  Registered Agent on file with the Wisconsin SoS right now, and UAs can  have bank accounts and hold property provided the document exists. The  Registered Agent either needs to be changed to a Talossan currently  living in WI or else we need to pay a corporate Registered Agent. But we  don't necessarily have to undertake the process of incorporation.

So, in summary:

- the Government intends to appoint a Registered Agent to hold the bank accounts and website registration of the Kingdom under macronational law.
- this Agent needs to be a resident of Wisconsin (preferably the GTA, of course!). If we can't find a Talossan citizen, we'd have to pay for a professional Registered Agent, which would be on the order of dozens of $US a year; not impossible but definitely requiring a substantial increase in the national budget.

In summary, then: which citizens are residents of Wisconsin and might be interested in this responsibility?

Estimadăs és estimats citaxhiens!

Having been duly elected by the Cosă under Organic Law VI.5, I hereby appoint, under Organic Law VI.8, @Senator Eðo Grischün as Distáin.

Under Organic Law VI.9, I humbly beseech @His Majesty the King of Talossa to appoint the following Cabinet:

• @Senator Eiric S. Börnatfiglheu as Minister of Culture.
• myself as Minister of Finance.
• @Senator Eðo Grischün as Minister of STUFF.
• @Cresti dal Nouăcastră-Läxhierescù, MC as Interior Minister and Foreign Minister.
• @Senator Açafat dal Vàl as Attorney General.
• @Txoteu É. Davinescu, MC as Defence Minister.

With the consent of the respective incoming Ministers, I also announce the following inital list of Deputy Ministers, with their special roles if any:

• Deputy Minister of Culture: @Cresti dal Nouăcastră-Läxhierescù, MC
• Deputy Minister of Finance: @Martì-Pair Furxhéir, with special responsibility for investigating a Talossan digital currency
• Deputy Interior Minister: @Senator Eðo Grischün
• Deputy Foreign Minister: @Txoteu É. Davinescu, MC
• Deputy Defence Minister: @Munditenens Tresplet, MC, with special responsibility for re-establishing BEER, Talossa's rocketry programme.

Grült méirçi.

WHEREAS it is constitutionally necessary for the Government to be accountable to the Ziu;

AND WHEREAS the correct form for this accountability to take is in the form of Terpelaziuns, which have the positive side-effect of requiring Opposition and non-aligned MZs to be active as well;

AND WHEREAS writing reports is hard work which could be better devoted to activities, rather than talking about activities;

AND WHEREAS a smaller Lexhatx is a better Lexhatx;


BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosa and Senäts in Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx D.2.1.1-3, as below:

Quote2.1.1. The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Talossa is directed to issue a report every two months, detailing actions taken by his or her office and appointed Ministers. The first report of a new Prime Minister will be delivered within the first month of taking office, and subsequent reports will be issued no less often than every two months thereafter. If possible reports will be posted in the primary forum, rather virtual or physical, however, they must emailed to all citizens immediately after their completion.

        2.1.2. A blog may be set up for the Prime Minister to post the report on instead of, or in addition to, the other requirements for distribution stated above

        2.1.3. Each report must be issued no sooner than the first day of the month in which it is due to be filed, and no later than the last day of said month. If the Prime Minister is unable to file such a report by the deadlines specified above, he or she may delegate the task to the Distain or other member of the government, provided that their signature, as well as that of the Prime Minister, are affixed to the report.

are deleted entirely.

La Società për l'Ilenaziun del Glheþ Naziunal is proud to report that, building upon the SIGN Provisional Rules as adopted in April this year, and upon the two previous grammars of our national language, Mà la Mhà's Guiza Compläts and R. Ben Madison's Scurzniă Gramatică, a new grammar of the Talossan language is partially complete and being unveiled to the public so it can be completed within the full view of the nation and of la comunità Ladintsch. Editing rights are granted to all members of SIGN in good standing.

To go with the Guiză and the Scurzniă, I think we should just know this as the Recomendăs.

WHEREAS the quality of legislation in Talossa is admittedly low, with many errors and infelicities of language;

AND WHEREAS there is an even worse problem, whereby provisions enter into our Organic and statute law "by accident"', in that the Cosa and Senäts majority vote for the principle of a bill, trust its author, and don't actually read it properly, or assume that someone else will read it properly and point out any problems;

AND WHEREAS every legislator simply promising to be more conscientious is not a feasible response to this;

AND WHEREAS the following provision would probably work better than the previously mooted role of "legislative janitor";

BE IT ENACTED yadda yadda yadda as follows:

1. El Lexhtax H.6 shall be amended as follows:

Quote6. No bill may be published in a Clark unless it has spent at least ten days in the Hopper as a legislative proposal and the Legislative Standing Committee of the Ziu has considered and reported upon it, except according to H.6.1.

2. A new section to be inserted after the current H.6 as follows, with all subsequent sections renumbered accordingly:

Quote7.1 The Legislative Standing Committee of the Ziu (el Comità da Redacziun Legislatïu, the CRL) shall accept all bills from the Hopper as described in H.6 above, upon request of their sponsor or sponsors; examine them clause-by-clause, then adopt by majority vote a report which may include a recommendation to accept/reject, and/or suggested amendments.

7.2 The CRL shall conduct all its deliberations openly in the Hopper.

7.3 A bill upon which the CRL has not given a report within 30 calendar days shall be considered to have been approved for the purposes of H.6.

7.4 Unless the Mençéi and Túischac'h agree otherwise, the Mençéi shall chair the CRL and the CRL shall consist of all MCs and Senators.

I've taken the foot off the governance pedal for a while, partly due to massive stress and overwork in my private life (the city where I live has just come out of a few weeks of "soft lockdown" due to a COVID flare-up - no deaths, thanks for asking). Don't worry, stuff is continuing to happen in private - and the community has certainly kept things going without us.

The good thing is that the new constitutional order where the Government has to wait for "Clark Zero" to be formally confirmed allows us something an "excuse" for this. A month or so "politics free" in Talossa seems an unintended, but positive consequence of the new way of electing the Seneschál. What do others think?