Living Cosa Confusion

[Tric'hard Lenxheir]

Look, you guys can schedule it when you want, obviously, and I'll try to be there if I can at all do so.  I'm sure everyone else in the TNC will also try to be there.  I think it would be preferable for the Government to wait so the most people can participate, but I have no control over the matter. 

Making this successful has been my focus, and I have suggested a whole lot of solutions over the last week to that end: immediately doing a poll and getting a specific date and time; declaring a different month of recess; issuing a PD to suspend requirements for once; or using a pro forma session now and doing a real one next term.

The TNC is all about participation and activity and having fun.  Those are our priorities.  We'd like to attend a Living Cosa because it seems like it might be fun for a good number of folks.  This doesn't need to be contentious -- it should all really be very low-stakes.  Let's just plan something we can all attend.

If it is set for the 20th I will definitely be in attendance, any other date I will do my best but my job (in real world) makes other dates very difficult.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

My brother is coming into town then, unfortunately, for Thanksgiving.  The later we get in the month, the more it's touch-and-go for me.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

The 20th would work for me too. But the Seneschál has to make the call within 48 hours to make that happen. If the Túischac'h can't make it, can he appoint a deputy?

I should reiterate that I totally agree that whatever happens this month, we should aim to have a Living Cosa / State Opening with the First Clark next year - but that'll be up to the incoming Seneschál and Túischac'h, whoever they are.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

There's nothing in the OrgLaw about the power to designate a chair of my choice, but it's probably fine.  I'll double-check the common rules of order.

[Ian Plätschisch]

I have declared a Living Cosa for the 20th.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

The Senator from Benito previously volunteered to set things up technologically speaking, I've asked him to chime in ASAP.

We'll need an Acting Túischac'h if AD can't make it, and an agenda. And probably a quorum?

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

I will draw up an agenda, and if I cannot attend and if I can appoint a deputy, I will provide a brief summary of the rules of order that apply.  Most of them will not apply anyway.  The main practical effect of holding the event is going to be that the Clark is going to be a bit shorter, since the voting period will now end on the 20th, once the Living Cosa adjourns.  There's no quorum requirement, since one has to be set by the Ziu.

Basically all that can happen, as far as I can tell, is that the Living Cosa starts, people can debate and vote as recognized by the chair, and then it adjourns.  Nothing can be proposed, amended, postponed, sent to committee, or tabled.  Very little real parliamentary procedure is permitted under the law.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

Well, there are TERPs as well, as mandated by El Lex H.2. Although we should request that TERPs for the LC be submitted with at least a little bit of warning, so Government Ministers can prepare answers and not be surprised/having to make something up on the spot?

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

You're right, I forgot about those, thank you.

There is no legal way of which I know to require terps be disclosed ahead-of-time, and in fact they are very different from normal terps (as far as I can see).  Living Cosa rules allow any MC to ask a question of any other MC, and that question must be answered.  Breneir goes first, and then alternately between Government and opposition MCs.  The whole thing is sort-of patterned after UK's parliamentary question time.

I will come up with some basic rules in practice for all of this, as best I can.  I believe my rules that interpret how terps can work have been fair and clear, and I'll try to do the same here.  I'll do it in advance of the Living Cosa to iron out any objections or things I didn't see, but a brief set of procedures for "open, debate and vote, ask questions alternately, and then adjourn" shouldn't be too hard.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

The process for Parliamentary Question time in the UK, as in my country, is that Ministers are given written advance notice of questions (three days in the UK); but that "impromptu" supplementary questions can then be asked. There would be no point for the Opposition to ask a TERP which a Government minister could simply not answer because they didn't have the facts to hand.

We're flying by the seat of our pants here, and I think setting precedents for good future practice is important.

[Eiric S. Bornatfiglheu]

The Senator from Benito previously volunteered to set things up technologically speaking, I've asked him to chime in ASAP.

We'll need an Acting Túischac'h if AD can't make it, and an agenda. And probably a quorum?

I am also available on 11/20, and can help to make this happen.  I'll have to check as to whether I can hand over moderation/host powers to whomever will be chairing or not.  If not, I guess I'll have to function as a sort of "sgt. at arms" under the direction of the chair as needed.  Might be a "cohost" function.

As soon as a I get a contact list for the invite, I can set it up and send it out.  Also a time.  Sunday afternoons (US Eastern Time) are generally my best.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

The process for Parliamentary Question time in the UK, as in my country, is that Ministers are given written advance notice of questions (three days in the UK); but that "impromptu" supplementary questions can then be asked. There would be no point for the Opposition to ask a TERP which a Government minister could simply not answer because they didn't have the facts to hand.

We're flying by the seat of our pants here, and I think setting precedents for good future practice is important.

I am certainly not insensitive to that fact, but I just don't think it would be within the bounds of propriety of my granted powers to invent restrictions like that. However! Neither is it reasonable to try to demand that every government official have every fact on hand. I will be strongly suggesting that any terps which pose questions of fact of that nature should be provided beforehand or through the written process. "I don't have those numbers on hand" is a perfectly valid response, otherwise.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

I just don't think it would be within the bounds of propriety of my granted powers to invent restrictions like that.

By my interpretation, you certainly are: "preside, direct and maintain order during Living Cosas" (OrgLaw IV.12) means by my interpretation the power to set certain rules - with the proviso that the LC can override those rules by majority vote.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

As soon as a I get a contact list for the invite, I can set it up and send it out.  Also a time.  Sunday afternoons (US Eastern Time) are generally my best.

How should political parties get you a contact list? Email addresses? Witt PMs? Facebook?

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

I just don't think it would be within the bounds of propriety of my granted powers to invent restrictions like that.

By my interpretation, you certainly are: "preside, direct and maintain order during Living Cosas" (OrgLaw IV.12) means by my interpretation the power to set certain rules - with the proviso that the LC can override those rules by majority vote.

I would think that my power to set such rules should probably be limited -- again with an eye to precedent.  It's more dangerous to have a chair who can so utterly control debate as it would be to have debate get a little rangey.  And again, I think it would probably be foolish to try to sandbag a minister at an LC, since they would then have the luxury of saying that they simply can't answer the question in that format.

Some polite general guidelines won't hurt: eg, "If you have any terpelaziuns planned which will depend on obscure points of law, statistics, or facts, then it is suggested that these be submitted in writing at least three days beforehand."