Quote from: Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial on May 26, 2021, 08:24:41 AM
Ever since I started offering my Talossan translation services for free, not one person actually came and asked.

Er, every time I talk to you about doing language stuff (not translations), you say you're far too busy with university work!

Quote from: xpb on May 25, 2021, 11:39:06 PM
I suppose that those who were not satisfied with (whatever titled) 7 year term executive leader after 3 months or 3 years would not have to wait and could act to remove, impeach, etc.  But is that not already the case now?

The Organic Law II.4 requires either a doctor's certificate of incapacity or conviction by the UC for the elected officials to even begin to remove the King. That part remains. It was always an irony that II.3, stating who the King is, was far easier to change.

It was rather fatal to make it harder to remove the King under the Organic Law, than to simply amend the Organic Law. The life term of the monarchy would not be under threat if the Organic Law made it easier to remove a King who had "gone rogue".

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on May 25, 2021, 11:08:01 PM
This makes new citizen engagement critically important, perhaps more than anything else.  But we never, ever seem to focus on it.  The focus is usually on some big touchy reform that everyone fights over, while the real problem gets the attention (or lack thereof) of the less-active ministers.

Mark it on the calendar: this paragraph, I 100% agree with. The big issue is I'm sure the Baron and I have diametrically opposed ideas about how to go about new citizen engagement, so we'll have to see how the election shakes out.

In fact: short shameful confession here, that one of the reasons I stepped aside from party leadership was because I knew that I didn't have a master plan for new-citizen-engagement, so I should give way to others to take the lead on that.

Quote from: xpb on May 25, 2021, 11:01:49 PM
It also appears you believe those who respect a monarch are automatically sycophants (or your more vulgar term)
I suppose you may believe we are not entitled to give respect we feel is due.

I mean, you're allowed to bow your heads before anyone you want to. But it's just like religion. It's unseemly to expect doing so to be the condition of entry into Talossan citizenship. If John Woolley is no longer King of Talossa - or if he's chosen for a 7 year renewable term - how does that stop you giving him all the respect you want? I just want him deprived to the power to ruin other people's fun, obstruct the workings of our elected Government, veto popular legislation etc., if we don't bow our heads.

My theory is that power corrupts; that a life-term monarchy in the Talossan context encourages laziness, entitlement, and contempt for one's subject apart from brown-nosers. So any replacement of John would end up in the same place, unless held under periodic accountability.

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on May 25, 2021, 09:42:59 PM
if you really dislike me personally so much that my appointment is itself an act of unacceptable tyranny, why not call a vote, Senator?

Because, as you explained at the time, you would have simply vetoed such a vote: and then we would have had to get 2/3 of the Cosa, and then John would have just picked someone as noxious as yourself. Much better to save our effort to get rid of the real problem: John.

It's interesting that you never, ever, for a second, consider that you could behave differently and we wouldn't dislike you so much. That you could just... stop being pompous, manipulative and arrogant, putting people down, smearing them as corrupt or having a secret agenda when they disagree with you, brown-nosing to the King no matter how badly he behaves so he'll give you rewards and treats and titles, then throwing your weight around as if you deserved such a title...

...and then we wouldn't have such an allergy to you. I tried to persuade you of this years ago, in a PM, and you just said to me something like: "I can't behave any differently. I just can't!"

Honestly, there are two interrelated issues:

1) that John has lost the moral authority to be King of Talossa because he performs his royal duties selectively, and the criterion for that selection seems to be "annoying the political majority"; none of the ultra-monarchists seem to want to defend this past pretty much arguing that a King can and should do whatever he likes, which is not a political BDSM game I'm happy being a part of. Since 1688, the British monarchy has explicitly existed through consent of Parliament, and that's the model that Talossa should follow, not some kind of "divine right of Kings" nonsense, which makes no sense as John was elected, he didn't create Talossa, he has absolutely no rights over it other than what the Ziu and people grant him.

2) that "an elected head of state" won the Ranked Choice Referendum; the Government was thus obligated to bring forward legislation enacting this, but there was no point doing so unless it was in a form tolerable to the monarchist Ziu opposition. Hence: Compromise.

My argument against the "Simulated Coup" approach would be that it would be just kicking the can down the road. John didn't start out as interested in Talossa only in terms of his own prestige, and actively contemptuous of democracy. But he grew into the role, just as King Robert did. So I would predict any other King with a life term would end up acting the goat after a decade or so, maximum. Best we avoid that possibility.

And I hope everyone got this:

===


An election message from the Free Democrats of Talossa

Azul, estimada/estimat citaxhien del Regipäts Talossan!

Greetings, dear citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. It is once again General Election season in Talossa, and I am contacting you to ask for your vote for the candidates of the FREE DEMOCRATS OF TALOSSA.

This is the second of two campaign emails where I explain the two vital reasons why the Free Democrats need your vote in this election. In the first letter, I explained the "Historic Compromise" we're trying to achieve between monarchy and republicanism, and the reprehensible behaviour of the King which pushed even monarchists to realise something had to change.

But constitutional arrangements are only part of the issue. Whoever wins this election will have to govern Talossa – make sure that our machinery of State works well, and help make Talossa a fun and rewarding environment for everyone. We want to persuade you that your only sensible choice is giving the Free Democrats the mandate to run the next Government – and for our new Party President, Txoteu Davinescu,  to be the new Seneschál (Prime Minister).
Why are the Free Democrats the best governing party?

1.      Because we are the only MASS party in Talossa. The Free Democrats are the only party with a whole team of active Talossans, ready to do the work. Just look at our party list – we have twice as many candidates as any other party on the ballot! No other party in this election even pretends they would be in a position to take on the Government of Talossa. At best, they're all jockeying to be our coalition partners, or to stymie our agenda. (There is also a small chance that your vote might be wasted if you vote for a party who has only 1 person on their list, as there's a limit to how many seats 1 person can hold.)

2.      We have the experience of governing. It's extremely easy to write a whole programme of things that you absolutely swear you would do if you were in government. It's so easy that several parties in this election have done so. But if they'd asked Free Democrats, we could have told them – from experience – what is actually achievable with Talossa's resources and a reasonable level of commitment from citizens. The answer is "not as much as they think" – even less so since the other parties only have maybe 2 or 3 active citizens, at most, who would be able to do the job. In contrast, the Free Democrat programme is written with the benefit of experience and hindsight. We made a few outlandish promises ourselves, in the past, and got embarrassed when they didn't work out. Now, we promise only the things we actually think we could do, with our own resources, in a Cosa term.

3.      We prioritise immigration and citizen activity. The biggest crisis facing Talossa is a crisis of activity – not only apathy towards non-political Talossanity from existing citizens, but a lack of active ways for new migrants to "get involved." The Free Democrats are partway through a plan to turn that around, and you can read more of that in our manifesto. Just looking at the numbers of parties participating in this election, and the upward trend in turnout, shows that when Free Democrats are in power, we get things done, and we have more fun. (Admittedly, this is sometimes because what we're doing infuriates the opposition. But that's how you stimulate activity and engagement!)

4.      If we lose, we won't sulk. Talossa needs political diversity to function. In the past, parties of the opposition in Talossa have led a "boycott strategy" – that if they can't run Talossa, they will drop out of activity altogether, out of spite. Even if Free Democrats are not in the Government, we will remain active in Talossan culture and administration, as well as being a voice of constructive opposition in the Cosa. Which other parties will agree to that?



You can read our entire manifesto, and our candidates for the Cosă and Senäts, here: https://freedemstalossa.wordpress.com/2021/04/24/free-democrats-for-the-56th-cosa-election-may-2021/. If you are in Atatürk province, please vote for Martì-Pair Furxhéir; in Cézembre province, please vote for Ián Tamoran.

Do you have any questions or comments about this email, about the Free Democrats, about the record of the incumbent Government of Talossa, or about Talossa in general? Please contact me at (email redacted). I really look forward to hearing from you.



Restéu voastra,

Miestra Antônia Schiva

Prime Minister of Talossa / Seneschal dàl Regipäts Talossan
Party Secretary of the Free Democrats of Talossa / Secretár del Parti dels Democrätsen Livereschti da Talossa

Well, Dixhet, you haven't been around to watch how the incumbent King simply refused to do his job out of sheer pique that the Ziu passed some laws that limited his powers. He walked away for 6 months and gave his powers to the most divisive person in Talossa, someone he knew most of us can't stand. Then he came back without apology or explanation. He hasn't even spoken to his own Government since he got back.

La Sc'hinteia is absolutely right that most contemporary anti-Monarchy sentiment is simply sentiment that King John has been lazy, selfish and politically biased recently, and no longer deserves to be our Head of State. But we can't put any accountability on John without reforms to the Monarchy. Or can we? Someone tell me. We don't have a guillotine and we can't just drive him into exile.

The KLüP's latest lulzy election email has actually a couple of good points:

QuoteRemove MCs and Senators from the electoral college for the new King. We don't want the election of the King to become a partisan affair. Worst case scenarios we actually get parties explicitly running on the platform of supporting a candidate for King.

Not actually an awful idea.

QuoteBaron AD and Citaxhien Miestră to perform a duet on Talossan television. Perhaps a rendition of Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel/Kate Bush.

A deal, but only if the Baron sings the Kate parts and I sing the Gabriel parts.

His solution is that people he doesn't like should "retire and become inactive", you know that

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on May 23, 2021, 08:09:44 PM
Great issue!  Sad to see it end. This means there is once again no journalism in the country, which is truly tragic but understandable given our activity levels.

Our activity levels that are higher than at any time since the Free Democrats have been leading government, as shown by the huge turnout of parties in the election?

I thought you'd stopped this gaslighting about how Talossa sucks these days and no-one comes here any more

Quote from: Eiric S. Bornatfiglheu on May 23, 2021, 10:01:25 AM
Awards and honours, excepting possibly the grants of arms should not be automatic or granted just willy-nilly.  That would truly rob them of import.

What I wonder, though, is perhaps there could be a nobility starter pack, for lack of a better term.  Something that gets people started in that train of action.  Like, a list of 5-6 accomplishments (or similar) earns you a Baronetcy (I think that's the lowest noble rank, but whatever).  That gives a way to get started to people who are interested in nobility and peerage.  Then anything beyond that is for extraordinary service (or just being the king's buddy as the case may be, since it is at their discretion).

I know this is similar to the Zuav system. But that could provide a scaffold for the entire Talossan honours system.  Be they military, noble, or scholarly.

While as you know I have something of an allergy to feudal titles, I understand that many others love and treasure them. I like the idea of a cursus honorum in Talossa, that you can earn rank (for bragging rights only, no monetary gain or political privileges) by public service. But on the other hand, when we discussed this last time, some said it really was turning Talossa into an RPG. So this is definitely where I want the next Government to go re: "keeping the interest of newbies once they're citizens", but we need a plan and someone to carry it out.

Honestly, I think it should start even to qualify for citizenship. Bring back the civics test!

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on May 23, 2021, 06:52:46 AM
it's not slander now to ask why this information has to be hidden from the voters until after the election.

Well, not "the voters", just you.

If you're going to pour mud on anyone who disagrees with you, don't be surprised if people want to disagree with you privately.

However, I have no objection to you saying "these discussions are only happening because I'm such a great politician and brave truth-teller and I forced them into it". Sure, why not, you made it happen. Thanks.

Why would a monarchist party who were genuinely interested in talking to Free Democrats about getting reassurances want to open themselves up to get the same levels of slander thrown at them that the Baron is throwing at the Free Democrats, for being traitors or sellouts or whatever?