And hey, looking at Txosue's latest post, you might be in luck very soon!

The language is hard! I've been working at it for years, but it just hasn't come naturally to me. It's all the more embarrassing now, since I am helping the king as a sort of secretary to translate things often, and my options end up as: either I get help from someone, do a bad job, or spend literally an hour on it. So you shouldn't feel bad!

Almost all active citizens we have are interested in politics or government for the most part these days, so if that's something that you find intriguing, you're definitely in the right place. Talossa presents everyone with the astonishing opportunity to get involved in politics in a deeply meaningful way. We are small enough and the government is currently constituted in such a way that everyone who wants to be a force in politics has that opportunity, while being big enough for your efforts to actually make a lasting difference for others.

In addition to what Txosue says, let me also add that no one who shows even the slightest continued interest is rejected. And I mean that extremely literally. You should feel zero anxiety about whether or not you will be approved for a petition. In some short amount of time, you will be eligible for a current citizen to post one for you, and it will be approved if you are still interested at all.

Quote from: Miestră Schivă, UrN on April 30, 2021, 07:08:55 PM
It's probably just best to understand that (fill in the blank) is a nasty, poisonous person, motivated by wounded ego and hatreds, who is only involved in Talossa because it's somewhere they can be deeply cruel, manipulative and abusive like they can't be in real life. If we're going to keep Talossa going we just have to accept that that person will never "repent", will never start behaving like a decent person - fundamentally because they don't see Talossa as "real life" and don't see any reason to abide by generally accepted ethics and decency in Talossa - and if we can't accept, we just have to give up and let them have Talossa all to themselves. Which we won't do because we despise that person and won't let them "win" Talossa.

I think this formulation works for all of us, we just have different people in mind for fill in the blank. Every single one of us thinks their miéidă don't stink.

Almost none of that describes you in my mind. I admire you very much in many ways. You are passionate, deeply loyal, and seem to be a fundamentally good person. You have many flaws, but we are all flawed. I have many flaws too.

Congratulations!

Quote from: GV on April 30, 2021, 06:37:03 PM
The Reunision I wish for is for Ián Lupul, you, and others on the modern Talossan Right to engage through back-channels a sincere 'come-to-Jesus' dialogue such Kane, Miestrâ, Anglatzarâ, and others will say in so many words something to the effect of...

We had a knock-down-drag out with John today, and I think we understand each other a little better.  We still disagree rampantly on the monarchy, but we are well-convinced John is aware of and has fessed up for his own mistakes.  But we have fessed up on our own, too.

We may never been drinking buddies with Lupul, but I think it really is water under the bridge.  As for AD vs. Schivâ, that seems to have gone the way of the Dodo, too.

Part of bringing up all this is to take as much poison-dross from future Talossan politics as possible.  We can disagree on governance and things like that, but we can also take the log out of our own eye while removing the stick out of the eyes of others - a phenomenae (cannot spell today) that does not happen enough in politics anywhere and one which voters outside of Talossa hate.

Okay, so you're kind of just using a different euphemism here, but as far as I can tell, you're saying that you want everyone to get along and be buddies? A couple of the people you mentioned are completely inactive these days, so it would seem to amount to you, me, the king, and the Seneschal being friendly and casually chatting with each other? Is that accurate? That would be "true Reunision?"

Sorry to press the point, but you've been talking about this for many years now, and I just want to really understand what you're saying.

My other interpretation is that you're saying you want everyone to acknowledge where they fell short in times past, but generally and specifically. But since that has happened repeatedly, including directly from me to you after one of these speeches, and by the king himself in more than one official speech, I don't think that's it. You want not only that, but also friendly chatting, right?

Quote from: GV on April 30, 2021, 04:26:10 PM
I just don't believe he ever really has.  In part, they are godless liberals (in his mind, perhaps), but far more importantly, they represent a direct threat to how he has always wanted to do Talossa: in the direct model of Elizabeth II of England: the monarchy being a hereditary, lifetime office with the royal family being a continuity of institutional memory and wisdom.  There is no dispute Elizabeth II has been an exemplar we will not see again for many decades, if not centuries.  Not perfect in the modern sense, but exemplary nevertheless.

I'm not sure the king can be held responsible for what you imagine he's thinking.  He's never criticized you as a "godless liberal" or implied anything even remotely similar, as far as I know.  His Majesty is a politically conservative devout Orthodox Christian, but I have never seen him be anything but extremely respectful and polite of the beliefs of others -- including myself, a leader of a progressive activist group and atheist who he recently trusted to be his regent.  And I have certainly never seen him speak of you or anyone as a "threat!"  Indeed, as far as I can tell, His Majesty has made a habit of not criticizing anyone's character, even when he disagrees with them sharply.

Quote from: GV on April 30, 2021, 05:51:44 PM
What could Ián have done post-Reunision to have effected positive Talossan society?

No, hold on, I asked what exactly you envision "true Reunision" to be.  Obviously you have a long list of grievances, starting ten years ago.  I am aware of them.  For that matter, you recounted most of these events in the same way just a couple of weeks ago, in your "Woolley vs. the Republic" thread.  I read it with interest.  But as far as I can tell, these recent things are just your personal criticisms of His Majesty.  You might be unhappy that His Majesty declined to abdicate in favor of a presidency, for example, but what does that have to do with Reunision?

I honestly think "very few Talossans spend any time on Witt" is a problem about a thousand times more important.  But really, GV, you post a speech announcing the sad lack of "true Reunision of hearts and minds" about every six months.  However, the last leader of the Republic has been Seneschal of the Kingdom for years, and has actually been in power in the Government for six out of the past seven years.  The power of the monarch has been drastically reduced.  And your personal account of Talossan history is the official Government history of the country.  So what exactly do you envision as necessary for true Reunision?  Surely if it's any version of compromise or validation, you've gotten it a thousand times over.  What are you thinking here, my friend?

His Majesty has posted more often than 84% of our 184 active citizens.  Many other prominent people also have relatively few posts over the past two years, by the usual standards we have come to expect.  Your incoming party leader has posted 59 times, for example.  I think you may have misidentified the problem.

Ultimately, this is probably because the handful of most prolific posters account for a majority of posts, since most Talossans don't spend time on Wittenberg.  The Seneschal has posted 16% of all the posts on Witt by herself.  In fact, the ten most active posters have posted 65% of the total just by themselves.

Astonishingly, only about half of citizens even have a Wittenberg account at all, and only about a third have ever posted anything.

Quote from: Antaglha Xhenerös Somelieir on April 28, 2021, 07:16:31 PM

Quote from: Baron Alexandreu Davinescu on April 28, 2021, 07:11:19 PM
The politics of grievance demands ever-fresh grievances. I think the general idea is to try to provoke a fight?

I think the idea, wasnt to provoke, but to invite in a jovial way, opposing view points in thread so they might be answered, i dont think it was meant to be seen as a provocation. Also, politics is a fight, a fight of values, ideals, conviction, and passion, which is expressed through political debates (also known as arguments) to help show the public what a party is about. And without such things, then what would be the point of politics? Some people react better to some forms of engagement than others, but nothing in politics should be taken personally, no matter how much you might agree or disagree with a particular person or view point.

As always, I admire your optimistic view. I'm not sure I can agree that politics is always a fight, though. Fighting is antagonistic and zero-sum. It's possible to have politics that is civil, kind, and respectful -- even while disagreeing sharply! But I will give your party leader the benefit of the doubt and assume that she was just inviting a vigorous exchange of ideas. :-)

The politics of grievance demands ever-fresh grievances. I think the general idea is to try to provoke a fight?

And by the way, congratulations to the Seneschal!  Dama Miestră Schivă, UrN is about to become the first poster on this Witt to pass a thousand posts (16% of the total posts on Witt)!

With her prolific energy and frequent participation, she's left everyone else in the dust over the past two-and-a-half years.  My own humble self and Etho are second and third-place, respectively, with 600 and 500-odd posts.  Rookie numbers!

Here's another impressive stat: if you add up the total posts of the 50 least prolific posters, you still don't surpass the Seneschal's total (and that's not even counting the 33% of accounts with zero posts)!  That kind of dedication takes a truly special person.  Well-done, D:na Seneschal!

One of the bills on the recent Clark includes a provision requiring His Majesty to abdicate the throne if a referendum -- immediately to follow -- succeeds.  It doesn't seem unreasonable for someone to take their time and carefully consider such a decision, after sixteen years of service to their country.

I don't think any gathering is going to be called because no one has any business for this group.

Quote from: Þon Txoteu É. Davinescu, O.SPM on April 21, 2021, 09:10:14 PM

Quote from: Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on April 21, 2021, 08:06:31 PM
I'm not upset... Far from it! I think it's important to set out exactly what you guys see as the terms of this "compromise." There had been a lot of high talk about ending the arguments over the role of the monarchy, finding a compromise for "generations of Talossans," and so on. But it turns out that it really just means that you get what you want now, and you'll come back for more very soon. That's fine, I'm just glad that the cards are on the table.

You know what affects "generations of Talossans"? Landed Peerages, which... like the current Monarchical system... are lifetime, hereditary appointments. I do believe that the trappings of the Monarchy are important to the cultural of Talossa. That said, it is also important that those lifetime, hereditary titles be given with the consent of the Government... since the current Monarch proved upon the moment of His return that he clearly doesn't understand the importance of said titles within this country. The only thing about this discussion tied directly to the HC is the fact that a nation in which the Crown truly serves at the consent of the people... even in a seven year renewable term... lacks the power to screw up and grant lifetime titles to a non-deserving subject. Hereditary titles should go to lifelong, impactful servants of the country... of the people! Not just for successfully not dying while the boss was on vacation! So stop putting words in my mouth. You want clarification on something I said, you ask. I'm quite capable of speaking for myself

You are indeed, and I am grateful for it.  Leaders should be forthright about their beliefs and plans.  Thank you.

I will venture I have done a bit more for Talossa than briefly keep a seat warm, both recently and over the longer term.  I have been a Talossan for nearly fifteen years, and in that time I have accomplished a few things.  But I do understand your concern over unearned and silly titles, General.  I promise that I won't slide into complacency or inactivity -- as always, I will do my best for Talossa.  I take my new position as Guaïr very seriously (though I hope I won't be alone on the Sabor for long).