Below:

• Gratitude
• We Reject the URL "Good" and "Bad" View
• Let's Work Together Instead
• Here's Some Plans

We didn't count carefully, but after a cursory check it appears that I have been elected party leader by a vote of 234,783 to zero.  Therefore, tradition calls for a speech.  I have some people to thank, and then we'll talk about what Progressives stand for and what we want to do.

First of all, I would like to thank @þerxh Sant-Enogat .  He founded the party, he recruited most of the members, he wrote our constitution, and he led us to smashing success in the last election.  After starting with only six votes for 7.5% of the vote, his leadership brought most of the former TNC under the new Progressive umbrella.  One term later, we rocketed up to a third of the total vote.  At a time when we were adrift thanks to fate and betrayal, he set us back on solid footing.

þerxh, when you asked me to take a turn as leader, I was hesitant.  I still think that your kindness and quiet leadership is what the country needs.  But you have certainly done more than your fair share, and I guess I'm already out in front, here.  Thank you for what you have done for the Progressives and for Talossa.

Thank you also to party stalwarts @xpb  and @Tric'hard Lenxheir .  You guys are the rock on which the ocean breaks, and thank you for standing firm.

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Now then.

Our country's Seneschal made a speech recently where she said that her party, the URL, was the "Good" and that the Progressive Alliance was the "Bad."  At some length, she outlined this metaphor and made it the foundation of her annual speech.  The Progressives are a club of friends without politics, she argued.  It's not a real party, it represents bad things, and it should go away.

It's hard for me to contradict the Most Honourable Dama @Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC  on politics.  She is one of the most successful politicians that Talossa's ever seen!  She's on her fifth official term as Seneschal, and she's held power for a total of more than 1,330 days.  That's 3.6 years of power!  To put it another way, you could have watched Moana more than 18,600 times during her time in the top seat.  And honestly, I have three little girls, so I might have done that.

So it feels pretty bold for me to say that she's wrong.  But I have to speak my truth.  And my truth is this: I don't think they're Bad.  I think the URL is Good, even if I think they're not the best choice in the upcoming election. 

What is a political party?  A political party is ideals, culture, and policies.  And I think the Progressive Alliance has all three to offer.

Our ideals are well-known at this point.  But for the uninitiated, we stand for responsible progress, moving forward into the future without destroying the past.

I know a thing or two about forward progress.  I've helped move Talossa into the future time and time again, like when we replaced our scattered old laws with an accessible legal code: el Lexhatx.  Or when we built the bones of the wiki, making it into a people-powered national website that we use every day.  Or when we created the informational database of Infotecă, so that Talossan citizens could keep tabs on their government.  Or when we brokered a deal to preserve the monarchy but reform the succession, saving the institution for the future so that we could move forward with a new king for a new age.

But we also have culture to offer.  Because -- and this is important -- we just love this country.  We're here because it's fun and interesting.  I mean, come on... where else am I going to get a grant to develop a language-learning website like Let's Learn Talossan!?  Or run a party that's vying to lead a nation?  This is just so dang neat, people!  This is something we just get to do, and we get to have a great time doing it!

That's also why I'm not going to be able to say that we're the "Good" or that the URL is the "Bad."  That's not our way.  And maybe that's not going to get us the kind of power that leads to 18,600 Moanas, but that's not who we are.

Because the URL isn't bad.  They're also the Good.  Anyone in Talossa who loves doing this stuff and is having a good time and loves this country... well, they're the Good, too.

The URL leader is the Honourable @Mic'haglh Autófil, O.Be , and he's great.  He's an amazing graphic artist and leader, he's a kind and thoughtful legislator and minister in the government, and he's helpful to so many folks.  He's Good.

The current Seneschal, the Most Honourable @Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC , is one of the most passionate Talossans you'll ever meet.  She loves the language and so much of the history of Talossa.  She's Good.

And that attitude is part of Progressive culture, and it's why we might seem like a club of friends and not the professional organization you see across the aisle.  That's why you see us volunteering to do stuff to help -- þerxh running Talossa's social media accounts, or XPB serving as the Burgermeister of Inland Finance, or Tric'hard creating a hockey league for everyone.  We think Talossa -- and Talossans -- are the Good.

We reject this URL idea where one party is "Good" and the other is "Bad."  What counts is that we all want to do Talossa, and that's Good.

So enough of that.  Let's focus on the change that the Progressive Alliance wants to see in Talossa.  Let's focus on our plans.

The Progressive Alliance has a lot of ideas to help move Talossa forward.  We have specific plans that are realistic, measurable, and work with everyone.  Not all of them will work out, and some of them will take time.  But we're also not afraid to set public goals and speak with them.  There won't be any need to drag answers out of the Government, since we'll actually be open to communicating with the public without the subpoena-like threat of terpelaziuns.  No one's going to have to force us to talk about possible solutions to our problems... we'll be out there talking about them and inviting input.

In other words, we want all of the Good to join in and have a great time.

For more specifics, please see the list below.  There's probably something on there that interests you, whether it's our plans for our websites or our plans for armed robbery.  We have something for you.  Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

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Immigration
The people deserve a Government that cares

The Progressive Alliance will prioritize immigration, the lifeblood of our country, by working to publicize the issue, trying lots of new ideas, and setting reasonable goals.

Infotecă
The people deserve to know what's happening in their country.

The Progressive Alliance will update and support Infotecă.  We believe in transparency: the people have a right to know.

Initiative
The people deserve less red tape and more efficient government

The Progressive Alliance will cut administrative red tape and reduce bureaucracy, so no one's time is wasted and everyone's enthusiasm is valued.

Innovation
The people deserve new solutions for a new day

The Progressive Alliance will provide a fresh look at our web presence, making sure our online tools are being used in the best way possible.

Inspiration
The people deserve a new kind of politics

The Progressive Alliance will work to ensure that there is space for joy to thrive, so that our culture will not just survive -- it will grow.

Illegality
The people deserve some of the money we're going to steal

The Progressive Alliance will steal money from His Majesty and then distribute it among the people.

Infrastructure
The people deserve support for their ideas

The Progressive Alliance will make access to government infrastructure easier, promote a repository of useful files and images, and create starter kits for everyone to use.

Illumination
The people deserve transparency from their government

The Progressive Alliance will promise never to secretly block potential immigrants, and we will pass legislation to eliminate this government power.  No bureaucrat should secretly control immigration.

The voting is concluded.  I am gratified to announce that I have been chosen as the next leader of the Progressive Alliance.  I am grateful for @þerxh Sant-Enogat 's support, as well as for his willingness to keep on helping.

A speech will follow, later today.

That sounds fine to me!

Iason, if you end up getting an FM radio transmitter or doing more with your ham radio, I bet it would not be too hard to set up a livestream equivalent online. And I would volunteer the back catalog of the podcast that used to run under the banner of my paper, BT.

I actually think it would be fun and not too much work to do some speeches and other audio stuff, actually. It might be fun to record the current Progressive platform, for example. Or to just do some old fashioned campaign speeches. I still have my decent yeti microphone from when I was zoom teaching and doing zoom Dungeons & Dragons. So we could come up with content without too much trouble.

Quote from: Joesaurus on October 10, 2025, 03:19:41 PMHello all,

I just wanted to inquire and see if anyone had gotten around to making Talossan translations of holy books (Bible, Quran, sutras, etc)? I know we have a translation of the book of Genesis somewhere; just thought I'd ask if we had more.

No, I don't think so. This page is pretty comprehensive as far as I'm aware, even if some of the language is outdated: https://wiki.talossa.com/TalossaWiki:Library#Talossan_Language_Collection

Quote from: King Txec on October 10, 2025, 09:52:19 AMI'm very pleased to share an article from Milwaukee Magazine. Talossa is featured prominently on the cover, and an excellent article, for which I was interviewed over the summer, is also included. I'm excited when we get positive press coverage and this is a day to celebrate!

Milwaukee Magazine Article

-Txec R

This is huge!  Good work, Your Majesty!

The time is almost ripe.  Contact your brother's cellmate's brother's friend's uncle's friend's father's friend's niece's boyfriend.  We must put our plan into action.

Wow, that would be amazing!

The Secretary of State recently pointed out that some people might not be aware of the current system, which was set up to respect personal privacy but also allow campaigning.  He also gave his opinion about current best practices:

Quote from: Sir Lüc on October 09, 2025, 09:37:53 AMI do still think that the best way to send unintrusive electoral communications and respect a citizen's right to privacy is through the Chancery, but I must comply with the law.

Maybe it is time to simply make the two-per-party Chancery forwards into the sole official way to do things?

One problem I found: some of the alternative services I tried today were viewable in the UK, but blocked by default at my school network!

However, Imgbox seems okay?

Hello there to two new applicants, @Raed and @CJ Macinko !  Thank you for your interest, but you're going to need to wait until after you successfully immigrate to join a political party.

In Talossa, it's actually considered very poor form for a political party to recruit a potential immigrant.  It's called "broosking," and we don't like it.  A Talossan patriot is welcoming of all new Talossans, not just those who want to join their political cause!  To be extra careful, I'm posting this publicly, so everyone can see.  The Progressive Alliance does not broosk.  We want you to immigrate, no matter what your politics might be!

If you're still interested after you immigrate, that's great!  And of course, we can answer any questions you might have.  But make sure you keep an open mind and explore all of your options as you get to know the country a little bit better.  In Talossa, you can make an impact right away -- take a moment and take the time you need to make your decisions.

Thank you, and please let us know if you have any questions (about this or just Talossa in general).

We could definitely host them on the wiki, but that's cumbersome and requires giving up some rights (it's not an image hosting service).  And similarly, it's not very easy to just put them on the national website, even for those with access rights.

I will definitely let you know what I find, Your Majesty!

A resident of the UK recently let me know that the image hosting service Imgur has been blocked in that region; I'm currently looking for an alternative.

The Government currently claims that they have the legal right to secretly interfere in the immigration process, blocking anyone they wish from trying to immigrate.  This power could be used to block people who have different political beliefs, who come from specific areas of the world, or who the people in power just don't like.  Someone in the Government could legally just delete their application, pretend it never existed, and never tell the public.

The Government also claims that they have never used this power.  There is no evidence to the contrary, and we believe them.

But the Government party is also fighting to keep the power to secretly block people they don't like.  They are voting against the Public Process Act, a short bill that would just require that "the public must be informed of the minister's decision and the justification for the decision."  Right now, the Seneschal and 100% of URL-aligned senators have voted against the bill.

We believe the Government when they say that they're not using their secret power to control immigration.  But we also don't think they should even have that power.  The Progressive Alliance doesn't think a bureaucrat should get to secretly control who gets to apply to immigrate.

This does not mean allowing gross people or spammers to immigrate.  The Government could still block them, but they should have to tell the people about it.

No bureaucrats should control who gets to apply to immigrate.  No one person should get to decide who's allowed to immigrate.  The immigration process should be public and open.  No one should be excluded from Talossa just because someone in the Government doesn't like their vibe (or their politics or whatever else).

The law should be changed.  There's no reason for the Government to have the power to secretly bar people from applying to immigrate.  If someone objectionable or gross applies to immigrate, then the Ziu can block them, or the Corts can block them, or His Majesty can block them, or people can just refuse to petition for that person.  And if the Government does need to intervene even before that, then they should just be required to tell us.  There's no reason to keep this a secret, unless there's something to hide.

Past abuses must be sought out, investigated, and brought to light.  We believe the Government when they say that they've never used the secret power that they want to keep.  But it's possible that other governments have not been responsible in this regard.  The Progressive Alliance will investigate any possible past abuses and bring them to light.


The Progressive Alliance will promise never to secretly block potential immigrants, and we will pass legislation to eliminate this government power.  No bureaucrat should secretly control immigration.

Attention, Progressives!  A vote is underway for the next six days, as set forth in the constitution authored by party founder @þerxh Sant-Enogat !  Please see the private party forum to participate in discussion and vote!