Per C.1.1, which allows any citizen to open the Assembly Call if the M3 does not, I hereby open the Assembly Call.

I claim my seat.

The TNC is right that the FreeDems have overpromised and underdelivered. The TNC is probably wrong in claiming that they can do so much better. Their email claims that "Our team is composed of two former Seneschals, a leader in provincial politics, two former ministers of foreign affairs, a current Senator and member of the Cosa," but in reality:

• Most of these people are completely inactive
• The others specialize in either bugging the Government to do things, rather than actually doing things, or only doing things in the two weeks before the election

Don't get me wrong, the Government needs to be bugged, and activity at any time is very welcome. But that alone will not result in the TNC providing such a better government than the FreeDems have. I encourage voters to see the following post for some of the things the FreeDems did accomplish during the previous term: https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=1206.0. In addition, we also restarted the Patriot Points program and reformed cabinet responsibilities to put a greater emphasis on promoting immigration.

The TNC's 50-word statement claims that they want to "work with King John to implement monarchical reform." I don't see how they can claim this with a straight face:

• S:reu Breneir Tzaracomprada entered the last government promising to support monarchical reform, then promptly reversed himself and offered no explanation
• Sir Alexandreu Davinescu has opposed pretty much all monarchical reform in the past seven years
• King John has vetoed pretty much all monarchical reform in the past seven years

So what reform do they want, exactly? Probably none. If you want to continue to give King John a pass to do absolutely nothing during what we all agree is an activity crisis, the TNC would be the party for you.

Fellow Talossans,

It is well and good to declare support for Ukraine in these trying times. However, being the unrecognized nation we are, we are rather limited in what concrete actions we can take to back up our words. Contributing financially is by far the most practical for those of us who are able.

I encourage donations to the Ukraine Crisis Fund of the International Red Cross, available here: https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/ukraine

Signed,
Ian Plätschisch

Is anyone currently the M3? If so, we will need them to certify to the Assembly that they are ready to conduct the Senate election. If not, we either need to find one or tell the Chancery that it needs to conduct the election for us.

I intend to stand for reelection.

WHEREAS it has been more than a fortnight since Mic'haglh Autófil first posted on Wittenberg, following his introduction to the citizens of the Kingdom by officers of the Interior Ministry, and

WHEREAS he has in that time demonstrated an active, genuine, and longstanding interest in Talossan life, culture, and language, and

WHEREAS he desires citizenship in the Kingdom of Talossa, and

WHEREAS by all indications it appears that he would be a loyal and dedicated citizen, and a credit to this nation if he obtains the grant of citizenship he requests, and


THEREFORE I, Ian Plätschisch, a citizen in good standing of the Province of Maritiimi-Maxhestic and of the Kingdom of Talossa, do by these presents petition the Secretary of State Txec dal Nordselva to issue a grant of citizenship to Mic'haglh Autófil, as specified by law.


Petition submitted today, the 23rd day of January, 2022/XLII.

WHEREAS Immigration is important, and

WHEREAS that importance should be reflected in the composition of the Cabinet, and

WHEREAS Interior is pointless because we have not hosted a Living Cosa or TalossaFest for at least the past seven years and we do not appear likely to any time soon

THEREFORE Lex.2.3, which currently reads:

Quote2.3 The Interior Minister, who shall: oversee immigration policy and head the Bureau of Immigration; act as the liaison between the national government and the provincial governments; assist in the organisation of Living Cosâs; provide governmental assistance to the organisers of TalossaFest celebrations; provide governmental assistance to all citizens making the Haxh; provide counsel to the Seneschal and other ministers in ever maintaining the connection and bond of Talossans worldwide to their homeland; and shall, generally, be responsible for the order and well-being of the homeland and its environs.

2.3.1. El Büreu dàl Înmigraziun (the Bureau of Immigration), which shall be responsible for the execution of the nation's laws appertaining to immigration of new citizens into the realm and shall work to attempt to increase quality and quantity of immigration applications. This bureau shall be responsible for the integration of new citizens into their new Talossan lives and shall work to find ways to most effectively involve new citizens in Talossan affairs. This Bureau shall work closely with the Chancery and its Bureau of the Census to ensure that all incoming citizens are properly processed through immigration as provided by law.

shall be amended to read:

Quote2.3 The Immigration Minister, who shall oversee the immigrant and new citizen experience. This includes the following responsibilities:
2.3.1 Administering the immigration process in cooperation with the Chancery as described by law
2.3.2 Working with the Ministry of STUFF to increase immigration
2.3.3 Integrating new citizens into their new Talossan lives and working to find ways to most effectively involve new citizens in Talossan affairs.

FURTHERMORE Lex.D.2.7.1 (which is currently blank) is amended to read:

Quote2.7.1. The Bureau of Home Affairs, which shall assist in the organisation of Living Cosâs; provide governmental assistance to the organisers of TalossaFest celebrations; provide governmental assistance to all citizens making the Haxh; provide counsel to the Seneschal and other ministers in ever maintaining the connection and bond of Talossans worldwide to their homeland; and shall, generally, be responsible for the order and well-being of the homeland and its environs.

FURTHERMORE Lex.D.2.9 is renumbered as Lex.2.8.10.

FURTHERMORE a new Lex.D.2.9 is added, which reads:

Quote2.9    The Ministry of Technology, headed by the Technology Minister.
    2.9.1 The Ministry of Technology shall be responsible for the administration of the publicly-readable Internet presence of the Kingdom, excluding those websites under explicit jurisdiction of other entities of the Kingdom as described in El Lexhátx A.20 or elsewhere in El Lexhátx.
    2.9.2. Talossa.com and Kingdomoftalossa.net are the property of the government and shall be operated by the Ministry of Technology.
    2.9.3. There shall exist within the Ministry of Technology an officer to be known as The Talossan Web Registrant who shall act as the domain name registrant for the domains stated in D.2.9.2 and any other government operated domains as required. The Talossan Web Registrant shall be appointed and dismissed by the Minister of Technology. The Talossan Web Registrant shall inform the government of any payments due or made towards domain registration and hosting of any government operated websites and domains and shall be reimbursed for any payments made as soon as is practicably possible and in accordance with all law relating to the governmental budget.
    2.9.4. The Minister of Technology shall ensure that access details for all official internet accounts are held in a secure and central location and shall ensure the continuity and smooth handover of these details between changes of government.

FURTHERMORE D.2.10 is amended to read:

Quote2.10.  The Minister of STUFF, heading the Ministry of STUFF (Ministrà del Sanavar da Talossa al Ultra-Fiôvân Folâs), which shall be responsible for the internal and external promotion of the Kingdom, all events therein and all things Talossan through public relations, and shall dutifully ensure that the Kingdom and its events are regularly publicised and may use any means and media available to them to achieve this.
    2.10.1  The Minister of STUFF shall be directly responsible for the content of one or more websites and/or social media accounts named as the 'official' website(s) and social media account(s) of the Kingdom.
    2.10.2. The Ministry of STUFF shall be in charge of TalossaWare, that is, the production of "physical embodiments of Talossanity", whether for distribution to citizens, to publicise the Kingdom to outsiders, or to sell for profit.
    2.10.3 The Ministry of STUFF shall be responsible for ensuring the availability, for all Talossans, of the following: a) the records of the Scribery as described in C.1.2; b) up-to-date information on the personnel of all Government, Royal Household, Civil Service and Chancery office-holders.

FURTHERMORE, the word "Interior" in the following provisions of el Lexhatx shall be changed to "Immigration":
A.9.4
A.9.8
A.16.1
C.2
E.1
E.2
E.3
E.4
E.5
E.6
E.7
E.11 and E.11.1-11.3
F.11.17

Ureu q'estadra sa:
Ian Plätschisch (Sen-MM)

Azul all,

The Kingdom's treasuries could, as usual, stand to be replenished. We are aiming to raise $200, and our ability to raise this amount will influence our decision to proceed on various projects, such as John Eiffler commemorative stamps.

For every $1 you donate to the Kingdom or spend on coins or stamps, you will receive one Patriot Point. Let me know in this thread or in a private message, and I will update the table below to reflect your contribution. At the end of the program, the top contributors will receive various honors to be determined later.

To make this program even more enticing, every time you earn 10 Patriot Points, I will eat a sandwich with ingredients of your choice (as long as they aren't too weird) and post pictures of the experience here. For context: https://talossa.proboards.com/thread/12906/prime-ministry-52pd2-websites-day

Contributors:
1. Sir X Pol Briga - 25
2. Miestră Schivă - 10
2. Ian Plätschisch - 10

My political views have not changed, just my assessment of where I can best implement them.

The LCC is not doing anything. This is not necessarily bad as perhaps it has simply run its course (I wish Txosue the best if he wants to continue running it, but I have not heard from him in a while). If the conservatives are going to rally around something now, it can't be a party closely associated with me, because I just don't agree with them enough (I hope they rally around Dien to be honest). I suppose the LCC could rebrand as an explicitly moderate party, but...

On the major issue of the elective Monarchy, I agree with the FreeDems since they are supporting my "Compromise on the Compromise." The best way to ensure they continue to support it, and don't decide they want something more extreme later, is to join them. This seems much more effective than trying to keep the LCC viable.

So I will be seeking membership in the Free Demoracts, which is definitely not something I ever expected to write.

Voting on the Talossan Music Top 20 has entered Round 2. Now is a great time to get involved if you haven't already (all you have to do is listen to some songs and give points to your favorites).

Hello all,

One of the goals of the Ministry of Finance this term is to issue a stamp to commemorate the late John Eiffler (AKA Art Verbotten). To do so we need a design, and given that I am not capable of drawing anything more complex than stick figures, I am soliciting designs from the public. Please submit your design by posting it here or by sending me a PM.

To give you some inspiration, here is a photo of Eiffler taken at a TalossaFest, reproduced with permission from the photographer.


Signed,
Ian Plätschisch
Minister of Finance

WHEREAS the Organic Law directs that each government submit a budget by the second Clark of their Cosa term

PART A: Appropriations Request

His Majesty's Government hereby submits to the Ziu a request for the appropriation of funds from the Royal Treasury totaling 170¤6 ($255.15) for the specific purposes and subject to restrictions as outlined herein:

STUFF:

• Webhosting costs: 53¤26 ($80.15)
• Google ads: 16¤40 ($25)
  

FINANCE:

• Fees for a Registered Agent: 66¤40 ($100)
• John Eiffler commemorative stamps: 33¤20 ($50)

FURTHERMORE, notwithstanding the above allocations, no funds shall be disbursed without a notice of disbursement having first been transmitted to the Ziu at least fourteen days prior to the disbursement, except that disbursements solely for the purpose of postage may be made with no less than 24 hours notice. Notices shall contain details of the purchase and a cost estimate for the purchase, or the total amount paid if seeking funds for reimbursement. Copies of receipts and/or invoices will be provided upon request to Members of the Ziu.

FURTHERMORE, any funds allocated by this section shall be retained in the central fund by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue until such time as they are disbursed. Funds not disbursed prior to the end of the government term shall remain in the central fund.

PART B. Fundraiser, Minting, and Other Authorizations

FURTHERMORE, the Minister of Finance, or her appointed deputy shall undertake to create manage and promote a voluntary fundraising campaign,  to the citizens of Talossa and other interested parties over the course of the term. The targeted amount for the campaign shall be ℓ133¤20 ($200). The proceeds of seignorage, sales of stamps, TalossaWare proceeds, and other voluntary contributions shall be included in this total except as provided elsewhere. The expected income for the term is as follows:

    Proceedings of sales (Coins/Stamps/Talossaware) + Donations to the Kingdom: ℓ133¤20 ($200)
    Registration fees for Cosa election: ℓ20 ($30)
    Registration fees for Senäts election: ℓ10 ($15)
    Interest on Talossa's bank accounts: ℓ3¤20 ($5)

Total: +ℓ166¤40 (+$250)


PART C: Investment Policy

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

Gluc has given me his blessing to be the MC of this year's TMT20, presuming people are interested.

Are you?

Volume XIX is out!

As announced previously, this will be the final volume. Thanks for reading.

All of the back issues will be posted to the La S'chinteia TalossaWiki page shortly.

Per C.1.1, which allows any citizen to open the Assembly Call if the M3 does not (and I am not even sure who our M3 is right now), I hereby open the Assembly Call.

I claim my seat.

WHEREAS There is no point in being longwinded here because everything that can be said about an elective Monarchy has already been said,

THEREFORE Org II.3 is replaced in its entirety with:

When the King has reigned for at least seven years since the previous Convocation, a Convocation shall be called and chaired by the Senior Judge of the Uppermost Cort, or in their absence the next available Judge in order of seniority. Such a Convocation may also be called by the Ziu at any time following the same procedure as amending this Organic Law (with the most senior available Judge serving as Chair).

The Judge shall call a Convocation by publicly submitting to the Secretary of State a message to all eligible electors announcing the Convocation and providing instructions on how and when to register to participate. Whenever the Convocation is called by the Ziu, the Túischac'h (or other Cosa official if the Túischac'h is unavailable) shall submit this message instead. Upon receiving the message, the Secretary of State shall be responsible for communicating the message to all eligible electors. The Convocation shall commence fourteen days from the moment the Secretary of State sends the message to the electors.

Any Talossan shall who has been a citizen for at least seven years as of when the Judge (or Cosa official) submits the message to the Secretary of State shall be eligible to be an elector in the Convocation, but only those who register with the Judge before the Convocation commences shall be electors.

All discussions of the Convocation shall be open, but its votes shall be by secret ballot. The votes of every elector shall have equal weight. All other operations of the Convocation shall be decided by the Convocation or prescribed by statute.

Should more than 60% of the Convocation express that they desire the King not remain on the throne, then the Convocation shall be called and meet again in six months according to the procedures above. At this meeting of the Convocation, a new King of Talossa (who may be the current King) shall be chosen. The candidate who receives the expressed support of 2/3 of the Convocation shall immediately receive the title of "Heir Presumptive". The Convocation shall also be called to choose a new King whenever there is no King.

The Heir Presumptive shall swear an oath promising to protect and uphold the Organic Law of Talossa and the rights of all its citizens, and thereupon become King of Talossa, replacing the previous King (unless both are the same person).

FURTHERMORE Org II.4 is deleted.

FURTHERMORE Org II.5 is renumbered to Org II.4 and is amended to read:

The King may, at whim, appoint, replace, or remove a Regent (or a Council of Regency, which is considered equivalent to a Regent), who shall administer the government in the name of the King, and exercise all powers Organically or legally vested in the King, except the power to appoint or replace a Regent. No person not a citizen of Talossa shall be competent to serve as Regent or member of a Council of Regency. The Ziu may by law remove or replace any appointed Regent, and if the Ziu removes a Regent appointed by the King, the King may not reappoint the same person Regent without the prior consent of the Ziu. Whenever there is no King, the Uppermost Cort shall serve as the Council of Regency.

FURTHERMORE Org II.6 is renumbered to Org II.5

FURTHERMORE The name of Title L of el Lexhatx is amended to "Laws Supplementing Article II of the Organic Law"

FURTHERMORE Lex.L.10 is replaced with the following:

10. The following provisions apply to Convocations called in accordance with Article II, Section 3 of the Organic Law.

10.1 The Convocation may, as it deems necessary, adopt a rule, procedure, or protocol to conduct operation provided a majority of Electors supports any such rule, procedure, or protocol, or change thereto.  Any rule, procedure, or protocol adopted by a Convocation will not a subsequent Convocation.

10.2 Before any vote for King is cast, the Conclave shall choose an Elector to serve as Herald in a manner it deems appropriate.  Within 96 hours of a vote for King ending, the Herald, the Secretary of State, and the Council of Regency shall, separately and independently of the other, count such votes, and the Herald, the Secretary of State, and the Council of Regency shall, separately and independently of the other, report one result to the Convocation.   After 96 hours, the vote for King is verified based on the vote count of the majority of timely reported results.

Ureu q'estadra sa:
Ian Plätschisch (Sen-MM)

If you are a party leader and I have not reached out to you already, and you are interested in being interviewed for La S'chinteia, please get in touch.

To the esteemed members of the Cosa and Senate,

First, let me congratulate the outgoing Seneschal on her service. There are no two ways about it; she and her cabinet this term managed to accomplish a great deal. May she find some well-deserved rest, and may the next Seneschal be just as tireless.

The main issue of the upcoming election is, of course, the "Historic Compromise" which will subject the King to election every seven years. Voters will have their choice of a wide variety of parties, each with a different take on the proposal and the overall role of the King. My own view, which is to oppose the proposal in principle, but support it in practice out of concern that even more of the Monarchy will be lost if Monarchists oppose it and lose, but still disapprove of King John's overall performance, is so muddled that it does not deserve its own party. In any case, I have words of caution to both the compromise-opponents and the compromise-extollers.

To the compromise-opponents: Fight the good fight, but realize that seven years is a very long time in Talossa. Don't let a fixation on an extremely infrequent election compel you to hang on to the bitter end if doing so jeopardizes the Monarchy in its entirety.

To the compromise-extollers: Everyone who calls the proposal "Historic" is making an promise that it is not just another proposal to incrementally reduce the King's power, and that there will not be another proposal to reduce it again in a year's time. Otherwise, there would be nothing Historic about it. Break this promise, and you will do serious damage to your relationships with everyone who believed you.

To everyone: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." - Luke 6:27-28

I should have enough time between now and then to get one out. Please let me know if you have any material you would like included.

As outgoing party leader I am probably mostly responsible for the debacle which has accompanied my departure from the LCC leadership. I didn't want to reveal too many details, but I left too much out and allowed imaginations to run wild, so I'm correcting the record now.

Some members of the LCC disagreed with my assessment that supporting the compromise is the best way to protect the Monarchy. I was not going to change my mind on this, but I also wanted to respect that the only other "active" members of the party wanted to take it in a different direction. As I was thinking of reducing my activity in politics anyway, I thought the best course of action would be step down in favor of someone who would be more passionate.

Unfortunately, this whole process was a bit rushed because, of course, the term is almost over. Therefore some things were not made clear to various people:
- Unfortunately MC Itravilatx never saw the discussion at all, so he would be understandably blindsided when the first thing he sees is messaging that, shall we say, was rather different than mine.
-That leads me to MC Roibeardescu, who after our conversation where I encouraged to run for party leader, I may have left with the impression that being "more passionate" meant maximizing showboating and bellicosity over everything else. I've talked with him privately and I think that he is more than capable of making the necessary adjustments and being a great party leader.

Hopefully this clears things up.

From the Senate voting thread:


I stand by my support of [the Talossa Shall Choose its King Amendment], perhaps because I take a more pessimistic view of future support for the Monarchy than my conservative peers, from whom I have received some pushback. They didn't change my mind, but they did make me recognize that I cannot really claim to vigorously represent conservatives while at the same time supporting this amendment. I am also encouraged by my partymates' vision and do not want the LCC to become the "Ian Plätschisch Party." Finally, four consecutive Cosas as a party leader does make a person a bit tired of partisan politics, and I was already thinking of somewhat reducing my political involvement for the time being.

Therefore, I will be resigning as LCC party leader effective at the conclusion of the sixth Clark (I am remaining a member of it though, and I am definitely not resigning as MM Senator).