Great debate, well done to all involved! 

#PenguinsAreTalossanToo

Thank you Óïn for all your fantastic work over these last 9 years! 

Whoever is lucky enough to fill this role next has big poetic shoes to fill!

The SoS has pretty much hit the nail on the head on the point I was trying to make.

A Living Cosa held on a date in December doesn't coincide with the November Clark. It has long been established that a Clark runs from the 1st day of a month till 7:30 pm on the 21st day of that month. In order to "coincide" with the November Clark, the Living Cosa will have to be held before 7:30 pm on the 21st of November. Any votes cast after this time, regardless of how they're cast (living or virtual) simply won't count as the Clark has closed. I am open to correction, but nowhere in the law does a PM, or anyone for that matter, have the authority to extend or amend the voting times of a Clark by a PD.

The other point I was trying to make is that before the end of this month/Clark (unless a month of recess is called) the King is Organically obliged to dissolve the Cosa. Thus a dissolved Cosa cannot meet and vote on laws in December.

On the issue of a Month of Recess, OrgLaw Art IV Section 9 states "The Seneschal may insert between any two Clarks, or after the final Clark, a "month of recess" in which no Clark is published. No more than one "month of recess" may be declared during any one term of office." Hence whilst you could call a month of recess, you couldn't hold a living Cosa in a month of recess, as a) no Clark is published and b) recess in this instance means the Ziu/Cosa is in recess, so how can a Living Cosa happen when the Cosa is in recess?

Lastly, my reading of El Lex H20, means that if, for whatever reason, the Cosa can't sit for the Living Cosa of the "November Clark", the PM can issue a PD to postpone it till the next sitting of the Cosa/next Clark, e.g. a Living Cosa of the "December Clark", not hold the November Clark in December. Additionally, since there is no December Clark, this PD is moot, given there are no more Clarks left in the lifetime of this Cosa.

Congrats and welcome!

The Cort Pü Inalt having met amongst itself, and after due and careful consideration does hereby unanimously nominate:


With our continued thanks and appreciation to the SoS for all his hard work,

Dame Litz Cjantscheir, UrN
Senior Justice 
Cort Pü Inalt

I would like to draw The Most Rt. Hon. Seneschal's attention to that along with El Lex H.20, on living Cosas, there is:

OrgLaw Art. IV (emphasis my own):

QuoteSection 11 The Cosa may set and hold Living Cosas (live parliamentary meetings) to coincide with a Clark as described by law, so long as all Members of the Ziu have ample opportunity to submit their votes remotely.

and

QuoteSection 7 A newly elected Ziu shall convene on the first day of the month after its general election, to coincide with the publication of the first Clark. Its term shall be equal to seven Clarks, subject to the provisions elsewhere in this Organic Law. During its last month, the King shall issue a Writ of Dissolution ending its term. Whenever the Cosâ may be dissolved, all its members shall resign.

1. Brenier Tzaracompadra
2. Ian Plätschisch

@Istefan Perþonest was last online today, perhaps a PM on Witt (along with this tag) might bring this to his attention?

Quote from: Mic'haglh Autófil on March 01, 2022, 03:15:24 PM

Quote from: Dr. Txec Róibeard dal Nordselvă, Esq., O.SPM, SMM on February 23, 2022, 08:29:35 PM

Quote from: Ian Plätschisch on February 23, 2022, 07:28:28 PM

Quote from: Mic'haglh Autófil on February 23, 2022, 07:03:15 PM
Could this perhaps be resolved by "grandfathering" Senators? Think of it this way: Neither Benito's nor Florencia's Senator is removed from office until their original term was up. Yes, this would mean that -- assuming the merger happens during the 57th Cosa -- for a partial Cosa term, Garibaldi would have two Senators. The "balance of power" in the Senate is not (immediately) changed. However, when elections for the 58th Cosa come up, Garibaldi would simply not elect a Senator. The Benitian senator term would end, and then the Florencian senator would be the sole senator from the new province, and Garibaldi would take the place of Florencia in the Senate election cycle.

This would have the unfortunate consequence of leaving formerly Benitian voters represented by a Senator they didn't elect. Maybe the short time period makes that concern not very important though.

I'd have to check, but I also think that would involve a change to the OrgLaw also. If that's the case, a referendum would be required.

Might be easy to solve the issue by inserting a Section 12 to Org.III

"Any provinces formed by merger shall be represented by all Senators of the pre-merger provinces in question until the expiration of a term of any of the same. At that time, the citizens of the new province shall select a Senator to represent them, and any remaining pre-merger Senators shall finish the term to which they were elected without being replaced upon the expiration of their respective terms."

This would cause issues with 2017 Org III Sec 1 and the principle of all provinces being equal and having one Senator/one vote each. In effect, the "balance of power" in the Upper House will change. Along with the principle of all provinces having one voice/one vote each and being equally represented going out the window, if we find that one province would be "more equal" (albeit for a limited time) than the others.

Simply put, if a province ceases to exist, so too does its Senate representation. Senators represent and vote on behalf of provinces - not citizens (this is what the lower house represents). It risks fundamentally undermining the Organic construction of the Senate and the balance of power between provinces if organically "non-existent" provinces continue to have a vote in the Senate.

The safest route would be for both Senators to resign and the new province elects a new Senator in line with the 2017 OrgLaw. If this upsets a percentage of the population of the province whose Senator of choice didn't get elected - tough, that's democracy.

Congrats and welcome  ;D

The Cort Pü Inalt having met amongst itself, and after due and careful consideration does hereby unanimously nominate:

Puisne Justice @Istefan Perþonest as the Cort Pü Inalt's nominee for the Electoral Commission.


Dame Litz Cjantscheir, UrN
Senior Justice 
Cort Pü Inalt

Looks fab!!! Fantastic work!

I will throw my wig/hat into the ring (if absolutely needed) and stand for election as Sénéchal for this term if no one else declares their desire (and are eligible) to run.