WHEREAS, in the words of a respected MC, assigning a job via statute to a role not guaranteed to exist by statute is a bad idea;

AND WHEREAS the role of "Wittmeister" nowhere exists in legislation, but exists as part of the job description of Permanent Secretary of Back End Administration, which doesn't exist in legislation;

AND WHEREAS the role of "Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet" doesn't exist at all any more;

AND WHEREAS the current legislation makes reference to the Minstry of STUFF, which is no longer responsible for technical issues like this;

BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosă and Senäts in Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx E.3 be amended from:

Quote3. The Minister of Immigration, working with the Seneschal, the Minister of Stuff, The Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet and/or the nation's Wittmeister shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Immigration Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Immigration Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Immigration Minister in this introduction. The Immigration Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country.

to:

Quote3. The Minister of Immigration, working with the Seneschal and the responsible authorities for administering Wittenberg,  shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Immigration Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Immigration Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Immigration Minister in this introduction. The Immigration Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country.

Got some researcher asking questions about "micronations and tourism" - by which I think he's talking about places like Hutt River Province, Seborga, or the Republic of Whangamōmona. So not really relevant to us, but I'm kind of proud of this answer

¡Estimat.dăs citaxhiens!

60RZ9 has passed the Ziu with the requisite majorities, endorsing @Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB  as Heir Presumptive to the Throne of Talossa. I am proceeding from this point on the assumption that His Current Majesty will not exercise his royal veto.

On the basis of my Government's principle of Not Messing Around, and using my authority as Seneschal under Organic Law VII.13, I announce that the Referendum to confirm the Heir Presumptive as named in 60RZ9 will be held during the same period as the Third Clark of this Cosă, that is, 1st to 21st October Talossan Standard Time.

For reasons of propriety, this Referendum (and the attendant Clark) will be administered by Deputy Secretary of State @Sir Lüc . I should also note that, on the assumption that this referendum passes, @Sir Lüc is this Government's preferred candidate to become the next Secretary of State. I am making this announcement so the Chancery will have continuity to make long-term plans, for example, on the replacement of the Database.

Questions? Comments?

A previous government, of which I had the honour of being a part, established La C'hronică (LC), the "official newsletter" of the Talossan government. At the time, we made it clear that LC was supposed to be a stop-gap, a way of keeping less-active citizens in touch with what was happening in Talossa, substituting for the lack of a private enterprise press.

But there are several functions of a private-enterprise Free Press which LC cannot, and should not, cover. Like fearless reporting on political debates, or muckracking explorations of personal misbehaviour. It is this Government's belief that a lot of bad habits have crept into Talossan politics and culture precisely because there is no sanction - reputational or political - for bad behaviour, or simply for being what we could call in the national language 'n verpă.

Therefore, the Culture Ministry will look favourably on giving grants out of our 60th Cosă budgetary announcement for anyone who wants to set up a private-enterprise newspaper, journal or magazine in Talossa. However, preference will be given to applicants who are not leading political figures or party leaders. A return to the biased partisan press of the Støtanneu/TNN era is not what we need.

Questions? comments?

As the Attorney-General is currently explaining to the Cosa, according to his learned opinion there is no legal requirement to keep the contents of behind-closed-doors Cabinet discussions secret. However, in my perhaps not-so-learned opinion there is a political reason to do so. In the Westminster tradition, we call this "collective solidarity"; that is, debates and individual opinions should not be published so that the Cabinet can speak with one voice. in the US tradition I believe you refer to "executive privilege";  that is, debates and individual opinions should not be published so that the executive officers can engage in full and frank debate and individuals cannot be targeted for their advice.

I have already posted to this effect in the Ziu, in a Terpelaziun thread that descended into nastiness, so I'd better repost it here.

1) My Government will not republish any debates or any opinions or comments of individual Cabinet ministers, and we expect that future Governments will follow this precedent.

2) There is no problem with discussing decisions or consensus opinions of previous Governments, as these form part of our tradition of Government which should be known by the public, especially when they give context to decisions of the current Government. But the names of individual Ministers should not be attached to them.

You guys know what I think of monarchy in general, but the new Māori Queen is quite a looker



Notably it's an elective monarchy chosen by the "Privy Council" equivalent at the previous incumbent's funeral.

OKAY YOU GUYS. In accordance with the Government's programmatic commitments and with public feedback, here is our immigration reform bill. The significant changes are as follows:

    * the "What Talossa Means To Me" essay will be required to demonstrate an understanding of what Talossa is and what citizenship means (if it doesn't, the application doesn't get rejected but the ImmMin can require rewriting before publication);
    * citizenship applications will include a checkbox section on "what parts of Talossa most appeal to you", and the ImmMin will give guidance on who to approach to help with that (this fills the New Citizen's Committee gap)
    * citizenship can be granted on the petition of two citizens and on "certification from the Ministry of Immigration that the prospective citizen has sufficient understanding of Talossan life and culture for full participation" (which would, at least in the short term, meaning passing the Civics Test and consequently getting an ID card);
    * provision that if the ImmMin misuses their new powers to deep-six applications without a good reason, the applicant can appeal to the SoS.

===

WHEREAS the Government of Talossa desires that frivolous applications for Talossan citizenship be discouraged, but serious applications get all the help that they need;

BE IT ENACTED by the King, Senäts and Cosă of Talossa in Ziu assembled as follows:

1. That El Lexhatx E.2 be amended by addition of the bolded text as follows:

Quote2.1 The Minister of Immigration shall ascertain to his own satisfaction, through correspondence or conversation, that the prospective immigrant is a real human being with genuine interest in becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The Minister shall be free to inquire of the applicant on any and every subject, and shall be required to collect the legal name or name used in daily life, postal address (optional if the applicant is under 18 years of age, except for information needed to assign the applicant to a province), telephone number, and e-mail address(es) of the candidate, which information the Minister shall communicate to the Secretary of State. The applicant shall affirm or swear, under penalty of perjury and under the provisions of Lexh.A.16.1., that this information is accurate, and shall provide documentary evidence of the same if the Minister thinks it appropriate.

2.2 Additionally, the Immigration Minister shall be required to collect an essay, written by the applicant, entitled "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan." If the Immigration Minister considers that this essay misunderstands the nature of Talossa or the rights and duties of Talossan citizenship, or gives insufficient information to enable citizens to ask meaningful questions of the prospective, they may require the applicant to submit a rewritten essay before proceeding to the next stage. When doing so, the Immigration Minister shall provide the applicant with sufficient information to do so successfully, or indicate where to find such information.

2.3 The Immigration Minister shall also allow every applicant to indicate, whether in the essay described elsewhere in this section or otherwise, what part or parts of Talossan life are the Special Interests of the applicant. These may include Politics, Language, Culture, Heraldry, or any other categories as the Minister may see fit or that may be suggested by the applicant.

2.4 The Immigration Minister shall make a monthly report to the Ziu reporting the number of immigration applications received in that month which did not proceed because failing to fulfil the requirements of this section. For each failed application the Minister shall note which part or part of the requirements of this section were lacking in the application.

2. That El Lexhatx E.3 be amended by addition of the bolded text and deletion of struck-through text as follows:

Quote3. The Minister of Immigration, working with the Seneschal, the Minister of Stuff, The Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Technology and/or the nation's Wittmeister shall cause the prospective immigrant to be granted an account on Wittenberg, allowing said prospective immigrant to converse with the subjects of the Kingdom gathered there. The Immigration Minister shall verify that the said account is fully-enabled, and that the candidate is able to communicate using this forum with the citizens of the Kingdom. The Immigration Minister shall then begin a single thread on Wittenberg introducing the prospective immigrant to the nation. The "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan" essay shall be published by the Immigration Minister in this introduction. The Immigration Minister is further directed to remind his fellow citizens from time to time that the initiation of new citizens into Talossa is a serious matter and that questioning a prospective citizen is a patriotic obligation of all who love their King and Country.

    3.1 The Ministry of Immigration shall note the prospective immigrant's future provincial assignment in the introducing thread.

   3.2 The Ministry of Immigration shall also publish any Special Interests identified by the prospective citizen in the application, and put them in touch with Talossan citizens who are identified by the Ministry as being able and willing to help them pursue those interests. In doing so the Ministry shall not promote any particular political party to the exclusion of any other.

3. That El Lexhatx E.5 be amended by addition of the bolded text as follows:

Quote5. If, at any point during the process, either before or after creation of the Wittenberg account, the Immigration Minister determines that the prospective immigrant shall not be considered further, the prospective immigrant shall be informed of this decision, and shall be made aware that a Grant of Citizenship may yet be obtained by the disappointed applicant if an act of the Ziu be passed directing that such a grant be issued. Any account created for the applicant on Wittenberg shall then be terminated.

     5.1 Any person, whose citizenship is denied, may in the first case appeal this decision by application to the Secretary of State, and be given the Chancery's contact details to enable them to do so. The Secretary of State may, if they believe the Ministry of Immigration has misused their discretion under Talossan law, report to the Ziu with their reasons for so deciding and recommend that the applicant or prospective citizen be given citizenship by act of the Ziu. Alternatively, the applicant or prospective may reapply by undergoing the entire procedure (minus any successfully completed portions) following the next general election.

4. That El Lexhatx E.7 be amended by addition of the bolded text as follows:

Quote7. The Secretary of State shall, on a date of his choosing, but within a period of ten days after receiving a petition from at least two citizens to issue a Grant of Citizenship as described in clause 4, and upon certification from the Ministry of Immigration that the prospective citizen has sufficient understanding of Talossan life and culture for full participation, determine the provincial assignment of the prospective immigrant and issue a Royal Grant of Citizenship to the immigrant. This Grant shall be issued under the Royal Seal, either as applied by the Chancery, or, should the Majesty request, by the Sovereign under his or her own hand. If requested by the Government, the Grant may also bear the signatures of the Seneschal and/or Immigration Minister. The Royal Grant shall be promptly issued coincident with the candidate affirming his fealty to the Royal House and his allegiance to the Kingdom by taking any Oath of Talossan Citizenship specified by law. At the time this Royal Grant is issued, and from that point forward, the applicant shall be a full citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. The fact of the issuance of this Grant shall be posted on Wittenberg by the Secretary of State, that the new citizen may be welcomed by his compatriots. Any and all objections raised to the immigration made after this Royal Grant will be moot.

Unless I've missed something, we haven't had one of those since 1988. We talked about a coronation for Ián I Lupul but I don't think it ever happened.

From Old Wittenberg, I copy the following musings (from the Rajala regency) of the then-Squirrel King at Arms:

QuoteHere are a few of the many questions the Fellows of the College should begin to consider about the upcoming coronation:

    Where should the coronation be held?

    What should be the date? Should a one year mourning period pass between the abdication of King Louis and the coronation of the next king?

    What is the order of precedence for the procession?

    Who should do the crowning? Should the King be anointed? Can we get Archbishop Dolan to help?

    Should Peers and members of the Royal Family wear coronets? If so, what design should they have? Should these coronets display heraldic emblems based on rank or association to the monarch? Who else, if anyone, should wear a coronet?

    Should a queen consort (if any) be crowned as part of the general coronation ceremony? If so, when? If not, when?

And finally, from Ián I himself, upon his accession:

QuoteFor be known and understood, as a principle of our House and of the Talossan monarchy henceforth and forever, that the crowning of a Talossan monarch should nowise be celebrated in any place wheresoever except within the sacred boundaries of the Kingdom.

!Estimat.dăs cüncitaxhiens!

In accordance with our Statement of Government policy of August 8th last, the Ministry of Immigration submits this White Paper on Immigration Reform for public discussion, before formal legislative proposals are drawn up.

The Problem: A steady supply of prospectives turning into a steady supply of new citizens. But:

• a very small percentage of new citizens becoming consistently active. Result: a layer of experienced citizens (those who take on the functions of State or are major cultural figures) which is aging and slowly whittling away
• An immigration policy designed to get maximum citizens in the door carries a risk of unintentional "broosking" - as long as the Immigration Minister is the main point of contact for new citizens, new citizens who are not properly conversant with our political landscape will tend to align with the Minister's party (assuming they become active), even if the Minister is carefully impartial.
• Time and energy wasted processing citizenship applications which go nowhere, either before or after citizenship is granted.

Only the oldest among us will remember the days when every citizen not only had to buy a book on Talossan history and culture and pass a test on it, but be vetted by the Uppermost Cort and be granted citizenship by the Ziu. Perhaps we don't need to go that far. But that made sure that only those who really wanted to participate in Talossa became citizens.

The Principle: Quality over Quantity of citizens. Our Immigration policy not to be judged by number of applications for citizenship, but by number of new citizens who become active and "replace" older citizens who wish to retire, or at least take a break.

Suggested Reforms fall into two categories: pre-screening prospectives and post-screening new citizens.

• Pre-screening: El Lexhatx E.2 states: "Additionally, the Immigration Minister shall be required to collect an essay, written by the applicant, entitled "Why I am Interested in Becoming a Talossan."". This does not happen. We get one or two sentences at best, which often show ignorance or incuriosity about what Talossa is. Suggested reform: The legislation be changed to specify what qualities should be displayed in such an essay, and the Minister to be permitted to put a hold on citizenship applications which do not display such qualities.
• Post-screening: Making a pass in the Civics Test (or an altered form of it) mandatory before a grant of citizenship can be given. Or, alternatively/additionally: require two or more citizens to request a grant of citizenship.

Feedback on these ideas, and any other suggestions that might improve quality of new citizens, is encouraged.

Let His Majesty Ián I Lupul's decree of li 20. Güscht XLV / 2024, that @Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB is the Heir Presumptive to the Throne of Talossa, be CONFIRMED by the Ziu, subject to confirmation also by the people in referendum, in accordance with Organic Law II.7.

¡Estimat.dăs cüncitaxhiens!

I hoped to be making this statement in celebration of the nomination of the Heir to the Throne, as promised by His Majesty Ián I Lupul lo these many months ago. Rumour has it that this is coming soon. Rumour has it even that the nomination speech is written. I have no idea why it has not been produced yet. I have no idea because the King does not talk to me, and has not talked to me in a long time. This is a symptom of exactly why we need a new King, and why we've been struggling for years to reach the point of getting one.

I had also hoped to be making this in the form of a formal "Speech from the Throne" at the State Opening of the Cosă, as envisaged in El Lexhatx H.1.1.4. But such a State Opening would have to be organised by the Túischac'h and the Mençei, and there is no Mençei. The current absolute torpor of the Senäts is not doing anything to persuade the nation of the virtues of bicameralism. My personal preference is for a legislature which requires fewer legislators, but selects for better ones. We'll see what comes out of the Organic Law debate.

Anyway, without further ado, I present the legislative agenda and programme of the Avant Coalition government for the 60th Cosă.

===

One of our top priorities will be, as foreshadowed in our pre-election agreement, a wide-ranging and open-ended discussion on Talossa's Organic Law and constitutional structure, in which each party will promote its own preferences. @Mic'haglh Autófil, SMC EiP has already taken the initiative on setting this up.

As also envisaged in our pre-election agreement, as well as in the programme of the Free Democrats, we have set a target that the current National Database will no longer be used by the end of the 60th Cosă – and, it is greatly anticipated, to be replaced by something better. The Minister of Technology, @Mic'haglh Autófil, SMC EiP , has presented a roadmap towards this goal:
-    Firstly, to prioritize those Database functions most in need of replacement (consulting with the Chancery);
-    Secondly, to ensure this replacement is flexible enough to allow for integration with Infoteca as well as future modification.
Other priorities in the Technology portfolio  will be:
-    Re-nationalizing our national websites.  At the moment, they are being hosted on the private webspace of the Permanent Secretary of Backend Administration (the former Minister of Technology). This is neither sustainable nor acceptable from a point of view of public administration. They need to be hosted professionally, paid for by Kingdom funds.
-    In conjunction with this, we will investigate finally ending our relationship with DeRoyal Servers, and investigate possible replacements for both Government email hosting and our domain registrations. In the process of this, we will seek to drop various "ghost" domains where appropriate.

I have personally taken on the portfolio of Immigration in addition to the Seneschalsqåb, and in addition to the administrative functions of the role, my Government will assume a new policy in this regard. This policy will be summed up as Quality rather than Quantity. The previous Government proudly pointed to Infotecă statistics showing a large number of immigration applications, as well as converting a good proportion of these into citizenships. But how many of these new citizens stayed around and became active members of our community?

There is no point processing citizenships which don't go nowhere. Even worse, there is a risk of unintentional "broosking" - as long as the Immigration Minister is the main point of contact for new citizens, and the Government is incentivized to create "maximum immigration", new citizens who are not properly conversant with our political landscape will tend to align with the Minister's party, even if the Minister is carefully impartial. This was seen clearly over the last two Government terms.

The long-term survival of Talossa requires new active citizens, who can replace older citizens who "GAFIAte", as they say in fandom circles (we would say "go inactive") or pass on to being Talossáes din els Efs. Therefore, this Government will move to raise the bar for new prospectives. Engagement with new prospectives will concentrate on, not only making sure they have values compatible with Talossan citizenship, but in getting them ready for active involvement in national life – including awareness of their right to a single seat in the Ziu. We will also investigate raising the bar in the immigration process itself – that is, requiring a real "What Talossa Means To Me" essay requiring thought, as opposed to the vague sentence or two currently required, and authorising the Ministry to reject applications which don't do this.

The new Minister of Defence, @Bråneu Excelsio , has hit the ground running, reactivating the Royal Zouaves and issuing several promotions. We envisage that this will continue throughout our term in office, including an initiative for a live promotion ceremony for the Zouaves sometime in this term.
But Ministreu Excelsio's more pressing responsibility will be the STUFF portfolio, which has grown to be the powerhouse of Talossa's government:
-    Existing initiatives such as Infotecă and La C'hronică will continue.
-    Advertising for our Kingdom will concentrate more on promoting the values associated with Talossan citizenship, in conjunction with our Immigration policy; as well as highlighting our cultural activities.

I have also taken the portfolio of Culture. The first thing I want to note is that I think there is a problem of "demarcation" with STUFF. Please compare the legislative job description for Culture (El Lexhatx D.2.7), to:

Quotepromote Talossan culture, including our national language, our musical and sporting heritage, our mythical Berber connections, and all of our other quirks.

with that for STUFF (Lexh. D.2.10), for

Quotethe internal and external promotion of the Kingdom, all events therein and all things Talossan

.
So we have to ask ourselves: is the division of labour between Culture and STUFF clear? Does it need to be redefined?

But in any case, in the existing Culture portfolio, the Government will continue to enact the Bureau of Home Affairs' Strategic Plan as held over from the last Government. We also intend - once again - to work closely with the Ladîntsch Naziunal, and the whole Talossan-speaking community, towards the age-old goal of getting as many Talossans using and learning our national language as possible. It is our greatest and most unique cultural treasure. We just need to work out how to make it an integral and useful part of Talossan life.

The main objective of the Foreign Ministry, under @Bentxamì Puntmasleu , for the 60th Cosa term is the establishment of relations with other stable, nonaligned, and not otherwise objectionable micronations. In this context "stable" refers to being reasonably well-developed or on course to become developed. "Nonaligned" refers to micronations that are not excessively identified with a macro-national ideology or cause. Micronations that are otherwise objectionable include (but are not limited to) those that are racist, otherwise bigoted, criminal, violent etc. The prospect of reforming an organization of such micronations will be explored and, if conditions are favourable, acted upon. This is all done with an eye toward establishing conventions on micronationalism, exchanging ideas and information, and working together on mutually beneficial projects. The very first step will be to draw up a list of appropriate micronations with which we should first attempt to establish contact.

This Government also intends to move forward on a long standing priority, to enhance the scope of the Royal Civil Service. It is our firm belief that the rancor inherent to Talossan politics can be toned down only by decentralising politics in Talossa – that is, by making more functions of the Kingdom Civil Service jobs rather than political appointments. An objection which has been historically raised to this is that "doing the work" is best rewarded by political power. We envisage using the Talossan honours system to create more incentives for Civil Service work. We also envisage, as a top priority, examining how the Scribery, or some other branch of the Civil Service, can take over the current function of the CRL. This will be tricky in that we still want the Túischac'h and the Mençei to have an important role. But legislative "proofreading" is done by non-political "clerks" in other countries. We believe that the CRL is better than nothing, but not as good as this solution.

Finally, we want to impress on the nation that this Government intends to maintain a sustainable work schedule. No-one, since King Robert I left, can be Talossan full time. All of us have work, study or family commitments outside of the Kingdom. Therefore we will keep sensible and sustainable "office hours" in Talossa. If Ministers need to "take a break", they will; we expect that they will inform the Seneschál, and the Seneschál will inform the nation as and when necessary, and adjust our objectives as necessary. We are not Stakhanovites, or if you prefer, Boxer from Animal Farm.

===

To reiterate: I fervently hope and pray that in the 61st Cosă there will not only be a proper State Opening, but that the equivalent of this speech will be delivered by a new, respected, and acclaimed King of Talossa. Well, probably a King - we'll see how the Organic Law reform discussions go. We are nearing the end of 12 years of political struggle in Talossa - after the end of 7 years of political struggle which culminated in Reunision, after however many years against the authoritarianism of King Robert I, and so on and so on back to Boxing Day 1979. But the point is, after Talossa's new King assumes the Somewhat Battered Throne, we get to argue about new things. We will once again have a blank slate - even on the constitutional question, where monarchy vs. republic can be discussed in principle, not in terms of the performance of the incumbent. But all those years of struggle do not end, and the new dawn doesn't come, until there is a new King of Talossa. It makes no sense to delay the inevitable.

¡Så vivadra Talossa! ¡Så vivadra Talossa democrätic! ¡Ian Lupul, c'è temp à ir!

¡Estimat.dăs cüncitaxhiens!

El Lexhatx H.1.1.4 states:

QuoteDuring the State Opening, the King - or a Commissioner delegated by the King - shall deliver a speech, written by the Government, outlining the Government's legislative agenda and program for the term. The speech may be followed by a rebuttal by the Leader of the Opposition - or a Member of the Cosă or Senator delegated by the Leader of the Opposition - and by further debate.

It looks very unlikely that there is going to be a State Opening of the Cosă, probably mainly because it's supposed to be organised by the Tuischac'h and the Mençei, and, for whatever reason, the Senäts hasn't bestirred itself to elect one. They're creating a good argument for unicameralism.

It therefore behooves the incoming Government to make a less formal statement "outlining the Government's legislative agenda and program for the term". This is nearly complete, but honestly we would *prefer* to wait until the Heir to the Throne is nominated. But we'll make it during the current Clark, anyway.

Questions? Comments?

BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosă and Senäts in Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx H.2.1.2, which currently reads:

Quote2.1.2. A bill has passed the Hopper if it has spent at least 10 days in the Hopper, and is exclusively limited to the following:

    2.1.2.1. Non-binding proclamations that have no effect other than express the wish of the Cosa, Senate, or Ziu as a whole, in which case the bill must contain the words "Sense of the Cosa", "Sense of the Senate" or "Sense of the Ziu" in its title.
    2.1.2.2. Proclamations that establish the position of the Ziu on a foreign policy issue.
    2.1.2.3. Establishment of a committee that has no powers other than advisory powers and whose recommendations must still be approved by the Ziu in order to be binding and making appointments to such a committee.
    2.1.2.4. Appointments to functions that are already defined in law and for which the Ziu is explicitly allowed to make appointments according to law.
    2.1.2.5. Any decision which the law explicitly allows the Ziu to make without the bill containing such a decision having to go through committee.
    2.1.2.6. Removing a regent or consenting to the re-appointment of a regent in accordance with Org.II.5.
    2.1.2.7. Revoking a Prüm Diktat.
    2.1.2.8. Notices of reprimand in accordance with Org.VIII.5.
    2.1.2.9. The granting or restoration of citizenship.

shall be amended by the amendment of 2.1.2.6 to read:

Quote2.1.2.6. Removing a regent or consenting to the re-appointment of a regent in accordance with Org.II.5, or confirming the nomination of an Heir Presumptive in accordance with Org.II.7.

and by the addition of two more paragraphs:

Quote2.1.2.10. A bill that was passed by the previous Cosa but, due to Organic Law provisions, must be passed once again to take effect.
2.1.2.11. A bill that was passed by a previous Cosa but did not take effect due to drafting errors, which are explicitly corrected in the revised bill.

Whereas, under current statute both the Mençéi and Túischac'h can appoint temporary replacements, and

Whereas, under current statute this option is not yet available to the Avocat-Xheneral, and

Whereas, recent circumstances have highlighted the need for the Avocat-Xheneral to have this option as well, and

Whereas, this bill was passed by the previous Cosa, but with reference to the wrong part of El Lexhatxh

Therefore, be it enacted by the Ziu of the Kingdom of Talossa, that El Lexhatx Title H 2.1.5.3.1. which currently reads as:

Quote2.1.5.3.1. The Mençéi and the Túischac'h may at any time appoint and dismiss one Senator and one Membreu dal Cosă, respectively, to serve as a member of the CRL in their place.

is amended, to read as follows:

Quote2.1.5.3.1. The Mençéi, Túischac'h, and Avocat-Xheneral may at any time appoint and dismiss one Senator or one Membreu dal Cosă, to serve as a member of the CRL in their place.

WHEREAS there is now a vacancy on the Uppermost Cort;

AND WHEREAS throughout most of Talossan history, the Uppermost Cort was set at 3 members;

AND WHEREAS that tradition was broken at the time the old Magistrate's Cort was folded into the CpI;

AND WHEREAS we now have a chance to restore this tradition;

AND WHEREAS the effect of this bill will be to confirm the CpI at its current size of one Senior Judge and two Puisne Judges, as foreseen in OrgLaw VIII.3;

AND WHEREAS this bill was already passed into law, as 59RZ1, but under the provisions of OrgLaw VIII.3, this resizing must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the Cosa, once again in this Cosa;

BE IT REAFFIRMED by the King, Cosa and Senäts of Talossa in Ziu assembled that El Lexhatx G.1.1, which previously read

QuoteThe Ziu enlarges the number of Puisne Judges to a total of three in accord with Section 3 of Article VIII of the Organic Law.

is deleted.

¡Estimat.dăs citaxhiens!

As my first job in my new term as Minister of Culture, I must deal with the Royal Society for the Advancement of Knowledge, and its Presidency, which is sadly now vacant since the "promotion to glory" of our beloved Ian Tamorán.

Under El Lexhatx C.2 and C.3, it is up to me to make a recommendation to the King as to a new President of the Royal Society. Applications are now open.

Reminding everyone as to what this role entails, El Lexhatx C.1.6:

Quote1.6     The Royal Society for the Advancement of Knowledge, headed by the President of the Royal Society. The function of the Royal Society is to conduct and promote research and academic study in all areas of human endeavour.

        1.6.1. Schools may be created within the Society for the purpose of focusing on a specific subject. The exact procedure for establishing a school shall be chosen by the President, who shall also appoint a dean to supervise each school.

¡Estimat.dăs cuncitaxhiens!

Please see below the names I will be submitting to his Majesty as the 60th Cosă Cabinet.

@Miestră Schivă, UrN : Seneschál, Minister of Culture, Minister of Immigration
@Bråneu Excelsio : Distáin, Minister of Defence, Minister of STUFF
@Ian Plätschisch : Attorney-General
@Mic'haglh Autófil, SMC EiP : Minister of Technology, Deputy Minister of STUFF
@Bentxamì Puntmasleu : Foreign Minister, Deputy Culture Minister (in charge of Home Affairs), Deputy Minister of Immigration
@Sir Lüc: Minister of Finance, Deputy Minister of Technology

I also have the pleasure of announcing the following appointments outside Cabinet:

@Barclamïu da Miéletz : Deputy Minister of STUFF
@Danihel Txechescu : Permanent Secretary of Backend Admin

The basics of the incoming Government's program will be the agreement of the AVANT Coalition, but a full program will be found in the upcoming Speech from the Throne.

¡Så vivadra Talossa democrätic!

QuoteThe basic solution should be: if you stop voting in elections and responding to censuses, you are no longer "deemed to renounce" but you go on an Inactive Citizens list. And a subset of that list whose deaths are confirmed will be "els Presints Eternalmint". We might start creating a list like that: Xhorxh Asmour, John Eiffler, even King Robert II Dobberpuhl.

Restoring the requirement for a financial report in the month before the election (as well as one with the Budget)

I made a mistake.

I sponsored this bill four Cosas ago removing the requirement for a Financial Report before each General Election. As far as I can tell from this, this was because no-one was doing it. But in hindsight, it was dumb. Of course all the parties running for election should see exactly what's in the Kingdom's coffers so they can create election platforms accordingly!

So I would like to call upon Minister of Finance @Baron Alexandreu Davinescu to request Royal Treasurer @xpb to issue a Financial Report (even one in very brief outline) now, before the end of the election, using his powers under El Lexhatx C.1.5.6. And we'll repair the reporting requirement in the next Cosa.