Good evening, Talossa! As the last Clark of the term has come to a close, we begin to prepare for yet another general election. Like most of the other established parties, the URL will be going into more detail on our platform for the upcoming election and the 63rd Cosă, but perhaps just as important as figuring out where we should go next is establishing where we are now and how we got here. And so this thread will serve as the URL's recap of the 62nd Cosă and the Government that has held office in that time.

There is, to be blunt, quite a bit to critique, and overall we can fit most of it into three main categories. We anticipate that some (or most) of this criticism will be framed as personal in nature by a Government desperate to cling to power. Nothing could be further from the truth; we criticize action (or lack thereof), we criticize principles (or lack thereof too), but we leave personal attacks out of it.

Don't worry -- all is not doom and gloom. We'll get into the Union's positive program for the next term soon, but we think it's more helpful for us to get our bearings first.

And so, without further ado, we jump into the first category...


If we go in chronological order, it makes sense to start with the poor decision-making that the Baron and his Government have shown on several occasions throughout the term. First off is the arrangement that brought this Government into power in the first place. The Baron and his party announced that they were forming a coalition government with IDT. The latter party, In Defensa Traditionis, ran in the last election on an explicitly anti-democratic platform, instead advocating absolute (later "executive") monarchism and socially-conservative "Western Orthodox Christian values". Instead of accepting our offer of a grand coalition, the PA chose to turn away from the political center. Their explanation for this, concerningly enough, can be summed up as "government formation by spite". Personal resentment towards several leading figures in the URL and bitter partisanship drove the PA to work with Talossa's political fringe -- and unsurprisingly, within only a few days, it had already fallen apart. The IDT leader's sympathies for alt-right agitator Nick Fuentes became public knowledge, but after dissolving the coalition agreement after a mere four days, the PA decided working with the IDT to nominate a Seneschal was still somehow better than working across the aisle, and a confidence-and-supply deal was formed.

To be clear, this isn't actually criticism of the IDT's leader and sole member. His views are certainly those we disagree with, but we respect and defend his right to them nonetheless. He is simply a very religious, very conservative young man, lacking in experience. The problem arose when the Baron and his party let their dislike for the URL's members get in the way of making the right decision, and that left "work with an alt-right teenager" as the only option they would consider. Talossa deserves a Government that behaves pragmatically, putting aside personal grievances to serve the country. A URL Government will treat a PA Opposition with the respect and professionalism that was lacking when the tables were turned.

Poor judgment has also been seen when the Government has evaluated someone's fit for a given role. Two big examples occurred in this term. The first regards the Baron's appointment of an Attorney General. Tric'hard Lenxheir is someone I think had shown potential. He is someone I have encouraged to be nicer to himself, instead of constantly putting himself down. I harbor no ill will towards him. These things do not eliminate concerns over whether or not he is suitable as the Government's legal counsel. He is not an attorney, and is therefore unable to provide the legal advice that the A-X is charged with providing by statute. He is quite literally unqualified to perform the main function of the office he held. One wonders if a more suitable candidate would have been available in the talent pool, if the incumbent Government had not been formed out of spite. On top of this, the circumstances of his renunciation are worth mentioning. S:reu Lenxheir renounced his citizenship in solidarity with an unrepentant sexual harasser. These are the sorts of principles welcome in the Baron's government? A URL Government will consider qualifications when forming the Cabinet; appointments made purely for political purposes tend to lead to tasks being done poorly, or simply not being done at all.

Speaking of the unrepentant sexual harasser, he's the other major example of this Government's bizarre and concerning personnel decisions. The Minister of Foreign Affairs named S:reu Tzaracomprada as an Information Liaison to multiple other micronations during the term. When questioned on this, Minister Briga claimed that these postings, made under the authority and direction of a government Ministry, were ... somehow not government positions. He told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears -- but that does not change that he gave multiple jobs to an individual that even the Seneschal has shunned. A URL Government will consider character when forming a Cabinet as well as when staffing Ministries for various duties; we will continue in our promise to refuse employment to those who exhibit chronically antisocial behavior.

We'll be back with more of our 62nd Cosă recap in the coming days. We'll also start getting into our more upbeat 63rd Cosă program. Stay tuned!

@Tierçéu Rôibeardescù If you manage to get in touch with @Françal I. Lux please let me know. He was unavailable for a recent terpelaziun and I have questions regarding another project.

GROUP 7
3 - Nolwenn Leroy - Tri Martolod
2 - Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
1 - Aerosmith - Dream On

GROUP 8
3 - B-52's - Legal Tender
2 - Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
1 - Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence

GROUP 7
3 - The Who - Baba O'Riley
2 - Madrugada - Majesty
1 - Nolwenn Leroy - Tri Martolod

GROUP 8
3 - Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
2 - Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
1 - Donkeyboy - Ambitions

Azul all, with His Majesty signifying Royal Assent to the Data Protection Act, I have now proceeded to present the Electoral Commission with a proposed set of rules to govern the upcoming General Election.

You can find the proposed rules at this link. The (nontrivial) changes with respect to the former rules are commented, marked in blue and underlined, and mostly stem from the passage of 62RZ28.

The Commission will now review the rules for compliance, suggest amendments (if any) and proceed to certification by July 31st.




Sir Lüc da Schir, UrB
Secretary of State

---

TXEC, par la Graçù da Dïeu, Regeu da Talossa es toct i sieux Bains es Raxhiuns, Regeu da Cézembre, Dómnul Soveran es Prostexheir da Pengöpäts es las Nouăs Falkland, Zefençadeir del Feitz, Micjeu dals Forçuns Armeschti, Viceregeu da Hoxhă es Vicar d'Atatürk, Azul àd ár citaxhiens es cestours:

WHEREAS the Sixth Clark of the 62nd Cosa has concluded, We therefore deem it Our Organic duty to proclaim:

• As to 62RZ26 – Democracy Act and Amendment, El Regeu en volt.
• As to 62RZ27 – We Have a New-ish King Amendment. El Regeu en volt.
• As to 62RZ28 – Data Protection Act, El Regeu en volt.
• As to 62RZ30 – Citizen Oath Redux Act, El Regeu en volt.
• As to 62RZ31 – Citizenship Oath Deadline and E.7 Untangling Act, El Regeu en volt.

We thank Our Cosa, Our Senäts, and our Secretary of State for their due diligence.

Given under Our hand Royal at the city of Riverside this twenty-second day of July, in the year of salvation 2026, of the independence of Talossa the forty-sixth, and of Our reign the second.

Stage 16 (ITT)  »  Évian-les-Bains  ›  Thonon-les-Bains

Well, scratch most of what I said! Fuller update later but:

- Evenepoel wins ITT as predicted, over Pogacar and a surprisingly strong Skjelmose
- Cjovani gets stagewin due to Evenepoel, Pogacar, Arensman (7th) and Armirail (8th)
- Lipowitz crashed halfway through and broke his collarbone, much like Vingegaard just did on Sunday
- Lipowitz was the one rider held by REX, CHX and GHS but not by MMM: first impression is that this swings TCAT back open for sure (in the Mençeis's favour)
- If positive surprise is Skjelmose, negative surprise is Ayuso, who probably is out of contention for the final podium (Del Toro vs Seixas is gonna be the fight for 3rd now)


Standings after stage 16:

Pos	±		Team	Pts Ove	Pts Today
1st	(=)		Els Talossaes Rexhital (REX)	7630	+499
2nd	(=)		Maritiimi-Maxhestic Mençeis (MMM)	7304	+595
3rd	(=)		Cyclohexane (CHX)	6970	+393
4th	(=)		Gordon Hiatus Support Team (GHS)	6876	+381
5th	(=)		Velociposse Florencia (VFL)	6475	+406
6th	(=)		Esqipă Velocostă (EVC)	6123	+279
7th	(=)		Cézembre Fieschā (CFA)	5607	+641
8th	(=)		Cézembre Caçeirs dals Mailintzarăs (BDC)	5131	+240
9th	(=)		Naziun Cjovani (CJO)	4823	+663

Quote from: Glüc on July 13, 2026, 03:12:19 PMhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QAHYdPpVnElXYd8h1yEpA

Updated for current groups. Different live versions for Aqueous Transmission and Dream On were used.

We will vote on groups two at a time (although you can vote on only one of the groups if you want). Each voting period will last three days (72 hours) Votes cast after that will not be accepted, with the exception that we will always keep going until we have at least three votes per group.

Per group: Give your top three songs 3, 2, and 1 points, respectively. You must give points to exactly three songs per group.

GROUP 7
Aerosmith - Dream On
Apocalyptica - Stroke
Incubus - Aqueous Transmission
Madrugada - Majesty
Nolwenn Leroy - Tri Martolod
Rush - Subdivisions
Russkaja - Roar
Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
The Who - Baba O'Riley


GROUP 8
B-52's - Legal Tender
Cocteau Twins - I wear your ring
Donkeyboy - Ambitions
Ghost Hounds - Last Train to Nowhere
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Het Goede Doel - België (Is er leven op Pluto ...)
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Fool's Garden - Lemon Tree
Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence


Tiebreakers***:
- Number of voters giving 3 points
- Number of voters giving 2 points
- Last year's result (Round 2 > Other)
- Last year's Round 2 Rank
- Last year's Round 2 PPV
- Year first nominated (special edition > earlier > later)
- Random chance

Any song eliminated by random chance (and any song eliminated by random chance last year that is eliminated based on last year's result) will be given entry into next year's TMT20.

8 voters again

GROUP 5
1. All Along the Watchtower - 12
2. The Universal - 8
3. I'm Shipping Up to Boston - 6
4. Der Kommissar - 5 (2022 nomination)
5. Fifty-fifty Clown - 5 (new nomination)
6. The Lord is My Shepherd - 3
7. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - 3
8. Southern Gothic - 2
9. Ohoopee River Bottomland - 2
10. Jane - 2

GROUP 6
1. Knights of Cydonia - 13
2. Sirius/Eye in the Sky - 8 (2 voters giving 2 points)
3. Burnin' For You - 8 (1 voter giving 2 points)
4. Bela Lugosi's Dead - 5
5. I Left My Heart in San Francisco - 4
6. Believe What You're Saying - 3
6. Blue Ain't Your Color - 3
8. Let U Know - 2
9. The Youth - 1
9. Simple And Clean (Marrzaan Remix) - 1