Quote from: Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC on Yesterday at 04:14:44 PM

Quote from: Mic'haglh Autófil, O.Be on March 08, 2026, 07:34:53 PMParty List Reform #1: The URL supports legislation to prioritize party lists, ensuring that "off-list" candidates can only receive seats if no "on-list" candidates are eligible, in order to improve transparency and allow voters to better judge the intentions of the parties on the ballot.

I'd add "... or willing" here. If someone doesn't want to take seats you can't make them. I'm aware that this might mean packing a list with people who agree in advance not to take seats, but if people want to game the system to such an extent there's not much you can do about it.

Wouldn't that be addressed by Party List Reform #2? People who are unwilling to take seats can simply say "no thanks, please don't put me on the list".

This prospective not having posted within a month of his introduction to the nation, his application is discontinued.

Quote from: Mic'haglh Autófil, O.Be on March 08, 2026, 07:34:53 PMParty List Reform #1: The URL supports legislation to prioritize party lists, ensuring that "off-list" candidates can only receive seats if no "on-list" candidates are eligible, in order to improve transparency and allow voters to better judge the intentions of the parties on the ballot.

I'd add "... or willing" here. If someone doesn't want to take seats you can't make them. I'm aware that this might mean packing a list with people who agree in advance not to take seats, but if people want to game the system to such an extent there's not much you can do about it.

Quote from: Mic'haglh Autófil, O.Be on March 08, 2026, 07:34:53 PMParliamentary Reform: The URL supports codifying and strengthening the powers of the Tuischac'h and Mençei to allow them to better maintain order and enforce parliamentary procedure within their respective chambers.

Agree; but we need more detail on what this might mean before we put it in a platform. Does the incumbent Túischac'h @Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP have any ideas?

With these caveats, this is an excellent program, and what's even better, a program that could, realistically, be enacted in one Cosa with a 2/3 majority and an agreeable Senäts. It is realistic.

WHAT is my name?

Moinul Moin.

WHAT is my request?

If it so please the Squirrel King of Arms, I request the assistance of the College in designing and obtaining arms for myself and my lawful heirs.

WHAT is my favourite colour?

Green,Red,Blue.

I am delighted to announce that with the assistance of an international volunteering grant from the German Mennonite Peace Committee I will be travelling to Palestine (Al-Khalil/Hebron) later this year. I will be participating with human rights workers from Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and this will be my first human rights/peacebuilding mission since Colombia in 2019. I am beyond grateful and appreciative of this opportunity to participate in peaceful resistance to occupation.

For Talossa, this will mean that I will be taping some segment to show what the Occupation looks like on the ground.

Quote from: owenedwards on Yesterday at 06:00:32 AMI hope to see some good entries this year!

Just to note publicly, I've received zero submissions. I too am excited to see some submissions soon.

Here are the week 19 results.

Els Talossaes Rexhitais def. Manager-less Team 1 383.10-218.70
Cézembrean Amateurs on Ice def. Maritiimi-Maxhestic Mençeis 345.80-191.50
Tigreux dal Belacostă def. Gordon Hiatus Support Team 374.90-361.80
Banqeu da Cézembre Zambonis def. Maricopa Havana Hijinks 476.80-319.70
Vuode Villains def. Cjovani Squilats 335.80-272.30

Here are the standings after week 19.

1. Tigreux dal Belacostă (14-4-0) 6,056.40 *
2. Vuode Villains (12-6-0) 5,977.70 *
3. Els Talossaes Rexhitais (11-7-0) 5,520.50 *
4. Banqeu da Cézembre Zambonis (10-8-0) 5,654.70
5. Manager-less Team 1 (9-9-0) 5,022.20
6. Cjovani Squilats (8-10-0) 5,136.40
7. Maricopa Havana Hijinks (8-10-0) 4,753.20
8. Maritiimi-Maxhestic Mençeis (7-11-0) 4,450.70
9. Cézembrean Amateurs on Ice (6-12-0) 4,590.10
10. Gordon Hiatus Support Team (5-13-0) 5,039.60

Teams with an asterisk have clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Here is the week 20 schedule

Gordon Hiatus Support Team v. Manager-less Team 1
Banqeu da Cézembre Zambonis v. Maritiimi-Maxhestic Mençeis
Cjovani Squilats v. Tigreux dal Belacostă
Maricopa Havana Hijinks v. Els Talossaes Rexhitais
Vuode Villains v. Cézembrean Amateurs on Ice

Good luck this week everyone! As usual I am rooting for everyone who is either playing against or trailing the Manager-less Team this week!

I hope to see some good entries this year!

Estimats cünpartizaes,

As most of you are aware, the aftermath of the last election was a bit of a blessing in disguise, as it showed that the URL is the Party of Talossan Democracy. With this better-defined identity in mind, we have set about over the first half of this term working to define just what a more democratic Talossa would look like in order to know what paths we should prioritize and the directions in which we would like to move as a united party. To that end, I submit to you now that agenda for the Party's endorsement.

The following is something that I have drafted based on the summary of ideas in this post, but is still ultimately open to amendment, as I cannot singularly speak for the party as a whole. As a result, all items are currently open to proposed amendments to their wording (including re-arranging them in a different order to show our priorities). Once our Convention prepares to adjourn, we will move to adoption of each item as it then exists.

Quote

LAS TOCĂS DEMOCRÄTICI DA L'URL

THE DEMOCRACY AGENDA OF THE URL

We, the members of the Union of Free Reformists, the Party of Talossan Democracy, in order to not only safeguard Talossa's fragile democracy, but strengthen it, hereby formally adopt the Democracy Agenda. This package of reforms will bolster the democratic nature of Talossan government, granting actions taken by the state even greater legitimacy. It is intended to show the Talossan people, in plain terms, our intentions in both this Cosă session and in future sessions, particularly those in which they see fit to grant us a Cosă majority.

• Cosă Size: With the passage of 62RZ09, the Democracy Agenda has already succeeded in right-sizing the Cosă to 20 seats. The URL's aim here going forward will be to defend this change, and prevent future Cosă sessions from undoing it.
• Electoral Method Reform: In the interest of lessening the power of party bosses, increasing the power of the voters, and improving the ability to hold individual MCs accountable, the URL supports transition to a form of personalized proportional representation -- any method that combines proportional representation for parties with voter control over which candidates actually receive Cosă seats. We support further debate on the specific method to be adopted.
• Party List Reform #1: The URL supports legislation to prioritize party lists, ensuring that "off-list" candidates can only receive seats if no "on-list" candidates are eligible, in order to improve transparency and allow voters to better judge the intentions of the parties on the ballot.
• Party List Reform #2: The URL supports legislation requiring candidates to confirm with the Chancery their consent to appearing on a party list, in an effort to further lessen the power of party bosses.
• Upper House Reform: Taking into account Talossa's unitary nature and the requirements of responsible government, the URL supports the transition of the Senäts' role to that of a "house of review" in the vein of the British House of Lords, the Canadian Senate, or the Japanese House of Councillors. This reform will retain Senators' ability to critique and improve legislation on behalf of their province's citizens, including a veto on Organic amendments, but will allow the Cosă to insist on its decision on standard legislation if there is sufficient democratic support.
• Public Ballot Reform: The secret ballot is one of the cornerstones of free and fair elections. We support the continued right of Talossans to publicly declare their electoral choices, but believe the polling process on Wittenberg should be reformed so that public ballots are only published after polls close.
• Parliamentary Reform: The URL supports codifying and strengthening the powers of the Tuischac'h and Mençei to allow them to better maintain order and enforce parliamentary procedure within their respective chambers.
• Royal Veto Reform: The URL supports reforming the power of the Crown to veto legislation. This would involve a "suspensory" veto, in which the Crown's veto still serves as an opportunity for the Ziu to reconsider legislation, but can be overriden by a simple majority of both houses. In parallel to this, we support reworking advisory opinions to allow the King to consult with the CpI on a bill's organic Compliance.
• Reform Org.XII.4: This organic provision makes some parts of the OrgLaw almost impossible to amend, anchoring the country in ways that are not justifiable in a democratic nation. The OrgLaw already has a rigorous amendment process for normal amendments; there is no good reason to have such onerous additional requirements.

I am submitting Fora Talossa's new show, Abbavilla Digest, which is preparing its third episode this month. Posting has been regular on r/micronations and apparently has at least one non-Talossan viewer who mentioned liking it in a comment.