State Opening on 11 January

[Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP]

I would like to inform everyone that the State Opening of the 62nd Cosă is scheduled for:
11 January 2026, 11 AM TST.

It will be held live. A link to the video call will be posted in due time.

I ask the Seneschal and Tanaischteu to prepare their Government speech and rebuttal, respectively.

[Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP]

Right after the State Opening, there will also be an unofficial quasi-Living Cosă. Members of the Ziu are encouraged to attend the event to debate the Clark and vote on it in person. Those who cannot attend will be able to cast their votes through conventional means following the usual timetable.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask them in this thread.

[Sir Lüc]

For the benefit of all members, I would like to elaborate on the matter of the quasi-Living Cosă to be held in conjunction with the State Opening.

It was determined that holding a full Living Cosă on the 11th would be in breach of existing provisions concerning the minimum advance notice that needs to be given to MZs. However, nothing forbids the Cosă from holding some other kind of live meeting to debate legislation anyway.

A related issue, though, is whether or not binding votes can be cast during a quasi-Living Cosă; but the only requirement for the manner of holding and casting Clark votes is found in OrgLaw VII.9, which states:

Every MC and Senator may vote on every bill in every Clark through reasonable means determined by the Secretary of State, and MCs and senators will have until the end of business on the twenty-first day of the calendar month to submit their votes to the Secretary of State. [...]

Since I am happy to consider a voice vote during such a meeting a reasonable mean of voting, MZs will be allowed to cast Clark votes at the quasi-Living Cosă, and I will either be in attendance to record them, or delegate someone else  to do so, so that those same MZs do not need to enter their votes using the Database or Wittenberg.

The only differences with a normal Living Cosă, as far as I can tell, will be that proxy voting will not be allowed, and that the final tally on bills will not be taken at the end of the voice vote during the Living Cosă, but at the regularly scheduled "end of business" on January 21st.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

I have asked for a word to be coined for this new approach, and we intend to do them fairly regularly.

As much as possible, we need to begin expanding the ways in which we interact with each other. We have to move beyond words on a screen and start seeing each other's faces. This will help bridge gaps as we begin to see each other's common humanity.

[Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP]

I have asked for a word to be coined for this new approach, and we intend to do them fairly regularly.

It could be as simple as Seßiun Rustitsch (Informal Session).

[Sir Lüc]

I think it would be great to hold these regularly. One other thing I would like to point out is that discussing bills that are not on the Clark is not in order during a normal Living Cosă, but logically that doesn't apply in a more informal setting, so it could be interesting to have people get the chance to talk up their Hoppered bill for a few minutes face-to-face.

(Edit: Of course it would also be worth discussing if we should just do away with the current Living Cosăs and turn these informal sessions into a new kind of Living Cosă that is more flexible, less constrained and not as bound to being a weird simulacrum of the old in-person thing, for better or for worse.)

[Mximo Malt]

I think it would be great to hold these regularly. One other thing I would like to point out is that discussing bills that are not on the Clark is not in order during a normal Living Cosă, but logically that doesn't apply in a more informal setting, so it could be interesting to have people get the chance to talk up their Hoppered bill for a few minutes face-to-face.

(Edit: Of course it would also be worth discussing if we should just do away with the current Living Cosăs and turn these informal sessions into a new kind of Living Cosă that is more flexible, less constrained and not as bound to being a weird simulacrum of the old in-person thing, for better or for worse.)

Living Cosăs are goated 😎

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

As much as possible, we need to begin expanding the ways in which we interact with each other. We have to move beyond words on a screen and start seeing each other's faces. This will help bridge gaps as we begin to see each other's common humanity.

:) Straight from a Green Party mailer. I am pleased.

[Mximo Malt]

As much as possible, we need to begin expanding the ways in which we interact with each other. We have to move beyond words on a screen and start seeing each other's faces. This will help bridge gaps as we begin to see each other's common humanity.

:) Straight from a Green Party mailer. I am pleased.

Yay!!! I love meeting people (even though most of them are shady these days, not you guys though)!

[King Txec]

As much as possible, we need to begin expanding the ways in which we interact with each other. We have to move beyond words on a screen and start seeing each other's faces. This will help bridge gaps as we begin to see each other's common humanity.

:) Straight from a Green Party mailer. I am pleased.

I get credit since I made this exact argument in last year's Independence Day Speech!

-Txec R

[Françal I. Lux]

I will try to attend so I can see all your beautiful faces!

[Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP]

I don't own a webcam, but at least all attendees will be able to hear me speak Talossan!

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

As much as possible, we need to begin expanding the ways in which we interact with each other. We have to move beyond words on a screen and start seeing each other's faces. This will help bridge gaps as we begin to see each other's common humanity.

:) Straight from a Green Party mailer. I am pleased.

I get credit since I made this exact argument in last year's Independence Day Speech!

-Txec R

Credit to an argument made by at least two voices then. And to the new government for making it happen.

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

@Baron Alexandreu Davinescu @Marcel Eðo Pairescu Tafial, UrGP
Seneschal, Tuischach:

One idea that popped up during the last campaign was to have an informal question period of some kind at least once during this term. If the Opposition were to send the Government the questions a week or two in advance, would that be something that might fall under one of the informal sessions?