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Message From The Prime Minister:
“Hello friends and allies of the UK,
I’m Akillian Talleyrand, the Prime Minister of NSUK. It is my pleasure to address you in our foreign update. I assume the office of Prime Minister at an exciting time, as regions far and wide continue to prosper. NSUK has had a fun couple of months, with new cultural activity, fun engagements, and as always, some political competition.
The talented, smart, capable and hardworking members of my Cabinet, plus DPM Henry, are working to create an active and engaging political and cultural scene that is open to all across NationStates! (just kidding Henry )
We continue to be ready to stand with you in military endeavours, work with you in cultural pursuits and continue to progress in other areas of cooperation. We look forward to communicating or working with you over the coming months. Please do feel free to contact His Majesty’s Government should anything arise.”
Election Results are in…Prime Minister
The Prime Minister election took place from September 14th through September 19th where we saw 4 candidates step up and contest the position. Former Prime Minister Lucas Stewart opted out of running again leaving it to be virtually anyone’s game, or so we thought. The four candidates were John Laurens-Wessex, Madeline Norfolk, Akillian Talleyrand, and Desgian Novoselgic. All four candidates shared areas of agreement. They recognized that NSUK itself is in an amazing place but improvements could be made. The candidates all agreed some of the policies implemented under the previous Government would simply not be sustainable. All four candidates also held similar values in wanting to expand our Foreign Relations, simplify the structure of the Government from strict lines to more traditional and reliable collaboration, and most importantly get citizens involved. In an unsurprising turn of events, Akillian Talleyrand wiped the competition clean with 27 votes out of 32 voters in favor of him becoming Prime Minister with Madeline Norfolk at 3 and John Laurens-Wessex at 1 and Desgian Novoselgic at 1. Akillian took the stage on the 20th, making his opening address and announcing his planned cabinet and intentions for the first few days of the term.
Parliamentary Elections
Less than 24 hours after the Prime Minister took office, Parliament was so graciously dissolved to allow for a fresh mandate and allow the Members of the House of Commons who felt the term had gone on long enough to rest and encourage the next round of Members of Parliament to storm the chambers. A total of 8 citizens registered for the Parliamentary election for 5 seats with 7 citizens being deemed legally eligible to remain on the ballot. Many candidates opted for relatively vague but excitable campaign threads indicating their wish to represent their fellow people, ensure laws are well done, and hold the Government to account. It has been a breath of fresh air to see so many citizens not only involved, but to see those citizens elected mostly be those who were not slated to be cabinet ministers under the current Prime Minister.
The results came in as follows:
Valfor Talleyrand (IND) - 19 votes (16.10%)
Crushita Telcontar (IND) - 18 votes (15.25%)
Aaron Reynolds (SF) - 14 votes (11.86%)
Remile Talleyrand (SF) - 23 votes (19.49%)
Richard Wright (GP) - 9 votes (7.63%)
Scott Cahill-Mountbatten (GP) - 16 votes (13.56%)
Philip Ross (IND) - 19 votes (16.10%)
Thus resulting in Valfor Talleyrand, Crushita Telcontar, Remile Talleyrand, Scott Cahil-Mountbatten, and Philip Ross securing their seats!
Following the election, the Speakership contest began with Remile Talleyrand going up against Scott Cahil-Mountbatten. The Members of Parliament asked their questions and ultimately decided upon Remile Talleyrand to become their Speaker with a 4 in favor and 1 abstention. The new Speaker made the following address:
“First, I'd like to thank all my fellow Parliamentarians for electing me and trusting me to serve as your Speaker for this term. I'm honored and I intend to lead our Parliament through conversations and debates that will bring forth legislation that will benefit our region. As mentioned before, I appoint the Honorable Member of Kensington, Mr. Cahill-Mountbatten to be my Deputy Speaker. I had the pleasure of serving with him last term and look forward to working with him and receiving his advice. I also promise to serve as a mediator in my capacity, and willing to create calm and peaceful places of discussion without the worries of persecution. I put my beliefs and opinions under the duty to this noble institution and this great region. We don't have a second to lose and activity is a must. I have already scheduled times for PMQ's and already discussing with the Lords on legislation that will be in the House of Commons by tomorrow.
Now onwards! I encourage all citizens to present their ideas in the citizens platform of the House of Commons. Even if you don't have a fully written piece of legislation, all you need is an idea and Parliament will write it for you and you will receive credit! I am a citizen first before being speaker or member of parliament. Don't hesitate to approach me if you have complaints, suggestions, or advice. Lets make our region proud and the 69th term a success!”
Hit the Ground Running
The House of Commons is currently debating two proposals. The first proposal intends to establish a procedure to recognize distinguished citizens within the region, which was written and passed already by the House of Lords. It already has a large support by both the Government and those who have commented thus far in Parliament. The second proposal is the Charter of Northern Ireland intended to establish their devolved administration much like their sister nations of Scotland, Wales, and England. However, the Charter has attracted concerns due to legality of provisions establishing an internal judiciary in the devolved nation. Meanwhile the House of Lords is currently debating a Constitutional Amendment intended to clarify some language in the Constitution. The Lords are also debating a new proposal intended to better establish the duties of the Government beyond that which is established in the Constitution.
Government at Work
Following the Opening Address made by the Prime Minister, the Government has been hard at work!
The Deputy Prime Minister announced a new Government Minister Programme intended to supply the Government with willing citizens to assist the Government in their various duties within the region. With 11 citizens having already applied and been sorted, it is proving to be a wonderful new program! The Local Government Secretary has taken upon her duties in assisting Northern Ireland in devolving, accepting property applications, assigning new residents, updating the roster, encouraging activity, and welcoming new residents. A legal challenge by two residents of Northern Ireland against the role of HM Government was dismissed by the Crown Court. The Culture Secretary continues his rockstar energy that he held during his time as Forums Secretary last term in attending to hosting various games and activities for citizens to take part in, to not only feel involved, but to bond further with their fellow citizens. The Home Secretary announced changes to citizen of the month, in order to give it more substance and meaning, as well as three new awards intended to not only encourage new citizens to get involved, but also for new citizens to take pride in how involved they have become. The Immigration Secretary has taken a heavy focus on better organizing the Roleplay that occurs on the NS Site. The RP Coordinator position was created and the process for electing the individual is underway. The Foreign Secretary has been the least vocal of all while working behind the scenes to review and reform the Diplomatic Corps, and of course, writing and distributing this foreign update. Reforms underway include updates to the Embassy policy, ensuring that we are in compliance with all of our allied regions, and determining the best route to highlight a region of the week program without letting it lose its sparkle after the third week.
A Man and a Potato
This past weekend, best friends Henry Stewart and Crushita Telcontar finally crossed paths for the last time and got hitched in the Church of England in the United Kingdom. The occasion was nothing short of beautiful and exciting with citizens flocking to see the spectacle that was a member of the royal family marrying a literal potato. This however left many unphased as the very same citizens supported this potato in his successful attempt to become a Member of Parliament in the recent Parliamentary election. The union however has yet to be recognized and blessed by the Holy Spud due to Starchbishop Niko Telcontar working nights, and it is expected to be an even greater celebration upon the conclusion of that ceremony. Congratulations Henry and Crush!
Devolved Nations Continue to Move Forward
The devolved nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to make progress. Scotland has seen it all in the past few months. The previous Scottish Government had enacted strict control measures against the religious organisation the Hreater Good, including the establishment of the secret organisation The Civilian Security Agency to monitor the group. The conflict reach its peak when the Crown Court intervened and struck down the measures. At that point a war broke out on the streets of Edinburgh as the CSA attempted to arrest Hreater Good members. Former First Minister Akillian Talleyrand was then revealed to be suffering from the control of a demon possessing him, but an exorcism performed by the leader of the Hreater Good Sacul Astoria brought him back to his former self. New First Minister John Alexander seeks to move on from the conflict, despite being the only MSP to oppose the Hreater Good Compensation Act. Meanwhile, in Wales, a heated clash between Mark Hornsey and Alex Bauheim was launched for Prif Weinidog, following the proposed Vote of No Confidence and subsequent resignation of Madeline Norfolk. During the race, Hornsey launched a stinging attack on the BBC for their coverage, which was defended by other citizens. Bauheim won the race by one vote and has pledged to bring more activity to Wales through reforms to the Welsh Territorial Guard.
England continues under the leadership of interim Lord Lieutenant Henry Norfolk, who is in the process of setting up the basic laws and English Assembly procedures for the devolved nation. Elections for the new Lord Lieutenant are expected to happen afterwards. Northern Ireland, the only constituency nation that has yet to devolve, is in the process of discussing a charter. Tensions have been growing in recent days. Scott Cahill-Mountbatten and John Laurens-Wessex, the main proponents of devolution, attempted to sue the Josephine Hanover, the Local Government Secretary - a newly created position by the incoming Government - for seeking to administer Northern Ireland while they remained a non-devolved constituency nation, a pledge made by the Prime Minister during his campaign for election. The Crown Court dismissed the case by the petitioners for having a lack of grounds in challenging HM Government’s authority. Just as a charter for devolution was passed by the people of Northern Ireland, the House of Commons look set to vote against it following a contentious debate amongst all interested parties , due to a provision setting up the judiciary that is incompatible with the Devolution Act.
That’s it for this update! Thank you for reading and for any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your ambassador, the Foreign Secretary, the Deputy Prime Minister, or the Prime Minister!
