Stories of The North Pacific feature: Factbook of McMasterdonia

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Stories of The North Pacific feature: Factbook of McMasterdonia​

For the delayed second volume of Stories of The North Pacific, the Executive Staff of the Ministry of Culture has chosen to feature the Factbook of McMasterdonia. Congratulations to its author, mcmasterdonia!

The factbook will remain pinned in the WFE and linked in the News Box until August 16th. It is also reproduced below for your convenience.

You can nominate factbooks to be featured in Stories of The North Pacific here. And you can join the team selecting the features by applying for the Executive Staff here.

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Factbook of McMasterdonia​

Introduction
McMasterdonia, Officially the Kingdom of McMasterdonia is a North Pacifican Federal Constitutional Monarchy, whose territory comprises the Western Portion of the North Pacific Sea, the Isles and the Northern Marshes.

McMasterdonia is bordered by [nation=short]Great Bights Mum[/nation] to the South, Ashatwe to the South East and Jamie Anumia to the North. The nation is located in the political centre of the North Pacific and many neighbouring nations have served as the World Assembly Delegate of the North Pacific region on more than one occasion.

McMasterdonia was formed due to a political alliance between two warring families, the Tyrells and the Hansonns. The Tyrells had ruled the Southern lands and the Isles for many centuries and the Hansonns the Northern Marshes. This political alliance ruled the nation in relative peace for 250 years, when civil war broke out between Queen Issabella and her younger brother Prince Ferdindand due to concerns about a female inheriting the throne of McMasterdonia. This was was described as the War of the Prides and ended with Ferdinand's defeat at Cape El.

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Government
The Government of McMasterdonia is a complex arrangement based on historical ties, family relations and cultural expectations.

The Monarchy

The Monarchy has traditionally held very extensive political power and influence in the country, though more recently there have been some attempts to change this.

Countess Palatine Matilda, Current Queen Regent of McMasterdonia
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The Queen Regent is the current head of state and head of government, serving as both the monarch of the Kingdom and the Chancellor. The monarchy is hereditary and is passed to the next in line via majority vote of the ruling house of McMasterdonia.

The Legislature
The Legislative Arm of the McMasterdonian Government is primarily invested in the Senate which is headed by the Chancellor. The Senate is made up of 150 seats elected with full-preferential instant-runoff voting in single-member seats. Voting is compulsory in the Kingdom of McMasterdonia. The Senate elects a Speaker by a 2/3rds majority vote, to serve as the Senate Spokesperson and to preside over standing orders and maintain civility in the chamber.

The Council of State, or the Upper House comprises of nobles and members of the Royal Family. The Council of State is primarily an advisory house, however it retains the right to block Senate legislation, although this is rare. The Council of State is a highly respected institution, given it's ties to the Church, provincial government and landed estates across the country. Senate Chancellors have ignored the advise of the Council of State to their own peril, on only two occasions. Chancellor Frederick refused to accept Council advise on State finances in 1925, wide spread protests gripped the country and Frederick's commission was terminated by King Wilhelm II. Chancellor Amelia Radford, faced similar protests when her administration attempted to abolish the Council of State, when a feud between herself and King Johnslo erupted into the public domain in December 1973, ultimately resulting in her assassination by religious fanatic Isiah Embrulieo, January 3 1975.

Ever since the unfortunate assassination of Chancellor Radford, the position of Chancellor has been held by a member of the Royal Family or aristocracy. In 1981, the position was formerly transferred from the Senate to the Council of State. In recent times, Queen Matilda faced some political controversy when she continued this practice when she came to the throne of McMasterdonia in late 2013.

The Judicature

The Court of McMasterdonia is de jure the lower court of the Kingdom of McMasterdonia. The Court is presided over by a Chief Justice who is appointed directly by the monarch of the day. The Chief Justice administers the rules of the Court and is responsible for the overseeing of administrative matters. The Monarch appoints additional Justices as provided by law, however these Justices are created as equals to the Chief Justice, with the Chief Justice only retaining additional authority on administrative matters and as the legal counsel to the monarch of the day. In practice, the Court of McMasterdonia is the only court to oversee criminal or civil matters, with no appeal on either of those matters proceeding to the Senate since 1915.

Parties to a case may appeal a decision reached by the Court of McMasterdonia to an extraordinary hearing of the Senate, presided over by the monarch of the day or their designee. This often occurs on matters of constitutional significance or ambiguity. The last extraordinary Senate session was held in the late 1990's over ambiguity of the rights of citizens.

Constitutional Law

The Constitution of McMasterdonia is a brief document that lays out the foundations of McMasterdonian governance. The Constitution should be considered to be a semi-codified document, with precedent, traditional practices and other documents of constitutional significance being considered to be of equal weight.

The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate, provided the monarch of the day grants his or her approval to the amendment. In times of emergency, the monarch may suspend the constitution and issue a public state of emergency. Any imperial decree by the monarch, may override the constitution or be considered to have equal constitutional significance to the original document. This power is used rarely and typically only in cases of emergency or crisis.


Culture
National Anthem

God of justice, You have saved us
from damnation till this day;
Hear our voices from this day,
And from now be our salvation.
Our beautiful homeland,
Dear country glorious and fearful,
Our fathers' old glory,
May you be blessed forever!
Forward, the flags of glory,
To the fight blood of heroes.
For well being of the Fatherland,
Let the rifles speak.
God save, God protect,
Our Regent and our people!
Regent Matilda, God protect,
Praying to You is all our kind!​