The Abdication of HRBM King Henry IX
On August 4th 2020, His Royal Britannic Majesty the King, in a shocking letter, announced that he would be stepping down from duties as Sovereign of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Henry IX ascended the Throne during a time of great strife and uproar, and through it all he stood strong through it all. Much like the in-real-life King George VI, His Majesty never intended to have served as monarch. Yet, he took upon the burden and has served this great region with wisdom, care, and most of all trust. The same day, His Majesty’s Abdication Act (2020) was proposed in the House of Lords. Therein, passionate and grateful speeches echoed in hall of red seats. When it was passed, and sent to the House of Commons, there grew a hush in the normal loud and rowdy chamber of green. And, then, with great somberness, the Members of Parliament followed suit of their counterparts, and gave long speeches thanking the King for his service and dedication.
Originally, His Majesty was to officially abdicate on September 4th; however, due to Hurricane Laura that was extended to the 15th of September, in an emergency amendment in Parliament. The King wrote a letter of thanks in the Joint Session for everyone’s kind words and sentiments. His Royal Highness, Prince Charles Lancaster-Stuart, the Prince of Wales and the King’s nephew, will succeed the Throne. Please, stay posted for Succession and Coronation Announcements, including what the future King will use for his regnal name.
In honor of His Royal Britannic Majesty, here is one of his favorite poems by Dylan Thomas:
“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
The Previous Parliament - 44th Session
So, what happened last session? Who was involved and what did they do? The Staff Writers of the Foreign Office fill you in now.
The 44th Session brought to us a new Prime Minister but with a familiar face, or is it spud? Crushita Telcontar, the Marquess of Montreal, was the first Prime Minister to be a potato. He ran a diligent campaign that was considered to be rather moderate which comprised on most, if not all, the big issues of the day. The 41st Prime Minister’s tenure began with a bang, having several citizens complaining about his new roleplay policy which was supposed to bring it autonomy from the government. Like his predecessor, he assumed the responsibilities of the Roleplay Secretary. As of yet, the Regional Roleplay remains in flux and citizens still debate on the best approach to its governance. Telcontar’s Government lasted 60 days and was ended under an early dissolution of Parliament. His government strived to keep the peace and made headway on furthering relations with the United Kingdom (NSUK).
The Kingdom of Great Britain’s 44th Parliament, specifically its House of Commons, can be said to have started off with a bang but over time has just seared down to embers. Many bills were proposed at the start of term at a breakneck pace, but now the proposals have somewhat stagnated. At one point, seven bills were open for discussion, but eventually, they were either passed on to the House of Lords or tabled.
As a result of the impending introduction of the economy, several MPs have taken to proposing certain economic legislation before the House. One bill, the Labour and Employment Code was passed to the House of Lords where its confirmation vote failed to pass. Now, however, the Commons debates a bill that will amend the Bank of England Omnibus Acts, the collection of acts which establish the ground rules for the region’s economy, in order to ensure that the Bank of England has the sufficient amount of flexibility to actually establish the economy. The bill, entitled the Economic Reform Amendment Act, was spurred by the publishing of a letter from the Director of the Bank of England which outlined the amendments they wished to see.
The House of Lords has also been quite busy this term. Their first priorities were to deal with legislation passed to them last term without having a final action on them. These included the Commonwealth Regulation Act which was a bill that would have outlined the process for the Kingdom of Great Britain to integrate willing regions or to create regions to become part of their Commonwealth. It was rejected however with the Marquess of Sligo arguing that the treaty making power granted to the executive by the Constitution already provided for the ability for regions to be integrated into a Commonwealth if they were indeed willing to be. There was also an amendment to the Statutory Interpretations and Procedures Act, the act which governs universal language and interpretation of laws within the region, to simplify the definitions in the act. It was amended and returned to the House of Commons where it passed handily.
More recently, the House of Lords passed an act which outlines the powers of the Prime Minister after a new constitution was passed last term of Parliament. Now it’s being hotly debated by the House of Commons along with the Economic Reform Act. One Act, however, has managed to pass both Houses thus far this term: the Amendment to the Popular Parliamentary Proposals Organic Act which, now that it has been passed, has enacted necessary updates to the rather old PPPOA, most importantly bringing it more in line with the new constitution of the region. The Act, which governs procedure and definitions for petitions to members of parliament as well as popular initiatives which require citizen signatures, used to include several provisions related to outdated enactments in the region’s legal codex, but also utilized constitutional citations that no longer exist. With its passage, the Act is now greatly improved and brought into the modern day with its amendment.
The Current Session - 45th
The most recent parliament, the 45th Parliament, was elected on August 14.
Peter John de Vitre was selected as Speaker of the House of Commons, and Theodore Bedford was confirmed as Prime Minister. Sinn Fein has become the opposition party, but not taken steps to formalize this position under the Commons Standing Orders for the Opposition.
The 45th Parliament has already gotten off to a quick start, with many amendments and bills being passed, such as the Civil Code Act, which sets out procedures for Civil Trials within the Kingdom. It has passed out of the Commons and made it to the Lords. An amendment to the Constitution which would further define statutory law vs. Ordinary Law was introduced and is soon to be voted on in the Commons; and the Prime Minister’s Powers Organic Act, which better defines the powers of the Prime Minister passed out of the Commons amended and was sent to the Lords who look poised to amend it further. Other bills which have been introduced included one that would have limited military activity, but this failed in the Commons, and a Joint Resolution that would create a Joint Standing committee on Finance for the purpose of oversight and cross chamber dialog.
The people of the region are now waiting to see what comes next from this Parliament as the term continues on.
Treaty of Britons
A monumental step in Foreign Affairs, the Treaty of Britons formalizes the relationship between The Kingdom of Great Britain and United Kingdom by instating a full treaty between the two regions. In the works for some months it was written by Madeline Norfolk, Crushita Lancaster-Stuart, Lucas Stewart, Theodore Bedford, and Zel Norfolk; the treaty has passed the House of Commons and proceeded to Lords in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and has been introduced to the House of Commons in United Kingdom.
In bringing it to the floor, the Prime Minister, Theodore Bedford, thanked the previous government for their work in crafting the treaty, and thanked the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of United Kingdom for their hard work. Lucas Stewart, Prime Minister of United Kingdom, expressed the importance of the culture and tradition that the two regions share. We fully expect the treaty to pass with due haste and formalize the great friendship and alliance between these two regions.
An Insight Into Peerages
An Interview with HM the King about Peerages and the expectations that come with them.
As many have taken notice to, our region has quite a few peers! But what is a peer? What expectations come with it? How does one become a Peer? We have those answers for you with an exclusive interview with HM the King on it! Without further ado, let’s get started.
Greetings Your Majesty and thank you for joining us this evening. The first thing the people want to know is the following: we’ve noticed that sometimes people will jump from Baron to Earl or receive a Viscount right out the bat, what kind of process do you go through in elevating someone either for the first time or upgrading them to a higher tier?
So, for a first time elevation to the Peerage I don't like giving anybody anything much higher than Earl. There are some special circumstances. But those are special circumstances for a reason. I mean, look at Crush, Edward, and Alistair. All are my sons, but none of them started out with great fancy titles. They earned them over time for hard work.
So, for the regular person, it's usually a choice between Baron and Viscount. I take a long hard look at that person's merits, their actions, how hard they work, this sort of thing. Eventually I seek out Charles' opinion, and other peoples, and after considering it a while more, I select. For an upgrade, that depends. If someone has been doing a kick ass job at being a baron and has gone really well and above the call of duty rather than begging me for a job every two months, I don't mind giving the bump to earl. If not, usually I'll upgrade them to just one tier, because they still do good work, you know? It's all about what you put in.
Love it! Next round is going to be about expectations. Do you hold any expectations for those who are given peerages? And are expectations higher when the peerage is higher?
Yes to both. Service, honor, and loyalty. They've got to serve the region, they've got to be honorable, and they have to be loyal to the crown and to the people. This is especially for the family. Family members with peerages have to pull their own weight. I expect service, I expect time in government, assisting the government, time in parliament, passing and writing good bills, I expect military service where possible, and I expect them to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their station.
Has there ever been a time where a peer has let you down or you have had to go so far as to rescind their titles as a consequence?
There have been times where a peer has let me down, but it is not appropriate to discuss that here. As for rescinding titles, there was a time, which you were privy to, where the situation did get far enough that it was necessary and it was done then and there. In difficult times, I think it is okay to push harder than I originally intend to do.
King giveth, so King can taketh away!
For Peers who skip a level in elevations, would there ever be times where you would bestow a lower peerage to them? For example Bailey was elevated from Baron to Earl, would he ever get a Viscounty?
Probably not. Another thing that goes into me picking peerages, especially if they are extant peerages(ones that actually exist, not ones that I make up as I so often do), I look at a person's family. Do they have heirs? KoGB is rather unique in that our titles are, in large part, inheritable by the legal heirs under KoGB law of their recipients. So, I consider subsidiary titles.
Bailey, for instance. He's Earl of Dunedin, but he also holds the style "Baron Dunedin" and in IRL rules it's not done, and I would give him a viscountcy if this was a real monarchy. But I don't think people will be confused that there is a Baron Dunedin and an Earl. We're pretty clever folks I think. Though, that brings up something even more interesting. I have a habit of also enobling people who marry into the royal family. The Royal Family has a habit of marrying the younger children of peers, the most recent of course being Richard de Vitre and his marriage to Josephine when she was a Lancaster-Stuart.
Well, to give him an even footing, I made him a baronet upon his marriage. But then he left, and that baronetcy reverted to his younger brother Peter John, who he declared to me privately was his legal heir before he departed. Which is another difference, our peers keep their lesser titles, even if it's the same territorial designation, as courtesy titles. Just something I prefer. Charles may not continue it of course, but that's up to him and his heirs and successors.
Last question, and a fan favorite! How do you decide the names?
So, for the lesser titles, barons, viscounts and such I typically find a small village somewhere relatively rural. I will usually speak to the recipient beforehand and get an idea of where they would like the title to be, where their estate is, things like that. Once I've got it, I say different combinations over and over again until I find one I think works out. So, for instance, Madeline, you're the Duchess of York, and I had plans for a Marquessate for you. That was hard, and I hadn't decided by the time you inherited the duchy from Old Henry. But when I made you a countess, that was very fun. You were the Welsh MP for forever, I myself was Welsh MP in British Isles for six consecutive terms. I have a fondness for that country. So, I thought of where your parliamentary constituency was, and then I looked into old governmental subdivisions, the ceremonial counties. And happened upon Denbighshire. The pronunciation was nice. Countess of Denbighshire, Lady Denbighshire, Lady Denbigh for short.
Now, for Earls, I look for large regional cities, for instance, Bath in Somerset for Prince Reece. Or, in Asce's case, the Isle of Mann, with which he has some sort of odd affection that I don't really get. But, whatever floats his boats, right, so long as he sells them to the navy.
For Marquesses, which are a fair bit more exotic sounding, I look for place-names that don't sound particularly English. Marquess of Ellesmere, for instance. Ellesmere is a really small village in Shropshire on the Welsh borders. I have a friend who lived there for a time, and I love the way it sounded. And for Prince Alistair, the Marquess of Sligo.
Now, with Duchies it's a bit different. When I think of making someone a duke, which you'll note I haven't actually done for someone who is here since Edward was made Duke of Somerset, I have to be careful. I try to limit duchies to the Royal Family. It isn't always possible, but that's how I prefer it done, and so when I create a duke I have to think of someplace with Royal interest. For instance, the Duchy of Norfolk. It's my retirement plan with Charles, you see, and the first title I ever held in a British region was Duke of Norfolk. I like the way it sounds, I like the sort of East Anglian quaintness about the place names there. However, the next dukes I will create(and there will be three more in particular) have to be chosen not just because I like the names or whatever, but because they are sufficiently unique to the individual, they have gravitas, ambiance.
That does it for the interview! What are your thoughts on this spotlight? What should we interview the King on next?
Mental Health Is Important, Check Up
With Corona still wrecking havoc upon the world, many of our citizens have been negatively either directly or indirectly affected because of it. Outside of Corona, many of our citizens have been facing hardships with family members. We at the BBC encourage everyone to take a look at what’s going on and decide if this is the right time for you to be as invested, or uninvested, in the region as you are right now.
NationStates will always be here, we promise the region isn’t going anywhere. We want you to be okay, to be safe, and most of all, to be in a good physical and mental headspace. We don’t all have the luxury to have these things, and many of us are having it a lot harsher than we let on in the game, because many of us do not want to intertwine our IRL with NS (and those that succeed are honestly some of the best people I’ve ever met).
Please remember to be more patient with your fellow citizen or friend on the internet during this time. Summer slump aside, we don’t know what situation people are in, and all we can and really should do is our best not to add anymore burdens than what someone is already carrying. If someone hasn’t been online in awhile, aren’t doing their usual thing on the forum, discord, or onsite, try to reach out to them and make sure they’re okay.
Offer help, offer advice. Please do not feel that you need to be in whatever position you have or hold in this region, or any region for that matter, for people to care about you. NationStates should be fun. NationStates should not stress you out.
If NationStates for you has not been fun or has been stressing you out, it might be time to review why you are still in NationStates, and what steps you want to take to prevent further stress or further feelings of unfun. The internet is a magical place, let’s make sure that this community and any community we are in on the internet stays that way.
Check on your people, Check on your not people, Reach out to your people, Reach out to someone you trust. Whatever you decide, remember that this community will always be here, if you need a break, take it. If you need more distractions, ask for it. We are here for you, and that’s a guarantee.
Message from the Prime Minister
“I am deeply humbled to have been appointed as Prime Minister of KoGB, and I look forward to serving in that capacity to the best of my ability. I intend to make sure that Foreign Affairs is not neglected during my time in office. Further if you need any assistance, comments, questions, concerns then please feel free to reach out to your ambassador or ours and we will do the best that we can. I look forward to working with you all in the future. Thank you.”
- Theodore Bedford, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain. |
