Esthursian News Home

The_Herald.png
National emergency address held by Harold Osborne

Recent incursion of Aurorean aircraft into Scalvian airspace has forced reaction from Atlish government

Harold Osborne has stated:
We unequivocally and in totality stand in solidarity with our Scalvian partners.
The unlawful and condemnable actions of the Auroreans are supported by some form of so-called water conspiracy - a Watergate, if you like. We do not believe in this Watergate. A sovereign nation should not be pushed around by these autocrats because of such a superfluous reason, and this threatens the very security of our entire continent by inflaming internal relations and external relations alike. Auroria is not a place of autocracy and we will not stand for such attacks.
I am today announcing that the south-eastern region will be raised to alertness level Three. This is not an action of war, but of preparedness; and as the Auroreans are this close to us, we have no choice but to increase our readiness and security in such uncertain times. It is not merely the action - which is sadly fairly commonplace - which concerns us most of all, but this drought-inflamed conspiracy, which is alarming to us as onlookers for both its sheer absurdity, and the possible uses for such an excuse. We utterly reject the claims that Scalvia has anything to do with Aurorea's developing water shortage and call on Aurorea to turn back on its desperate call to attention to a fraudulent and non-existent cause.
To full extent, we join the Scalvian demands for the Aurorea to stop infringing on its airspace, to stop violating its sovereignty, and we thus firmly and with full force condemn the irresponsible and indefensible actions of the Aurorean government and military in the last few hours. The attempts by Aurorea to enforce its utterly unsupported and rejected claim of governance over the sovereign nation of Scalvia are cowardly, desperate and will not stand, and we call on our international partners to join us in condemning these actions in the strongest possible terms, and congratulate the Scalvians on their continued courage against this irredentist state.
The Aurorea is not Auroria. Auroria is united against the Aurorea, and this show of cowardly indignation and indifference to international and national law alike from the Auroreans will bring out the best in us all in standing against their actions and their words.
Rosemary Manning has called for conservatives, liberals and socialists alike to "put their differences aside to send a joint message of condemnation to the Auroreans, and show them that Esthursia, and the world at large, are not convinced by their brutish and fear-stoking actions, in standing with Scalvia".
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png
Weskerby Constabulary leaders resign after accusation of Marylebone cover-up

It is looking increasingly likely that Marylebone was murdered, says Elizabeth Albany, Redethegn for Home

The Constabulary of Weskerby - who patrol across the greater area of the City of Weskerby - are holding their heads in shame today, after their entire leadership was "ushered out of the premises".

Headling of the Constabulary, Barney Jenson, has stated that his position was "untenable following the unfortunate reckonings of the last few days", and refused to deny that the Home Redery was behind the move to force out the Constabulary leadership. The Headling, Head Speerer, and two Speerers have all stepped aside, whilst another Speerer and his team have recused themselves from duty for two weeks and from the case.

The Institute for Speering and Inlooking's (ISI) Policing Department has stated:
The possibility that the Constabulary knew about this back in election-time, or possibly just after, is near-definite. This means only one thing - for two months, the public (and with it, possibly even the Government and Forethegn himself, the target of the so-called Marylebone plot) were misled and misinformed that Mr Marylebone had taken his own life and that the incident was "free from third parties", as Jenson stated on April 29.
We also have to reckon with the fact that not only is our military intelligence accused of setting up this plot - which is looking increasingly unlikely - but our police were willing to cover it up and keep suspicions pointed at our own intelligence, at the expense of national security and even the livelihood of our leader. Whether out of sheer embarrassment, or something deeper, this is deeply embarrassing for our state and I welcome the Government's decision to force out the failed leadership and to shake up the team working on the case.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Union of Unions accepts "real 3% plus" plan after three months of tense negotiation

Highest set of pay rises for low-ranking workers as Government finally breaks deadlock with unions

Over the next four years, a worker who is earning ſ20,000 - a low-medium wage in Esthursia - ($30,700) can expect a pay rise of 6% plus inflation each year, leaving their wage level at ſ25,250 ($38,800) in real 2022 prices. A worker earning ſ40,000 - a slightly above median wage - ($61,400) should expect real 4% rises yearly, leaving pay at ſ46,800 ($71,900) in real 2022 prices. A worker earning ſ60,000 - a high, professional wage - ($92,100) would expect real raises of 3% yearly, leaving pay at ſ67,530 ($103,700) in real 2022 terms. With private businesses facing union negotiations with this as a "minimum demand", and the public sector set to roll these nearly across the board, wage growth is set to reach unprecedented levels not seen since the early 2000s under the early Harding Boom; with inflation predicted to be between 2 and 3% for the next four years, wage growth could "nudge the seven-to-eight percent region" before the mid-2020s.

On the issue of prices, the government's consumer ombudsman has confirmed that it will be tracking "wholesale prices" and "consumer prices", stating:
We understand that the risk of prices creeping up as businesses seek extra profit margins could not only undermine public wage growth, but actually cause artificial inflation. That's why we're going to be more vigilant on consumer prices compared to wholesale prices felt by corporations - if consumer prices creep too high without a corresponding rise in wholesale prices, we will take the necessary steps to bring corporations and businesses to account and to make them justify why these rises were necessary, and to reverse them if no watertight reason is given.
This comes after three months of negotiation between the Union of Unions - who rejected the Government's initial plans for a flat 2%-plus-inflation "base rate rise" just before the elections - and the Government itself. The Chancellor, Jeremy Wilson, was reportedly weighing in consistently to "push the government's offer up", including agreeing to the initial stipulation for any pay rise to include inflation. Wilson himself spoke after the offer was confirmed by both Unions and the Government:
This fair, responsible offer of steady but significant wage rises will boost incomes, boost households and boost consumer spending. The key principle of the Asmont model; if people have more money to spend, they'll spend more money and power our economy; has held up for nigh on a century, and actually when Governments have attempted to end it, the economy has responded by suffering. We don't need to be remembered of the Einarsson slump - we need to build forward and continue this party's and this government's construction of an economy that powers and is thus powered by the people and by public consumption.
We are offering record investment and record high wages for those groups who, in other countries, are facing low wages and depressed incomes in the face of rising inequality and stagnant economies. The neoliberal economic model that much of the world has adopted since the late 20th century - where money, expertise and income falls upward - categorically does not work and our economy will continue to be powered by strengthening our lowest rungs and working our way up. I am proud to state that young Esthurs can afford to live better than previous generations, and that we're on track to make sure that the next generations enjoy continued raises. I am proud to state that no matter where one is born, no matter who one is born to, no matter which region one is born into, one could be sure of fair opportunities and a fair shot at a prosperous life.
These pay rises across the board, with unions having the negotiation power to demand them in private workplaces and the co-operative power to bring them into co-operatives and collectively owned workplaces, will bring newfound income and newfound chances for the general population. We will eradicate poverty and we will continue our record levels of growth and investment, into the public and private sectors alike, in order to power an economy that works for its people and that also is a lucrative place to invest. This is a growth economy.
Esthursia is ready to provide for generations to come a country built on fairness and opportunity - whether it is through the direct redistribution of income, the growth of working power in the workplace or the steady rollout of pay rises to working people - and this party, the Social Democrats, can always be trusted to provide economic stability and strength when it counts most.
Our political editor, Edgard Alburgh, was more sceptical of the negotiations:
This deal took three months, and gave left-wing forces in the Social Democrats an awful lot of enthusiasm. Osborne and the mid-left was essentially buffeted by both the soft-left demanding a "without inflation, one-year plan" and the hard-left demanding a "with-inflation, eight-year plan" - leaving himself negotiating with effectively three parties, not one. The unions were the least of his problems, and when he had convinced his party that a one-term plan would be most efficient and Wilson's push to peg raises to inflation became accepted by the mid-left, the unions were fairly amicable to deal with, insiders seem to suggest.
The fact that a pay deal that could have only lasted one year took an entire season is possibly not the best sign for effective governance - and furthermore, unions now know that they can exploit the divides within the Social Democrats that have developed after the fall of the centrist faction's dominance in the 2000s to their advantage, a tool that could lead to extensive consequences both intended and unintended for them and for the Government. Esthursia's economy and average household incomes may see a boom, and the deal itself may have finally ironed itself out relatively bloodlessly, but there are warning signs that this form of negotiation and government is not sustainable and could go horribly wrong.
 
The_Herald.png

Levelyn Hallows celebrates 500 years since Levelyn's Axfaring

The "Elder Hallows", or Levelyn Hallows, celebrates 500 years since Levelyn reached Ravenscroft and incited the Merthing revolution

In 1509, the death of Elrede "the Fair" began the demise of the Classical Empire - both, at first, into moral and administrative tyranny, and then into disorder and dismantling. In 1500, the Classical Empire had total control over the entirety of modern Esthursia, and had forged the borders that Esthursia remains in to this day; by 1600, no lands were under direct control by the Empire, by this point rendered to bands of rampaging mercenaries.

The formation of the Royal Union - between the town of Ravenscroft and the burgh of Brantley - on the "twegnth of Meadmonth, fifteen-hundred and twegnty-two", or 500 years ago today, began the start of the revolution. The Axfaring of Levelyn (Llewellyn in his native Vulgar Cumbric, corrupted by his association and later adoption of Early Atlish) marked the start of a civil war in which an increasingly power-crazed and disorganised Empire disintegrated under the strain of outdated and unnecessarily arbitrary rule, public discontent boiling into open rebellion and the Loresteads' Rising in the 1520s starting in Sutton and Ravenscroft, spreading across Esthursia as intellectuals fled and rebelled against persecution.


armoria_2022-07-02-17-04-37.png

Heraldry of Levelyn Hallows, Lorestead of Ravenscroft
Every year, on the 2th of Meadmonth - especially thanks to its proximity to Midsummer, two days prior - Ravenscroft holds a ceremony in Levelyn Hallows both privately in the evening and more publicly earlier in the day to commemorate the date, known as Levelynstide, or simply "The Day". This year, owing to its significance as the 500th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Union - which persists as the Union of Grand Esthursia to this day - attendance is at an all-time high, with "two to three million" flocking to Ravenscroft over the weekend to attempt to attend either the Day itself or simply be in the burgh where it all began.

Levelyn Hallows holds a twin celebration with Levelyn Hallows in the Lorestead of Sutton, where similarly Levelynstide is celebrated, similarly an equivalent number has attended and shares the same name.
 
The_Atlish_Times.png
Osborne's Esthursia: Regions left behind

Osborne's famous speech that he had "lifted the country from recession" doesn't ring true everywhere.

article-1356247-0077072500000258-126_1024x615_large.jpg
William Greenwood left office in 1990, amidst a backdrop of economic upheaval and social unrest. That feels almost a lifetime ago - to many young Mellingtonians, it is.

And yet, Greenwood has proven himself the last Forethane of this nation who's given heed to Esthursia's "blind spot", the Yeaburn valley. Martha Grantham saw the Yeadale's funding in the 1990s stagnate as "higher priorities" were put first - primarily in the north. Pork-barrelling was denied heartily by the left, but it isn't hard to see why some weren't convinced. Deindustrialisation left the region, famous for its old textile and mining industries in the foothills of the South Downs and the Yea river, devoid of economic strength; local unemployment remains well above 10% in Mellingshire, far higher than the 4.4% seen across Esthursia.

Today, in Mellingshire, life expectancy barely reaches 75. Obesity rates are amongst the highest in the country, as are smoking rates, and average income one of the lowest - even including the rural west. Mellington has one of the lowest private-sector to total jobs ratios, as public services are naturally higher due to poor incomes and health, and as private industry repeatedly fails to take off in the area - the recent departure of Meten, the Asgarshire motoring manufacturers that had based a workplace with over 5,000 workers right in the heart of Mellington, has symbolised a wider flight of jobs and money away from the region.

After sending our journalists - in Esthursia, a nation whose leaders are quick to jump to populist conclusions of strength and progressivism - to the region, to speak directly to inhabitants about what they thought, we discovered just how differently they felt about the economic climate.
I've been unemployed for fifteen years, after the old automotives factory fell through. Isaac Harding promised funding, but it only prolonged the inevitable. We haven't heard anything from our local Social Democratic Thane, nor our Minister, except the same old automated responses. "We're working on it", they say; "this government has invested in the area", they say - but where? My job's gone, and the practical school funding has been thrown into the metropolitan areas so much that us here in Mellington haven't got anything but a dependence on benefits and an expectation that we should be eternally grateful for the situation this government's put us in. There's no support for local industry, nothing. I've voted Social Democrat all my life, I've believed what they said about the Conservatives - but honestly, I can't do that again.
-
My house's value has actually fallen this year. Mellington just isn't somewhere people want to move to. I've been wanting to move out for years but I held my hope, putting what little faith I had in the Forethane that he'd get the job done, and in both Chancellors. None of them care. My kids don't have a future here. The nearest lorestead's down in Esthampton, easily an hour away. The schools around here have, at best, a chronic indifference to anything except cost savings. The type of house I was looking at back in 2016 is now way out of my reach, even with the odd raise and promotion I've had in the last few years. The government have completely abandoned us.
-
This government has a real thing about rising wages, rising growth and the rest of it. I've actually followed their advice - I joined a union, I joined a strike after my boss didn't give us a decent raise. Then I realised exactly why - he hasn't got enough money and we honestly might have driven him out of business. It's this idea that the economy is solely down to some form of... war between us workers and the employing overlords above us, when it just isn't. Small business owners aren't treated right and these socialists are just abandoning their own ideology and their own responsibility when it comes to the Yeadale.
The 2021 Budget also began planning for an "east coast high-speed rail", between the capital (Weskerby) and Esthampton in the south. Right through the Yeadale, right through Mellington. The government has stated that it will bring opportunity to the region that "has needed it for decades sorely", and given itself an ever righteous pat on the back over the issue - but will it really bring jobs?

The worry for Mellington is quite the opposite. Although there remains a prospect for construction jobs, it's possible this could just accelerate the brain drain of the Yeadale region - INS economist Rick Winter stated on the issue:
Travel time to Esthampton will nearly halve to just 35 minutes. To the capital, barely over an hour. Both of these regions are far more lucrative and have far more economic opportunities than Mellington and the surrounding area. The population of Mellington has actually fallen significantly in recent years, despite Esthursia's population itself growing by about 1.3% between 2010 and 2022 and rural-urban migration remaining positive; this will undoubtedly accelerate their woes. Commuting to external schools, loresteads, ovingsteads, workplaces will all become easier; it clearly runs the calculated risk of commuterising the entire Mellington area - possibly even the comparatively large city of Yeaburn, which would depress the local economy even further - into the wider south-eastern metropolitan area while also convincing its best and brightest to commute elsewhere for work.
A plethora of short-term construction jobs that will dissipate after the construction can't counter the possibility for the stagnant development of Mellington and even the whole of Yeadale to be entrenched.
The message from Mellington is clear as day: we're sick of being left behind.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

High Minister Edward Wescaster holds a national address on the "wider Aurorian situation"

The developing situation across much of Auroria simultaneously has left Esthursia with little option but to respond

"I must start with the pressing, unavoidable matter of the Aurorea. We cannot, and will not, condone or accept any legitimacy of the Aurorean regime's hostility towards the Scalvian folks. It is imperative that as a continent, we make it clear that acts of brute force and aggression will not be ignored, and that we stand alongside those who have been forced into extreme situations of defence. We fear that the consequences of failing to be vigilant, whether by us as a continent, us as a nation, or Scalvia as a nation, to the Aurorean situation could lead to the subjugation of the Scalvian people - the result of that would subject an entire free nation to the agenda of a regime who simply do not see any others as people.

Scalvia is Scalvia. Any other view on this must be disregarded, discarded and rejected in the strongest terms, for we must not accept the encroaching of imperialist Aurorean attitudes on the Ethian continent, or more widely of the Aurorias. I remain in constant and ongoing communication with the Redery of Warding* in order to ensure the continued security of our Union from aggressors, for we are acutely aware that this situation is happening in such close proximity, and with increasing relation, to our nation. Any power who seeks to impose hegemony over this continent, or indeed over any continent, should consider us their vehement enemies - we will stand by self-determination, freedom and peace above all else, and enemies of peace are enemies of Esthursia. We must reiterate that any violation of Esthursian territory, whether air, land or sea, is an act of war; and that we will respond with absolute resolve. Relevant regions are already on alert and patrol, I can confirm. We once again, to reiterate, denounce any claims by the Aurorean regime of a conspiracy, and must state that the infringements on the territory of Scalvia are in no way justified or condonable, and we expressly and intensely condemn the Aurorean regime for wrongfully using military force and with such a pretense. With tens of thousands of Auroreans mobilised within tens of kilometres of Esthurs' soil, we cannot stand by; and thus will be increasing all regions' alertness levels by one degree, meaning that all regions bar the south-east will see a Level 3 rate, and the south-east a Level 4 rate where applicable.

We encourage those involved - along with Scalvia's hope for peaceful determination of issues - to always take the diplomatic option above all else, but as it is clear that the Aurorean regime is not willing or capable of conducting these legitimately or responsibly, we shall prepare for the worst eventuality.

As for the Tardineanni situation, we congratulate the revolution on their seizure of their homeland's capital from the cowardly and tyrannical Danfeh regime. I remain vehement that Danfeh's regime is not recognised, and that they encourage tyranny by anarchy - as seen by the rise of the so-called Silver Arms. We remain in solidarity, above all else and above all factions, with the Tardineanni people and their desire - shared by all people - to live in free and peaceful lands and times, and we remain clear that these times will come to their lands. We remain in contact with Tardine over constructing ways of refuge, for war and conflict brings with it displacement and terror, and we will both help with international humanitarian aid, and accommodate for those wishing to choose Esthursia as a place to flee to, whether temporarily or permanently.

Above all, the Aurorias - and Ethia within them - are lands of peaceful peoples just wanting to get on with their lives, make the most out of them, and to get along with every other person - whether they be a member of their nation, region, or simply another Aurorian. I, as the proud High Minister of this great nation, make it my job above all else to put human rights and human safety above all else, and I am sure that a majority of nations in Auroria share this passion for the right to live freely; and I hope that I live long enough for this ambition to receive fruition in all corners of our continent. Above all else, we are Aurorian, and we are together - we must stand together against tyranny, against war, and against racial hatred, for the sake of peace, for unity, and for prosperity. We will not give way to tyranny and tyrants will not get their way in Auroria as long as I have breath in my body, and as long as the Esthursian nation lives.

Long live Esthursia, long prosper Auroria, and long may peace reign."


*Ministry of Defence
 
The_Herald.png

By-elections: Social Democrats hold and gain, Green-Left and Liberals gain one apiece amid Conservative wipeout

Five hard-right Conservatives resigned, and three centrist Social Democrats with them; only two Conservatives are returning out of those

"Mad Monday" by-elections have left the Government buoyed by a confidence vote - however its honeymoon period hopes to swing Minpont have proved fruitless, with a margin of 5% (down by over half) separating them from a landmark gain in Helvellyn.

The Social Democrats are arguably the largest winners from this; after a relatively dismal election result, confirming them but slashing their government majority, the election of new Social Democrats - as well as the replacement of an old rebel in Hanbury, which only swung 2 points away in an election divided by internal party tensions - will boost the confidence of the government. However, subdued by the main excuse put forward by two of the Conservatives to lose out on replacing their old colleagues -
"The Government is only winning because of the recent conflicts. The public feel a need to unite behind the Government as long as it carries out its duties fairly and successfully, and that often means rejecting the more pragmatic choice in this regard."

Third parties suffered mixed records. The Conservatives gained a seat from the Esthur People's Party, after the latter had won it narrowly in the last elections. The Liberals in the south-west and Green-Left on Merthing dealt a double-edged blow to the Conservatives, robbing it of a seat each - leaving the Government's majority both secured by more ideologically similar Liberals, and increased by eight thanks to the four gains amongst the Social Democratic and Green-Left ranks, which makes it a half larger than it was last night.

Rosemary Manning has however exceeded prospects of a wipeout - holding South Yeashire from the Liberals, Minpont from the Social Democrats and even swinging back an Esthur People's Party seat. Chief figures on the right of the Conservative Union have confirmed to the Daily Herald that they have no intention of calling a vote of no confidence, stating that "the only circumstance we would even vaguely consider such a move is if Manning had lost all of them, and she's exceeded even our expectations in gaining North Yeashire". The first year blues for the Opposition are striking; but unevenly, and Social Democrats will be secretly disappointed at the lost opportunity to deal a third blow in Minpont. Manning's new replacement Conservatives are also all loyalists - only one candidate, in West Ravenscroft, was hard-right, an ideology that is said to have created a left-of-centre pact behind the local candidate for Green-Left. The expansion of the university wards there and the liberalisation of the west of the nation has left Ravenscroft and much of Merthing as easy targets for Liberals and Social Democrats alike.

As Manning's Conservatives continue to consolidate control over the rural east, Osborne's Government continue picking up more and more swings. Can the Conservatives turn the tide, or will they face another wipeout next by-election season? Edgard Alburgh spoke to us briefly:
Rosemary Manning may be disappointed in public, but the holding of Minpont and the consolidation of Yeashire seats are very important indeed. The Conservatives are hoping to court the middle-class elderly electorate as a new source of votes - Minpont being a middle-class coastal port town, and rural Yeashire being a fairly social conservative mixed-class area - and for the most part their electoral coalition has held strong. The real dangers lie on two fronts - the loss of seats in the North isn't stopping, with Duncaster now completely red for the first time since the 1940s; and the west is becoming a three-way battleground, with liberal-left, social democratic and conservative parties on equal pegging, rather than previous conservative-liberal rivalries giving conservatives narrow victories in most areas. Losing the centre and west may prove fatal to any prospect of Conservative government - it is a fact that they either need the rural backbone of Osynstric Esthursia, or the western regions, or they don't stand a chance at forming a governing coalition, let alone a majority government or even a dominant one like that of the post-2011 Social Democrats.
These Social Democrats have been in power for eleven years. Osborne and Wilson for seven years apiece. The question remains; is Esthursia becoming naturally left-leaning, or can the Conservatives repair their economic reputation to their old electorate in the centre or west?


Duncaster 2: Social Democrat gain from Conservative
West Ravenscroft 3: Green-Left gain from Conservative
West Ravenscroft 4: Social Democrat gain from Conservative
Hanbury 1: Social Democrat hold
North Yeashire 1: Conservative gain from Esthur People's
Brantley (Guiseley) 4: Social Democrat hold
South Yeashire 2: Conservative hold
Hancroft 1: Liberal gain from Conservative
Holmfirth 3: Social Democrat gain from Esthur People's
Minpont 2: Conservative hold

GOVERNMENT - 213 (+4)
Opposition - 188 (-4)
Majority of 25 (+8)

Social Democrats
- 161 (+3)
Conservative - 101 (-3)
Liberal - 62 (+1)
Green-Left - 52 (+1)
Esthur People's - 25 (-2)​
 
The_Herald.png

Esthursian debt falls below 90% for the first time since 2017

"It's good to see the government is just about where it was five years ago", says Manning, "but maybe they could try going forwards this time"

[deleted, article to be restructured into Wilson's commentary on modern economics]
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Government unveils citizens' assemblies plans as part of "New Democracy" plan while Conservatives table devolution amendments

Public participation in politics is at one of the highest rates in Esthursia across the world.

Esthursian residents will be able to join citizens' assemblies which will both be implemented locally and on certain issues, says the Government, after a Green-Left promise has been accepted "in trial" as part of a wider Direct Democracy Act. Citizens' assemblies will sit parallel to ward councillors in district councils, and to redery committees, with two-thirds of these members now being transitioned to opt-in selected through sortition according to demographic quotas. Few Liberals and Social Democrats voted against it, while the Conservatives have stated that their rejected devolution and decentralisation amendment both "drove them against the rest of the Act" and "signalled how little the Government care about actual decentralisation".

The High Minister has reportedly been "critical in securing the Green-Left keystone policy's implementation", and Wescaster himself made a speech on the issue in the House of Thegns:
It is my duty to bring as much power directly to the people of this nation, and that's why we are proud to be at the forefront of the democratic revolution; conventional politics must be moulded together with grassroots direct politics in order for it to thrive into the middle of this century and onwards. Our democracy and its institutions are strong, and we should both take intense pride in that, and consolidate them further.
As well as this citizens' assemblies plan, the Kingly Bank of Esthursia is being transitioned into the Civic Bank of Esthursia, the board of executives in the education, health, transport, social care and industry sectors are to be selected routinely on an opt-in sortition basis of long-serving qualified workers, and - possibly most importantly for the future of the Esthursian economy - CEOs in companies are to be mandated to allow votes from workers on their continued leadership if called through petition of over 20% of full-time workers, and furthermore a CEO displaced by this would be replaced by a temporary workers' assembly; again, chosen through tweaked sortition - which would decide what route the leadership's structure, whether centralised, collective or otherwise - should take thereafter. This act is expected to come into force on the 1st of August, 2022; meaning that citizens' assemblies will be chosen, votes will begin, the banks transition and public executives begin being replaced herewith.

It is estimated by the Institute for National Statistics (INS) that this could displace "up to half" of CEOs now passed. It is even speculated that some CEOs are already preparing to face them, and that one company - Lansbury LLB, a financial and legal conglomerate operating within Weskerby, Brantley and Execester - is preparing to take the case that remote workers are not full-time workers to court in an effort to stave off a vote against a "particularly unpopular" CEO who has allegedly recently registered as an "Ellander"* to avoid paying tax. The Union of Unions has praised the "first building blocks of accountability and civicism*", stating:
We have long called for the start of civicism, much to the disillusionment of the mainstream left and right alike - including from the first and second-term Osborne government - but we're pleased to have seen that Osborne - or indeed those around him - have finally come round to our way of thinking. By implementing civicist policies, like citizens' assemblies, civic banks and collective corporate accountability, we can aim for a more developed and deepened participatory democratic system.

The Conservatives' amendment has opened up accusations from both the Government and the Conservatives of "politically entrenching their influence" through their proposals - the Conservatives' leader, Rosemary Manning, has claimed that the Government is "siding with trade unions over economic stability", and that "the refusal to devolve power away from Weskerby and Brantley signals how little they care about rural areas" - whereas the Fifth Thegn for Sutton, a Social Democrat and backbench Government representative, dubbed the amendment "packing a Conservative power grab effort into an act designed purely to prevent power grabs". It is expected that a more comprehensive version of this "devolution clause" will be made into a separate piece of legislation, including through "shiremoots*", and a mandated funding formula to each one dependent on the level of tax revenue and income in each area.

Esthursia continues to put itself forwards as a beacon of democracy - but many, particularly in the highest rungs, fear their positions (and a minority even fear for the economy's health) are in danger thanks to the new "CEO ballot" trigger. Osborne's continued flirtation with libertarian civicism and direct participatory democracy has reached a new stage - and they've still got nearly four years in power.

GOVERNMENT - 213 - 186 Aye (SD 134, G-L 52), 22 Nay (SD 22), 5 Hold (SD 5)
Opposition - 188 - 35 Aye (Lib 35), 128 Nay (Con 98, EPP 25, Lib 5), 25 Hold (Con 3, Lib 22)
House of Thegns - 401 - 221 Aye, 150 Nay, 30 Hold


Ellander* - the term for a foreign tax resident - someone who earns and pays taxes within Esthursia but declares that they live primarily abroad in order to avoid taxation, a status undermined more recently by tax reform but remaining lower in some cases
Civicism* - an Esthursian byword for usually left-leaning libertarian policies aimed at instituting direct participatory democracy, usually e-democracy, referenda and citizens' assemblies, sometimes incorporating trade unionist collectivist policies
Shiremoots* - Atlish for "county council", literally "meeting place of the county"
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Deputy leadership election triggered in Social Democrats; Wilson faces the party for re-election

46, mostly centrist, Thegns out of 161 have called for a vote on Wilson. Can the hard-left deputy and Chancellor survive?

Written at 09:55, 21 July 2022 Esthur time
Within the Social Democrats, 25% of Thegns are needed in order to call a vote in the deputy, as well as the leader. It is assumed that, unless the party chairman announces it, both remain below the threshold. With 161 being the number of Thegns, 41 is the key number (up from 40 after the election thanks to by-election gains).

The chairman is said to announce a vote on a Thursday every other week - and this is no different, with party chairman James Grey announcing in person in the Social Democratic conference room after calling a meeting (which one Social Democratic Thegn called "ominous", and a Minister called "entirely unexpected") that the threshold of 41 had been met - and exceeding, declaring that 46 had voted in favour of a vote - for a confidence vote in Jeremy Wilson.

[deleted to take into account Wilson's Chancellorship ending in 2017]
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

LIVE DEPUTY LEADERSHIP - Counting underway; Connery heads off against Wilson

Centrists made the gamble today to back Connery. Whether that pulls off or not depends entirely on Wilson's ability to mobilise the left.

LIVE - last updated 17:17

17:17
The region of Esthampton and the South East has declared Wilson the winner, with 55% of the party vote. Connery was hoping to seize this region.

17:15
The region of the West Barrows has declared that Wilson has won 68% of the party vote, considerably less than anticipated.

16:55
Connery has stated that "all is still up for play". In a hustings speech in Esthampton, he told an audience of four thousand:
Change is close. We have the ability to reposition our party back to its heartlands in the centre-left if we take this opportunity.

16:37
Currently, about 42% of the vote has been declared, with Wilson having about two-thirds (65.8%) of that.

04:57
First counting area - Esthampton Council - declares that Wilson has won by a fair margin of 74%-26%. Connery is hoping to gain more in the west, east and south, with Wilson predicted - even if he loses - to sweep the north, Asthonhelm, far-south-east (including Esthampton) and capital. No broadcasters have declared yet, but odds for Wilson have risen to 65%-35%.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

36-hour limit: "Right to overtime" to go to a referendum after narrowly passing House of Thegns

Osborne: Only way to ensure workplace democracy is to entrench it for lifetimes

The Social Democrats have had a tough month. Firstly, having to deal with the Aurorean affair, and then the fallout of the Wilson confidence vote. With Jeremy Wilson confirmed by a 72-28 margin, Forethegn Harold Osborne has shown another considerable leftward lean with a flagship Progressive policy brought into the mainstream left.

The right to overtime, a suggested new Article in the Overlaw, would read:
Every working person has the right of an additional overtime wage of 50% or more of one's base income for hours worked over 36 hours in a single week, and 100% or more for over 44 hours per week.

The codification of overtime rights has been staunchly opposed by the Conservatives, who attempted to vote it down in the Thegns - but narrowly failed to, together with the EPP, mount the one-third minority opposition to deny the referendum passage, after an absolute majority was reached. Rosemary Manning has stated it "amounts to a complete indifference towards different working contracts and situations, and is a symptom of wider distrust of hierarchy in the workplace.", whereas the Council of Atlish Industry has dubbed it the "old-time overtime law", stating it would "screech the economy back to the pre-Greenwood days". The Liberals stated they had "reservations" about the overtime rights law, however that "this is a matter for the public to decide" - sources suggest that they were unwilling to cooperate with the rightwing parties and thus held back.

Jeremy Wilson has traditionally called for this as early as 2010, during the General Strike, and stated that the passage of this referendum would be "a momentous day for global workers' rights". Chancellor Lauren Bowen has come out in favour of the act, however is believed to be more hesitant on the idea.

The referendum is expected to go to Esthurs on the 8th of August.

GOVERNMENT - 213 - 207 Aye (SD 155, G-L 52), 0 Nay, 6 Hold (SD 6)
Opposition - 188 - 11 Aye (Lib 11), 126 Nay (Con 101, EPP 25), 51 Hold (Lib 51)
House of Thegns - 401 - 218 Aye, 126 Nay, 57 Hold

Referendum vote requires 201 Aye, and less than 134 Nay, to pass.

 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

EPP push UAS referendum bill into Houses of Berworth as UAS approval sours on the right

Ingley - "It should not be the responsibility of this Union to fight foreign wars for foreign countries"

The Aurorean situation has sparked a policy shift amongst the hard-right on international unions. An agenda pushed by national conservatives seems to hit a nerve with disaffected voters - "why are we paying for foreign military defence?".

Graham Ingley spoke to a passioned crowd in Almington.
This nation hasn't been to war for nigh on a hundred years, but out of a mix of foolhardy globalism and outright contextual ignorance this Government seems content on putting that record through burden. It is the role of this Esthur People's Party to point out the sheer lack of awareness that this Government has for the danger it's putting us in.
We should not be getting into foreign wars and any union that expects us - especially with Esthursia considerably larger than either party in this war - to traipse on in and fight their wars for them should surely become one that we need to reconsider being a part of.

The Social Democrats and Green-Left are increasingly positioning themselves as globalist interventionists - however their common opposition to a military pact draws into question exactly what their private feelings on the UAS conventions are. The Larganite tradition of interventionism and globalism stays strong as a streak on the left - indeed Largan now leads the International Development Redery - but the passion for Esthursia to go into a 21st century war is not there, plainly.

The Government - headed by three forthright interventionists - however has remained steady on its policy. Green-Left leader Almrdal dubbed the EPP a "league of lie-backers while the continent demands action most", while Osborne spoke in Mereling last night on the issue:
These Conservatives and the EPP are showing their true colours - a cowardly yellow. We wear our UAS membership, our deep rooted alliances with our neighbours and our commitments to democracy proudly as badges of honour, and they are waving the white flags of surrender at the south.
For a party whose economic record to date is the only recession in the 2000s and a General Strike, using an economic fiscal argument is low. We are never prepared, unlike those on the right, to give in to tyranny for the sake of protecting their own coffers. An enemy of Scalvia is an enemy of us, and we remain in solidarity with the good people of the south to resolve this with resolve and with honour, not by backing down to the fear-stoking arguments of the Aurorans.

The Conservatives have taken a similar position, with Rosemary Manning calling on Harold Osborne to "renegotiate the terms":
This Government's verve for protecting the world's citizens is admirable, but it should not be willing to throw our rights to a foreign institution. As much as I believe in military cooperation in this conflict and believe that we should above all else be supporting the Scalvians, situations like this cannot have mandated terms and conditions as with the UAS. The UAS should be a voluntary organisation of cooperative nations, not a straitjacket, and only this party is willing to stand up for renegotiation of terms.


Polling remains heavily in favour of UAS membership - however the main shift is that some neutral rightwing voters have shifted against UAS membership. Similarly, YourEsthursia remains somewhat convinced by polls that both major parties are persuaded by their own voter bases - the Conservatives however are endangering their centrist voters to the more pro-UAS Liberals by being on the fence.

The Government appears unbothered by calls from the right of backing away and seems to be pressing on with plans to forge a new Larganite foreign policy - but will the words of the left be matched by action when the time comes?

30 ArralitheForDon't Know / NeutralAgainst+/-
Hard left65%
(+7)
13%
(-7)
22%
(-)
+43
(+7)
Soft left74%
(+3)
12%
(-1)
14%
(-2)
+60
(+5)
Centrist61%
(-1)
12%
(-4)
27%
(+5)
+34
(-6)
Soft right49%
(-7)
19%
(+2)
32%
(+5)
+17
(-12)
Hard right28%
(-7)
20%
(-17)
52%
(+24)
-24
(-31)
Total55.5%
(-1)
15%
(-5)
29.5%
(+6)
+26
(-7)
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Esthursian government unveils "total sanction" of Aurorean economy

Applications of "exception of resistance" would have to be made before next week, says Wilson

In a move that has surprised nobody, the Esthursian government has moved to proscribe the Aurorean regime, and furthermore few Aurorean companies will pass the application to continue trading.

Esthursian Chancellor Lauren Bowen unveiled the measure, to begin next Monday at midnight:
I will not stand for tyranny, nor will I stand beside while it wreaks havoc on Ethia. I am today stating that every entity of Aurorean domain shall be sanctioned in entirety and banned from trading inside or with Esthursia and its entities without a successful application of exception by resistance by the midnight of Monday.
Rosemary Manning has lauded the government's efforts, but lambasted them for "allowing the Auroreans to withdraw in the sheer time it took to get ready." The Conservatives' Shadow Chancellor, Wilfred Statham told the New Times - a rightwing weekly newspaper - that "this government is near to complicit in the Aurorean war with its sluggish and yet heavy handed approach to every aspect of action; a refined and hastened approach is not only necessary but essential for the continent's sake."

More internal sources have blamed the centre of the Social Democrats, with a senior civil servant stating that the "1999 Group are holding back for the sake of protecting neutrality", and that one resignation from a lowlevel centrist two days ago within the Chancellery may be due to the schism over action within the government.

Rosemary Manning has also seized on this infighting, stating that "this war, to the horror of the entire nation, is being played out as a playground fight as the Government goes to and fro on whether to take some of the most simple decisions of governance I've ever seen delayed", and that "a competent Government would never delay sanctions on the elephant next door".

The backdrop of infighting within the government has left the Social Democrats five points below what their old polling figures were back in May - now they remain at 35%, with the Conservatives up to 31%, Liberals at 14%, Green-Left at 11% and the EPP at 6%. Rosemary Manning's personal popularity is also steadily rising, and civic conservatism is increasingly palatable to the wider public.

Edgard Alburgh commented on the issue and its wider divides:
This was a decision that in many ways had been anticipated a week or so ago, but that infighting within the Social Democratic party had held up. As much as Manning's point on delays are valid, it's clear that her party from the last few years has only marginally improved in terms of unity.
The Government is out of its honeymoon period. Wilson's snap election is probably causing some of this dip, however when it recovers, the Social Democrats probably won't touch the 40 mark, and the Conservatives won't fall much at all. The issue is that the Conservatives aren't as plagued by failure or division as they once were, and that the death of centrism in the Social Democrats is not a quiet one. Osborne himself remains safely clear of Manning in polls, but the baggage of Wilson's recent spat and the reputation of the centrist faction is dragging his party back. Osborne is approved of by 53% (compared to 37% against) but only 35% would vote Soc Dem.
The next election won't be so easy to win - the Conservatives have finally edged out their hard-right factions and are that touch more professional than under the internal wars of Alborough's last term, and the Liberals are coming for their middle-class swing voters - so internal wrangling between Green-Left, and each part of the Social Democrats, may prove crucial in coming years.
As for sanctions, the Government has often had the sentiment of "blanket action" - all in one go to limit dodging or notice. It's likely that in future, this will be deployed even more ruthlessly, and with both a High Minister and a Forethegn who are hawkish on foreign affairs, to more nations.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Esthursian government sets aside ſ22 billion for humanitarian and economic aid, opens borders to refugees

The foreign aid budget is set to nearly double for this year as Esthursia halves its budget surplus "in order to help our partners elsewhere"

This year has seen a considerable increase in the amount of unrest locally - most notably, the Aurorean problem, that in the Imperium and the civil war of Tardine - and as such, Esthursia has set aside nearly half of its budget surplus from the last year in order to "help our partners", as well as loosening immigration regulations for refugees, in a sweeping reform set to rock Esthursia's approach to the wars.

Although Esthursia has intervened in the war to the south somewhat, that of Tardine and the Imperium have illicited either solely verbal and economic action, or seemingly, silence - the decision to formalise the refuge programme from the Imperium, Tardine, Scalvia, the Aurorea and Volshan has appeared as something as a surprise for many either expecting piecemeal opening, after it was announced last week. Harold Osborne spoke of the policy in the Houses of Berworth last night:
We will not stand by while residents of our neighbours are subjected to the conditions that conflict causes - and we will not close our arms, close our eyes and cover our ears to the situation that is sadly happening right now, all around us. The nation of Esthursia must serve as a beacon of refuge for those seeking it, and of hope for those who have lost it, and of peace for those who need it so dearly - and that is exactly why we must unite as a House to pass this emergency legislation to both open our arms and to directly help the situations. The people of these nations do not deserve conflict, and we will do what it takes to do our part in keeping peoples' wellbeing enshrined as a right no matter what comes their way. We are also looking at options to use embassies as places of immediate refuge where possible.
The 39 billion USD fund (22 billion shillings) into economic and humanitarian aid aims to "solve the short-term and long-term effects of conflict", and in total boosts this year's foreign aid budget to 37 billion shillings. The government's plan passed unanimously in the Houses of Berworth, with every present member voting in favour of it, in a rare show for unity and solidarity for the sake of world peace and prosperity.
 
The_Herald.png

Syrixian election crisis: Esthursian government calls for "any obstruction to democracy to be lifted"

The official statement comes after sources claim military intelligence raised "false flag" obstruction possibility to government

Dated December 20, 2021
The Esthursian government has submitted a statement after the ensuing democratic crisis in Syrixia, to the west.
"The sovereign government of this Royal Union of Great Esthursia is proud to hold its credentials as a long-serving true, free democracy, however this also gives us an immense responsibility above all else to serve democracy worldwide and push for its protection. We have it on good authority that there is a possibility of malicious involvement of the Syrixian monarchy in this election, and any shred of truth in this possibility will have consequences. We call on the institutions of Syrixia to declare exactly why it has suspended such an essential democratic process, to allow global observers in to investigate exactly what has occurred, and to return the basic fundamental right of its citizens wherever possible, whenever possible. All and any obstructions to democracy must be lifted if applicable.

We cannot, and therefore will not, look the other way when democracy itself has even a chance of being threatened, and strongly condemn any attempt to jeopardise the democratic process anywhere in the world."
 
The_Herald.png

Right-wing Conservatives and EPP call for "irresponsible" new ſ22 billion aid plan to be scrapped

"The government could have chosen anything here to invest - and they chose everywhere else" - Graham Ingley

A speech by Graham Ingley has resonated with the right-wing fringes inside the Conservative Party, claiming:
We simply cannot afford such a large lump of spending to be taken out of our already sizeable deficit.
Wilfred Alman, leader of the True Blue Group, a working-class Conservative Union group of mostly monetarist, hard-right politicians who refused to move to the more populist EPP, stated:
As much as our partners in the EPP are often quick to take sentiment over action on issues of international import, this is something that we must all come together to point out - we have no room to accommodate this. The government so proudly boasts of its new-found fiscal stability, proudly boasts that it can fund it into the economy and boost it - and now it's going walkabouts for the second time in less than a decade.
The Forethegn refused to comment to the criticism, however Chancellor of the Landsfere, Lauren Bowen, told ENBC 1 that she thought critics of the plan were being "heartless based on the Einarsson-era economics that made us unable to afford anything for a half-decade in the first place - fantasy economists such as these should not preach to those who have no interest in fiction". Bowen also earlier had stated that the fund would be used "not only to cement ties with the people of these nations, but to boost our ability to safeguard democracy and the rule of fair law in these lands", and that "a refusal to aid our partners when they are in both their finest and darkest hours is nothing short of cowardice."

The ſ22 billion aid plan is set to be apportioned out over the next two to three months for investment through the KEII (King Edward International Investment) organisation, with negotiations taking place imminently, split approximately 60-40 between economic investment and humanitarian aid.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

GENERAL ELECTION: House of Thegns approves general election trigger for 22 September

The Social Democrats - or as they're known here, Arverth - have gambled; will it pay off?

There is another election on the horizon.

After spending the last few months recovering from the impact of the Wilson vote of no confidence - which, luckily for the government, went to Wilson's side - the Social Democrats have benefitted massively from a "rally round the flag" effect as the effects of continental instability hit hard, and as the Esthursian economy continues to appear fairly robust.

A forecast for 4% growth for the 12 months up to June 2022 last month, with wages forecast to rise by up to 7% as the economy redistributes at record levels after a few decades of "socioeconomic classes drifting slowly apart", the Social Democrats jumped ahead. Their rebranding as Arverth (Social Democrats) in August didn't impress many - Arverth is the Atlish word for the labour force - however one thing appears to have saved the Social Democrats from falling behind; the Aurorian situation.

With Esthursia taking an increasingly interventionist line on the Auroro-Scalvian border, most recently sending in a taskforce of up to 120,000 ground troops by the end of the month, the public appears to be increasingly behind the government over a rise in patriotic sentiment - furthermore, the rise of the EPP as in opposition to the Government's foreign policy agenda has further sidelined the Conservatives and expanded Arverth's lead.

Arverth have increasingly mobilised a new electoral pact of the socially liberal middle-class and the public sector, and are said to be wrestling for control of professional voters, according to insights from the Electoral Commission.

unknown.png
The thorn in Osborne's side? Green-Left. Newly replenished with an agenda of localism and civic democracy thanks to its merger with the Cumbric National Union, Green-Left has seen off the same apathy plague that appears to have taken hold over the Liberal Party, who have fallen into fourth and now remain firmly below their electoral vote in April.

Edgard Alburgh spoke to us about exactly why this election happened:
Thanks to how elections in Esthursia work, this pushes the next election to 2027 - if Osborne wins, he adds another year to his term. Additionally, according to current figures, Green-Left and the Social Democrats are both set to make serious headway if things go to plan for them - it doesn't take much insight to work out exactly why this election was called.
The EPP and the Liberals overturned the Conservatives' opposition to allow this election. This is the more complex part - especially for the Liberals. It seems that the Liberals foresee a similar rise against a Conservative Union that appears quite instable, although not quite weak - but this is idealist at best. The EPP, on the other hand, sees a chance to capitalise on foreign policy lines to sideline the Conservatives somewhat; although their goal to form the Opposition seems an outside prospect, it is likely that they could gain significant presence, having only just scraped into the upper house in April.
This election hinges on one thing - Osborne and Wescaster's leadership. The next few weeks' steering of Esthursia through the various crises around us will decide exactly which way this election swings - whether Osborne gets close to an outright win, goes as business as usual, or is ousted from government - on September 22. For Manning, this is make or break - holding her ground this election would blast EPP hopes for a radical right opposition into the distant future and secure her position as leader of the opposition - anything more than this would be both remarkable and wholly unexpected.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

GENERAL ELECTION: Conservatives and Liberals announce Moderate pact

After 11 years out of government and the death of monetarism, are the centreright Moderates ready to take their chance?

All things said, things look very bleak for the right this election. Harold Osborne is not a leader of whom risk could be said to be his defining characteristic - his shift to the left and policy programme have only recently began really visible, and we're in his third term and eighth year of power. A former civil servant once said Osborne's style of government could be called "grandmaster-like", with the eventual shifts being preceded by great periods of reflection and calculation.

The opposition knows this full well. Things look good for the government - incomes are rising fast, the economy looks secure, and Osborne himself is well liked. Although his right-hand man Jeremy Wilson is not popular with the right, his effect is equalised by his ability to mobilise the grassroots left. A united hard-left flank also poses an immediate threat to the Liberal localist groups and marginal seats alike, especially while new frontiers on constitutional issues are drawn.

The situation of this election is fairly clear - for the first time this century, two coalition blocs are facing off directly. Harold Osborne, Mildred Banbury, and Jeremy Wilson form the main figures in the Socialist bloc, facing off the Moderates to the centre and right headed by Rosemary Manning and the Liberal Party leader, Everett. The Socialists have won for 11 years and 4 elections, and they remain the favourites to win a fifth term. If they win, Harold Osborne's goal of sidelining moderate leftists and shifting his party back to the old left should finish itself, and the hardleft will establish itself as a new fourth major party for the foreseeable future. The hardright EPP, headed by firebrand radical-right Graham Ingley, remain a thorn in the Moderates' side, refusing to cooperate and also projected to nearly double their vote share, squeezing the Moderates' votes and causing a fight on two fronts.

With all that in mind, it begs the question: why did this pact take so long? If Osborne wins this election on the 22nd - and polling suggests he's on track to do just that - then this would be the fifth consecutive defeat for the Conservatives, a poor record not equalled since fifty years ago in the age of the strong Liberal party, and possibly set the Conservatives' spell out of power to sixteen years. The main reason this has taken a decade: the realignment.

Liberals took Alborough as a possible vehicle to government, but his reforms were still seen as monetarist at heart, a "closet capitalist" who kept many of the hardright Einarsson loyalists in high places. His miscalculation that people would forgive monetarism and forget Einarsson in 2014 likely cost him a close-fought election where John Largan of the Social Democrats clung onto power - albeit forcing his resignation soon after - and his refusal to resign before 2018 amid infighting from the centre and right gave the left a supermajority.

At first, Rosemary Manning looked like the same type of leader. However, her manifesto promises began civic conservatism - punching left, after decades of rightward drift. Liberals finally had a leader they could negotiate with - and with the split of the hardright, they now had a party that would be palatable to work with. Come April 2022, and they were ready.

And then the left noticed. Casting the right as "mired in murky deals" and "compromising Conservatives", and warning of "four years of half-baked ideas half-executed" under a Moderate coalition, prospects of an unstable government after fairly effective Socialist coalitions turned off leftleaning Liberals and rightleaning Conservatives alike, splintering their vote and giving Osborne another term arguably.

However for this election, the two Moderate coalition partners are openly cooperative. Promising pragmatic, centrist and progressive reforms on a basis of equality of opportunity over outcome, and facing both left and right to sideline the EPP and claim the middle ground, the Moderates have potential. The only issue? Nobody wants change.

To win this election, the Moderates will need a miracle. Liberals under Everett are still tentatively leftleaning and may feel uncontent if forced to fire down friendly leftwing amendments, the steady trickle of moderate Social Democrat to Liberal movement may reverse, and both parties are unsettled by each other's grassroots. Raw figures are also not on their side - the Socialists are on as much as 50 to 55% whereas the Moderates may only scrape 35 to 40%, giving the left bloc a majority once again.

To end, a quote by Isaac Harding:
Modern Conservatives pledge a different approach to every other conservative party, embracing social markets and even the fringes of social liberalism. The Moderate coalition has potential - but has it got purpose? Why should a conservative voter, wanting free market reforms and less regulation, vote for them? Why should a liberal voter, who is broadly satisfied with the current government's plans and who finds the Conservatives' history one of monetarist antipathy, vote for them? Graham Ingley's EPP is far clearer in its vision for a reformed Esthursia out of conflicts, and the Moderates' main virtue is taken by Osborne's undeniable statesmanship and his government's relative stability, albeit undermined by his deputy's efforts to make himself heard at all times.
The only way the Moderates working together can win is by proposing a radical alternative during a time when the left's not working. That's a hard sell at the moment, and I'm just not sure they can pull it off.

This general election is on 22 September this year, and Harold Osborne's Socialist bloc of the left is defending against Rosemary Manning's Moderate bloc of the centre to centre-right and smaller parties, particularly the hardright EPP. Make your voice heard by registering to vote by 15 September on https://registertovote.gov.et as long as you're an eligible resident over or at the age of fifteen years.

Our forecasts project the Social Democrats are on course to win 162 seats, and the Socialist bloc a total of 224 seats, giving them a 87% chance of forming government and a 74% chance of a majority. With the EPP predicted 40 seats, the Moderates are projected to get just 137 seats, down from 163 at present. The House of Ministers is predicted to remain in Socialist hands by a margin of 460-341.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

King Arthur V holds speech on unveiling of Kingswoods donation

Arthur has donated 350,000,000ſ, or 55% of his total estimated wealth, to the Kingswoods - and called for "a brighter Auroria to rise out of the darkness of war"

King Arthur's speech has attracted much interest from the media - now in his seventy-sixth year of reigning, the King has lived through the Fascist Wars, the Asmontian era, and nearly a century of our history. He has seen the world change around him and his own power "illegitimise itself", in his own words.

1804486642_Photo_of_elderly_King_Arthur_VI__2022___highly_detailed_face__passionate_speech__kind_and_benevolent.png

Having stepped down as head of state, but remained monarch, he has spoken in the West Barrows to the Kingswood Society:
I made a vow to the nation seventy-seven years ago today, during the closing days of my dear father's life - I would serve you, to the day I pass, in whatever capacity I ever could, and I would serve to public scrutiny. It was under that situation that I made the decision as I entered my seventy-sixth year presiding under this gracious and expansive nation of freedom and democracy that my position was no longer legitimate - and that no one man should inherit any one country, while at the same time I should serve out my time to the best of my ability. I remain committed to doing this. This nation's obligation to public rights is inspiring, and to ignore the clear mandate from those calling for this change would be a dereliction of my duties. I also fear for many other monarchies - though I by no means mean all, and I continue to see functional constitutional monarchies in many pockets of the world, I daresay those present are likely thinking the same examples as I - and their interests conflicting with that for public security, safety and freedom from fear; and the undeniable movement of some monarchs and unelected heads of state alike towards the politics of fear and moral ineptitude weighed heavily on my own conscience for my entire life.
In the last years, we have seen a dramatic change in temperature in these Aurorias; unfortunately, it has been one of drastic cooling. The threat posed to the Esthursian people is, in my belief, the greatest and most pressing that I can remember since the Fascist Wars - and more immediate than even then. It is times like these in which we as a nation have often come to our highest moments - pulling together, and pulling for a brighter Auroria to rise out of the darkness of war. Every single life lost to war is surrounded by ten lost to grief - and every single life lost to war is a life lost prematurely, though not needlessly. It should be the imperative for us, as public servants above all else, to prioritise - above all other needs, wants and motives - the preservation of our citizens' lives; I remain confident in this government's continuing will to do this, and take it upon my own conscience to press our partners, neighbours, and even those nations which may not treat Esthursia as the trusted voice that we are, for every single one of us to put life above conflict, and avoidance of death above all else.
Every war is preventable - but it is on us to prevent each one, and all failures remain on our global conscience as a testament to future generations to make better decisions.
It is the kindness of the Esthursian peoples that emboldens me to speak. I have only been able to serve as a public servant with a public willing to be served. This nation is one that needs its past preserved and its future safeguarded - both of which are motives for exactly why I am here, and why I am compelled to bestow an amount to embolden our environment, our heritage and our climate against whatever the future has ready for it. As I enter my autumn years, I see red - not from my own health, but the health of the world. I hope in my lifetime, I see the beginning of a worldwide tide pushing away fear, repression, conflict and unnecessary grief, and instead bringing a cleaner, fairer, peaceable world in which we can be truly proud to inhabit, no matter which continent, creed or city we reside within. The character of the world is being tested - we can only pass through if we pull together.
I remain in high spirits in my high age, for my conviction is built on what I believe is a real connection between all peoples that strive for peace, freedom and solidarity.
Arthur has also stated that "I will not slow down until time slows me down" in a response to many wondering if King Arthur, who turns 93 in January, was ready to slow down.

The 350 million shillings (541 million UBI) donated to the Kingswood Society is likely to confirm the plan to raise the total woodland cover of Esthursia to fifty-percent, up from forty-one percent as of 2021.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Objective Education Act receives Kingly Assent - private schools to be "monitored" and religious schools banned

The law finalises a generational shift from freedom to choose from parents to children

Religious schools have been told to reform or close, and private schools informed that their charity status would be "completely removed", as well as a round of inspections by the state school inspectors rather than their own academies' versions, following a recent Act's passage.

The Objective Education Act has banned all "schools and other establishments providing education to under-18s in any capacity" from operating, with the Government clamping down on what it believed to be "pockets of religious radicalism influencing the nation's children". Graham Ingley has spoken out in favour of the law, which passed the upper House with his party's approval along with Green-Left and the Social Democrats; an unlikely coalition of hard-left, centre-left and hard-right.

This makes Esthursia one of the few states in the world that has completely banned religious schools - however this is not a new ideal. Esthursia, thanks to its historic relationship (or lack thereof in the last 450 years) with its Church, has never particularly taken to social conservatism nor religious blending with law - abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage have rarely inflamed debates and were all enshrined in law as rights over a century ago during the Asmont period (apart from contraception, which was signed into law as a right in the Newell era of the 1950s-1960s.) The right to "scrutinise belief objectively", passed in the 1970s, has led to a number of controversial cases between defendants claiming their rights, and self-professed victims calling out potential harassment. Religious education is also completely optional, with no mandated curriculum - instead, Esthurs take Citizenship courses in their middle years of education, and study the "Atlish code" - the rights to democracy, freedom of speech, freedom from fear and the rule of law.
 
The_Herald.png

GENERAL ELECTION - Whether Osborne wins or loses a fourth election, Esthursia's drift into the centre is over

Seven years after his leadership began, Osborne is finally looking for a mandate to shift his programme - but where to?

[deleted, restructuring]
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Green-Left leader Ljosdalur announces "civic economy" plan to "end capitalism", amid new leadership

Even with Esthursia's mixed economy already in transition away from "one-man business", is Green-Left's proposal closer to far-left ideologies of abroad, or a bold new ideal?

[deleted]
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

GENERAL ELECTION: Osborne rules out coalition with the far-left New Left faction of Green-Left, amid rise of liberal-localist Peaceful Progressive Union

Osborne: "Ljosvalur's vision for an far-left Esthursia is both idealist and dangerous"

Osborne went into this election wanting a majority - or did he? The new Afterthegn, Hróðvar Ljosvalur, reportedly had frostier relations with Osborne. Although not the firebrand figure that maybe the Chancellor forges, Ljosvalur stood for ideological radicality - a complete overhaul of the Esthursian economy - which Osborne stood against. Harold Osborne is a man whose transition to moderate left-wing politics has been described as gradualist, subdued and meticulous - not words to describe the almost dogmatic preference of Ljosvalur. Although Osborne still has ideological companions in Green-Left - a party known for its syncretic leftwing to farleft approach - a coalition would no longer be in his interests.

So, where are we now? Esthursia's polls open tomorrow - and now the 12 years of Socialist governance has waned. With third parties popping up in the centreground - the Peaceful Progressive Union fighting for anti-conservative, independent liberal and moderate social democratic votes is set to win seats in the lower house if not the upper house - it seems like Osborne may have to look both ways. The Green faction of Green-Left remains friendly, but New Left may be left out of supply and confidence - the Progressive Union also may be called upon to enter some form of agreement.

Harold Osborne himself stated last night:
This nation is a proud liberal democracy, built on the tenets of freedom, democracy, peace and cooperation. This Social Democratic party believes in upholding these - and the far-left mirages seen by Ljosvalur's New Left are fallacies of irresponsibility. I was therefore left with no choice but to inform Green-Left that any coalition deal would not involve New Left, as we no longer share common values.
This Social Democratic party has forged a booming economy out of the rubble of Tharbjorn Einarsson's hardline monetarist mess, and will not stand alongside hallucinations of planned economics. The world is full of failed attempts at these, and we will not sleepwalk into Esthursia being the next one on that list.

The Progressive Union itself saw room to push into. The Liberals were falling, and moving rightward, despite Everett's own leftleaning views - leaving the door open for a centre-left liberal party. However, the Union is actually committed to more localist projects - "community renewal" - and environmental projects, as well as a shift away from nuclear power and private transport. The Progressive Union, under joint leaders Esther Ashworth and Albert Westerton, has dubbed itself the "Esthursian future party", and has compared itself to the Liberals of the 1920s, who campaigned against the Scalvian War, stating "freedom and community are our values above all else".

The Greens inside Green-Left, and to some extent the smaller midground faction "Socialist Front" formerly led by Helga Almrdal, remain friendly to Osborne, however the leftmost faction, which makes up half of the entire party's representatives and led by the party leader Hróðvar Ljosvalur as well, is likely to be sidelined by Harold Osborne.

Osborne may hope to pass 40% - something that is eminently likely - but no longer can expect a coalition partner to fall back on. However, thanks to the Moderates bringing the Liberals to the centre, the centre-left Progressives may prove underestimated friends of the new Osborne government, which will look both ways to form itself. Edgard Alburgh spoke to us about the potential for this election to swing away from the hardleft as much as the right:
The fact that Osborne wants to desert the far-left factions is no different from the fact that many in the centre-left don't feel represented by a Liberal party increasingly sympathetic to the Conservative Union. This time on Saturday, we will wake up to a new government - and it's likely that there's going to be a lot more independent minds on both sides in it, even if the Social Democrats seem set to expand their influence.
The rise of the Progressive Union should worry the Liberals far more than it does the Social Democrats. These Progressives seek independence from the Moderate coalition, and achieving some of their aims quickly may be an enticement to look left.
Above all else, Harold Osborne has finally stopped moving left. Mildred Banbury remains a close ally to his Green flank, and will probably remain in government, but the Green-Left leader has been shunted from positions of power by a Forethegn who clearly wants nothing of his policies and ideas. Osborne may be a leftist - but he is no anti-capitalist. While Green-Left's turn to the left may have saved its purpose, it likely sacrificed its power and unity by doing so.
Osborne has succeeded in taking the left - and splintered the centre from the Moderates in doing so. Can he go all the way and form a coalition on both sides, undermining the power of Hróðvar Ljosvalur in doing so?
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

GENERAL ELECTION: Social Democrats look to make gains, while High Minister Wescaster calls for "constructive dialogue to be opened" over Wilson-Prydania scandal

The fourth Osborne government appears to look for mediation as vote counts put Social Democrats in line for modest gains

As votes continue to be counted, the election appears to have led to Social Democrat victories - but rather subdued. The current vote count suggests, with 37% of all votes counted, that they're in line for 174 upper house seats - up 13 from their old figure and a bit higher than the 10 they were predicted to gain in the exit poll.

The first act of this fourth term government, however, appears to have been one aimed abroad - to solve the Prydanian scandal. Back in the summer, ormer Chancellor Jeremy Wilson spoke against Prydania's law said to be proscribing republican views - the backlash domestically and internationally appears to have finally moved the government's hand.

High Minister Edward Wescaster stated on broadcast:
"It must be stated that this Esthursian government is deeply concerned that the wrong type of dialogue is happening over recent affairs. Former Chancellor Wilson is right to seek the expansion of civil rights globally, however this was categorically not the way to do it, nor did his views rightfully represent the views of this government. As a government, we will be offering to open for more constructive, direct dialogue over days and weeks to come with Prydania to rectify this.
Our nations are oceans apart - but they don't have to be, and this issue can be something we can build on to cement stronger relations not only with Prydania, but with the western world at large, for this Esthursian nation seeks one thing highest - to extend and consolidate strong relations with new democratic partners worldwide."


Harold Osborne, the man whose likelihood of remaining in power is almost certain by this point in the count, has decided to focus his recent speech on his plan for his fourth term in power:
"In these next four years, should tonight continue on its clear trend towards a sixth consecutive electoral victory for this Social Democratic party, we are set to begin the first one-party government in 35 years.
Between now and 2027, this government will work tirelessly to provide a stronger, fairer and more global Esthursia. From increasing our research and education budgets, to opening three new universities and upgrading over two thousand metes (~4,140km) of railway network, as well as investing in our continued New Towns project to build another million houses by 2030, this country will innovate, progress and recalibrate into the middle of this century. We will push for collective bargaining and worker power, and we will push for the retrofitting and insulation of Esthursian homes to be completed by 2032.
We are keeping this movement to build a fairer and cleaner Esthursia for a new era that no longer will stand for inequality, private greed and populism in the way of moving forward."


Rosemary Manning, set to actually consolidate her vote share and possibly gain a few seats, is set to remain as leader of the Conservative Union, and the Moderate group it remains a part of alongside the Liberals. The Liberals, by contrast, are arguably the only major party to receive a bloody nose from this election - suffering losses and possibly becoming the fifth largest party if trends continue in counting.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Government to postpone arms sales to Syrixia amongst other sanctions, a third of Syrixian diplomats expelled from Esthursia

Esthursia has become the first country to pass sanctions and diplomatic action against Syrixia

22 December, 2021
The government has postponed all arms sales to and from Syrixia, sanctioned the royal family, expelled a third of Syrixian diplomats (withal withdrawing a third of diplomats within Syrixia), and issued an official condemnation. The Syrixian royal family can no longer sell or buy from Esthursian traders, any money and assets kept in Esthursia or any bank affiliated with Esthursia will be seized, and they cannot travel into Esthursia.

Forethegn Harold Osborne said of the transpiring events this morning:
We condemn in the strongest terms the autocratic intrusion of the royal family of Syrixia into its domestic elections. It is not the role of a monarch to involve itself in democracy, and the situation created by this intervention is both unenviable and eminently condemnable. We call upon the royal family of Syrixia to withdraw its false claims of dysfunctional voting machines and allow the elections to take their course, and its failure to do so risks both prolonging these sanctions and extending them to wider economic issues should the Syrixian regime fail to listen to its people's desire to choose its destiny. We cannot rightfully continue arms deals with a country whose interests no longer remain with the public's.

We urge our democratic partners to also consider retributive measures to ensure the correction of this infringement on the Syrixians' people's right to vote.
Leader of the Opposition Rosemary Manning joined the Forethegn in condemning Syrixia's "undemocratic monarchist power grab", but stated that the decision to postpone arms sales was "arbitrary and capricious".

Forethegn Osborne has stated that the "New Year will see a great deal of other sanctions aimed at countries who equally refuse to respect the right of publicly free democracy".
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

BUDGET 2022: Is the modern Social Democratic party truly left-wing? A look into Chancellor Bowen's "Fourth Way" economics

Merging the "fairness of socialism with the tried and tested safeguards of mixed economies", "Fourth Way" economics has become entrenched in 2020s Esthursia

-
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

BUDGET 2022: Government considers proposal of UAS-wide currency pegged to Esthur shilling, while Chancellor introduces Renters' Rights Act

The Esthursian government has floated a proposal for a UAS-wide currency pegged to the shilling, amid reforms to renting market announcement

Two pieces of news hit the media stage today - both from the Chancellor's neck of the woods.

The first, renters in Esthursia are about to receive more rights than ever before. The Act, known as the Renters' Rights Act 2022, is set to push forward the idea that renters are guaranteed certain universal rights. Zero fault evictions are set to be banned, and a waiting limit or "minimum stay" on evictions by rent arrears to be set, while legislation on renters' ability to request permission for "suitable development" of rented property is included. A National Landlordship database is also included, and landlords must declare all evictions and their reasons within the last two years to their tenants if applicable. Livability regulations are also to be tightened, and renters can now challenge rises to rent of over 20% in one year. Students and families are also set to receive the "six month notice" right, with other tenants having three months, except under extreme circumstances, while landlords will gain additional pathways to pursue compensation for damage and "wilful misuse" to properties.

Lauren Bowen has stated that this will "finalise our plan to make Esthursia's housing market the most livable for all", stating:
For this to be a country we want people to move to, we have to make it one people want to live in. We boast some of the fairest house prices, fairest rents and rent controls, and now some of the fairest renters' rights, while also guaranteeing that landlords have the right to pursue damage to their properties. This government is working to prioritise the levelling of the playing field.
This country is the most livable in the modern developed world, and this Act proves sterling work to show this to the world.
Meanwhile, Esthursia is considering a proposal - first brought forward by the Moderate opposition pact - to propose a UAS-wide currency, pegged or semi-pegged to the Esthursian shilling. Leader of the Opposition Rosemary Manning told the House of Thegns:
The Esthursian shilling has stood stable while many of our neighbours have found their currencies more volatile and susceptible to the instability inherent in these modern Aurorias.
If we are to pursue a stable economic system whereby we can freely trade with our democratic partners in the Union of Aurorian States, we have to pursue the standardisation and synchronisation of our currencies in order to guarantee lesser friction and loss from market volatility.

An official Government source confirmed that the policy remained in consideration, and if confirmed, would be submitted to UAS countries.


Also in the news this week:
BUDGET 2022: Government overrules universal basic income trial in Weskerby
BUDGET 2022: "Erring on the side of caution" putting off some red belt voters, says INS
Businesses call for minimum wage rise to be "reviewed" amid claims of lack of help for small to medium enterprise
Esthur Peoples' Party calls for "Landlords' Rights Act"
First citizens' assembly policy initiated after schools move timetables forward to start an hour later across the country as terms start
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

BUDGET 2022: Chancellor Bowen reintegrates Wilson's National Food Service into local authorities' control

"The roles of local councils is pivotal, and necessary, and this should not remain a separate institution" - Bowen

[deleted]
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Alfred Frome meets Rayvostokan delegation amid wider push to "thaw and open relations" by both states

Frome used social media to call the meeting "productive, positive and conciliatory"

After the summit in Tynwald approaches, Rayvostokan delegates being spotted by savvy journalists from both this Daily Herald and the Atlish Times stirred social media across Esthursia. The first of many, or the start of a more specific, coordinated relationship?

Redethegn for the Ellands, or Foreign Minister in Mercanti, Alfred Frome harks from a particular wing of the party - the Progressive Group, led by no other than Jeremy Wilson. His participation has stirred conspiracies that this is connected to him taking an audience with a nation broadly associated with far-left ideologies, however the government has vaguely denied this.

Alfred Frome met with delegates from Rayvostoka, nonetheless, this morning, stating through Esthursian social media:
Great to meet with my Rayvostokan counterparts in Tynwald today a few weeks ahead of the main summit. Productive, positive and conciliatory discussions have been had and a stronger relationship will be built as we continue to #OpenUpEsthursia.

Taking questions from the House of Ministers, the lower house, has however shown a more controversial opinion of government ministers may have influenced this:
F. West (Liberal): Thank you Speaker. I must get to the point of this entire debate - the Redethegn for the Ellands has taken audience with a nation broadly considered to be a collectivist dictatorship. Did this government take into account that many of the beliefs entrenched in this country - freedom of speech, secularism, staunch liberal democracy, and even what's left of private enterprise - are just incompatible with Rayvostoka?

T. Alderney (Soc Dem, Ministry of Ellands): We did have our reservations, however Rayvostoka has sincerely made an effort to moderate and reform, and we believe it is the least we can do to bring our nations closer together and work on the common interests we have. The good people of Rayvostoka will not be shunned, and it is not only the moral thing to do to extend our partnerships to other nations within these Aurorias, but also for this government to pursue a working relationship with our friends over in Rayvostoka in order to pursue further reform and possibly deeper cooperation in coming weeks, months and years. It is also our intention to further broaden our relationships with other nations over coming months, and the constructive discussions had with Rayvostoka are a sign of what's to come for participating nations.


The Esthursian government appears to have decided one thing - the time has come to thaw relations with Rayvostoka. Esthursia having traditionally been a more liberal and individualist nation than it is now, and Rayvostoka having been a more hardline collectivist nation than recent reforms have made it, have led to this moment - however it has still taken many by surprise. Moderate Conservative Minister for the Ellands, Rickard Wetheringham, told the Atlish Times:
It is just wrong that we're pursuing a relationship with a nation that just doesn't share our interests, as my colleague Frank West pointed out earlier today. This government is either naïve or complicit to believe that Rayvostoka has truly changed and these Moderates know that a more prudent approach is necessary not to spook and spoil other relations potentially jeopardised by such a wide leap to globalist idealism with a nation of contrasting beliefs and institutions. If I was a cynic, I'd frankly call it reckless, but I won't go that far. I knew this government was trying to establish it was socialist, but this seems like a push too far - our foreign policy is potentially being dictated by ideology, not cooperation and commonality.

The Tynwald Summit is coming later in October.


Also in the news this week:
BUDGET 2022: Moderates call for separate votes on infrastructure spending and tax, Government calls move "unjustifiably fiscally irresponsible"
BUDGET 2022: Low-income families and students set to be winners from the new budget
Glaciers in North expand for another year, environmental studies suggest
Westway boss Ernest Jesting responds to imminent strikes, "major disappointment"
Currency markets stabilise after bullish shilling reaches 1.571 IBU at a peak overnight
 
ENBC.png

Remainder of Liberals begin co-operating with Progressives

Social Democrats' reliance on either Green-Left or Liberal and Progressive votes makes the centre-left significant

%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F97d12100-e88c-11ea-8fb6-8dc16a61b81b.jpg
R.e815e5fc357540ffd72d81bae7f457c6

Liberals' new leader, George Balder, and Progressive leader Ann Welford
The political centre has reformed and recreated itself in the midst of the Liberal-Conservative merger into the right-of-centre Moderates under Rosemary Manning; and it appears to be an alliance of unlikely origins.

Liberalism and the centre to centre-left after the Manning-Everett merger
The Liberal Party, especially in recent years as the Social Democrats and Conservatives both moved left, were closer to the right-wing mainstream, implicitly backing the Einarsson government in its first months. However, when the majority of Liberals agreed to merge into the Moderates, the leftmost branch - fronted by George Balder, a left-of-centre Newellite* liberal - remained a separate entity.

Just two of the six Thanes elected a few weeks ago have remained in the party; George Balder and Wilma Moren. Balder was unopposed to stand as leader; and has since become the Liberals' first left-of-centre leader in recent history, bringing the party back into the centreground between the Moderates and Social Democrats. This, along with the 3 Progressive Thanes, has opened an alternative route for the centre-left to left-wing Government to seek deals.

The Liberals' new image, and the sudden arrival of the Progressives on the centre-left, has both meant the two parties have accepted co-existence is necessary, and that their votes alongside that of the Social Democrats could potentially pull it back further to the centre should they choose to agree; not relying on Green-Left would give Harold Osborne the ability to govern from both the centre and left, though it could jeopardise its government.

The future for Esthursian centrism
The loss of the centre-right Agrarians, and the weakening of the centrist Liberal Party, has massively opened the centreground for new parties. The Cumbric National Union is a centrist pro-independence party, and the centre-left Progressives as well as migration of the mainstream right into the centre have all been attributed to this quite significantly.

The formation of a new bloc, however, could drastically affect future governments. Should the left ever suffer losses, it may find itself reliant on both the centre and the hard-left; while a Moderate government, thanks to the splinter of the EPP and the potential rise of the far-right, may find itself at the behest of the centre to govern. Balder and Welford know this well; that's why co-operation, in their view, is not only beneficial, but essential for the survival of third party politics. With the rise of the far-left and far-right, it appears the centre is still kicking.


*Newellite - a left-of-centre social liberal ideology represented by the Liberal Forethane Edith Newell from 1957-1969, who accepted the socialist welfare state more or less, and reinstituted liberal social reforms. Her successor, the right-of-centre Alfred Thwaite, is blamed by some of this branch of Liberal Party members for dooming the party's electoral chances due to its replacement by the left-wing Social Democrats.
 
Last edited:
The_Herald.png

Bowen adjusts yearly marginal wealth tax to 1% on wealth above ʃ1 million, 2% over ʃ10 million and 5% over ʃ100 million

"It is right that those who are fortunate and at the top of the ladder should make sure they're helping the rest of us up it" - Chancellor Bowen

The approaches to wealth taxes by Jeremy Wilson and Lauren Bowen are rather disparate.

Wilson's 2017 Budget, amongst many other controversial measures during his final weeks, unveiled an "indefinite" wealth tax; one that would tax all wealth above 1.1 billion shillings totally, and reduce the wealth of anyone with over ʃ5,000,000 significantly and repeatedly. The Budget - which contained a hardline tax-and-spend package that sent the economy into a sudden inflation spike - would eventually lead to Wilson's downfall, and Harold Osborne's slow creep back towards the social democratic wing of the party.

Lauren Bowen, by contrast, has spent 5 years avoiding wealth taxes. In 2018, she told ENBC:
As much as I would like to see some degree of redistribution, the degree that Wilson sought not only damaged our economic reputation, but also must clearly delay any consideration of a wealth tax for the foreseeable future.
[WIP]


Also in the news this week:
[WIP]​
 
Last edited:
The_Examiner.png

Suthening conference creates "intellectualist junior partner" in government coalition

The self-professed "party of the learned" has heavily eroded the Moderate graduate and professional vote

Technocracy. The name means little to nothing to the average Esthur, and yet a party - the Progressive Party, no less - which appeared last election has adopted the Atlish version of this very concept as its name; Suthening.

Suthening advocates for several concepts:
  • A radical transformation of the education system;
  • A considerable "voluntary professionals' assembly" programme alongside elected institutions;
  • A 60% increase to research and development funds;
  • A "2030 Plan" to shift Esthursia towards being a "green superpower";
  • International co-operation over higher education and scientific programmes;
  • The insulation of all existing state homes and participating private homes;
  • Community development, such as through the National Food Service, parks and greater local service provision.
Suthening itself refers to a word contained within the Esthursian national motto - "suðeleik", or "soothness", roughly translating to "informed truth". The modern Atlish version of this term is "suðelike". The party itself stands as part of a wider movement amongst the middle-class professional class seeking greater political participation - but the main question in the air for a party such as this; can it work?

Electorally, yes. The Liberals suffered from a precipituous collapse after left-leaning reformist voters sought a more radical alternative, after the formation of the Conservative Union-aligned Moderate pact. Although the Conservatives gained from the Liberals, they also lost to Suthening, muting their gains considerably. Likewise, Green-Left fell back slightly, and the Social Democrats received fairly subdued gains. Altogether - Suthening drew people from across the political spectrum together.

One can sense what is on our minds at this stage. Are they, if they aim at such wide swathes, a populist front? Suthening's leader, Conrad Thessen, says no.
When I formed this party last year, I sought out one thing for Suthening - intellect. The political parties of the world lack a front of pragmatic thought, and although my participation in the government is down to this shared interest in the Social Democratic leadership of Osborne, we can go so much further and cement this strain of impartial intellectualism and technocracy, as much of the world calls it, in the Esthursian political consciousness.
What makes Esthursia great? Is it our robust education and welfare system - to ensure opportunity for all - or is it in our very nature, is it in the Esthursian nature to both challenge wrong, and to maintain subtle politeness? I think it's both. I think they both detract back to the Esthursian conscious efforts to be right - both in the objective and subjective senses of the word. The Revolution may be far too long ago in history for any to recall, but the message learnt and passed down from our ancestors remains clear; if a nation fails to stand up for what is fair, right and true, it loses control to those for whom those values mean nothing. We see that in every dictatorship worldwide. We see that in the abuse of power that so many states display. We see that in the loss of control, the loss of reason, and the loss of wisdom suffered by people from regimes that seek to destroy heritage, culture and the wealth of knowledge that they have built up all while maintaining the pretence of national protection.
Nations coming out of revolution have this same spirit. A spirit to rebuild, to reconstruct. However, Esthursia never lost this spirit - and it's constructed a fairer, more righteous and truthful state in its wake, with a population who strive to both look out for one another and to look out for rising animosity. We are the democracy that withstood Olafn Arbjern's clumsy authoritarianism, the system that held up against the abuse of power suffered during Tharbjorn Einarsson's haphazard tumble from power, and the state that remains objectively open to all open nations.
This party, the Suthening, knows we should go much further. We must look beyond creed, personal ideology - dogma, if you will - and instead, for the sake of human progression, embrace our spirit of open truth. We are looking to suthen the nation, as such. Esthursia has so much potential to forge an Auroria of strength, virtue and fair freedoms, rather than perpetuating the injustices that many historic democracies have a sorry habit of doing - any democracy that gives into populist injustice and rhetoric is a democracy that gives up democracy.
Many have remarked that we are the populists. Far from it; we are the anti-populists.
It remains little surprise that its most reliable electorate on September 22 were from graduates and high-ranking professionals - from the legal sector to teaching and the UHCS. Esthursia, as such, has become the only country to date with a party in government that is committed solely to the pursuit of human progress and truth; and that has the potential to both alienate, and to develop kinship. Whether Suthening is able to achieve its aims, to co-operate with an increasingly pragmatic and open Social Democratic government - whose removal of Jeremy Wilson was arguably influenced by Suthening - and to "forge an Auroria" anew is yet to be confirmed - but we can remain content that our government is one not only removed from populism, but actively against it.
 
The_Herald.png

High Deemery rules against appeal to continue life support of Winfred Webb

"The UHCS both has the legal and moral right to preserve the interests of patients as a whole above more risk-averse single issues such as these" - Highdeem Wanderer

The family of Winfred Webb has lost their final legal avenue to secure a prevention of life support termination, following a 5-0 ruling against Webb's family's case that the right to life afforded its continuation.

Webb, a 11-year-old whose condition following injury was described as "unresponsive at best, and permanently comatose at worst", has been on life support for three months - a bitter campaign by his family, funded primarily by the Athersist Group, has prolonged his treatment repeatedly. One week before the legal system was brought into the dispute, the Webb family is said to have disputed a communication by the hospital stating that Webb's chances of pulling through were "at best one-in-a-hundred with no full recovery", which were reduced further to "sadly near-zero" two weeks into the case. The UCHS has further alleged that Winfred's organs, although functioning, have become dependent on the life support system, and that his chances of surviving are so low as to require an end of life plan, even expressing concern that Winfred may die "and have to be intrusively resuscitated" prior to the legal case ending in the worst case.

The judgment came after seven weeks of legal wrangling, and with all five of the twelve Highdeems ruling against the case to invoke the Overlaw - with its decision spokesman Elbert Wanderer stating the UCHS, in a 15-page report, was "justified, reasonable, proportionate and fully within their legal principles". Legal fees and prolonged treatment have left the Mellington UCHS with a significant fiscal hole, and furthermore the family of Winfred Webb has committed hundreds of thousands of shillings to top legal professionals.

The new Redethegn for Care, Konráð Þaðan, spoke on the issue:
This case has lasted so long that it extends before my tenure as Care Redethegn. I trust wholly that the Union Care and Health Service are working to the utmost standards, as they always have, and that the decision taken today to end the prolonging of life support of Winfred Webb on Sunday evening is one taken reluctantly but reasonably. I can but offer my personal and sincere condolences to the family of young Winfred for their loss.
The family of Winfred Webb has also signalled they are not willing to "back down", and will be consulting their legal team further:
The Mellington UCHS has failed to take into account the sanctity of life of our... our only child. We can confirm that we will be seeking further legal consultation on further steps to take, both in the immediate term to prevent the termination of life support, and in the longer term to - if the unthinkable happens to our boy - keep the torch burning and highlight similar instances of wrongdoing.
The Mellington UCHS maintains that their decision was taken "as a result of consensus that young Winfred would be, sorrily, sure not to pull through, in a reasonable, solemn and transparent manner", and has stated that the decision by the High Deemery to approve the termination of life support and the end of life plan proposed by the UCHS is "warmly appreciated".


Also in the news this week:
Public transport federalised to headburgh councils
Bill protecting transgender rights and self-ID passes unopposed, with EPP and some Conservatives abstaining
Asthonhelm: Is the cold North experiencing a local boom?
Rosemary Manning holds speech against "irresponsible radical-left anti-entrepreneurship" amid unveiling of "New Centre" approach
Vote recognising right to food referendum passes; right to food now enshrined in the Overlaw
 
The_Examiner.png

Jeremy Wilson wrestles control of significant cabinet positions

Former Chancellor Wilson has become Afterthegn, and a third of Redery positions are to be chosen by him

"Jeremy Wilson is gone", proclaimed the Atlish Times proudly. "We've progressed beyond the Progressives", said the Spokesman, as a sly reference to his old party of origin. Five years passed, and they seemed to be right.

And yet he's back.

After the formation of the Redery last night, onlookers saw a key change - there was still an Afterthegn, despite the lack of a formal coalition - that with Suthening is instead a supply and confidence with ministerial cooperation. So how did the leftwing "ideologue", as even the King of Prydania once implied, cling onto power?

Jeremy Wilson's re-election as deputy leader pointed to a key reason - he wanted justification for this. His clear victory against moderate Oscar Connery silenced critics, and a sudden shock resignation during the Budget - which was subsequently amended by his successor, Ingrid Helga Almrdal - left his critics finally appeased.

Wilson has been remembered fondly by the hard-left for lighting the internal torch for democratic socialism, all but extinguished after Willesden's centrist Third Way stretch; and less fondly by centrists and moderates worried by his stances over economic nationalisation, taxation and even interference in foreign affairs. However, his 2017 Budget landed like a boulder in the global marketplace, cutting short his career as Chancellor. However, he has now been given control of key roles - the appointment of:
- Konráð Þaðan, Redethegn for Care
- Sophia Blackwell, Redethegn for Welfare; replacing long serving moderate Oscar Connery
- Jennifer Dale, Redethegn for Food Security and the NFS
- Wilfred Severn, Redethegn for Transport
- Merdda Abglyn, Redethegn for Energy and Water...
all accreddited to Jeremy Wilson. Þaðan is an old supporter of hardleft Socialist Front, Blackwell was a key figure in the General Strike of 2010 and Severn has led a socialist faction in his home region of Esthamptonshire for ten years.

Possibly the best known new Redethegn, Þaðan, is recognisable in Esthursia for his quote on capitalism:
Capitalism is fundamentally flawed in that it does not work. I bet nobody here today can name a single capitalist system that empowers its workers institutionally, and doesn't empower a billionaire elite who then have a very high chance of covert interference.
Capitalism warps democracy. Democracy must fight capitalism to survive.

Possibly not the most compatible politician with Harold Osborne, a man who once said he was "committed to making capitalism socialist and workable, not to ripping the entire system down", and who broke off a coalition after seeing through the new left-populist Green-Left's leader.

All (except Dale, whose policy programme is little known) are known hardliners.

Osborne has substituted this by moving in some Larganites - but the sheer weight of the New Left in the new redery means not only is this cancelled out, but Osborne's new government is more leftwing than ever before.

All of this happens while Suthening, Osborne's nominal coalition partner, gets only government influence in the House of Ministers, whose role is increasingly ministerial. One Suthening minister nicknamed the deal "the Wilson-Osborne Redery", over Wilson's perceived stranglehold on party politics, with ENBC journalist Rickard Dunn nicknaming him the "unsackable politician".

Jeremy Wilson clings like a barnacle to the side of HRHS Osborne. Will Osborne ever free himself, or are the two inseparable?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top