Realpolitik of the Smoky Skies - The Reboot

It looks like we're in agreement then? Miss Megame is the replacement for Eitus, being the third senator representing from Pulias City?
 
That is what the Senate has recommended to the Emperor.

Discretion ultimately lies with him, though.
 
For the last six weeks or so we've been in "December 1832" (because the in-game map is up to 1833). I suggest that the swearing in of the Senate has now occurred at the beginning of January 1833, bringing us into line with the in-game situation.

OOC: Yeah, it's now January 1833.

IC: Following the advice of, and to avoid crossing, the incomplete Senate, the Emperor will offer Ms. Megame the seat in the Pulian Senate vacated by Dot Eitus. Should she refuse the seat, which would require a move to the capital, the Emperor will appoint an alternate.
 
Out of character post directed to the players here (not characters :p).

Given that we have a few people indisposed with busy-ness in their real lives this week (I'm thinking Gurra, Heerlo, Huggins, Bazil, presumably Megame), I'm wondering if we should hold off on commencing business in the Fourth Senate for a few days.

Thoughts?
 
I appreciate the delay but I'm traveling until August 5th. Please don't hold off that long, I'll have intermittent access and should be able to check in almost every day.
 
Okay, thank you for the update. :)

Gurra's away until Sunday I believe .

So we might hold the Prime Ministerial vote on Sunday (since it'll go for a few days ). Then the Prime Minister can announce his or her ministry after the outcome of that vote is determined.
 
Second Conference of Nationalist Democratic Party


The Nationalist Democratic Party held a Second Conference on the aftermath of the Dawn Coalition. Aside from party members, anyone could come and hear the speeches.

Opening of the Conference - Speech by Christos von Bismarck

Spoiler :
I welcome you to our second, this time open, Conference of our Party, the Nationalist Democratic Party, the great Patriotic and Democratic Front. This Conference show the future. For, unlike the Socialists who make personal politics, our Party holds open, democratic discussions and is a peoples' party, not a politicians' party. Our joining of the Dawn Coalition is a major move in our attempt to build an anti-socialist and progressive front so that our nation can escape from the chains of Socialism and can progress. On more specific issues, I would like to ask the other speakers to talk.


Investments and Privatizations - Speech by Donald Tusk, Economist

Spoiler :
There is a need for radical changes in the economy. We must move away from the socialist state controlled economy and adopt Social Liberal Market policies. There should be privatizations in order to open up the market, with the state retaining control of only the most vital industries. The state should also make investments and help businessmen invest into our nation. This will lead to a development of the infrastructure and economic growth. So, our recipe to the economic problems of Pulias is a combination of privatizations and state investment. This policy, accompanied with returning to fiscal stability through turning the deficit to surplus, shall allow the economy to grow on a larger scale than we can imagine.


On Migration - Speech by James Fox, Vice-Leader

Spoiler :
There is a need to build up the defenses in our border to stop the invasion of migrants into our country. Heavy policing of the border will allow us to protect the nation from a migrant invasion and we can thus prevent the corruption of our nation. For the migrants already here, we will have to give them limited citizenship for practical reasons. But this should not be thought as a rewarding of migration to Pulias for we shall defend our nation from new migrants.


On Referendums - Speech by Alexander Mac Arthur, Spokesman

Spoiler :
Here in ND we believe that the citizens of Pulias are mature enough to be able to make decisions on their own for the major problems of the nation. The use of referendums shall allow greater citizen participation in the administration of the nation and shall make Pulias a true democracy. For voting once every 10 years is not the pinnacle of democracy. Allowing the people to vote on the major issues and decide along with the government the course of the nation is the meaning of true democracy. And it will also strengthen the governments, for their decisions will have the support of the people and thus they will be able to implement them with far less problems.
 
The following posts I'll be progressively updating as the years pass and my characters age. These biographies I'll be linking to in my signature.

Just explaining so people don't wonder what the hell I'm doing. ;)
 
The Honourable William Melda (born 25 October 1784) is a Pulian politician who was the first Deputy Prime Minister of Pulias and President of the Pulias People's Party from 1822 to 1832. He served as Senator for Haven of Peace from 1822 until 1843. He served as Minister of Culture from 1822 to 1833, and as Minister of Science from 1833 to 1843.

He is currently fifty-eight years old and lives between his home electorate Haven of Peace and the national capital of Pulias City when Senate is in session.

Born in 1784 to George and Elizabeth Melda before the Fall in the kingdom that would later become Pulias, by 1800 and age sixteen he and his family had moved to the urban centre of Pulias, which would later become the capital of the modern nation of Pulias.

In 1806, aged twenty-two years he married Anne Pitt. They had a son, Charles, in 1807.

In 1812, the Melda family moved from Pulias City to Haven of Peace where Mister Melda worked as a historian at the local museum until 1822.

After the general election in 1812, aged twenty-eight years Mister Melda became a member of the Pulias People's Party.



At age thirty-seven he ran for election to the Pulian Senate in Haven of Peace in 1822, and leadership was unexpectedly thrust upon him quite suddenly when his party leader the Honourable Silverman withdrew from the contest and retired from politics. With the timely return of the Honourable Gustavus Gurra — founder of the Pulias People's Party and former Prime Minister — the two worked together to successfully double the party's representation in the Third Senate.

As Senator for Haven of Peace, Senator the Honourable William Melda served in the Second Heerlo Ministry as Minister of Culture and as the first Deputy Prime Minister of Pulias. In these roles he oversaw the successful implementation of modern Pulias's secular and socialist state, and drafted a great deal of highly significant legislation which he successfully shepherded through the Senate, including the Senate Voting Act 1822, the Casual Vacancy Act 1822, the War Powers Act 1822, the Constitutional Amendment Act 1822 and the Pulias City Naming Act 1822.

While it would be expected that the Act he was most proud of passing into law as a pacifist would be the War Powers Act, or as a constitutionalist the Constitutional Amendment Act, he admitted privately that it was actually the Senate Voting Act of which he was the most proud because it established proper senatorial processes to assist with the day to day running of the Senate while ensuring the constructive involvement of the Opposition and crossbench Senators.

When the Prime Minister, Senator the Honourable Heerlo decided to lead the Anti-Luddite Task Force in 1822 he appointed Senator the Honourable William Melda to serve as Acting Prime Minister in his stead. He took to this role with great enthusiasm.



With the dissolution of the Third Senate in 1832, the Honourable William Melda resigned as President of the Pulias People's Party, citing his guilt at having allowed fear to guide him into supporting the Anti-Luddite Task Force, which was at that time rumoured to have killed innocents. These claims of wanton bloodshed were never truly proven nor disproved one way or the other, but the Pulian military had been responsible for rendering homeless many innocent Luddites who had previously dwelt in the encampment razed. Another factor to his resignation not well publicised was that the deaths of his longtime Senate colleagues the Honourable Gustavus Gurra and the Honourable Augustus Absoluti had shaken him deeply and led him to greater introspection in his life. Now aged forty-eight years, he was starting to feel old and began to properly realise and appreciate the fragility of life.

The Honourable William Melda supported the nomination and election of new faces to the Pulias People's Party leadership team and gave advice to party president Aurora Gurra and party secretary Percy Huggins, largely by taking on the role of an elder statesman in the 1832 election campaign. In the ensuing general election he was returned to the Fourth Senate as Senator for Haven of Peace for his second term.

In 1833 the newly elected Prime Minister, Senator the Honourable Aurora Gurra appointed Senator the Honourable William Melda as Minister of Science and Culture in the Second Gurra Ministry. He served in this ministry well at first, with the Government formally adopting a Pulian flag, entrenching fundamental rights and freedoms in the Constitution of Pulias as well as altering the Constitution to allow the Government of Pulias to be more accountable to the Senate by bringing the confidence threshold in line with Europan standards.

However in February he became embroiled in the Anthem Affair, a scandal in which he proposed to Cabinet that they consider his own son Charles's composition Pulias, Rise Like a Phoenix for adoption as the national anthem. This action wasn't taken, but information made its way to the press and he was savaged by the Godwin Herald for abusing his ministerial authority. The pressure built until the Emperor himself expressed his displeasure and dissatisfaction with Senator Melda's behaviour, at which point he resigned as Minister of Culture. For the next decade he continued to serve as Minister of Science in the Gurra Government.



In 1839 his son Charles married and in the years since he has been blessed with three granddaughters.
 
Charles Melda (born 13 March 1807) is a Pulian composer.

He is currently thirty-six years old and lives in Haven of Peace.

Born in Pulias City in 1807 to William and Anne Melda, he moved with his parents to Haven of Peace in 1812 when he was five years old.

Demonstrating musical aptitude at an early age, his parents supported his pursuit of this endeavour despite his father's preference for him to take on a career as a fellow academic. In 1822 aged fifteen his life was forever changed when his father was successfully elected as President of the Pulias People's Party, then Senator for Haven of Peace and not long after became Minister of Culture in the Second Heerlo Ministry as well as the first Deputy Prime Minister of Pulias. From this point onward he saw much less of his father, who spent much of his time in the capital of Pulias City during the sitting of the Senate. This sudden absence of his father from his life in his teenage years would later shape much of his artistic output as an adult.



In 1832 at twenty-five years of age Mister Melda started publishing works publicly as a composer and quickly received national exposure through positive reviews by Isaiah Meriwether in the Godwin Herald. Whether his works would have received the attention they did had his father not been in public office was a sore point for the young composer, who was not yet confident and mature in his personal constitution and musical abilities.

Mister Melda proudly supported his father in the 1832 general election where cast his first vote: it was for his father who successfully won re-election as Senator for Haven of Peace. In February 1833 he was embroiled in a political scandal of his father's making when it was revealed in the Godwin Herald that Senator Melda had proposed Charles's composition, Pulias, Rise Like a Phoenix be considered for use as the national anthem. Despite having done nothing wrong Charles was suddenly in the midst of a major political scandal that even the Emperor commented on. While his father resigned from the cultural ministry in disgrace, Charles felt unfairly targeted and blamed by the media and in response used the emotion he felt to pen Night of the Roaming Dead, the première of which led to civil disturbance in Haven of Peace. With the release of the critically acclaimed The Travellers: the Steam Engine shortly thereafter, it seemed as though the Anthem Affair would only taint the reputation of his father, and not he. During the next decade he continued producing works and maturing as a composer.



In 1839 Charles married Mary Ponsonby. In 1840 they celebrated the arrival of their first daughter Louisa. In 1841 they had a second daughter Elizabeth and in 1842 they received their third daughter Caroline.



There are rumours the couple are expecting again, but the family is refusing to comment on the matter.
 
Patriotic News

Daily Patriotic Newspaper​

Published by Alexander Mac Arthur, Spokesman of the Nationalist Democratic Party

Interview with Donald Tusk - By Billy Blackwood, Reporter of PN
Spoiler :
B: Hello Mr. Tusk. I want to thank you for accepting our proposal to interview you.

D: I should be the one thanking you for calling me here.

B: My first question has to do with the refounding of the Party. What is your opinion on that?

D: Look, let's be clear, it was not much of a refounding. I would describe it as a better presentation of our proposals. If you look at our policies, our core beliefs remain the same. We are a democratic and patriotic party, not an authoritarian or extremist one, as the rich oligarchs presented us.

B: Could you expand on this?

D: Of course. The establishment presented our proposals in a negative light by linking us to extremists and a lot of propaganda was used to frame and silence Mr. Christos. When we take power, we shall make sure that the establishment of the rich businessmen controlling the newspapers and influencing the public opinion depending on their interests will be demolished and that free and objective information will be the norm in Pulias. We warn them that we shall not allow business interests to use certain newspapers to launch propaganda wars and frame political forces in order to ensure the election of those politicians who serve their interests. We will not be bribed by anyone. Instead, we shall have the law enforcers to investigate and put into prison those who control the newspaper establishment and the politicians who support those rich oligarchs controlling the newspapers. We especially look at the Godwin Herald, which launched an unprecedented attack against us. They call Mr. Christos to interview him and they forged crucial parts of the interview in order to give an excuse to the socialists to either jail him or discredit him. I will not talk about the staged murder of their reporter, which "accidentally" happened just after the revealing that the interview was forged and just when the Nationalists where gaining support. The staged attack has been a success, I have to say, as it angered many people who had no reason to hate us. But they will not succeed! When we take power, we shall send the law enforces to investigate the case and if it is true that the murder was staged, then not only that newspaper will get closed but we shall also put into jail those politicians who helped stage the murder. You can be sure that if the murderer was a member of our Party, we would have condemned him from the first moment. But I can assure that no one from our Party would be foolish enough to do something like this. Even children can understand that the attack was staged. So, we shall demolish the media establishment. The rich oligarchs and the bribed politicians should be afraid, they should tremble, for we shall not allow them to escape from justice! I can assure you of that. The days when the rich oligarchs established a dictatorship in information will soon be over. The press will be once again free and objective. It will criticize harsh the government, and even us personally, but it will not launch propaganda wars nor will it be linked to business and political interests.

B: I see. Mr. Tusk, your position in the party is that of the Party Economist. Can you explain us the economic program of ND?

D: Our economic program follows the doctrine of Social Liberalism. Privatization of a large part of state owned companies, keeping under state control vital industries and having state investment prop up economy. There is a need to allow honest businessmen to open new and profitable businesses, which shall also bring new jobs. This cannot happen when the state controls the economy and "kills" any investment attempt by the private sector. Of course, some vital industries, like healthcare, should remain under government control. But other less profitable industries should be privatized. The state should also help businessmen through investment into the economy. We shall also turn the deficit into a primary surplus.

B: Very well. Thank you for giving me this interesting interview.

D: I thank you too.

 
Today's edition of the Godwin Herald also contained the following article:

Letter From the Editor
by Charles Pilkington

It here follows:

Spoiler :
The following may be considered to be an open letter to the Dawn Coalition as well as a general notice for our regular readers.

I am writing to communicate to the readership that this paper will be taking a new editorial direction. We here in the Herald have always prided ourselves on our ability to provide the latest news and analysis in a non-partisan way without bias or agenda. But that certain elements within our society have proven themselves to be credible threats to our democracy, to freedom of the press and to the peace we are forced to take actions to protect ourselves from further molestation and to not give such threats a platform to broadcast their toxic views. If they feel this impinges upon their freedom of speech, then they are welcome to continue publishing in their propaganda sheets, which I'll note they've needed no encouragement to do with gusto thus far. The craven lies published by these shamelessly one-eyed propagandists are quite remarkable, and it is true that they are a stain upon the profession of journalism in Pulias. But they may continue to use those options to spread their propaganda, and in this way their freedom of speech is not impinged in any way. I am of course referring obliquely to the fascist movement, which has now cloaked itself with the thin veneer of respectability in the Nationalist Democratic Party and by borrowing heavily on the established respectability of the hitherto-respected Pulian Imperial Party. Some would say borrowing to the point of bankruptcy.

Is it unfortunate, but while the forces that so wantonly disrupted the social fabric of our nation and killed our staff member run rampant and unapologetic, and having never faced up to the gravity of their crimes, we cannot in good conscience have any association with any coalition in which those elements remain active within. Therefore until our concerns that the fascist movement has not reformed in any way beyond superficial trappings are duly addressed, the Godwin Herald will not be conducting any interviews with anyone associated with the Dawn Coalition. I am the first to admit that this is a great shame because there are persons in the Coalition who we in the paper do personally admire and respect but who we cannot associate with while they countenance the participation of such undesirable elements within their political structure.

Despite the shrill and deceitful claims by certain quarters which I am sure will intensify after this decision is publicised, we do this not out of any desire to aid the other parties, be they independent, socialist, radical, traditionalist, pacifist, warlike or other, for we are not formally or informally affiliated with them, but because we are defenders of democracy and freedom of the press, the likes of which are directly threatened by the presence of these violent and virulent elements within the Dawn Coalition who spread lies to undermine the faith in our democratic institutions and who bully, intimidate and kill in order to quell negative coverage by the press. Remember Godwin: his death is the proof beyond doubt that these people are not to be underestimated. That they had the gall to accuse others of committing their own crime just demonstrates the kind of monsters we are dealing with.

However we are not unreasonable, and would like to treat the members of the Dawn Coalition with the same respect and professional courtesy that we have always previously provided all parties, regardless of where they sat on the political spectrum. We would afford the Dawn Coalition an opportunity to address our concerns and prove to the nation that the well and truly documented and established threat of the fascists has been neutralised or otherwise dealt with accordingly. If these conditions are satisfied it would convince us that the Dawn Coalition is a political grouping that believes in the rule of law and is therefore worthy of our respect and professional courtesy.

We therefore request from the Dawn Coalition consideration of the following conditions:

  • The repudiation of the violent actions undertaken by fascists, including the murder of our colleague Harland Godwin
  • The withdrawal of slanderous accusations that this paper is a front for socialists
  • The withdrawal of slanderous accusations that this paper is financed by the Eruch Confederation
  • The repudiation of public calls for violence or public disorder
  • The production of those responsible for violence, including those who murdered Mister Godwin, to the authorities to be dealt with according to the rule of law
  • An apology from Christos von Bismarck for the slanderous lies he and his ilk spread about our paper
  • An apology from Mister von Bismarck for his responsibility in inciting the violence that led to our colleague's death
  • The production of a statement from Mister von Bismarck repudiating the use of force and violence to achieve political outcomes
  • The production of a statement from Mister von Bismarck retracting the lies he told about his interview with Mister Godwin, confirming that the interview was an authentic facsimile of events

If all of these conditions are satisfied we will be willing to consider that the Dawn Coalition is not a fifth column designed to undermine Pulian society, democracy and freedom of the press.

It is worth noting here to any representatives of the Dawn Coalition who may be reading this that compliance our requests will not automatically guarantee favourable coverage, because this is not extortion and we do not work that way: we deal with facts and the truth. Compliance with our requests will ensure we have the confidence in your movement's constitutional makeup and will allow us to treat you just like every other party or movement within Pulias, instead of feeling like we need to treat you as a special case, the status of which was ultimately was brought upon yourselves by accepting anti-social and murderous elements into your midst.

I hope that we can work together in the future, but in order to ensure the safety of our staff we will not be engaging with your coalition in any way until we can be confident that it will be safe to do so.
 
((Wont be able reply to all of these demands as its pretty late put I will try my hand at a few.))
 
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