Post by John Spencer-Talleyrand on Nov 22, 2020 20:42:21 GMT
Balder Bugle Issue X
A publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Realm of Balder.
A New Term Begins
Statsminister and Talman Elections
The nomination process for the November Statsminister election saw both houses of the Storting separately resolve to nominate John S. Talleyrand for the position of Statsminister. He was subsequently appointed to the position by King North East Somerset.
The elections for Talman (Speaker of the Odelsting) also took place in November, with veteran member Theoden Sebastian putting himself forward for re-election. Theoden gained re-election with the unanimous support of those that voted.
State Opening of Parliament
With the Statsminister election concluded, King North East Somerset formally opened parliament. Speaking of John's service as Culture Minister in the previous term, the King noted he was "somewhat a rising star of Balder during this period" the King went on to say "With his experience serving in Cabinet here, and also in high offices abroad, I have confidence in his ability."
Looking back at the previous term, the King noted a number of successes, stating:
I was pleased to see a positive contribution from Balder to the CRAB initiative on N-Day, alongside our allies in The West Pacific, NPO and UK. We collectively outperformed expectations there, surviving to the very end despite our much smaller critical mass compared to the major alliances. The launch of the new roleplay map, the Nordic Atlas, I hope will garner some interest going forwards. The remodelled Viking Art Rewards scheme appears to have enjoyed more success than the original initiative thanks to the efforts of the Crown Prince, and may be a factor in our relative improvement in endorsement rates over the past month, which has put me firmly back into the top 10 WA Delegates by endorsements. In the World Assembly we have once more proven influential, and a highlight from the term was the successful defeat of a condemnation resolution concerning our allies, the LKE. The Civil Service Act I hope will prove to provide structure for the crucial development of future Ministers. Jomsviking deployments have occured in Calefacta Aquas Piscinae, Uniao da Cracolandia and South Pacific. I look forwards to putting out a Foreign Update to our friends and allies in the near future.
Statsminister's Speech and Composition of the Statsraadet
Once appointed, John took the time to set out his plans for the term stating "A key focus of this term will be the engagement and retention of new members. Increasing our presence across all platforms used by Balder is a top priority of this government." Hopeful that the recently-passed Civil Service Act (2020) would help get new members involved, John encouraged all ministers to utilise the framework the act provides for to its fullest extend in order to increase activity and new member involvement.
John also announced his cabinet, made up of the following ministers:
Deputy Statsminister & Minister of Foreign Affairs: Fuzzy
Minister for the Cabinet Office & Minister for Engagement: Vamperiall
Minister of War: Marnie
Minister of Culture: California but Worse
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Blowing Trees
University Opening, A New Judiciary, and the Civil Service Act (2020)
With the University of Balder Act passed, King North East Somerset appointed Linkin Maximus as Chancellor of the University. Linkin quickly got on with the work of establishing the university, appointing staff - including John S. Talleyrand as Vice Chancellor - and setting up the various wings and departments. This includes the Balder School of Law, and the Somerset Museum of Balder
With the passing of the the Justice for the Realm Act (2020), Balder now has a permanent judiciary. King North East Somerset put forward his preferred nominations, who were all appointed following confirmation votes in the Lagting. Balder's judiciary consists of the following:
Chief Justice OnderKelkia
Associate Justice Fuzzy
Associate Justice Linkin Maximus
With the passage of the Civil Service Act (2020), a new structure for government ministries has been brought in. Ministers can now appoint Deputy, Auxiliary and Assistant Ministers to assist them with the running of their departments. The first to make use of this new power was John S. Talleyrand, in his previous position as Culture Minister, who quickly made a number of appointments to assist in the setting up of Balder's new roleplay.
Balder's RP Reimagined
The government has spearheaded an effort to develop Balder's roleplay scene. This term has seen the establishment of the governing rules of the RP, via the "Runic Accords", and the creation of a map.
On the map front, the Statsminister is very pleased to unveil the "Atlas of the Nordics", the official map of the region. This ambitious project couldn't have been as successful as it has without Bran Astor's tremendous help. Balder is lucky to have such gracious allies.
On the governance front, after public consultation, RPers will control a Nordic country during the Late Modern period (1800-1914). The main governing body of the world shall be the "Norsemen Council", an intergovernmental organisation responsible for resolving disputes and serving as the guardian of the peace.
With a number of nations having already signed up, and with interest growing we look forward to seeing many more!
