Post by Aaron Reynolds-Bauheim on Sept 1, 2022 14:38:03 GMT
31 August 2022
Preface to the August 2022 Royal Messenger Good morning/afternoon/evening, I would first like to thank you for taking the time to read this month's Royal Messenger. As we come to the end of the summer months and into autumn, I am speaking to you with the hope that this is the beginning of a new era of foreign policy within NSUK, one moving away from words and semantics but rather progress and development. In the past, NSUK has been seen by many, both at home and abroad, as isolationist, but recent governments have been able to work to change this image as we came together and forged new relationships with allies abroad, most notably the new treaties with Caer Sidi and The Kodiak Republic. This hasn’t been without issue though. Many people would point to our very public issues with The Land of Kings and Emperors, Europeia, and Balder. We, as a region, know that mistakes were made on our behalf in the handling of the situation. While this unfortunately led to the repeal of treaties with some of our longest allies, we don’t want this to be what defines our foreign policy. We want to push forward and develop our place on the world stage and build strong and lasting relationships with regions throughout Nationstates. So this is our message to you, the readers from regions around NS. We want to be more proactive and foster new relationships with regions throughout the game and want to work with you to benefit the community that we are all a part of. So work with us, reach out to our ambassadors in your region or the NSUK Government if you are interested in pursuing new relationships with us, and we will work with you to make that happen. We want to create new friendships and grow the community that we all call home, so if you share our desire for growth and development, please reach out. I hope that you enjoy reading this month’s Royal Messenger and see some of the things we have been getting up to recently. Yours Faithfully, Owen Stewart Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom PM Alexander Resigns  Just 33 days after stepping into 10 Downing Street for the second time as Prime Minister, The Right Honourable John Alexander, Viscount of Stirling announced on July 16th that he intends to step down as Head of Government. The region received the news with shock after having a fairly stable term so far. The outgoing PM explained that the reason behind his resignation was growing real-life responsibilities. Her Majesty Queen Constance II, His Grace The Right Honourable Akillian Talleyrand, Duke of Rothesay & Edinburgh and The Right Honourable Jay Dee Bonaparte, Earl of Nelson have all thanked him for his hard work and dedication of "steadying the ship" after a time of quickly changing leaders. The then Acting Prime Minister, The Right Honourable David G. Allum said in his statement: "He stood up and took charge at a very difficult point in the regions history. Putting together a solid cabinet of experience, mixed with new, fresh faces stepping up for their first job at the top level of Government. He steadied the ship after a turbulent and divisive couple of months and brought calm and civil leadership to the region. ... (Leading) a Government that has quietly and calmly, got the job done. All while sacrificing every spare moment he had and no doubt a lot of sleep he could have had." July General Election: Mikaelson vs Allum for PM So now we had to choose the successor to John Alexander. Two contenders emerged: one was Klaus Mikaelson from Sinn Fein, the other was the independent candidate David G. Allum. Both candidates came from the Government, Mikaelson was Foreign Secretary at the time, while Allum served as Acting Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mikaelson campaigned to be "the stable leader". He promised to revitalise the BBC, to "get people engaged and interested in the economy", more collaborations with allies. He also set out in his campaign to continue the recruitment programs and to take a more independent position in foreign policy. Meanwhile, Allum also said that he wants to "try and offer some consistency". He had to address criticism about his last term as Prime Minister, when he resigned from office after 27 days, which he stated was "one of the biggest regrets not only of my NS career, but my life". He planned to start weekly meetings between the Home Secretary and Heads of Local Governments, open towards more regions in NS, start more events on forum and Discord and to create a 'real-life thread', bring back the Forum Shop with businesses to sell their products with, and to listen to feedback. So, on the 23rd of July, the region decided. It felt like a close match, but finally, with 59.38% of the votes, David G. Allum came out on top in the race for 10 Downing Street, while Klaus Mikaelson got 40.63%. The Parliament election was exciting as well, with some of the elected MPs getting their first-ever call to the House of Commons. Queen Constance II Officially Coronated  Before the elections, we had one of the most important and sacred ceremonies of our region: the Coronation of our new Sovereign. Queen Constance II (formerly known as Silver Steps) stepped into Westminster Abbey on the 20th of July to take the final official step in taking the throne after his father, the late King James V & X abdicated and left the region in early June. She got anointed, took all the symbols of power and finally the St Edward's Crown was placed on her head by the Archbishop of Canterbury, signifying to every citizen that she is the rightful monarch. In her Coronation Address, Her Majesty stated that while she was not meant to take over the monarchy as she was to step down as Princess of Wales two days later in favour of her brother Angus, this new role has "grown on her". Her Majesty has also expressed her high hopes of the region, stating: "I hope to see our region continue to prosper and grow in the coming months." Cabinet Reshuffle  Prime Minister David G. Allum announced on the 18th August, as part of his usual Friday public briefing that he intends to conduct a full reshuffle of HM Government. He stated in 10 Downing Street: "I am keen to refresh the Government, inject new eyes and new ways of thinking into departments and also give some of our less experienced members the opportunity to get experience in other Departments and under other Secretaries of State." The reshuffle was expected to start in a week's time, but recent events required it to happen sooner. So, on the 22nd August, PM Allum called every Secretary and Minister to discuss their future paths. Here is the full list of the current composition of Her Majesty's Government: Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: The Right Honourable, The Lord Owen Stewart of Wollaton KBE Chancellor of the Exchequer: The Honourable, Ulrich Bauheim MBE Secretary of State for the Home Department: The Honourable, Vibhor Mikaelson MP Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: The Honourable, Christoph Sebastian MBE MP Secretary of State for Culture: The Right Honourable, Sir Aaron Reynolds-Bauheim OBE MP Secretary of State for Gameside Affairs: The Honourable, Ian Smith Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Jonathan "Jon" Hughes Minister of State for the Home Department: Sirch Somerset Minister of State for Foreign Affairs: Sir Longdendale Bauheim OM Minister of State for Culture, Media and Sport: Chicão Minister of State for NationStates: Max Madison Attorney General of the United Kingdom: Reuben Wright Referendum  A referendum has been held in the United Kingdom on the 20th August 2022 regarding the future of its armed forces. The referendum was put to the citizens of the Region on whether to keep or abolish the armed forces (UKAF). The poll result was conclusive with 62.5% of the responding citizens voting in favour of keeping the armed forces. The Prime Minister, David G. Allum later made a statement stating that the referendum was needed, and that the government will do everything it can to facilitate the results, urging citizens to offer support to the armed forces. Busy Parliamentary Session  Meanwhile, the Palace of Westminster was buzzing with MPs and Lords having a very active parliamentary session. The lower house of Parliament had a long list of confirmation and re-confirmation debates on the Order Paper. In particular, The House of Commons had a rather lengthy confirmation process over who should take the baton from Victor "Vig" Somerset as Director-General of the BBC. The first nominee failed to get the MPs' endorsement after an extraordinarily long 1 week debate. Chicão pitched his goals of multiple genre-centric radio stations, sport coverage and weekly political debates. However, after his activity and economic policies were questioned, he was not able to win the MPs' confidence in him. The Prime Minister then nominated Klaus Mikaelson to the job. The Marquess of Belfast offered a straight-forward plan of how he would revive the BBC, "all with the focus of making the BBC entertaining and enjoyable". He got questioned about his impartiality, but assured the Members of Parliament that he will keep it "an impartial and fair news source". In the end, he managed to get approved by a unanimous vote. There's still a long way ahead as the region voted to keep the UKAF alive and needs a Chief of the General Staff to lead it: the confirmation debate of John-Laurens Wessex is currently underway. The Prime Minister then nominated Klaus Mikaelson to the job. The Marquess of Belfast offered a straight-forward plan of how he would revive the BBC, "all with the focus of making the BBC entertaining and enjoyable". He got questioned about his impartiality, but assured the Members of Parliament that he will keep it "an impartial and fair news source". In the end, he managed to get approved by a unanimous vote. There's still a long way ahead as the region voted to keep the UKAF alive and needs a Chief of the General Staff to lead it: the confirmation debate of John-Laurens Wessex is currently underway. BBC Publishes Mid-Term Poll  The BBC has published the results of its traditional mid-term poll, which is set out to measure the public's opinion about the Government, the two Houses of Parliament and their placement on the political landscape. After 48 hours of polling, 22 people have sent in their answers. The general outcome of the results seem to turn in the the favour of the current Prime Minister, David G. Allum. He got an average score of 8 out of a potential 10. Also, to a question asking about whether or not PM Allum should seek re-election, an outstanding 63.6% of the persons asked said 'yes'. Although there were no questions about the performance of the individual Govt Offices, when participants were asked if the region is heading to the right direction, also 63.6% answered with 'yes', so that could be reassuring to the current Cabinet. On top of that, citizens were polled on their opinion about the Houses of Parliament. The House of Lords got an average 5.6 out of 10, which could be explained by their recent inactivity. The House of Commons didn't get much more points with a 5.8 score average. In conclusion, there is much more to do in this term, and we can't wait to see what exciting mission will Parliament take on. Also the Government cannot sit on their laurels, they have to crack on with implementing the rest of their agenda, and prove to be a success if they want to have a chance at the next General Election. Shiver Me Timbers….. Clash Of Pirates Underway  The Clash of Pirates organised by the Culture Office is currently underway with 3 teams competing for points across the forums in order to rule the seas. With avatar contests and quizzes, there is fun to be had by all in the Summer Festival. Avast ye landlubbers! Currently Queen of The Seas is leading with 218 1/2 points with The Royal Fortune second with 170 points and The Inferno last with 52 1/2. A pirate quiz was held on Saturday with Vibhor Mikaelson taking 1st place and 30 points for The Inferno. With the sun over the yard arm, everyone is enjoying a tot of rum as we enter into the final week of competition with everything still to play for. Can The Inferno find some pieces of eight and catch the others up? Second Season of UKFL Ended  Also recently, the United Kingdom Football League's second stint has just concluded, where Angels have come out on top with a record-high 67 points. With big fights for the second place right at the last moments, everyone was excited to see who will be the runner-up. With a win on the last match, Carlsbridge Crowns managed to grab those shiny silver medals, standing at 61 points. The top 8 teams will continue on to the post-season, where they will fight for the King Edward X Orange Cup. Thank you for reading! |
