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Issue X
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Top Story: Nations Gather to Discuss Free Trade in Historic Summit

The Federated States of Omega, mostly known for its staunchly neutral stance, has only been involved in global political affairs for a few months, but already it is making a name for itself as a regional business and trade hub and a place for international diplomacy.  The FSoO allowed foreign companies to begin trading on the Pecuniam Stock Exchange back in August, a move which immediately placed them in a position of power and influence over at least a portion of the region’s trade patterns.  It was the announcement of the South Pacific Summit on Free Trade (TSP-SOFT), however, that has really revealed the FSoO’s ambitions in this area.

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A top-down view of the Cabinet Room, part of the Elector Primo’s office campus in Imperium, where the summit is being held.

Commencing on September 1st and still ongoing at the time of writing, TSP-SOFT has proven to be a meeting of minds and cultures, with a broad range of trade and economic solutions proposed, debated and, in some cases, dismissed out of hand, whilst the Elector Primo of the Federated States serves as chair.  What started out as a simply exploration of the idea of a free trade zone created amongst willing member states has rapidly escalated into discussions of workers rights, child labour, monetary union and even freedom of movement.  Whilst it is likely that a more modest settlement will be reached by the end of the negotiations, the FSoO is positioning itself as a neutral hub for what could turn out to be a great wheel of international integration.

This will come as good news to some, like Chancellor Margaret Harrison of the the United Kingdom of Qvait and Winston island, who has been campaigning for increased integration between nations for some time now.  Similarly the delegation from the Democratic Republic of Erinor, led by their Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirea Fasya-Arkhando, has spoken in favour of international integration, albeit one which allows maximum autonomy and continuity of national identity for member states and their own subsidiary states.

In contrast to these demonstrations of unity, the Imperial Union of Kyrini, Irykia, the Siculite Islands, Valivory and the Ryccian Republics has spoken out against the ideas of monetary union and freedom of movement, in contrast to the delegation from the Ryccian Federation, which has shown itself to be broadly in favour, suggesting increasing distance between to the two oft-entangled states.

Perhaps the most forceful voice in the negotiations, however, has been that of President Revan Kensei of the Empire of the Imperial Federation of Frost, who has called the Imperial Union’s arguments ‘protectionist rhetoric’ and who has stuck firmly to a single currency agenda against all other options.

The negotiations will continue until an agreement is met, or participating nations agree to dissolve the summit, so there will, most likely, be many further developments to come.  Meanwhile, nations across the South Pacific watch on with interest and the Federated States of Omega cements itself as a force for economic change and diplomacy in the region.

New PFD in Resentine Parliament, aiming for pressure on Erinor

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PM Gidenhiemer in a recording for a PSA about the National Healthcare Network.

Theron, Resentine - With the most recent failure of Erinor’s National Healthcare bill in the nation’s upper house, several Resentinian Parliament Representatives have begun ramping up support for a Parliament Foreign Declaration to put pressure on Erinor and other nations to pass National Healthcare laws. In the early 2000’s rise of Prime Minister Gidenhiemer and the Progressive movement, a National Healthcare system was a staple idea for the movement overall, becoming a widely adopted idea amongst the populace when Gidenhiemer was elected into office in 2004, until finally becoming law in 2006.

Though the NHN was controversial when the concept was first brought up by grassroots progressive organizations, it very quickly brought millions of previously uninsured Resentinians into the healthcare system, providing them with a cheap and affordable public option. The NHN has proven to be an extremely successful program, with the Liberal Democrats putting it as one of the high priorities for funding in their campaign to remove the Zaganas Income Tax Cap law. Many Liberal Democrats have seen the NHN as an example for the world to follow in regards to public healthcare, despite claims from both the Libertarian Coalition and Private Insurance care groups that it has limited the insurance industry from competing for customers.

Despite the success of the NHN domestically, however, many politicians, most notably members of the Federalist Republicans, have cautioned pushing for other nations to pass similar legislation abroad. “What do we say if public systems do not work out as well in those nations as they have here?” said Representative Markus Ivanauskas(FR-Renis), “If we take a risk like that, we have to make sure that we are ready to put our full effort
behind a campaign for it, and I just don’t think Resentine is ready for that yet, given our system is still being experimented on.”

Many Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, argue that public healthcare is very quickly becoming a basic human right across Pacifica. “If we are not the first to say so, then who?,” asked  Representative Andrius Gylys(LD-Barden) at a press conference this morning. “Sure, our system is under constant reform, but, we have clearly proven that it does function, and function well. We should not miss a chance to take a leading role in such a massive international dialogue because a few of us are skeptical of our own system. Playing the caution card in regards to a system that can save so many lives is morally wrong”.

Despite the clear divide, a PFD arguing for Public Healthcare is expected to be created and on the floor of Resentinian Parliament sometime next week. Though not a particularly riling subject among Resentinian Citizens, recent polling done by IBC World News states that 67 percent of Resentinians polled will be following the floor debates, while a total of 71 percent stated that they were interested in the outcomes of the Parliament vote on the topic.

Erinoran Government to Call ‘Snap Referendum’ on the Future of the Upper House

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Ura'sia Yena Yamera-Hyudo before the press conference.

Ura’sia Yena Yamera-Hyudo caused surprise at a press conference today by announcing that the government will hold a ‘snap referendum’ on the fate of the Khasa Marcoral Arutyarcad, the unelected upper house of Erinor’s parliament.  The Ura’sia made the announcement during a question and answer session in response to one reporter who had queried whether there would be ramifications for the KhMA after their recent veto of the government’s private health service nationalisation bill - the first in a series designed to give Erinor a fully functional National Health Service.

In response, Ms. Yamera-Hyudo replied that “there will almost certainly be consequences to the upper house’s  decision to remain as an unelected roadblock to democracy” but that the best way to move forward on any constitutional changes was to put it to the people themselves.

“Does that mean there’ll be a referendum?” the reporter asked, to which the Ura’sia replied with utter calm, “Yes, and very soon.”

She further elaborated that the Government had not yet set a day and was working with the electoral commission to ensure that all the necessary paperwork was filed and that a leaflet could be produced for voters to fully understand the options laid out before them, but that “a snap referendum” would be held “as soon as is reasonably possible.”

The issue of what to do with the Khasa Marcoral Arutyarcad has been around almost as long as the Democratic Republic, with the early, post-revolution governments often struggling with what they saw as an unwelcome remnant of the old regime.  Later governments often managed to work a compromise with the upper house, and positions on the benches were secured for many who were in favour of the current government, only to be outnumbered by opponents sometime after the next election.

But the ruling Roalwim Tavalad party have stated their opposition to the idea of an unelected chamber since their founding in the 70s, so it is perhaps less surprising that they have decided to call this referendum now, indeed some have suggested that the private health service nationalisation bill was designed to rouse the KhMA to anger so that the government could proceed with just such an action.

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The Khasa Marcoral Arutyarcad in session on a quiet day.

No details have yet been revealed about what might appear on the ballot papers as the referendum has not yet been formally called, but we can expect to see everything from the total abolition of the upper house, favoured by many in RT to the less extreme option of having an upper house elected, possibly by proportional representation as had been proposed by the current Asa’sio Jurniro Lama-Cyerwaro when he was heading up a policy think tank for RT in the late 2000s.

Whatever is on the papers, one thing is for sure.  This will be a test of Erinor’s willingness to let Roalwim Tavalad reshape the government in it’s own image and it will be interesting to see if the older generations and particularly the wealthy will vote for greater democracy, of will continue to allow themselves to be ruled by a largely conservative elite.



OOO
CC

(The Official Out of Character Column)

Non-Canon Events Threaten Continuity
Community Quakes in Seasonally Appropriate Terror

Ping!

Ping!

Ping!

Do you hear that?  That is the sound of October approaching the port bow like a creaking Russian submarine full of zombies, led by an undead Sean Connery.  And that is the sound of a simile reaching breaking point, snapping and firing hot shards of unfeasable comparison right into your eyes.  Scared yet?  You should be!

Because October is coming and with it, the first ever TSP RP Non-Canon Events competition, in which nations compete by submitting non-canon events to the official non-canon events thread and pursue their totally non-canonical storyline throughout the whole of October, with the winner to be decided by a poll at the end of the month?  Excited yet? You should be!

Because this is the opportunity some of you, at least, will have been waiting for: a chance to wreck your cities with invading kaiju, to have your government kidnapped by aliens, to destabilise your economy through the means of a stupidly-timed referendum… no, wait![/i]

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Could this utterly fake event be happening (entirely non-canonically) in your nation soon?

The Non-Canon Events competition will begin on October 1st and run right through until Halloween.  It’s only a few weeks away, so start thinking about the crazy, scary, funny story you want to tell and let the excitement build!




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