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Official Portrait of President Palmer

Riviera. In stark contrast with the tense and security-heavy inauguration of Todd Wilcox, President Stuart Palmer wore a youthful smile that led both government officials and the general public to share in the festive mood. He left the Congress Hall early in the morning, greeting bystanders on his way to Kringalia Square to be sworn in. There, he shook hands with Mr Wilcox, who praised him in his farewell address as a man of the people and one who would exploit responsibly the period of peace that has followed the defeat of the infamous Kringalian Sovereign Army.

Mr Palmer is the first president from the Progressive Coalition since the ill-fated term of Jake Williams, and although his victory was razor thin, being decided by less than a hundred thousand votes, congressional races more comfortably went purple and Conservatives lost control of Congress after years in the majority.  This victory has reportedly encouraged the constituent parties of the Progressive Coalition to contest several races at the state level that were considered safely Conservative, in the upcoming state elections.

While answering questions to the press and the general public during his Executive Avenue Walk, President Palmer acknowledged that excesses had taken place while fighting the KSA and vowed to form a commission tasked with clarifying whether human rights had been abused by either the terrorists or the military. He also highlighted the problem with the voting system as currently implemented, and expressed an interest in working with the various state governments to implement ranked voting across the board, saying that such a system would be more democratic and representatives for voters.

Press Secretary Robert Klein said that President Palmer will take a short vacation to South Sea this weekend to replenish his energies after the presidential campaign, before embarking on a nationwide tour to interact with state government and citizens alike. He has invited former presidents Elizabeth Rodgers and Jake Williams, with whom he shares a strong friendship, to accompany him during selected portions of the tour. He is set to finish at the Dambert Governor Mansion, where he will be honoured with an official dinner by Governor Janet Stromwell, who succeeded him as Governor of Dambert upon his election to the presidency..

There are currently six parties in the Sedunnic parliament. For a foreign observer, they may not seem very different from each other if left/right wing alignment is your frame of reference. Most parties are centred around the middle on the economical scale, embracing both the idea of a welfare state and free market capitalism. What normally gets the debate going is foreign politics: what level of "extroversion" is acceptable (i.e. how much should Sedunn involve itself in international and global issues) and how trade should be handled. The Great War is the ultimate example of consequences from a high level of extroversion. Even though it ended over 60 years ago, it is still very much relevant in Sedunnic contemporary politics. Let's see why.

The year was 1955, and the Great War had finally ended. Sedunn being dragged in had been the culmination of over half a century of increasing friction and decaying relations between Sedunn and Karnetvor: Karnetvorian expansionism clashing with Sedunnic activism. The war against Tekarai, Karnetvor's ally, had in a sense been a continuation of the Sedunno-Ubesiian War in 1915-1916, which was an attempt by Ubesii/Tekarai to dominate the trade in the Plannsevvd Sea and remove the fierce Sedunnic competition. In brief, many blamed Sedunnic intermeddling morality and extroversion for it being attacked.

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Sedunnic infantry in Tasternine, July 1953.

The war had been costly in life and money. The war expenses did not disappear as the guns went silent. With the peace treaty, the Sedunnic military was tasked with occupying vast liberated lands formerly of in the possession of Karnetvor and maintaining thay occupation became increasingly unpopular among the Sedunners as the years went by. The time was soon right for a different agenda.

In the elections in 1960, the Bunaetled (the "Moderates") promised to pursue a normalisation of relations with Karnetvor, and a reduction of the military upkeep expenses. Replacing the so called War Coalition (a government consisting of all major parties) and forming a minority government with the Syemmaetled (the "Independentists"), the promise was kept, and a (delayed) treaty was signed in 1965. However, there was more money to save: Tekarai had had its navy destroyed by Sedunnic forces at the Second Battle Lutra Strait, and was defeated by an Ubesiian rebellion supported by Sedunn. With Sedunn's two worst enemies out, the Moderates, highly influenced by the Independentists, were certain of "eternal" peace, and greatly reduced the military's expeditionary capabilities. Together, the parties turned Sedunn's focus inwards, trying to keep out of international conflicts, wholly ignoring the increasing friction between the other two Great War victors and avoiding getting involved in the Resentinian Civil War.

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Signing of the Treaty of Normalisation of Relations.

Under different coalitions mostly led by the Moderates, Sedunn managed to stay out of the major international conflicts the following decades, but by doing so, it also distanced itself from global cooperation initiatives. Many felt that Sedunn should have intervened militarily on the Royalists' side in the Resentinian Civial War. A sensation of passiveness and frustration over the government's inaction started to develop as the new millennium neared. Sedunn needed to assume a more active role abroad again, many thought, and also ensure Sedunn did not just passively watch as the effects of globalisation altered the conditions of trade, industry, and manufacturing.

In the 2009 elections, a new coalition led by Vimmru Innienn (consisting of the Hafvanled - the "Traditionalists" and the Yllutrummled - the "Collectivists") could seize the crown. Vimmru II's "re-activation" policy, launched a few months after the elections aimed to abolish the much more cautious foreign policy focused on non-alignment and -involvement, and to revitalise the Sedunnic domestic industry that had started to lose ground against foreign competition over the last years. The most drastic action was to recognise Tasternine's independence from nationalist Karnetvor and its oppressive regime. By doing this, Sedunn immediately found itself on the brink of war. This time, however, there was no war, and the circle was complete. Sedunn was once again involved in the affairs of other nations. In the end, this new policy was considered a huge success: Sedunn had shown that is was ready to fight for its core values.

We are now back to the present. On the Sedunnic Democracy Day, next Sunday, it will be time for elections for the parliament, counties, and municipalities. Despite turbulent times, approval rates for the current government are high. Most likely, king Vimmru II will keep the crown for a second term, promising to continue with his "re-activation" policy.

If you haven't familiarised yourself with the major parties yet, we've compiled a brief list with the basics below.


Written by Seffi Tunneienn

With the end of the local elections, the Ultranationalist movement has firmly cemented itself as a part of the political system of the Frost Empire. The movement itself is largely divided between the Committee to Restore the Greater Frost Empire (CRGFE) and various far-right parties formed prior to, during, and after the police crackdown of the Anti-Foreign Riots where vehement Ultranationalists targeted foreigners who unwittingly continued to disrespect the customs of the Empire. The CRGFE led by Hojo Shishio has since risen to become the dominant party within the Ultranationalist movement, but several far-right parties have maintained their significance in the political system by increasing the fears of the people.

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Hojo Shishio addresses the Assembly.

Several ultranationalist parties lead by the Imperial Avalanche leader Gejou Gyaksha are currently engaged in a bitter dispute with the Imperial Union of Kyrini and Siculite over the legitimacy of the so-called “Emperor” of the Imperial Union after goading the Union into attempting to meddle in Frozen affairs and incensing the people against the Imperial Union and the Royalist Party. 

In other news, now that the local elections have ended the CRGFE has ramped up a political campaign against other Ultranationalists in an attempt to consolidate their hold on the movement in preparation for a hypothetical presidential campaign against the popular President Revan Kensei. President Kensei is a non-partisan politician (no political affiliation) who works closely with the Grand Imperial Federation party (GIF) led by Shizuka Oda, Current Chair of the Assembly, to increase the prosperity of the Frost Empire. The CRGFE failed to take a majority against the Royalist party as other ultranationalist parties siphoned off votes while the Royalists managed to partner with the GIFs to maintain their deteriorating lead.

Temple of Cate found! Rich with Glyphs, work for years!
by Pookie Nakanao, Big Tree Guardian

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The Temple of Cate, lying deep within the forests of the Borderland

Proof of the thought seems to be a controversial work by Dogon the elder, "The Rise and Fall of the House of Doge".  Although most of this play is unknown to the public, and for good I may say, we all know,

"The little Doge" makes one question a lot of things thought to be fact. With the new finds in mind, who is Cow? And what about Dish and Spoon?  Are they people migrating because of the stringent regime they lived under?

The fact that music was always supposed to be important in the Cult of Cate (compare caterwauling), the mentioning of "little Doge" and the fact that we sing many songs of auld lang syne, has already brought up a new branch of archeology: The comparative and interpretive singing of lost Songs.

Archaologists puzzled by what seems to be giant Doge statue inside Cate temple! Carvings at bottom lead to secret chamber!

The lately discovered temple was not plundered or burnt down, it was just forgotten in the vast jungles of Borderland.   We can only guess at the moment what relics are waiting there for us.

Jars are good for many a task.

In the far windswept area of Northwest Fairfax state archeologists have discovered a cave within which were found thousands of clay jars.   Packed inside the jars are scrolls of an ancient and unknown origin. Radiocarbon dating, thus far, has yielded no conclusive results. 
Translation efforts are now underway, but it will be a difficult and arduous process as they appear to be written in an ancient script.

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A pair of the jars discovered in Northwest Fairfax.

OOO
CC
(The Official Out of Character Column)

[size=large]Changes Coming as New Minister of Regional Affairs Seeks to Build Closer Ties with RP Community.[/size

Full Disclosure, this article has been written and edited by the new Minister of Regional Affairs… Seraph.

Okay, so there’s no way that you’re going to find a nice clear, unbiased and completely objective account of the upcoming changes to the currently cold relationship between the Ministry of Regional Affairs and the Treasure Island community, so let’s not bother looking for one.  Instead, let’s embrace the optimistic tone, the idealism, the lofty, if nigh-unreachable goals being set before us, and let’s just enjoy it for a while before we allow the bitter gin of cynicism to soak through once more (although I’d probably infuse it with something sweet anyway, like that really nice rhubarb and ginger gin we had around Christmas that just made the perfect companion to a little Dickens on TV and a mince pie… just saying).

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Seraph, AKA the Unstoppable HYPE Shark of Erinor, prepares to take office

As the new MoRA, and also as someone who feels passionately about TSP RP, I want to see our regional roleplay scene as vibrant and active as possible.  I want to see new players joining us and feeling like they can slot their nations and histories in with minimal challenge.  I want to make it easy for players to get along, follow the rules and I want there to be more outlets like our fantasy and sci-fi RPs for those who find the MT setting of our main canon a little too ordinary or constrictive.  Most of all, I want the community to have a sense of direction and to know that there is support if they need help or encouragement in any area.

For this reason I have made improved accessibility of roleplay in the South Pacific, both on the forums and on the regional message board, a major goal for my term and, as part of that, I have appointed Qwert to my advisory council as my ‘Angel of Roleplay’ (it’s supposed to be a joke, but I’m still running with it).  Together we want to work with the rest of the RP community and with new players, to build a culture of roleplay that excites people, that creates stories and characters we can be proud of and that keeps on rolling whatever the season, because there are always players interested in furthering their visions of their nations.

I welcome you all to be a part of it and I hope you will congratulate Qwert on his appointment and work with him and with me to make TSP RP the best RP in any feeder region.

Now, what did I do with that gin…