| United Kingdom Consulate |
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OMG
IT'S IZON!!!!!!!!!! 
Heyo! New Diplomat dude here. Apparently, this place has not been active in a while (sorry about that), but I'm here to fix that now!
![[Image: 1Jo75GU.png?1]](https://i.imgur.com/1Jo75GU.png?1)
Britons Head To The Polls!
After a productive session of Parliament, the King of the United Kingdom, HM George VIII, signed a Writ of General Election to allow for a new election for the Office of Prime Minister as well as seven members of parliament, to be held on January 23rd 2021. The incumbent Prime Minister, Akillian Talleyrand, announced that he was standing down as leader of his party, the Progressive Unionist Party, and would not be seeking reelection. This led to an open race for Prime Minister, which quickly filled up with candidates from four parties. From the beginning, the main point of contention in this election cycle of military policy and advocating for changes to the Defence Act.
The first of these candidates was Josephine Stewart, the deputy PM to Akillian, who was the PUP candidate running on a campaign focusing on foreign relations and the creation of a World Assembly Affairs department. The second candidate in this election was Klaus Mikaelson, the candidate for Sinn Fein, the longest standing PM in the region's history. His campaign was focusing on offering a candidate that would not be divisive and would offer change where he deemed it necessary. The Independent Group, a new party in this election cycle, put forward Scott Cahill-Mountbatten. Scott’s campaign was set around policies that they believed were devised on common-sense and backed on evidence, with a focus on a strong economy and robust military. Duncan A. Bracey-Bauheim stood as the Labour candidate but withdrew before voting started. Josephine Stewart won the election with 53% of the vote and was therefore elected as Prime Minister for the first time. Looking at the elections for the House of Commons, this was the first election of 7 MPs, 4 of them directly elected, and the other 3 coming from an at-large election. Seat one had the least number of candidates of all of the seats, contested between Akillian Talleyrand of PUP and Henry Stewart of Sinn Fein. Both members ran very successful campaigns, however Akillian was elected after voting closed with 68% of the vote. Moving on to look at seat 2 there were four candidates, one from each of the main parties. These were: Duncan A. Bracey-Bauheim (Labour), Matthew Stewart (PUP), Richard Wright (TIG), and Anish Reddy (SF). After voting ended, Matthew Stuart was the clear winner, being elected with 55% of the vote. Seats 3 and 4 of the election were both closer than the previous two and both went to runoffs. Seat 3 was contested between Angus Baker-Mountbatten (PUP), Klaus Mikaelson (SF), and Scott Cahill-Mountbatten (PUP). This election was very tight and went to a runoff between Angus and Klaus. However, in the runoff, Angus was elected with 57% of the vote. Finally, seat 4 was contested between Remile Talleyrand (SF), Aaron Reynolds-Bauheim (TIG), and Victor Stewart (PUP). Since none of the candidates won over 50% of the vote, it went to a runoff between the PUP and SF candidate. After the runoff Remille was elected with 66% of the vote. With regards to the at-large election, SF, TIG, and Labour all gained an MP in Henry Stewart, Scott Cahill-Mountbatten, and Duncan A. Bracey-Bauheim. Therefore, the new House of Commons is composed of three members of the Progressive Unionist Party, two members of Sinn Fein, and one member from both The Independent Group and Labour meaning that no party had an overall majority. Election Analysis - BBC News
Voters clearly expressed great support for the PUP agenda once again as they acclaimed Josephine Stewart for executive office. Although her position as the successor to the highly-popular Akillian Talleyrand likely helped her campaign to some degree, the approval of her work in Cabinet last term was likely a bigger factor in making her a popular choice among voters. The contentiousness surrounding the opposition candidates in the campaign, with issues such as TIG's ill-fated line of attack over the Operation Boom Beach and the fallout from the failed Labour-Sinn Féin coalition, also likely provided Stewart with a boost, particularly once Labour candidate Duncan A. Bracey-Bauheim dropped out of the Prime Ministerial race to endorse Stewart.
Repeating her intention to "unite instead of divide", Stewart was swift at work on Sunday, announcing her Cabinet before Parliamentary runoffs had even concluded. In particular, she announced a focus on the Foreign Office for her term, appointing Talleyrand as her Foreign Secretary. Half of her appointees come from PUP and a majority of them have been elected to Parliament, drawing ire from Mikaelson in an editorial for The Advocate, in which he criticized the lack of "diversity" in her Cabinet picks. Nevertheless, her non-PUP picks are all notable; independent Longdendale, the undisputed Spam King, received a well-earned spot as Culture Secretary, while Sinn Féin's own Remile Talleyrand and ex-PUP defector Henry Stewart both received nominations. It is worth noting that Stewart is the first female Prime Minister in eight years, the last being Constance St. James, and the fourth female Prime Minister in the United Kingdom's entire history. Stewart's agenda-setting powers in the House of Commons, despite the clear majority for her executive mandate, are nevertheless still up in the air. Under the new mixed-member proportional representation system proposed by Talleyrand and former MP for Belfast North Mayim Emanu-El—Bauheim, the regional election resulted in a hung Parliament after runoffs. PUP won three constituency seats out of four with Akillian Talleyrand, Matthew Stewart, and Angus Baker-Mountbatten, while Remile Talleyrand won the last constituency seat for Sinn Féin. With party list apportionment, this resulted in one at-large seat for Sinn Féin (Henry Stewart), one for the Independent Group (Scott Cahill-Mountbatten), and one for Labour (Duncan A. Bracey-Bauheim). It is currently unclear who will enter opposition against PUP. However, Sinn Féin and The Independent Group's notoriously chilly relations with PUP make it unlikely that either will prop up Stewart's party to make for a parliamentary majority. Although Labour's Bracey-Bauheim also has had numerous bones to pick with PUP's governance over the past term, his relations with Sinn Féin and TIG are arguably just as bad, as evidenced by numerous Discord battles during the electoral campaign between Bracey-Bauheim and figures such as Klaus Mikaelson and Mithrandir Olórin-Mountbatten. It is thus not outside the realm of possibility that Labour, the fourth-placed party, will nevertheless hold the balance of power. Speaking in #regional-politics on Sunday, Bracey-Bauheim stated his belief that the lack of parliamentary majority would make this Parliament "very effective at promoting cooperation". Government Gets To Business
After the elections had concluded in the United Kingdom, the Rt. Honourable Josephine Stewart was sworn in as the Prime Minister of The United Kingdom by His Majesty the King. The Prime Minister then travelled to 10 Downing Street and appointed the Cabinet. The Hon. Victor Stewart, having previously served as the Local Government Secretary was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. The Hon. Angus Baker-Mountbatten was reappointed as the Home Secretary of The United Kingdom. The Hon. Akillian Talleyrand, who had served as the Prime Minister last term was appointed as the Foreign Secretary. The Hon. Remile Talleyrand, one of the most active citizens and incumbent BBC Director-General, was named as The Local Government Secretary. An active spammer, the Hon. Longdendale was named as the the Culture Secretary for this term, a role he has served several terms previously. The Hon. Henry Stewart who had recently led his company Cloud 9 to success in the regions new economy has been named The Chancellor Of Exchequer.
The Prime Minister has started work as soon as she entered into office, announcing a few executive orders and also re-starting the junior ministry programme. A new office for the World Assembly has been established and economic reforms announced. Not long into the term, Deputy Prime Minister Victor Stewart announced his intention to leave NationStates. He was replaced as Deputy Prime Minister by Home Secretary Angus Baker-Mountbatten, who was replaced as Home Secretary by Vlaska. Within Parliament, the first piece of business for the House of Commons was the election of a Speaker for the new session of Parliament. Incumbent Matthew Stewart sought re-election and was challenged by Henry Stewart. Both members ran solid campaigns and after a vote of all MPs, Henry Stewart was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons. Member of Parliament have debated several pieces of legislation so far into the term, including new laws relating to the creation of political parties and standards of activity for businesses. Members of Parliament have also been debating legislation relating to Freedom of Information, economic crimes, and changes to legislation governing the University of the United Kingdom. Constituency Battle Concludes
After the success of the Constituency Battle in past premierships, former Prime Minister Akillian Talleyrand made it a priority revamp and restart the cultural activity game for the previous term, making it an even playing field by resetting the scores. As the battle got under way Northern Ireland took an early and dominant lead thanks to the spamming prowess of Longdendale and Mayim. Despite some spamming by Scottish players and wins in the Cultural games, including the Music Quizzes by Sacul Astoria, Scotland could only finish in second place. England finished in third and Wales rounded up the pack in fourth. Activity soared in the battle to be the best constituency with posts topping 1700 post in a day thanks to the posting activity of Constituency Battle players. The next competition between the four Constituency Nations will take off soon and we will see if Northern Ireland can maintain their crown. After the success of the Constituency Battle in past premierships, former Prime Minister Akillian Talleyrand made it a priority revamp and restart the cultural activity game for the previous term, making it an even playing field by resetting the scores. As the battle got under way Northern Ireland took an early and dominant lead thanks to the spamming prowess of Longdendale and Mayim. Despite some spamming by Scottish players and wins in the Cultural games, including the Music Quizzes by Sacul Astoria, Scotland could only finish in second place. England finished in third and Wales rounded up the pack in fourth.
Activity soared in the battle to be the best constituency with posts topping 1700 post in a day thanks to the posting activity of Constituency Battle players. The next competition between the four Constituency Nations will take off soon and we will see if Northern Ireland can maintain their crown. News Flash
- Hunger Games simulator begins; tributes start registering
- Champions League football competition begins; Celtic already making excuses - Valentines Festival gets started; region prepares for another dozen marriage ceremonies - Parliament debates legislation; biggest conflict over the ice cream flavours in the Member lounges - King George VIII denies he is disowning his son Henry, just expresses extreme dislike
By-Election and Changes in Government After serving just short of one month in office, a by-election for Prime Minister was called following Josephine Talleyrand’s resignation due to real life factors. The poll for Prime Minister opened 26th Feb 2021. Three people ran for the position, Henry E. S. Stewart of Sein Fein, Aaron Raynolds-Bauheim of The Independent Group and Mayim Emanu-El—Bauheim of Labour. 41 votes were cast in the poll, the highest turnout of recent months. Henry E. S. Stewart received 22 votes (53.66%), Aaron Raynolds-Bauheim received 6 votes (14.63 %) and Mayim Emanu-El—Bauheim received 13 votes (31.71%). Henry Stewart was thus declared the winner, avoiding a run-off with 9 votes separating him from second place Mayim. [Original reporting by TL;DR Belfast] After the election, Mr Stewart emerged from the doors of 10 Downing Street and announced the Cabinet. Scott Cahill-Mountbatten MP from Kensington (Sinn Fein) was appointed Deputy Prime Minister while outgoing DPM Angus Baker-Mountbatten MP from Sevenoaks (PUP) was appointed as new Home Secretary. Long time statesman Akillian Talleyrand MP from Linlithgow (PUP) remained in his post as Foreign Secretary. We will be seeing a new Local Government Secretary with Mayim, Baronex Bauheim (Labour) taking the post while Cahill-Mountbatten will be taking Stewart's old post as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Meanwhile, previous Culture Secretary John Alexander (Sinn Fein) replaced Longdendale as Culture Secretary. This cabinet is currently composed of well-known and committed statesmen to carry out Stewart's agenda for the Kingdom. Parliamentary Activity
Within Parliament, the first 7 Member House of Commons in several months, has been actively debating several pieces of legislation. Bills have passed relating to the role of Magistrate Judges in the Judiciary, the removal of Regional Societies from the University, and regulations relating to the Chancellor’s ability to request economic records from regional businesses. The most significant piece of legislation to pass through the Parliament this term has been a new Defence Act, which amongst other changes to the modern day functioning of the military, have required the Chief of General Staff to now serve for a term limited period and subject to the House of Commons confirmation. Two other pieces of legislation to pass the House of Commons were the Political Parties Regulation Act and the Business Standards Act. Both bills have faced opposition and amendments in the House of Lords. In an effort to avoid opposing the bills completely, the House of Lords have made an attempt to compromise on the legislation, which the House of Commons is considering. Finally, following the resignation of Henry Stewart as Speaker of the House of Commons, due to his election as Prime Minister, Matthew Stewart was elected as Speaker unopposed. Constituency Nation Updates
ENGLAND Martynas Wright-Bauheim proposed a bill in the English Assembly, 01 March 2021. which establishes a rule where the Lord Lieutenant shall only serve for one to two consecutive terms. James Forsyte, Deputy Presiding Officer, made a comment about the technical issues of the proposed bill. The bill is currently debated by representatives of the assembly. SCOTLAND The MSPs of Scottish Parliament is currently voting on the Disability Support Act 2021 proposed by Philip Ross MSP, 26 February 2021, where the bill will give greater support for individuals with disabilities and mandates the Government and employers to enact policies on inclusivity. The vote is more likely to be passed with 7 ayes against 1 abstention. The Scottish Parliament also passed the Protected Paid Leave Act 2021 that mandates workers to have a paid leave from the government and their employers. WALES Prif Weinidog Rayregalia Von Arcadia-Sova proposed a bill in the Senedd Cymru establishing a devolved judicial system in the Principality of Wales. Klaus Mikaelson MS and Madeline Mikaelson MS voiced out their opposition on the details of the bill with regards to the membership of the judiciary concerning their political affiliation, the bar, and seniority by citizenship. The bill is currently debated by the Members of the Senedd. NORTHERN IRELAND Taoiseach John Laurens-Wessex proposed a bill in the Dail Eireann about establishing a taxation system in Northern Ireland. Another bill proposing the same system was proposed by Mithrandir Olorin TD, 04 March 2021. The bills are currently being discussed by Teachtai Dala in the Dail Eireann. Valentines Festival and Honours List
Since the last update, the Culture Office has hosted a Valentine's Festival for members of NSUK. Taking place between the 10th and 17th of February, there were a range of activities and games that took place to mark Valentines day and offer members something to do at a time where many people can feel lonely. Some of the activities that took place were themed quizzes, a playlist created by festival participants around the theme of love and a lot of spam games. One of the big events of the festival was an avatar contest between participants. After 6 entries from participants and 2 days of voting, the winner was John Alexander, whose winning avatar can be seen below. In all, the event was a fun time that did a lot to cheer up members at a time where RL hasn’t been great for a lot of people. ![[Image: e230f8db61e2699efd595de7585fa254--whats-...-evans.jpg]](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e2/30/f8/e230f8db61e2699efd595de7585fa254--whats-your-number-chris-evans.jpg) Valentines Honours List
Valentines day also offered HM King George VIII the opportunity to show his appreciation for members of the NSUK community by conferring honours to certain members. In total, King George conferred 5 honours on NSUKers. The first of these recipients was Mayim Emanu-El-Bauheim who became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to the British Electorate through efforts to implement electoral reform. This was followed by Angus Baker-Mountbatten who also became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to Regional Governance, through his roles in government. The next recipient was Henry E. S. Stewart who became a Member of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick for services to economic development, particularly that of Ireland. Kathryn Janeway was the next person who became a Member of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath for services to economic development, particularly that of England. The final recipient in this round of awards was Remile Talleyrand who became an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for continued service to Regional Governance through Parliamentary Service. All of these honours were thoroughly deserved and we congratulate all of those bestowed with honours. ![[Image: rAN8Uke.png?1]](https://i.imgur.com/rAN8Uke.png?1) We are pleased to present the latest edition of The Royal Messenger. You will find news articles on recent events within the United Kingdom, including on our recent general election, activity in our constituency nations, and an update on the United Kingdom Armed Forces. On behalf of the Foreign Office, we hope that all is well for our friends and allies and you enjoy our new update. The Royal Messenger - May 2021 We are pleased to present the latest edition of The Royal Messenger. You will find news articles on recent events within the United Kingdom, including on our recent general election, the events within Parliament, and information on our recent cultural festival with Caer Sidi. On behalf of the Foreign Office, we hope that all is well for our friends and allies and you enjoy our new update.[/center]
The United Kingdom would like to invite all of our friends and allies to join us in our 'Embassy Game' series where we will advertise a game to NSUK citizens but also throughout our embassy network. You can participate by submitting your entries to the game by replying here with your scores/results/answers which I will report back and we will combine all the entries to have a NationStates wide leaderboard. Hopefully this little bit of fun and competition can add something to your day!
The first game selected this time is 60 second click challenge. Entries will close 20th June 2021. You must play on a laptop as it's too easy from a mobile device. Post your scores below (as a screenshot if possible) to see if you can be our embassy champion! ![[Image: rAN8Uke.png]](https://i.imgur.com/rAN8Uke.png) The Royal Messenger - July 2021 We are pleased to present the latest edition of The Royal Messenger. You will find news articles on recent events within the United Kingdom. On behalf of the Foreign Office, we hope all is well in our friends and allies and you enjoy our new update.
The Royal Messenger- Special Edition, December 2021
We present a special edition of The Royal Messenger, where we publish news of His Majesty's impending abdication. On behalf of the Foreign Office, we hope all is well in The South Pacific. |
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