Kingeston expands into Town

Monday 11th saw the Crown Dependence of Kingeston expand into Austenasia’s newest Town with the annexation of part of a nearby residential property. Kingeston’s governing commissioner, Austin Jaax, claimed a part of his house in which both he had his brother live, offering the land to Austenasia with the consent of the property owners. The section of the property was officially claimed by an Act of Parliament and annexed to Austenasia as an exclave of Kingeston, which was transitioned into a Town. As the now Lord Jaax was already a non-residential subject, this has raised Austenasia’s population by one with his brother – who has been appointed Kingeston’s Police Inspector – now also living in the country. Lord Jaax, who was appointed Baron of Kingeston, has also been appointed its Acting Representative and will therefore represent the new Town in Parliament until a local election is called. Now serving in Parliament, Lord Jaax has also succeeded Lord John Gordon as Leader of the Peoples Party and therefore as Leader of the Opposition. Kingeston was originally annexed in December 2018, and until this recent expansion consisted of parkland bordering Canada.

Imperial Geographical Society’s May Expedition goes ahead to Navasota River

Friday 1st May saw a small expedition of the Imperial Geographical Expedition (IGS) undertaken to the Navasota River in Texas. The expedition consisted of two people, namely King William I of Gradonia and his father. William I, who in Austenasia serves as Representative of Nahona, put forward the idea after it was noted that the traditional IGS expedition annually undertaken at the start of each May would be unable to take place due to restrictions on movement enacted in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Every May since 2009 (not including 2018, when the Emperor was in Spain) has seen the IGS launch an expedition to an area of countryside in Surrey. This year, however, the traditional expedition was cancelled due to a lockdown being in force in the United Kingdom to combat the transmission of the coronavirus. William I and his father were, however, able under American regulations to travel to an isolated spot by the Navasota River. While there, they went fishing, and King William made a catch – a 6.1 pound bass – at an area which the expedition named Peter’s Promontory in honour of the fish-related miracle related in Matthew 17:24-27. Some pieces of citrine quartz were also found in the area. King William also led a small IGS expedition of two members on 9 February earlier this year, which explored the city of San Antonio and its Alamo Mission and river walk.

Constitution adopted for New South Scotland

The Crown Dependency of New South Scotland marked a new era in its history today, following the promulgation of a separate territorial constitution by Emperor Jonathan I. According to the Crown Dependency’s Governing Commissioner, The Rt Hon. Sir Hugh McFarlane KCA, the creation of a sophisticated system of local governance represents a fundamental shift in the Australasian territory towards a more active form of territorial community. New South Scotland’s history dates back to late 2012 when it was first established as a colony of the now-defunct United Kingdom of New Wessex. The territory remained under Wessaxon administration for several months until it was ceded to Austenasia as the Empire’s first Crown Dependency, following the abdication of the Wessaxon Declan I and the ascension of Jonathan I to the imperial throne. Responsibility for the budding territory was placed in the hands of its first Governing Commissioner, the now Charlotte Lindstrom, who also served as monarch of the nearby Kingdom of Zealandia.  Over the following four years, political turbulence within Zealandia saw the Kingdom repeatedly interfere in the Crown Dependency’s affairs, with members of the Zealandian militarily having allegedly sought to annex the territory and Governing Commissioner Lindstrom herself deliberately misinforming the Austenasian Government before occupying the land with Zealandian troops. The subsequent international condemnation of Zealandia saw Lindstrom agree to a compromise, wherein New South Scotland would function as a joint Austenasian-Zealandian condominium under Austenasian sovereignty and Zealandian administration. This arrangement only came to an end with the peaceful withdrawal of Zealandian administrators and the appointment of McFarlane to the role of Governing Commissioner in September of 2016.  According to Governing Commissioner McFarlane, “New South Scotland has throughout its history made great contributions to activity within the micronational community, but its status as a sparsely populated territory has meant that as a political entity itself, it has ironically remained extremely inactive”. Governing Commissioner McFarlane hopes that with the promulgation of a territorial constitution, the status quo may begin to change. “The beauty of New South Scotland is that there is no expectation for it to emerge as one of the beating hearts of the micronational community. It has survived for years as a territorial entity on the fringes of the Empire with limited internal activity, meaning that unlike a national entity, it won’t disappear if it falls into inactivity.” “My intention as Governing Commissioner is to take this unique territory, with its long history and modest expectations, and to forge a special community within the broader micronational space. Citizens who participate in other micronations do not have to make New South Scotland their number one priority. They can come as they please and contribute what they’d like. People can invest as much or as little as they want into this effort, and together we can enjoy the resulting community.”  Under the new constitution, the Crown Dependency will possess its own Legislative Assembly, judicial system and electoral process. According to Governing Commissioner McFarlane, this is designed to allow for maximum political participation, which it is hoped will then spawn other aspects of community, including frequent conversation, organised debates, contests, gaming sessions and cultural projects.  “It’s best to think of the constitution like the roots of a tree. From these roots will hopefully sprout an active political system and a community that is engaged on more than just a political level.” Non-residential citizenship of the Crown Dependency – which does not grant Austenasian subjectship – is open to people of any nationality. Those interested in applying may do so via this site. Interested individuals may also explore the territory’s new website and its Discord server.

Town on site of Roman fort annexed

Tricornia, a collection of land claims several of which are situated over the site of a Roman military camp of the same name, was annexed as an Austenasian Town earlier today. The new Town consists of ten separate land claims spread around near the Serbian town of Ritopek. One of these claims houses the Tricornia’s population of six. The other nine are uninhabited areas of farmland owned by the newly appointed Lord Nikola Jovanović, Acting Representative of the new town, who has also served as Austenasian Ambassador to Serbia since 2017. In total Tricornia covers 10.8 acres, making it the second-largest Austenasian Town, just over half the size of Nahona. This new acquisition has raised Austenasia’s population to 89.

Coronavirus measures implemented as pandemic continues

On 16 March, three cases of suspected coronavirus infection were reported by the Austenasian Times. All three individuals have by now either tested negative for the coronavirus or stopped displaying symptoms. Despite this good news, the ongoing pandemic and the reactions of governments around the world continue to affect life for all Austenasians, both residential and non-residential. Palasia and Bregusland restricted travel last month, a fact reported by Lonely Planet in a recent article about the reactions of various “micronations” to the pandemic. However, these are not the only towns of Austenasia to have implemented a response to the disease. The Austenasian capital Wrythe, the towns of Theodosiopolis and Dragovina, and the Harlemum March are all under lockdown. Theodosiopolis and Harlemum, which are both represented by Dionisiy I, have furthermore stocked up on protective masks and anti-viral medicine. Kingeston, which consists of uninhabited parkland bordered by Canada, has declared a state of emergency, and is encouraging visitors to observe social distancing and wash their hands. Peach Ponds meanwhile, which likewise consists of parkland (albeit bordered by the USA) has taken a stricter approach, enforcing a stay-at-home and not accepting visitors. In Mouzilo, the sole resident – Manolis Afentoulis, Duke of Thessalia – has implemented strict social distancing and remained within the borders of the crown dependency for over three weeks, working on various cultural projects. With lockdowns and social distancing being enforced in the United Kingdom, United States, and other countries around the world, many activities which Austenasians would usually join outside the borders of Austenasia itself have also been cancelled. Last weekend saw Western Easter unable to be celebrated by the Imperial Family by attending church with other Austenasians, as is customary. Likewise, Emperor Jonathan I and the other Orthodox Christians of Austenasia will be unable to observe Orthodox Easter this upcoming Sunday 19th with church attendance. The Emperor will instead be listening to a livestreamed service from the safety of the Imperial Residence. Likewise, the Imperial Geographical Society conducts an expedition on the first Monday of May, but will not be doing so this year. As long as the pandemic continues, similar measures and precautions will unfortunately have to be taken in order to ensure public health.

Two new claims join the Empire

Peach Ponds, an area of parkland in North America, and Dinkeaw, a garden bordered by Thailand, were annexed to Austenasia yesterday evening by an Imperial Decree. Both areas of land are uninhabited, and were offered by different individuals who approached the government with the request that said territories be claimed by Austenasia. Peach Ponds was claimed by Casper von Navārdia – who also serves as President and Foreign Minister of Phokland (a state of the Holy Roman Empire) – and consists of Huddleston Pond Park of Peachtree City in the U.S. state of Georgia. Peach Ponds was annexed as a Territory, and Casper von Navārdia was appointed its Governor and given the noble title Count of Cowyetton. Lord von Navārdia already administered the park on behalf of the local city council, and as such was in a perfect position to both claim and subsequently govern the new Territory. Dinkeaw consists of the garden of the Thai residence of Yai Khadpo and his family. Mr Khadpo’s mother requested that their garden be claimed by Austenasia; it has been annexed as a Crown Dependency, with Mr Khadpo appointed its Governing Commissioner. Lord Edward Gunderson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, recently announced that Parliament would only consider urgent bills due to the pressures faced by its members relating to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The annexations were therefore made law by Imperial Decree, something which has not been done since an expansion of New Richmond in April 2015.

Emperor releases coronavirus statement as Austenasian officials and resident self-isolate

Three possible cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infections have been reported amongst Austenasia’s government and population. On 13 March, Pope Queranus I – Pontifex Maximus and Governor of Iostan na Beithe and Glencoe, better known as Sebastian Linden – announced that he would be self-isolating due to “symptoms matching coronavirus”. The same announcement was made on behalf of a resident of Palasia by Lord John Gordon, the town’s Representative, the following day. Earlier today, Sir Hugh McFarlane – Governing Commissioner of New South Scotland – also made the same announcement. In response to the suspected case in Palasia – the only suspected case reported so far on Austenasian territory – the Border Enforcement Agency has restricted travel over Palasia’s border with the United Kingdom to “essential” journeys. Furthermore, Bregusland – which expanded from a Territory into a Crown Dependency last month with the annexation of a bordering house and its three residents – has also been placed on lockdown, with the border closed to all non-residents. Emperor Jonathan I has made the following statement in response to the ongoing pandemic: Our prayers and best wishes are with all those infected or otherwise adversely affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Despite the rapid spread of this disease, panic and overreactions will not help but if anything hinder attempts to deal with it. We therefore call for individuals to react calmly, sensibly, proportionately and responsibly. Unless you will be entering into self-isolation with nobody to buy goods on your behalf, there is no need to stockpile food, toiletries and cleaning products. A lack of goods in shops simply means that others will go without or have to make extra journeys; think about the needs of others, and be compassionate. Be sensible, also; self-isolate if you are displaying symptoms, and minimise unnecessary travel or gatherings in order to avoid exposing yourself to the virus. Finally, and most importantly and obviously, be hygienic; wash your hands regularly (see this webpage for further information), disinfect desks, tables and door handles, and keep tissues on your person so as to cough or sneeze into them rather than your hands. Follow the advice of whatever authorities are most familiar with the situation in your local area, and accept disruption and discomfort in order to protect the health of others. By the grace of God this disease does not seem to pose a great risk to Austenasia; let us not let it spread any further by our own stupidity or laziness. We are confident that in time the pandemic will come to an end, as have all pandemics in human history; let us pray that its end will come quickly, for the recovery of those infected, for the protection of those at risk, and for the strengthening of those working to combat the disease. May God bless and save you all. ICJAChester, 16 March 2020 UPDATE 18 MARCH 12:05 – Sir Hugh McFarlane has announced that he and his immediate family have tested negative for the coronavirus.

Emperor graduates with Theology MA

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Jonathan I yesterday graduated from the University of Chester with a Masters degree in Theology. The award of his degree followed a year of study from 2018-19 in Chester, culminating in his authorship of a 20,000 word dissertation on the authorship of the Johannine books of the New Testament. The graduation ceremony took place at Chester Cathedral, and was also attended by the Emperor’s fiancée Princess Hannah, Emperor Father Terry, Emperor Mother Margaret, and Crown Princess Caroline. The Emperor’s aunt, Princess Julie, joined the group afterwards for a celebratory meal.

New ministry established for “digital transformation”

A new Government Ministry established on Friday 28th February will “provide for the development of e-Governance” and work towards improving the online information sources for Austenasia. The Ministry of Digital Transformation, set up by an Act of Parliament last Friday, will work towards fulfilling a pledge in the manifesto of recently elected Prime Minister Dionisiy I to develop Austenasia’s internet presence and to set up “e-Governance” portals such as online voting forms. Prince Dionisiy himself has been appointed the first Minister of Digital Transformation, and as such will bear personal responsibility for its success. Speaking exclusively to the Austenasian Times, Prince Dionisiy said that the new Ministry will “greatly improve our online capabilities.” He continued: “…it shall work on the creation of a greatly needed e-Government portal, a better Archive for laws and some better information websites for Austenasia. The e-Government will enable us to give you all more power to interact with the government, to request access to records and to vote.”

Prince Dionisiy proposes constitutional changes

The new Prime Minister has proposed changes to the current system of executive and legislative power in a Prime Minister’s Broadcast released earlier today. Prince Dionisiy, who was elected earlier this month, announced plans to put forward various constitutional changes. The amendments would, in brief, change the nature of Austenasia-wide democracy from having an executive to a legislative function. Prince Dionisiy has proposed “to establish regular direct and binding referenda which will solve the important legislative questions… so that not only the House of Representatives is able to decide upon legislative questions, but that the people themselves are in charge.” This would be coupled with a change to the set-up of government, with the Consuls being appointed by the Monarch and replacing the Prime Minister as head of government. The details of how these changes would be implemented and the proposed timescale of their implementation are yet to be known, as they have not yet been officially proposed by legislation. Any changes to the Constitution require approval by the Monarch and a supermajority of Representatives, as well as confirmation by a referendum. Lord John Gordon, the Leader of the Opposition, has come out in opposition to the proposal to make the head of government an appointed position. “Austenasia is a democratic nation, a fact I am proud of. I will fight as Leader of the Opposition against any attempts to undermine the democratic process,” Lord John said today in an exclusive statement to the Austenasian Times. Given the requirement that any change to the Constitution requires the support of over 80% of Representatives, it would take just one Representative other than Lord Gordon to also vote against in order to derail the proposed amendments. Prime Minister’s Broadcasts were a semi-regular feature of the premiership of the then Crown Prince Jonathan, when the now Emperor was Prime Minister (2008-13). They were not used by Lord Marshal William (2013) or Countess Eritoshi (2013-15), but Lord Admiral Kennedy (2015-20) did publish one shortly after his initial election win.