Second town in one week joins Austenasia

Only five days after Augusta was founded, a new annexation has taken the title of Austenasia’s youngest Town. The Town of Gebirgspark is bordered by the Slovakian capital Bratislava, and consists of a residential property along with its garden. It has a population of three, all of whom are Roman Catholic. Gebirgspark is currently represented by its founder, Lord Krištof Fondrk, who has been appointed its Acting Representative by Parliament. In an era of increasingly partisan politics, both the government and opposition are waiting to see which party – if any – Lord Fondrk aligns himself with. This most recent annexation has increased Austenasia’s population to 88.

Territorial reforms enacted by Parliament

The Empire sees various territorial reforms with the passage of the Amerdansk, Augusta and New Richmond Act 2019. The Act, proposed to the House of Representatives by Prime Minister Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, has separated the former New Richmond borough of North New Saint Josephsburg from that City, becoming the Town of Augusta. The now Lord Riley Kennedy, Baron of Augusta – the younger brother of Lord Admiral Joseph – has been appointed Acting Representative of Augusta pending a local election. Lord Riley has joined the Imperial Party, and as a Representative has become a member of the Imperial Party Board (the governing body of the party). The legislation has also re-annexed portions of the New Richmond borough of Saint Josephsburg which were previously ceded to the United States by the New Richmond Act 2014. The newly re-annexed land consists of the house where Lord Admiral Joseph resided at the time of New Richmond’s transition from a Crown Dependency to a Town, and is currently resided in by his aunt and her three children. The Town of Amerdansk, formerly represented in Parliament by Lord Anthony Clark, has been transitioned to a Crown Dependency, which the now The Rt. Hon. Anthony Clark has been appointed Governing Commissioner of. This is in response to Clark’s withdrawal from active politics, including within Parliament.

Austenasia grows with huge Turkish annexation

The size of Austenasia’s territorial claims more than doubled yesterday after the annexation of the new Territory of Laranda. Laranda consists of 165 acres of farmland. Now an enclave of southern Turkey, it is the private property of Lord Dionisiy Tedzhan-Smahin, who inherited the land from an ancestor who was a local landowner. Laranda is so large that it now makes up 59.7% of Austenasia’s total land area. Lord Tedzhan-Smahin, who also serves as Representative of Theodosiopolis, has been appointed Governor of Laranda, but as he no longer lives nearby the day-to-day administration of the land will be undertaken by his cousin, the Deputy Governor. The name Laranda is derived from the former name of Karaman, a nearby Turkish city.

Local elections see new Mayor for New Richmond

Tuesday 21st May saw local elections take place in New Richmond, Theodosiopolis, and Dragovina. These were the first elections to take place in Theodosiopolis and Dragovina since their foundation in March and April respectively. Both saw their Acting Representatives elected as Representatives proper. New Richmond saw its Representative, the Prime Minister Lord Admiral Kennedy, re-elected for the sixth time in a row. As New Richmond is a City, its subjects were also voting for a Mayor. The previous Mayor of New Richmond, Captain William Kennedy, had resigned on 24 April, with his nephew Alex Francis being appointed Acting Mayor by the city council. Tuesday’s election saw Mr Francis elected as Mayor of New Richmond with 100% of the vote with a 75% turnout of twelve people. Mr Francis is a member of the Imperial Party, which currently holds a plurality of seats in Parliament.

National Liberal Alliance established, forms coalition with Imperial Party

As partisan politics sees a resurgence in Austenasian political culture, the National Liberal Alliance has been established by Lord John Gordon, Viscount of Thetford and HG Duke Bradley of Dullahan. The National Liberal Alliance, or NLA, describes itself as a classical liberal and monarchist party. The NLA registered with the Secretary-General’s Office earlier today following weeks of deliberation between its founders. Lord Gordon, who currently serves as Representative of Palasia and has previously served as Deputy Prime Minister, was selected as the party’s first chairman. Duke Bradley, who currently serves as Minister of Defence, Princeps Senatus and Commissioner of the Border Enforcement Agency, has been named party secretary. In the hours following the establishment of the NLA, talks were held between the party’s leadership and the Prime Minister Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy – Leader of the Imperial Party – in regards to the creation of a coalition between the two parties. A decision was reached, and the newly formed coalition now holds five out of eight Cabinet positions and three out of seven seats in the House of Representatives. The establishment of the NLA follows the establishment of the Fatherland Party, a socially conservative organization, last month by Lord Dionisiy Tedzhan-Smahin, Count of West Frisia – the Representative of Theodosiopolis – and Lord Edward Gundersen, Count of New Grémmia – the Representative of Dragovina. The Fatherland Party currently holds two seats in the House of Representatives.  

Expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society to Box Hill

The Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) earlier today conducted an expedition to Box Hill in Surrey. The expedition traversed valleys and woodland around Box Hill on its way to the viewpoint at the top of the hill itself, which commands a spectacular view of Dorking and the surrounding countryside. On their way up the hill, the expedition encountered a large bed of bluebells and some mysterious tiles embedded in the woodland floor. Fourteen people took part in the expedition, including Emperor Jonathan I, the Emperor Mother, and Crown Princess Caroline. The route had been planned by John, former Baron of Zephyria. This marks the twentieth expedition of the IGS, almost ten years to the day since its first was conducted on 4 May 2009. A video of the expedition will soon be uploaded. UPDATE – 3 October 2019: A video of the expedition can now be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKSUyeyNNWg

Dragovina annexed as a new Austenasian Town

A new Town – Dragovina – was yesterday annexed to the Empire of Austenasia, increasing the number of Representatives in Parliament to seven. Dragovina has a population of three, all of whom are Roman Catholic, and is bordered by the U.S. District of Columbia. It is currently represented in Parliament by its founder, Lord Edward Gunderson, who although not a resident of the town itself lives within the requisite twenty five mile radius. Dragovina consists of a residential property, along with its front and back gardens. This most recent annexation – coming only a month after the next most recent Town to be claimed – has increased the Empire’s population to 87.

Imperial visit to Green Gate

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor visited Green Gate earlier today in the first ever imperial visit to an Austenasian Territory. Green Gate was annexed last month, and is comprised of a wooded area bordering a golf course. This marks the first time that Jonathan I has visited an Austenasian claim other than his home city of Wrythe and the nearby Crown Dependency of Rushymia since Zephyria and Thanasia were ceded to the United Kingdom in 2017. The geographical proximity of Green Gate to Wrythe – both being enclaves of south London – facilitated the ease of planning the visit. While in Green Gate, the Emperor raised the Austenasian Star and surveyed the area. Jonathan I was unable to be received by Lord Zarel Smith, Governor of Green Gate, due to the latter falling ill, but a meeting between the two is planned for the summer.

Tourists hosted at Wrythe

Yesterday saw two tourists visit Wrythe, the first of 2019. Sir Ginge Fullen and Sir Dean Simpson, both knights of the Principality of Sealand, were met by Emperor Jonathan I at Carshalton railway station. After being given the customary tour of historically and culturally significant local sites, including Orly and the former location of Rushymia, the two knights were received at Wrythe, capital of the Empire. At Wrythe, the tourists were given refreshments and signed the Imperial Residence’s guestbook. They also bought some coins and postcards as souvenirs. This visit to Austenasia and Orly is the latest in many trips that the two knights have taken to geopolitical oddities around the world, including Bir Tawil, Freetown Christiania, and Mt Athos. Austenasia’s first tourist visited in 2015, and every year since has seen a small number of tourists visit.

March sees territorial changes for Austenasia

Austenasia has both annexed and ceded land and residents so far this month. A new town, Theodosiopolis, and two new territories, Bregusland and Green Gate, have both been annexed to Austenasia, and the city of New Richmond has expanded with a new property being claimed. Meanwhile, the crown dependency of Jovanovo was ceded to Montenegro on Thursday 21st. Jovanovo had previously been a town, but was made a crown dependency a year ago in order to prevent its founder, Daniel Dankovsky, from influencing the central government after having made various racist statements. Dankovsky was stripped of Austenasian nationality in July last year, and since then Jovanovo had been governed completely autonomously by its own residents. With Jovanovo having no contact with the government, the decision was made to cede all claims to the land. The two new territories of the Empire, Bregusland and Green Gate, are enclaves of Arizona and Greater London respectively. Green Gate is a relatively short distance from the capital, Wrythe, and there are plans for its governor, Lord Zarel Smith, to visit in the near future. Theodosiopolis, the newest Austenasian Town, is an enclave of Amsterdam. Founded by Lord Dionisiy Tedzhan-Smahin – who helped to design last year’s commemorative coins – the town is comprised of two properties and has a population of four people. Finally, Saturday 2nd saw New Richmond expand with the annexation of a sixth non-contiguous property, named Alexandria and currently used as the residence of the Prime Minister. Although the cession of Jovanovo has on paper resulted in a drop in the number of Austenasians (with the population now standing at 83), the new annexations have for all practical purposes greatly increased the population in terms of those who will take an active interest in the government and in their Austenasian identity.