GUM Delegates Dismissed

On August 18, immediately after Lord Griffin, Austenasia’s Delegate to the Grand Unified Micronational, excused himself from the Quorum Chamber, he was dismissed by the Acting Prime Minister, Lord Andrew Musgrave. Lord Musgrave made the announcement in the following statement: “Within my power as Acting Prime Minister, I have recalled and dismissed all of the Austenasian delegates to the GUM. There will be no further appointments to the role until after the election, although my views on the GUM are quite clear, and will be a major part of my campaign, so that take as you will.” The news was then immediately relayed by Lord Musgrave to the Chair, Vice Chair, and Supreme Justice of the GUM. It was then confirmed by Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, and Lord Griffin. Lord Griffin then declared the dismissal in the Quorum Chamber. Austenasia has been a member of the Grand Unified Micronational since June 4, 2016. Austenasia will now face a motion of expulsion from the GUM if they are without a Delegate for 14 days. It is Lord Musgrave’s intention to have Austenasia removed from the GUM altogether, if elected into office in the upcoming election. An altercation then took place in the GUM lobby between GUM members and Lord Musgrave. It resulted with Austenasia essentially burning it’s bridge with the GUM. Lord Musgrave then made the following statement to the nation: “As Acting Prime Minister, I have made the decision to dismiss all of Austenasia’s delegates, and based on the reaction in the lobby room, it is ultimately the right decision for our nation going forward. The organisation is not fit for purpose, and is rampant with bullying and harassment from several of it’s members. Austenasia does not wish to associate with any organisation that does not take harassment and bullying seriously, as I have been personally been made of several accounts from other members of how rampant this toxic culture within the organisation is, and witnessed it first-hand upon my announcement to them about our intentions. I will not be appointing any further delegates to the organisation, whether that means Austenasia is expelled or not.” Lord Musgrave was also removed from the GUM Discord Server. Despite this development, it should be noted that it was the wish of His Imperial Majesty, Jonathan I, for Austenasia to remain active within the GUM. Austenasia Notes

Major Election Developments, Parliament Dissolved

On the morning of August 12, following the fallout of Lord Hunter Prater’s supposed ineligibility for Prime Minister and subsequent appointment to Cabinet from the day before, Lord Hunter Prater, Duke of Dixie, renounced his candidacy in the following statement: “A renounce my candidacy and will be removing myself from public life within the empire. I will focus my efforts within the Duchy and any Counties or Baronies or Towns within Dixie may contact me with ideas for great social events such as Minecraft, voice chat, Call of Duty, book club, or whatever. I will also be continuing on The Grand Duchy of the Great Lochs and the Church of Christian Druids within the empire. However as far as anything political, I much say I rather not tie myself to what I believe is a piece of drift wood left over from the decay of time and inactivity. I encourage everyone to give their support to Lord Andrew Musgrave, though I disagree with some of his beliefs, he is active and that’s what the empire needs most of all is someone active and who cares. I also call all citizens of the continued Roman Empire all Romans to rise up and support your Regent and Prime Minister in positive change. The Church of Christian Druids will be open within the empire however will not openly advocate for conversion of citizens.” As a result, it was discussed by government wether or not the election could continue. It was announced by Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, that it indeed could continue because the Prince Regent had already approved two candidates. Lady Addison O’Halloran, Representative of Blue Ridge, announced her intention to run for Prime Minister as a token opposition, and encouraged everyone to still vote for Lord Musgrave. It was also discovered that there was an error in the date set for the election. According to the Constitution, a period of 7 weeks must be given from the announcement to the election date, with four weeks from the dissolution of Parliament. With that being said, Prince Regent, Aggelos I, announced that Parliament had in fact been dissolved as scheduled. Due to the changes, the Acting Deputy Prime Minister announced that Representatives have been given a few more days to have the opportunity to stand for election. The Emperor, His Imperial Majesty, Jonathan I, reached out to the Times to let’s us know that the mix up regarding Lord Prater’s eligibility for Prime Minister under Act 1, Section 6 of the Constitution was a mistake on his part and that “Cabinet” should read “Representatives”. His Imperial Majesty apologized for the confusion. As it stands now, there are two candidates for election, Lord Andrew Musgrave, and Lady Addison O’Halloran. The Times will continue to monitor the situation and update as necessary.

Prater Ineligible? Problem Solved

On August 11, one day before the dissolution of Austenasian Parliament in preparation for the upcoming General Election on September 9, it was discovered by the Acting Prime Minister, Lord Andrew Musgrave, that his election opponent, Lord Hunter Prater, was ineligible to run for the office of Prime Minister, according to Act 1 of the Austenasian Constitution. Act 1, Section 6 states the following: “Candidates for Prime Minister must be Members of Cabinet” Lord Prater, was a member of Cabinet and sat as Chief Ambassador, but resigned from the position in July of this year.  Considering the fact that he resigned, he became no longer eligible to run for Prime Minister. Lord Musgrave consulted other members of government, including Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, on what to do about the situation, as the Constitution also states that there must be at least two candidates running for Prime Minister. As a solution, it was decided to appoint Lord Prater to a ceremonial position in Cabinet. He was appointed Home Secretary, the previous post of Lord Musgrave. Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, made the following statement, explaining the situation: “Note that this is a stop-gap measure because the Constitution states in one place that only a Cabinet official may run, and in others only a Representative may run. Additionally, the Prince Regent must approve at least two candidates, and it happens there are exactly two. This invites a paradox that the Government has summarily addressed. To refuse to do otherwise invites a constitutional crisis. Additionally, it represents a fatal flaw in Austenasia’s democratic process, and we cannot countenance even the appearance of undermining this process. So, in a spirit of good faith and a desire to avoid manufacturing a distasteful situation by lack of action, the Acting Prime Minister took this unorthodox move upon consultation with myself. The government will be expected to address the issue itself at the very first possible opportunity. Until then, we proceed as if Lord Hunter Prater is fully qualified.” Lord Prater has yet to comment on the situation, but we are sure he will be relieved to know that he is still in the race. Parliament will be dissolved today, August 12, from there the campaigning and road to the election begins. The Times will be following any and all developments and will report as necessary.

CLASH at the Wrythe Public House!

Following the August 8 announcement of the upcoming General Election date and Lord Hunter Prater’s announcement to run for Prime Minister, a heated altercation took place in the Wrythe Public House between the two election candidates. Prater’s opponent, Lord Andrew Musgrave, responded to his statement expressing his excitement for the election and disagreeing with Prater’s statement on the Empire collapsing and the prospect of it lasting a hundred years. Prater made a grand response, which could have been taken for campaigning, essentially saying that Musgrave was wrong. Musgrave made a response, attempting to take the moral high ground by trying to de-escalate the situation by telling Prater to “leave the campaigning until the 4 weeks allocated to it”. Prater came back, guns-a-blazing, accusing Musgrave of attempting to limit his freedom of speech in the Public House. Musgrave, again responded and belittled Prater’s knowledge of Austenasian laws. Prater then accused Musgrave of speaking with condescendence and back-handed comments, going so far as to call him a “bully”. “You’ve got a lot to learn” was Musgrave response, who also brought up his superior micronational experience to Prater’s and then brought Prater’s maturity into question. Former Austenasian Prime Minister and current New Richmond Republic national, Vera Hewitt, was also in the Public House at the time and she weighed in on the situation. Hewitt suggested that Prater not pick fights and re-worded Musgrave’s early comment stating that Prater’s campaigning up that point was unconstitutional. She cited her extensive knowledge of the Constitution and previous experience as Prime Minister. From here an argument occurred between Prater and the team of Hewitt and Musgrave. Prater’s basis was that the pair were limiting his freedom of speech as an ordinary citizen, whereas Hewitt and Musgrave’s was that Prater’s campaigning was unconstitutional, saying he needed to wait for the allocated 4 weeks. Prater argued that he was in fact not campaigning and was simply expressing his displeasure for the current government. He even challenged them to charge him for his actions. Hewitt and Musgrave kept citing the Constitution without actually providing the evidence for their argument. They instead told Prater that he himself should read the constitution, to which Prater insisted they show him. Hewitt made a sharp comment saying the following to Prater: “You aren’t very bright and I hope for the Empire’s sake you lose by landslide.” It wasn’t until a few hours later where Lady Addison O’Halloran dug up the section of the Constitution that was being referred to in the argument. It reads as follows: “During the first of the three weeks between the order for a General Election and the actual election, any Representatives willing may apply to stand for election to run for the office of Prime Minister. The Monarch must choose at least two applicant Representatives, who from the point of being chosen until the General Election concludes shall hold the status of Candidates. The remaining four weeks may be spent by the Candidates campaigning to attempt to persuade the subjects of the Empire to vote for them.” It can be argued wether or not Prater’s statements could be considered campaigning or not, but that is a decision that would be best decided by a Judge. Either way you look at it, here at the Times, we believe that we are in for an exciting Campaign Trail leading up to this General Election and wish both candidates all the best.

Date set for General Election

For the second time this year, the Empire of Austenasia will hold a General Election to decide who will be the Empire’s new Prime Minister. Last month, Prime Minister Lord John Gordon resigned from his position, leaving Austenasia in a scramble to get things back in order and elect a new Prime Minister. Lord Andrew, Baron of Corinium Terentium, was immediately appointed Acting Prime Minister upon the resignation.  Lord Andrew pieced Parliament back together and began work to call for an election. Today Parliament has announced that the General Election will take place on 9 September 2024. Potential candidates have until 12 August 2024 to declare their intentions to run for office of the Prime Minister. It is expected that the Prince Regent, Aggelos I, will dissolve Parliament on that same day, with the election being held four weeks later. Lord Andrew has already announced that he will be running for Prime Minister. He previously ran against Lord John Gordon in the February 2024 election, which saw Lord Andrew receive 36.1% of the popular vote. Lord Hunter Prater, Duke of Dixie has announced that he will also be running for Prime Minister in the upcoming election. Lord Hunter Made the following statement:  “I declare my candidacy for Prime Minister. I wish to bring forth constitutional change that would shave off the majority of the useless or unfilled offices along with creating/combining offices in order to lessen the need for as many constantly active positions while also revitalizing the peerage system to give it true meaning. I see to pull the empire from the brink of collapse much as the statesmen of old Rome, however, I seek to instill a change that will set a foundation that will last 100 years. Let’s all come together for the betterment of the Empire!” At this time there are just two candidates for Prime Minister. Both candidates have previously held offices in Parliament and have been with Austenasia for a considerable time. Austenasia Notes On 24 July 2024, Austenasia’s very own, Lord Michael Simpson, Count of Occibrazos, who currently sits as Chancellor, was granted a new title by the Manorial Society of England and Wales. The titles shall read as follows: Michael Simpson KtC, Lord of the Manor of Goodson’s in the Parish of Hundred of Giltcross in the County of Norfolk The Times and Austenasia as a whole would like to congratulate Lord Simpson on this fantastic achievement.

Constitutional Crisis! PM Resigns

The new era of the Empire of Austenasia is off to a rocky start since the regency of Emperor Jonathon I in May of this year. Since then Chief Ambassador, Lord Hunter Prater, and Prime Minister, Lord John Gordon have both resigned from their positions, leaving the Government in a mad scramble to regain control of a turbulent situation. On July 22, Lord John Gordon announced via Discord that he was resigning from his position as Prime Minister, which he was elected to in February of this year. Following his announcement, Gordon appointed Lady Addison O’Halloran, Representative of Blue Ridge, as Acting Prime Minister, on the understanding that Lord Andrew had also resigned. After a week of radio silence, the situation was brought to the attention of Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Andrew of Corinium Terentium. Lord Andrew, who at the time, sat as speaker of Parliament , stated that according the Austenasian Constitution, he was lawfully Acting Prime Minister upon the resignation of Lord Gordon, and that Gordon’s appointment of O’Halloran was unconstitutional. Lord Andrew made the following statement via Discord: “The appointment of Addison as Acting Prime Minister is unlawful, and any ‘official acts’ done during her ‘Premiership’ are null and void.  The succession of the Prime Minister is a settled fact, and cannot be altered by royal degree alone. As Deputy Prime Minister, I am the lawful acting Prime Minister, and was immediately upon the Prime Minister’s resignation.  Addison is not to be considered “Prime Minister”, acting or otherwise, until they have won the general election.” Lady O’Halloran immediately followed up stating she had not had any knowledge of the appointment until that moment. Shortly after, it was confirmed by the Prince Regent, Aggelos I, that Lord Andrew was indeed Acting Prime Minister. Lord Andrew made it known that he intends to call for an election as early as possible, citing that Parliament requires a replacement speaker before that can happen. He also announced that he will be running for Prime Minister in the upcoming election. Palasian Independence Following Lord John Gordon’s resignation as Prime Minister, on July 25, Gordon announced that the Austenasian town of Palasia and its march, Caldari, would be separating from Austenasia as they declare their independence. Gordon made the following speech: “Palasians, Austenasians, Peoples of the world, I make this speech in both sad and jubilant circumstances, sadness because the chapter of being part of Austenasia has come to an end but jubilant because we can finally forge ahead and make our own history and decisions. I do, with the permission and acceptance of the Palasian people declare independence from the Empire of Austenasia and announce the creation of the Palasian Transitional Council to oversee Palasia during the time of a fully independent nation called the Republic of Palasia. The Palasian Transitional Council’s job shall be to oversee the day to day running of a Transitional Government and the creation of a constitution and functioning government system. The first meeting of the PTC which shall set out the form of governance Palasia shall take, its Administrative structure and national symbols shall commence on the 1st August 2024. We shall endeavour to publish our declaration of independence after the first meeting thus beginning a new age in Palasia. We thank Austenasia for being our home for the last 14 years and we hope close relations with the Empire will commence in a timely fashion. Thank you John Gordon President of the Palasian Transitional Council” Palasia and Caldari have been a part of Austenasia since 2013 and 2014 respectively, making them some of the longest standing settlements in Austenasia history. Austenasia and the Times would like to wish Lord Gordon and Palasia all the best in the future. Austenasia Notes

Emperor Jonathan I announces Regency

To the Empire and to the world, my greetings. When I founded Austenasia with my family over fifteen years ago, I could never have imagined how our little country would one day prosper. It has been a joy to watch this community we started grow right around the world, with people from all sorts of places and backgrounds taking a real interest in helping Austenasia to flourish. I served under our first three Emperors as Prime Minister, and since 2013 I have ruled as Emperor myself. Austenasia has been a huge part of my life for over fifteen years. However, as I approach my thirtieth birthday, it has become clear to me that, although I have spent half my life on helping to lead the Empire, I no longer have the time to dedicate to it that I once did. Other aspects of my life require my attention and my dedication, and I cannot demand loyalty from subjects to a Throne the holder of which will only ever have a decreasing amount of time to give to them. Austenasia began as a small, family project when I was thirteen, and it has far outgrown my wildest hopes for it. However, after several months of deep thought, I am certain in my conviction that it is time for my leadership to come to an end. Although I had considered abdication, I cannot bring myself yet to sever completely the ties between myself and the country I have loved and governed for so long, or to disappoint so profoundly those who have asked me to reconsider. Rather, I shall remain as titular Monarch, in name only, providing a continued link to the House of Austen and proof of my endorsement of the new Heir, Aggelos, to serve as Prince Regent. Aggelos of Imvrassia has been an Austenasian for nearly seven years, has served in Parliament on two non-consecutive occasions, and has over a decade of experience as constitutional monarch of Imvrassia. He has been appointed as Prince Regent by the Senate with my full and sincere backing, to rule as effective head of state. With the support of the Prime Minister, and with the members of the new Line of Succession able to serve as Counsellors of State if necessary, I am sure he will do a wonderful job. His Imperial and Majestic Highness – as he shall be known in Austenasia, in deference to his Imvrassian throne – takes on the powers of the Austenasian Throne in their full. They are his to wield as they were mine, effective as of 10:00 UTC today. Prince Regent Aggelos will need the support and respect of the Empire to fulfil this calling, and I ask all Austenasians and all our friends from abroad to give him our full support as he takes on this great responsibility. He has my full support and I trust the future is safe in his hands. To all those who I have come to know through my time in office in Austenasia, I thank you for your friendship, and for the horizons that have been opened. May God bless you all, and God save the Empire!

New land claims annexed from UK and Canada

Saturday 13th April saw further territorial expansion for the Empire of Austenasia, with two new sites being claimed. The first, Garelsh, is comprised of the garden of a residential property in Marlow, in the British county of Buckinghamshire. Garelsh has been annexed as a Territory, with its owner, the now Lord Oscar Owens, appointed its Baron and Governor. This marks the first expansion of Austenasia within the British Isles for roughly five years. The second of the weekend’s annexations saw the new Territory of Glainamar gain an exclave, namely a woodland cabin situated roughly 7 miles to the west of the main territory. This cabin, which is next to a pond, was built in the late 1970s by the family of Lord Griffin, Governor of Glainamar. The new addition will be known as the Glain Interior.

Line of Succession overhauled

The Senate has voted to completely overhaul the Line of Succession to the Throne, replacing the previous list of the Emperor’s relatives with a list of five trusted statesmen. This dramatic change was made at the behest of Emperor Jonathan I himself. The beginning of the year saw several members of the Line of Succession removed on the basis that they would be unlikely to accept the Throne and hard to contact at short notice. Today’s more radical change has been implemented on the grounds of the same principle, on the understanding that none of those previously in line to the Throne were interested in actually ascending it in anything more than name should they be called upon to do so. Five individuals were put forward by the Emperor and, after discussion in the Senate, confirmed as a new Line of Succession, namely: The Constitution requires a reigning Monarch of Austenasia to be a Christian, a requirement fulfilled by all the members of the new Line of Succession except for Adam I. The previous heir, the Emperor’s sister, will now be known once more as Princess Caroline rather than as Crown Princess. Were he not already titled as an emperor, Aggelos would have assumed the title Crown Prince as the new Heir to the Throne. Those in the Line of Succession are not only to be called upon should the Throne become empty, but are also able to take on responsibilities such as being appointed a Counsellor of State to assist the Monarch. This change marks a move towards a more realistic approach to the Empire’s long-term future, with an active and committed future Monarch more likely to be found among those already dedicated to Austenasia than among relatives of Jonathan I, most of whom are aunts and cousins who are not even Austenasian.

New territory annexed from Canada

An Imperial Decree passed earlier today annexed a new territory to the Empire after its landowner claimed it for Austenasia. Glainamar, the new claim, consists of a large plot of land within the garden of a neighbouring house, lived in by its now governor, Lord Mick Griffin, and his family. The property as a whole has been owned by Lord Griffin’s family since 1954. Lord Griffin is the legal owner of this section of the property, and is seeking to commence construction of a residence for himself on the land in 2026. At present, however, the land is uninhabited, and so has been claimed as a Territory. Glainamar is bordered by the Canadian town of Carbonear, in Newfoundland.