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The Pulse of the Empire, Delivered to You

Shiro named as new Heir

A new Line of Succession was today confirmed by the Senate, with Shiro Mephistopheles installed as the new Heir. The now Crown Prince Shiro – one of this year’s Consuls – has led the Senate since April, and previously served both in Parliament and in Cabinet. Upon the ascension of Emperor Aggelos I this Sunday, His Imperial Majesty’s first Imperial Decree called on the Senate to confirm a new Line of Succession. Prior to this confirmation, Lord Michael Simpson was technically Heir for several days, having been second in line before the new Emperor’s ascension. However, he had previously made it clear that he would not wish to accept the Throne unless entirely necessarily. Another reason to form a new Line of Succession comes from discussion in the top levels of government regarding prospective constitutional amendments. One of these amendments, which will likely be proposed before the end of the year, would remove the requirement for the Monarch to be a practicing Christian, replacing it with a requirement for the Monarch to respect the national religion rather than to necessarily adhere to it. Assuming that this amendment passes, the eligibility criteria for Monarch will significantly widen, and so some dignitaries previously not included have been considered by the Senate. The new Line of Succession now stands thus: The Senate has been empowered to make changes to the Line of Succession – with the Monarch’s approval – since 2020. This function was previously exercised by Parliament itself.

BREAKING: Jonathan I Abdicates, Aggelos I is Emperor of Austenasia

Announced on 29 September, 2024, His Imperial Majesty, Jonathan I, Emperor of Austenasia has abdicated the throne. Immediately following this, the Prince Regent, Aggelos I, had ascended to the throne as the Fifth Emperor of Austenasia. Aggelos’ ascension has now ended the Regency which began on 30 April of this year. Jonathan I had been in power as Emperor since 20 January 2013, his 11 year reign has now ended. The details of the abdication and ascension can be found in the following Imperial Decree signed earlier today in Imvrassia. https://docs.google.com/document/d/14kuDAMyw_uvreRmaLVS5B9NbAPEd9zc763ufo3M1B8o/edit It is clear from here on out, Austenasia has entered a new era. The future may be uncertain, but the hearts of her people remain unwavered. We wish Jonathan all the best in his retirement. Long Live the Emperor! Long Live Austenasia!

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.

Election becomes two-horse race as O’Halloran drops out

The next Prime Minister of Austenasia will be either Lord John Gordon or Lord Andrew Creed, with Lady Addison O’Halloran having dropped out of the election earlier today. General election candidates have dropped out in previous elections – Lord Marshal William in 2013, and Lord Anthony Clark in 2019 – but technically remained on the ballot. Now, however, an Imperial Decree has been passed by Emperor Jonathan I permitting candidates who wish to withdraw to do so completely. With O’Halloran no longer running, the choice has narrowed to either Lord Creed or Lord Gordon. Both have released statements outlining their positions and policies. From Lord John Gordon: “As a familiar face in Austenasia I will ensure a prosperous future and new reforms to several government departments to make government more open and streamlined. A more proactive approach will be taken to macronational affairs to make our presence known to all on the world stage. Your voice will be safe in my hands. I promise to work for all Austenasians for the advancement of our nation. I will work on projects that everyone can work on together, and to increase our influence within the community. I will also discuss and possibly pursue UN non-consultative status as some prominent micronations have to increase awareness of our great state and her peoples.“ And from Lord Andrew Creed: “I’m the longest serving Austenasian Governor, so my loyalty and commitment to Austenasia cannot be held in any doubt, and I led the charge in overhauling MicroWiki from a toxic cesspool to just a regular cesspool. I believe I can do the same for Austenasia, reforming our nation to be great once again. I’d like to take a more isolated stance with the international micronational world, to allow us to focus our energy on our own internal development. If elected, I would leave all intermicronational organisations that offer Austenasia no benefits. And the most pressing matter, which is not acknowledged. The Moon, what the hell is it? Each night, it comes out and glares at us, watching children and women as they sleep. I would order an immediate investigation into the Moon’s activities and intentions. On Day 1.“ It remains to be seen whether Lord Creed’s anti-Moon rhetoric will affect the outcome of the vote in any meaningful way.

Constitutional amendment proposed

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor yesterday issued an Imperial Decree formally proposing an amendment to the Austenasian Constitution of 2011. The decree formally proposing the amendment, including the full text of the proposed changes, can be read here. The amendment is comprised of two parts. The first would revise the system currently in place for the parliamentary representation of non-residential subjects, changing the geographically-based first-past-the-post Divisions system to a proportional, list-based system. This means that more non-residential subjects would be able to stand for Parliament and be elected Representatives, and would not be prevented from doing so due to geographical considerations. This would drastically improve democratic equality for non-residential subjects, who only gained parliamentary representation last year. They are currently represented in Parliament by four Representatives, whereas residential subjects (of which there are roughly the same amount) are represented by ten. The second part of the amendment would implement various other, relatively minor reforms, mostly relating to the monarchy and Senate. An explanation of what the ten changes proposed by this part of the amendment would bring about can be read here. Under new rules established in 2021 for constitutional amendments, approval by the Monarch and the House of Representatives – which previously came last – now comes first. The Emperor has approved the amendments, and the proposals are now before the House of Representatives. A near-unanimous supermajority in support – under the House’s current set-up, 12 out of 14 votes – is required. The amendments will then pass on to the Senate, where a simple majority vote is required to organise a referendum and arrange for the implementation of the amendments if approved by the people. The referendum – provisionally planned, if approved, to take place on 12 February alongside the upcoming general election – needs a majority of Austenasia’s subjects to give their support, or a simple majority of those voting if a turnout of least 66% is achieved. Two constitutional amendments have been enacted in the past, the First in September 2015 and the Second in January 2018. If passed, the changes proposed on Monday would be jointly known as the Third Amendment, a name originally given to a different set of revisions which were unsuccessfully proposed in 2020.

Greek territory founded

Austenasia has seen further expansion with the annexation of a territory in Greece finalised on Tuesday 12th December, coming less than a fortnight after the annexation of a Romanian territory. The new Territory of Elmythia consists of a large garden of a residential property in Almiros, and was claimed for the Empire by its owner, the now Lord Konstantinos Papanatsios. It was annexed by Imperial Decree on Tuesday 12th. Lord Papanatsios has been appointed Baron and Governor of Elmythia, and granted Austenasian national status. Elmythia is now one of two Austenasian land claims to border Greece, the other being the crown dependency of Kaiomenia.

New Town claimed in Colorado

A new Austenasian Town has been founded after a family of three in Colorado claimed their home for the Empire. The Colquhoun family contacted Emperor Jonathan I with a request to join Austenasia, and after supplying the necessary information their house was formally annexed earlier today as the Town of Chandler. The now Lord Michael Colquhoun has been appointed Baron of Chandler, as well as its Acting Representative. A local election for Chandler – as well as for the similarly young town of Valens – is expected to be held early next year to secure a democratic mandate for parliamentary representation. With Parliament being in recess for the festive period, the annexation was enacted through an Imperial Decree, which will be put before the House of Representatives to be formally ratified after the holiday season. This marks the first time that Austenasia has had eleven towns. The Empire previously held a record number of ten towns from January 2015 to September 2016, a number briefly reached again in February 2020, and again since May this year.

Fraternitas gifted to New Virginia as stability returns

Monday 1st November saw the Austenasian Territory of Fraternitas ceded to the Commonwealth of New Virginia. Following the chaotic events in New Virginia earlier this year (link to the Adammic Express), leaders of the failed 29th of July Movement coup led their own territories in secession from New Virginia. This left the Commonwealth without any land from the original Duchy of New Virginia which amicably seceded from Austenasia in February last year. Upon last year’s said secession, Fraternitas – an uninhabited area of one of the Towns which formed the newly independent Commonwealth – was retained by Austenasia at the suggestion of the now Lady Admiral Kennedy, as a sign of the common heritage and enduring friendship between Austenasia and New Virginia. However, earlier this year, far from functioning as a sign of friendship, Fraternitas was used to stoke tensions between the two nations. Sophia Albina, a New Virginian politician who also held Austenasian nationality, attempted in various falsehood-laden statements to persuade the New Virginian government to unilaterally claim Fraternitas from the Empire and declare Austenasia an “enemy” and “threat”. This led to her being convicted of treason and stripped of Austenasian nationality. Although the New Virginian government distanced itself from Albina’s words and actions, discomfort with her suggestion that Austenasian possession of Fraternitas was in some way a colonial occupation led to the Austenasian government seeking to arrange diplomatic talks with New Virginia to discuss the future of the territory. Before such talks could be held, however, the 29th of July Movement announced their seizure of power. This led to a low-point in Austenasian-New Virginian relations, with the alliance between the two nations being formally ended. With the coup having failed, New Virginia has slowly but surely been rebuilt. Adam I of Adammia became Acting President, and oversaw a return to political stability and the organisation of a new presidential election. This saw Sir Sertor Valentinus elected as New Virginia’s new President, inaugurated on 19 October in an online ceremony attended by both Jonathan I and new Prime Minister Lord William Wilson. However, with the departure of so many of the revolutionaries, New Virginia was described by many as having been left a “rump state”. The acquisition of Fraternitas by New Virginia would once more give it land that was part of the former Austenasian Duchy of the same name. With the consent of Lady Admiral Kennedy, the Emperor passed an Imperial Decree in October ceding Fraternitas to New Virginia effective as of 1 November. Eager for a return to friendly relations with the Commonwealth, the decree was quickly approved by the House of Representatives. The Emperor’s Imperial Decree stated the following: “We can think of no better way for Fraternitas to fulfil the meaning of its name than by serving as a gift made in good faith by the Empire to provide the Commonwealth of New Virginia with a physical connection to the original Austenasian Duchy of the same name. Our Imperial Majesty reiterates and reaffirms our will for peace and friendship with New Virginia, and our confidence in the legitimate elected government of the same moving forward from the events of the past several months.” Although the Empire and Commonwealth have their differences, it is hoped that this donation of territory will not only remove a prospective source of conflict and undermine Albina’s claims of Austenasian hostility, but cement a friendly and co-operative relationship between the two states moving forward into the future.

IGS Expedition to Plemstall

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor yesterday undertook an expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) to Plemstall via the Millennium Greenway. Although some previous IGS expeditions have had two participants, this is the first expedition to have been composed of a single person. An Imperial Decree of March 2018 authorised excursions by a single member of the society to be given expedition status. The Millennium Greenway – often known locally as Chester Greenway – is a former railway line which now functions as a footpath between Connor’s Quay and Mickle Trafford, spanning several miles north of the city of Chester. The Emperor joined the Greenway just under three miles from its eastern-most point, walking along to the village of Mickle Trafford. Once there, he continued on to Plemstall, an adjoining hamlet. Plemstall is home to St. Peter’s Church, built on the site of a hermitage inhabited by St. Plegmund. Famed for his holy life living as a hermit at Plemstall, St. Plegmund was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 890 after being chosen by King Alfred the Great. As Archbishop, St. Plegmund worked to support a flourishing of scholarship until his death in 923. The Emperor also visited the nearby St. Plegmund’s Well, a nearby holy well. It was used by the saint for baptisms during his time as a hermit, and remains a site of Christian pilgrimage to this day. A video of the expedition can be seen here.

New territory annexed in Australia

Earlier this week saw a new Territory claimed by the Empire of Austenasia in Australia. The new land claim, Western Jarrahview, is comprised of an uninhabited roughly 155,000 square foot wooded area. The area was claimed by the now Lord Daniel Roscoe, who has been appointed Governor of the new territory. An Imperial Decree accepting the claim and officially annexing Western Jarrahview was promulgated by Emperor Jonathan I on the evening of January 5th. However, with the difference in time zones, this was past midnight on January 6th in Western Jarrahview, which will be considered its official date of foundation. Western Jarrahview is only the second land claim of Austenasia in Australia, or in Oceania as a whole. The first, New South Scotland, became an Austenasian Crown Dependency in January 2013.