Independence Day celebrated!

The Empire of Austenasia today celebrates eight years since its foundation in 2008. Although the actual anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is on the 20th, Independence Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of September. As is customary, an honours list has been published by the Emperor, the recipients of which are listed here. Furthermore, Emperor Jonathan I has released a statement for the occasion, which can be read below:   To all Austenasians, in the Empire or abroad, our greetings! As we sit writing this in the Imperial Residence, we remember how the Saturday eight years ago when the Declaration of Independence was sent was bright and sunny; in contrast, today is dark and overcast. It reminds us that the world has become a darker place in the years since 2008, with enemies of peace and proponents of barbarism growing in strength each day. If the world becomes darker, we must not let that darkness overshadow us, but rather shine all the more brighter. When our predecessor Constantius Chlorus freed Britain from the rule of an usurping tyrant, he was hailed as “restorer of the eternal light of Rome.” Just as Rome was considered then, let Austenasia be considered now a shining beacon in the world to inspire others, whether that be through the Order of Saint Constantine raising money for the poor and unwell, the Imperial Geographical Society exploring and researching the national world, or simply through ordinary Austenasians striving to be the best that they can be. To all Austenasians with a title of nobility or a knighthood, act not with hubris or pride, but with the honour and virtue that your title demands of you. On this Independence Day, let us come together and reflect on the meaning that can be given to it. Declaring independence is more than claiming sovereignty over territory; it is about saying “No; we can do things differently, and we can do things better.” As we look at the world around us, let that be the guiding philosophy of our nation. We wish you all a happy Independence Day. God bless you, and long live the Empire! ICJA, Wrythe, 17 September 2016 The Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, will also release a statement later today.  

New South Scotland returned to Austenasian administration

The Counsellors of State have signed a treaty with the Commonwealth of Zealandia restoring Austenasian government to New South Scotland (NSS). Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy and King Adam I – who were appointed Counsellors of State by the Emperor on 31 August with authority to jointly exercise the powers of the Throne – signed a treaty with Zealandian politician Claire Nymoria, who had been authorised to sign on behalf of the Zealandian government. Since June 2014, New South Scotland – a Crown Dependency of Austenasia – has, while remaining de jure under Austenasian sovereignty, been governed by Zealandia. This arrangement was agreed upon after instability in the nearby nation resulted in aggressive colonial designs on NSS by Zealandia. New South Scotland is an enclave of the University of New South Wales, which was attended by Zealandian leader Charlotte Lindstrom and much of the Zealandian government and military. With most of the Zealandians having left the university at the start of summer, Lindstrom informed the imperial government that she would be unable to continue to administer NSS. Under the terms of the treaty, Zealandia has surrendered any and all claims to NSS and recognised the absolute right of the Austenasian Throne to its governance. The agreement reached in June 2014 made the Zealandian head of state ex officio Governing Commissioner of the Crown Dependency. Yesterday’s treaty, however, annulled this provision, and Emperor Jonathan I replaced Lindstrom as Governing Commissioner with Sir Hugh McFarlane, the Empire’s Consul-General at Sydney and a friend of the Emperor who lives near to NSS and who visited it as a tourist last year.

Emperor and Princess Consort announce engagement upon return from Seville

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Jonathan I and his consort Princess Hannah of Wildflower Meadows arrived back in the country yesterday after a week-long holiday in the Spanish city of Seville. Whilst there, on Monday 5th the couple became engaged to be married whilst in Maria Luisa Park. The date of the wedding has yet to be announced, but will not be until after mid-2019, when the Princess completes her university course. The Princess Consort was crowned Princess of Wildflower Meadows by the Emperor on 12 May earlier this year upon the creation of a principality for her. On 11 November 2011, Hannah met the then Crown Prince Jonathan at a charity shop while lost in Carshalton. The two did not maintain contact, but met again on 10 September 2015. After several weeks of close friendship they announced the start of a romantic relationship on 5 November. Jonathan I and Princess Hannah spent eight days in Seville, during which they toured major sites of the city such as the Cathedral and royal palace. Whilst there, the imperial couple also met Sir Dominic Connolly, the Austenasian Ambassador to Spain, whom the Emperor knighted into the Order of the Bullmastiff in recognition of Connolly’s diplomatic service and in celebration of the imperial engagement.

Counsellors of State appointed as Emperor leaves on holiday

Emperor Jonathan I has appointed two Counsellors of State to exercise the powers of the Throne in his absence as he leaves for a week’s holiday in Seville, Spain, with his unmarried partner the Princess Consort. His Imperial Majesty will leave for Spain with Princess Consort Hannah tomorrow from Gatwick airport, arriving back on Thursday 8th September. The Emperor has appointed the Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, and King Adam I of Überstadt (who also serves as Governing Commissioner of the Austenasian Crown Dependency of Oregonia) as Counsellors of State. In his absence, the two Counsellors will be able to jointly exercise any power of the Throne. Unlike a regency, the appointing of Counsellors of State does not prevent the Monarch from exercising the powers of the Throne himself. This is the third time that Counsellors have been appointed during the current Emperor’s reign; the previous two occasions were also due to holidays.

MicroWorld Newsbites – July 2016

FLANDRENSIS On 5 July, Flandrensis updated its Constitution for the eighth time since the Grand Duchy’s foundation in 2008. The revision has served mainly to insert the Grand Duchy’s environmental mission into its constitution, including a ban on tourists visiting its Antarctic claims and the statement that Flandrensis is the “only country in the world that doesn’t want its land inhabited by people”. KUMANO JIRITSU On 21 July, O-Hatsu Kenji-sama resigned as Kumano’s head of state. Senate leader Dr. Yamamoto Seiji has been appointed acting Sendatsu Daimyo (head of state) until elections take place in September or October. LADONIA The Ladonian cabinet has appointed Indonesian resident Cornelius Marpaung as its Minister for Anime and Hetalian Affairs. Other unusual cabinet posts in Ladonia include a Minister of Thermonuclear Eye Protection and a Minister of Raccoons and 42. ONGAL On 2 July, Ongal issued a claim to West Antarctica, i.e. those areas of Antarctica not already claimed by the seven UN member states of the United Nations which are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. The Empire is unlikely to recognise this new claim, as the territory in question is already claimed by Westarctica, Flandrensis, Campinia and Arkel, all of which are states Austenasia has treaties with recognising their claims. On 6 July, Prince Milomir I met with former monarch of Bulgaria, Simeon I, at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia. The meeting was of an informal nature, with Simeon of Bulgaria not representing his country in any official capacity. SANDUS On 3 July, a membership application to the Grand Unified Micronational by the State of Sandus was rejected. On 27 July, the Empire suspended diplomatic relations with Sandus after its head of state Will Soergel published unfounded and untrue accusations that Emperor Jonathan I had masterminded a “conspiracy” to persuade GUM delegations to vote against Sandus. WYVERN On 27 July, the Statenraad of Wyvern decided against talks with Sandus which had been proposed in an attempt to resolve long-lasting diplomatic hostilities between the two states, considering it extremely unlikely that such talks would result in any meaningfully positive outcome.

Emperor graduates with first class honours

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Jonathan I has graduated from the University of Roehampton, receiving a first class with honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Religious Studies. A graduation ceremony was held yesterday at the Royal Festival Hall in South Bank, London. Jonathan I attended along with his parents and Princess Consort Hannah. The Emperor started his three-year course at Roehampton in September 2013, and spent most of term time over said years living in accommodation on campus, in a flat which was temporarily designated Austenasian Embassy to the United Kingdom. During his course, Jonathan I took modules in which he studied topics including the Bible, Christian doctrines, classical and medieval philosophy of religion, the relation of religion to human rights and to art, the person of Jesus Christ, the history and doctrines of Islam, Judaism and Hinduism, and the religious make-up of London. The Emperor chose to take two extra modules in his final year rather than write a dissertation. His highest marked piece of work was a 3100-word essay he wrote in his final term on the way in which Jesus is presented in St. John’s Gospel.

Change made to Imperial style

The official style of the Austenasian Monarch has been altered by Emperor Jonathan I. Three of the titles in his official full style (which can be seen here, and is used only for formal ceremonial or diplomatic occasions) – “Emperor of Austenasia”, “Romanorum Imperator”, and “Basileus kai Autokrator Rhomaion” – have been merged into one: “Austenasian Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans”. The idea that the Emperor of Austenasia is in some sense an heir or successor to the Roman Emperors was first officially taken up by Emperor Esmond III in March 2010, since which the Empire has adopted more and more Roman attributes (e.g. the names of military officers and units, a system of consuls, etc.). However, Austenasia first began to explicitly emulate Rome as early as November 2009, when the Imperial Diadem was modified to include pendilia (dangling chains emblematic of medieval Roman crowns). A prefix, “by the Grace of Christ our God faithful”, has also been added to the Emperor’s style, adopted from the imperial style used by the late Eastern Roman Emperors. Jonathan I stated that this change was made to reflect his personal faith, with the changes to his style being made five years to the day that he joined the Orthodox Church. The (ordinary) style of the Emperor now, then, is His Imperial Majesty Imperator Caesar Jonathan Augustus, by the Grace of Christ our God faithful Austenasian Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans. The use of “our” in this style indicates the Emperor personally speaking (albeit in the majestic plural), not the implication that Christianity is in any way an official national religion of the Empire.

UK police helicopter hovers over Wrythe

Around 16:00 BST this afternoon, a British police helicopter flew low over Wrythe and the surrounding area, hovering and circling for some ten minutes before flying away. The helicopter is believed to have been a Eurocopter model belonging to the United Kingdom’s National Police Air Service. Ministry of Defence records show that a similar helicopter was observed in the area at the same time of day on 21 August last year. Emperor Jonathan I, who is also incumbent Representative of Wrythe, has issued a statement on the infringement of air space: “Earlier this afternoon a British police helicopter flew over Wrythe and the surrounding area for approximately ten minutes. There is no evidence that this action was directed towards Wrythe itself; nevertheless, we ask all residents to be vigilant for suspicious signs from the larger countries bordering the Empire. Should similar incidents recur in future, we shall discuss the formulation of a policy on air space with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence.”

MicroWorld Newsbites – June 2016

GRAND UNIFIED MICRONATIONAL On 4 June, after almost a year as a private venue for professional discussion between politicians and diplomats, the Grand Unified Micronational once more became an intergovernmental organisation, adopting a new Charter. The Empire of Austenasia and many other small nations are once more member states. On 25 June, Co-President Fionnbarra Ó Cathail of Leylandiistan and Gurvata was elected the twenty fourth Chairman of the GUM, beating sole opponent Lord Kit McCarthy by nine votes to one. KUMANO JIRITSU On 11 June, Prime Minister Hatsu Ryuho reached a unity government agreement with his sister the opposition leader Senator Hatsu Sakura under the supervision of Kumano’s head of state O-Hatsu Kenji-sama, father of the two siblings. The two resolved several political issues and resolved to work together for the country despite their disagreements. SANDUS On 29 June, the State of Sandus convened a legislative caucus to amend its citizenship laws. The last time a caucus was held was between February and April 2010, with legislative power usually wielded by the Sôgmô (head of state). ÜBERSTADT The Überstadti navy has been reduced in size to a single ship, with its amphibious landing craft the Bergstrom having been judged beyond repair after being damaged in a gale in August last year. A search for a new amphibious operations vessel is underway. WILDFLOWER MEADOWS On 16 June, Princess Hannah granted the title Duke of Sweetpea Valley to HIM Emperor Jonathan I. The duchy had formerly been held by the Princess herself. ZEALANDIA On 24 June, the People’s Electoral Commission revoked the registration of the Moderate Party, claiming that it was not sufficiently active.

The Lord Admiral’s Corner: On the revived Grand Unified Micronational

This article is one of a series of editorials from Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy known as The Lord Admiral’s Corner, where the Prime Minister will give his thoughts and opinions on issues affecting the micronation.org community. The opinions expressed in this series are the personal views of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Austenasian Times or the Austenasian Government. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when His Imperial Majesty the Emperor told me of plans to revive the Grand Unified Micronational. As a younger man, I was a very influential delegate from the now-defunct Ashukov Federation. I campaigned for the Chairmanship three times, though only the second one was successful. I was instrumental in the creation of the now-defunct GUM Library and established a committee dedicated to enacting a new Charter (which failed to accomplish its goal following the end of my term). I was as instrumental in attempting to revive the GUM as I was in its disestablishment as an organization; I was one of the first to advocate for its disestablishment and I served as the last Vice-Chairman of the old GUM under Adam of Adammia, my former rival and electoral opponent. Eventually, I came to agree with efforts to revive the GUM for a few reasons: the lack of discourse between nations in this community and the rise of the very capable (with some exceptions) “new guard.” When the GUM was disestablished, there ceased to be a hub for intermicronational diplomacy, with the only other major organization remaining being the then-relevant and active Saint Josephsburg Economic Pact, which is currently planned to be dissolved by the remaining member-states. This community has needed something like this to revive discourse between numerous micronations and to ensure stability. One of the reasons the old GUM failed was because, for a time, the number of lower quality new nations was exceptionally higher than the number of higher quality new nations (and because, against my advice, Quorum would vote to let anybody in, but that’s another story for another time). As older nations began to die off, a void was opened that newer nations weren’t able to fill. Now, with the rise of nations such as Mcarthia, Roseland, Zenrax, and the return of Koss, the GUM has enough higher quality nations to not totally stagnate. As a former Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Supreme Judge, I have some advice to give the members of the new GUM. First of all, as dreadful as this might sound, I strongly recommend the newer delegates wait an election or two before seeking the office of Chairman. Now, I understand why you might dislike this advice because I once attempted to run for the Chairmanship against King Ciprian of Juclandia after only serving as a delegate for around six months. In retrospect, I was nowhere near experienced enough to lead an organization such as the GUM. Now, as a former Chairman I can tell you that the job is no walk in the park (as a matter of fact, I wouldn’t accept the position if Quorum unanimously begged me to). It’s extremely time consuming, doubly so now due to the increase of the Chairman’s mandate from three to six months. It’s also extremely stressful – one mistake and Quorum will ridicule you (especially if you’ve made political enemies and rivals, which I did and I’m sure most delegates will do). Numerous past Chairmen (myself included) have stories of the job being so stressful they quite literally broke down for a time. Finally; please, for the love of God, don’t admit just anyone into the GUM as a full member. My personal recommendation is to refuse admission to any nation which hasn’t existed for at least six months (before anyone points out that Ashukovo was a GUM member from day one of its existence, Ashukovo was a successor state of a prior GUM member-state and all Ashukov politicians were seasoned micronationalists with at least six months of experience), doesn’t maintain active relations with at least five full member-states and can’t compose a decent MicroWiki article. That doesn’t mean you should shun most of these nations entirely (excluding lost causes such as joke nations and obvious fakes), just advise them to seek observership so more seasoned members can help them improve and then seek full membership. I believe the new GUM can be a positive force in the modern MicroWiki community so long as the new delegates avoid the errors of the past. I will serve as an Austenasian delegate and will occasionally voice my opinion and vote in Quorum, but at present I don’t plan on seeking office in the GUM. I wish the new and old delegates the best of luck and offer them my wholehearted support. HIH Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, Duke of Bohemia