GUM Dismissal Fallout

A lot has transpired in the last 24 hours since Acting Prime Minister, Lord Andrew Creed, dismissed all of Austenasia’s Delegates to the Grand Unified Micronational. As reported by the Quadrangle Gazette, Lord Creed has stood fast by his decision to not re-appoint any Delegates to the GUM, jeopardizing Austenasia’s position within the organization, as per the GUM’s 14 day expulsion rule regarding member state’s delegates. Link to the Quadrangle Gazette article: https://newsouthscotland.weebly.com/quadrangle-gazette/governing-commissioner-requests-legal-resolution-of-gum-dispute Lord Creed claimed he was not aware of this rule and had intended to simply pull all delegates until after the upcoming General Election, where it essentially would be decided by a vote wether or not Austenasia would remain a member of the GUM. With that being said, despite being made aware of the rule and it’s subsequent consequences, Lord Creed has insisted that he will not re-appoint any delegates until the GUM has taken his concerns on GUM-wide bullying and harassment seriously. GUM Chair, Newton von Uberquie, made it clear that he takes all cases of bullying and harassment seriously. The Wrythe Public House erupted this afternoon with arguments, rude comments, fights, and an overall lack of decorum. It started out with various people voicing their concerns with Lord Creed’s dismissal of delegates, most notably was Sir Hugh McFarlane, Governing Commissioner of New South Scotland. This eventually lead to an argument between Lord Creed and von Uberquie. The two later conducted a conversation in private which apparently has lead to a possible solution to Creed’s outstanding problems with the GUM. Lord Sander Koff was present and heavily sided with Lord Creed and his arguments. Former Austenasian Prime Minister, Vera Hewitt was also present at the time and weighed in on the subject. This eventually lead to a war of words between Koff and Hewitt, which was to say the least, distasteful on both parts. To prevent it from going any further, both were silenced in the Discord server. Through the madness and the chaos, it was suggested that the Prince Regent should intervene and get the situation back under control; to which Lord Creed responded with the following: “I have advised the Crown to not act in this matter, as doing so would undermine the people that I represent. Me and the Chair are in discussions, but no action should be taken until then. If the Crown is to act, and overrule my decision, I will resign as Prime Minister.” Sir Hugh McFarlane, who was adamant that the matter be settled democratically, provided the Times with the following statement regarding Lord Creed’s statement. “For the Acting Prime Minister to act in potential violation of the law and then threaten to collapse the government if that decision is reviewed by the Crown is the height of absurdity.” McFarlane suggested that the dismissal of all GUM delegates was in fact against the law. Lord Creed and Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, both said that Creed was well within his right to dismiss the delegates.  To the Times knowledge, this political disaster has so far already spanned three Discord servers and countless private conversations. Some folks have already attempted to give the event a name, such as “Black” or “Red” August. Former Austenasian Prime Minister, Lord John Gordon, eventually broke his silence after conversing with Lord Creed. He announced that he will be ceding Caldari back to Austenasia and return to front line Austenasian politics. With that, he will be standing with Lord Creed as his running mate. The Acting Deputy Prime Minister announced that potential election candidates have until September 1st to announce their intention to run. He also encouraged any eligible and willing Representatives to please do so. As it stands, there are still only two candidates for the election, Lord Andrew Creed, and Lady Addison O’Halloran. At the time of writing this article, Lord Andrew Creed made the following statement:  “A new delegate to the GUM has been decided upon, and they will take their place amongst other GUM delegates to represent Austenasia’s interests once I have received that agreed upon written statement from the Chairman of the GUM, and am happy with the conclusion they have reached in said statement.” Lord Creed declined to comment any further on the subject as the situation has not yet been totally resolved.

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 Creed. Lord Creed 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 Creed 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 Creed’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 Creed. It resulted with Austenasia essentially burning it’s bridge with the GUM. Lord Creed 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 Creed 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

New South Scotland election: Legislative Assembly split

By Sir Hugh McFarlane, KCA. Originally published on the Quadrangle Gazette. In a crowning moment for New South Scottish democracy, the Crown Dependency has successfully concluded its first elections, with 100% voter turnout. The groundbreaking territorial poll has seen four parties elected to fill the five-seat Assembly, with the Green Monarchist Party and Grand Alliance (PNRDNSS/CLANSS) holding two seats each, leaving the Assembly split. The elections come a full eight years after New South Scotland was first established as a Wessaxon colony in 2012 – a remarkable achievement for what was once a quiet, fringe territory. Under the new Legislative Assembly, the recently-formed Green Monarchist Party holds two seats, with its second member elected under a somewhat narrow second preference run-off. It stares off against Arcadius Tomson (PNRDNSS) and Silvia Paysais (CLANSS) of the ‘grand alliance’, which entered the elections as a joint ticket alongside the Behemoth Party. Whether Mr. Tomson and Ms. Paysais will look to transition their electoral alliance into a formal governing coalition remains to be seen. The resulting split leaves Citizen’s Party MLA, Sophia Albina, in a kingmaker position, essentially having the choice of who enters government following the establishment of a legislative coalition. At present, there has been no indication by any of the party leaders as to possible coalition combinations.  Once a government has been decided, the Legislative Assembly will need to turn its attention towards a number of pressing issues highlighted during the electoral campaign, including New South Scotland’s international relationships, economic performance, cultural identity and activity-generating events. While the precise nature of the future government remains unclear, its monumental legislative agenda is abundantly clear. 

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.

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.

MicroWorld Newsbites – April 2016

This is the first instalment of a new monthly feature for the Austenasian Times: MicroWorld Newsbites, in which a look will be taken at news stories from around the world of small nations, which are unlikely to be covered by major news networks. COPAN The fence around the Playing Field – part of which formed Copan’s international boundary with the United Kingdom and with the Grove – has been removed by Sutton Parks Service.   FLANDRENSIS The Flandrensisian Commonwealth, a diplomatic partnership between Flandrensis, Arkel and Campinia, was dissolved earlier today. The three members of the Commonwealth – which was founded in October 2010 – all claim territory in Antarctica but have populations based in Belgium and the Netherlands. Due to its members sharing a diplomatic policy, a treaty signed in January 2013 by the Empire to formalise its by then four year old friendship with Flandrensis resulted in diplomatic relations being formed with Arkel and Campinia as well. The three nations remain on good terms, but according to Grand Duke Niels of Flandrensis, a renewed focus on environmental matters and a more global diplomatic outlook made the Commonwealth redundant. George De Feyter, Minister of Antarctic Environment, has announced “an ambitious programme which aims at alerting all the countries in the world about the dangers of pollution and damaging Antarctica”. A letter will be sent each week to another government, starting with the top ten most polluting countries in the world.   MOLOSSIA On 5 April, Molossia welcomed its second native-born citizen, raising its population to 31. On 16 April, Molossia celebrated Obscura Day, a worldwide celebration of unique places. A group of sixteen visitors was given a tour of the nation by the President, First Lady, and Chief Constable.   VIKESLAND A change of government structure in Vikesland is being discussed, with more power planned to be transferred to King Christopher to enable more efficient governance.   ZEALANDIA Between 11 and 13 April, the former Queen Astrid of Zealandia (also known as Anna Lindstrom) launched a self-coup against her own government, replacing the monarchy with a communist state council of which she is now chairwoman as Charlotte Lindstrom. Known for its instability, Zealandia’s latest revolution has been criticised by other governments. Diplomatic negotiations to update the treaty between Austenasia and Zealandia concerning New South Scotland – of which the monarch of Zealandia was made ex officio governing commissioner – are currently underway.

Emperor’s address five years since the end of the Austenasian Civil War

Today is five years since the Austenasian Civil War officially ended on 24 May 2010, when the final signature was affixed to the Treaty of Ruskin Road. This evening, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor gave the following address to Parliament, marking the occasion: Noble and esteemed Representatives, It is five years since the Austenasian Civil War came to an end, with our predecessor Esmond III affixing his signature to the Treaty of Ruskin Road. Since then, apart from the brief orchestrated war with Orly later that year, the Empire has seen no military conflict. This can only be a good thing, especially when one takes into account the attitudes prevalent among our diplomatic community at the current time. On Wednesday last, His Imperial Highness the Prime Minister upgraded Austenasia’s DEFCON status from 3 to 4. Since June last year, it had been set at 3 in response to the tensions with Zealandia over New South Scotland. Despite Zealandia’s flagrant violations of international laws and customs during that time, we decided to respond not with the might of our armed forces but with diplomacy. Even when foreign troops briefly occupied our crown dependency, we were steadfast in our determination to act with mercy rather than vengeance. Our unwavering desire for a peaceful resolution resulted in a compromise being adopted, which was confirmed by the signing of a treaty at the start of the month. Diplomacy and negotiation triumphed over aggression and sabre-rattling, and an accomodation acceptable to all was reached without the need for conflict. However, our desire to avoid war should not be interpreted as outright pacifism. While we shall turn the other cheek to aggression and attempt to obtain a pacific solution wherever possible, we shall never shirk from defending the Empire’s population and territory. Our Imperial Majesty is not only a descendant of many mighty warriors, but has not ever commanded the losing side in any of the many battles we have fought. With the recent re-establishment of the Imperial Navy, the Empire’s military is more numerous and well-organised than ever before, and we are confident in its ability to defend Austenasia with ease against any plausible threat to its territorial integrity or to the safety and well-being of its people. Despite the great strength of the Empire’s armed forces, however, we sincerely hope that we never have to see them used. Warfare is the very crudest method of solving disputes, and while we shall always defend our Empire, we shall always seek to avoid the circumstances in which such would be necessary. We take this opportunity to implore you all in your interactions with foreign politicians and diplomats to always keep our words in mind. Austenasia has one of the largest and strongest militaries in the history of small nations, but respect for the Empire is a far greater and nobler defence than fear of its arms. As stated on the famous Peace Pole in Molossia: “May Peace Prevail On Earth”. ICJA Wrythe, 24 May 2015

Treaty signed with Zealandia over New South Scotland

A treaty with the Commonwealth of Zealandia has been signed by the Emperor and Prime Minister regarding the Austenasian Crown Dependency of New South Scotland. Emperor Jonathan I and Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, along with Queen Astrid of Zealandia, affixed their signatures to the treaty via the Internet. The treaty confirms the arrangement reached in June last year, whereby New South Scotland is governed by the Zealandian monarch as the ex officio governing commissioner of the Emperor, and administered by Zealandia while remaining officially part of Austenasia. Under the terms of the treaty, the defence of New South Scotland is the responsibility of Zealandia, and a new police force will be founded to replace the defunct New South Scotland Constabulary. The treaty can be seen here.

Tourists for New South Scotland

The Austenasian Crown Dependency of New South Scotland yesterday hosted a visit from three tourists. Hugh and Paul McFarlane and Joseph Lau visited the land, which is an enclave of the University of New South Wales. Formerly a colony of New Wessex before being ceded to Austenasia in January 2013, New South Scotland has been administered on the Empire’s behalf since June 2014 by the nearby nation of Zealandia. A treaty is currently being negotiated to formalise this arrangement. The trio of tourists explored New South Scotland, taking photographs of the crown dependency. Hugh had made an Austenasian flag to be photographed with while on the visit. This is the second time that Austenasia has been visited by tourists, the first only having been last week. Although the visitors kept an eye out for Queen Astrid, the governing commissioner of the land, she was not available to welcome them.

Compromise reached over New South Scotland; peace restored

A compromise has been reached between His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Queen Astrid of Zealandia in regards to the crisis over New South Scotland. The escalation over the Austenasian Crown Dependency, which began yesterday afternoon BST, has come to an end with the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Empire and Zealandia. After discussion between the Emperor and the Queen (which had been encouraged by Lord John Gordon of Palasia, Sir James Puchowski of Landashir, and several others), it was realised that both leaders had made misinterpretations and mistakes, with difficulties in communication arising from the medium of Skype messages and the differences in time zones. Zealandia’s brief claim to have annexed New South Scotland has been withdrawn, and Queen Astrid – also known as Anna Lindstrom – has been reinstated as Governing Commissioner of New South Scotland. The Emperor has passed an Imperial Edict making the position of Governing Commissioner of New South Scotland belong ex officio to the Zealandian head of state, and relinquished “any claim to anything more than de jure sovereignty” over the crown dependency, giving permission for it to be run under Zealandian administration. Under this compromise, New South Scotland will be for all intents and purposes run as if it were a part of Zealandia, but remain a nominal part of the Empire. The Imperial Edict passed by the Emperor can be read here.