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[NSUK] The Royal Messenger - October 2022 Update October 2022 Royal Messenger 72nd Premiership of the United Kingdom Regional Information Centre 83rd Session of Parliament His Majesty's Government Prime Minister: David G. Allum Deputy Prime Minister: Owen Stewart Home Secretary: Christoph Sebastian Foreign Secretary: Owen Stewart Culture Secretary: Jon Hughes Gameside Secretary Ian Smith Chancellor of the Exchequer: TBA Business & Housing Secretary: John Alexander Crown Court of the United Kingdom Crown Court Chief Judge: John Spencer-Talleyrand Chief Judge pro tempore: Constance St. James The British Monarchy Sovereign: HM Queen Constance II Prince of Wales: HRH Prince Angus Founded: November 10th, 2005 Ruling Family: The Royal House of Stewart United Kingdom NationStates Page -- -- -- -- United Kingdom Regional Forums -- -- -- -- United Kingdom Discord -- -- -- -- A Guide to NSUK The House of Lords Klaus, Marquess of Belfast (Speaker) Akillian, Duke of Rothesay & Edinburgh Owen, Baron of Wollaton The House of Commons Aaron Reynolds-Bauheim (SF) of Islwyn Speaker Vibhor Mikaelson (SF) of Southall Christoph Sebastian (Co-op) of Wimbledon John Laurens-Wessex (SF) of Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East Jonathan Hughes (Co-op) of Clwyd West Contents - Preface, A Word from the Prime Minister - Premiership landslide but SF lose control of the Commons, October 2022 General Election - Busy Parliament making progress, an update from the Palace of Westminster - Cabinet Reshuffle post-election, an update on Her Majesty's Government - A Conversation with the Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Angus Preface, a word from the Prime Minister Greetings friends across the world, I am so very much honoured to have the opportunity to talk to you again as Prime Minister, following our General Election. In my first term as Prime Minister, one of my major priorities was to try and change the reputation of the UK across NationStates. To convince each and every one of you that NSUK is open for business and co-operation with regions big and small. This priority and outlook will remain in place for the next 70 days too, during my second term. My message to each and every one of you reading this in regions across NationStates is as follows. Forget the past, forget what you have heard from generations gone by, the United Kingdom has changed, learned from its mistakes, grown and changed its outlook. We want to work with anyone and everyone to make the world a more cooperative and collaborative place, we want to work with our friends, new and old, support them, and find new and exciting ways of working together. So let's come together and talk. If we don't yet have diplomatic relations, drop us a line and let's get that set up. If we do and you want to build on that relationship, drop us a line and let's work out terms of a stronger connection. If you have had issues with our region in the past, come to me and let's put the past behind us and work on rebuilding a relationship, stronger and more united than ever. The days of isolationist Foreign Affairs with NationStates are over. The United Kingdom is open for business and ready to talk. Come and say hello! Kind Regards, David G. Allum CH LVO MBE PC Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership landslide but SF lose control of the Commons, October 2022 General Election Citizens went to the Polls for the highly competitive October 2022 General Election On the 1st October 2022, the United Kingdom held its much awaited and highly competitive General Election. HM Queen Constance II issued a Writ of Election on 24th September 2022 which saw many erstwhile semi dormant political parties spring into action and announce candidates across the board. The election was scheduled for a week later for 5 Member of Parliament seats and the election of the Prime Minister. David G. Allum the incumbent independent Prime Minister threw his hat in the ring for a re-election. Always the favourite to win thanks to an active cabinet, innovative strategies to drive the region forward, his election gained traction amongst the general public and an endorsement from the Co-Operative Party. The reigning Majority political party Sinn Fein managed to put up 3 candidates, just enough to retain the majority, also put up a Prime Minister candidate in the form of John Laurens Wessex who ran on a platform to reimagine residential areas and local assemblies. The Restoring British Freedom Party which has failed to win an election yet, put up two candidates eyeing to be the Parliamentary Opposition. RBF also put up a prime ministerial candidate in the form of Pineneedle Project, notorious for his speeches against the policies of the incumbent David G. Allum and targeting the decisions of the previous parliamentary group, he put forward his ideas to reform Free Speech and linking economic bonuses in exchange for UKAF participation. This was heating up to be one of the biggest elections the UK had seen in recent times. While another party the Commuitreen Party put up a candidate for the Prime Ministerial position in the form of David-O-Hull, the same was rejected by the Election Commissioner as was found to be not meeting the criterion for the registration. 4 Political Parties put up a total of 10 eligible candidates while 1 independent candidate also ran an exciting campaign. The general public grilled every candidate on their promises, be it grilling Vibhor Mikaelson for his UKAF plans or Pineneedle for his plans on Free Speech. This was followed by a debate among the representative candidates and PM candidates hosted by the BBC wherein the moderators made sure that every candidate answered every question in a way that makes the electorate easier to make their decisions. On October 1, David G. Allum was re-elected as a Prime Minister, with a whopping majority, garnering 76% of total votes, while John Laurens-Wessex was relegated to the second position. For the House of Commons, an upheaval was in store, as the Co-operative Party which previously just held 1 seat, came out to be the majority with 3 seats in the form of Christoph Sebastian, James Somerset, and Jonathan Hughes while Sinn Fein the erstwhile majority, was now forced to sit in the house as the Opposition with their 2 seats in the form of Aaron Reynolds-Bauheim and Vibhor Mikaelson. Busy Parliament making progress, an update from the Palace of Westminster The Aye Lobby as a division is called for the Regional Security & Protections Omnibus Act (2022) The back end of the 82nd session of Parliament saw a number of important bills pass through the Palace of Westminster. The first of these bills was the Executive Duties Act Amendment (2022), which sought to expand the Line of Succession for Government, including the Speaker of the House of Commons where the entire Cabinet is incapacitated. Apart from some back and forth between the Marquess of Belfast, the Bills author, and Baron Wollaton in the House of Lords, the bill was widely supported and passed both Houses without much trouble. The other bill to originate from the House of Lords last term was the Election Regulation Act Amendment (2022). This bill sought to offer the Election Commission more flexibility when opening election polls to account for IRL issues, while also setting clear regulation to ensure this isn’t abused. Despite clear opposition to the bill by the Marquess of Belfast, the bill passed the House of Lords by a 2-1 majority. Following this, the Bill faced significantly less opposition in the House of Commons, passing unanimously. One of the significant bills originating in the House of Commons last term was the Criminal Code Amendment (2022), which sought to make it a criminal offence for citizens to falsely present themselves as representatives of HM Government to entities abroad. After passing the House of Commons with unanimous support, the Marquess of Belfast raised some concerns in the Lords about the bill, before eventually abstaining from the vote as it passed with a 2-0 margin. The other major bill from the House of Commons was the Queen Elizabeth II Remembrance Act. Passed following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II IRL, this bill created a national day for NSUK to honour the former Monarch and reflect on everything she did for the UK. Unsurprisingly, this bill faced no opposition from either house, passing comfortably. Following the General Election, activity in the House of Commons began quickly with the election of a new Speaker. The incumbent, Aaron Reynolds-Bauheim was the first to put their hat into the ring, but was challenged by James Somerset, representing the Co-op Party, who now held a Parliamentary majority. After both candidates were given an opportunity to campaign for the Speakership, Aaron was surprisingly elected after Co-op Leader Christoph Sebastian went against the party-whip to support Aaron. Following the General Election, there has been one major piece of legislation to have been presented to Parliament, the Regional Security & Protections Omnibus Act (2022). This was a major piece of legislation, endorsed by the Regional Security Council, that amended multiple laws with the effect of creating an offence of poaching, allowing the RSC to proscribe regions, although giving the House of Commons an override power, and preventing citizens of proscribed regions from being able to hold citizenship. This was a massively controversial bill before the House of Commons with Sinn Fein MPs overwhelmingly supporting the legislation, while Co-op members James Somerset, who resigned citizenship as a result of the bill, and Jon Hughes were against the bill. However, Co-op leader Christoph Sebastian again went against the other members of his party and supported the legislation, allowing it to pass the House of Commons. Following this, the bill passed through the House of Lords without any issue, with all three Lords also serving on the RSC which collectively supported the legislation in the first place. Cabinet Reshuffle post-election, an update on Her Majesty's Government Prime Minister David G. Allum inside 10 Downing Street conducting a reshuffle The end of the last term saw a flurry of activity with a number of important events taking place across Whitehall. The first of these was a public consultation led by the Deputy Prime Minister Owen Stewart. This public consultation was to understand the region’s thoughts on the University of the United Kingdom (UUK) and find out what the region wanted the UUKs future to look like. After a number of responses from citizens that were considered by the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Stewart published his report at the conclusion of the consultation, finding that there was a large group of people that wanted the UUK to be disbanded, although there was not a high enough turnout to create an absolute mandate. The next major piece of business to occur last term also came from Downing Street, but this time from the Prime Minister himself. Here, the Prime Minister announced the first Public-Private Finance Initiative in the region’s history between HM Government and the Mikaelson Finance Group. This new initiative allowed for the creation of the ''New Citizens Business and Estates Start-Up Loans'' program. This program will offer start-up loans to new citizens to help them establish their own business or estate, all of which will be processed and administered by the Mikaelson Financial Group. Outside of Downing Street, the other major occurrence at the end of last term was N-Day 7. This year NSUK changed things up by joining the Anime Nations Against Liberals faction and it was a decision that did not disappoint. Citizens across the region had so much fun taking part in N-Day this year and working with people in the new faction was great for everyone. After a great 24 hours for our citizens, a second place finish was also an amazing turnout for a faction that many did not think would stay together throughout the event. So for that, we want to reiterate our thanks to everyone that took part in N-Day and all of the people that allowed the faction to be as successful as it was. Moving on to the beginning of the current term, re-elected Prime Minister David G. Allum wasted no time in announcing his new Cabinet as follows: Prime Minister: David G. Allum Deputy Prime Minister: Owen Stewart Chancellor of the Exchequer: James Somerset Home Secretary: Christoph Sebastian Culture Secretary: Jon Hughes Business and Housing Secretary: John Alexander Gameside Secretary: Ian Smith However, since the election, James Somerset has resigned his position, as well as his citizenship, so the Chancellorship is currently unoccupied. With a lot of plans underway, this should make for an exciting second term for the Prime Minister. A Conversation with the Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Angus Prince of Wales, Angus Stewart, being interviewed by the Foreign Secretary Welcome to the first interview segment for the Royal Messenger and we begin with one of the most senior members in the region, His Royal Highness Prince Angus. HRH Prince Angus (aka Angus Stewart, formerly Angus Baker-Mountbatten) is currently NSUKs Prince of Wales and has been at the forefront of regional affairs since he first joined the region in October 2020. Since then he has served in a number of positions including Deputy Prime Minister, Home Secretary, and Speaker of the House of Commons. Since taking over as Prince of Wales, Prince Angus has moved away from politics, but has still been around, recently serving as a Lord in the 82nd Session of Parliament. Today, Prince Angus is being interviewed by the Foreign Secretary, Lord Owen Stewart of Wollaton. Owen Stewart: Welcome Angus, it is great to have you here and be the first interviewee for the Royal Messenger’s interview segment. HRH Prince Angus: Thank you for the kind welcome Owen, it is great to be here and an honour to be the first person to take part in these interviews. Owen Stewart: Great, so I am going to start off with a few more general questions. First of all, what made you join NSUK in the first place? HRH Prince Angus: In real life, I was born in the UK and am a big fan of British Culture. When I joined NSUK, I was still quite new to the game and hadn’t established myself in any regions. I liked the idea of going into a British region, but because I was new, I wasn’t very aware of other regions in the game. Fortunately, soon after I received a recruitment telegram from NSUK, so I moved my nation to NSUK, logged into their forums and applied for citizenship. I loved the look of the place so I thought I ought to stay. Owen Stewart: That’s great that you found the region through the recruitment telegrams and managed to find your way here, it really does show its importance in the continued growth of the region. Moving on, who would you say was your biggest influence when you first started off in NSUK and has this person changed throughout your time here? HRH Prince Angus: At the time I joined, there were quite a few influential characters such as George Stewart, the King at the time; Akillian Talleyrand, the Prime Minister; and Henry Stewart, the Deputy Prime Minister. However, Akillian would have to be my biggest influence. He had a very powerful leadership style and was one of the best Prime Ministers I have seen. During the first election I was involved in, he seemed to take interest in my campaign and asked several questions throughout that period. After the election concluded, he offered me the role of his Newcomer Advisor and he later appointed me Home Secretary in that term. Owen Stewart: All of the people you have mentioned would have made great choices and have, without doubt, been hugely influential to a lot of people that call NSUK home, so it must have been really hard to choose between them. Going back to looking at yourself, if you could change one thing about your history in NS, what would it be? HRH Prince Angus: I’ve been very happy about my history in NS, but there are things that I would change. I still regret the fact that I never put myself forward to run for election for Prime Minister in NSUK. Therefore, if there was one thing I could change, it would be running for Prime Minister. Owen Stewart: Well you are probably one of the people that have achieved the most in the region without having served as Prime Minister, so it would have been interesting to see what you would have been able to achieve as Prime Minister. If you could bring back 2 NSUKers of the past, who would you bring back and why? HRH Prince Angus: Thinking about this question, I have seen some very excellent Britons in my time who sadly left the region. There are definitely two that stand out though. Firstly, and I know we saw him return for a short while recently, I would bring back Henry. He was an active and involved member of our community and I thought he was a jolly good Sovereign. Additionally, he contributed greatly to regional politics and I enjoyed serving in several of his premierships. He was an excellent friend to me and others and I don’t think the region has been the same without him. Secondly, I would bring back Mayim. I always admired Mayim for her extraordinary legal talent which she employed skillfully in Parliament and as a Member of the Bar. Owen Stewart: Great choices, there are many people that could have made this list but your choices are some very solid choices. When I was thinking about this question before the interview, Mayim was one of the main people that I considered as part of my list. Now looking at your current position as Prince of Wales, could you explain what that role entails for people that may not know a lot about it and what plans you want to achieve in your role? HRH Prince Angus: I would say that the role of Prince of Wales is somewhat unique in the sense that there isn’t a fixed job for its holders. It’s very much a role that is developed by the individual that holds it. Importantly, the Prince of Wales should keep a watchful eye on the role of the Sovereign and make sure they are aware of everything the Sovereign does because they will need to be ready to take on that role which, in the case of Henry’s abdication, can sometimes be at a moments notice. Additionally, the Prince of Wales should be an effective advisor to the monarch and, when the monarch makes a decision, the Prince of Wales should think about how they would have made the decision. In terms of my plans, as one of my predecessors Prince Henry did, I would like to revive the Royal Research Society and get more citizens involved with it. I have also been thinking about the idea of hosting regular events for specific regional groups to congratulate them on their service. For example, I could host a hunt for the Foreign Office staff to congratulate their work in writing this edition of the Royal Messenger. Owen Stewart: Those are certainly some interesting ideas, I look forward to seeing how you can implement them going forward. Talking of the future, what do you think the future holds for NSUK and where can you see the region going/developing over the next 1-2 years? HRH Prince Angus: I think the future will show a newer type of NSUK. Recently, we have been seeing a lot more involvement from newer members and much less involvement from the older members. Consequently, things have already been changing subtly. I see this continuing in the next 1-2 years, or perhaps some of the older members that have been in “retirement” recently may return to activity and bring NSUK back to how it was 1-2 years ago. Owen Stewart: You do raise some interesting points in this one. We have seen a lot of new players begin to take on much larger roles in the region, for example Christoph Sebastian, while we have also seen the return of the likes of Lucas Stewart, so it is interesting to see how this develops over the next couple of years. Finally, as someone who has been around for a while, have you got any advice to people starting out in NS on how to be successful and have a successful career like yours has been? HRH Prince Angus: I would say that the most important advice I could give is to get involved with a region as soon as one joins it. The sooner one gets involved with a region, the sooner one learns about the region and its citizens, and the sooner the other citizens of the region get to know one. As a result, this would make successful elections more likely and one can climb the ladder to higher roles in the region. Owen Stewart: What a great piece of advice and I completely agree, the best way to really integrate with the community is to just get involved where you can and try whatever you find interesting because you will build some great friendships along the way. Anyway, I know you are a busy man Angus, so I won’t keep you any longer than necessary, so thank you for joining me for this interview, it was amazing to sit down with you and learn some more about you and your thinking about the future of the region. HRH Prince Angus: Thank you Owen, it was great to take the time to answer your questions and hopefully it allows the region to find out more about me and my plans going forward. United Kingdom Forum - Discord - Citizenship Office - Diplomatic Office - Regional Guide