The Kelssekian newsstand
This thread will be used to post commentary, editorial and analysis pieces from Kelssekian newspapers. Feel free to post any responses or references from your own media.
This isn't meant for day-to-day RP news, though, so if you'd like that instead take a look at http://kelssek.tripod.com/kbc
MAJOR NEWSPAPERS IN KELSSEK
National
National Independent
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Published: Neorvins
Circulation: 1.5 million
Political allegiance: moderate left-wing, historically Green Party. Endorsed Greens in 2004 elections.
National Telegraph
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Published: Kirkenes
Circulation: 900,000
Political allegiance: Right-wing/libertarian, historically Conservative Party. No endorsement in 2004.
The Chronicle and Herald
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Published: Kirkenes
Circulation: 1.5 million
Political allegiance: Centre-left, historically Liberal Party. Endorsed Greens in 2004.
Major city/province-based papers
Kirkenes Courier
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Circulation: 3.1 million
Political allegiance: Strong left-wing/democratic socialist.
L'Étoile
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Published: Outineau
Circulation: Total 3.8 million - English 1.8 million, French 2 million
Political allegiance: Moderate socialist.
Burnaby Post
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Circulation: 1.2 million
Political allegiance: Centre-right, historically Liberal Party.
Etnier Free Press
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Published: Clayquot
Circulation: 1.1 million
Political allegiance: Moderate socialist.
Neorvins Herald
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Circulation: 1 million
Political allegiance: Centrist. No consistently endorsed party, endorsed Greens in 2004.
Other important papers
Saint-Remy Tribune
Circulation: 420,000
Political allegiance: Centre-right. Historically Conservative Party.
The Breton Chronicle
Circulation: 350,000
Political allegiance: Moderate left-wing.
Vickery Globe
Circulation: 500,000
Political allegiance: Moderate right-wing. Historically Liberal Party.
The Mercury
Published: Dartmoor
Circulation: 300,000
Political allegiance: Centrist, social democratic. No consistently endorsed party.
Major newsmagazines
Global - see NSWiki page: http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Global
The Red Flag - see NSWiki page: http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/The_Red_Flag
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EDITORIAL
Religion doesn't excuse hate speech
Within the Criminal Code, the basis of our nation's criminal justice system, is a rather odious part dealing with "hate propaganda".
Let us leave aside the free speech implications, the Constitution's multiculturalism guarentees, and the wisdom of having such laws in place for now and focus on one startling double standard in this critical piece of law.
It has to do with the defences permitted by the law, which if successfully argued give one free rein to commit the offences of "advocating genocide", "public incitement of hatred", and "wilful promotion of hatred". You may do any of those things:
if, in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text
This throws up a stunning double standard. Someone who publicly calls for the extermination of another group, say, because they are a drain on national resources - a popular cry of various fascists, anti-immigrant and racist leaders throughout history - can be put in jail. But if one were to do the same because their holy text says so, they can go scot free.
Perhaps there were concerns about freedom of religion at the time this exemption was drafted. However, one has to doubt how much value a religion which needs specific exemption from hate propaganda laws is to society. And in Kelssek today, less than half of us even profess membership in a religious group, according to the latest census data. How can this double standard be justified any longer? If we protect the freedom of religious belief, is there equal protection and equal status for the right to disbelieve? This is just one example of many anachronisms in our laws which give believers more protection and rights than those who do not participate in religion.
Advocating atrocities in the name of a faith is no different than adovcating atrocities in the name of political ideology, race, or anything else. Neither should be acceptable in society. Whether such criminal penalties should apply is a different debate, but clearly the elimination of this exemption for religious hatred must be among the first legislative tasks for Parliament when it reopens in the fall.
If we are going to make spreading hate illegal, it should be illegal no matter what twisted logic is used to justify that hatred. Neither should religious belief any longer be afforded a special status in our laws. Let our legislators take note.
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Festival nation
Your guide to the biggest celebrations and festivities this year
We're halfway through summer but there's still plenty of fun and celebrations to be had across the nation this year. Here's your guide to the big attractions remaining in the year.
August 17-19
TASTE OF KIRKENES
Kelssek's biggest city throws the country's biggest food fest as Danforth Avenue turns into a mile-long buffet table. One of the world's most multicultural cities means a mind-boggling variety: almost every nationality and every cuisine you could conceive of will be on offer.
August 12-29
CLAYQUOT FRINGE
Eclectic is the word to describe the Fringe as the annual event takes the theme of... opera. You'll have to see it to believe it as the most unusual things become the subjects of operatic drama. Plus top-notch comedy, performance art, music and much more.
August 22-September 3
LATROBE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS FESTIVAL
The work of over 3,000 photographers will be on display at venues throughout Latrobe. "A Changing World" is the theme this year and you can expect to see some of the best on show. The festival will be centred at Federation Square and there's a universal free admission policy, so everyone will get a chance to have a look. Plus, photography workshops and special giveaways at Bill Watterson University campus.
September 6-23
KIRKENES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
There's really nowhere else to be if you're a film buff. Featuring exciting new releases, a plethora of independent productions, retrospectives of national cinemas and individual directors, the biggest movie fest hits us once again. Tickets are already going fast so if you're planning a trip to KIFF start getting your festival passes now.
September 9-29
FOLKARAMA
Kelssek's biggest folk music fest is in Clayquot this year and this is your chance to catch it all. Don't miss the hot new folk-rock band Backburner, headlining an international show with over 400 acts.
September 29-30
NUIT BLANCHE
So much fun Kirkenes couldn't resist copying it, go to Outineau for the original sleepless night. The city becomes the artistic playground for a series of exhilarating contemporary art experiences. Performances, all-night exhibitions, plus hundreds of museums, galleries, institutions and unusual spaces each featuring free art programs all night long.
October 8-14
KELSSEKIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION
The KNE is back at Neorvins's Cohen Park. Plenty of things to do and see on the capital's bayfront plus of course a show by the Snowbirds. The kids will want to see the T-rex that's stomping onto the show this year, but you can also nip into the Peelers display and get yourself a new fridge. Or will Orvenaco's frozen beer machine revolutionise a pub near you?
October 13
OUTINEAU PRIDE PARADE
Another thing Kirky does bigger but not better. Outineau's LGBT community puts on a show for all and does it with more style and more class. More than just frolicking, it's a celebration of diversity and an excuse for a party.
October 27
LUMIÈRE
No one throws a Halloween party like the nation's capita. Dressed in midsummer eve costume - fairies, pixies, dragons and elves - children proudly carry their own lanterns as their fairy wings bump behind them. Jack O' Lanterns light the way in Federation Park. Entertainers and street performers make it a fun night for the whole family.
November 8-10
DIWALI - FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
The Indian community in Kirkenes celebrates the Hindu festival of lights with plenty of illuminating cross-cultural experiences to be had. Catch traditional dances, music, and lots and lots of lamplight.
December 15-22
WINTERFEST
A great way to spend the winter holiday break is at Outineau's fireworks festival as the city hosts an international fireworks competition. And if you get bored watching things explode in the night, head below to the Underground City for the Winter Buskers Festival. Bring lots of spare change.
December 31
NEW YEARS' EVE AT NEPSON ALPINE RESORT
If you must spend a cold night crushed in a crowd to celebrate the end of the year, give the overrated and overcrowded "famous" celebrations of Kirkenes and Neorvins a miss and stay in the province this New Years' by heading to up to Nepson. The resort's new expanded night skiing area gets a grand opening and lift tickets are free for the night. And there'll be fireworks, of course. Remember though, booze is BYO.
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COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS
Federal election could be sooner than you think
DON DENNIS, National Affairs columnist
Two things are treated as facts on the political scene at the moment. One, the Green Party of Prime Minister Alan Kerk is securely anchored in government despite being reduced to minority, thanks to a deal with the United Communist Party. Two, the next election should be in 2008.
Neither are true. Let's deal with the latter first. It's a common myth that unless the government is brought down in a confidence vote, elections must be every four years. That's nothing but a convention that has happened to hold during the astoundingly stable Parliaments we've had over the last two decades - as opposed to those seen, for instance, in the decades immediately preceding that.
In fact, the only ironclad requirement imposed on the Prime Minister is that an election must have been called before four years has passed since the last one. The next election, therefore, can happen anytime between tomorrow and August 14, 2008. It may happen in 2008, but there are compelling reasons why it might in fact happen this year. Let's deal with the first myth now.
The deal struck with the UCP might seem to have cemented the Green Party minority for the rest of the term, but in fact, it's something on the verge of collapse. The Greens, after all, are a party founded on environmentalism and just happen to have a lot of people who are on the left in it. But there are also a lot of people on the right, or who are uncomfortable with the UCP's eliminate-private-property agenda, and the split has become an open secret even while the Prime Minister has steered his policies leftward.
That's just the effect on the Green Party the deal has had. The UCP, on the other hand, isn't very happy with what they've got. The main sticking point is the Worker Ownership Act, which the Greens promised to help pass. The bill, instead, has become mired in committee and the Green leadership is more than happy to keep it there, afraid of pushing it to the vote for fear of another backbench rebellion. Needless to say, to the UCP it looks like the Greens have taken and not given.
However, a vote of no confidence isn't likely, even if the UCP calls off the deal. All the opposition parties would have to vote together and the two biggest ones aren't ready to fight an election, stuck with uninspiring leaders going up against one of the most popular Prime Ministers in history. The Liberals and Conservatives are both looking to fix that, however. Party conventions which could see new leaders being election are scheduled and confirmed - in 2008.
Thus, Alan Kerk could seize the chance to tactically blindside his main rivals by calling an election as soon as this autumn. He gains nothing by going on in the situation he's in and it would be an opportunity to seek popular mandate for two of his big initiatives: the contentious existential reworking of the military's objectives and a tax hike to fund huge infrastructure expenditures Kerk says are needed for the economy's future. If he were to win a majority, he would at a stroke erase the need for the UCP deal and the threat of his party fracturing even more. It could also be a coup de grace for the nascent Democratic Progressive Party which has done nothing but lurch towards insignificance and irrelevance in the bumbling aftermath of its creation; a satisfying revenge, no doubt, for Kerk against the mavericks who thought they would be riding a wave of reactionary sentiment.
The best time for Alan Kerk to call an election isn't 2008, but 2007. Don't be surprised if he does just that.
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EDITORIAL
The sustainability we've ignored
When the Green Party government talks of "sustainability" in our economy, they usually mean the very important and laudable goal of ensuring we don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs in the crazed rush for wealth and that our nation's natural beauty is something our grandchildren will experience only in our nostalgic tales.
But the failure of successive governments to tackle another sustainability issue is threatening our grandchildren too. Our welfare state, like many others around the world, faces an uncertain future as birthrates dwindle and life expectancies increase, meaning that within our lifetimes, we will face a problem of too few taxpayers supporting too many dependants, both directly and indirectly.
None of the major parties have yet offered a convincing solution. The Greens and Liberals have latched on to more immigration, but that results in an infinite-tortoises scenario: we'd just need more, and more, and more, and more immigrants and there are physical limits to everyone's space, not to mention a finite number of people who can immigrate. Furthermore, if other countries latch on to that solution too, we would find ourselves in an insane competition for immigrants.
The Conservatives' solution is more drastic and basically amounts to jettisoning half of the federal government's responsibilities, renouncing the IFTA and provoking a civil war with the unions. They call it "free market reforms" and claim it is desperately needed, but in fact, the result would be a Kelssek none alive today would recognise, a nation where people begin their working lives sadded with university loan debts and are doomed to sink even deeper into the quagmire should they suffer a significant illness or injury. This is not a solution either; it would represent the death of the very meaning of our nation, and the unpopularity of that party speaks volumes of what the populace think of that route.
Federal elections are due next year. As voters, we must demand credible and realistic solutions for the future from our federal parties. It is time we considered if the responsibility for pensions should be transferred to unions, for instance, or perhaps an alternative source for government revenue such as establishing a state investment agency. We must demand both more imagination and action from Parliament.