NationStates Jolt Archive

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NewsWorld- Nightly News

Today all across Hamptonshire massive protests against Hamptonian involvement in the occupation of Roach-Busters have taken place. Citizen groups and members of the opposition Popular Front Coalition and New Frontier Party today began calling for a full investigation into the agreement.

Congressman Jacob Astor, Speaker of the Royal House of Representatives and General Secretary of the Popular Front, said at a protest march in the eastern city of New Hannon: There must be an accounting for what happened. We cannot standby while Hamptonian men and women are sent off to a foreign country to continue an occupation of a country we have nothing against. War followed by occupation is bad enough, occupation out of some misguided sense of loyalty is a crime against all Hamptonians.

The march in New Hannon was the largest in the nation today. Local police officials put the estimated number of participants at over three and a half million. Similarly sized protests also occurred in the cities of Seaburg, Port Easton, Portshire, Unity Pass, Antietam, Yespani, Weslyn, Copenhagen, Easen, Port Victory and Harrkona. HBC has received information from senior Health and Domestic Security Ministry officials placing today's nationwide protest figures at over forty-five million.

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Protestors marching toward the New Hannon Governor's Mansion

Protest organizers are calling for larger protests tomorrow and for the week to come. Sources indicate that a large protest march is planned to go through Hamptonshire City's Diplomatic District tomorrow. When HBC contacted Foreign Ministry officials about the possibility of an attack on an embassy we received the following response:

The Foreign Ministry, in conjunction with the Defense Ministry, works to ensure the security of all foreign embassies with the Grand Duchy. While peaceful protests will be allowed in the Diplomatic District, Royal Police units will be positioned in choice locations in order to guarantee the protection of all foreign nationals and foreign property.


In related news senior leadership figures of the New Frontier Party, the junior member of the centrist Unity Coalition, are gathering together at an undisclosed location in the northern city of Wessex. There are persistent rumors that the New Frontier may break from Unity in response to the Central Coalition Party's embrace of the Military Assistance and Occupation Plan. We tried to contract Governor Koines' office to confirm our lead, but we were rebuffed. If the New Frontier and Central Coalition parties were to split, the largest opposition group in both the Royal House of Representatives and Royal Senate would be destroyed. In such an occasion, Prime Minister Olendorf would almost certainly be forced to dissolve the Royal House and call for new elections.

There are also reports that senior NURP Coalition leaders have gathered in Obsidia, but we do not have further information at this time.

We'll have a recap of today's events and an interview with one of the organizers of the protest in New Hannon after the commercial break.


You are watching the Hamptonshire Broadcasting Corporation.


[OOC: If you want to post do so in dialogue form between your own characters. If you would like to do something different, drop me a TG. I may, or may not, incoporate you into the storyline.]

--Downtown Wessex, Penthouse of Senator Richard Keeler--

The air was filled with anxiety and anger. Not more than a week ago the thoughts that were being seriously considered in this room would have been laughable. The New Frontier Party, Hamptonshire's only left-leaning mainstream political organization, had always been a committed partner of the Central Coalition. It wasn't a perfect relation, some of the idealistic plans of the New Frontier were completely rejected by the centrists, but the union provided the party with legitimization.

Now the landscape had radically, and irreparably, changed. While some of the more idealistic and starry eyed members of the party didn't like the center pull of the Unity Coalition, senior members and the party's elected officials tolerated their status as the "little brother". Time and again their calls for civil service and education reform were stonewalled, but they always stood by their coalition partners. When the CC wanted more money for defense programs and less for the National Disability Insurance Agency, it was Governor Koines and Senator Keeler who spent countless hours bringing the necessary votes to close the deal. With the rise of NURP and the People's Party, the position of the New Frontier became even more precarious; it was now the smallest party in the nation. Gradually, more and more members came to resent their status as "second class" legislators. They were being taken for granted, the Central Coalition always assumed that New Frontier would be there like a faithful pet. Unfortunately, the CC pulled the leash one to many times...


"Are you serious?" Governor Maxwell asked, his voice tinged with high emotion. "You would destroy the only worthwhile opposition force, for what?"

Governor Koines, the Party Secretary of New Frontier, slammed his fist on the large conference table. He looked Maxwell right in the eyes, he began to speak loudly enough to carry throughout the eight thousand square foot penthouse. "Goddamn it James, we can't take this crap anymore. We have to stand for our beliefs. If we turn tail and run to Flint with hat in hand, what's going to happen? WE WILL CEASE TO BE A PARTY!"

Norman Koines was normally a jovial man but now his anger rose to the surface. For too long he allowed the party to be stepped on, now he was standing up for what he believed in.

"We compromised when we voted for the Aide Package." Koines continued speaking in pensioned tones, "Senator Flint looked be square in the eyes and told me that there weren't going to be any surprises, that it was all kosher. Now that was a load of crap. We've been taking this for decades. Enough is enough."

Senator Keeler, who was playing the good cop to Koines' bad, pour himself a glass of whiskey and walked over to Governor Maxwell. With cup in one hand and Maxwell's shoulder in the other, Keeler addressed all of the nine gathered leaders of his party.

"Now we all know deep inside that Norman is right. We've been taking this for years, the occupation is just the straw that broke the camel's back and we aren't the only ones that think that. Forty million of our constituents across the nation marched in protest against this heinous action. It's one thing to stand by a friend in times of trouble, it's another to stand by that friend after he's shot you and your children.

There is only one action that we can rightfully take. It might not be very attractive to everyone in the room but for the sake of our party, for the sake of the Goddamn nation, we have to take it."

The room immediately erupted into passionate debate. Each of the nine people represented a different faction within the party. After six hours of intense debate six of the nine sided with breaking the Unity Coalition. Governor Maxwell and Acting Finance Minister Bluebridge, both representing two of the more conservative wings of the party, were holding out, trying to argue against breaking the union. The last man, Congressman Rayhan Hassad, voiced no opinion. He represented the up and coming "New Guard" of the party. He would engage in conversation if directly spoken to, but for the entire day he quietly observed the debate neither side knowing his true intentions.

The discussions carried on throughout the night and into the morning. Finally Governor Koines had to bring the motion to a final vote, he was due to meet Senator Flint (Party Secretary of the CC and Secretary-General of the Unity Coalition) in the capital in four hours.

"Alright," Koines said as he slouched over the table, "I have to see Flint in four hours. I need a clear dictate from you. We can pass this with only six votes but I want unanimity."

In short succession the six pro-splitters voted "Yea". Koines then came to Governor Maxwell.

"Well, what's it going to be James?"

"I still think this is a mistake but it looks like you're bent on splitting the coalition. If I hold out then I risk splitting the party even more, I won't do that. I vote yes...under duress."

All eyes turned on Minister Bluebridge. He began to open his mouth but promptly closed it again. He meekly shook his head up and down in agreement.

Focus now shifted on the young Muslim Congressman. A broad smile came across his face as he began to address his fellow party leaders. "Looks like I get the final word. I'll vote yes, but on one condition."

Koines shifted his weight, he didn't like where this was going but he nodded. He wanted to know the Congressman's price.

"I'll vote yes and become the most vocal supporter of this enterprise if, and only if, we work to bring a vote of No Confidence against the current Government and bring up resolutions to immediately end the occupation."

The room fell silent. No one expected something so radical, Maxwell was about to chastise the young Congressman when Koines began to speak.

"Alright. You'll have what you want."

"WHAT THE HELL!?!?" Maxwell yelled. Instead of responding Koines just straightened his tie and walked toward the door. Maxwell picked up a small book and threw it at the Governor hitting him in the back.

Without stopping Koines walked to the door. As he passed out of sight into the hallway, he said rather offhandedly. "I have a meeting with Flint. You wanna talk, be my guest, but I have a message to deliver."

OOC: A note about possible responses you may want to write-

This is also kind of a closed RP. Closed in the sense that the entire story is coming from me and I will involve other players/nations as the story progresses.

The protests are well know, the divisions between the parties are well known, but the possiblity of a split of the Unity Coalition is, ironically, out of left field.

On another note, Hamptonians are xenophobic. By interfering with internal domestic matters of Hamptonshire, you'd actually push them back together. Since I don't want that to happen, and I don't think you want that to happen, if you want to keep your post it would be best if you wrote it as a private dialogue between Mr. Goth and his aides.

Making a public announcement would make the New Frontier's breaking of the Unity Coalition tantamount to treason. It would completely destroy what political support they have in the mainstream and destroy any chance the resolutions have of passing the Royal House, let alone the NURP controlled Royal Senate.

Just FYI, the NU in NURP is the Nationalist Union. They would strengthen the occupation just to spite foreign nations.

I have plan :)

Tag

Ham, how will we decide who rules RB?

Ham, how will we decide who rules RB?

[OOC:

That's kind of off topic...but I'll give you a short answer.

I have a form of government worked up (I am a political scientist afterall). It's tentatively a Semi-Presidental system with a mixed Congress/Parliament. Whatever form of government you do get, rest assured that it is going to be ultrademocratic.

I just need to check with the other occupiers, but since they now have their own things going on it should be fine.]

[OOC:

That's kind of off topic...but I'll give you a short answer.

I have a form of government worked up (I am a political scientist afterall). It's tentatively a Semi-Presidental system with a mixed Congress/Parliament. Whatever form of government you do get, rest assured that it is going to be ultrademocratic.

I just need to check with the other occupiers, but since they now have their own things going on it should be fine.]

Okay, thanks.