Conniferus
20-12-2006, 11:46
(OOC: This is Semi-Open to comments, news reports etc, and is setting the scene for increasing tensions between the Throne and the Parliament. This is intended to affect my nation in the long-run, and will be more of a short story to set the scene for the future. I hope you enjoy.)
Conniferus Imperium Independent News Network
In a dramatic political move today, the Emperor has refused to give Imperial Assent to a bill passed by the Imperium Parliament on the controversial notion of mining Uranium within the Imperium.
The Bill, entitled the 'Conniferus Uranium Mining Act' paves the way for the Imperial National Mining Corporation (INMC) to being mining of the recently discovered Uranium deposits underneath the Clysdale Forest in Karlynduch, the northern-most region of the Conniferus homeland.
Environmental Campaigners, including the minority Environmentalists of the Imperium Party, have been fiercely campaigning against the proposed legislation since the finds were discovered by scientists undertaking mineral sample analyses in Karlynduch last month. After several weeks of delays, the Bill was finally brought to vote and passed with a 153-147 majority, with 4 Conservatives from the majority party joining the opposing coalition.
Although thought to be the end of the political crisis, the situation erupted once again yesterday when His Most Imperium Highness Charles Conniferus VI refused to give the bill the executive Imperial Assent, claiming that the legislation was "contrary to the aggregate social welfare of the population, and the environmental state of the world as a whole."
Government Sources have been silent today, barring a single statement from Press Secretary Peter Hoon, who determined "the democratic decision of the elected representatives is final." It is understood that the Prime Minister, Kevin Holmes, will be travelling to the Imperium Palace tomorrow to request an audience with the Emperor to solve the current deadlock.
The crisis comes during the early stages of the democratic government of the Imperium, following the Emperor's decision to relent to popular pressure and hold National Elections for a Legislative body several months ago. With democracy still very much in its cradle for political decision-making in the Imperium, political analysts have been watching the Imperium Throne for any signs of removing democratic powers in a disagreement between the Throne and the Parliament. One analyst has called this current crisis "a Litmus test for democracy," essential in discovering how strong the democratic legitimacy of the Parliament truly is.
It is unsure how the majority of the population would react should the crisis elevate to higher levels of tension. Whilst the majority of the population voted for a democractic legislature in the Imperium Referendum for Democratic Government, the majority of the population are also patriotic towards their Emperor; His Most Imperium Highness currently holds a 93 percent approval rating, according to national polls undertaken last week.
Peter Hain
Domestic Political Correspondant
Conniferus
22-12-2006, 18:45
The long, black, armoured limousine swept into the main gate of the Imperium Palace, sandwiched between unmarked security vehicles and wailing police cruisers as a pair of Imperium Infantrymen saluted its passing. The vehicle wound up the long, lavishly decorated driveway towards the seven-story Palace, bringing a personified clash between democracy and autocracy ever closer to meeting.
Prime Minister Kevin Holmes sat in the back of the limousine, flanked on either side by aides from his office. Across from him sat the Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet James Noble, the highest ranking Civil Servant. To the left of Noble sat Attorney General and Chairman of the Supreme Court David Faith, and to the right sat General Lawrence Brigantine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Imperium Military. Each sat silently, aides clutching their folders, all with grim expressions on their face.
The vehicles pulled to a halt outside the palace. Holmes stepped from the vehicle as Bodyguards from the other vehicles flanked him and the other passengers on all sides. He turned to gaze down the driveway, along the sloping green field and the majestic oak trees to the wrought iron gates beyond. A press circus had already assembled. This meeting was going to be big. Holmes sighed, turned, and began walking to the Palace doors.
The Eternity Gate was the main entrance to the Palace building, and stood three stories high. It was formed, like the rest of the exterior walls, from an iron core a metre thick, with armour plating a further six inches on either side, and then covered by a layer of thick gold. Carved into the gold was the eagle and crossed swords of the Conniferus family crest. A pair of Infantrymen stood guard outside. They saluted as the group approached, and radioed the interior checkpoint. After scarcely a moment, the massive Gate began to split in the centre and slide apart, allowing the Prime Minister and his entourage access to the Imperium Palace Main Hall.
An aide to the Emperor stepped forward to the group as they approached. He was dressed in ceremonial black and gold, the royal colours of the Imperium. His face wore a grim expression, reflecting the Prime Minister’s own and expressing the seriousness of the situation. “Prime Minister,” he said, bowing in welcome.
Holmes nodded curtly. He stood in a three-piece black suit with a white shirt. On one lapel sat a Conservative Party pin. A wedding ring glinted gently on his right hand. “Thank-you, Mr. Cartwright,” he said levelly. Then, as per protocol, he cleared his throat and said loudly. “I request an audience with His Most Imperium Highness, Emperor Charles Conniferus the Fourth.”
Lloyd Cartwright, Chief Manservant to the Emperor, nodded. “The Emperor is awaiting you,” he said. Cartwright turned and beckoned to the group. “Please, follow me.”
The group walked across the Imperium Palace Main Hall, a lavishly decorated welcoming chamber ensconced with gold and jewellery. Emperor Theodore John-Coburg V commissioned the Imperium Palace and made express requests that the Main Hall be built to put foreign dignitaries in awe at the wealth of the Imperium. The group walked across the solid marble floor, through another gold door underneath a pair of stone pillars and a six foot portrait of Emperor James Conniferus I, and up a large flight of marble stairs to the waiting chamber for foreign and domestic officials.
The group stood waiting. Minutes ticked by. General Brigantine shifted on his feet, clearing his throat under his bushy moustache. David Faith glanced around the room, and sighed. “What’s he doing?” he asked irritably.
“He’s playing,” replied the Prime Minister quietly. “He’s letting us know that we’re on his territory.” Holmes turned, walked across to a chair against the wall and took a seat, placing his palms in his lap and setting a calm expression on his face.
The minutes continued ticking by. Holmes continued sitting there, looking calmly at the opposite wall. The rest of the group followed suit and took seats elsewhere, all waiting.
After about ten minutes, the door to the Emperor’s office opened, and an aide stepped through. “His Most Imperium Highness shall see you now,” the aide said stiffly. Holmes nodded politely, and the group stood and filed into the room.
The Emperor’s office was tailored to each different Imperium Ruler, a tradition starting 150 years ago with Emperor Peter Tandenville I declaring “a new perspective requires a new decoration.” Emperor Conniferus IV had chosen a modest affair, with walnut panelling around the walls and an oak table sitting on a lavish red carpet. A large, bullet-proof window looked out across the centre of the city. Each wall was adorned with portraits of the Conniferus family, past and present.
The Emperor currently stood with his back to the room, looking out across the city from the window. As the group lined up at the foot of the desk, they each greeted the Emperor according to protocol; General Brigantine saluted stiffly, whilst the Attorney General, the Permanent Secretary and the Prime Minister bowed.
The Emperor did not turn. After a moment, he seemed to sigh quietly. “I will not sign it,” he said simply, still looking out of the window.
Holmes glanced at the other governmental officials present, momentarily taken aback by the bluntness of the statement. He cleared his throat. “Your Most Imperium Highness,” he said carefully, “I come from the duly elected and assented government of your subjects to request a re-consideration of your decision, given the legal and political implications they therefore hold.”
The Emperor turned. Charles Conniferus IV was an ageing man in his fifties, with a large, black moustache and beard. He was balding slightly at the front of his scalp, giving him an elderly look. His eyes, however, stood bright and calm within the wrinkles of his face, prominent and controlled like a low flame. He wore his full Imperial uniform, black with lined gold braid and medals from military service as a younger man. He leant on the desk with controlled, un-shaking hands and fixed a steely gaze on the party in front of him. “Implications?” he asked simply.
Kevin Holmes gazed back steadily. The Prime Minister was a tall man, with swept-back, grey-streaked hair that denoted a man close to middle-age. He sported a slight moustache on his upper lip, but otherwise was clean-shaven. A pair of brown, unblinking eyes stared back at the Emperor from underneath a pair of dark, bushy eyebrows. After a moment of tense silence, the Prime Minister nodded. “Yes, Your Most Imperium Highness,” he confirmed. “Implications.”
Charles took his seat behind his desk. He steeped his fingers in front of him on the oak and looked at the men again. “Care to explain to me these implications?” the Emperor asked airily.
Holmes cleared his throat. “Under the Constitution of the Imperium, signed into Imperium Assent by yourself,” the Prime Minister said levelly, “you are at liberty to refuse to sign into law legislation of the country. However, as your humble servant, I feel that it is my duty to inform the Throne that the democratic government of the Imperium believe this move to be unwise and damaging both at home and abroad. Unless you change your decision, the Imperium Government shall be forced to declare a Republic.”
There were several moments of tense silence. The Emperor and the Prime Minister stared at each other across the table, two monoliths of government from two very different schools of politics. The other men stood stiffly in their positions, waiting with baited breath. A large grandfather clock, ordained with jewels and silver, ticked loudly in the corner of the room.
After a moment the Emperor spoke. “You realise that you speak of treason?” he said calmly, maintaining complete composure. “Deposing the Emperor of the Imperium is against the Constitution you claim to uphold, whereas I am acting within my own rights as the Executive.”
David Faith spoke at this point. The Attorney General licked his lips, meeting eye contact with the Emperor. “Your Most Imperium Highness,” he said with respect. “Whilst I agree that under the legalities of the Constitution you are enacting your rights as the Executive, it creates a very…alarming precedent for future decisions by the government.”
The Emperor shifted his gaze to the Attorney General. “How so?” he asked quietly.
Faith swallowed. “If such be the case that Your Imperium Highness chooses to strike down further decisions created by the democratically elected servants of your Throne, the point of democratic government is destroyed.”
The Emperor sat for a moment, looking between each person. His eyes rested on the stiff form of General Brigantine. “I take it, General,” he said with a smile, “that you are here to inform me that the military is on the side of these…politicians?” he added the last word with a degree of distaste.
The General maintained his stiff stance of attention. His full dress uniform was lavishly decorated with braid and medals won during military service with the Imperium Armed Forces. “Your Most Imperium Highness,” the General replied in a baritone voice roughened by tobacco and whisky, “as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the military follows your command in going to war. However, under the Constitution, these powers must be authorised by Parliament before you can give such commands. Until such a time, Parliament is the de facto controlling force of the military.”
The Emperor sat, a weary smile on his face, looking again between each man. After a moment, he spoke, “I wish to speak privately with my Prime Minister. If the rest of you would kindly wait outside.”
The Attorney General, the Permanent Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs all bowed and saluted respectively, before walking quietly out of the office. Holmes continued to maintain eye contact with the Emperor. Neither spoke until the door clicked shut, and then not for several moments after.
After a moment, the Emperor moved. He stood, walked across to an oak cabinet, and poured a measure of Whisky from a decanter. Taking a sip, he turned back to the table. “How’s the family, Kevin?” he asked softly.
Holmes nodded. “They’re fine thank you, Your Most Imperium Highness,” he said. The he added, “My second daughter was born three weeks ago.”
The Emperor smiled. “That’s good,” he said, returning to sit down. “How old are the other two now?” he asked with genuine curiosity.
Holmes allowed himself to smile slightly. “My eldest is eighteen, and he’s starting to look for a university place. My second child is 15, and she’s currently studying at college.” At the risk of breaking protocol, Holmes rebutted. “And your own, Your Most Imperium Highness?”
Charles VI smiled, looking at the photo on his desk. “They are fine,” he said with a sigh. “It has been hard on my three children since the death of their mother, but they are old enough to cope.”
Holmes licked his lips. “The death of the Empress was tragic, Your Imperial Highness.”
Conniferus looked up, nodding. “Yes, it was,” he said sadly. “My son had the hardest time dealing with it, but now he’s nineteen, he seems to be coping okay.” The Emperor smiled fondly at the photograph. “What shall we do about our position, Mr. Holmes?” he asked without taking his eyes from the photo.
The Prime Minister cleared his throat. “Your Most Imperium Highness,” he said, “it is in the interests of this country to have a strong executive at the head of a democratic government. However, it is also in the interests of this country for the democratic government to be able to undertake its business.”
The Emperor looked up. “What does the Prime Minister suggest?” he asked.
Holmes hesitated. “A Constitutional Amendment,” he replied. “Similar to the American system, whereby a veto leads to a legislative re-vote that can overturn the executive decision.”
Emperor Conniferus raised his eyebrows. “Have the decision of the divine ruler undercut by the people?” he asked in puzzlement. “I would not hear of it.”
Holmes frowned. “You Most Imperium Highness,” he said, “it is within the interests of the country-”
“Do not lecture me on the interests of this country, Prime Minister,” the Emperor said in a louder voice. The light within his eyes was burning steadily brighter. “I am the ruler of the people, and I love my subjects. I know the interests of this country.”
There was a moment of tense silence. The Prime Minister looked at the Emperor. Forgetting the title required by protocol, Holmes spelt the message out as clear as possible. “It does appear that you have much of a choice, Sir.”
The Emperor leaned back in his high, solid oak chair, resting his head against the tall, ruby red cushion attached to the neck of the seat. “I think you may find that I do,” he said clearly. He reached under his desk and pushed a switch. Holmes glanced to the door as a pair of Imperium Royal Guard stepped through. “I am detaining the Prime Minister on charges of treason against the Throne,” the Emperor said. “As with the other members of government and military outside. You shall be placed under house arrest in your own homes until such a time as the sentence is lifted.”
Holmes stood silent, his eyes still fixed on the Emperor as the two soldiers flanked him. The Emperor continued. “I am also dissolving Parliament, and calling for new elections within the week. Maybe once a government that recognises the Throne’s rights is placed in power, we can consider ceasing your detention.”
Holmes said nothing, assessing his options. Then, in accordance with protocol, the Prime Minister bowed to the Emperor, before turning and walking calmly through the door, the two Imperium Royal Guardsmen following.
---
Conniferus Imperium Independent News Network
Emperor dissolves Parliament, arrests high level Politicians and Commander, calls for new elections
The Imperium was shook politically today when His Most Imperium Highness, Emperor Charles Conniferus VI, addressed the nation and announced the dissolution of Parliament, the arrest of several senior government members on charges of treason, and called for new elections next week.
“This is a dangerous and grave time for the Imperium,” the Emperor declared. “Acting in the best interests of my subjects, I have undertaken these measures.”
The arrested individuals are known as the Prime Minister Kevin Holmes, the Attorney General David Faith, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lawrence Brigantine, and James Noble, the Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet. Each are under house arrest at their own homes.
Political groups across the spectrum slammed the moves of the Emperor, calling for the immediate restoration of government. One Member of Parliament, speaking under promises of anonymity, called the Emperor “a relic of the past and a dictator. If the Emperor will not allow the democratic government to work, then what’s the point?”
The mood in the general populace has been subdued and mixed, with analysts predicting that the events have not yet fully sunk in. As previously stated, the high popularity of the Emperor and the high number in favour of democracy creates an unusual situation in such a case. Several analysts have predicted little to no unrest at this time, highlighting that democratic government was not suspended indefinitely, and would continue after new elections. “It’s mostly the political parties themselves complaining,” one socio-political analyst said.
With democracy still in its cradle in the Imperium, domestic and foreign observers are watching intently to see if the movement survives, or whether the baby will be strangled where it lies.
David Suttlesworth
Domestic Politics Reporter
Granade Turquesa Isla
22-12-2006, 19:15
Fragile Democracy In Crises
AP-Conniferus Imperiums Attorney General David Faith, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lawrence Brigantine, and James Noble, the Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet, have been placed under arrest by the Imperial Governemnt with allegations of High Treason against the Government, causing a disolvment in the parliment. The nature of their offenses are still sketchy at this point but many are calling it a blant attempt by the Emporor of the nation to reject the furtherment of democracy in his nation. “This is a dangerous and grave time for the Imperium,” the Emperor declared. “I am acting in the best interests of my subjects, that is why I have undertaken these measures.” Political groups slammed the moves of the Emperor, calling for the immediate restoration of government. One Member of Parliament, speaking under promises of anonymity, called the Emperor “A relic of the past and a dictator. If the Emperor will not allow the democratic government to work, then what’s the point?” At home Prime Minister Rodriguez is calling for resolution of this situation and allow democracy to contiune. Untill this situation is resolved nations abroad, are holding their breath to see if democracy will flourish or perish.
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From the Financial Review Online
Available at www.FinancialReview.co.oc
Oceanian History Resounds Abroad
IMPERIUM - Far from the Citadel of Imperium the echoes of Oceanian history have begun to play out, this time in the nascent democratically elected legislature of the Conniferus Imperium. Several months ago, mounting public pressure forced Emperor Charles VI to cede some powers and allow the formation of Parliament through national elections. However, a recent Act of Parliament that grants a mining company the right to start operations under a forest in northern Conniferus has drawn severe criticism from environmentalists and other liberal members of the Conniferus Parliament opposed to the ruling Conservatives bill that ultimately passed. It was under this auspice that Emperor Charles VI refused to grant Imperial Assent on the grounds that the Act was “contrary to the aggregate social welfare of the population.”
Today, news sources within the Conniferus Imperium have reported that after hours of political deadlock Conniferus Prime Minister Kevin Holmes, after meeting with the Emperor for some time, was arrested by the Emperor on the grounds of treason and was subsequently placed under house arrest. Attempts by Oceanian media sources to reach the staff of Mr. Holmes have confirmed that Mr. Holmes is under house arrest.
The coup d’etat undertaken by the Emperor today signifies a worrying about-face for democratic governance in Conniferus, which for the past several months had been successfully transforming itself into a stable constitutional monarchy. Yet, despite the outcome this newspaper concedes history warned the Prime Minister Under Arrest that just such an outcome was likely if not to be expected.
In the narrowest scope, the United Kingdom of Oceania offers its own recent history as an example for the Conniferus Imperium. When King Andrew ascended the throne, he similarly dissolved Parliament to call new elections—an action legally valid under the constitutional conventions of the UK but against the spirit of the UK government that had evolved over the past century. Similarly to the situation in Conniferus, where there are yet no reports of significant civil unrest, life for the average Oceanian continued uninterrupted.
The end result, however, was a brief armed confrontation between supporters of the former government, which after refusing to acknowledge the dissolution of the government were charged as traitors, and the new government, which was ordered to seize and detain the former Prime Minister and his cabinet. Fortunately for the UK, the new king disappeared on a trans-Pacific flight en route to peace talks and thus allowed his successor to reinstate the old government.
The end result was the restoration of democratic rule. A democratic rule far more beneficial to the people of the United Kingdom than that of an autocratic monarch. It is just such a democratic rule that will better serve the people of Conniferus than one imposed by Emperor Charles VI.
Despite his calls for a new election, concerns over the fairness of those elections are both likely and rightly so. With Mr. Holmes government so unpalatable to the emperor there is no reason for the emperor not to handpick a government more to his taste. That is, one not as unlikely to challenge his direct rule—however lightly enacted.
The Financial Review, therefore, must condemn in the strongest possible terms the coup d’etat launched by Emperor Charles VI. Democracy and the rule of law, as wished and willed by the people must be preserved even at the cost of history and a monarchy so now obviously out of touch with reality. To those readers of this newspaper in Conniferus, we offer this brief history of the UK to raise the realisation that in this hour, the light of liberal democracy shall triumph over the dark despotism of tyranny in the new day that edges closer hour by hour.