15:34, Tuesday 29th November 2011
It was in the final minutes that Tubero decided to raise his voice. The full force of the Assembly, two hundred men - for they were all men - had gathered, the deep, authoritative rumble of the Consul's voice declaring the session upon the Assertion Laws. The debates, with their spiteful proponents and their bitter speeches, had long since ended; all that remained was Tubero, watched by some but ignored by many.
"Consul, if you will..." he said, awaiting for the nod from the bearded man in the judge's box at the centre of the hall before continuing. He stood at his table, in the semi-circle surrounding the Consul. "This bill, the anti-Catholic laws, may have some rational basis. The Pontificate has experienced conflict with the Church recently, as much they always have. Nonetheless, for what they are, they simply go too far."
He held up a sheet of paper, the bill printed upon it, "Gentlemen, have you read this proposal?" He looked down, dramatically reading through it and screwing his face tight with disgust. "These are its contents!; all Catholic collegiates will be immediately placed under state jurisdiction; applications for priesthood shall be monitored and approved by the state only. Do you see its implications?"
The Consul glared suspiciously at Tubero now. The old man, roaring dementedly with his hoarse voice, was the last of the vanguard; one of the few who had served under Annaeus and survived, the scars of attempted murder displayed with a sly pride upon his pale, wrinkled face. He was little more than skin and bone now, his large jacket and trousers hanging off him comedically; Tubero had nearly died the previous fortnight from leukemia though miraculously survived. The hall had once been silent when he spoke - now, a faint murmur of uninterested men's whispers hung like a dark cloud over Tubero, though even then, some of the younger assemblymen, watching with awe at the faded champion, paid apt attention.
"The freedom upon which this nation rests upon will fall from beneath its feet! The fabric that weaves us together, as Tosvannes, will snap, and -"
The Consul, a bearded man thirty years Tubero's junior, sighed, "That's enough now, Gaius."
Tubero shot a deathly stare at him. He raised his hand, and in what was a shout for him but barely muffled speech for others, "You will let me speak, you wretch!"
The Consul turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowed as he looked bemusedly at Tubero, "Excuse me?" Gaius repeated himself.
The Consul shook his head. With a few simple words and the slam of a gavel to his desk, two blue-jacketed young men, carrying Lyran rifles, walked lazily towards Tubero and grabbed him by either arm. The old man's face turned red with rage, though he focused on the wooden floorboards rather than struggle against soldiers.
With Tubero removed, a secret ballot was held. The party leaders went along each and every assemblyman in their rows, threatening them with untold levels of abuse and harm if they voted against the party line; after the display fit for strongmen, they promptly came over to the Consul and repeated their daily ritual; they begged, quietly but still like whimpering puppies, to see and record the ballots in exchange for several thousand dollars of hard currency, with permission granted once more. With that, they went back to their parties and asummed their caudillo appearances.
Fifteen minutes later, the votes had been counted. 108 to 92 in favour of the Laws, a 54% majority. Good enough.
.
Tuesday 29 November 2011
.
COMMENT (438 comments)
KEY POINTS
• The Tosvanne
government
passed a bill today
giving it greater authority
over Tosvanne Catholicism
• The bill
was prompted by the
Catholic
Church's refusal to
obey taxes on
non-Vencailene places
of worship
• Catholics have
organised massive
protests but no violent
action.
.Tuesday 29 November 2011
.
COMMENT (438 comments)KEY POINTS
• The Tosvanne
government
passed a bill today
giving it greater authority
over Tosvanne Catholicism
• The bill
was prompted by the
Catholic
Church's refusal to
obey taxes on
non-Vencailene places
of worship
• Catholics have
organised massive
protests but no violent
action.
Parliament passes act
attacking the Catholic Church
The Prefectural Assembly today passed a National Liberal-led bill that dramatically increases state control over the national Catholic church. In retaliation for the Church's refusal to obey previous legislation authorising taxes on non-Vencailene places of worship at a rate of 10% of income, National Liberal leader Publius Varro introduced the proposal to 'exercise state authority over non-Vencailene bodies'. Officially entitled the Assertion of State Policy Coordination with the Catholic Church, it was dubbed the Assertion Laws by lawmakers, and passed with a slim majority of 54% - 108 seats to 96 - amid strong Catholic-based Moderate and trade union-supported Socialist opposition.
The Laws force Catholic parishes to work under state supervision, with priests forced to attend state-controlled Catholic collegiates and initially attain a secular degree. Approvals for priesthood would be conducted by the Vencailene bureaucracy, sparking fears that the Vencailene Orthodox Church would use its new authority over Tosvanne Catholicism to undermine the rival church within Tosmaldevo. Churches would be required to pay a 10% tax, with priests subject to 45% income tax and a 0.7% increase in interest upon credit card purchases, this increase being paid directly to the state.
It is estimated that, with 80,000 Catholic churches and 90,000 priests, the state is set to profit on up to $1.2bn USD from the Assertion Laws, with the average church being taxed $1250 or 10% of its income annually excluding hidden taxes. Prefect Aemilianius has refused to comment on the Laws, though already major budgetary fighting has begun over the 1.2 billion; the Secretariat of Education seems most likely to receive it, according to sources.
The Centre and Socialist Parties condemned the Laws, the former saying in a statement that it was 'discriminatory and persecutive [sic] in nature'. The Centre Party holds its support base in Catholics, and is openly expecting to be targeted by the government soon. The Socialists, however, have primary sponsorship from two Catholic trade unions, the Union of Catholic Public Sector Workers (UCPS) and the Association for Young Catholic Farmers (AYCF), who have pressured the party into condemning the Laws at significant political expense among an increasingly anti-religious base.
The head of the Tosvanne Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Saxifrage, Aulus Helva, has condemned the Assertion Laws, saying at a press conference, "What we see here, coming from the Assembly, is the first clear attack upon religious liberty and Catholicism within Tosmaldevo. I only see one option here for our community; fight or flight."
His threats of revolt against the state prompted the Saxifrage Constabulary to publish an open letter, replying that Helva is subject to the 'possibility of arrest' at any moment until the New Year. Unconfirmed reports of Catholic insurrection in Tergeste were denied by local authorities, with Governor Vibius Licinus saying, "There has been no Catholic revolution in Tergeste, this is what all our sources tell us."
While no violence has been confirmed, Catholic lobbying groups, accompanied by the Socialist and Centre Parties, have organised massive protests. Catholic trade unions intend to coordinate nationwide one-day strike action on the 10th December, though several police forces have threatened to disperse all protests - prompting further threats of action by liberal groups, such as the online-based Liberty Tosmaldevo.
The Laws force Catholic parishes to work under state supervision, with priests forced to attend state-controlled Catholic collegiates and initially attain a secular degree. Approvals for priesthood would be conducted by the Vencailene bureaucracy, sparking fears that the Vencailene Orthodox Church would use its new authority over Tosvanne Catholicism to undermine the rival church within Tosmaldevo. Churches would be required to pay a 10% tax, with priests subject to 45% income tax and a 0.7% increase in interest upon credit card purchases, this increase being paid directly to the state.
It is estimated that, with 80,000 Catholic churches and 90,000 priests, the state is set to profit on up to $1.2bn USD from the Assertion Laws, with the average church being taxed $1250 or 10% of its income annually excluding hidden taxes. Prefect Aemilianius has refused to comment on the Laws, though already major budgetary fighting has begun over the 1.2 billion; the Secretariat of Education seems most likely to receive it, according to sources.
The Centre and Socialist Parties condemned the Laws, the former saying in a statement that it was 'discriminatory and persecutive [sic] in nature'. The Centre Party holds its support base in Catholics, and is openly expecting to be targeted by the government soon. The Socialists, however, have primary sponsorship from two Catholic trade unions, the Union of Catholic Public Sector Workers (UCPS) and the Association for Young Catholic Farmers (AYCF), who have pressured the party into condemning the Laws at significant political expense among an increasingly anti-religious base.
The head of the Tosvanne Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Saxifrage, Aulus Helva, has condemned the Assertion Laws, saying at a press conference, "What we see here, coming from the Assembly, is the first clear attack upon religious liberty and Catholicism within Tosmaldevo. I only see one option here for our community; fight or flight."
His threats of revolt against the state prompted the Saxifrage Constabulary to publish an open letter, replying that Helva is subject to the 'possibility of arrest' at any moment until the New Year. Unconfirmed reports of Catholic insurrection in Tergeste were denied by local authorities, with Governor Vibius Licinus saying, "There has been no Catholic revolution in Tergeste, this is what all our sources tell us."
While no violence has been confirmed, Catholic lobbying groups, accompanied by the Socialist and Centre Parties, have organised massive protests. Catholic trade unions intend to coordinate nationwide one-day strike action on the 10th December, though several police forces have threatened to disperse all protests - prompting further threats of action by liberal groups, such as the online-based Liberty Tosmaldevo.
