News Thread [Kylaris|Canon|IC]

by **Marirana** » Mon Jan 29, 2018 2:43 pm

FORMER GUERRILLA FIGHTER NAMED PRIME MINISTER
Is his first move as president Occhetto appoints former DFLIP member Amadeo Tajani Prime Minister

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Virginia Morceli (@MorceliVirginia )
29 January 2018 | Aquinas, Marirana

Lorenzo Occhetto (r) with new prime minister Amadeo Tajani (l)
Photo courtesy of Gianni Bertolotti.

AQUINAS, MARIRANA - In his first major move as president, Lorenzo Occhetto has appointed fellow Democratic Party of Socialists member and Councillor Amadeo Tajani as Prime Minister despite the latter being a member of the insurgent group the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Indigenous Peoples from 1976-1985.

In nominating Tajani, aged 64, Occhetto called the new prime minister a "great man, who has always stood up for dignity, justice and democracy even during Marirana's darkest days".

Tajani's nomination however has been complicated by the fact that the new prime minister was a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Indigenous Peoples from 1976-1984 during the civic-military regime where he was implicated in active insurgent actions. He was caught in 1985 where he was initially given the death sentence for crimes against the state, but this was commuted to a sentence of twenty three years' imprisonment being released in 2002 after being pardoned by then-president Stefano Uccello, always in his time in prison disputing that he committed violent acts. Receiving the right to run for office in 2010 he ran for a seat in the parliamentary assembly on the PDS list, winning handily in the Catacosi region.

The nomination of Tajani as prime minister has been seen as a move by Occhetto to better facilitate peace talks with insurgent groups as well as throwing a bone to his left-wing base by appointing an indigenous, hardline socialist as Prime Minister. Opposition councillors and senators have criticised the appointment, with Anti-Revolutionary leader Rosa Michelozzi calling Tajani "a disgusting man of a disgusting organisation" whilst former presidential candidate Alfonso Hatoyama criticised Occhetto "for appointing a former terrorist as the prime minister of our government".

Tajani has promised to "strive to realise the vision of Occhetto and ensure the government serves Marirana rather than monied interests" When asked about his past as a guerrilla fighter Tajani stated "what is done cannot be changed; what is the past is the past."

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by **The Ecclesiastical State of Tibernum** » Tue Jan 30, 2018 5:45 am

HIS HOLINESS ARRIVES IN MARIRANA.
Catapulting from Occhetto's agreement that the Pope could be a force in mediating peace, Pope Joseph has arrived in the capital; Aquinas.

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Julio Mendez (@MENDEZJ)
^{30th January, 2017| Tibernum, The Ecclesiastical State}

The Cathedral of St Aquinas, the seat of the Archbishop of Aquinas and one of the first Cathedrals built in Asteria Superior.
Photo courtesy of Enrico Maxwell

Tibernum, The Ecclesiastical State -

The Pontiff arrived in Aquinas, Marirana, earlier today as part of an impromptu visit to the country following the election of President Occhetto, leader of the Avanti Marirana! movement and party. His Holiness had made it explicitly clear he wished to travel to the country as soon as possible and did not wish to get "bogged down in the bureaucracy of organizing a formal state visit.

Sources from within Tibernum highlight that it was merely a matter of Clerical Secretary Bittencourt phoning the presidency and government of Marirana the day after Occhetto's election, in which they selected the date - 30th of January - for the beginning of the Pope's attempt at assisting the president in his goals of forging a peace between groups such as the 26th of May Movement and the DFLIP. Both groups, it is speculated, have been in contact with Tibernum in recent days.

Joseph, who has been calling for peace in the Mariranan Insurgency since he became Pontiff in late 2014, immediately congratulated what many called a 'left-wing populist'. However, given his commitment to negotiating with the insurgents, the Pontiff was a vocal supporter of his plans for 'peace', regardless of any other policy claim. Indeed, in an address to St. Peter's square during a sermon, he said that: "President Occhetto speaks of peace, and dialogue - it is time we let people beat evil, and not let it rest on the fate of bullets and bombs."

Meeting his Holiness at Aquinas' International Airport were crowds of individuals who were excited to see him, as their Holy Father, despite the rather spontaneous announcement of the visit. Additionally, President Occhetto was awaiting the Pontiff with a large escorted motorcade of the local police force requisitioned for the task today. Its loss of grandeur and splendor, traditional of Papal Visits, highlights the severity and rapidity at which this matter is being taken.

However despite the clear goals at hand a brief schedule has been released, which indicates that His Holiness will be partaking in many services throughout his stay in Marirana. The trip overall is believed to last approximately 7-10 days, but this is mere speculation. Perhaps the calls for peace will indeed draw out his visit, but only time will tell.

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by **Etruria2** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:13 pm

Government to begin Second Phase Reform Process by next week
Government seeks to dramatically reform the judicial system to chagrin of the establishment opposition parties
Lucca Roatta
^{18 January, 2018, 16.00pm | Poveglia, Vespasia, Transetruria}

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Second Citizen Ettore Mantovano has told the Senate that efforts to radically overhaul the Federation’s judicial system would being “within a matter of days.” The so-called “Second-Phase Reform Process” covers

Second Citizen Ettore Mantovano addressing the Senate over the planned reforms.

numerous aspects, including the immediate abolition of the Independent Financial and Political Investigation Agency (IFPIA), amending the constitution to allow the Justice Ministry to overrule parole rulings, introducing mandatory standard sentencing and granting the First Citizen the power to appoint and dismiss all judges at the federal level. His announcement was met with unprofessional responses by opposition senators.
Second Citizen Mantovano addressed a full-session of the Senate this morning, to which he informed the government would begin implementing the “Second-Phase Reform Process” (SPRP). While aimed primarily at the judicial system, the Second Citizen stressed that the SPRP would include much needed reform to the taxation system, labour market and infrastructure development.

“I can confirm to the chamber, that the government is now beginning the Second-Phase Reform Process” he said to loud cheers from government benches.

“As stated during the election, the second phase will cover vast areas of government responsibility. The first and foremost is to ensure that the justice system of our great nation works for everyone. That means ensuring that everyone and absolutely everyone is equal before the law” he said.

“For decades we have seen the powerful use the powerful to protect themselves from the law, the rich relying on the powerful to protect them from justice as they exploit the nation for their selfish ends” he said further.

“As such, the justice focused reforms will see the following. The first, is the abolition of the Independent Financial and Political Investigation Agency, which was established in 2010 by President Emiliano Reali, to apparently confront corruption. But as is the case, the Agency tasked with fighting corruption became corrupt itself. We all know the Orazi, Pecorini, Gallini and Di Leo cases. The IFPIA will end.

“In its place will be a new agency under the direct control of the Justice Ministry, which will maintain constant vigil over its conduct. It will prosecute the campaign against corruption at the federal, state and local levels without prejudice, without mercy or reprieve” he said to cheers and boos.

“Second, there will be amendments to the constitution to permit the Justice Ministry the right to overrule parole rulings, suspend early releases or reductions in sentences and introduce mandatory standard sentences. Never again will weak judges release onto our streets rapists, child killers, child molesters or murderers for good behaviour. Never again will these weak-willed judges return monsters to prowl our streets” he explained.

“we will remove judges the right to offer sentences of various lengths, instead, if one is found guilty of murder, in prison he or she will die. If a person causes serious harm both to people or businesses, the state or the nation, then they will spend the full-time in prison.”

However, the Second Citizen was swiftly interrupted by senators from the opposition. Prominent liberal of the Citizens’ Alliance, Paulina Taric said, “we warned the country during the election that the Tribune Movement would destroy our freedoms and now they begin it by arrogantly announcing it. This is a disgrace.”

Leader of the Citizens’ Alliance, Vittoria Vandelli bemoaned the reforms saying, “the end to the IFPIA and replacement by a government agency is a clear power-grab by the government, do you really think we will trust you [Mantovano] to not pursue your enemies, no matter how colourful your descriptions of them? We will oppose this with every fibre of our being, to ensure that you do not endanger our rights, our freedoms and judicial independence.”

Leader of the disgraced and declining Federalist Party, Goran Vujević said that, “this is the greatest attack on our judicial freedom since the military regimes, the government’s true face is now clear for the entire world to see. I speak for all Federalists, in that we will oppose you every step of the way.”

Justice Minister, Viktor Robar denounced the opposition, “these reforms would not be necessary if you had not surrendered the state to the powerful elite and their patrons in the [Euclean] Community. This would not be necessary if you had not surrendered services of the people to the corrupt few.”

Second Citizen Mantovano attempted to calm the debate by assuring the chamber that the reform process would also target other areas.

“Another key target of the reform process will both be the taxation system and labour market. The former will see large numbers of citizens who earn up to ƒ11,000 a year, be withdrawn from paying any income tax. We will also introduce progressive tax cuts to support start-up companies, small-to-medium sized manufacturers and increased taxes on the wealthy who export their wealth to foreign bank accounts.

“On the labour market, will seek to further extend worker’s rights, women’s rights and increase the percentage of pay offered during maternity leave. As well as introducing a Financial Transaction Tax, which will go straight into funding reforms to the tuition fee situation and fund mass-house construction. Unlike the parties opposite, we exist to honour our promises and to serve the will of the people” he said.

A separate constitutional amendment is being prepared for tabling. The Supreme Court Reform Act will seek to re-establish the power for the government to dismiss and appoint Supreme Constitutional Court justices. This was abolished in 2001 with justices holding their positions for life, however, the Tribune Movement campaigned on ending it. The party claimed during the 2016 election that the Supreme Constitutional Court had become the “ultimate judicial tool for protecting vested interests and serves to protect the agenda of the globalist elite in the Euclean Community.”

The Farmers and Workers Union has pledged to support the act in the upper-house. All constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, the Tribune Movement holds 171 seats out of the 270 and with the full support of the FWU’s 10 representatives, gives the government a very close majority of one.

Leader of the FWU, Maltko Jelenić told reporters that, “the government can expect the full support of the party in both houses of the United Congress. We are equally committed to seeing fundamental change to how our union is governed. We can’t stand by and allow legal inequality to continue.”

The Supreme Court reform is expected to be tabled Friday.

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by **Kisinger** » Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:17 pm

ERA OPENS FOR DEBATE ON ASSEMBLY FLOOR
The Economic Reform Act has been opened for Debate on the Assembly floor

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Hamdani Kuwat @kuwathamdani
July 21st 2017| Kota Merdeka, Negara

Kota Merdeka -

Today Jida Ambonta has, with the support of several assembly members, brought forward a new major legislative piece to open debate within the NEgaran Assembly floor.

This legislation is the new proposed Economic Reform Act, better known as the ERA.

The ERA proposes a wide variety of sweeping economic reforms, including but not limited to, a loosening of prior restrictions on foreign companies, the privatization of many state owned companies within the State Industrial Conglomerate (SIC) and shares within companies, and it also includes a variety of subsidies offered to foreign companies to set up larger industries as well as other major businesses in a wide variety of sectors.

The proposed privatization plan is not only the sale of majority stakes in completely state owned companies but as well as shares in other companies currently held by the state. These shares are expected, when the ERA gets passed to happen over several months with it first being open to investors within Negara then to all investors.

This legislation has been meet with much criticism especially from the Conservatives and Hardliners within the Assembly.

One such Hardliner, Yudyi Cinta,has gone as far to call it a "Attempt to undermine the ideals of the Negaran Revolution."

While the clear majority have not been as extreme in their criticism, the lack of support is detrimental to the health of the current coalition within the Assembly, furthering the rift between the Moderates and Conservatives but even going as far as straining the current atmosphere between the Liberals and Moderates due to large attacks against each respective parties by the Right.

Though Jida himself has been quick to come up with a response from the critics saying that, "Attempts to block this legislation are done by ignorant cowards who caused the defeat in Siamat and continue to push for complete state control.

Despite these initial setbacks, the ERA is expected to go up for voting next week and to easily pass through the Assembly due to the large majority currently held by the Moderate-Liberal Coalition, though the passage of other bills, most notably many of former Head Director Hizam Ribok's bills have become even more questionable due to the Hardliner fallout among the public.

If and when it does pass through the Assembly, it is expected to be opened for debate in the Directorate the moment it passes, and while the current Director of Agriculture has announced his restment for the bill it is expected to get passed due to Jida's tie breaking vote.

What is even more interesting is the fact that this is the first of many of Jida Ambonta's proposed reforms for Negara.

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by **Liecthenbourg** » Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:14 am

TERADA YOU SECURES PLACE IN UNIVERSITY OF VERLOIS
The daughter of Nematsujin Shikken Terada Yasunari, Terada You, has secured her place at the University of Verlois for the next academic year.

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Antoinette Giourd (@agiourd)
^{3 February, 2018| Verlois, Gaullica}

A view of the University
Photo courtesy of the University of Verlois

Verlois, Gaullica -

A thawing of relations between Gaullica and Nematsu, which had run cold ever since the Nouveau Anglet referendum in September of last year, came from the most unlikely of sources earlier today.

The University of Verlois has announced that the daughter of Nematsu's Shikken, Terada You, is becoming an alumni of the university at the start of the next academic year in September of 2018. The University, renowned for its prestigious stature and often ranking within top five universities in Kylaris, is Gaullica's oldest and most academically respected educational institution.

Ms. Terada tweeted her acceptance response for her application, captioning it with the enthusiastic remarks of "I got in!". Quite a popular celebrity both at home and abroad due to her limelight status as the daughter of the Shikken, it had been seen by many shortly after it being posted.

It also revealed that Ms. Terada will be entering the University to undergo a triple-honours degree in Management, Music and Gaullican.

Pierre Lebosque, head of the School of Language, revealed that "Ms. Terada had come to the university to secure her place in one of our interviews; and all I can say is that she was a natural in command of the language. I am sure she'll be a great addition to my department, as well as that of Music and Management."

This is not the first time individuals of importance in Nematsu have come to Gaullican universities. During the late 1800s and 1900s, many of the Nematsujin nobility sent their children to Gaullican universities, military schools and naval academies.

Bishop Hauet, Chancellor of the University, said he was "absolutely honoured" to have "the daughter of a foreign head of state" at the university.

Terada You's acceptance into the University has seen a greater interest in internet searches for the Nematsujin Shikken himself. Furthermore, sources near the government have even suggested that he may be arriving in Verlois to continue the thawing of relations both countries seem to require, following the 'Nouveau Anglet debacle.'

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by **Hyndana-** » Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:12 pm

LEAKED: New Supercavitating Torpedo in Development
Committee for Public Safety Rushes to Stop the Leak and Arrest Officer Santosh Chadha

Jayesh Bhola (@JaBhola)
^{3 February 2018 | Jalandhar, Hyndana}

Office of Defense Research Headquarters in Jalandhar

JALANDHAR - In the morning of February 1 our sources have confirmed that there has been a desertion within the Defense Ministry's Office of Defense Research - the country's leading agency for the development and improvement of military technologies. It is reported that Petty Officer (Second Class) Santosh Chadha fled the Navy Research Laboratory early in the morning with a number of documents, USBs and hard drives belonging to the Defense Research Office. By approximately 10:00 AM, sources state that the Naval Investigative Service (NIS) and the Committee for Public Safety (CPS) were informed of the desertion and potential leakage of sensitive information. The result was a monumental response seeking to arrest Officer Chadha and to recover the information stolen from the Laboratory. As the country is aware, the results were mixed. Chadha was arrested attempting to leave Hyndana, most of the information was recovered but some was successfully leaked by the Officer.

Who is Petty Officer Santosh Chadha?

Petty Officer (Second Class) Santosh Chadha joined the Hyndanan Navy in 2011. According to Navy records Chadha excelled in his training and his studies of choice, mathematics and physics, which prompted the Navy to assign him to the Navy Research Laboratory. There he was given security clearance to participate in a military research project which, based on the documents leaked, was the development of a supercavitating torpedo. Although Mr. Chadha was not part of the project since its inception the security clearance he was given allowed him access to much of the information regarding the project. It is still unknown the reasons for deserting and leaking secret information but many believe that it has to do with a love affair with another Officer that went sour.

What is this Supercavitating Torpedo in Development?

As was expected by many, coming from the Defense Research Office's Navy Research Laboratory, the information leaked is highly complex and confusing to many of our readers. Thus, the Times of Hyndana sent a specialized team to the Lalpur Institute of Technology (LIT) to understand what this project is and why it's so important and strategic. We interviewed Dr. Nerendra Sahni, Professor of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and an expert in naval military technology. Below it's an excerpt of our conversation with him:

Reporter: What's a Supercavitating Torpedo?

Dr. Sahni: A supercavitating torpedo is an underwater projectile that travels at very high speeds towards a desired target. These high speeds are achieved thanks to an effect in hydrodynamics that we call Supercavitation. To create this effect, these torpedoes usually have their noses fitted with flat disks and instead of conventional propellers they use a combination of rockets and hydrojets. When accelerating, the flat nose interacts with the water creating bubbles of vapor (also known as cavities) which engulf the whole body of the projectile and greatly reduces its drag when moving through the water. That's the basic effect. In reality this kind of torpedoes further amplify the effect by having the cavity "ventilated." That is, it's amplified by an injection of exhaust gases. In simpler terms, these torpedoes achieve high speeds by losing almost all contact with the water even though they are still underwater. It's an amazing concept!

Reporter: So no one has developed it before? What's the difference with normal torpedoes?

Dr. Sahni: Supercavitating torpedoes in reality have existed for decades already and some envisioned them as potential candidates for becoming "Carrier Killers." The differences between the two are their structures, their form of movement and their speed. Conventional torpedoes do not have flat noses like supercavitating ones. Conventional torpedoes usually do not have the kind of rockets and hydrojets that supercavitating ones have. In relation to their speeds, conventional ones travel at an average of 50 knots or around 100 km/h while supercavitating ones can achieve speeds of 200 knots or higher. With some developments, these torpedoes can easily reach speeds of 250-300 knots.

Reporter: What's the catch then? Why don't we use them widely throughout the world?

Dr. Sahni: Supercavitating torpedoes made big news decades ago when they were developed. But the hype was not realistic. It was soon discovered that these torpedoes had effective ranges of around 15 km while conventional ones could have ranges of 55 km or more. The flat noses meant that they could not carry sonars and other equipment that would give it guidance capabilities, due to the low surface area. That meant that the most one could do with them is give them a preset destination before launching, and the target could easily move. The speeds and the way they achieve those speeds also meant that they were extremely loud, about any sonar could pick up on them. Firing one of these would basically mean a suicide mission.

The Only Leaked Video Shows the Testing of a Supercavitating Torpedo - From the Initial Stages of the Project

Reporter: What's the fuss about this new version under development?

Dr. Sahni: Looking at the leaked documents, I can infer that Hyndanan engineers have been able to crack one of the obstacles. Somehow they have been able to figure out how to install sonars in the torpedo. That means that a flat nose was not used since it does not have a sufficiently large surface area. Beyond that, the propulsion mechanism was drastically changed. Instead of using magnesium which the only other supercavitating torpedoes use, they use lithium. I am not entirely sure how they were able to successfully switch to a lithium-based fuel but that gives this new version a range that is on average, 10 times greater than that of the other supercavitating torpedoes. The challenge is not on the kind of fuel, about every other engineering community knows that lithium is better. The challenge is the rocket and the motor, they were able to develop a new system. That, compiled with the new sonar system, means that the Navy Research Office has made a technological breakthrough never seen before.

Reporter: What does this mean in simpler terms?

Dr. Sahni: This new Supercavitating torpedo has two things the past versions lack: guidance and range. This new version can now be given a target and it will chase that target until it is reached. The new rocket and fuel used also increase the torpedo's range to around 150 kilometers. We know it can travel at a speed of at least 200-300 knots but based on some laboratory tests done throughout the world it could theoretically reach speeds of 5,000 km/h, though I doubt it will actually travel that fast. Laboratory tests of supercavitating projectiles followed very specific ideal conditions.

The torpedo would still be as loud as ever, there's no technology that can realistically reduce its noise. But it has the same or greater speed as before plus a guidance system that works as well as those in conventional torpedoes plus the added range. In short, the Hyndanan Navy could have developed a very sadistic weapon.

Reporter: How so?

Dr. Sahni: No military vessel in the world can outrun it. The fastest ships in the world reach average speeds of 60 knots. With the noise and the extended range,
any captain knows the projectile is coming and he can try to run but the torpedo will eventually catch up to the ship. So, put yourself in the enemy's shoes. You can either try to escape fully knowing that it'll lead to your crew's imminent death or you can simply abandon ship. In more strategic terms, this can actually be the first effective Carrier Killer Torpedo in the world.

It's very difficult to kill a supercavitating torpedo. Considering its speed and the depth at which it travels - it can move as deep as 30 meters below the surface - most existing missiles would be unable to intersect it. Almost all other torpedoes are not as fast and cannot maneuver as well. The increased maneuverability is thanks to the steam bubble surrounding the torpedo. An EMP would be useless due to the fact that the body of water acts as a natural shield for the torpedo. I'm not an expert of Naval Warfare by any means but the only realistic choice I see is to sacrifice a submarine in favor of the larger and likely more important naval asset.

Reporter: How is the Hyndanan Engineering Community reacting to the news?

Dr. Sahni: I think many of us are excited for the technological breakthrough but not so much for what this entails in military technology. If used for peaceful purposes, this breakthrough can truly benefit humanity by adding a new piece to the puzzle. That puzzle being that it will unlock submarine travel at very high speeds. Imagine crossing the Lumine Ocean in less than an hour! If further developed, it can truly benefit the whole human race and bring all of us closer together.

Reporter: What does this entail in military technology?

Dr. Sahni: I can't predict what the Hyndanan Navy is planning but the improved statistics can very well open the way to a new kind of highly-destructive armament.
It can set the basis for the development of a nuclear torpedo. I doubt it can be large enough to generate the damage inter-ballistic missiles generate but it could still have the sufficient power to do great damage. By now, many through the world are familiar with the videos showing nuclear tests performed in ocean waters mostly by Euclean powers. Combined with the silence and stealth of nuclear submarines, this new hypothetical kind of nuclear supercavitating torpedo could obliterate an entire fleet if the attack order is given. It can do much worse things such as target coastal cities. Although this is just us hypothesizing what the next steps of the Hyndanan Navy are, the possibility is still very much real.

Bloc A (right) is part of the Defense Administrative Complex

The Consequences of Leaking:

By Thursday afternoon, Officer Chadha was captured in the Lalpur International Airport by the Committee for Public Safety trying to escape the country. To many experts, it was only a matter of time before the CPS would capture the Officer. The country's leading domestic intelligence agency, the Committee for Public Safety is widely known to have operatives within the Defense Research Office. According to Dr. Sahni, "he was a very stupid boy for doing this. The researcher-to-agent ratio is not on his favor, even the janitor he saw everyday could have been an undercover agent." Now, according to our sources, Officer Chadha faces double-digit charges ranging from desertion all the way to High-Treason. In Hyndanan Imperial Law, to leak information deemed strategically important and of the highest security concerns for the country is to commit treason since it aids the enemy.

Moreover, the High State of the Empire is known for having a culture that frowns upon leaking behavior. Political analysts agree that to not deal with leakers harshly is to risk losing the favor of the Emperor. In a country where the Cabinet plays an important role running the country, other Ministers will not approve of the erring minister. As such, the Minister in question, in this case the Defense Minister could potentially see his practical power reduced as his influence diminishes. As a result, many expect harsh consequences for Officer Chadha or how Dr. Sahni puts it, "the boy will never see the sun's light ever again."

Military consultants agree that Officer Chadha is likely being held in the Underground Bunker of the Bloc A building of the Defense Administrative Complex (DAC). Bloc A's Bunker has been famous for serving as a temporal detainment center for individuals deemed to be high-profile, who have positions or information that is deemed of importance for national security. To remind our readers, the DAC is only a few miles away from the Secretariat Buildings and the Imperial Palace. As Mr. Chadha awaits to be court-martial, Hyndana's High-State likely wants to secure the suspect in a safe location in order to not risk falling victim to the works of other foreign intelligence agencies.

It Could Have Been Worse:

According to our Sources, the documents and USBs et al that Mr. Chadha was carrying and that were secured by CPS agents contained more information. The Officer successfully leaked some memos that mostly covered non-technical progress summaries of the initial stages of the project. Authorities soon realized that the he was also carrying technical documents such as blueprints, test results, and assembly videos, among others. As such, a number of Princes and Jagirs have praised the Committee's quick response.

Since the situation was contained by noon of that Thursday, the Ministry has been working closely with the Committee for Public Safety in figuring out just how much Officer Chadha knows about the new torpedo and whether or not he was in contact with other foreign entities across the world. No journalist has been allowed to talk or even see the Officer which has made Chadha's family worried for their loved one's welfare.

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by **Etruria2** » Thu Feb 08, 2018 3:15 pm

Tribunes Begin Attack on Judicial Independence: How We Got Here
As the government begins its assault on the constitution, first we must address how we came to this.

Gaetano Alessandri
^{5 February, 2018, 16.00pm | Poveglia, Vespasia, Transetruria}

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After 1 year, 6 months and 27 days, it has officially begun. The assault on Etruria’s democracy, freedom and liberty has begun officially with the Supreme Court Reform Act. This so-called piece of legislation aims to demolish the independence of the Supreme Constitutional Court by allowing the “First Citizen” to appoint and dismiss justices at a whim.

First Citizen Francesco Carcaterra has described the judiciary as the "shield of corruption and sword of the elite".

The fact that they are rushing this before the United Congress before the Second Phase Reform Process is telling of their intention. The Tribune Movement government must now truly be opposed by all Etrurians keen to see our democracy prosper.

Just over six years ago, former Federalist President Emiliano Reali announced that a referendum on membership of the Euclean Community would be held. In the previous decade there had been a shift in public opinion regarding the EC, support for membership had reached new heights, with some polls between 2010 and 2012 showing support for EC membership as high as 54%, however we now know something was amiss. That decision now stands as the most fateful since the restoration of democracy in 1983.

His promise resulted in the merger of fringe parties into the Tribune Movement. At first it too was fringe movement, led by a mixture of left-wing populists and nationalists, united solely in defeating any chance of EC membership. Its leader, Francesco Carcaterra was back then, not as charismatic, rather a gauky looking former history lecturer. However, the suddenness and shock of Reali’s promise angered many Etrurians who oppose the EC on multiple issues, be it culture, sovereignty, perceived injustices lasting from the Great War to fears of Gaullican domination.

As many mainstream parties declared support for the referendum, the angry and confused voters, the fiercely anti-EC looked for an alternative, they found in the Tribune Movement. Although the TM offered literally nothing in the form of a manifesto, it was too fractured and broad to do so, it received 3.3 million votes and 14 seats in the Senate and 10 in the State Council.

The Reali government lost up to 50 seats but retained a stable majority, while the Federalist Party simply failed to recognise its losses were the direct result of the referendum. Reali blamed insufficient progress in economic and social reform, while others in the party blamed a poor campaign. Within two weeks of the election, the government passed the act formally securing the date of the referendum – but there was a problem. Rising factional infighting in the Federalist Party saw Reali push the date back almost three years to 2016, to enable a “proper debate and lengthy campaign.” While in reality it was to give him time to unite his party – he failed. What it did do was give the TM three years to build and professionalise, the result of which would change Etruria forever.

Reali’s decision to push the referendum back soon resulted in it consuming all the oxygen, no major legislation was presented before Congress, while the government was so consumed with fighting the referendum with itself, that it failed to properly address the devastating scandals in business, the judiciary and high society. This would not only aid the TM in refining its identity and message, it would fuel its rise.

Following the TM’s surprise gains in the 2013 elections, it used its new momentum to build itself up from a fringe movement of No, to a legitimate political force. Carcaterra and his friend Ettore Mantovano, the deputy party leader, swiftly purged the most difficult members of the party through numerous alterations to the Movement’s charter, securing a near dual-monopoly of power over the party. Through this they elevated two particular individuals, Annalisa Scaduto and Maurizio Maraviglia. Scaduto was the leader of the left-wing faction of the party, advocating expansion of social-welfare, tough laws against corruption, nepotism and careerism in politics, while Maraviglia was the de-facto head of the far-right within the movement, who advocated a complete ban on immigration, disfranchisement of the Farsi minority, ban on abortion and restoration of the Diocese Statements (these were character assessments by local priests for all candidates for civil service positions, which required a score of 6 or more to qualify).

Carcaterra and Mantovano sought to promote the Tribune Movement as a truly and purely “populist” movement, neither exclusively left or right, but serving the sole wishes of the populace. They believed that a responsible mixture of leftism and rightism could create the ultimate political force, one that would shatter the status-quo, rip down the established elite and return power to the Etrurian peoples. What emerged in 2014, was a party dedicated to social-welfare populism and chauvinism, nationalism and ending the “hegemony of the parasite” (Egemonia del Parassita).

It was during 2014, that I and many other proud liberal-minded political commentators warned of the threat of the Tribune Movement, now stylised as the Movimento Tribvne in homage to ancient Solarian. I specifically warned that deep within its syncretic policy agenda was a penchant or desire for an authoritarian state, built upon popular or majoritarian infallibility. Carcaterra’s transformation came from this new message and purpose, he soon turned charismatic, charming and deeply focused, his ability to weave the TM’s agenda with the issues of the populace, their grievances over stagnant wages, rising inflation, general political malaise would prove fatal for the pro-EC project and Reali.

Come the referendum and the Tribune Movement and Carcaterra swiftly dominated the “No” campaign. Forming the Free and United Etruria campaign group, it campaign hard, tirelessly and with true media-savvy. Its argument was based entirely its anti-elite position, claiming that the Reali promise was a decades long conspiracy within the EC to rob Etruria of its independence, sovereignty and identity and secure Gaullican domination of Euclea. It produced claims that free-movement would destroy Etrurian culture, endanger the Federal union, the customs union would destroy jobs as the wealthy elite would outsource to smaller EC memberstates.

The TM and UFE’s nationalist argument was no more apparent than Carcaterra’s infamous line, “the north destroyed the Solarian Empire, they destroyed civilisation. We were civilisation, they destroyed it. We recovered, we rose again, they came for us again during the Great War, they came for us again in the Redemptive War and almost destroyed civilisation then. Now they seek to do it through the Euclean Community. Resist, vote no for Etruria, vote no for Solaris and vote no for all Etrurians past, present and future. Vote no for civilisation.”

On July 6 2016, No won by over four million votes. We would not join the Euclean Community, perhaps now, ever.

While Carcaterra understandably claimed victory for the Tribune Movement and the “people.” In reality, the Yes campaign was an utter failure, constant inter-party clashes within the Yes camp, poor messaging, poor organisation and constant claims by the TM that the EC would rig the vote, which went relatively unanswered crippled any chance for a progressive Etruria out of a yes win.

On July 7, Reali resigned as President. He was succeeded by his Vice President, Andrea Salvini who lacked any authority over the Federalist Party, which now was crumbling. He would last several weeks before a vote of no-confidence brought the government down, prompting a snap election.

Riding on the No victory, the Tribune Movement presented its original manifesto, claiming that the “elite would now seek revenge on the ordinary Etrurian” and that now was the time to “shatter the status-quo into oblivion.” The Federalist Party, the Etrurian Socialist Party and the Democratic League were devastated by the No win, they had staked much of their credibility on the referendum, but the poor campaign decimated that.
The Tribune Movement won the 2016 election with 53.31% of the vote, almost the exact same amount of No voters during the referendum. It gained 387 seats in the Senate and 171 in the State Council, enough in both houses to amend the constitution – though the latter would require all ten State Councillors from the Workers and Farmers Union, which had been a reliable ally of the TM during the referendum.

Francesco Carcaterra was duly elected President of the United Federation on August 16th. He proclaimed Ettore Mantovano his Vice President and declared his government the “the servant of the nation and people.” As liberals, social democrats and liberal conservatives shuddered and cowered before Carcaterra he would until now, prove mellow.

Between his election and today, his government took to moderate to even soft legislation. Though his first act as President was to officially abolish the Prospective EC Membership Reform Programme (PECMRP), which was used to bring Etruria up to EC political, economic and social standards. His government scrapped the National Economic Advisory Council, an unpopular body that constantly advocated austerity, a small state and strict neo-liberal positions.

This was followed by the introduction of minor tax reforms, including the ƒ10,000 allowance, which lifted 2.3 million workers out of taxation and a modest increase in the minimum wage to ƒ4.56 an hour.
In 2017, the TM government amended the constitution, renaming the country to the Popular Federation of Transetruria in an apparent effort to prove its people-centric nature, the office of the presidency was renamed to that of the First Citizenship to support the pointless symbolism of the first amendment.

This was followed by perhaps a referendum equally ugly as the EC membership vote. Eager to carry through on a promise, the TM government announced it would put to popular vote the question of restoring capital punishment for serious crimes. The sheer vileness of the question sadly dissuaded many liberals from even partaking in the campaign, though thankfully it was short. While the TM was accused of using state funds to pay for its campaign, little came of it after the people voted 66% in favour, my fellow democrats were more focused on criticising the very vote taking place.

As 2017 turned into 2018, the TM government was polling at 75% on the previous six months, Carcaterra was coming close to becoming the most popular Etrurian leader since Vinko Begović, the social democratic President who served between 1999 and 2008. I believe it is the moderate and slow approach of the first two years that has led to this moment. Having gained mass support, credibility and trust over fulfilling promises, the TM now seeks to do what it originally intended to do in 2014 – destroy the status-quo, shatter the elite and with it, Etrurian democracy.

While it is impossible to defeat the government’s plan to grant the Justice Ministry the ability to veto parole board rulings, reprimand judges or sack and appoint district-level judges at any notice, there is hope to defeat the plan to grant the Justice Ministry the right to appoint and dismiss members of the Constitutional Court. This must be done through popular protest, civil action and every democratic tool at our disposal.

I do not have the word limit to urge you in more detail, that shall come very soon in my next article, but for now, I urge you to read the government’s plan and look deep inside yourself. Do you want the government, any government, to possess the right and capability to bend the constitution to its will? Do you want a government being able to destroy your rights with a simple act, backed by crony judges? I hope not, because without the people, democracy dies. When democracy dies so too does freedom.

Read the act, read yourself and think of democracy.

Gaetano Alessandri is the deputy leader of the Citizens' Alliance and chairman of the Movement for a Democratic Alternative. He is the current Senator for Sassuolo and the CA's Spokesman for Economic Affairs.

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by **Ruttland** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:48 am

WITTMANN - EC SHOULD "NOT TOLERATE" DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN ETRURIA
Chancellor states that the EC should do more to protect democracy in Eculean non-member states

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Steffen Hertzog (@Steffhert)
10 February 2018 | Westbrücken, Werania

Chancellor Dietrich Wittmann speaking to reporters outside government house
Photo courtesy of Fabian Heilmann.

WESTBRÜCKEN, WERANIA - In light of judicial reforms promoted by the Etrurian populist government of Francesco Carcaterra Chancellor Dietrich Wittmann has harshly criticised his Etrurian counterpart for "undermining democracy in Etruria" and that the Euclean Community should do more to prevent "democratic backsliding" across Euclea.

"The fact is as said in Il Popolo [a newspaper in Etruria] the Etrurian government of Francesco Carcaterra has consistently worked against EC membership, economic reform and social progress with its embrace of a mix of right and left populism. It now seeks to demolish constitutional checks and balances in Etruria, which has since the end of the military regime in 1983 been a beacon democracy in southern Euclea".

"The Euclean Community's isolation of non-member states has been extremely destabilising for the democracies in these regions and its for this reason that the EC should not tolerate democratic backsliding in these regions. To do so would be turn our backs on the free market, liberal democratic foundations of Euclea and what binds us as a continent".

"The Weranian government believes that we need to work together within the EC to stop this kind of undermining of democratic institutions. Werania - which has long supported democratic development across the world - cannot work alone if we are to have a democratic Euclea both amongst EC and non-EC memberstates."

Wittmann's call for the Euclean Community to do more to promote democracy is not the first time the Weranian government has done so. Wittmann supported the "yes" side in Etruria's failed EC membership referendum in 2016 whilst also been vocal in criticising the role Rhakhataa has played in supporting anti-democratic forces in Euclea. Weranian foreign minister Viktor Oberhauser has stated that promoting democracy abroad is a "cornerstone of Weranian security and foreign policy" and has stated that Etruria's proposals to amend its judiciary is "regrettable".

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by **Etruria2** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:53 am

Francesco Carcattera denounces opposition to popularisation of the justice system
Carcaterra has described opposition as proof of "the Globalist elite's decline"
Lucca Roatta
^{10 February, 2018, 16.00pm | San Gennaro, Vespasia, Transetruria}

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First Citizen Francesco Carcaterra has denounced criticism and opposition to the judicial reforms, claiming accusations of authoritarianism are rooted in the “wretched cries of the tiny elite being wiped away.” His comments were made in a speech to party supporters in San Gennaro. He vowed to ensure that the reform passes and to restore “dignity to all citizens before the law, equality for all before justice.”

First Citizen Francesco Carcaterra made the comments at a rally in San Gennaro

First Citizen Francesco Carcaterra has denounced criticism and opposition to the judicial reforms, claiming accusations of authoritarianism are rooted in the “wretched cries of the tiny elite being wiped away.” His comments were made in a speech to party supporters in San Gennaro. He vowed to ensure that the reform passes and to restore “dignity to all citizens before the law, equality for all before justice.”

The First Citizen was unequivocal in his condemnation of the vitriol coming out of the pro-elite liberal media and parties, over the government’s planned reforms to the judicial system. He said, “already the elite and their lackeys in the liberal media have started attacking our reform agenda, already they denounce us, but as I have always said, the more they do this, the more we know we are just in what we do.”

Il Popolo has described the reforms as a “direct assault on the freedom of judicial independence”, while it has started peddling conspiracies that the Tribune Movement government under Carcaterra will use the reforms to target critics and opponents.

La Federazione for its part has claimed that the Tribune Movement will use the judiciary to protect itself from controversy, especially from rumours of corruption since 2016. La Federazione failed in January 2017 to spark chaos through its false-story on embezzlement by the government of the Central Bank to cover budget shortfalls; this was cited by Carcaterra in his speech to supporters.

“We all remember the fake story printed by La Federazione, that vicious and poisonous story that we are stealing money from the Central Bank to cover shortfalls in our budget. This is the best example of all things wrong with the Etrurian state, the lies, the deceptions, the plotting and scheming by the elites. With a reformed and populiarised judiciary we will be finally strong enough to pursue corruption in all sections of society, including the media” he said to loud cheers.

Justice Minister Viktor Robar who addressed the Select Committee for Judicial Affairs denounced the negativity of the opposition and their supportive media outlets saying, “how many cases can we count where the courts have served the demands and wishes of the metropolitan and globalist few?”

He reportedly took a trolley with over 8,000 files to the hearing, all of which contained the rulings of federal and state level courts which were in favour of wealthy business people and politicians, all of these cases were deemed suspicious by the Independent Judicial Overview Council, this was scrapped and brought under government control in January.

Justice Minister Robar took one file and began reading it, explaining, “this case was a charge against the Oculus Telecommunications Corporation, it was charged with bribing several Vespasian state officials for the construction of a plant over protected woods, the judge ruled in favour of the company because his son was interning at the company.

“This file, billionaire and EC activist, Mario Richetti, owner of Richetti Industries was charged with sexual harassment, charges were dropped under recommendation of the Federal Prosecution Service because of his and I quote, “good deeds for society through the Richetti Foundation”, which we now know donating funds to several law schools” he said further.

“Need I say more? This is not about power, attacking critics like the globalist media will say, but this is about ensuring the sanctity of our justice system, ensuring that justice is truly blind to wealth and power. All must be equal before the laws of our Federation, including me, you, your wealthy patrons and the ordinary man and woman out on the street” he said.

First Citizen Carcaterra said, “we have been polling as the most popular government since 1983, that is because we honour our promises, we fulfil them, we are empowering you the people, we are giving power and authority back to you, and we are tearing it from the Gaullican-backed traitors that have squandered our nation’s potential for decades.”

“When we secure the reforms and the justice system returns to be the service of citizens we can at least be sure that efforts against corruption will win out. We will win out over treason and betrayal and we will make Etruria the power it deserves to be” he said.

Second Citizen Ettore Mantovano was also attacked by the Nouvo Giorno newspaper today for failing to condemn the attack on Il Popolo’s Poveglia office. The offices on Palazzo Maurizo Venti had windows smashed and the pavement outside graffitied, the newspaper blamed the Poveglia Legione di Ferro Ultra, a football supporter group that has expressed support for the Tribune Movement in the past.

The Poveglia Police Force is investigation but ruled out early speculation as to who is guilty of the vandalism.

The Nouvo Giorno ran that the Second Citizen’s failure to address the attack on Friday’s senate session was “unacceptable and indication of tacit approval.” The Citizens’ Alliance also backed the paper’s salacious claim, but Second Citizen Mantovano in a brief statement said, “the act of individual citizens cannot always be the source of government comment. But the attack on the offices of a major national newspaper is regrettable.”

Earlier today however, Leonardo Gardini, the President of the Grand Duchy of Carvagna said that he would approach the Carvagna Constitutional Court to determine whether the reforms can be blocked from taking effect in the Autonomous Regions, while the Ossuccio and Aeolia state administrations have stated that they will not oppose the reforms affecting them.

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by **Legatia** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 7:38 pm

TERADA MAKES GAULLICA STATE VISIT
Talks on Gaullo-Nematsujin relations to begin in Verlois

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Tae Yoshida @Toshida
15/11/17 09:30 |Teien, Nematsu

Shikken Terada Yasunari and his wife, Terada Shinobu, pay their respects to a detachment of the Gaullican Republican guard.
Photo courtesy of Yukinoshita Yara

VERLOIS, GAULLICA-

Shikken Terada Yasunari, along with a number of key state officials, have arrived in the Gaullican capital of Verlois for a state visit to the Euclean nation. He is additionally accompanied by his eldest daughter, Terada You, who was recently accepted to an honors scholarship program to attend the prestigious Verlois University.

Greeted by President Jean Vallette and his wife, Evelyn, at Boffrand Airport, they were given a full tour of the beautiful Gaullican capital, whose influential architecture of old can still be seen in cities such as Teien, Heddokawa, and especially Yamato. Culminating in a full tour about the Gaullican National Assembly, and a presentation by the Gaullican Republican Guards, the Teradas were invited afterwards for a luncheon at the Presidential Palace, and tonight for a state dinner with major government officials.

The two leaders are expected to talk on renewals of Gaullo-Nematsujin relations after the Noveau Anglet regarding Gaullica, and in regards to Songhua in the face of a slight warming of relations seen by both countries over naval and other deals. It is the second state visit of Shikken Terada since his visit to Asteria last year.

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by **Vredlandia** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:16 am

Werner Martens: The man they fear in Eldburg

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Anton Graf Flottreiter (@grafflottreiter)
12th of February 2018 | Eldburg, Vredlandia

Werner Martens, winner of the Königsbrück II by election
Photo courtesy of Wes Anderson-Cooper

Eldburg, Vredlandia - A spectre is haunting Vredlandia – the spectre of Werner Martens. The winner of the Königsbrück II by election is set to take his seat in the following weeks and the Unity Party looks set to exclude him from the party, thus declining him his seat. The conflict would have to be solved judicially and threatens to unravel the Vredlandian system at a whole.

Walking on the streets of Königsbrück, the world in the old centre of Veran Vredlandia seems no different to any other day. An elderly shoemaker sits on a bench outside of his house and enjoys a beer, he greets my interviewee and cheers to him. "I voted for you!", he exhails with excitement. In the electoral district Königsbrück II, the citizens narrowly voted Werner Martens into office, and they don't understand why that's such a shock to Eldburg - although they enjoy it - nor why they're the centre of news now. "We are the most beautiful city in Vredlandia, but you only talk about us if we vote in a way you don't like", the shoemaker says to me. Of course, the accusation is meant not for me personally. Not even media alone, the so-called Fourth Estate. His accusation stands against the whole system: Politics, media, and even the holy Church. The establishment.

Mr. Martens, the Assemblymember designate, defends me of the shoemaker's attacks. A young follower of Martens films it, and I'm certain to find it on Twitter when I check my timeline later. Those who believe in Marten will then flock to the comments and tell me and my media colleagues that he's a gentleman and we should be thankful for his behaviour after our horrible/unhonorable/dirty/... treatment of him. What they think of his relentless and often factually unfounded attacks on what he considers the establishment? An answer to that will either be evaded, or delivered with brutal hate. "You deserve far worse", "Choke on your lies until your face turns blue", "Chug bleach". Their hero, Martens, officially disavows of their "rhetoric", but he falls short of denouncing them. "I'm glad citizens are speaking their voice", he tells me as we walk away from the shoemaker.

We walk into a beer hall - native territory to him. Nearly everyone here voted for him - in his electoral district overall it was only 54.6 %, and that was after a runoff he only narrowly entered as the second most voted for candidate in the first round. If Eldburg and the Unity Party want to know how he could beat a candidate that was endorsed by nearly all of the Assembly, including the Seneschal, they only need to listen to the visitors of the beer hall and their stories. They're all white, most above 50 and worked all their lives. They fear a loss of identity a culture and don't understand the world anymore. They don't understand why three members of the Cabinet are from the LGBT community, but not a single one hailed from a worker's family. Often their criticism crosses an ethnical line, when they're angry at Vreden, who they consider to be lazy and priviliged. All that angers them, and they don't understand why the media and Church don't understand that; why they're left alone by everyone. Everyone but Martens.

Before Martens, someone else earned their trust: Franz Grunwald, the smart conservative that would become Defence Minister under Raivo Kloth, before he was brought down by Treuwegen and the Holy Father and eventually jailed for his involvement in the Farsi chemical scandal. They believe Grunwald's takedown was politically motivated, and Werner Martens used this sentiment well in his race. "Our sloppy Seneschal ought to leave the country - When I take my seat in the Assembly and uncover all the curroption surrounding Grunwald's arrest, the people of Vredlandia will hunt the Seneschal out of the country", he tells me even now, probably well aware that everyone in Eldburg will be listening very closely, hoping for any indication that Martens could calm down.

But Werner Martens' views on Grunwald are only one of the most minor issues for the Unity Party. Martens has made no secret of his dislike for Vreden citizens and that he favours Weranians, he wants to undo the reforms and double down on social security, he wants to return the Church to its values - or untie it from the state. Theoretically the Unity Party has no choice but to eject him. Yet they fear the liberalisation of the last few years could break their own neck in this affair. Politics under Holy Father Jakobus always turned to him, and trusted him with everything. Never before were religion and state as aligned as in the years of his reign. Political aims like national unity or central control - in law and the judiciary - were weakened to the benefit of Vredlandia's religious values, namely individual liberty. That a far-right, authoritarian collectivist can make use of this is truly the irony of history.

"Eldburg elites are scared because they know I'm only the precursor of a wave that'll swipe them and their jobs away. Let them come for me - The people will take what's theirs."

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Jubty · 1 hour ago
Disgraceful advertisement for a man like this. Please delete this article.

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Grosarnst · 1 hour ago
RELEASE GRUNWALD NOW!

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Wiederhörer · 1 hour ago ago
I'm sick when I see how u write about our working men

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by **Liecthenbourg** » Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:42 pm

MARTENS IS A BLEMISH ON VREDLANDIAN POLITICS
"The only reason they call Martens a spectre is because his ideas should be dead."

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Raivo Kloth - Guest Columnist
^{20 February, 2018| Verlois, Gaullica}

Raivo Kloth, in a fairly modern office within the Quesnay School of Economics.
Photo courtesy of the Quesnay School of Economics.

Verlois, Gaullica -

When I stepped down as Seneschal on the 1st of November last year I was confident in Vredlandia's capability to maintain a steady course. A course that was, despite the rejection of my Reform Bill, rooted in my political outlook in the market liberals of the Unity Party. Sensechal Treuwegen, my successor, is the captain of the Vredlandian ship; the sturdy sailor who is adept at rigging, he who keeps the ship flowing in the breeze that is worldly politic.

Martens is nothing short of an angry wave, from the depths of untouched lands, pouncing on this ship to try to steer it into the rocks.

They say that Martens is the man they fear in Eldburg; but they don't fear him because of any political tact or capability. Martens is the man they fear in Eldburg because Martens would undo everything that the Vredlandia state represents.

An uncouth barbarian, who espouses Weranian nationalism -- are we not Vredlandians? -- Martens would see the undoing of the Vredlandian state at its very seams. He would plow his anchor to ideas we don't like, and bring down the ship by hammering out its deck.

He espouses contempt and disregard for political elites -- any many hold onto Martens' Cooperativist years as his ideal of being a working-class hero. But the working class hero doesn't discriminate on race; and Martens want a Vredlandia with no Vredens (I personally think 'landia' is a terrible name for a state.)

Yet not many remember that Martens is nouveau riche, or at least he tried to be. He's no more a working-class warrior than your average teller clerk in a bank; an empty suit. Though not so empty, Martens is a snake oil salesman - his wares are hate, now with bottles of discrimination too.

A failed cooperativist.
A failed businessman.
I suppose 'A failed politician' is going to be on that list eventually; so he might as well start now.

The working classes need to be helped, of this there is no doubt. Unfortunately, the Reform Bill -- in my honest view -- was a way to do so. The liberalisation of our markets brings unparalleled wealth to all sectors of civil society, jobs aplenty - industry renewed. But to say that Vredlandia, like Martens cares to espouse, has done nothing for its working poor is outlandish.

Martens is feasting on lies, supping on a poisoned cup of ruby red wine -- and inviting all of you to sip.

As many of you know, I reside in Gaullica now - with my wife, whom I met here during my university days. Its mandatory here, to learn of the tragedy that was the... acceptance of a man very like Martens, an 'outsider', fighting for the 'working man', coming along and screaming at the establishment he himself was associated with by profession.

Martens and Duclerque, Duclerque and Martens. Two sides of the same coin, waves coming to destabilise the ship of state.

But Vredlandia is a mighty ship, with a mighty captain - and open the shore, a Holy Father who guides them ever closer to safety, away from the dreaded rocks that Martens would push you into.

My sweet Vredlandia - Martens is a man of illusions and lies, facades and veils. Do not trust him as far as you could throw him; and he needs to be kicked over-board the ship of state.

Raivo Kloth served as Seneschal of Vredlandia from late 2015 to late 2017. Previously he served as Mayor of Vredensund from 2001 to 2015. He currently teaches administration, law and economics at the Quesnay School of Economics, where he graduated from in Gaullica, as well as sitting on the advisory board for the university's R&D division in conjunction with the wider Euclean Community. His opinions are his own and do not reflect Le Monde.

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by **Ruttland** » Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:33 am

OBERHAUSER - "WE CAN AFFORD TO END AUSTERITY"
Foreign Minister and KOP leader states that the current situation is "unsustainable" in an apparent attack against the Chancellor

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Steffen Hertzog (@Steffhert)
20 February 2018 | Westbrücken, Werania

Foreign Minister Viktor Oberhauser at a KOP party conference earlier today
Photo courtesy of Jürgen Fischer.

WESTBRÜCKEN, WERANIA - In a speech today to members of the Cooperative Party current Foreign Minister Viktor Oberhauser has stated that "we can afford to end austerity" seemingly contradicting statements made by Chancellor Dietrich Wittmann last month that the current austerity policy was "not a choice".

Speaking at a party conference to members of the youth wing of the KOP, the Young Cooperatives, Oberhauser stated "we're in a surplus now...the situation is quite unlike what it was a decade ago when we were forced to implement austerity policies to deal with what was one of the worst economic downturns in the Eucleozone."

"Its the time now to turn on the spending taps, to invest and to build a better Werania. That has been the aim of the KOP and we must in government endeavour to carry out our goals of social justice and the pursuit of a fairer Werania".

Oberhauser's new stance on spending has come after months of pressure on the KOP leader by members of his party tired of the austerity policy the KÖP has supported since 2007. Despite boasting of some policy successes - such as raising the minimum wage, replacing plans to privatise various public services with public-private partnership schemes, raising the housing grant and lowering tuition fees from €3,000 to €1,500 - the KOP has seen its popularity decline as over 11 years of coalition with the conservative Modern Centre Party has seen its supporters leave the party to support the revitalised National Consolidation Party on the right and the populist Left-Greens on the left.

Oberhauser, elected as KOP leader on a platform of revitalising the party's centre-left credentials in the face of the ineffectual leadership of his predecessor and current EC Jobs, Growth, and Investment commissar Rosewitha König, has come under criticism of not implementing the left-wing policies he promoted in his 2014 leadership campaign especially his commitment to lessen the austerity measures started by the previous government. With the budget in surplus the pressure on Oberhauser has increased to take a firmer stance against the austerity policies.

The speech by Oberhauser has been positively received by KOP members with the KOP's approval rating going up in opinion polls. Political scientist Tsjalkjje Van Der Woude has stated that "Oberhauser's speech is intended to assure his party that he will uphold his promises, something the KOP has been accused of not doing in its 11 years in government. If Oberhauser is sincere in his effort to end austerity measures electorally the KOP will benefit".

"The real question is whether Modern Centre and Chancellor Dietrich Wittmann will approve of the lessening of austerity measures or if the coalition will collapse.".

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by **The Kingdom of Glitter** » Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:26 pm

EC PREPARING SANCTIONS ON ETRURIAN OFFICIALS OVER PROPOSED JUDICIAL REFORMS
Glytter's delegate to the Euclean Council confirmed that sanctions would be unveiled by the end of the month.

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Rory Cork (@rcorkgbf)
^{21 February 2018 | Kesselbourg City, Kesselbourg}

Glytteronian delegate to the Euclean Council Vittorio Maulucci confirmed the body was drafting sanctions against Etrurian officials.

KESSELBOURG CITY – Glytter’s representative to the Euclean Council, Vittorio Maulucci, told reporters that the Euclean Community was making “steady progress” in compiling sanctions on Etrurian government officials for proposed legislation that would curb the independence of the nation’s judiciary.

“Such brazen attempts to weaken one of the tenants of a functioning democracy, an independent judiciary, cannot go unpunished” Mr. Maulucci said.

The EC has been working on what Mr. Maulucci described as “far-reaching, targeted” sanctions designed to “punish those directly responsible for moving to dismantle the Etrurian judiciary”.

The Judicial Reform Act seeks to grant the Justice Ministry the power to appoint and dismiss all justices in the Constitutional Court, federal judges and district judges. It also seeks to grant the Justice Ministry and office of the First Citizen the power to overturn rulings of the constitutional court, should they feel a ruling to be politically biased. It also wants to grant the same bodies the power to overturn rulings on parole and introduce constitutionally mandated standard sentences for crimes

“With powers such as those granted by the [Judicial Reform Act], why have a judiciary at all” Mr. Maulucci asked rhetorically.

The EC has seen extensive calls for sanctions on Etruria for the proposed reforms, from activists and member states alike.

Officials in Carcosa and Florena have bemoaned the slow-moving nature of the sanctions, but Mr. Maulucci defended the pace at which the Council has moved.

“We want to be absolutely thorough in this” he said.

EC President Walker said the proposed judicial reforms posed “a direct threat to judicial independence and due process”. She also echoed concerns that the Etrurian government would use the reforms to silence critics of the government.

“Impartial judges are central to a fair trial” Ms. Walker told reporters.

She has also indicated she supports the efforts of both the Euclean Council and the Euclean Parliament, saying that “regressive reforms should be met with sanctions”.

The EC’s Foreign Director, Toryd Hæsauga, warned that the way to combat corruption within the state was “not by dismantling independent branches of government to bring them under partisan control”.

Mr. Hæsauga was referencing the Etrurian government’s decision to disband the Independent Judicial Overview Council and bring it under government control.

The findings of the now-defunct Independent Judicial Overview Council have been central to the government’s argument for reforming the judiciary.

He also condemned the Eturian government’s repeated attacks on the nation’s press, warning the government that the EC would pursue “expansive, far-reaching sanctions” should the freedom of the Etrurian press be challenged.

In recent weeks, violent attacks by Ultras, groups of Etrurian football fans who have enthusiastically backed the populist Tribune Movement, have targeted the Etrurian press and opponents of the government.

The offices of Il Popolo, an Etrurian newspaper that recently criticized the government’s planned judicial reforms, were ransacked by the Legione di Ferro Ultra.

The Ultras have consistently lashed out at critics of the government, including Glytter’s delegate to the Euclean Council Vittorio Maulucci who went into a self-imposed exile in Glytter following a series of threats and attacks by the Ultras.

Mr. Hæsauga said that the Etrurian government’s “inability to reign in” the violent groups was “as bad as openly condoning their behavior”.

Glytteronian officials are among a chorus of top ranking Euclean leaders who have publicly expressed concerns over the intended reforms in Etruria.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Kean said that the Glytteronian government was in “full support” of any sanctions on a Euclean level.

“Democracy should be both safe-guarded and fostered by the Euclean Community. Sanctioning those who wish to destroy it is central to that mission”.

Sources familiar with the sanctions being drafted have indicated that they would target Etrurian government officials and their allies, not the country at large.

“It would be a mistake to punish the nation” one source said.

“Those responsible for dismantling the democratic process and the judiciary should be punished; not the working men and women who would suffer under sanctions with a larger scope” another told GBF Euclea.

The specifics of the sanctions have not yet been unveiled and the exact targets remain unknown.

Delegate Maulucci confirmed the sanctions would be made public “sometime next week” and put before the Euclean Parliament.

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by **Caltarania** » Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:15 pm

CARCATTERA; THE WOLF IN PROLE'S CLOTHING
"As much of the people as a camel is of the tundra, Carcattera has played the greatest political game of our century."

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Ambròs Maurel - Guest Columnist
21 February 2018 | Demora, Florena

First Citizen Francesco Carcaterra, prior to an Etrurian Way rally.

Demora, Florena -

"Again I tell you; it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

It is said that the most dangerous man in politics is he who convinces you that he is on your side. He'll fight your fight, end your troubles and bring your salvation; but this always comes at a terrible price.

For in order to secure your utopian future, he would tell us, sacrifices need to be made; omelettes are undone by unbroken eggs. So, he says, we must sacrifice some liberty for some security. We must sacrifice some equality for some progress. We must sacrifice some basic human decency for some smidgen of wealth. Again and again, the cycle turns, and the hard-fought rights of man are traded for promises of utopia.

What the great strongman never tells the people, by his own volition, is that the sacrifices are not unfortunate necessities; but the core building block of his reconstruction project. One does not restrict the press for only a time; one restricts it for an eternity. One does not bind the power of the judiciary to the power of the executive for only a time; one restricts it for an eternity.

Why? Simply put, the so-called strongmen can only stand if they hold the keys to power. Only if they maintain control and influence over the infrastructure of a nation can they possibly hope to control it. Not just the trains and trams, but the infrastructure of thought; the media, the infrastructure of affluence; the means to production, and the infrastructure of violence; the military. Control the infrastructure of a nation, and you control the nation. And it is essential for the false-populist to control the nation.

Though they maintain that they have the people's support, those of the right who clamber to power by this notion instead have the support of those opposite; those who hold the power already.

Carcaterra is a millionaire; Duclerque was a socialite; Castello was a junker.

A revolutionary does not own millions while preaching for the lower class. A revolutionary gives up her wealth to help her people, and rebuilds her country to suit their needs. Elíamar was a revolutionary of noble stock; Duclerque was a reactionary of working stock.

Carcaterra is a reactionary, through and through.

His feigned interest in the plight of the Etrurian lower-classes is, well, just that; feigned. He wishes to hold the keys to power; because the object of power, is power. Carcaterra is no populist. He is a fraud, feigning interest in those who he has helped to oppress. As much of the people as a camel is of the tundra, Carcattera has played the greatest political game of our century. He has tricked the exploited that their enemy is not the exploiter, but the foreign exploited.

It is the greatest tragedy of our age.

Ambròs Maurel serves as the incumbent President of Mil·lenáris Socialistes. His opinions are his own and do not reflect els Temps.

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by **The Ik Ka Ek Akai** » Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:55 am

SESQUICENTENNIAL
150 years ago to the day, Natàlia Mortes published her story about a dangerous quest to the Euclean hinterland

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Kheto Fho ( @Fhokhet )
22 02 2018 6:30 PM | Pelore, Cheospetia

Taken in 1871, three years after Mortes published her account of Cheospetia
Photo courtesy of the public domain.

PELORE, CHEOSPETIA - A century and a half ago, one Floren woman took the initiative in Paleoeuclean anthropology and led the charge into the continent's hinterlands. Exploring the tribes, their land, and their customs, she wrote a highly detailed account from her first-hand experience with the Cheospetic people to preserve in text the way of life that was ever-increasingly under threat from the modern world. Both internal and external factors would endanger the indigenous tribal customs, but Mortes led the charge to record the ancient customs of the land before it was too late. Although in the modern day, Cheospetia functions well under its own rules and culture, this was by no means the case in the mid-19th century when Mortes was conducting her studies. Often considered the founder of Cheospetic Studies, an academic subfield of wider Paleoeuclean cultural analyses, her work proved instrumental to a greater understanding of one of the largest of the indigenous peoples of Euclea, and helps to contextualize ancient Solarian accounts of the Cheospetii.

The land of Cheospetia was poorly understood to Eastern Eucleans for most of the continent's history. Despite an outward flux of Cheospetic mercenaries throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, their interactions with outsiders did not help in the field of cultural understanding. Instead, rather, most writers seemed to believe that they conformed to the stereotypical view of a barbarian as defined by the Solarian Empire. As such, they were dismissed by those who took little interest as a race of simple-minded primitives with violent tendencies, living on the bare minimum and unable to control their vices when faced with excess. Simultaneously the image of utmost decadence and of utmost simplicity.

While the rare natural philosopher ventured to discover a truer culture beneath the rumor, producing some of the earliest dictionaries of the Cheospetic language in translation to common tongues, this ultimately led to the application of the ancient Noble Savage trope to the Cheospetic people. This was perpetuated further by the birth of nationalism and enlightenment primitivism,
with nations traditionally opposed to the Solarians, as well as individuals wary of the Solarian and Sotirian legacies involving authoritarianism, and putting forth the idea of an urban rot, all standing within the camp of the Cheospetic as the noble savage. Historical events were portrayed as the uncorrupt Cheospetic tribes fighting an underdog war against an aggressive empire with a decadent, rotten soul. The Cheospetic raids, invasions, and settling as mercenaries abroad were rewritten as proselytizing for tribal purity and striving to help others understand their ways, and furthermore as a defensive reaction to foreign encroachment upon their land.

As with all things, the truth always lay somewhere between. For all the posturing and defining that people of the era made about the Cheospetic people, few dared venture to ask them what their perspective was. This is because many, regardless of stance, were well aware of how dangerous the country could be to foreigners, and ultimately the debate came to whether or not the tribes should be blamed for "bestial and primitive aggression toward civilization", or should be praised for "deep caution and preservation of noble tradition", with the camp fluctuating based on the popular philosophies of individual localities. It was known during the 18th century that some foreigners ventured into the hinterlands to join the tribes in their way of life, living among them and enjoying what they viewed as a "pure, noble, and natural" way of life. None of them, however, would return or report to outsiders their findings on the Cheospetic nation and its culture.

Mortes took an early interest in anthropology. As a young girl, she was fascinated with the foreign communities in Floren ports. Fascinated by cultures not her own, and an avid historian, she searched the local library for ancient Solarian accounts to better understand the history of the continent. The impetus for this was her viewing of old Solarian ruins, not just lying within the city, but particularly when she undertook a visit to an archaeological dig being performed by her father at an abandoned temple village. When told the history of the site, she had been informed that Tenic raiders were said to have pillaged the temple and burnt the village. Confused, as her understanding of the Tenic peoples was only in their much-reduced form of the modern era, she looked to ancient records in hopes to understand the origins of the Tenic peoples, and found herself fascinated with the presentation of ancestral Tenic groups as a widespread and powerful force in the ancient continent.

Her studies did not end with the Tenics, as she delved deeper into Solarian accounts and learned of other tribal peoples. The one that caught her eye most of all was that of the Cheospetii, a group described by the Solarians as a race of fearsome warriors, half-beast in their nature, and said to be unrelated to any other Euclean race. Colloquially termed shadowmen, she delved deeper and deeper into research of the Cheospetic nation only to find many conflicting and incomplete reports, and little information of particular substance about their culture, religion, and local history. Frustrated, she decided there was only one way to resolve the issue.

At the tender age of 15, she informed her family of her desire to visit Cheospetia to study the people there. After a great deal of explanations, she ultimately convinced her father that she should be allowed. So it was, and she was booked travel to the land. It is said that on the trip, she met several older anthropologists, also interested in Paleoeuclean culture, but instead focusing on other groups such as the Rhakhese, the Eiran, and the Parvorians. Telling them of her journey to Cheospetia, even among the relative underdeveloped Western half of the continent considered a near-feral hinterland, they applauded her bravery and wished her the best of luck. By the end of the trip, she had made of them friends with which she would remain in regular contact through the years.

Entering through riverboat one of Cheospetia's deltas, she journeyed inland for two days before being ambushed by a local tribe.
She recorded the encounter as it occurred in great detail, writing of the peculiar appearance of the locals, the weapons they used,
and her emotions at the time- a mixture of confusion, terror, and excitement. It was not long before the steamer was rammed with a traditional dragonship and boarded, the crew and lone passenger rounded up, captured, and taken to the camp. According to her journal, the battle lasted only twenty minutes, and the most grievous injury suffered by the crew was one man with an arrow through his thigh, though she wrote many had very close calls with javelins.

Brought to their home camp, she used her limited knowledge of the Cheospetic language to indicate that she intended to come as a friend. She lived as an indentured servant among the tribe for five months, slowly picking up their language during the time. After this period, she was entrusted by her master to conduct trade and contact with nearby tribes. One thing she noted particularly was that, despite her status as more-or-less a slave and a woman, she was treated with a much more egalitarian attitude by the tribals than she was by her urban Euclean counterparts. She noted that there was a communal work ethic among the tribe, wherein food and clothing was distributed among the people, but on the expectation that they contribute to the tribe.

After a full year as a part of the tribe, she woke one morning to find herself being brought before a traditional shaman, who held a needle and a small bowl of ink. Submitting herself to the tattoo process, she would bear these marks on her skin for the rest of her life. With this, she was considered a tribal affiliate, and all other tribes knew she was under their protection. With this, she thanked them, and explained her need to travel across the whole land to gather notes, study the people, and report accurately to the rest of Euclea her findings on their people.

Traveling for about seven years among the various tribes, she became wholly fluent in their language as well as their sign language. It was said by elders during the early 20th century that she was the only foreigner to speak without an accent. Returning to her home in Florena, she became an instant celebrity for the facial tattoo she had received years ago. Mortes published her accounts and observations of the Cheospetic people, their customs, their religion, and both the oral and written histories that they presented to her. This account would prove fundamental in coming years to a better understanding of Cheospetic culture, and helped contextualize the ancient Solarian accounts of the Cheospetii to a degree previously unknown.

Apart from helping to found a firmer anthropological scientific method, and to provide much greater aid to the field of archaeology all across the western reaches of the former Solarian empire, her account of Cheospetia would further be instrumental in Paleoeuclean Comparatives, to the degree that she is believed to have coined the word "Paleoeuclean" to describe the ancient culture of Cheospetia. The friends and contacts she made on her trip to the West would each have their own reports on their respective Paleoeuclean groups, and the comparisons of their findings led to the modern theory of a potential common substratum underlying the Paleoeucleans and a prehistoric cultural sprachbund, much in the same way as Native Asterian cultures, where though the languages might not align and cultures inevitably stand distinct there exist a large number of common factors over a given area between these seemingly unrelated groups.

Today we celebrate Mortes and her daring expedition to Cheospetic land at a time when the survival of their culture was anything but certain. We thank her for her advancements in anthropological sciences, and for her scientifically-based method and lens through which she observed the Cheospetic people. It was said that in the 1920s, when the modern Cheospetic state was still in its infancy, Mortes, in her old age, revisited many of the people she met all those years ago, and together produced a video with sound whereby the guests explained their tribes and customs using traditional sign language, with narration in several languages made available to translate the signs. For an epilogue to the story of her daring expedition to the remote temperate rainforests of Cheospetia, one can't imagine a better note to close the book on.

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by **Caltarania** » Fri Feb 23, 2018 1:54 pm

ESCUDERO REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ETRURIAN SANCTIONS
Ahead of the arrival of Glytteronian Foreign Minister Kean, Premier Rosa announced "unanimous support" for punitive action against Etrurian officials

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Eudòcia Solís
23 February 2018 | Demora, Florena

Premier Rosa Escudero, during a recent press conference.

Demora, Florena -

"The Etrurian slide into authoritarianism is one which cannot be allowed to continue" the Premier told reporters outside of the Generalitat building this morning.

The statement is yet another to come from a Euclean leader in the on-going crisis surrounding the Etrurian First Citizen's "attack on the judiciary", which has drawn condemnation from across Euclea as an anti-democratic action.

It is speculated that the Premier issued the statement, in response to the announcement that Glytteronian Foreign Minister Kean would visit Florena and Carcosa over the weekend.

Mrs Escudero is making her position clear; Florena stands in staunch support of any punitive action against Etrurian officials.

A recent poll conducted by iGov suggested that the Premier has support in this position; with 61% of Florens "supportive" of punitive actions against Etrurian officials, with only 27% "opposed" to such sanctions.

The poll was conducted after the revelation that the EC was preparing sanctions against officials of Etruria; but some respondents wished to do more, with 47% of those asked supportive of "further action against Etruria".

Such levels of support among the Floren populace is not inconceivable; the two countries share a history of complex relations.

In addition to sharing a long, previously contested border, the two countries have long feuded over what was known in Florena as Transmuntanya.

Previously hosting a large Floren population, today the region is strongly Etrurian in it's demographic make-up, due to population exchanges following the Great War, when the territory was declared Etrurian "in perpetuity".

Today - particular in Oscana - a large number of Florens are descendants of the exiliats occidentals; Florens who committed to the arduous march back to their homeland. This has left an anti-Etrurian mark upon them.

Further, there are many who continue to believe that the cessation of Transmuntanya to Etruria at the end of the Great War was a "betrayal of the Floren partisans" made by the Great Powers.

As such, there is no lack of enmity from Florens towards Etruria; and the Etrurian attack on the judiciary - an attack all too familiar to those who remember the Vilavend regime - has given the Premier political ammunition.

Her statement of "unanimous support" for punitive actions will likely be welcomed by the Euclean Council; however, it remains to be seen whether or not she and the more moderate members will clash over the extent of the punitive actions.

In particular, the extent of the actions against Etruria may be neutered by the representatives of other members of the Euclean Community.

While the Gaullican political giants have yet to fully take a side, it is likely that this debate could see the ancient rivalry within the community flare up once more; dependent on the position of Werania and Estmere.

Whatever the position of the representatives of those nations, Rosa Escudero has set herself up as a strong proponent of action against Etruria, whatever that action may be.

Although many have suggested that her "punitive action" could include actions against the nation as a whole, the government has confirmed that it "is seeking to avoid [damage] to the citizenry", but is "reviewing all options".

This will likely be met with discontent in both Etruria and Kesselbourg; as the EC itself has clearly steered away from any action that would punish the nation as a whole.

No matter the opinion of the Floren government, however, the ultimate decision will come down to the Euclean Council; which the Premier had recently bemoaned as "a slumbering giant with no cause to action".

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Opinion: Carcattera; the wolf in prole's clothing. [ 17,219 ]
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Opinion: is Occhetto a hero? [ 4591 ]

by **Liecthenbourg** » Fri Feb 23, 2018 4:42 pm

BREAKING: PM 'COMPLETELY AGREES' WITH EC'S DECISION TO TAKE CAUTIOUS, THOROUGH STEPS IN SANCTIONING ETRURIA
The Gaullican Prime Minister said that "careful planning and immense care" are required when outlining something as economically impacting as what the Community is proposing.

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Antoinette Giourd (@agiourd)
^{23 February, 2018| Verlois, Gaullica}

Prime Minister Abdulrashid
Photo courtesy of the Gaullican Senate

Verlois, Gaullica -

Gaullica's Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Monique Degar-Abdulrashid (SD), has issued a declaration of support on behalf of the Gaullican senate for the EC's proposed sanctions on the state of Etruria.

Etruria, which has in recent days, announced 'judicial reform', has been criticised across the continent -- from Florena and Carcosa to Gaullica and Glytter -- of bringing an independent arm of government, guaranteed judicial and lawful control by the separation of powers, into the fold of an increasingly totalitarian state.

Ambròs Maurel, President of Mil·lenáris Socialistes, writing in 'els Temps', referred to Carcattera, Etruria's 'First Citizen', as "The Wolf in Prole's Clothing" in complete and utter rejection for his proposed policies as being worker and lower-class friendly.

Within the Euclean Council, Glytteronian Delegate Vittorio Maulucci (an Etrurian himself) hinted that the Euclean Community was making "steady progress" in compiling sanctions against Etruria's government. Indeed, he also stressed the importance of being "absolutely thorough" in the outlining of the sanctions.

He has found himself an ally in his endeavors within the Gaullican Senate, where Prime Minister Abdulrashid issued a statement of support for the Euclean Community on behalf of the government; highlighting that:

"When conducting oneself in a precarious situation such as this; that is where we are voluntarily and decisively imposing largely economic sanctions within a foreign government and state... we need to do so with careful planning and immense care. We understand the need for quick and decisive action, but this planning will permit greater depth and clarity in regards to truly striking Etruria's increasingly totalitarian government."

Gaullica's Prime Minister then proceeded to reassure the Community and its Councillors that "Gaullica was behind them." These are reassuring words to receive from your largest -- and single-most powerful and influential -- member state. Support was also extended to the "work Mrs. Walker is doing."

Indeed, several other segments of Gaullica's political life -- such as President Vallette -- came to support the words of his Prime Minister, drawing a comparison to "not striking whilst the iron is hot, no, but when the iron is tempered correctly."

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by **Etruria2** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 5:40 pm

Judicial Reform Bill passes Second-Reading
Government wins vote 413-246 as Euclean Community threatens sanctions.
Lucca Roatta
^{27 February, 2018, 16.00pm | Poveglia, Vespasia, Transetruria}

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The General Judicial Reform Bill has passed the second-reading phase, with 413-246 votes. 26 Representatives from the Workers and Farmers Union backed the government, while the remaining 21 abstained. The bill will

Tribune Movement representatives applaud following the bill's passing.

now go before the Congressional Committee for Judicial Affairs for scrutiny. First Citizen Francesco Carcaterra praised the lower house saying, “we have made history, today marks the greatest step toward a reformed justice system, one that ensures all are equal before the laws of our great nation.”

In a debate gripped by tense argument and acrimonious exchanges, the government can enjoy declaring its major victory securing the passing of one of its flagship pieces of legislation. Although there was no doubt of the bill passing the second-reading owing to the Tribune Movement’s strong majority, the government was hoping for limited support from the WFU but found a more supportive response.

Today’s debate however was greatly overshadowed by growing support within the Euclean Community for sanctions against democratically-elected ministers and officials of the federal government.

Second Citizen Ettore Mantovano led the led the debate on the government’s side, again provoking criticism from the opposition, over First Citizen Carcaterra’s repeated absences from parliamentary sessions. However, he did attend the second half of the debate and was present for the vote.

The debate was struck with controversy before it began after the Citizens’ Alliance accused the President of the Chamber of Representatives of “failing to be impartial”, over his decision to grant the bill “top-line status”, which bans filibusters, quorum calls or amendments from being made to the tabled piece.

Despite the Citizens’ Alliance attempt at raising the issue with the Congressional Committee for Procedural Standards, the debate began on time. The CCPS within 20 minutes of the CA’s request for the debate to postponed and the President’s decision overturned, rejected their application.

Second Citizen Mantovano opened the debate saying, “no matter what the establishment press, and their lackeys opposite have been saying, this legislation is not a power grab, it is not part of some great conspiracy to destroy our nation’s democracy. The aim of this legislation is to reform our judicial system, which for decades has rotted away under the weight of corruption and vested interests.

“This legislation strips the shield from those who would violate our people and exploit the nation. This will bring equality before the law and universal justice” he said.

Leader of the Citizens’ Alliance, Vittoria Vetra denounced the bill in her opening remarks saying, “there are many, many ways of ending corruption in the judiciary, of which this party has presented many. But this government, so intent on undermining our freedoms, rights and democracy, have rejected them. We are now facing the most focused and overt assault on judicial independence in this nation’s history.”

She attacked Second Citizen Mantovano, a former judge himself for backing the government.

Judicial Reform Bill: What it includes

Grants the Justice Ministry the power to appoint and dismiss Constitutional Court Justices
Grants the Justice Ministry the power to appoint and dismiss members of the National Council of the Judiciary
Introduces more strict regulations on judicial rulings and behaviors
Introduces two-thirds majority for Constitutional Court rulings
Allows the government to overturn parole rulings
Grants the security services the right to detain suspects for 76 hours without charge
Introduces mandatory-standard sentencing
Introduces prison sentences for private and commercial tax-evasion
Abolishes the Independence Prison Standards Council

“You should be more aware than any other Tribune, of the dangers this bill represents” she said.

“You are right about one thing, I do know more than any other Tribune. But the thing I know, is truly how much this bill is needed” he said, to loud cheers from the government benches.

CA representative, Luigi Parelli said, “this bill is striking deep into our democracy, this bill is as devastating as the last military dictatorship. You cannot present this and not feel the weight of history frowning down upon you.”

Leader of the disgraced Federalist Party; which led the Yes campaign during the EC membership referendum, said “we warned the Etrurian people two years ago the threat the Tribune Movement posed. Now we are vindicated, it is clear that this chamber cannot defeat it. But the people can, the State Council can. I urge every brave citizen to stand strong and march against this slide into tyranny” Mario Cesare Turelli said.

Many government Representatives complained of the “grandstanding” by opposition members.

One Tribune Movement Representative tweeted, “stuck here listening to fluff. Vote now please.”

Another said, “This grandstanding is why we won the trust of the people. They want action not self-congratulating nonsense.”

Since the government representatives spoke out only in support of the legislation, the bill went to vote earlier than expected. However, much to the surprise of commentators and members alike, the bill passed with 26 votes from the Workers and Farmers Union, the left-wing agrarian party that has been supportive of the government since 2016 on numerous issues.

Its remaining 21 members abstained including leader, Ivo Žagar. Žagar had previously hinted at allowing his party a free-vote over the issue.

After the vote he said, “we granted our members the right to vote on the interests of their constituents, those who abstained wished, including myself, wished not negate the bill nor draw unwanted attention to ourselves if we voted in support. Today is for the government and the people.”

The bill will now be presented before the Congressional Committee for Judicial Affairs for scrutiny. However, since 2017, 14 of the 24 members are from both the Tribune Movement and the Farmers and Workers Union, which dramatically increases its chances of being passed onto the State Council to begin the final phase.

However, the vote was overshadowed by threats of sanctions against the federal government by the Euclean Community. The Ruttish, Glyttlander, Gaullican and Floren governments have all declared support for sanctions. Yet, while it has been met with swift condemnation from the government, others in the opposition have questioned the move.

Speaking to Notizia24, Federalist leader Mario Turelli said, “I suspect the threat of sanctions pushed some of the Workers and Farmers Union toward backing the bill. The WFU was a major contributor to the No-campaign and this move by the EC, is going to go down very negatively with them. I don’t think sanctions will help.”

Foreign Minister Adriano Leonardo Vinci told a press conference following the vote, “any attempt by the Community to sanction any democratically elected member of this government will be seen by the Etrurian people as a blatant attack upon their sovereignty. This is the clearest indication since the referendum that they seek to punish the Etrurian people for voting against membership. We will not tolerate such attacks upon our nation’s dignity.”

Chairman of the Congressional Committee for Foreign Affairs, Enrico Ercolani (TM) said, “should the Community place sanctions upon our democratically elected leaders, they will quite frankly, inflict irreparable damage upon our relationship. This will be a route I recommend they think carefully over.”

Annamaria Fiori, deputy secretary of the Tribune Movement and Counselor to the First Citizen, has urged “patriotic Etrurians to take to the streets, so that they in Guallica and their EC puppets know that we are strong and we will resist.”

More as the story develops.

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by **Caltarania** » Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:34 pm

MORE THAN JUST SANCTIONS: AN EC-WIDE ETRURIAN ASSET SEIZURE?
Following Foreign Minister Robert Kean's weekend visit to Florena, Floren counterpart Darios Xamena announces that "action further than sanctions" is necessary.

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Cristina Fortian
26 February 2018 | Demora, Florena

Glytteronian Foreign Minister Robert Kean meets with his Floren counterpart, Darios Xamena.

Demora, Florena -

Darios Xamena, foreign secretary, has announced this morning that "action further than sanctions" may be necessary to "fully dissuade" Etruria from "slipping into authoritarianism".

The statement comes after the weekend visit of Robert Kean, the Glytteronian Foreign Minister, who arrived on Saturday to discuss the 'Etrurian issue' with Floren and Carcosan leaders.

During the discussions, tensions flared between Kean - a staunch ally of President Walker and her methods - and Escudero - who was notable in her opposition to Walker during the campaign.

While there was a consensus that the Tribune attack on Etruria's judiciary was an issue that needed solving, contention arose over the methods to use in order to solve the issue.

The Floren government was largely united on the issue, arguing for far stronger and harsher action against Etruria; Escudero in particular believed that the action was "punishable, even", and proposed an EC-wide seizure of Etrurian assets.

The proposal was countered by Kean, who argued that such a move would "only antagonise" Etruria, and potentially increase support for the government.

Along with Floren foreign secretary Darios Xamena, in a later meeting, the two purportedly agreed that, instead, a "freeze" on Etrurian-owned assets within the EC may be more prudent.

Xamena announced that "while it would [be a mistake] to punish the common Etrurian, further action is evidently needed", noting that the bill had passed it's second reading.

Despite this, Escudero has still argued for an outright seizure of the assets.

She argues that it the decision on the extent of punitive action should ultimately fall to the EC as a whole, and wishes to keep "strong motions" on the table, in the form of an asset seizure.

Kean and Xamena both countered that such "strong motions" should be left off the table, as they were too brazen to be fully considered at the current time.

Political commentators and Etrurian advisers to the EC have argued that a freeze or seizure of Etrurian assets in the EC will only serve to "distance Etruria from the EC further".

Despite this possibility, it is clear from the talks in Demora over the weekend that the EC believes that allowing Etruria to continue unchallenged would set a bad precedent, and must be contested.

Whatever the strength of the action, one thing is certain, and that is that further action will be taken against Etruria by the EC; for it to back down now would only serve to strengthen Etrurian resolve.

What does remain to be seen is the support that such action will garner - or, more worryingly for the EC brass, not garner - across the EC's population, and, further, if any non-EC entities decide to take action against Etruria.

Comments [ 8126 ] |

8126 comments

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by **Senkaku** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 1:20 am

BAISHADAO JOURNAL

GRAND EMPRESS DOWAGER REASSURES PRESS AFTER RELEASE FROM HOSPITAL
Her Imperial Highness cleared by doctors after 24-hour observation after reporting chest pains

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Chen Mulan(@mushu98 )
3 March 2018 12:00 | Dongjing, Songguo

Dongjing, Songguo -

Grand Empress Dowager Zili looked to be as hearty and hale as ever at a press conference Saturday morning, her vigor seemingly at odds with her recent and mercifully brief stay in Dongjing Imperial General Hospital. The Grand Empress Dowager was rushed by military helicopter to the hospital early yesterday from her residence in the Northern Apartments, apparently as a precaution when she began experiencing some chest pains, and kept for observation by her doctors for twenty-four hours before being released. The sudden and unexpected hospitalization spurred alarm and panic among some in the country's elite, who along with many experts feared that the Grand Empress Dowager's condition might be worse than reported and could be associated with some sort of political overturn. However, the Imperial Household Agency was swift to reassure the nation, reporting that she was fully alert and unimpaired and would simply be kept for observation. Her Imperial Highness even appeared on a livestream from her hospital bed, waving to viewers and lightheartedly complaining about the inconvenience.

However, despite her efforts in that video and at her press conference to dispell concern about her health (which has generally always been quite good, though she is a former smoker), the incident serves as a reminder of the inherent frailty of the nearly 91-year-old Grand Empress Dowager. She was surprisingly appointed last year by the First Minister to take over the State Council Research Office as its previous Director, Lu Bingwen, was forced to step down to battle cancer. At the age of 90, and having been out of power for nearly two decades after being toppled by Zhao Bolin, her appointment to such a powerful office has been considered a significant political statement emphasizing the Hao government's return to a more orthodox model of post-6-6 politics and as an olive branch to the new Hongxi Emperor after the 2016 coup d'etat. (More darkly, her return to government has caused fears among some activists that the use of the security forces to chill public dialogue may intensify, as it did during her stint as paramount leader in the wake of the 6-6 Crisis.)

While this episode was quickly defused and seems harmless, the genuine fear that the sudden hospitalization, and the lack of trust in initial official explanations, underscores perhaps the fundamental challenge facing modern Songhua politics. Not since 1981 has a Songhua government seen a peaceful transition of power, when the government of the ill-fated First Minister Qin Min'er emerged victorious from the elections. That event, along with others surrounding the death of the Chenghua Emperor in 1980, eventually helped cause the disasters and purges of 1984 and 1985, in which anywhere from half a million to a million and a half were killed. Following revisions to the Constitution made from 1985 to 1990 (under, it should be noted, the oversight of the Grand Empress Dowager herself, as Interim Chairwoman of the State Council), Songguo has not seen a single peaceful transfer of power, with former leaders often being imprisoned, exiled, or assassinated by their successors (or murdered in the coups that overthrow them). Furthermore, the country has seem a number of distinctly violent consolidations of power by leaders who feared the influence of subordinates or other factions. Many point to the lack of term limits on the all-encompassing position of Chairman of the State Council- a position which originally had little influence, but which now is invariably assumed by the country's paramount leader- but the problem and the fears seem to run much deeper. Based on the trajectory of the public response to even a brief and minor hospitalization of a woman now pushing 91, it seems Songguo's leaders still have no answer to this intractable problem they've given themselves.

Comments [ 21,294 ] |

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by **Etruria2** » Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:40 pm

Non-resurrection of the Far-Right
Many believe the return of the far-right in Etruria is new, in fact it has been in power before and never truly went away.
Vittore Cavalli
^{5 February, 2018, 16.00pm | Poveglia, Vespasia, Transetruria}

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During my last visit to Spálgleann, the amount of Glytteronians who asked me, “how the Tribune Movement won” was astonishing, they simply could not fathom why Etrurians voted for such a miserable, racist, brutish and populist party into government.

Members of the Tribune Movement doing the fascist salute at the spot where prominent
far-right leader, Luigi Panella was shot dead in 2001.

All I told them was, “research our history and you’ll see.” For as much as foreign pundits want to debate it, the answer is very simple.

In truth, the Tribune Movement has always existed – at least, what it stands for and represents. Etruria has had a very troubled past, many of the Movement’s supporters would agree, but their interpretation would be very different to mine and others and that is the inherent point.

Many mistake the election victory of the Tribune Movement to be the ushering of a new phenomena, a new political movement gaining traction, they’re wrong in the case that the ideological foundations of the Tribune Movement are decades old. The National Populism of the Movement has always existed in Etruria, confined and restrained for periods at a time, unleashed and governing at others – but it has always been. Its return however, is another reminder of Etruria’s mistakes.

Etrurian National Populism (“Populismo Nazionale”) emerged during the Great War when the country fought against Duclerque’s Gaullica. Etruria’s entry into the war and the rise of National Populism equally found roots in Etruria’s humiliating eviction from the colony of Denikert. The victory in the Great War however, turned out to be not so glorious. The allies sidelined Etruria and denied it all of its pre-war aims and expectations. Denied was restored Etrurian control of Denikert, denied was Etrurian gains in Asafiyah, denied was Etrurian gains in southern Gaullica and denied was a prominent seat in the Community of Nations.

The Grande Tradimento (Great Betrayal) unleashed National Populist forces upon Etruria, bringing down the republic through a bloody coup conducted by Marshal Maurizio Maraviglia. What followed was a near-totalitarian military dictatorship and the Solarian War, which ended in a defeat. While the nation languished under further pains of conflict, National Populism failed to disappear, maintained by large numbers of former soldiers, ultra-nationalists and the civil service.

The Second Republic failed to remove the specter of National Populism from the federal state itself. Although the Second Republic saw a dramatic improvement in public support for democratic institutions and democracy itself, there were a plethora of National Populist parties, at least two having continuous, albeit, limited representation at the state and federal level. The most infamous was the National Republican League (Lega Nazionale Repubblicana), in the 1950 election it won 21.43% of the vote and over 50 seats in the Chamber of Representatives.

The LNR focused on opposing the Republic’s soft civic nationalism, while also condemning and violently opposing the Novalian and Carinthian independence movements that emerged during the late 1950s. But above all, the LNR succeeded in introducing and entrenching hatred of all things “Northern” (Settentrionale) – as in the rest of Euclea. The LNR, in 1958 put forward and passed its own educational bill, which effectively re-wrote history. The CSRN regime of the Solarian War was no longer condemned but praised, the defeat in the war was inextricably tied to the Grande Tradimento, a continetal plot to deny Etruria its rightful place as a major power, and a perpetual block on its potential.

Romolo Augusto Schiarelli who led the LNR from 1950 until 1965 described any attempt at rapprochement with the continent as a “betrayal of the 1.4 million”, in reference of the war dead from the Great War and Solarian War. He also said any citizen advocating peace with the rest of Euclea as “scum from the womb of Gaullica.”

Schiarelli and the LNR would be such a persistent presence politically that National Populism until the end of the second military dictatorship in 1983, it had become mainstream. While Gaullica had come to terms with the crimes and darkness of the Duclerque regime, Etruria has never done so with the CSRN regime or even the second military dictatorship under the Supreme Council for Order and Peace. Rather, any effort to present both, though, primarily the CSRN regime negatively or historically accurately, is denounced viciously by National Populists.

This failure to address the crimes of the CSRN gives room and legitimacy to groups that advocate its ideology. Without that recognition of evil, National Populism remains legitimate and mainstream. Moreover, it remains a trusted and vaunted alternative and solution to times when dissatisfaction with the status quo emerges.

Marshal Maurizio Maraviglia was the founder and first leader of the CSRN regime.
He is seen as a national hero by the far-right in Etruria.

National Populism almost vanished during the “Third Republic Era” (1983-2016), the vibrancy of democracy outshone and dented the appeal of the far-right. From the 80s until the mid-2000s, it seemed as if the successes of democracy would finally kill off the persistent remnant represented by Michele Domenici and the LNR. In 1993, the LNR won 3.35% of the vote and six seats in the Chamber of Representatives, while the state legislature elections of 1995 saw it decimated. But just like before, it never truly went away.

From 1995 until 2013, the far-right and national populism was kept at bay by excellent governance but successive governments, alternatively under the Socialist Party and the Etrurian Federalist Party. While this two-party system was denounced by some on the far-right, and the far-left, popular support for the parties ran counter to their arguments of corruption.

However, the golden age of Etrurian democracy would slowly but publicly begin to die during the late 2000s. Successive scandals struck both the Socialist and Federalist parties. The scandals would prove to be the elixir needed for the far-right’s return, as it unleashed within society a growing sense of disillusionment with the status-quo.

These scandals, took several forms and several consequences. The most common scandals to grip both parties were sexual in nature. Between 2006 and 2013, 15 Representatives and three State Councilors were forced to resign their seats for extra-marital affairs, both heterosexual and homosexual in nature. The deeply Catholic and traditionalist society of Etruria was unforgiving.

More serious cases emerged between 2008 and 2011, when three Federalist Representatives were caught engaging in “Cash for Questions”, in which they would receive large sums of money to ask questions favouring large businesses. The following investigation revealed that the same politicians had received money to influence legislation, including the 2009 Budget.

The polls show the rapid decline of the establishment parties following the announcement of the EC referendum in 2012. The Tribune
Movement's popularity surprisingly grew following its victory in the 2016 election.

The scandal only worsened public dissent after all three were cleared of wrongdoing in the subsequent trials in 2011. An investigation into the ruling by the centre-left newspaper Millennio, found that the presiding judge had a long personal history with all three defendants, including mutual friends, mutual financial interests and mutual contacts. The case was denounced as the epitome of cronyism in the Etrurian political state by both left and right.

In 2011, under the weight of scandal, President Urbano Onoforio resigned and was succeeded by Vice President Emiliano Reali. While heavy damage had been inflicted on popular affinity for democracy and the status-quo, Reali; a young, successful and savvy politician was able to mend the damage through his “for-the-people” platform.

Yet as Reali worked his PR magic, the far-right was moving. In 2011, the far-right People’s Radical Party under Ettore Mantovano began advocating judicial reform and declared its intention to “destroy the elites of this enslaved nation.” It’s electoral ally, National Action (Azione Nazionale) under Francesco Carcaterra went further, claiming the scandals were the “by-product of the infiltration of Euclean liberals and globalists.”

One year later in 2012, Reali made the first catastrophic mistake, in one move he gave atomic fuel to the far-right – he announced that a referendum on membership of the Euclean Community would be held in 2016. Though the announcement came as no surprise, considering that in his first year he had visited Gaullica, Glytter, Florena and Ruttland over ten times in total.

The referendum opened the floodgates, unleashing a wave of hatred, xenophobia, veneration of the military dictatorships and conspiracy theories. Following the announcement, National Action, the People’s Radical Party and the Justice and Freedom Party merged to form the Tribune Movement – ostensibly named after the Tribunas Missam, the ancient Solarian political post, that represented the plebian class.

Within a matter of weeks, the Tribune Movement exploded onto social media, TV and radio, denouncing the referendum as the “final phase of the Euclean plot to destroy Etruria.” The Tribune Movement fed off the general malaise, caused by stagnant wages, low productivity and a slowing economy, directing the anger toward the status-quo.

In 2013, the general election saw a dramatic decline in support for both the Socialist Party and the Federalists. The Tribune Movement won 4.4 million votes, and 10 seats in the Chamber of Representatives. The first time a minor party had broken through into the federal legislature in its first election. From there, the Movement ran a guerilla campaign against the Reali administration, using filibusters and quorum calls on even the most mundane legislation.

Outside the Palazzo Vinci, the Movement continued to campaign, holding massive rallies and railing against the status-quo. “Your wages shrink because they’re stealing form you. While you struggle to make the week, they ski, gorge and feast at the poshest restaurants, all the while, planning to give our independence and freedom to Gaullica.”

“The Eucleans have sought our destruction since the Great War, conspiring for decades and generations to end our independence, because they fear a strong Etruria, they fear our potential and they always seek to deny us our rightful place”, so said Carcaterra in 2014.

To make matters worse, scandals and corruption returned between 2013 and 2016. In 2013, a new centrist-liberal party emerged; the Citizens’ Alliance though supportive of EC membership, was also populist in the sense of its opposition to continued corruption, arguing for more transparency and openness. The Citizens’ Alliance soon began sapping support from both the Socialists and Federalists, though at the time no-one could see the demise of the traditional parties, let alone the very foundations of Etruria’s democracy.

As the country faced approached the EC referendum, the Tribune Movement stepped up its game. Using social media, it began arguably, the first fake-news campaign; peddling out false stories of government politicians being paid money by the EC to support membership; EC memberstates agents killing activists and less exciting stories, like the national mint producing Euclos. Yet, it went further than that. The Movement began to claim that EC membership would result in an explosion of immigrants from EC members, including Amathia.

“We are a strong and proud nation because we have our own people. Once we join, the less cultured will pour in. Our language will die, our traditions and cultural uniqueness will die and before you know it, we are a soulless colony of Kesselbourg” said Mantovano.

The referendum itself failed to confront the far-right’s arguments. Reali’s smug and arrogant behaviour and the lofty “positives” put forward by the yes-campaign failed miserably to break-through. Rather, the Yes-vote was crippled by indecision, in-fighting and personal rivalries. The No-Vote for its part had immense message discipline, coordination and approachable and relatable arguments.

The referendum however, further undermined public support for the democratic status-quo, the No-votes use of the earlier scandals and criminal cases aided substantially in eroding public investment in institutions and the constitution. The Movement’s “Solarian Virtues” platform only deepened its opposition to liberal democracy and its successfully tying of the former with EC membership proved a boon.

In the end, the Yes-vote’s failure at campaigning and years of scandal and corruption only decimated public investment in the democratic status-quo, as flawed as it is. The failure to produce an appropriate stigma around National-Populism, be it from Duclerque in Gaullica or the CSRN regime, only permitted it to remain in the mainstream. The ingrained penchant by Etrurians for a strong government, reinforced by entrenched mistrust of the EC and Euclea at large made the Movement ripe for government.

However, unlike the CSRN regime of the 30s and 40s, the Movement is an entirely more dangerous beast. No longer overt in its authoritarianism of the uniform, the Movement is wrapped around in “Plebian Politics”, acting in all ways in name of the people, not vested interests. Its nationalism, veneration of the CSRN and Ancient Solaris is a tried and tested modus operandi, its authoritarianism a known entity. However, opposing it somewhat difficult because it is democratically elected. The people of Etruria revolted against the status-quo during the referendum and destroyed the elite in the following election, now we are all paying the price of turning to the ideology that never went away.

Vittore Cavalli is a historian and research fellow at the Teresa Marinelli Institute for Political Sciences.

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by **Legatia** » Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:48 am

BREAKING NEWS:
TEIEN BOMBING LEAVES 62 DEAD, HUNDREDS INJURED
Nation rocked by deadliest terror attacks in its history

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Tae Yoshida @Toshida
5/3/18 09:30 |Teien, Nematsu

CCTV footage of the bombing detonating in the Shinoku Ward of Teien. The Teien Metropolitan Police claim that they are
"aggressively pursuing leads" in relation to the bombing.
Photo courtesy of Tenmu Corporation

TEIEN, NEMATSU- The nation is in shock and horror in the face of the nation's deadliest terror attack recorded. At 6:32 A.M., in the early, overcast morning of March Fifth, a number explosive devices were detonated in Aoyama Square, Teien's most active pedestrian area, in the middle of the early morning rush hour. 28 individuals were killed by the blasts of a total of four separate explosions, all within the Aoyama ward and occurring within seconds of each other. Police attempted to evacuate the area in response to the bombings, which was largely inhibited by a crowd panic resulting from the detonations. Emergency services struggled to contend with police directions and deal with the large amount of wounded civilians.

Seven minutes after the detonation, two separate bombs detonated on subway lines inside the city, derailing one train and causing a further 27 deaths. Fires from the explosion of the trains were dealt with by the Teien Metropolitan Fire Department, who were able to rescue a larger number of passengers from the burning train. The city was placed in a state of emergency twelve minutes after the train detonations, and the entirety of the police force was mobilized in response to a "coordinated terrorist attack".

Explosive and chemical agents were located within three different major subway stations throughout the city by police. Subway stations were shut down as schools and major public buildings and areas were evacuated and military units were placed on standby. Bara International Airport in Teien had reports of a suspicious bag at the time of evacuations, but this report was found to be fictitious.

Death tolls have stabilized at 62 since about noon. Public facilities in Teien have remained closed and the city has been placed under a temporary state of martial law as military units were deployed across the nation in anticipation of further attacks. A number of hoax calls have been reported in the past few hours and at least 4 people have been arrested in conjunction with fictitious reports by the National Police Service.

The National Police Service and FSB have stated that they believe the attacks were perpetrated by "highly organized domestic terrorists" in conjunction with a political or social goal." As of the time of this writing, no groups have taken responsibility for the attacks, and the FSB is offering a 300,000,000 Gorudo reward to any information that leads to the identification of a suspect in correlation with the attacks.

All members of the Imperial Family within Teien are confirmed to be in "good health" by the Imperial Household Agency and Imperial Guard, and are currently being held in a "secure location". The IHA reported that Empress Ayuka does not plan to make any televised address in relation to the subject.

Updates on this story will come as it is developed further. If any information is ascertained to these attacks, please do not hesitate to contact the proper authorities.

Comments [ 32,401 ] |

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by **Ruttland** » Mon Mar 05, 2018 2:12 pm

WITTMANN- GOVERNMENT "WILL NOT CHANGE COURSE" ON AUSTERITY
Chancellor rebuffs coalition partners calls for less austerity

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Steffen Hertzog (@Steffhert)
5 March 2018 | Westbrücken, Werania

Chancellor Wittmann speaking to reporters at a press conference
Photo courtesy of Brünhilde Klein.

WESTBRÜCKEN, WERANIA - In an official press statement today Prime Minister Dietrich Wittmann has stated that his government will not change the "fundamental course of our economic policy" effectively rejecting calls from Vice-Chancellor Viktor Oberhauser to end the austerity policy.

"The fact is that we need to stay within our means as a country. As I said earlier this year, we still need to ensure Werania is ready for the 2020's to be the centre for dynamic entrepreneurship in Euclea as the Modern Centre envisions it will be".

"We take in the Cooperative Party's concerns, however we must remember that the government's policies need to be done on the basis of consensus. One party can't hold the other hostage - this is a coalition government built on the principles of compromise and we will respect that in the coming months".

Wittmann's comments indicate a rift with the centre-left Cooperative Party who serve as the junior partners of the current "purple" coalition government. Last month KOP leader Viktor Oberhauser stated when speaking to members of the KOP's youth wing that due to the fact that Werania now records a budget surplus it's "time now to turn on the spending taps, to invest and to build a better Werania" effectively calling for the lessening of austerity measures that have been in place since 2007.

According to political commentator Günter Wackernagel the rejection of Oberhauser's demands to lessen austerity "could spell the end of the purple coalition that has governed Werania so effectively over the past 11 years".

"The basic fact is that Oberhauser and the KOP leadership have very little room for manoeuvre. They have told their supporters for 11 years that the pains of austerity will be outweighed by the net gains that will be achieved if the surplus is eliminated. That is especially the case for Oberhauser, who based his leadership campaign in 2015 around ensuring a more centre-left direction for the government".

"The fact that Wittmann is essentially telling them to put up or shut up is placing Oberhauser in an impossible position; either he maintains the coalition government at the risk of alienating his party's core support or the KOP withdraw from the government".

"The future of the Weranian government is in the KOP's hands".

Comments [ 1,435] |

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by **Alinora** » Tue Mar 06, 2018 1:40 pm

GLOBAL FUSION EFFORT SHOWS PROMISE
”Project Helios”, the International effort to successfully perform nuclear fusion for power generation, has broken a number of barriers that seemed to doom the project.

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William Bennett (@willbennett)
March 6 2018 | Antona, Federation

Under-construction, the prototype MCF Reactor
Photo courtesy of Jane Hurbert, Sentinel News photographer

Hannity Province, Richmond, Federation -

”Project Helios”, the ambitious international effort to successfully perform nuclear fusion for energy creation, began in 2006, and has been regarded as a scientific dud since. Project Helios is based out of Hannity Province, in central Richmond, where the Helios Campus exists on 25 square miles of plains roughly 40 miles from the closest city. The Campus is regarded as a small city in itself, however, as it maintains housing for the project’s personnel, a number of stores, an airstrip, and a garrison of Federal troops. Helios is certainly a large-scale effort, though, it has been largely disappointing, as teams participating in the project have been able to generate very little results, and have been restricted to adapting, adjusting, and forming hypotheses.

In the last few years, however, that has been changing. Quentin Myles, Director of the Project, announced in May of 2016 that crews had drawn up a basis for “Magnetic Confinement Fusion”. The concept would use magnetic fields to trap hot fusion fuel in the form of plasma inside the reactor, allowing it to operate and perform nuclear fusion in a stable, contained environment. The project’s leading board recently announced that a prototype reactor is currently under construction, though it suggests that the project may not have the funds to complete the prototype, which is projected to cost at least $3.5 billion. In lieu of this, the project’s Board of Directors released a statement directed towards the international community:

"The team members and staff of Project Helios are very proud to announce the start of construction on a prototype Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF) Reactor, which has the potential to lead us directly towards successfully carrying out the process of nuclear fusion for the creation of power. While we are very confident that the construction of this prototype will be highly-beneficial to Project Helios, members of the Board of Directors worry that the project may not have enough funds to complete the reactor— which is projected to cost approximately $3.5 billion FED. It is vitally important that we do not allow this effort to die, just as we approach truly revolutionary progress, and thus we ask world nations to donate generously to help keep Project Helios afloat.
The Board of Directors is asking for an additional $1.5 billion, which will guarantee completion of the prototype reactor and leave funds for follow up projects and operations. We sincerely ask that any nations involved in Project Helios provide additional funds, or else, we cannot guarantee concrete results."

Project Helios seems to be extremely close to their goal, and so we ask, why is this goal so important? The answer is simple: power. Scientists have already mastered the process of nuclear fission, which today is used in nuclear power plants, but they've yet to harness nuclear fusion. Of course, nuclear fusion is the process that is carried out during the detonation of a nuclear weapon, but scientists have been unable to discover a way to contain the immense heat generated by nuclear fusion-- until know, it seems. If this prototype shows promise, and scientists can successfully sustain nuclear fusion, never again would the world have to worry about meeting power demands, nor pollution typically created from other methods of generating electricity. It would be, undoubtedly, one of the most vitally important discoveries in the history of Human Civilization.

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