ANN
Port Gray, Atna, Atnaia
Right of Inaction Invoked, Parliament Stalled
The New Year is not looking up for Parliament. Following an emergency session of the House of Nobles called by Lord Thomas Wessich following increasing violence in the tent city occupied by Asorist protestors and with pirate incursions closing in on Atnaian waters, the Prime Minister's Right of Inaction has been invoked for the first time in her terms as leader of the House of Commons.
Lord Wessich called for an emergency vote on his so-called "Stone Wall Act", a parliamentary bill that would expand privatization of both the police services of several major cities and of the Atnaian military, as well as giving sweeping powers to the House of Nobles regarding control of these organizations. This would effectively counter the Military Act of 1990, which gave the Prime Minister joint control of military operations with the Minister of Defense and the Prince, enabling House of Commons say in military operations.
The emergency vote passed at 135-61. However, for the first time in her time as Prime Minister, Courtney Lovesmythe invoked Right of Inaction, putting a 72-hour delay on the House of Nobles passage of the bill and forcing a second vote on January 4th. In the past, the Right of Inaction has frequently overturned votes in the House of Nobles, most famously following the attempt to pass laws limiting public congregation in the wake of the race riots following WWI.
The Stone Wall Act has been highly criticized by representatives of both the House of Commons and by local representatives of the Port Gray municipal government, not only for effectively eliminating common-say in the military, but also for turning over most policing efforts in the capital to Lord Wessich's own private security firm, Stone Wall Security Solutions and it's electronics and information partners in Bastion Industries.
It is unknown whether the use of the Right of Inaction will overturn the decision, considering the strong support Lord Wessich has garnered as a result of opposition to Prince James' acceptance of Henry Lucer as his Heir Apparent, and rumors of the elderly Prince's failing health.
















