by Zaras » Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:43 pm
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Thu Jul 19, 2012 2:00 pm
by Zaras » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:53 am
FPTP: 10%
PR: 25%
STV: 24%
Other: 4%
Undecided: 37%
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:45 am
Zaras wrote:The endorsement of the important Montograndan parties emboldened the LCGP/EKVP, and they began to formulate a plan to keep their push for a union referendum at least "above water" in terms of media exposure and public awareness while these were mostly taken by the electoral reform until the voting day on 26 September. They also expanded their operation and recruited numerous more volunteers to gather signatures across Zaras, hoping that they could not only meet the required target but exceed it substantially to impress upon the public the importance of the union question as well.
They needn't have worried: repeated polls over the years since the Montogranda-Dainarén War had shown that Zarans were in favour of a union with Montogranda, and the subsequent years of shared prosperity, close ties and immigration had diminished the initially larger cultural and social differences between the two countries. Indeed, it seemed that while Zarans were in favour of union, the only thing they tended to trip over were the specific details of such. The LCGP/EKVP had cleverly decided to exploit this by proposing a referendum with the question "Do you believe that The Free City of Zaras and the Most Serene Principality of Montogranda should unite?". After all, it was a general question that had repeatedly received support in the past, and no specific details to derail. What could go wrong?
Still, the LCGP/EKVP was fighting somewhat uphill against the predominance of the electoral reform question. The ZPBS and ZPR were mandated by charter to remain neutral, so they instead featured debates over which of the four possible options in the referendum (FPTP, PR or STV with larger Parliament, plus an option for "other"), but most of the newspapers had already either taken sides (The Zaras Mail and Unity were pro-STV, The Zaran Independent pro-PR) or commissioned long, detail-heavy analyses of the given options. The political parties themselves were more divided - the ruling DSP-LMP-Green coalition were divided (the DSP and Greens were pro-STV, the LMP pro-PR), the opposition Conservatives favoured PR, and the Communists delayed any official stances, deciding to instead have an internal vote on which option they would favour.
So far, one of the ZPBS' official polls went like this:FPTP: 10%
PR: 25%
STV: 24%
Other: 4%
Undecided: 37%
by Zaras » Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:39 pm
FPTP: 11%
PR: 30%
STV: 39%
Other: 10%
Undecided: 11%
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:47 pm
by Zaras » Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:54 pm
Option | First preference | Second preference |
First Past the Post | 17,8% | |
Proportional Representation | 35,5% | 50,6% |
SIngle Transferable Vote | 40.9% | 49,4% |
Other | 5,8% |
STV | 56,95% |
PR | 43,05% |
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:06 pm
Zaras wrote:The Mayor and leading political figures expressed their support for Montogranda's decision to hold a simultaneous referendum since it would make the resulting decision look fairer and less one-sided, and thanked the Prince for his public favour. Though normally his office was supposed to be above politicking, Governor James D. Lin also decided to enter the debate, expressing gratitude for the Montograndan backing, and declaring that "It would be a shame for our two states, whose destiny has been inexonerably tied together since our common resistance against the foe to the north, to miss such a historic opportunity due to petty bickering over matters of administration. I urge my fellow Zarans to keep the hand of history in mind, and hope that future generations will not find themselves cursing us for having squandered such an opportunity needlessly."
Due to the matter being increasingly visible and the number of signatures turned in greatly exceeding the required minimum, Mayor Muhammad announced that the government would grant a special dispensation to the union referendum: instead of the normal three weeks' campaign period, it would be held only a week after the last referendum, on 3 October. This, combined with the support of Montogranda, only emboldened the LGCP/EKVP further. Haakon, perhaps realising that trying to campaign in favour of the FPTP would only muddle the debate further at a crucial point, opted to focus his party's efforts and resources on campaigning for a "yes" on the question of union.
27 September
Voting had ended yesterday, and all the ballots were counted. The government's campaign efforts seemed successful, as a negligible minority of voters reported any problems or difficulties understanding the voting system.Results
Option First preference Second preference First Past the Post 17,8% Proportional Representation 35,5% 50,6% SIngle Transferable Vote 40.9% 49,4% Other 5,8% Final result
STV 56,95% PR 43,05%
As expected, Trankvilaj Altecoj was the only district that voted primarily to keep First Past the Post, though its strong campaigning and appeal to Esperantist and Montograndan voters did at least guarantee a good showing, according it third place in terms of first preference votes. Since no option had received at least 50% of the vote, the FPTP and Other option were eliminated, and their votes were accordingly transferred to either PR or STV in accordance with voters' stated wishes. While PR received a slight lead in second preference votes, this was not enough to negate the five point advantage STV had gained in first preferences, largely thanks to crushingly one-sided majorities among the student population of the Choking Circle and several other plurality victories in districts like Aubedoré and Kuangan. Thus, the referendum's final result would be that Zaras would now switch its electoral system to STV.
With the matter settled, the government then shifted its priority and entered "campaign blitz mode" for the upcoming union referendum, for which polls were forecasting an easy victory. Since the question was not as complex, it would be conducted traditionally, without any weighted voting.
by Zaras » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:32 am
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Sat Jul 21, 2012 10:40 am
by Zaras » Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:10 pm
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:16 pm
Zaras wrote:In the aftermath of the twin results, Muhammad had the following official declaration sent to the government of Montogranda:(Image)An Official Communiqué of The Free City of Zaras
From: Shaheen Muhammad
To: William Henson
Prime Minister Henson and esteemed members of the Government of The Most Serene Principality of Montogranda,
Our government wishes to officially thank you and your compatriots for the support you've provided to our now successful twin referendums to unite our two countries. I can only hope that we will manage to fulfill our promises to our citizens and not let them down on this historic occasion.
Our government wishes to start negotiations over the details of the union as quickly as possible. Would you prefer these to be held in Zaras, or Montogranda? Or perhaps a third option? (Iris suggested Kaura Island for the symbolic value.)Shaheen MuhammadMayor of The Free City of Zaras
by Zaras » Thu Aug 02, 2012 1:25 pm
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:30 pm
by Zaras » Sat Sep 01, 2012 3:45 am
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Sat Sep 01, 2012 6:53 am
Zaras wrote:The Mayor shook hands with the Prince. "Well, Your Highness, I'd say it could be better, but as it stands we're good..."
As if by some sort of unusually twisted cue, Stewart hunched over slightly and grabbed onto his stomach, looking noticeably discomforted. Taylor turned towards him and asked, "Are you alright, Matthew?"
"Yeah, yeah...", Stewart wheezed. "I think I ran out of things to expunge."
Nobody felt in a sufficient grammar nazi mood to point out that Stewart had used the wrong word to denote the process of vomiting.
Muhammad waved her hand. "Yeah, what can I say, sir, I doubt there's ever been a point in history where we were famous for our seafaring prowess."
All the while, she thought, "Please. Don't make Ali think this is the best moment to lose balance and collapse."
"Regardless, it's not really something to worry about. How about you, gentlemen? Are you feeling alright?"
by Zaras » Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:41 am
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:12 am
Zaras wrote:"Thank you, sir, but luckily it seems I've done enough of that for one day...", Matthew said, trying to laugh.
"I can sympathise. It's not like we're early morning birds ourselves", Muhammad replied. "Regardless, gentlemen, what do you say that we find a place to sit down and start negotiations?"
"We could totally go to that fast food joint a block from here", Weiss said. "That way we also get to eat..."
Muhammad stared at Weiss. "Ali, you can't be serious."
by Zaras » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:27 am
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:39 am
Zaras wrote:Weiss chuckled, trying to save face. "Come on, guys, did you really think I was serious? Am I that bad at making jokes?"
"Wait... you make jokes?", Taylor said.
"Yeah!"
"I never noticed."
Weiss scratched his head. "... must be my off day or something."
Muhammad sighed. "Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnyways, yes, sir, a conference room would probably work best. The nearest one is pretty close, if you'd like to follow us..."
The Mayor began walking towards the conference room.
by Zaras » Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:08 pm
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:20 pm
Zaras wrote:Muhammad grabbed a file and looked at its contents. She couldn't help but sigh in anticipation. This was going to be a long negotiation, and as far as she was concerned, she didn't want it to look like the cabinet was bending over backwards to accomodate the Montograndans, but it was still quite clear that the cabinet didn't really have the stomach to risk starting arguments with one of their closest allies. Nevertheless, it was necessary.
She finally broke the silence, doing her best to mask her hesitancy and sound authoritative. "Everybody... Prince Jozef... Prime Minister Henson...", she said, looking at each of the persons addressed in turn. "I think it would be best if we started by tackling the elephant in the room."
Muhammad hoped that brief pause before the next sentence would be dramatic enough to emphasise to everybody how serious this was going to be.
"We need to pick the form of government we'll use from now on."
Deputy Mayor Françoise Gerald took the initiative. "The facts are quite obvious - our similarities more or less begin and end with democratic governance and two-chamber legislatures. Sirs, your principality is a constitutional monarchy which elects its legislatives using first past the post, and our city is a republic with an elected head of state and a popularly mandated switch to single transferable vote. I don't think it's unrealistic to say this is probably the hardest part of the actual agreement, and if we can successfully tackle it, that would ensure a successful union."
"If I may add.", said Environment Minister Helen Westwood. "I'm part Canadian. Whatever decisions we take today, it's vital that we subject them to a popular referendum afterwards for legitimacy's sake. I don't think anybody here wants to shit the bed and end up with a Meech Lake that gives voters the impression that their countries' future were decided by fifteen people behind closed doors."
(Westwood didn't point out the implication that a Charlottetown outcome was somehow better.)
"Hey, I'd advocate deciding the entire thing through public consultation, but I guess that's not really as feasible right now...", Culture Minister Rishika Hadani added, more as a sidenote than anything.
"I think we can start with the assumption that the Montograndese won't swallow any attempt to touch the monarchy.", Muhammad said.
by Zaras » Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:42 pm
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
by Montogranda » Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:47 pm
Zaras wrote:Muhammad nodded. "That's a great place to start - avoids having to either piss off Montogranda by imposing a republic, or weirding out Zarans by imposing a monarchy they feel no connection to. And it means we can both keep our local Parliaments. I like that idea. Any objections?"
Justice Minister Jenaly Dobáes raised his hand. "We're gonna run into a bit of a problem though..."
Everybody looked at Dobáes.
"We've been trying for years to increase our Parliament's size to make it more representative. Assuming we'll manage to do this within a federal union, that still leaves one problem: how do we design a true 50-50, equal Parliament? We have to govern 4.5 million people, and Montogranda only has, like, uh, 90.000 or something. If we end up with a 50-50 House of Commons to allow Zaras and Montogranda equal amounts of seats, won't we end up with a House of Commons that's either too small to represent Zaras accurately, or too big by Montogranda standards?"
Iris Bernev spoke next. "Hate to bring up America as a model since there's a lot of leftists in here and all, but maybe we can nick a bit from their organisation? Set the House of Commons to something like, 500 seats? Draw all the constituencies based on population, say, have one representative for every 10.000 people, or so, and have a Senate with equal amounts of senators from Zaras and Montogranda."
"Single or multiple-member constituencies, mum?", Sarah Bernev asked.
She smiled. "Well, I guess we'll have to ask our esteemed Montograndese guests first. Proportional representation's doable, but: first past the post or preferential voting?"
"I prefer preferential, to be honest.", Ali Batin Weiss said.
by Zaras » Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:04 pm
Bythyrona wrote:Zaras wrote:Democratic People's Republic of Glorious Misty Mountain Hop.
The bat in the middle commemmorates their crushing victory in the bloody Battle of Evermore, where the Communists were saved at the last minute by General "Black Dog" Bonham of the Rock 'n Roll Brigade detonating a levee armed with only four sticks and flooding the enemy encampment. He later retired with honours and went to live in California for the rest of his life before ascending to heaven.
Best post I've seen on NS since I've been here. :clap:
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