Balder Embassy

[Charles Cerebella]

The Embassy of Balder

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Region Balder
Forum: http://s11.zetaboards.com/Balder/index/
IRC Channel: http://client01.chat.mibbit.com/?server=irc.esper.net&channel=%23balder

Current Government

Queen: Solorni
Prince: Zander (Alvalero)
Ministers: To be confirmed
Speaker of Riksdag:(Talman) Libetarian Republics,
Riksdag members:(ledamöters) Charles Cerebella, North East Somerset, Govindia, Zander, and Apollo.

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Balder First Year History by Zander


Further expansion will be forthcoming shortly

[Charles Cerebella]

Delegate: Charles Cerebella
Vice Delegate: Zander (Alvalero)
Ministers: Zander, Drop Your Pants, North East Somerset, Rach and Topid
Speaker of Riksdag:(Talman) Fuzzy
Riksdag members:(ledamöters) By Night, North East Somerset, Topid, Liberty and Solm.
Forum: http://s11.zetaboards.com/Balder/index/

Birthday Bash!

Balderites celebrating in the usual fashion!

Balder is almost one year old! We are going to be celebrating Norse style from the 19th October and there will be plenty of drinking, celebrating and maybe a bit of pillaging thrown in and we want you to come in and join in with us! We will be having a Norse Avatar competition, plenty of birthday spam games, a Role Play party in Balder's hall of Breidablik, and a Role Play 'Zombie Vikings strike Balder'! We should also have an IRC quiz going on in #balder and hopefully some history threads posted up about our first year! We hope to see you here!

Elections Over!

Some of Balder's citizens heading to vote

Upon the resignation of Hileville at the beginning of September, the task of finding his replacement for the remainder of his term started immediately. Only one candidate stepped forward for the position, Fuzzy, one of Balder's newest members, who was approved with a 10-0 vote.

Elections for the second term of the 2nd Balder Republic were due to start at the end of September but were never started by Riksdag speaker Govindia, who claimed he was waiting to get a list of citizens who were eligible to take part in the election. This angered a number of citizens and Riksdag members who rightly claimed that campaigning could have at least started without a list of eligible voters, which would only really be needed during the voting period. On October 1st, Govindia was recalled by the Riksdag for failing to start elections and was immediately replaced by Riksdag member Fuzzy, who begun Balder's election season immediately.

The position of Delegate and 6 seats in the Riksdag are up for grabs with 4 candidates for Delegate who are Charles Cerebella, Jamie, St. George and former Delegate Zander, while the 6 Riksdag seats have 8 candidates battling it out who are Govindia, Topid, Liberty, North East Sommerset, Solm, Tim, Fuzzy and outgoing Delegate Black Aspens (now named By Night).

The prospective Delegate's each began their campaigning with very promising manifestos, however during the campaign period difficulties arose within both the UDL and Osiris embassies and the trouble governing the Pan-Sinker Security Pact. These issues gave citizens a chance to ask the candidates the most difficult questions a prospective Balder Delegate has yet to get. Candidates answers were fairly similar but the citizens seemed very happy with each response. Going into the vote it looked like it would be very close between the candidates with it possibly being decided by a single vote. Questions for the prospective Riksdag members were more straight forward, with the main concern being on activity and changes to the constitution.

After almost a week of campaigning, a very long week might I add, voting finally begun. The Delegate election ended in a comfortable victory for Charles Cerebella who won by 6 votes over St George who finished 2nd.
There was a close race between Solm, Tim and Govindia for the 6th and final seat on the Riksdag with Fuzzy, By Night, NES, Topid and Liberty having a couple of votes to spare over the other 3 candidates. On the final day Solm and Tim pulled a few votes clear of Govindia with Solm beating Tim by a single vote in the end.

Delegate Election Results:

Charles Cerebella 11
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St George 5
Zander 2
Jamie 1

Riksdag Election Results:

Fuzzy 14
By Night (Formerly Black Aspens) 14
North East Somerset 14
Topid 14
Liberty 13
Solm 9
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Tim 8
Govindia 5

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Written by Charles Cerebella and Zander

[Drop Your Pants]

I endorse this topic....not that i'm biased because i'm in the government or anything

[McMasterdonia]

I'm pleased to see a GCR maintaining a forum embassy here keep up the good work Cere - hope the transition into the Delegacy doesn't take too long.

[Charles Cerebella]

Thank you both (DYP go do some work )

Hopefully not McMa. I had hoped to be in for the birthday but it doesn't look likely now unfortunately.

[McMasterdonia]

Thank you both (DYP go do some work )

Hopefully not McMa. I had hoped to be in for the birthday but it doesn't look likely now unfortunately.

That's a shame. Endotrading can be a pain, once you are in the spot its just a matter of maintaining it.

Question for Balder, what formal alliances does the region currently hold with other regions/organizations?

[Charles Cerebella]

Aye. I'm getting there slowly so hopefully it won't be too much longer now.

Balder is currently allied with Osiris, Lazarus and The Rejected Realms through the Pan-Sinker Security Pact and currently have an alliance with The South Pacific. Europeia and The New Inquisition (along with any other region or org that signed it) have some standing obligations towards Balder through the Pact of Friendship though this is not at current a formal alliance as such and Balder has no formal obligations to them. It is a major aim of mine though to expand Balder's relationships with other regions and orgs, both GCR and UCR and we currently have one treaty in the pipeline and others that we will hopefully be pursuing in the near future.

[McMasterdonia]

Good to hear. Thank you for answering my question.

Do you think it is more important for a GCR to have close alliances with other GCR's? Or do you consider UCR's more important?

[Charles Cerebella]

My pleasure. I think to have a successful policy both need to be considered as important. There is obviously a community of interests with other GCRs and it is desirable to have as good a relationship with the others as is possible, something I hope to cultivate. However it is foolish in my opinion to pursue a pure GCR foreign policy. UCRs are some of the most active regions out there giving great scope to culturally tap into some of that for a mutually beneficial relationship and in a strictly security sense them, along with User orgs, can probably provide many more disposable WAs in a crisis than a GCR can. Perhaps a quote of a great former British Foreign Secretary can somewhat highlight my opinion on who is more important though:

'Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.'

I have no intention to follow any strict ideology in determining Balder's foreign policy. What I want to do is craft a foreign policy that is in Balder's interests regardless of whether the other partner is a GCR or a UCR, or whether they are defender, invader or neutral. Balder is a great mixed community of gamers from all across NS. If I am going to be successful then I need to put aside ideology for the sake of Balder and just do what is in her interests and I hope that doing that will see stronger relations with both GCRs and UCRs with no distinction over which is more important in any broad sense.

It is a bit of a longer answer than I had intended but I hope that answers your question sufficiently.

[Mallorea and Riva]

What role does the current Balder Government view for its military for this term?

[Charles Cerebella]

Our focus so far has been on the Birthday celebrations (which are still going on ) so we haven't really discussed our military policy in much depth. I would like it to continue on the successes of the previous term though by seeing more training missions conducted while also being there should our friends and allies need us.

[McMasterdonia]

Thank you for your well thought out answer. I look forward to seeing Balder shine under your leadership.

[Charles Cerebella]

Thanks McMa! ^_^ I hope I can do her proud.

[Charles Cerebella]

Delegate: Charles Cerebella
Vice Delegate: Zander (Alvalero)
Ministers: Zander, North East Somerset, Rach, By Night and Cold Ice
Speaker of Riksdag:(Talman) Fuzzy
Riksdag members:(ledamöters) By Night, North East Somerset, Bryan von Richthofen, Liberty and Solm.
Forum: http://s11.zetaboards.com/Balder/index/

New Year for Balder and New Delegate

New Delegate Charles Cerebella

On the 19th October Balder kicked off its celebrations for its first birthday. With a zombie invasion of the region, that Balderites are still battling, as the centrepiece there was fun and games all round. Former Delegate Zander was triumphant in the Spam Points competition and Riksdag Delegate Liberty won the best Nordic Avatar competition. Zander, who is planning to create a historical society for Balder, also created a history of Balder's first year with all its ups and downs which you can check out here. To make the celebrations even better, during them the Delegacy finally changed hands from By Night, after 110 days of loyal service, to Charles Cerebella. A big thanks to Europeia, The New Inquisition and The Founderless Regions Alliance for aiding in the transfer! Also check out Jack Dixie's excellent interview/role play interview with Charles Cerebella here.

All change legislatively!

Riksdag Delegates debate the proposed Legislative Changes

After a quiet previous term when only three bills were enacted it has been all go for the Riksdag this time! Already we have had two bills enacted: The Behaviour Abroad Act 2012 and The Promotion of Culture and Media Act 2012; we have had a change to the Pan-Sinker Security Pact and there have been three Constitutional amendments with changes to the workings of the Government and the Riksdag as well as some other smaller alterations. With around half of the term still left and the Riksdag still brewing many ideas it looks like the Members will have their work cut out!

Council of State Changes

Things have been pretty busy in the Council of State too though unfortunately not all for the right reasons. Due to real life issues Topid has unfortunately been inactive almost from the very start of the term which eventually resulted in his removal both from the Council of State and from his seat on the Riksdag where Bryan von Richthofen won the closely fought by-election. Combined with activity problems for Drop Your Pants, who had to resign from Council because of them, it has meant that changes to our welcoming and naturalisation systems have been slower than would have been liked. Former Delegate By Night has been appointed to head these areas now though so it looks like we should have progress on that front very shortly. To add further to the problems in the Council, Culture Minister Rach has had to give up that portfolio due to exams draining her time though she has retained her seat to focus on getting Balder's military back up and running again. Former Riksdag Member Cold Ice has been appointed to take over that portfolio.

Balder at the World Fair

With Nationstates celebrating its 10th Birthday, Balder duly took its place at the World Fair organised by Unibot. It was wonderful to see so many people and regions attending with Balder hosting a debauched Viking party which prompted some wonder at Europeia's Common-Sense Politics's ideas of what men's legs look like. Smooth, shaven and shapely apparently! In addition to our stall Balder has been involved in the discussions for a new COPS treaty with both Delegate Charles Cerebella and Foreign Minister North East Somerset actively participating in the discussions. Though discussions seemed to have died down rather Balder is still very interested in making progress on that front and we sincerely hope that we will be able to bring the talks to a successful conclusion other participants.

In Other News...

Riksdag Speaker Fuzzy

• Riksdag Speaker Fuzzy has opened a Comic Strip Market Stall for all of your amusing picture needs. Check it out here!
• Discussions are going on for the introduction of an Honours system in the region with a series of Orders of Knighthoods proposed as well as our very own Collage of Arms. Hopefully in the next update we will be able to tell you who the first recipients have been. If you are interested you can read the talks here.
• In an exciting game run by Minister By Night called Vassals, a take on the classic board game Diplomacy, the two alliance blocs of By Night and Liberty against Charles Cerebella and Fuzzy wear each other down to a stalemate after some fast paced agressive moves from Cerebella and By Night. You can see how it panned out here and sign up for the next game if you like the sound of it!
• Our very own Norseman, Mr. Riket, has corrected us on the grammar of some of our Norse based names. Thank you to him!
• We've been getting involved in Issue writing with Fuzzy coming up with an idea for a new one that he has now submitted! Hopefully it won't be too long until we see that come up in our inbox!
• New Culture Minister Cold Ice has began discussions about a regional anthem for Balder with some very interesting, and odd, things being suggested so far! CI has also revived talks about a new oath based on the Norse 9 Noble Virtues.
• In the Nation Challenge mini-game on Nationstates that is running as part of the anniversary celebrations, By Night claimed the top spot briefly for twenty minutes on the opening night. Congrats to him!

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Written by Charles Cerebella.

[McMasterdonia]

Nice update. Thanks for sharing.

[Venaleria]

Delegate Charles=King Arthur from Merlin

Do you know if there is/will be a season 6?

[Charles Cerebella]

Nice update. Thanks for sharing.

My pleasure McMa ^_^

Delegate Charles=King Arthur from Merlin

Do you know if there is/will be a season 6?

The BBC confirmed yesterday that this series will be the last one alas - http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/20489859 It is kind of good though that they won't drag it out beyond its time and make it worse for it.

[Venaleria]

Nice update. Thanks for sharing.

My pleasure McMa ^_^

Delegate Charles=King Arthur from Merlin

Do you know if there is/will be a season 6?

The BBC confirmed yesterday that this series will be the last one alas - http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/20489859 It is kind of good though that they won't drag it out beyond its time and make it worse for it.

True...

[New Rogernomics]

I would put a space between the text and the images, otherwise good.

[Charles Cerebella]

Good point. It is a bit inconsistent with the articles without pictures. And I usually pride myself on high-quality updates (even though I hate writing them!)

[Charles Cerebella]

King: Charles Cerebella
Prince: Zander (Alvalero)
Ministers: North East Somerset, Rach, By Night, Liberty and Cold Ice
Speaker of Riksdag:(Riksdagens Talman) Fuzzy
Riksdag members:(Riksdagsledamot) By Night, North East Somerset, Govindia, Zander and Rach
Forum: http://s11.zetaboards.com/Balder/index/

Balder becomes a Monarchy

King of Balder, Charles Cerebella

After long deliberations by the Riksdag, Balder's Basic Law was amended to turn the region into an elective monarchy among other changes. Current Delegate Charles Cerebella will assume the crown of the region as King and former Delegates Zander and By Night, who oversaw the stabilisation of the region following our tumultuous start, will also be entitled be known as Kings of Balder as long as they make it clear they aren't the reigning monarch. In addition the Vice-Delegate position will now be known as Prince (thus making Zander a King of Balder, a Prince of Balder as well as our only Jarl (the highest honour that can be awarded). In other changes the Council of State has been renamed the Riksraadet (Council of the Realm) and the Riksdag term has been shortened from three months to two.

New Year Heralds Re-election of Delegate and New Riksdag

The popular Delegate, Charles Cerebella, has won re-election as Delegate of the region. The leader of the Council of State, and Head of State ran the election unopposed and gained all 12 votes cast in favour of him retaining his position. Fuzzy, the outgoing Riksdagens Talsman, closed the vote on the 14th January, 2013. The Riksdag too was reelected after the term ended for the old Riksdag. Three old Riksdagsledamot exited their positions: Liberty, Bryan von Richthofen, and Solm. Solm had fallen inactive and had been a plaintiff in a court case towards the end of his term. Bryan cited real life issues, as did Liberty, for not standing for reelection. There were 7 candidates, with 6 new Riksdagsledamot being byNight, Fuzzy, Zander, Govindia, North East Somerset, and Rach. Congratulations to the winners and we hope that they have a successful term in office. Work has already begun on electoral reform and reform of the Risdag. Fuzzy has been reelected as Speaker of the Riksdag by the Riksdagsledamot. Govindia was his only challenger.

Here are the full election results for the Riksdag:

14 (17.5%)by Night
13 (16.3%)Fuzzy
12 (15%) Zander
8 (10%) Govindia
7 (8.8%) Eluvatar
13 (16.3%)North East Somerset
13 (16.3%)Rach

Riksraadet Changes

Due to the requirement that neither the Riksdag or the Riksraadet may be made up of over half people who are members of the other body, Charles Cerebella had to make changes to his proposed cabinet due to their almost entire election to the Riksdag. As such, War Minister Rach was dropped as a Riksraadet position (given she has access anyway as ROOT administrator) and former Riksdag member Liberty was brought in as Minister for Media.

Bealtaine Accord

Celebrations marking the ratification of the Accord

Towards the end of last term Balder ratified the Bealtaine Cultural Accord, brining us within a large group of regions who have pledged to open themselves up to cultural interaction. We look forward to taking part in future events and welcome any Bealtaine members to our forum!

End of Term Report from the Delegate to the Riksdag

Charles Cerebella giving the End of Term Report

Charles Cerebella gave the traditional End of Term Report to the Riksdag on the 31st of December, 2012. He stated the advancements that Balder had made during the term and how Balder has begun to "strengthen [its] relations with the other sinkers through the amended PSSP". However, he also acknowledged how there is "room for improvement certainly but we have come a long, long way and every single person that has been active over this time here needs to be thanked for their contributions".

Click here for the full report.

In Other News...

New Jarl of Balder, Zander

• The first set of New Years honours have been issued. The honours list included the first Jarl of Balder, Zander, the Order of Mirmir to NES, Order of Bragi to Rach and the Order of Forseti to byNight. Furthermore, the following Balder citizens recieved their Coat of Arms: Rach, Zander, by Night, Hileville, Charles Cerebella, North East Somerset, Drop Your Pants, Fuzzy, Cold Ice & Liberty. Three foreign nationals were also given Coat of Arms, the Delegates of our Sinker Allies: St George, Feux and Whamabama.
• A court case over the removal of Solm from his seat in the Riksdag ended with the removal being upheld in court, by Charles Cerebella as adjudicator. The final verdict, however, was overturned by the Riksdag who repealed Clause 6 from Legislature section of the Constitution (a clause that had been implemented by the same Riksdag).
• In a restart to Balder's military, the Jomsvikings, War Minister Rach has seen us actively involved in the Warzones since the New Year with Balder leading a mission in Warzone Sandbox and also aiding in Lazarus's eventful occupation of Warzone Europe among other missions.

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Written by Liberty and Charles Cerebella.

[Charles Cerebella]

It is my pleasure to announce that Solorni has just been elected the first Queen of the Realm of Balder. She had 14 votes in the election compared to Cold Ice's one and one abstain. Congratulations to Solorni and commiserations to CI! I'm sure a full update will be out as soon as the new Riksraadet is confirmed

[Frattastan II]

Congratulations.

[McMasterdonia]

I'm so pleased to see Rach elected

[Cormac Stark]

Congratulations to the new Queen of Balder. Long may she reign.