Tumbran Database/Newswire (CLOSED)

[Tumbra]

Please do not post in this thread unless you are a mod or authorised to do so by Tumbra.

TUMBRAN DATABASE
Jointly Administered
by the Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation's World Service
and the News Alliance

The following thread serves as a compendium for information on Tumbra and sometimes non-sporting related news. For all sports-related news, click on this link to be brought to the Tumbran Domestic Sporting Newswire. The OP will be updated as and when necessary to reflect updates.

From the wiki article about Tumbra:

Tumbra, officially the Federal Republic of Tumbra, is a federal democratic republic located in Esportiva. It is situated with Damukuni to its west, the Hinodejin Empire to its north and oceans to its south and east. It covers an area of about 547,795km2, with a population of over 121 million people in its 25 constituent states. Its capital is Straton, while its largest city and financial centre is in Couno, the largest urban area is the Northeast Conurbation, comprising the previous two cities along with the cities of Harren, Serrapince (which is also the second largest city in Tumbra), Timbourne and Killiney.

Tumbra is a major power with a strong economy; it is a global leader in science and technology, along with culture and media. Couno is in particular home to the Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation and the Couno Herald, two of the multiverse's biggest news providers in the broadcast and print media industries respectively. A major tourist destination, the Tumbran scenery also offers an alluring tourist destination.

Politically, Tumbra is a federal parliamentary republic; under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Tumbra, the President is the head of state, but their power is mostly nominal. The Prime Minister of Tumbra is the most powerful office in the country and the bicameral Federal Parliament the primary legislative body.

As a highly developed country, it offers social security and a comprehensive universal health care system programme, rich environmental protections, and free university education. Tumbra is a member of the Esportivan Union, and is also a member of the World Cup Committee. It is, however, not a member of the World Assembly.

The current year in Tumbra is
2040

---

About the Partners

The Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation is the national broadcaster of Tumbra. Headquartered in Couno, it is one of the world's oldest national broadcasters, and one of the largest broadcasters in the world by employed staff. A federal corporation owned by the Government of Tumbra, it is nonetheless politically independent and wholly accountable. Providing radio, television, online and mobile services throughout Tumbra, its foremost mission is to act in the public interest; and to bring impartial, high-quality programmes to the public to inform, educate and entertain.

The News Alliance is a non-profit news agency headquartered in Straton. It operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association; its members are largely made up of Tumbran newspapers and broadcasters. Its biggest members today are, in decreasing order of publication numbers:

• The Couno Herald
• The Serrapince Post
• The Straton Times
• The Bencoolen Globe
• The Kingsbury Tribune
• The Millsburgh Chronicle

Dedicated to delivering factual, objective and accurate news and information to the public, the mission of the Alliance is to carry out journalism of events going on around the world — with particular focus on the AREIMA regions (Arrosia, Rushmore, Esportiva, Independents, Mandalanunsa, Anaia), with select coverage of other regions as well.

Coverage from other websites may also appear as well.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Main

Flag
Tumbra's flag is officially known as the Red, Black, and Blue. Officially, the flag is described as such:

The flag, in a 3:2 ratio, is a tricolour Tumbran fess which consists of three horizontal fesses in a ratio of 1:2:1, with the top fess being red, the middle fess black, and the bottom fess blue. The central charge, positioned on the black fess, is a gold eagle displayed, surrounded by an annulet of 25 gold five-pointed stars.

Coat of Arms

Motto
Tumbra's official motto is Liberty and Justice for All.

Anthem
Tumbra's national anthem is the Song of the Tumbrans. It can be heard here.

Map

Demonyms
The official way to refer to someone from Tumbra is as a Tumbran.
Usage: I am a Tumbran/I am Tumbran/These are my fellow Tumbrans

Official Languages
Tumbra's official language is Tumbran, and is the only federally recognised official language. Individual states may recognise other languages as co-official; for example, many of the Southwestern states, which have a high Licentian Dutch-speaking population, recognise Dutch as a second official language at the state level.

Tumbra — Statistics

Population
Tumbra's population as of its 2030 census was 121 million. This is expected to hit 128 million by the next decade. Tumbra's total fertility rate is below the 2.1 replacement rate, at 1.65. The average life expectancy is 82 years for males and 85 years for females.

Density
Ethnic groups
Religion
Area
GDP
Gini
HDI

Date format
Tumbra uses the Day/Month/Year format for dates.

Mains electricity
Tumbra operates on a 230V supply voltage at a frequency of 50Hz.
The plug format used in Tumbra is the BS 1363 three-pin plug.

Driving side
Tumbra drives on the left.

Calling code
Tumbra's calling code is +90.

Trigramme
Tumbra's trigramme in all international sporting events is TMB.

Internet TLD
Tumbra's internet TLD is also .tmb

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Government

Executive Branch: The President

The President of Tumbra is the head of state of the Federal Republic of Tumbra. Together with their deputy, the Vice President of Tumbra, they form the Office of the President. The President nominally has ultimate executive power in the country, but this power is bound to what the Prime Minister of Tumbra wishes. Nevertheless, the Office of the President still retains significant checking powers against the other branches of government, and acts as the guarantor of the Constitution of Tumbra. Both the President and Vice President are elected together every six years in a two-round election, where the top two candidates proceed to the second round of the election if no candidate garners a majority in the first round of the election. The President and Vice President are constitutionally limited to a single term. The Vice President of Tumbra also officially presides over the Senate of Tumbra, the upper house of the Tumbran Parliament, and is first in line to succeed the President should the office become vacant. The Vice President also exercises the functions and duties of the President when the President is otherwise unable to do so.

The current President is His Excellency Edward Merryweather, while the current Vice President is His Excellency Lucas Clark. Both President Merryweather and Vice-President Clark are from the United Party. President Merryweather was elected in 2032, while Vice-President Clark was appointed and confirmed by the Senate in 2035, following the resignation of ex-Vice President Julian Munro. Their term is expected to expire in 2038.

Executive Branch: The Federal Government

The federal government of Tumbra, defined in the Constitution as the executive branch comprising the Prime Minister of Tumbra and their cabinet, oversees the day-to-day running of the Federal Republic. The government is the central executive of the Tumbran state, and is led by the Prime Minister, who appoints ministers to the Cabinet. As of the time of writing, the current Prime Minister of Tumbra is the Right Honourable Bertram Andrews of the Labour Party, who has been in office since 2037. He leads the First Andrews Government, the 65th Government of Tumbra. The government is selected after any federal election, where any MP that is able to win the support of the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Federal Parliament) will be elected as Prime Minister. Typically, this will be the leader of the largest party in Parliament.

65th Government of Tumbra
Cabinet Members
Prime Minister/Minister for the Civil Service                                                Bertram Andrews (Serrapince Rainford, Bechor)
Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs/Minister for Northern Affairs   Sandra Campbell (Couno Langholm, Napier)
Minister for Finance                                                                         Jack Keenan (Kingsbury North, Georgia)
Minister for Foreign Affairs                                                                 Daniel Fowler (Ridgewell Chiltern, Westmond)
Minister for Home Affairs                                                                    Alexander Ross (Reigate, Fremont)
Minister for Law and Justice/Attorney General's Office                                       Brendan Chesterman (Teignford Central, Grantfeldt)
Minister for Defence                                                                         Christopher Lindsay (Meadowbrook, Marlsbruhe)
Minister for Commerce and Industry                                                           Eric Stephens (Stradbroke, Severn)
Minister for Health                                                                          Claire Atherton (Norramby, Marlsbruhe)
Minister for Education                                                                       Sonia Kaur (Ridgewell Central, Westmond)
Minister for Transport                                                                       Jayne Morris (Hesham Fletchley, Clearmont)
Minister for Labour and Pensions                                                             Cassamdra Kerman (Gelder South, Iswilyn)
Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources                                               Danielle Cullen (Cranwell, Iswilyn)
Minister for Urban Development                                                               Trevor Evans (Carter City Central, Raleigh)
Minister for Regional Development                                                            Robert Briscoe (Dover, Thornton)
Minister for Energy and the Environment                                                      William Redford (Harwick Central, Hamilton)
Minister for Culture                                                                         Deborah Keating (Orpington Central, Fremont)
Minister for International Trade and Development                                             Heather Hughes (Hesham Northwoods, Clearmont)
Minister for Social Affairs                                                                  Claire Barker (Timbourne North West, Napier)
Minister for Technology                                                                      Amanda Stafford (Straton Hoven, Straton)
Minister without Portfolio                                                                   Michael Prentice (Kildare, Georgia)
Minister for the Cabinet Office                                                              Michelle Chambers (Harren Central, Harren)

Also attending Cabinet:
Leader of the House                                                                          Eric Cooper-Jones (Serrapince Ellesmere, Bechor)
Leader of the Government in the Senate                                                       Sen. Gareth Cahill (Gamaliel)
Chief Whip                                                                                   Tristan Rodgers (Clark Central, Finnley)

Legislative Branch: The Federal Parliament

The Federal Parliament of Tumbra, based in Straton, serves as the legislative branch of the Tumbran federal government. Comprising an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives, the Federal Parliament is the primary lawmaking body of the Tumbran government. Based, like most of the rest of the federal government, in the capital city of Straton, the Federal Parliament has 850 members in total — 650 in the House and 200 in the Senate, all of whom are directly elected by the people at four-year and six-year intervals, as set out in the Constitution. Parliament is also where all members of the Cabinet are drawn from, and a majority of Cabinet ministers are typically drawn from the lower house. Cabinet ministers, therefore, are responsible for to the respective house in which they sit. Any Member of Parliament may be recalled, and a by-election held, if voters totalling either one-third (House) or one-fifth (Senate) of the total number of votes cast at the last election for the seat sign a petition calling for the recall of any particular Member. Since the passage of these amendments to the Constitution in 2029, one member has been removed in this way: Senator Kathleen Nielsen of Georgia.

The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Tumbra and is the primary chamber of its body. It meets in the House Wing of the Federal Parliament building in Straton, Tumbra. The House's presiding officer is the Speaker, who is also fourth in line to succeed the President. The current Speaker is Sarah McLean, the MP for Fontwell East in Marlsbruhe.

The House, comprising of 650 members known as Members of Parliament (MPs), is elected via full preferential instant runoff voting. MPs are elected to represent constituencies until Parliament is dissolved, either by reaching the term limit or by Parliament being dissolved earlier by the Prime Minister. Elections are held every four years, and Members of Parliament are elected by Tumbran citizens over the age of 18. The House has several functions - it elects the Prime Minister, who has to be a member of the lower house, is responsible for executive oversight, and sets the Federal Budget. It is able to originate legislation in the form of Private Members' Bills, scrutinises legislation brought forth by all three of the executive branch, the Senate and private members by referring matters to Legislative Committees. Most attention from the media and the public is focused on the House, due to its higher level of power and more combative style of debate. Particular attention is paid to Prime Minister's Questions, held at noon on Wednesdays, where the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition go head-to-head, trying to embarrass each other politically. Most legislative activity occurs in the House, and over 90% of legislation passed in the 2025-2029 term of Parliament originated in the House of Representatives.

Composition of the 29th Senate of Tumbra (2032-2038 term)

The Senate of Tumbra is the upper house of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Tumbra and is often considered to be the secondary chamber of its body. It meets in the Senate Wing of the Federal Parliament building in Straton, Tumbra. Comprised of 200 Senators, the body elected via party-list proportional representation, though plans are on the table to amend this to open-list proportional representation or the panachage system. Each state sends between 6 and 12 Senators to the Senate, the exact composition of which is determined by the Federal Elections Composition every twenty years. Elections to the Senate occur every six years, concurrent to those for the Presidency.

The Senate has several functions that are unique to upper houses throughout the region, but with several caveats - it has the same power to raise legislation as the House, with the exception of all money bills. It cannot, however, fully reject bills, but only delay their passage. The Senate, however, has the power to accept or reject political appointments to various statutory boards and other posts as outlined by legislation and other conventions. Such posts include ambassadorships, and the appointment of federal judges to both the Supreme and Federal Constitutional Courts.

As a result of the proportional representation system used, the Senate is more politically fragmented than the House, with no one party having ever achieved a majority of seats in the Senate. As such, the two major parties must negotiate with the smaller parties to get legislation passed. The government of the day typically appoints the Leader of the Government in the Senate, who represents the Government in questions and is typically also the caucus leader of the party that the Senator represents. The Senate's presiding officer is also the Vice President of the Federal Republic, while the longest serving Senator serves as the presiding officer in the Senate in their absence.

Judicial Branch: The Federal Constitutional Court

The Federal Constitutional Court of Tumbra is the highest court in the Federal Republic, and serves as the final court of appeal for almost all cases that progresses through the Tumbran federal court system. The Court's has both original and appellate jurisdiction, and its responsibilities are set out under Article 35 of the Tumbran Constitution. In general, however, the Court only chooses to hear cases that have questions that relate directly to the interpretation of the Constitution of Tumbra. This means that it hears about 80 to 100 cases per year. The Court also retains the power of judicial review over all laws passed by both houses of the Federal Parliament of Tumbra, which is activated either through a case progressing through the Tumbran court system or via the President, via use of their reserve power, referring a potential law to the Court for their review. In the past, the Court has also heard cases that have become matters of significant public interest, involves a conflict within lower courts or is in the interest of the administration of justice in Tumbra.

The court has nine justices, comprising of one Chief Justice and eight Associate Judges. Judges are nominated by the President, typically on advice by the Prime Minister, and confirmed by the Senate of Tumbra. All judges must retire at the age of 75. Typically, only one person from each state serves on the Supreme Court at each time, to maintain geographical balance — however, this is merely a convention, and is not inscribed in any legislation or statute. The current Chief Justice, the Hon. Alexander Mitchell SC, was appointed by Prime Minister Kenneth Everett in 2026. The longest-serving judge on the court is Associate Justice Keith Lethbridge-Stevens SC, who has served on the Court since 2008, and is due to retire in 2031.

Justices of the Tumbran Federal Constitutional Court


Title                   Name                            State           Age     Tenure      Nominated by
Chief Justice           Alexander Mitchell SC           Napier          54      2026-       K Everett
Associate Justice       Keith Lethbridge-Stevens SC     Bechor          74      2008-       D Hayes
Associate Justice       Mark Davis SC                   Grantfeldt      70      2014-       D Hayes
Associate Justice       Eleanor Matthews SC             Kingsbury       73      2015-       D Hayes
Associate Justice       Kelly Holland SC                Caduke          55      2018-       K Everett
Associate Justice       Richard Whittaker SC            Hamilton        61      2020-       K Everett
Associate Justice       Janice Evans SC                 Iswilyn         54      2023-       K Everett
Associate Justice       Christopher Potter SC           Bencoolen       49      2024-       K Everett
Associate Justice       Angela Jarvis SC                Dartmoor        47      2028-       M Kirkland

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Places

Regions

Tumbra has 25 states and 1 territory, known as the Northlands. The 25 states are often separated into six regions, each named after their geographic region which they are located in; though for electoral purposes, the North and West are often placed in a single "Northwest" category, despite their cultural differences. Depending on who you ask, then, there are either six or seven regions of Tumbra.

NORTHEAST
States: Harren, Napier, Bechor, Straton, Marcato, Finnley

The Northeast is the richest and most populous of the six named regions, being home to over 40 million people as of the 2030 census. Home to three of Tumbra's biggest cities — Couno, Serrapince, and Straton, its capital city, in decreasing order — this region is the most heavily associated with Tumbra in popular culture, with most movies depicting Tumbra focusing on those three cities. Other large cities, like Nantwich and Clark, also find themselves in this region, albeit much further west on the map. Historically, this is where the Tumbran Civil War broke out, meaning that even though the republican spirit is strong throughout the country, it is particularly strong in this region. The Northeast is also an extremely culturally diverse region, with this and the Southeast being the two regions where most immigrants to the country began their journey in Tumbra. Being an economic powerhouse, the Northeast is also extremely desirable to live in; and as such has been described, most notably, by poet Richard Yerkes as that "shining castle upon that glorious hill," even back in the 1880s.

SOUTHEAST
States: Clearmont, Dartmoor, Severn

Often described as the "region that does everything," the Southeast's 20 million people is home to a diverse collection of three states which include areas of great national beauty — including the Dartmoor Marshes, the country's largest collection of wetlands — and great industrial efforts, with the state of Clearmont seemingly having its history divided between both coal mining and agriculture, while the state of Severn, and particularly the city of Lakewood, got its fame through being the second centre of industrialisation of the newly-born nation. Also culturally and ethnically diverse, thanks to a long history of immigration, the Southeast is slightly more gritty and working-class than the Northeast; but it takes that reputation in stride.

CENTRAL
States: Raleigh, Georgia, Alexandria, Hamilton, Thornton, Bencoolen

NORTH
States: Gamaliel, Iswilyn, Westmond

SOUTHWEST
States: Lormark, Fremont, Turvenal, Pesvern

The southwest

WEST
States: Grantfeldt, Marlsbruhe, Caduke

NORTHLANDS
Territories: The Northlands

Cities

STRATON
The country's capital, Straton sometimes gets an unfair reputation for being overly gray. It's understandable, of course — most federal government buildings are distinguishable by the exact same material used to clad their walls, a sort of gray slate that's given members of the civil service a somewhat dour nickname of "The Grey Men." Regardless, there is fun here if it's looked for; the northern part of the city, which is home to the country's biggest and most prestigious post-1864 university is known for being the main place where fun happens; and, well, failing that, there's always the country's largest observation wheel, standing tall at 169m and pretty much defining the city's skyline. Most institutions of national importance are housed here; including the National Air and Space Museum, co-located with the National Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, National Arts Gallery, and so on. Most impressive, probably, is the National Library; the country's biggest library which is co-located with the National Archives. All three branches of government are housed here, too; as well as most monuments to the country's founding fathers, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, commemorating lives lost during the Civil War.

SERRAPINCE
Home to the city's financial industry — which directly means that the city is also known for its debauchery and nightlife (what do you expect when you have a heavy concentration of people in the financial sector in close proximity to each other?), Serrapince is Tumbra's second largest city, but one that's still diverse enough to essentially be an everycity. Of particular interest to tourists would probably be the spiky building known as the Modern Hedgehog, but really is the Serrapince Museum of Modern Art, which serves as the country's largest collection of art produced post-1950. Or, as some more traditional critics would call it, "art". Apart from that, the country's largest Yoshiman Garden is located here, as well as Exhibition House, a giant glass building that was built in 1882 for the country's turn at hosting the Universal Exposition.

MARRAY
Tumbra's top party city, Marray is home to the finest beaches in Tumbra; unusually for the northeast of the country, it's sun, sand and sparkling-clear waters. Marray is where Tumbra's main cruise terminal is; and the city is renowned for its bustling nightlife. Come for the sand dunes; stay for the football. Of particular note is the city's promenade, where most of the city's nightlife is; the most renowned clubs are Enigma, Paradise Inferno, and Aventurine, the last of which is located right on the beachfront and is probably the most exclusive club in the whole city. What happens in Marray, stays in Marray, some say; and while casinos may still be illegal here, the city's not known as the country's entertainment capital for nothing. Theme parks, film studios...it's all glamour here.

CLYDE
Clyde is known for being the beating heart of Tumbra's coal industry, with this being where Tumbra's coal is exported to the world. The coal supply chain ends here; here, Tumbran coal goes to the world, after its starting journey in central Clearmont. Unsurprisingly, the city is unashamedly working-class, and has suffered something of a post-industrial decline with Tumbra's coal industry declining somewhat, though it is slowly going through something of an economic regeneration with a new focus on renewables.

HESHAM
Despite its size and proximity to Lakewood, Hesham is seen as a relatively laid-back city, more than content to let time pass it by. This is where Clearmont's agricultural industry — carried mostly by wheat — sends its cargo for it to be exported to the world. It's lost a bit of its cultural identity as time's gone on and Lakewood has begun to slowly subsume the city into the amorphous blob that is Greater Lakewood, but locals will never let anyone forget that modern Tumbran football was born here; after all, the meeting between club executives that formed the first-ever league competition was held here. Perhaps unsurprisingly with all that wheat passing through the city, it's got a high amount of breweries; and also the highest number of pubs per capita in Tumbra.

LAKEWOOD
The industrial powerhouse of the South East, Lakewood made its fortunes during the Industrial Revolution (which arrived late on this country's shores — thanks, empire!) due to the burgeoning textile industry that was essentially spawned large waves of migration to the city. It helped that Lakewood was one of the few ports where immigrants to the country were able to be processed, alongside Nantwich and Couno; meaning that the city, more than others, has become more of a cultural melting pot than others. Homage is paid to this through the Museum of Immigration, located on the site of a former immigration processing centre. The city has grown so large in recent years that the city's suburbs have essentially spilled over into Hesham; the two form what is essentially a giant urban conurbation. It helps that the same international airport serves both cities.

NEWTON
That Tumbra has a long history in maritime trade is unsurprising; nearly all of its major cities of note are located on the coast. Newton is no different; but adds a different spin on the matter. Back in its heyday, Newton was the capital of Tumbran piracy and a city where even the most strict imperial rule couldn't get bring it down (until unification, of course — but that's a different matter). The entirety of the city centre could be a historical monument in itself; and that's not forgetting the fact that Newton is a canal city, where you're just as likely to catch a bus as a ferry over the waters to your next destination. Expect plenty of monuments to maritime heroes here; this city, alongside Collatia and Nantwich, is one of the three homes of the Tumbran shipbuilding industry.

KINGSBURY
The old imperial capital, Kingsbury's Historic Quarter is worth a whole afternoon on its own. The last castle of the Terenbergs (the old imperial family) was located here; nowadays it's a walkthrough museum, which takes a surprisingly neutral tone on the whole royalty thing. One of the wings of the castle has been converted into a public library, which probably shows the amount of attention the former royals receive these days. Apart from that, there's the Kingsbury Cathedral, which is the seat of Emberican Christianity and the Archbishop of Kingsbury; though it's probably telling of religion's place in public life that nobody gives a toss about them either.

COLLATIA
The shipbuilding city of the south, Collatia's history quite literally revolves around the sea. A fishing city, Collatia is home to the largest port in the country; it's also home to the Southern Fleet of the Tumbran Navy. The city's port is so large that the federal government embarked upon a project in the 1990s to dredge up an entire island to host the docks. As a result, the old Docklands district has been regenerated into an artsy area. The city is also home to the tallest bridge in the country; the Duff Bridge, named for the state's first and third premier, links the reclaimed island that hosts the city's docks to the rest of the city. The city is also home to the country's longest pleasure pier in the country. Historically and strangely, cricket has always been the dominant sport here as compared to football; the city has no professional football team within the city's boundaries.

BENCOOLEN
The most colourful (and gayest, statistically) of Tumbra's cities, Bencoolen is possibly the most liberal place in the country. Many social movements that eventually grew to become nationwide movements began here; women's liberation in the 60s and gay rights in the 70s can all trace their origins to this city. Most well known for the litany of low-rise, pastel-coloured houses that dot the seafront, as well as the tight, windy high-rise apartment buildings that are so close together it doesn't really feel like a Tumbran city, Bencoolen is different from the rest of the country, and likes to make it known. Bencoolen is known for being the place where bohemians want to live, by trading on art; and many a Tumbran artiste, thespian, author, and poet cut their teeth here. As for sports, try sailing, or watersports; the surfing culture is strong here, and the sport of yachting is mostly concentrated here as well, with regattas dotting the horizon. It helps that the weather is really conducive for this sort of thing. Historically, this is also where cricket made landfall on Tumbran shores; Grearish sailors brought the game to Tumbra and Bencoolen has been one of the centres of cricket since.

SOUTHPORT
An idyllic, laid-back city, Southport is home to the Tumbran navy's submarine fleet, and is therefore somewhat of a military town. Ignoring that, however, Southport is another city that retains quite a lot of its historicity; it helps that the RTS Majestic, an eighteenth-century Tumbran naval frigate which dates from the era of empire, is moored here and serves as a permanent floating exhibition. The Tumbran Maritime Museum is one of the biggest museums in the country, and brings to life the story of Tumbra's relationship with the ocean. The city is also home to a substantial Licentian population; which is fitting, considering that the southwest of the country as a whole has a substantial Licentian diaspora, and the language of Dutch is essentially the southwest's second language.

HOXFORD
Perhaps sometimes derisively labelled a "university city," Hoxford is best well known for the Hoxford Technological University, which is Tumbra's foremost post-1864 university; its genetics department and experimental physics department are the best in Tumbra, and possibly the entirety of Esportiva. There are plans to build a larger particle accelerator to further boost the university's rankings; but outside of that, Hoxford's relative youth means that the city is keen to present itself as a 'city of innovation', with lots of spaces in the city's centre open to start-ups. And it's worked; Hoxford is where many a Tumbran tech start-up is based. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the architecture here is very glass-based; the city is also extremely eco-friendly, and has touted itself as a "city in a forest". Less should be said about increased rent, however.

SHEPPERTON
Originally called Shepperton Falls thanks to the natural small waterfalls running through the centre of the city, Shepperton is the heart of the idyllic southwest; but often comes off as quite unfriendly to foreigners, which is quite ironic as it is located right on the western Tumbran border. Shepperton is the home to many things, but especially Tumbran conservatism; many a conservative politician cut their teeth here, including former Prime Minister Lawrence Newell, widely regarded as one of the most conservative politicians in the country. If you can get past that, however, the Patrida Revival style architecture is a sight to behold on its own; and the food here, especially the barbeque, is one of the highlights of the city. There were plans to build the Assembly of Esportiva right in this very city, but locals' opposition to the idea meant that the building was eventually built in Kingsbury.

FONTWELL
The biggest city in the West, Fontwell's an underrated gem of a city; and it's also probably one of the best places in Tumbra to learn about a side of the country's history that sometimes flies under the radar — the Western Republic. The Museum of Western History is located here, and it's chock-full of almost everything the uninitiated would need to know about the unrecognised republic, which fought a guerilla war against the Empire of Tumbra in its waning days, and contributed heavily to the latter's losses in the brutal civil war. Apart from that, why not try looking at the automobile industry? Cheap foreign imports have shrunk the domestic market somewhat these days, but the legacy is still there — Carlton Motors still chugs out variations of the Carlton Cross, the original Tumbran car, and they've got a fantastic museum as well. Go a fair bit east, into the neighbouring state of Caduke, and you'll be able to see Tumbra's most stunning natural beauties; Mount Vernon, Tumbra's highest mountain, as well as visit Mount Fesmos Circuit, which is one of the highest-rated motorsports circuits in the world. It's even hosted a round of the World Grand Prix Championship before, but it's unlikely to return. Being the westernmost stadium hosting games this tournament, Fontwell presents a unique opportunity for tourists to visit the west in general, an area of stunning natural beauty.

MILLSBURGH
One of Tumbra's 'forgotten cities', Millsburgh was the home of the now-flagging Tumbran steel industry; it now potters on, though the chemicals industry still goes strong in the north. It's probably the least tourist-friendly city out of the eleven host cities — no dedicated airport, nothing really exciting to do on the surface — but there is the National Museum of Steel here. The Museum of Industry and Technology is also here, which documents the history of Tumbran technology, and has a full-scale replica of the first-ever steam train to ever run on Tumbran railways. And bridges. Lots of bridges. The city can get fairly cold, but one thing the city does excel in is the sheer amount of flora in its borders; it's shed most of its dreary reputation gained in the previous century, and the streets are lined with trees and grass. In autumn, it's really pretty. In summer, they do provide a good amount of shade from the sun.

RIDGEWELL
A northern powerhouse, Ridgewell used to be the gateway to the world for northern Tumbran coal and steel; but with manufacturing fleeing to less expensive countries, and the coal mines closing thanks to The Eighties (and a focus on renewables this century), it's struggled to redefine itself. It's still the largest city in the North, though, and an effort to pivot the city towards tech and research has given it a new lease of life. For tourists, the main attraction in this area is the historic Wyndham Castle, located on the outskirts of the city; it's been stunningly well preserved, and historical demonstrations of medieval life occur every Saturday. Helps that a flea market sets up shop every weekend there too. This is probably one of the coldest cities in the country, too.

NANTWICH
A naval city through and through, Nantwich essentially made its name from two things: shipbuilding and having a naval base on its outskirts. Both industries, perhaps miraculously, survive to the present day; and Nantwich has always had a more gritty, subdued vibe to it. That hasn't stopped it from becoming one of Tumbra's largest cities in the midwest; and it helps that the food here's cheap, as well. It's also known for being exceptionally windy; mainly due to its position near the closest thing Tumbra has to an inland lake, the North Tumbra Sea. For attractions: Deep-dish "Nantwich-style pizza" may seem like a cultural travesty to anyone from outside the state (to say nothing of the Grande Cucinans, who steadfastly refuse to refer to it as "pizza" and prefer the term "pie"), but it's a refreshing take on the ever-popular dish, invented, ironically, by someone from Grande Cucina who couldn't find a proper pizza pan when he first arrived in the city.

CLARK
A city known for its culture — cathedrals, clothes, theatres, and museums — Clark is known for being much more highbrow than its neighbour Nantwich, and those who can't stand the working-class vibe of Nantwich will enjoy Clark. Beware, though, of the exorbitant prices nearly everywhere; from restaurants to shopping malls (pay a visit to the Clark City Gallery, the country's oldest shopping mall), everything meant for the upper classes will make you pay through the nose for it. It's also home to one of the country's oldest universities; making the city also a place of revered learning. This is the place of Tumbran high fashion; surprisingly spared from most of the Civil War, the city's 15th-century architecture survives to this day.

RICCI
Ricci is another city that was well-involved in the country's steel industry, though instead of the raw materials, Ricci was where quite a lot of the by-products of steel were made. The most famous of these by-products was cutlery; and it wasn't just steel products that were made here. No, Tumbra's ceramics industry was (and still is, albeit on a smaller scale) focused around Ricci and the state of Marcato in general. Nowadays, Ricci is more of a sleepy city in the middle of the Couno-Straton-Serrapince conurbation that forms the economic powerhouse of the northeast, and the Clark-Nantwich conurbation that forms the bulk of the midwest. But that's not to say it's got no charm; it's a haven for archaeological digs, and on its outskirts there are some of the oldest remnants of human activity in Tumbra. People here are very much opposed to Nantwich-style deep-dish pizza; this is because there is a hefty Savigliano diaspora in this city, and prefer their Savigliano food served traditionally.

COUNO
Couno is Tumbra's largest city — there's a little bit of something for everyone here. The city is Tumbra's most famous; and is renowned for historically being a centre of innovation. Go for a long walk along the majestic Promenade, complete with statue walks (there's a park with busts of every Prime Minister of the country, with a short blurb of their achievements or lack thereof); or head up the hill on the opposite side of the skyline and stadium for a bit of nature. Don't miss the majestic Couno Harbour Bridge, though it's pretty difficult to do that; it's literally everywhere in the city's marketing, and opportunities exist to climb up the bridge. Seafood lovers should pay a visit to the Couno Fish Market, where the day's freshest catches are hauled in every morning for hungry tourists and shoppers alike. Looking for history? Visit the aptly-named Old City, where brick-and-mortar department stores still survive; and marvel at how narrow the streets are. As for nightlife, by far and away Couno's most famous nightclub is B*A*S*H, located on the 50th to 53rd floors of the Stevenson Tower. Then further marvel at how racing drivers manage to slalom cars through these streets every September, when the Couno Grand Prix takes place. Further inland, there's Tumbra's biggest amusement park, Galaxy Studios (one of three in the country), complete with rides from your favourite entertainment franchises.

HARREN
The city's easternmost large city, Harren — the capital city of the eponymous state — is a city of many cultures. Set around a huge mountain known as the Rock of Harren, the city is extremely dense, exceptionally around the Historic Quarter of the city. The city's distinctive low-rise buildings contrast nicely with the limestone mountain; and sunsets here are known to be a sight all on their own. But the city's other industry, located somewhere outside the core of the city, is gambling. Harren is the only state that has legalised gambling; and so almost every tourist that wants to gamble will take the short hop over from Couno to while their money away. Unsurprisingly, gambling is quite highly regulated; but the historic casinos, dating back to the 19th century, are the main attraction this city has. The Tumbran Navy's Eastern Fleet is based out of the other settlement in the state, Cayalon; the tip of the state of Harren is also a popular tourist destination.

Tourist Attractions

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Economy

Sectors

Currency
The official currency of the Federal Republic is the Tumbran dollar (TM$), which has a fixed exchange rate of NS$1=TM$1.33. The Tumbran dollar is further subdivided into cents, of which 100 Tumbran cents (¢) make up TM$1. There are five denominations of coins and seven denominations of notes; from the most recent series. The details of these series are noted below.

Coins

Value	Obverse	Reverse	Metal	Symbolism
5 cents	Coat of arms, year minted, motto	Value, sheaf of wheat and rice stalk	Yellow steel	Agricultural beginnings
10 cents	Coat of arms, year minted, motto	Value and cornflower	Gray steel	National flower
20 cents	Coat of arms, year minted, motto	Value and Mount Vernon	Gray steel	Tallest peak
50 cents	Coat of arms, year minted, motto	Value and birch tree	Gray steel	National tree
1 dollar	Coat of arms, year minted, motto	Value and golden eagle	Yellow/Gray steel	National animal

Notes

Value	Obverse/Person featured	Reverse	Colour	Symbolism
2 dollar	Gordon Hamilton	Clark City Opera House; various paintings, an orchestra	Green	1st President of Tumbra/Arts
5 dollar	James Edwards	Mount Vernon and Caduke National Park	Blue	Influential writer and philosopher in the struggle for independence/Nature
10 dollar	Malcolm Haywood	Prime Ministerial Office building, Presidential Palace building, Federal Parliament building, Federal Constitutional Court building	Red	23rd and longest serving Prime Minister of Tumbra/Government
20 dollar	Helen Scott	Port of Lakewood and Couno skyline; Intercity train	Yellow	Impressionist painter/Economy
50 dollar	Jeanette Blackthorn	Tumbran National Stadium; sportspeople	Purple	Award-winning biologist/Sports
100 dollar	Elizabeth Locke	Monument to the Fallen; aircraft carrier RTN Independence	Orange	Poet, writer, composer of the national anthem, the Song of the Tumbrans, and notable classical composer otherwise/Military
1000 dollar	Samuel Cohen	Scientific research; a lecture being conducted	Salmon	1st Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court/Science

Trade

Transport

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Society

Religion

Holidays
Tumbra has fourteen statutory federal public holidays.

Holiday	Date	Reason/Traditions
New Year's Day	1 January	To celebrate the start of the new year. Often celebrated with a countdown and copious amounts of alcohol.
Republic Day	5 January	To commemorate the day that independence was declared. Often commemorated with the hanging of flags outside apartments, and parades in various cities.
Day of Youth	14 February	To celebrate the nation's youth and future. Often commemorated with small acts of gift-giving and quality time.
Vernal Equinox	20 March	To celebrate regrowth and regeneration. Often associated with life, love and friendship of all kinds, though most strongly associated with romantic love. Romantic gestures are most commonly celebrated on this day.
Labour Day	1 May	To commemorate the labour movement. Often commemorated as a day of recreation, creativity, and hobbies as a celebration of the tendency of man to produce.
Memorial Day	14 May	To commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Staplewood, which officially ended the Tumbran Civil War, and later expanded to include commemorating veterans. Often commemorated with a reading of the ceasefire proclamation, and other related military-related ceremonies.
Summer Solstice	20 June	To celebrate the high point of summer. Often associated with environmentalism and water; many tree-planting and beach-cleaning events take part on this day.
Heritage Day	1 August	To explore heritage of all kinds, whether cultural or local. Often a celebration of multiculturalism. Town festivals are often held on this day.
Autumnal Equinox	22 September	Celebration of the autumnal harvest. Often associated with earth; celebrations often involve copious amounts of alcohol and filling food. Also functions as a thanksgiving festival and celebration of friendship.
Day of the Elderly	14 October	To pay tribute to the nation's elderly and history. Often associated with acts of service such as volunteering and charity.
Winter Solstice	21 December	To celebrate winter. Often associated with family; this is traditionally the day when people would arrive in their home town to spend time with family. Often celebrated with a reunion dinner.
Festivus	25 December	Traditional winter festival. Often associated with gift-giving and freedom; people traditionally give gifts to loved ones on this day. Often followed by copious amounts of alcohol and filling food.
Day after Festivus	26 December	Second day of the traditional winter festival. Often associated with hangovers; people often open their gifts received on Festivus on this day, nurse hangovers, and celebrate winter.
New Years' Eve	31 December	End of the old year. Often celebrated with a countdown and copious amounts of alcohol.

All election days are also designated as public holidays. These normally occur on a Friday. The only explicitly gazetted ones are elections for the President and Senate, which take place on the first Friday of February every sixth year. Elections to the House of Representatives are also typically held on Fridays.

If a federal holiday falls on a weekend, then the following Monday is declared a holiday in lieu.

Food

Culture

Media

Sport

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Companies

Airlines
flySPORTIVA
Ultra low-cost carrier focusing on destinations within Esportiva. Known for its promotions during summer. Not entirely based within Tumbra; does intra-regional flights as well.

Northern
Low-cost, regional carrier focusing largely on the north of the country. Hub airports include Fontwell and Marlsbruhe.

Republic Air
Full-service, legacy airline that rivals Tumbran Airlines in size and scope. Hub airports include Kingsbury and Hesham-Lakewood.

Starbrook
Low-cost carrier that specialises in both the domestic market and long-haul low-cost market. No traditional hub airport but strongest presence in Nantwich.

Tumbran Airlines
National flag-carrier and full-service airline. Renowned for their black-and-yellow liveries. Hub airports include Couno and Straton-Serrapince.

Applications and websites
www.EvEv.tmb
Short for Everything, Everywhere. E-commerce site which allows companies to set up digital storefronts and also let individual sellers auction their own products. Widely known for large advertising campaigns and monthly sales when the month matches the date (1/1, 3/3, 11/11).

www.oponia.tmb
Short for the Open Online Encyclopedia, Oponia is one of the world's biggest resources of free online knowledge; funded entirely by the non-profit Oponia Foundation.

Automotive/transport manufacturers
Carlton
Automotive maker focused on small, cheap cars. Most famous product is the Carlton Cross, a small two-seater car popular in the 20th century.

Holtzmann Rolling Stock
Maker of rolling stock for railways.

Hunter
Upper-middle-market car maker. Also makes trucks.

Rochester
Luxury sports car maker whose car-making business really only exists to fund its racing division.

Thornton Motor Works (TMW)
Middle-market car maker which specialises in making its own engines. Also specialises in heavy vehicles.

Banks
Development Bank of Tumbra

Fortescue & Manning Credit Union

Lazarus Bank

United Bank of Tumbra

Williams-McLaren Bank

Brick-and-mortar stores
Arrowhead Department Store
Chain of department stores widely regarded to be past their heyday. Still going strong; largest department store chain in the country.

Chest
Big-box membership-only warehouse-club wholesaler that is widely renowned for having ludicrously low prices on bulk items.

Flatpak
Furniture company that sells furniture that can either be delivered or taken home by oneself, often in flat packs. Assembling these is often considered a major test of relationships, despite the ease of instructions. Also has a surprisingly successful food side-business, and children's toys' side-business, including a stuffed llama named Luotuoae that is a meme on the internet.

Spencer's Supermarkets
Largest supermarket chain in the country; mid-range prices.

Charities and philanthropic foundations
Kynes Foundation for Desert Research

Coffee & Café chains
Chestnut Coffee

Fortuna

Moonbeam Coffee

Conglomerates/Investment companies of note
Ashburn Industries
Holding company owned by John Ashburn, the richest person in Tumbra. Specialises in electronics but holds investments all throughout the Tumbran economy and abroad.

Crenshaw Volanger
Holding company chaired by financier Sophie Cowling. Very diversified portfolio means that this is one of the most valuable stocks in Tumbra.

TK Corp
Holding company established by tech billionaire Thomas Kim. Mainly involved in investing in "future" tech.

Waldron Group
Investment company specialising in commodity trading.

Entertainment companies
Galaxy
See also Galaxy Studios.

Entertainment venues/Nightclubs/Nightlife
Aventurine

Blue Flag

B*A*S*H

Cavallino Rampante

enigma.

Galaxy Studios

Honey Badger

Paradise Inferno

Fast-food chains
Happy Mac's
Largest fast-food chain in Tumbra. Focuses on serving burgers and fries. Has a substantial desert selection, too; and an in-built café chain called Mellow Mac's. Renowned for their extra value meals.

Pete's
Slightly smaller, but still extremely popular fast-food chain. Focuses on fried chicken and spaghetti. Has an anthropomorphic chicken mascot, known as Pete, who carries around a bucket of fried chicken.

BreadTime
Fast-food chain that serves sandwiches. Often touts itself as a healthy alternative to Happy Mac's and Pete's, with marketing focusing on how its food is prepared fresh.

Uncle Jack's
Baked goods chain specialising in pastries. Cheap; often found everywhere. Has a distinctive brown logo.

Food companies/brands
Cornucopia
Multinational company that started out importing fruit into Tumbra but expanded its operations into essentially being the entirety of the fruit logistics chain.

Hayward Breweries
Tumbra's largest brewery company; brands under its stable include Eagle Beer (a beer), Mittels (a soju).

KitKraft
Food processing corporation specialising in chocolate and desert; products include ice cream, chocolate, and gummies.

Hexagon Corporation
Multinational corporation specialising in food and drink processing; products include baby food, powdered beverages, frozen foods, and snacks.

ZAP!

Funerary services
Colfax & Sons
Funeral parlour known for being the parlour of choice amongst the upper classes.

Gaming and gaming-related companies
Elen
Gaming corporation and publisher with a particular focus on live-service games that include microtransactions. Widely disliked but still extremely profitable. Short for Electronic Entertainment.

Imagination Games
Game developer best known for their Ultimate Football series of football games, which includes a game-mode known as Dream Team, where players can buy card packs and make teams with the players pulled from them.

Tempest Games
Small-scale game developer best known for the Back of the Net football management series of games.

Heavy Industry
CritikalEnergy
Manufacturer of solar panels.

Horizon
Construction, engineering, and procurement company.

Wells
Multinational pharmaceutical and biotech company that specialises in making medicines.

Northern Gas
State-owned gas exporting company, focused on the Northlands.

Sheppard Steel
Country's largest steel-producing company; has a hand almost everywhere in the steel-producing value chain.

WesternOil
Oil upstream/midstream company with major operations worldwide.

Whitecroft Chemicals
Tumbra's largest chemicals company, specialising in petrochemicals.

Insurance Companies
Seele

Luxury goods
Ronan Group

Sigma Watches

Logistics/Shipping lines/Other transport
Kerner Shipping Lines

Tumbran Mail
State-owned mail delivery and last-mile logistics delivery corporation.

Tumbran Railways
State-owned railway company which also runs Tumbra's high-speed and intercity services.

Media outlets (Broadcast media)
Aurora Media Group

Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation (TBC)

National Broadcasting Service (NBS)

Media outlets (Print media)
Bencoolen Globe, The

Couno Herald, The

Hawk, The

Financial Times

Independent, The

Kingsbury Tribune

Millsburgh Chronicle

Serrapince Post, The

Straton Times, The

Tumbra Today

Media outlets (Magazines/Niche journalism/Online media)
AXBY
Gaming-focused magazine.

Chequered Flag
Part of the BannerSports family. Sports magazine focused on motor racing, particularly WGPC and Tumbran Super Formula.

International Relations
Foreign-policy focused magazine that looks at foreign issues with a Tumbran perspective.

Matchday
Part of the BannerSports family. Sports magazine focused on football, particularly the T-League, Esportivan football, and IFCF and WCC competitions.

psephos.tmb
Election-focused website focusing on using mathematical modelling to predict the results of elections.

ResPublica
Political and policy-focused digital magazine focusing on the ins-and-outs of federal politics.

SixHundredFifty
Statistics-focused website that aims to analyse current affairs and polls based on trends.

Other companies of note
Penumbra Research
Research firm focused on defence and public policy. Often referred to as a think tank.

Quotient Labs
Industrial research and scientific development company. Based in Hoxford. Known for giving researchers a wide berth of academic freedom, but largely focused on materials science, computer science, and telecommunications. Owned by telecommunications company qTMB.

Wellesley Publishing House
Largest publisher of books in Tumbra; based out of Lakewood.

Payment processing services
Sterling

Petrol brands
Black Eagle Energy

Coral

Peton

Polling and political forecasting firms
CampbellStewart
Opinion polling firm known for survey accuracy.

Professional services
Couno Consulting Group
Strategy and management consulting firm. Largest in Tumbra.

Jennings, Wrigham, and Young (JWY)
Auditing, accounting, and general advisory firm.

Sherman, Halleck and Grant (SHG)
Law firm.

Real estate companies
Newlands Property

Restaurants/Eating places
Raconteur

Tech-related companies
Gateway
Developers of Gateway OS, the most popular computer operating system in Tumbra.

Sinclair
Developers of Sinclair Antivirus and general digital security services provider

Telecommunications and internet service provider companies
Lightning Telecom

qTMB

Tumbra Telecom

Tobacco companies
Tumbran Tobacco
Holding company with over 15 brands under its umbrella; notable ones include Duluth, Rolling Stone, Morningstar, Talbott's, Silverleaf, Desert Rose, Westmond Wind, Triple Eights, and First Cut. Recently expanded into e-cigarettes under the brand nuos.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Capabilities

Tumbran Army

Tumbran Navy

Tumbran Air Force

Intelligence Community

Tumbra — Issues

The Northlands

[Tumbra]

Archives - 2021 federal election

Everett Unveils Second Cabinet

Amongst the reveals was the surprise move of Deputy PM Alan Philburn to the new Ministry of Technology; Sandra Campbell becomes youngest full Cabinet Minister, aged 32

In a bid to continue surprising pundits and political enemies alike, Kenneth Everett today revealed his full Cabinet lineup, doing away with the tradition of slowly revealing Cabinet members after an election victory. The new Cabinet will have twenty-three ministers in twenty-four portfolios, but that will shrink to twenty-three portfolios by the end of the year.

The biggest surprise of the reveal was that of the Deputy Prime Minister, Alan Philburn, leaving his post and taking the helm of the new Ministry of Technology. Mr. Philburn, 69, will also take charge of the Ministry of Local Government as it winds down its operations and its responsibilities gradually transferred over to other government ministries.

A more minor change was also reflected in the lineup reveal - the Ministry of the Environment will now include Energy in its portfolio title, reversing a change made in 2013.

Everett, who was flanked most notably by both Mr. Philburn and his new Deputy Prime Minister, Eric Cooper-Jones, made the announcement at a press conference called shortly after lunch. While the list of names only included the inner Cabinet - no Minister of State appointments were revealed - they are widely expected to be revealed in due course, before Parliament convenes on the 16th. Well-placed sources have informed that Mr. Everett is planning to increase the number of Ministers of State, and to make it such that one person takes up one sub-portfolio, instead of the current system where one individual can take up multiple sub-portfolios within the same ministry.

Mr. Philburn expressed that him stepping down from the Deputy Prime Ministership was something that he had discussed with the Prime Minister before the election, and that he relished the chance to help set up and establish the new Ministry of Technology, and to guide it to helping all Tumbrans “embrace a technological future”, yet one that was “safe and secure” and had the “propensity to help society progress.”

The appointment has already proved controversial amongst some young voters, with many noting the irony of the oldest member of the Cabinet helming a Ministry that would typically be a strong suit of a younger Minister. Prior to this appointment, the Commerce Secretary, Colin Green (53) was widely expected to be the one to lead the Ministry of Technology. The prevailing wisdom, however, is that Philburn will step down in 2022 once the Ministry is properly established.

Mr. Cooper-Jones, 54, in a short statement, expressed his hope for a productive second term in office and hoped that he would be able to live up to Mr. Philburn’s “capable leadership”. He will, in switching from the Foreign Affairs portfolio, be thrust into a world of provincial interests and navigating a world that is, ironically, considerably more hostile than that of the Continent and otherwise.

Natalie Stern, the Education Minister, will take the Foreign Affairs Portfolio; Emma Chambers, who served as Minister of State for Universities and Adult Learning and the Minister of State for Research, Science and Technology, will take her place at the helm of the Education Ministry.

Colin Green, the Minister for Commerce, will take over at the Ministry of Labour, where incumbent Christopher Raleigh will become the new Leader of the House. Kate Sinclair, who previously served in this position, will then take over as Minister for Commerce.

Edward Hamilton takes over the Urban Development portfolio from Daniel Addison, who himself moves to the International Development portfolio; Andrew Gilligan will take over as the Minister for Culture from Mr. Hamilton.

Five ministers will be leaving the Cabinet; as predicted earlier this week, Peter Symonds (Immigration) and William Bowman (Social Affairs) will be leaving for the backbenches. They will be joined by John McKay (Local Government), Warren Jefferson (Minister without Portfolio) and Graham Pryor (Cabinet Office).

Mr. Symonds will be replaced by his number two at the Ministry of Immigration, Kevin Steinmann; Mr. Bowman will be replaced by the current Minister of State for Religious Affairs, Multiculturalism, Women and Equalities, Sonia Kaur. Both these appointments were regarded as natural successors for the job, and even more so considering that both are allies of the Prime Minister.

The other two newcomers are regarded as surprises; David Carr, 59, the current Minister of State for Revenue, will become the new Minister for the Cabinet Office; it is widely expected that Mr. Carr will serve as a deputy to the Finance Minister, William Stern.

Of the various Ministry of State appointments, particular attention was generated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Esportivan Integration" portfolio, which serves as a nod to the final election debate in Kingsbury, where the idea of a closer Esportivan Union was first mooted by the Prime Minister. It seems almost certain now that such a program will be a key focus of the Second Kenneth Everett Ministry, as it seeks to look beyond Tumbra in its second term.

Other new inclusions are Sandra Campbell, 32, who will be the youngest full Minister for over forty years; currently a backbench MP for Couno Langholm, she will become the Minister without Portfolio, and is widely expected to take over at the Ministry of Technology when Mr. Philburn does eventually step down from Cabinet. While not present at the press conference, she later remarked on TBC One in an interview after the press conference that she had been “humbled” by the opportunity, and looked forward to representing “everyone, as much as I can, and especially those without a voice” in Cabinet.

Parliament will convene on the 19th to re-elect the Prime Minister; he is expected to submit the full list of names to President Kelia Campbell (no relation), who will then appoint those named by the Prime Minister to their positions soon after.

The Second Kenneth Everett Ministry
The 55th Government of Tumbra

Ministry										Minister

Prime Minister/Minister for the Civil Service						Kenneth Everett
Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs				Eric Cooper-Jones
Minister for Finance									William Stern
Minister for Foreign Affairs								Natalie Stern
Minister for Home Affairs								Joanne Lorcan
Minister for Law and Justice/Attorney General						Stephen Ewing
Minister for Defence									Michael Kirkland	
Minister for Commerce									Kate Sinclair
Minister for Health									Hannah Young
Minister for Education									Emma Chambers
Minister for Transport									John Hammond
Minister for Labour									Colin Green
Minister for Agriculture								Helen Blackare
Minister for Urban Development								Edward Hamilton
Minister for Regional Development							Kay Roberts
Transitional Minister for Local Government						Alan Philburn
Minister for Energy and the Environment							Sarah Davies
Minister for Culture									Andrew Gilligan
Minister for Immigration								Kevin Steinmann
Minister for International Development							Daniel Addison
Minister for Social Affairs								Sonia Kaur
Minister for Technology									Alan Philburn
Minister without Portfolio								Sandra Campbell
Minister for the Cabinet Office								David Carr
Also Attending Cabinet
Leader of the Government in the House							Christopher Raleigh
Leader of the Government in the Senate							Sen. Bill Tennyson
Chief Whip										Tai Diaz

How Labour Won The Election

Gains in key swing states such as Clearmont and Bechor, whilst retaining most marginal seats wrested over in 2017 landslide, delivered second term for Everett; Message of infrastructural growth and international co-operation likely swayed middle-class voters, who were key to 2.3% headline swing to Labour

The 2021 Tumbran federal elections ended with Labour winning a landslide victory, and an increased majority for its second term in office. While most opinion polls before the election correctly predicted the outcome, they were mostly conservative on the scale of the majority that the Labour Party would win by. The eventual majority of 132 shocked many observers, who expected it to be in the 80-100 range, while the scale of the losses suffered by the Liberal Party also shocked many, who were not expecting the party to fall below 200 seats - its worst result since the party's formation.

So how, then, did the party lose so badly? Most of the 49 seats the Liberal Party lost were of the same demographic - largely urban, largely middle-class dominated suburbanites who were swayed by the Labour Party's message of continuing the economic recovery that Kenneth Everett began in 2017, as well as beginning to reach outwards to the world.

It should be noted that the figures here are first-preference votes; therefore they have little to no implication on who actually won the seats indicated, and merely an indication of party support generally, since voters have to rank the 6 parties from 1 to 6.

Nationally

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election
650 Seats, 326 required for a majority
Turnout: 92.5%
Total Votes Cast: 79,472,184

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		33,374,590   42.00	391	   ▲52
▍Liberal Alliance	28,019,250   35.25      191	   ▼50
▍Moderate		 7,209,099    9.07       28	    ▼9
▍Green			 5,567,991    7.01	 20	    ▲2
▍Conservative		 4,001,174    5.03	 17         ▲5
▍Social Democratic	 1,300,080    1.64        3	    -0

RESULT: Labour majority over all other parties of 132

These were the numbers that many were familiar with throughout the night -- Labour gaining 52, the Liberal Alliance losing 50, and a surge in Conservative support which translated into an added 5 seats for the far-right party in the night. However, these were signs of a more general trend throughout the country, rather than localised in any single state -- which showed how much of an effect the Everett campaign on the public mood. Commentator John Ellis on TNN called it a campaign that was "executed flawlessly", and Labour had been aptly rewarded with their increased majority.

By focusing more on the economic argument and less on the social arguments of yore, including injustice, Everett managed to deliver a targeted message of recovery and belief in a properly-funded welfare state and system, by promising that social nets would remain strong even as the recovery continued. Few bones, however, were thrown to progressives, leading to some switching their first preference votes to the Greens. The campaign was widely regarded as relatively moderate when it touched on social issues, if at all. One note that the new Labour government has promised to touch on -- the involvement of females in the traditionally male-only Tumbran Football League -- proved to be surprisingly progressive, with Everett striking out by saying that it should be the norm in Tumbra, too -- especially since other countries in Esportiva and even in Rushmore and Atlantean Oceania have adopted a similar stance.

Of course, foreign policy would prove to be the dominant topic over the last few weeks of the election campaign, and with good reason. Everett's mooting of an Esportivan Union proved to be the perfect topic to end the election on, and has so far been flawlessly executed. Skating over potential flashpoints including the loss of sovereignty and jobs flowing outwards to other Esportivan countries, Everett chose to focus on the message of free trade and the cost of living, as well as the flow of ideas throughout countries. The Liberals, by contrast, who have always had a problem when determining whether they wanted to be internationalist or rather more isolationist (historically, the party's foreign policy has always been set by the party leader), seemed muted on the response. Anne Monteiro, who already faced a divided Shadow Cabinet, proved to be rather muted in its response -- perhaps losing some Esportiva-sceptic votes to the Conservatives, who hit Labour on the Esportivan Community hard, fast and continued making it a big issue even as the campaign moved towards Election Day.

Napier

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Napier
70 seats
Total Votes Cast: 8,539,002

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 3,650,672   42.75	46	    ▲4
▍Liberal Alliance	 3,029,847   35.48      21	    ▼3
▍Moderate		   878,027   10.28       1	    ▼1
▍Green			   558,521    7.01	 1	    -0
▍Conservative		   311,016    3.64	 1          -0
▍Social Democratic	    80,919    0.95       0	    -0

Napier, a traditionally red bastion of votes and seats for the Labour Party on the federal level, swung even harder to the left on 9 April, resulting in Labour picking up four seats - Winsford, Dunglass and Guillemard North from the Liberal Party, and Killiney Ophirwood from the Moderates. Guillemard North was perhaps one of the most-closely watched seats throughout Election Night -- with Shadow Urban Development Minister John Murray losing his seat in dramatic fashion. Trailing by just over a thousand votes on first preferences, preference counts swung between him and his Labour opponent Zachary Simmons, before final preferences put him at just 2,172 votes, or 1.8%, behind. It was a key blow to the Liberals, who had campaigned hard to keep this seat blue. Indeed, Murray's seat, which was one of the most vulnerable in the country, showed a less than average two-party preferred swing to Labour, at just 1.7%, and many pollsters put this seat as a tossup despite it being the first seat to fall in the event of a landslide Labour victory. The Moderates, meanwhile, failed to defend their Defense Spokesperson Duncan Chamberlain's seat, his seat falling on a 5% swing to Labour.

Bechor

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Bechor
61 seats
Total Votes Cast: 7,403,354

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 3,225,420   43.57	38	    ▲6
▍Liberal Alliance	 2,701,379   36.49      18	    ▼5
▍Moderate		   605,129    8.17       3	    ▼1
▍Green			   478,447    6.46	 1	    -0
▍Conservative		   291,900    3.94	 1          -0
▍Social Democratic	   101,079    1.37       0	    -0

A big shift in Bechor, as Labour gained 6 seats from the Liberals and Moderates to go clearly first here, after Bechor became the site of many a marginal seat in 2017. Labour's 6 gains were mostly spread out throughout the state - they gained Grinnell in Serrapince, Lowestoft in Marray, Outram in Thurmond, and Oakham and Grantham in the more-rural Carpenter region, with the latter seat seeing a 5% swing away from the National Party (the junior party in the Liberal Alliance) to fall to Labour. The Moderates lost Guelph, and came close to losing Winchester as well, seeing a 4% swing away from it in the two-party vote share. Many seats that Labour gained here were of the same mould as that of the typical Labour target in this election, with Grantham being the notable exception.

Clearmont

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Clearmont
47 seats
Total Votes Cast: 5,674,147

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 2,265,996   39.93	23	    ▲9
▍Liberal Alliance	 2,078,815   36.64      20	    ▼9
▍Moderate		   464,990    8.19       1	    -0
▍Conservative		   427,464    7.53	 2          -0
▍Green			   272,390    4.80	 0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	   164,492    2.90       1	    -0

A key state in Everett's path to victory, Clearmont was one of two states where the Liberals got more votes and seats than Labour in the 2017 election (Several had the Liberals winning more votes but Labour winning more seats). A lot of that result was attributed to Darren Hayes' effect (the former Prime Minister was MP for Broxtowe, until he stood down last week), which arguably saved quite a few blue seats from turning red. No reprieve for the Liberals this time, however, as Everett visited Hesham and its suburbs multiple times throughout the campaign period -- resulting in 9 seats flipping from blue to red, including 4 within Hesham itself -- Paiyoh, Northwoods, Westwich and Denton all flipped, while Stockton and Stretford all suffered a small swing against their incumbent MP. Outside the state capital, however, a further 5 seats flipped, including Palling, Thomson North West, Pelham, Leavenworth and Havelock Central, showing just how much Everett's message resonated with the traditionally conservative, agricultural-based southern state.

Georgia

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Georgia
44 seats
Total Votes Cast: 5,289,557

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,970,031   37.24	24	    ▲3
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,920,018   36.30      11	    ▼8
▍Conservative		   833,682   15.76	 7          ▲5
▍Moderate		   278,485    5.26       1	    -0
▍Green			   222,044    4.20	 1	    -0
▍Social Democratic	    65,297    1.23       0	    -0

Alan Spalko's self-proclaimed Conservative Revolution came to the fore here, as the Conservatives swept Erie. The 15.76% of first preference votes that the Conservatives registered here proved to be the highest proportion of votes in any state for any third-party effort, and Spalko was swept into office as the new MP for Nottingham on a 16.3% swing, proving just how much the Erie region -- historically a manufacturing hub, but hit hard by the economic crises of the early 2010s and never really recovered -- swung to the right in recent years. Similar swings in neighbouring seats -- 13.9% in Medine, an eye-watering 18.6% in Stepney, 13.4% in Waterford and 14.4% in Coville as Kathleen Nielsen unseated former Cabinet Minister John Harrison, who had to be persuaded not to retire in order to defend the seat from the Conservatives. Similar swings occurred in other Georgian seats, too -- Edwin Smith in Mercer suffered an 11.1% swing, while Edward Jefferson in Alleghany suffered a 14.4% swing. Neither were ousted, though both, when interviewed after the night, reported that the election campaign had largely been a failure, and denigrated Anne Monteiro for it.

Much of Spalko's campaign -- which never left the state, focused on denigrating the Liberals more than it did Labour, whom he virtually ignored up till Everett's comments on further Esportivan integration. It worked, really, but had the unfortunate side effect of delivering three seats to Labour as well. Labour gained Wynyard and Stevenage on the outskirts of Kingsbury, Finchley in the sub-region of Happel, and Meridian in the sub-region of Wabash. Perhaps highlighting how blue this state could still be, first-term MP Terence Milner was ousted in his seat of Clyburn on a 4% swing. Yet, the one gain -- one of three Liberal Alliance gains through the night -- was not enough to offset the loss of Erie, and the more metropolitan seats in Kingsbury.

Marlsbruhe

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Marlsbruhe
37 seats
Total Votes Cast: 4,534,765

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 2,036,289   44.90	26	    ▲2
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,448,512   31.94       7	    ▼1
▍Moderate		   390,001    8.60       2	    ▼1
▍Green			   305,840    6.74	 1	    -0
▍Conservative		   246,295    5.43	 1          -0
▍Social Democratic	   107,828    2.38       0	    -0

One of the reddest states in the Federal Republic got even redder as Labour picked up two additional seats -- one apiece from the Liberals and Moderates, both in the metropolitan Fontwell area, in the form of Fontwell South West from the Moderates and Kirbrook from the Liberals -- as not much change occurred here. Several seats came close to changing hands -- the Moderates nearly lost their other seat of Oakwell, too, holding on to the seat on Liberal second preferences (Labour won the initial count, winning about 8,000 more first preferences than the Moderates), while the Liberals came within a whisker of losing the seats of Manechino and Lackenby in the considerably more rural region of Manechino.

Grantfeldt

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Grantfeldt
34 seats
Total Votes Cast: 4,188,506

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,814,411   43.32	19	    ▲4
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,448,375   34.58      11	    ▼3
▍Green			   333,335    7.96	 2	    -0
▍Moderate		   320,454    7.65       1	    ▼1
▍Conservative		   191,039    4.56	 1          -0
▍Social Democratic	    80,892    1.93       0	    -0

Grantfeldt, the scene of one of the closest finishes in the 2017 election, saw a less close finish this time, with Labour winning over half of the seats in the state this time. Labour gained Eden, Wicklow and Culdee from the Liberals, while taking Corcorran from the Moderates. Eden and Wicklow saw 5% two-party preferred swings, while Culdee saw a 7% swing -- evident of how Everett's strategy worked in the crucial swing state. The Conservatives attempted to make inroads in the state, but had to be satisfied with the retention of their only seat in Cornell.

Iswilyn

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Iswilyn
30 seats
Total Votes Cast: 3,671,174

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,369,328   37.30	16	    ▲3
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,329,490   36.21      10	    ▼3
▍Moderate		   557,441   15.18       3	    -0
▍Green			   266,804    7.27	 1	    -0
▍Conservative		    89,982    4.56	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    58,043    1.58       0	    -0

Iswilyn, the site of another nailbiting finish last election, saw a similarly narrow finish this season, as Labour took the most votes by just forty thousand. The state, however saw only one incumbent Moderate MP - Annie Kirkpatrick from Lambeth - survive, as Peter Shore in Vernon and Sharon Clarke in Oakton City both lost their seats to Labour. The Moderates, however, did pick up two seats -- Fullerton from the Liberals and Moresby from Labour -- to end their night in Iswilyn on a net loss of zero seats. Labour, meanwhile, gained Othaven and Brumen from the Liberals. More surprising was the fact that in this relatively sparsely-populated states, a swing to Labour still occurred; and the seats that did flip from Liberal to Labour were more rural.

Severn

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Severn
28 seats
Total Votes Cast: 3,448,615

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,478,685   42.88	18	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,129,140   32.74       9	    -0
▍Moderate		   300,628    8.72       0	    -0
▍Green			   292,644    8.49	 0	    -0
▍Conservative		   193,779    5.62	 0          ▼1
▍Social Democratic	    53,739    1.56       0	    -0

Severn, one of the least third-party friendly states in the country, continued that reputation when the Conservatives lost Lewis Bolton's old seat - Waltham - that he'd held since 1988. Waltham was the site of Bolton's announcement of Tumbra First - the party that he founded and led until its dissolution and merger with the Conservatives in 2020, apparently with much reluctance. Bolton retired at the election, and a 5% swing to the Liberals -- much of the vote personal -- saw the seat fall to the Liberals.

The Liberals also lost Nicodale on a 7% swing -- the highest swing between the two parties recorded at this election. Otherwise, Severn was largely quiet in terms of seat movements, which was about expected, given that most of the seat swings between the two big parties occurred in 2017.

Thornton

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Thornton
26 seats
Total Votes Cast: 3,158,423

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,341,867   42.49	16	    ▲2
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,109,356   35.12       9	    ▼2
▍Moderate		   290,697    9.20       1	    -0
▍Green			   196,502    6.22	 0	    -0
▍Conservative		   155,581    4.93	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    64,420    2.40       0	    -0

Once again, only minor changes in Thornton, as two seats swapped from the Liberals to Labour. Paterson, held by Ben Oakley, suffered a 7% swing, while Sommerville in the more rural northern part of the state suffered a 6% swing against the incumbent. Both these seats had been identified as target seats by Labour before the election; suitably, they fell on Election Night. The results in this state will prove to be a boon to Premier Edwin O'Connor as he seeks to get re-elected in next month's state election — and hopefully, secure a governing majority for himself in the state, too. The Moderates held on to their one seat with a slightly increased margin, which also bodes well for their state election chances, too.

Fremont

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Fremont
26 seats
Total Votes Cast: 3,151,114

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,406,266   44.63	16	    ▲2
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,128,076   35.80       9	    ▼2
▍Moderate		   260,981    8.28       1	    -0
▍Green			   243,486    7.73	 1	    -0
▍Conservative		    65,235    2.07	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    47,070    1.49       0	    -0

Fremont, widely regarded as a bellweather, trended red this election cycle as two suburban seats in Hoxford — Overton and Litchfield — fell to Labour on swings of about 3% and 4% respectively. All over the state, Liberals saw their majority slashed, widely attributed to Premier Paul Harrison's sinking popularity ratings as he grapples to fulfill on a raft of budget cuts meant to boost private investment into the state coffers. While Harrison is not up for election until 2023, there have been rumours that a rogue group of Liberal legislators may force a vote of no confidence in Harrison, and by consequence, force him to dissolve the state Parliament. If these rumours are true and believable, then these federal results do not bode well for Harrison's chances at any state election, even if the state does trend more towards the right on the provincial level.

Dartmoor

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Dartmoor
25 seats
Total Votes Cast: 3,072,725

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,256,283   40.88	15	    ▲3
▍Liberal Alliance	 1,020,676   33.22       5	    ▼2
▍Green			   322,453   10.49	 2	    -0
▍Moderate		   259,515    8.45       2	    ▼1
▍Conservative		   169,073    5.50	 1          -0
▍Social Democratic	    44,725    1.46       0	    -0

Another state that trended red this election, the Dartmoor Labour Party actually underperformed compared to their federal counterparts — quite a bit of the underperformance in the first preference vote was put down to the Greens' surge of support in this state, which saw them reach 10% of the first preference vote and nab third from the Moderates. The Moderates performed badly here; losing Arran on a 2% swing to Labour. The Liberals lost the comparatively more rural seats of Wimbourne and Hampton, while the Conservatives' only seat of Maron saw a 6% swing against the incumbent MP, Frank Waters; however, the National Party candidate was unable to muster up enough preference votes to defeat Waters.

Westmond

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Westmond
20 seats
Total Votes Cast: 2,482,596

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,122,886   45.23	14	    -0
▍Liberal Alliance	   935,646   37.69       5	    -0
▍Moderate		   163,649    6.59       1	    -0
▍Green			   132,953    5.36	 0	    -0
▍Conservative		    91,740    3.70	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    35,722    1.44       0	    -0

One of the reddest states in Tumbra — a key state on the Liberals' path to a majority — stayed red, though the extent of the Liberals' campaign here did see them flip a seat from red to blue. The region of Strand saw the Liberals flip the seat of Keenan Toomes in Harper, and slashed the majority of Joanne Austin in neighbouring Reedon. Yet, a loss on the outskirts of Ridgewell, where Labour flipped Dunsford from blue to red, meant that the Liberals' gain was easily cancelled out.

The results in this state were notable for the high degree of first preference votes that went to the two biggest parties — while not as stratified as Severn, where only the two big parties won seats, only 18% of the first preference vote went to the minor parties. Anne Monteiro's heavy campaigning in this red-heavy state may have been a misstep for the Liberal campaign, but her party flipping one seat here proves that her efforts were at least somewhat justified.

Marcato

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Marcato
19 seats
Total Votes Cast: 2,348,084

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,008,775   42.96	13	    ▲2
▍Liberal Alliance	  830,410    35.37       5	    ▼1
▍Green			   322,453    8.73	 1	    -0
▍Moderate		   259,515    8.20       0	    ▼1
▍Conservative		   169,073    4.01	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    17,252    0.73       0	    -0

A disappointing performance here for the Moderates, as noted maverick James Anderson lost his seat in Sandleford on a 4% swing to Labour. The Greens also did extremely well in this state, taking advantage of the Moderates' fall to reach 10% in this state as well. Katie Evans in Betham increased her winning majority quite considerably, with a 5% swing in her favour; no doubt the Greens' performance all over the board was crucial to her increasing her popularity here.

The Liberals lost Jim Bailey in Newbury on a slight 3% swing; on average, while the Marcato Labour Party underperformed the federal Labour Party in terms of vote share, it still racked up over 60% of the seats on Election Night, something which was key to Labour's large majority.

Finnley

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Finnley
18 seats
Total Votes Cast: 2,236,125

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		 1,000,575   44.75	12	    ▲2
▍Liberal Alliance	   733,115   32.79       4	    ▼2
▍Moderate		   265,171   11.86       2	    -0
▍Green			   150,947    6.75	 0	    -0
▍Conservative		    70,005    3.13	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    16,312    0.73       0	    -0

In the relatively urban state of Finnley, Labour made two gains in relatively urban areas; Greenwich in Nantwich fell on a 6% swing and Northwick in Algoma fell on a 3% swing. The Moderates did well to hold on to their two seats; largely in affluent university towns, the surge in the student vote might have saved the Moderates from falling to the tide of Labour support.

Turvenal

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Turvenal
18 seats
Total Votes Cast: 2,183,500

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   933,978   42.77	 9	    ▲2
▍Liberal Alliance	   692,679   31.72       6	    ▼1
▍Green			   259,489   11.88	 2	    -0
▍Moderate		   240,146   11.00       1	    ▼1
▍Conservative		    46,456    2.13	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    10,752    0.49       0	    -0

Turvenal was perhaps emblematic of the shift in attitudes from Liberal to Labour, and from Labour to the Greens; perhaps indicative of a wider generational shift, but also largely of a failure of the Liberals to capitalise on the success of a relatively-successful state government. Labour gained Eggerton from the Liberals on a 4% swing — and Madison from the Moderates on a 3% swing. The Greens held both of their seats, increasing their margin of victory in Thorpenhead, a young, suburban seat; these seats perhaps emblematic of future openings for the Greens.

Gamaliel

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Gamaliel
16 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,963,171

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   818,170   41.68	11	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	   722,235   36.79       4	    ▼1
▍Moderate		   239,531   12.20       1	    -0
▍Green			   108,381    5.52	 0	    -0
▍Conservative		    62,452    3.18	 0          -0
▍Social Democratic	    12,402    0.63       0	    -0

Ning Leigh in Sheridan lost her seat on a 2% swing in the only seat change in Gamaliel, as the relatively quiet contest in Gamaliel saw limited swings; the Moderates, however would achieve their fourth best finish in the state, yet only pick up one seat. Outgoing Moderate leader Hannah Slater later remarked that she would continue her push for proportional representation; a policy tack shared by her party, the Greens, and a section of the Labour Party. Under proportional representation, the Moderates and Greens would have achieved 58 and 46 seats respectively; a far cry from the 28 and 20 they achieved on Polling Day. Despite the Conservatives' opposition to the proposal, they would have gained as well; instead of the 17 seats they won, they would instead have 33 seats in Parliament.

Straton

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Straton
16 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,959,462

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   794,302   40.54	 8	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	   554,548   28.30       3	    -0
▍Moderate		   263,470   13.45       2	    ▼1
▍Green			   193,955    9.90	 2	    -0
▍Social Democratic	   118,176    6.03       1	    -0
▍Conservative		    35,011    1.79	 0          -0

Straton, that bastion of diversity in political opinions, once again proved its diversity in thought by delivering only 8 of its 16 seats to Labour. A strong performance for the SDP here — the best of the night — delivered them a slightly increased majority in Roncaster, while Labour wrested away control of Hoeven from the Moderates on a 5% swing. Despite the three Liberal seats all suffering strong swings against them — 3% in Roslyn and Griffin, and an eye-watering 7% in Loxley — they held on in an impressive result for the Liberals, some of whom were predicting a wipeout in the strongly-left trending urban area.

Raleigh

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Raleigh
15 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,845,224

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   758,091   41.08	 9	    -0
▍Liberal Alliance	   727,504   39.43       5	    -0
▍Moderate		   192,695   10.44       1	    -0
▍Green			    77,671    4.21	 0	    -0
▍Conservative	  	    76,369    4.14       0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	    12,894    0.70	 0          -0

No seat changes in Raleigh, with most only slight swings either way; the Liberals came within 30,000 votes of winning the state's popular vote but ultimately fell short, failing to flip a single seat from Labour. Labour, for what it was worth, had admitted on the campaign trail that it had left the campaigning in this state largely to the state party. Neil Kenwright, the political veteran of Raleigh, throwing his hat in might have stopped a swing away from the Liberals; but they will be frustrated that they failed to make inroads in the small state.

Alexandria

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Alexandria
15 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,840,369

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   714,160   38.81	 6	    -0
▍Liberal Alliance	   702,189   38.15       5	    ▼1
▍Moderate		   156,226    8.49       1	    -0
▍Green			   144,204    7.84	 2	    ▲1
▍Conservative	  	   109,105    5.93       1	    -0
▍Social Democratic	    14,485    0.79	 0          -0

One of the biggest shocks of the night took place in Alexandria — noted climate change sceptic Paul Williams was unseated by 27 year-old activist Kirsten Browne. A 12% two-party preferred swing was required to unseat the veteran MP, who had run into trouble recently regarding expenses claims in the last Parliament and had survived a constituency party recall vote against him as late as February. The result was one of the biggest stories of the night, as Browne won the seat by just 251 votes; after coming back from a 15,000 vote deficit on preferences.

Caduke

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Caduke
13 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,604,989

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   714,160   44.91	 9	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	   613,768   38.24       4	    ▼1
▍Moderate		   114,013    7.10       0	    -0
▍Green			    98,181    6.12	 0	    -0
▍Conservative	  	    45,399    2.83       0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	    12,899    0.90	 0          -0

Caduke, a traditional blue state which fell hard to the Labour trend in 2017, continued that trend in 2021 as Labour flipped Shingleton from the Liberal column. Not many inroads were made by the other parties, which saw Caduke remain as one of the most bipolar states in the country. A 5% 2-party preferred swing got Labour over the line here; with a state election due in June, Premier George Lennon may fancy his chances in winning a second term.

Lormark

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Lormark
12 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,498,237

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   626,701   41.83	 7	    -0
▍Liberal Alliance	   493,053   32.91       3	    -0
▍Moderate		   188,639   12.59       1	    -0
▍Green			   154,422   10.31	 1	    -0
▍Conservative	  	    24,536    1.64       0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	    10,886    0.73	 0          -0

Another state in which no seats changed hands, Lormark remained in the Labour column, delivering 7 of its 12 seats to Labour; despite this, concerted efforts to flip Lerwick, held by the Liberals, and Southport Central, held by the Greens, failed. Labour, however, came extremely close in Renfrew East, slicing Richard Denayer's slim 2% majority to just 0.6%. Denayer came from behind to win the seat on preferences, winning by just over a thousand votes.

Pesvern

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Pesvern
10 seats
Total Votes Cast: 1,232,343

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   410,691   33.33	 5	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	   507,924   41.22       4	    ▼2
▍Conservative	  	   156,139   12.67       1	    ▲1
▍Moderate		    88,428    7.18       0	    -0
▍Green			    63,548    5.16	 0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	     5,613    0.46	 0          -0

Sapphire blue Pesvern, long since regarded as the safest Liberal state in the country, threw up surprise after surprise on Election Night — firstly, with Shepperton East flipping from blue to red, a projection which led to most media networks immediately calling the election. While losing on the first preference counts, Moderate and Green preferences eventually got Labour over the line to secure its status as the largest party in the state for the first time since the 1969 elections — while the Liberals lost not just one, but two seats. The Conservatives picked up Kellsthorpe by 3,500 votes, after ending first preferences just 45 votes behind the Liberals. While the Liberals won the first preference vote count in the state, and by a large margin, there is a certain sense that Pesvern accurately summed up the Liberals' night — facing a fight on both the left and right, it went neither way and ended up conceding ground on both sides. With rumours of a new opposition force arising to contest August's state election, the state Liberal government — which has been in power since 1997 — has to be prepared for the fight of its electoral life.

Harren

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Harren
8 seats
Total Votes Cast: 974,768

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   404,027   41.45	 6	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	   381,591   39.15       2	    ▼1
▍Moderate		    79,221    8.13       0	    -0
▍Green			    65,744    6.74	 0	    -0
▍Conservative	  	    31,060    3.19       0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	    13,125    1.35	 0          -0

In the northeastern horn state of Harren, which has remained remarkably purple despite cities trending red in more recent years, Labour took six of the city-state's eight seats, despite electing a Liberal government just last year. The sole seat to flip was Prinope, which trended red on a 4% swing; but the Liberals came remarkably close in the Harren suburbs to flipping two of the state's seats, with Liberal candidates slashing majorities in those seats by 2% and 5% respectively. Ultimately, though, the Liberals once again came up short; but this will be a key battleground state on the route back to power for the next Liberal leader.

Bencoolen

2021 Tumbran House of Representatives Election in Bencoolen
6 seats
Total Votes Cast: 737,683

Political Party		     Votes	 %    Seats	Change
▍Labour		   321,651   43.61	 2	    ▼1
▍Green			   177,911   24.12	 2	    ▲1
▍Liberal Alliance	   124,971   16.94       1	    -0
▍Moderate		    79,878   10.83       1	    -0
▍Conservative	  	    24,598    3.33       0	    -0
▍Social Democratic	     8,655    1.17	 0          -0

The other big surprise of Election Night ended up being Bencoolen, where Labour actually lost a seat to the Greens. While maintaining a healthy lead over the other five parties, the Greens surged to second place, taking the inner-city seat of Bencoolen South from Labour. With a state election this year in which the Greens could possibly form the first non-Labour or Liberal state government in over forty years, this result could be a sign of things to come.

Monteiro Resigns After Crushing Union Defeat

The embattled Liberal leader will resign after her successor is elected; the new leader will be elected on May 31. But where did it all go wrong?

When Anne Monteiro successfully challenged Geoffrey Osbourne for the leadership of the People’s Civic Union in 2018, her victory speech promised a tougher line on the Everett government, and that she would do her best to ensure that every action of Labour’s government would be closely scrutinised.

Three years later, in a harried speech delivered outside the headquarters of the People’s Civic Union, looking every bit worse for wear, she delivered her own resignation upon the election of a new leader for the Union, pending the election of her successor. She took no questions at the end of it and quickly retreated into the building afterwards.

“It is evident...that Tumbra has decided on who they want to lead them for the next four years, and overwhelmingly so. When I took over as leader of the Union three years ago, I promised to provide effective opposition and form an alternative government to return the Union to the halls of government at the earliest opportunity. Unfortunately, that is not to be,” her statement began at 10am, flanked by the other leaders of the Union, and her husband. “I will be leaving the position of Leader of the Liberal Party, pending the election of my successor.”'

The expected resignation comes after a night where the Alliance took a brutal beating from the Labour party, which romped home to victory with a new majority of 102. While pre-election polling had never been optimistic for the Union's chances, insiders say that the top brass never expected the scale of this loss.

For the Alliance, the highest profile loss of the night was John Harrison in Coville, suffering a 16% swing against him to give the Conservatives the seat by the thinnest of margins. "It's a reckoning," the 73 year-old veteran politician and former Cabinet Minister ruminated on TBC One. "Our base deserted us this election. We did absolutely nothing to stop the Conservatives encroaching on us. We offered absolutely nothing to the middle classes, absolutely nothing to the working classes. And they got us." Harrison had been planning on retiring from Parliament, but had been convinced to fight one last term. It marks his first electoral defeat in over 40 years in politics.

Other major losses for the Liberals include Shadow Urban Development Minister John Murray, who suffered a below-average swing against him - just 2% - but it was not enough to stop his seat going red, and Paul Williams in Alexandria, whose seat fell to the Greens in another big moment for the Liberals.

"Her position is now untenable," a former senior aide told The Couno Herald on Election Night. "Already I'm hearing that several senior Liberal politicians are ready to make a go for the post."

A press release from the Chairman of the Liberal Party, Joel Fitzooth, at about noon, outlined the timeline for the election - candidates will be presented to the Union caucus and be eliminated one by one until only two remain; the full Liberal membership will then vote on the last two candidates. The eliminations will begin on May 1, with a new leader expected to be declared on May 31.

Her statement - clear and straightforward - harks back to her campaigning style that helped yet hurt her so during the election campaign, especially when it failed to show up following the Linden controversy, where she took a long time to release a statement that did not sound genuine. It hurt her chances, and made her seem like an ineffectual leader - only amplified by her gender.

Monteiro is only the fourth woman to serve as Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition, and from the start she had to battle perceptions that she was a weak leader unable to control her Shadow Cabinet - and the infighting within it didn’t serve her cause well either. Dogged by multiple threats to resign from her Shadow Cabinet, Monteiro spent almost as much time trying to put out fires than going on the offensive against the left, and she ended up giving up ground to the Conservative Party, which gained several safe Liberal seats in Georgia and greatly ate into the margins of other members.

The united front put up by the Union once the election began didn’t help matters much - the damage had already been done. While Monteiro performed admirably at the three leaders’ debates, her campaign seemed lackluster, devoid of many new ideas, and banked on a reform of healthcare policy to open up the Health Service to private insurance, something which Labour endlessly attacked over the campaign.

A well known proponent of small government and free markets, Monteiro sought to promote herself as a saviour of the Tumbran federal government, which at times has been called hulking, inefficient and too powerful. But in the midst of a recession, where government aid helped mitigate most of the fallout from job losses, Monteiro’s message simply didn’t resonate with the electorate.

“In a year where most were expressing concern for the situation up north economically and then looking at the aid they were receiving,” says political analyst Jon Ornstein, “much of the vitriol that typically exists for the federal government evaporated, and many began to recognise the effect that government could have. Monteiro’s ‘shrink-the-bloated-government’ message might have worked in 2009, but not in today’s political climate.”

Speculation on who the next Liberal leader would be had started even before the writs dropped, as polls continued to bound in favour of Everett; when the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Robin Stoff was not a prominent part of the campaign, speculation abounded that he was distancing himself from the campaign; similar rumours made the rounds for Peter Lindner, the former Senate Opposition Leader who ran (and was later elected to) for a seat in Iswilyn.

The common consensus is that the MP for Yarwood, Stephen Johnson, will run, alongside Lindner, Stoff and Shadow Minister for Law and Justice Nicholas Cooper. Before the polls, the Shadow Minister for Urban Development John Murray was highly-tipped for the leadership; unfortunately, he lost his seat and is ineligible to run for election. Of the four, Johnson is the only one unassociated with the Monteiro Shadow Cabinet; he only served as a Minister of State in the Hayes cabinet, but was widely tipped for a promotion if they won the 2017 election. TBC understands that Peter Lindner, who served as Senate Opposition Leader, is the current frontrunner. The Liberal Party offered no comment.

"Lindner is relatively untainted by this election," said political strategist Kelly Oates on TNN. "He did serve as Senate Opposition Leader, but wasn't actually a prominent part of this campaign, and is a relatively known quantity renowned for his fair-handedness and social liberalism," she added, "and that might entice voters back to the party."

The Coalition attracted flak during the campaign for a campaign derided as "nasty", with the race in Linden, Ham. drawing the national attention during the last weeks of the campaign. Incumbent Labour MP and first-term MP, Mohamad Khalid, had been the target of reportedly racist ads circulated by his National opponent, John Rhys-Donaldson. Mr. Rhys-Donaldson did win his seat - one of the few Liberal gains this election - but the attention garnered there hung a cloud over the last few weeks of the campaign. While all the other parties swiftly denounced the advert, the Liberal reaction was much slower, and much more muted. Monteiro did not make a statement on the event until 72 hours after the news broke, and the National Party only said he would be disciplined according to internal party rules, leading to greater criticism of Monteiro and the Liberals that proved difficult to shake off.

"It did hurt us, yes. Middle Tumbra, I think, was turned off by that and that eventually hurt us when it came down to preferences," Stephen Williams, MP for Yarwood, reflected. Mr. Williams, a vocal opponent of Ms. Monteiro, is also widely expected to stand for the leadership, if one occurs.

As the Union grapples with its path forward, the glaring awareness that this election loss may see them out of power for the next generation has begun to dawn. For them, however, the struggles have only just started.

Announcements are expected to be made after the first session of the new Parliament, which will meet on April 16; nominations close on April 27. The month-long campaign is expected to reveal just how fractured the Liberal Party is, and the long road forward, with the party expected to be out of power until at least 2030.

[Tumbra]

Archives - Northlands

BREAKING: Plans Announced For Northward Expansion

Prime Minister announces plans for northward expansion of Tumbra; plan would see Tumbra expand borders to surround the rest of territory surrounding Shinshabona Bay

The area which would become Tumbran territory if the plan comes to fruition.

STRATON — In a televised address, Prime Minister Kenneth Everett today announced plans to expand Tumbra northwards, and to move its border northwards to border the Hinodejin Empire. The PM announced that the decision was taken "with a heavy sense of responsibility" to "bring Tumbra to the uninhabited Northlands." The announcement was met with various degrees of derision from the left — both the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party decried the move as "bare-faced imperialism and colonialism", while 23 members of the Labour Party, mostly of the left-wing Progress Caucus, released their own statement lambasting the move as "wilfully ignorant of the people who exist on that territory and who have the right at any time to form a nation-state of their own." Vast swathes of Esportiva are, as of today, uninhabited; they are mostly inhabited by disparate tribes, nomadic or otherwise.

The plan, which will be introduced to Parliament as the Northlands Expansion Act, is expected to gain broad support from about half to three-quarters' of Labour's caucus and almost all of the right; which would assure its passing through Parliament. The Moderates at this time had not offered any comment on the matter.

What Are The Northlands?

Located to the north of Tumbra, with the southernmost part beginning just 50 or so kilometres from Franport, is a stretch of largely-uninhabited lands with little to no human presence. Rich in natural resources, and with fertile lands, Tumbran colonisation could see an increase to the economy's productive capacity, and provide valuable new opportunities for economic growth.

The addition of the Northlands would add about 20,000km² to Tumbran territory; and while the country's population would see no notable increases, Everett mentioned that the native inhabitants of the land would be given "full citizenship" of Tumbra, and be treated equally and afforded all legal rights afforded to all other Tumbran citizens. Currently, inhabitants of the Northlands in Tumbra are treated as stateless citizens; and while clause 222b of the Constitution states that stateless citizens should be treated similarly to Tumbran citizens, there have been many reports in the past of discrimination, especially amongst the Westmond Police Force, of discrimination against the people of the Northlands.

Who inhabits the Northlands?

At the current moment, researchers from the University of Ridgewell estimate that about 350,000 people inhabit the Northlands. Despite them being just north of Tumbra, not many studies have been conducted into their origins — nor their ways of life. Attempts at contact have almost always resulted in hostility; in 1967 the Malcolm Haywood government declared the area off-limits after a military training exercise in the southern part of the Northlands went awry, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers.

Why is this plan controversial?

Colonialism is often shunned in today's day and age; any plan to expand a nation's borders is often looked upon disdainfully as irrententism. The statement released by the Social Democratic Party called the plan "imperialism; something that this country decided to leave behind in 1864," and the Greens similarly called it "the Tumbran people trampling over other people's rights to self-determination by enacting their own standards of government and culture."

It is not known what reaction the Esportivan Union might have; and whether, if the reaction to this move is negative, this might scupper the government's chances of nominating someone for the position of Secretary-General.

What is the plan to colonise the Northlands?

Like most colonial schemes, the plan will be to establish coastal settlements before moving inland; but Tumbra's unique position directly south of the Northlands presents it with an opportunity to approach colonisation from a different view — from the south. The Northlands will not accede to the Federal Republic immediately; but the Prime Minister said in his speech it was a "long-term" plan to have the Northlands fully incorporated as the twenty-sixth state of Tumbra. Settlers will be encouraged to move with promises of generous stipends and land allowances; young people are thought to be part of the key target audience for the government to encourage moving north. The Prime Minister in his speech described it as a "once in a millennium" opportunity.

The Prime Minister announced plans to speak in Parliament on Tuesday regarding the plan to expand Tumbra's borders, and is expected to face heavy questioning from members of not just the opposition, but from his own party as well.

Minor Cabinet Reshuffle On Cards; New Ministry of Northern Affairs To Take Charge Of Expansion Process

All the day's reaction as Alan Philburn formally leaves the Cabinet, Sandra Campbell takes on the Technology portfolio, and the Everett Government moves closer toward expanding Tumbra's borders with the second reading of the Northlands Act.

The new Ministry of Northern Affairs will be formally established after the Northlands Act is passed, and is currently planned to share its premises with the Ministry of Defence.

STRATON — Tumbra today continued along its path to expanding into the area now known as the Northlands with a minor Cabinet reshuffle — in a move that will also see Alan Philburn step down fully from the Cabinet, ending a career in government which stretches back to 1996. Sandra Campbell will take his place at the Ministry of Technology, warding off claims that a ministry dedicated to future-proofing Tumbra's economy, as well as the Internet was headed by the oldest minister in the entire Cabinet.

Other minor announcements regarding the Ministry of Technology's scope included regulation of the media industry being moved back to the Ministry of Culture, and Senator Kirsten Somersby becoming the first Senator since Chris Newell in 1999 to become a full government Minister when she was announced to be promoted to the Cabinet; albeit without a portfolio.

While expected, today's raft of announcements also saw the full departure of Alan Philburn from the Cabinet.

Philburn leaving the Cabinet marks the end of a storied career in government dating back to the beginning of the North administration in 1992, when the second-term MP became Minister for Health; across the seven-year North administration, he went on to serve as Minister for Transport from 1995 till 1998; and Minister for Finance from 1998 to 1999. Following North's resignation as Labour leader in 2000, he ran for leader; but was defeated by Sarah Bowman in the last round of voting.

He did not serve in Bowman's short-lived Shadow Cabinet; but after Ian Randall was elected as Labour leader, he was returned to his old Finance post on the opposition benches, and regained that position when Randall and Labour won the 2005 election. However, his popularity took a dip as Tumbra entered a recession near the end of the decade; and when Randall lost the 2009 election, Philburn made plans to sit on the backbenches for the rest of his Parliamentary career.

After the 2013 election, however, an MP and junior minister from Timbourne approached Philburn, asking him to run alongside him for Labour leader. That MP was Kenneth Everett; and Philburn throwing his support behind Everett ultimately swung that year's leadership election in his favour. Philburn was elected as Deputy Leader in that same election; and together they would forge a strategy to bring Labour back to the corridors of power.

Philburn, 69, is expected to be the Tumbran nomination for the post of Secretary-General of the Esportivan Union when nominations are opened; whether said nomination will be successful, however, will also depend on the Union members' reaction to the Northlands scheme — which so far has been relatively mixed, if muted.

The Northlands formed the crux of the other major announcement of the day — that there would be a new Ministry formed, namely the Ministry of Northern Affairs (MoNA). The PM announced that he would be heading the Ministry, guiding its foundation and setting out its scope as more of the Northlands project comes to fruition. It is expected, however, that he will name a Deputy Minister which will take care of the day-to-day running of the Ministry.

President Kelia Campbell is expected to swear in the new Ministers in about a month from now.

Federal Constitutional Court Rules Tumbran Expansion As Constitutional

In an 8-1 ruling, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the expansion of Tumbran borders into the Northlands was constitutional and that Clause 27 of the Constitution does not apply.

STRATON — Peace activists in Straton were delivered a blow to their ambitions of stopping the expansion of Tumbra into the Northlands as the Federal Constitutional Court ruled, 8-1 in Hannigan vs. Tumbra, that the Tumbran actions in the Northlands were legal. In a bench opinion released minutes after the decision was handed out, the Court's opinion held that the Northlands was not yet a part of Tumbra; and therefore the Constitution did not apply there.

Clause 27 of the Tumbran Constitution applies only within the borders of the Federal Republic; while the territory generally known as the Northlands is claimed by the Federal Republic at the present moment, it is not yet under full control of the Federal Republic, nor has it begun the process of ascending to the Federal Republic as its twenty-sixth state. The Constitution of the Federal Republic therefore does not apply in the Northlands, rendering the plaintiff's complaint moot.

Clause 27 of the Tumbran constitution, known as the Equal Protection clause, became the point of contention in this case over the language used in it — that "all humans" were born free and equal. The plaintiff, Ruth Hannigan, a former MP for Hesham Fletchley and current head of the Stop The Northlands non-governmental organisation, argued that if "the Constitution recognises that all people are free and equal, then surely that protection applies to the people of the Northlands as well." In oral arguments held over the two weeks before the ruling was passed down, Hannigan, being a trained lawyer, represented herself before the Federal Constitutional Court; Tumbra was represented by Solicitor General Robert Grisham.

The decision was met by dismay by many protesting on the streets of Straton; one activist said she was "extremely disappointed" in the manner that the Federal Constitutional Court had delivered its ruling. "It's disappointing," she said, "that the court won't give peace a chance."

What does Clause 27 of the Tumbran Constitution say?

Clause 27, known as the Equal Protection Clause, protects the right of all Tumbrans to receive equal protection before the law; and protects the right of anyone in Tumbra to a speedy trial, avoid self-incrimination, and against double jeopardy, cruel and unusual punishments and no punishment without law. It is one of the Clauses in the Constitution of the Federal Republic that has been declared "irrevocable", meaning that the clause may not be edited to strip it of its fundamental meaning or be repealed altogether.

This view was not echoed by the Conservative Party leader and presidential candidate Alan Spalko, who welcomed the ruling as one that "would keep Tumbra strong as we continue making our country stronger." He was the only leader of any political party to make a statement on the ruling; neither the ruling Labour Party nor the opposition Liberal Party made any statements, and are not expected to. The ruling is not expected to change the Tumbran government's policy on the Northlands, nor is it said to slow down the expansion; into a region that is full of natural resources and metals, but has also been met with a wide range of opposition on the grounds of both human rights and claims of imperialism from the Federal Republic.

[Tumbra]

Archives - 2029 federal election

Latest Poll Of Polls Shows Hung Parliament As Liberals Eke Out Small Lead Over Labour

THE RESPUBLICA 2-Party Preferred Voting Intentions Poll, conducted over the past week by TPI (Tumbran Polling Institute) shows the Liberal/National coalition continuing its steady, if slim lead over the incumbent Labour Party as the public continues to remain cool to the new Prime Minister's claims that he is able to fix the economy and ease inflationary pressures in the country's economy.

First Preferences
LAB      38.2%
LIB/NAT  37.5%
GRN/PRG   8.4%
CON       7.3%
MOD       6.3%
SDP       1.6%
NDP       0.4%
CU        0.3%
REF       0.0%

The Liberal/National coalition is standing steady on 50.5% (up 0.2% from the last poll), while the Labour Party continues a small slide as it struggles to regain a lead it lost late in 2026. Yet, Labour still leads in First Preference Vote indicators (see attached box) by a margin of less than 1%. As will be expanded upon below, ResPublica predicts that if a federal election were to be held tomorrow, the 48th House of Representatives would have no one party with a majority of seats.

Analysis by macroregion shows that Labour are leading the Liberals in the Northeast and Southeast, but trailing the Liberals in both first preference and two-party preferred vote in the Central, Northwest and particularly the Southwest regions. While the ascension of the new Prime Minister saw a temporary bump in Labour's poll ratings, that honeymoon period brought about by his ascension seems to have passed remarkably quickly. According to a sister poll also conducted by TPI, the overwhelming perception of the Kirkland government is that it is seen as a "continuation of the [old] administration" (as observed by 53% of respondents), rather than "a change in the administration" (as observed by 33% of respondents). This may have contributed to the quick ending of the said honeymoon period. The government has struggled to get its message over how it intends to bring an end to the inflationary spiral that has contributed to slowed economic growth, despite most economists agreeing that Tumbra expanding into the Northlands should have contributed to increased economic growth instead.

Respondents were also asked whether they thought that the country was heading in the correct direction or not. On this matter, respondents were particularly split; with 41% of them responding that Tumbra "was heading in the correct direction", and 39% responding that Tumbra "was heading in the wrong direction." The remainder were either neutral on the issue, or declined to answer.

Seat Projection
LAB      298 ▼67
LIB/NAT  285 ▲72
GRN/PRG   31 -0
MOD       17 ▼4
CON       16 ▲1
SDP        3 -0
NDP        0 ▼1
CU         0 ▼1
REF        0 -0

With this polling data, ResPublica's detailed seat-by-seat analysis can produce a projection of how the cards would fall if an election were held tomorrow. On these current polling numbers, ResPublica would predict that Labour would be the largest party in the 48th House of Representatives, but be well short of an overall majority. Labour would, while gaining four seats from the Moderates, lose seventy-two seats to the Liberal Party; over half of which would come in the ten states comprising Western Tumbra. On these numbers, Labour are also on course to lose their only seat in Pesvern, Shepperton West, while former Labour leadership challenger and newly-minted Minister for Regional Development, Amanda Clarke, is also on course to lose her seat of Foxchester in Grantfeldt.

On these numbers, a Labour-Green-Progressive-Moderate coalition would be able to get over the line of 326 required to confirm a first full term for Michael Kirkland, but this arithmetic also ignores the major sticking point between Labour and the Greens, Progressives and Moderates — the Northlands. With Labour's stance on the Northlands drastically differing from any of their potential coalition partners, the Northlands could prove to be a wedge issue that prevents the Labour Party from amassing the numbers they need to cross the 326-vote marker needed to confirm a new Prime Minister on the first ballot, or pass a Budget.

Party Stances on the Northlands (as of June 2027)
Labour: Continue expansion at current pace.
Liberals/Nationals/Christian Union: Speed up expansion, and include private industry in the takeover of the Northlands.
Conservatives/Reform: As with the Liberals/Nationals, while drastically increasing military presence in the Northlands.
Greens: An immediate halt to all Northlands activity, and an immediate withdrawal from the area.
Progressives/Social Democrats: As with the Greens, but also immediate recognition of the nation of the United Clans.
Moderates: An indefinite moratorium on future plans to expand, and a slowing down of the development of current efforts, with a hope of stopping these plans.

To give a better graphical overview of how the country would look like under these numbers, the current map of the House of Representatives is provided below — then the map of the projection by ResPublica. For ease of comparison, all seats held (or projected to be held after the next election) by the National Party are shaded with Liberal colours.

Current Map (2025 results)

ResPublica 2029 Projection

To view the left map in higher definition, click here. To view the right map in higher definition, click here.
To view the results of the 2025 election with the proper Liberal/National split, click here. The change in Liberal colours is due to a 2026 rebranding that saw the party move to a brighter shade of blue.

The results are stark; under these numbers, Labour would be virtually wiped out in the West, and the Northwestern Red Wall, which was crucial to the electoral strategy of Kenneth Everett in all three of his victories, would see a significant number of seats turn blue as well. Tumbra is still about two years out from a federal election, but if these numbers hold, Tumbra may be in for a protracted period of political gridlock.

LAB to LIB/NAT [71]

Northeast [14]
New Pilkshire [Bechor]
Lowestoft [Bechor]
Redcaster [Bechor]
Outram [Bechor]
Carpenter [Bechor]
Netheravon [Finnley]
Stevens [Napier]
Dalveston [Napier]
Staplewood [Napier]
Woodgrove [Napier]
Kinross [Napier]
Mornington [Napier]
Dunglass [Napier]
Chesham [Napier]

Southeast [4]
Hampton [Dartmoor]
Wimbourne [Dartmoor]
Thorndon [Severn]
Wakefield [Severn]

Central [16]
Kildare [Georgia]
Wynyard [Georgia]
Peckenham [Georgia]
Newborough [Georgia]
Stevenage [Georgia]
Culdee [Hamilton]
Camberwell [Hamilton]
Haverford [Hamilton]
Lynwood [Hamilton]
Bodmin [Raleigh]
Farleigh [Raleigh]
Crowhurst [Raleigh]
Caldecott [Raleigh]
Draycott [Thornton]
Chatsworth [Thornton]
Ardmore [Thornton]

Northwest [23]
Avondale [Gamaliel]
Sheridan [Gamaliel]
Readale South [Gamaliel]
Great Hale [Gamaliel]
Warwick [Grantfeldt]
Foxchester [Grantfeldt]
Millsburgh Creedbrook [Grantfeldt]
Chartwell [Iswilyn]
Othaven [Iswilyn]
Meadowbrook [Marlsbruhe]
Barrenlea [Marlsbruhe]
Harchester South [Marlsbruhe]
Dulwich [Marlsbruhe]
Westham [Marlsbruhe]
Lidsdale [Marlsbruhe]
Norramby [Marlsbruhe]
Ferngill [Marlsbruhe]
Strand [Westmond]
Hambrook [Westmond]
Brookvale [Westmond]
Matlock [Westmond]
Dunsford [Westmond]
Warrington [Westmond]

Southwest [14]
Tatton [Caduke]
Trelmont [Caduke]
Clareview [Caduke]
Glencommon [Fremont]
Cranbrook [Fremont]
Heathfield [Fremont]
Staplehurst [Fremont]
Coburn [Lormark]
Campbell [Lormark]
Keele [Lormark]
Torbonne [Lormark]
Shepperton West [Pesvern]
Ilstead [Turvenal]
Pomeroy [Turvenal]

CU to LIB/NAT [1]
Shepperton East [Pesvern]

NDP to LIB/NAT [1]
Mayfield [Severn]

MOD to LAB [4]
Clark Yale [Finnley]
Dawson [Finnley]
Thirsk [Grantfeldt]
Dewfield [Hamilton]

LIB/NAT to CON [1]
Ravenstoke [Georgia]

For the purposes of this poll, 1,903 people were interviewed through telephone and face-to-face polling. All people interviewed were Tumbran electors aged 18 and above. Electors were asked the following questions:
1. If an election for the federal House of Representatives were to be held tomorrow, which party would your first preference vote go towards?
1a. (Asked if the elector chose a party that was not either the Labour, Liberal or National Parties) If you were to rank the Labour Party and the Liberal/National Party on your voting slip, who would you rank higher?
2. Do you feel that Tumbra, in general, is heading in the correct direction or would you say that things are heading in the wrong direction?
3. In general, would you say that this new government headed by Michael Kirkland is a continuation of the old Kenneth Everett administration, or would you say that it is a change from that administration?
4. Of the Prime Minister, Michael Kirkland, and the Leader of the Opposition, Stephen Williams, who do you think would make the better Prime Minister?
(The following questions were asked on a one-to-five scale, with one representing "strong disapproval" and five representing "strong approval". Respondents were also given the opportunity to respond that they did not have an opinion, which differed from "neutral".)
5. Do you approve of the job that the Prime Minister, Michael Kirkland, is doing currently?
6. Do you approve of the job that the Leader of the Opposition, Stephen Williams, is doing currently?
(The following question was asked on a one-to-five scale, with one representing "much worse" and five representing "much better")
7. In general, would you say that you are better off now than you were five years ago?

Stephen Williams: A PM-in-waiting, but is he truly the Red Tory he claims to be?

Elected as a centrist, Stephen Williams' relative centrism has endeared him to a set of voters that were turned off by the Liberals' right-wing credentials; but his Shadow Cabinet conceals a more traditional, conservative bent.

Shadow Cabinet of Stephen Williams

Opposition Leader           Stephen Williams
Dep. Opposition Leader      Jon Blair

Finance                     Paul McKenzie
Foreign Affairs             Rita Ingham
Home Affairs                Stephanie Wilson
Law and Justice             Lawrence Newell
Defence                     Gerald Kingsley
Commerce                    Michael Greenwood
Health                      Vivian White
Education                   Alastair Smith
Transport                   Cheryl Edwards
Labour                      Tom Gregory
Agriculture                 Bryan Lockhart
Urban Development           Sen. Henry Weycott
Regional Development        Ian Cunningham
Energy and Environment      Jessica Collins
Culture                     Esther Robertson
Immigration*                Sen. Spencer McNally
Int'l Development*          Bernice Wyatt
Social Affairs              Kirsten Bradley
Technology                  Matthew Westwood
w/o Portfolio               Alexander Hurst

Leader of the House         Lucas Clark
Leader of the Senate        Sen. Russell Voinovich

Names with an orange background indicates
membership of the moderate faction of the Liberals. 
Names with a purple background indicates
membership of the conservative faction of the Liberals.
Names with a dark green background indicate
membership of the National Party.

*Cabinet departments marked with an asterisk are 
departments that the Liberals have committed 
to eliminating.

STRATON: Once called an unelectable "Red Tory", Stephen Williams was widely derided as a "last-chance" candidate when he rose, unopposed, to the leadership of the Liberal/National coalition in 2025. Three years on, however, and things have changed. Riding high on the government's unpopularity, and a perception that he will be a moderating influence on the more radically conservative elements of the Liberal Party that he leads, the Coalition now holds a small, if steady, polling lead. Most pollsters say this is enough not just to deprive Labour of a majority at the next election, but also puts him within touching distance of being the largest party in government.

Williams does lead a tight ship, and plans to make the ship even tighter; the Coalition, who have made government efficiency one of the key planks of their messaging, have committed to eliminating two Cabinet departments — ending the Ministry of Immigration, and placing it under the Ministry of Home Affairs; and by subsuming the Ministry of International Development under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ironically, the Ministry of Immigration was founded by a Liberal government — back in the days of Peter Roscoe (2000-2005) — which goes to prove the extent of which Williams is seemingly determined to carve out a path of his own.

As stated above, it seems to be working — Williams' outspoken positions on centrism seem to have convinced many centrist voters who flocked away from the party from the wilderness years of Osbourne/Monteiro/Lindner to return to the fold. All three were painted by Labour as dangerous conservative ideologues; Osbourne's flamboyant conservatism and record in government as Finance Minister spoke for itself, Monteiro attempted to swing hard to the right to placate conservatives in the party, and Lindner simply wasn't vocal enough to disprove the allegations made by his Labour opponents. In particular, Lindner's appointment is now retrospectively regarded as a costly mistake — more used to the collegial atmosphere of the Senate, he struggled with the bull-pen that was the House of Representatives and often underwhelmed against former Prime Minister Kenneth Everett. The Northlands debate of 2024, where he meekly suggested that Labour were attempting to drag the country's finances underwater by embarking on an expensive vanity project, then voted yes on the bill anyway, seemed to seal his fate. The Liberals made gains in 2025, but fell woefully short of their own targets — requiring their junior coalition partners, the Nationals, to carry them across the 200-seat mark.

So what has Williams, an MP for 19 years now, brought to the table? For one, his outspoken-ness; Williams has never afraid to criticise or rebel against his party when he believed a law should be put in place — or not. That has largely deadened most attacks that Williams himself is a dangerous ideologue, because he is able to simply point at his own statements and voting records to prove otherwise. "The Health Service is not under threat, and never will be, under a Liberal government led by me," is a common refrain at the weekly jousts at Prime Minister's Questions — and it seems to have stuck.

The Party, too, seems to have generally fallen in line — but, most crucially, therein lies the paradox of the Williams leadership. The bickering between the conservative and moderate factions of the Liberal Party are very recent memories. Under Williams, they have come to a cold but tenuous peace; but at the cost of Williams having to stack his Cabinet with several members of the conservative faction. Home Affairs, Defence, Commerce, Health, Culture; all these heavy-hitting departments are staffed by prominent members of the conservatives, but none more so than Law & Justice — headed by Lawrence Newell. Moderates, meanwhile, have had to settle for the smaller portfolios — Finance and Foreign Affairs being the big hitters, but with only 7 of the 21 Cabinet portfolios occupied by members of Williams' moderate faction, the government has a distinct conservative bent towards it.

Newell has made no secret of his leadership ambitions in the past; and reportedly was given the choice of any portfolio by Williams to get his support. He chose Law and Justice — a fortuitous one to choose, given the increasing tensions in the Northlands giving him opportunities to present his "tough on crime" credentials — and has ridden that portfolio ever since. It may not be one of the traditional Big Four portfolios, but it is certainly one that he is satisfied with — and one that will most definitely provide a springboard for his leadership ambitions in the future.

Williams' moderation in his politics has served him exceptionally well across the past three years, and as the federal election creeps closer, he looks more and more like a Prime Minister-in-waiting; but will he be able to focus on his more centrist plans, with a heavy degree of conservatives in his prospective Cabinet? And what of the junior National Party, which also holds significant sway in the affairs of the Coalition, despite having one-tenth of the seats of the Liberals? Williams' previous statements on attempting to unite the right-wing, regionalist, agrarian party have previously angered them — and there are rumors that the Nationals themselves were unhappy with Williams' uncontested ascension to the head of the Coalition.

The future is never certain. Winning elections, as Williams has a great chance of doing in about twelve months' time, is easy. But governing — particularly with the uneasy compromises he has made — could prove to be a whole different beast altogether.

Election campaign thrown into chaos by leaked documents proving allegations of money laundering by Conservatives[/align]

COUNO — The Couno Herald can today prove that documents that were leaked to the public tying the Conservative Party of Tumbra to money laundering — a federal crime — are genuine. The 73 gigabytes worth of documents — which were leaked onto the internet via the twii.tur account @IusticiaDike three days ago — painted a tangled, complicated web linking together Alan Spalko, the federal leader of the Conservative Party to a variety of foreign funds and individuals, implicating them all in a "complicated scheme to increase the financial standing of the Conservatives".

Since the leak, doubt has been cast on the veracity of the sources on numerous fronts, including and especially from the leader of the Party itself, Mr. Spalko. A press statement released a few hours after the documents were leaked decried the "witch-hunt" that "the anti-patriotic and South Newlandian-suporting, leftist, anti-Northlands crowd has begun to try and deplatform me and my party," followed by a denial of all the allegations made by the @IusticiaDike account. Several other commentators have also adopted a "wait-and-see" approach on the documents, urging patience as the Internal Revenue Service (IRES) conducts investigations.

IRES confirmed with the Herald that investigations had already begun into Mr. Spalko and the Conservative Party's finances the moment they received a report from a member of the public. "We take all allegations of financial misconduct seriously, and have already begun our investigations into a report that we received," said a spokesperson. The spokesperson declined to offer any further comment on the matter at hand.

A WEB OF LIES

MAY 2026

The alleged acts of money laundering began soon after the 2026 presidential election, according to the leaked documents. In an email, the Conservative Party's treasurer, former MP for Waterford and current Member of the Esportivan Assembly (MEA) Robert Breyer, details the financial situation of the Conservative Party. "In short, we're in the s**t [...] we went for broke on the election campaign, didn't raise as much as we needed and could be well f****d by the time of the next federal election." Conservative leader and 2026 presidential election candidate Alan Spalko's response to the email is simple:

"I will find a way to get us out of this situation."

The rest of Spalko's email details a few "very interested backers" of the Conservative Party who were "captivated by my recent Presidential campaign [...] and who see great potential in our Party in trying to replace the Liberals as the standard-bearers of the right".

Three days later, Spalko flies off to Noviomagus, Nova Anglicana to deliver a speech to a conference held by the Principled Government Foundation, a conservative-leaning political action group. Before flying back to Tumbra, however, Spalko makes an interesting detour to northern Anaia — the remote city-state of Saint Eleanor. He spends forty-eight hours there before flying to Kotzellach City, before heading back to Tumbra; but another email send to Breyer reads simply:

"The meeting was a success. The party's finances are secure. We now need to find a way to get the money into Tumbra."

AUGUST - OCTOBER 2026

Spalko reaches out to Ernest Glendemming, the CFO of Goldhorn Investments Ltd., an investment firm based out of Serrapince. In his first correspondence, he is coy; but after a meeting in the financial capital of Tumbra in late September, they gradually become more overt about what they are about to do. Glendemming and Pierre Musgrave, a lawyer for Musgrave Hillingdon and Smythe LLC and kept on retainer for Goldhorn, advise Spalko on how to get his capital into the country.

"The solution [to the problems you have raised] is simple. Property can be bought throughout the country — our portfolio has quite a few local businesses that fit your criteria, that can generate revenue — and then the money can be invested, by us, into those businesses. You have a Kotzellach bank account — that is perfect for our usage. The money made by those businesses can be reported as income, and whatever amount you wish to transfer to your party can then be transferred. Of course, it will be slow, but this helps to avoid suspicion, and you can pass it off as donations from citizens or whatever."

The reason for this search is Tumbra's restrictive political donations laws, which permits only donations from Tumbran citizens and companies registered in the country. Even then, there are strict, low limits on how much can be donated by a single person or a single business. Donations from Spalko's backers — which were revealed in a June email to be from countries Kotzellach, Xinhua and Rodnaya — would therefore be unable to be moved to the Conservative Party's accounts directly.

Spalko gives his explicit approval to the proposal to the plan. Breyer, as the treasurer of the party, admits he has "misgivings and concerns" about the plan, but in the end concedes that the "financial situation of the Party is in very dire straits, and this seems certain to be a panacea for our problems." He gives approval for the plan.

APRIL 2027

The financial statements for the Conservative Party are published, as per laws requiring the public disclosure of the accounts of political parties. Donations recorded from "the public" have increased by a fair amount; a letter sent to Conservative Party donors thanks them for the "huge increase" in political donations. Documents at this time reveal that most of the donations come from small donors and individuals; but about 35 small businesses, including among them restaurants, salons and independently-owned petrol stations, crop up on the donations list and are highlighted by the @IusticiaDike account.

Documents included within the data leak trace the full details of the ownership. Each of those 35 small businesses can be traced back to Goldhorn having some hand in their creation. An email from Spalko to Glendemming and Musgrave thanks them for their help, saying that they have "saved" the party.

"Your efforts have gone a long way to saving the Conservative Party as we know it [...] I am very pleased with what our partnership has gotten both of us. On other matters, I think it is time for us to expand our partnership...I am willing to sell some of my time to your potential clients [...] in return for a greater commission. Of course this matter cannot be allowed to become public knowledge; it would destroy what we have set up. Let me know."

More and more businesses are added to the repertoire of the Conservative Party-Goldhorn partnership, including, quite ironically, a sandwich store in Straton that is known to be frequented by MPs. The documents include emails from Glendemming in particular thanking Spalko for his time spent with a client, and usually telling him that meetings were usually "successful". An offer to Spalko for a 5% stake in the company, however, is rejected.

This partnership has been extended until today, and there is no sign that this partnership has abated. The Conservative Party's accounts for the 2028/29 financial year included over 70 businesses who can be traced back to Goldhorn. Goldhorn's own capital reserves have more than doubled since 2026, with the investment company having moved offices to a 700sqm office in one of Serrapince's tallest towers in 2028.

WHO WERE THE BACKERS?

The documents, unfortunately, do not explicitly state any of the names of the political donors from overseas; instead only giving them codenames. Three of the largest backers are named as "Jade Crane", "Ruby Mariner" and "Black Bear", while other documents explicitly state their nationality, but not their names. The "Jade Crane" is from Xinhua, the "Ruby Mariner" is from Kotzellach, and the "Black Bear" is from Rodnaya, according to the documents; the last one being a particular note of interest, due to Rodnaya and Tumbra's long-held geopolitical rivalry over influence of the Tamarindian Nations.

WHAT NOW?

The Conservative Party has remained silent on the allegations, with only Spalko's categorical denial of the veracity of all the documents so far. It is understood that almost all the Conservative MPs in the dissolved House of Representatives remain in support of Spalko, but things change rapidly in the Senate — with Grantfeldt Senator Kevin Mulcahy a notable voice of dissent, appearing on television the night of the leaks. In that television appearance, he said that he "did not condone" any misconduct by the Conservatives, and would "greatly reconsider his position in the party" if the leaks were true.

Opinion polls conducted on the matter have been wildly negative; an opinion poll recorded a drop in support of about 5% nationwide, down from 7% in most pre-dissolution polls to just 2% in the first preference poll. If this were repeated nationwide, the Conservatives would drop from their current 15 seats to just 2; with a possibility of being wiped out nationwide. Spalko has been bellicose at the only rally conducted since the leaks; in Iswilyn, he decried the leaks as a "conspiracy" against his party.

Greens, Progressives announce electoral alliance; Cressida Granger announced as 'PM candidate', Conservatives see Senate exodus

FORMATION OF PROGRESSIVE-GREEN ALLIANCE

[/align]

STRATON — The Green Party and the Progressive Party today formalised an electoral partnership that was rumoured to be in the works since the dissolution of Parliament, and effectively continues an existing arrangement that began during the 2026 Senate elections. Speaking at the headquarters of the Green Party of Tumbra, the leaders of the Green and Progressive Parties — Anna Palmer, Norman Collins and Cressida Granger — announced that their partnership would be "an actual electoral alliance" in the hope of "presenting a unified alternative to the duopoly of Labour and Liberals that have not offered any concrete solutions to the problems of our times."

The announcement comes five days ahead of the closure of nominations for the 650 constituencies of the House of Representatives. Ms. Granger announced that "arrangements will be made" to ensure that the Greens and Progressives are represented fairly in terms of candidates; it is estimated that about 50 of the Progressives' 200 candidates will step down in favour of the Greens' candidate in those seats; the split in candidates is estimated to be about 500 Greens to 150 Progressives. For the first time, Ms. Palmer said, "the Alliance will be contesting in every seat" as "we believe the time for an alternative vision for Tumbra is now."

The newly-formed electoral alliance is not seen to have any chance of winning government on Election Day — most polls point at a hung parliament, with the opposition Liberal/National coalition poised to take the largest number of seats — but the Alliance also nominated Progressive Party leader and MP for Penhurst Cressida Granger as the party's Prime Minister nominee. Granger, widely considered to be a star on the left-wing of Tumbran politics, was formerly a member of the socialist left Social Democratic Party until she left over accusations of transphobia and differences in ideology. She joined the Progressives — a group of ex-Labour MPs who left the party after the vote on the Northlands — and became the party's leader after they lost all but eight of their seats in a disastrous 2025 election campaign.

Reactions to the announcement of the Alliance have been largely positive — most harken back to the 2026 Senate elections, when the Progressives announced that it would run its candidates under the banner of the Green Party and were largely seen as a driving force behind the ticket's surge from 10 to 28 seats in the Senate — but the announcement of Granger as the alliance's Prime Minister candidate was met with derision in some corners, with political commentator Martin Fields on Aurora ridiculing the whole exercise.

With the apparent decimation of the Conservative Party on the cards, however — the money laundering scandal that exploded just after Parliament was dissolved has led to an almost precipitous drop in their fortunes — the newly-formed Alliance could find themselves in the position of kingmaker come Election Day, as Tumbra continues to head towards a hung parliament.

FORTUNES OF CONSERVATIVE PARTY DIP AS 6 SENATORS LEAVE PARTY

STRATON — Six Senators today announced that they were leaving the Conservative Party, with two also announcing that they were joining the right-wing New Democratic Party while the other four announced that they would be sitting in an "Independent Conservative Group," while calling upon their other colleagues to do the same.

Senators Caroline Westwood of Severn and Edward Short of Dartmoor, both first elected in the Conservatives' navy wave of 2026, announced that they would be linking up with current Member of Parliament for Mayfield George Dempsey in the right-wing New Democratic Party. The party, which was formed in 2023 amidst criticism over then-Liberal leader Peter Lindner's leadership, is a strong proponent of free-market economics and "the protection of free speech", which Senators Westwood and Short said "clearly aligned with their views of what Tumbra should be."

Meanwhile, Senators Francis Mulcahy of Grantfeldt, Roger Wainwright of Caduke, Nicholas Richmond of Marcato and Nicole Sheppard of Alexandria announced that "in lieu of recent events", they were resigning the Conservative party whip and would sit as an "Independent Conservative Group" while they decided their future in the Senate. The news comes as a blow to Alan Spalko's statements that the Conservative Party was "wholly united" behind his leadership, as the four released a joint statement that they had "no knowledge" of Spalko's alleged money laundering and that they "could not condone misconduct" from their party leadership. The Conservative Senate caucus leader, Senator Kathleen Nielsen of Georgia, released a statement announcing her "deep disappointment" in the 6 Senators who left the caucus, castigating them for "having a lack of faith in the party leadership over these false accusations of wrongdoing."

FEDERAL ELECTION 2029

The Parties and their Planks: A Quick Guide To The Policies

STRATON: With the federal election little over a month away, the Tumbran Broadcasting Corporation's VoteChart has been used over eight million times, helping voters find the party they agree most with. At the mid-point of the election campaign, here's a brief run-down on the various major parties' campaigns so far, their policy planks, and their chances for the election.

LABOUR



SEATS AT DISSOLUTION: 364/650
LEADER: Michael Kirkland (MP for Newgate, Bechor)

Labour, the winner of the past three general elections under experienced leader Kenneth Everett, has been facing what some commentators call "inertia in government." The phenomenon refers to governments being seen as having done "all they can" after about three or four terms in government, and thus has a problem attempting to angle itself in a new direction that might backfire on them. That has been in full force this election; Labour's manifesto, Confidence for the Future, was criticised for being notably light on ideas — an upgrade to the nation's increasingly beleaguered communications infrastructure and greater public spending on childcare, while raising the minimum wage being three of the manifesto's big promises — and the Labour campaign has been relatively light on policy still, with much focus being put on the Prime Minister and his handling of the crisis in the Northlands.

"The problem is that the Prime Minister just isn't as charismatic as Kenneth Everett," says Dr. Mark Blumenthal, associate professor of political studies at Lakewood University. "The Prime Minister hasn't come off as a very effacious speaker; he was regarded as second in the debates, by about four points, to Stephen Williams, and the government still has a lot on its plate when it comes to the economy and inflation." Economic growth has flagged in Labour's third term, with the economy only growing by 0.6% quarter-on-quarter; meanwhile, inflation has risen to about 4.3% in the past year with wages only rising by a quarter of that. Labour's solution, as outlined in their manifesto, has been to take advantage of the Northlands and invest further in infrastructure in the west of the country — possibly offering an olive branch to the half of the country that has turned against Labour in the past decade.

Insiders from the Labour campaign have admitted that it will be "very difficult" to win the election, but there is still a general tone of optimism from the campaign — even as poll after poll shows it losing its majority in government.

LIBERAL/NATIONAL COALITION



SEATS AT DISSOLUTION: 214/650
LEADERS: Stephen Williams (Liberal, MP for Yarwood, Bechor), Jon Blair (National, MP for Lynham, Clearmont)

After twelve years in the wilderness, the Liberal/National Coalition seem on the cusp of retaking power under the leadership of the centrist Stephen Williams. The Coalition's manifesto, Real Solutions for a Real Future, is a self-described tome of "sober solutions" for a "decade-long spending spree by the Labour government." The campaign, however, has focused a bit more on the Northlands than on the economy, with the Leader of the Opposition Stephen Williams putting constant pressure on the government on the issue of the Northlands.

The manifesto itself criticises Labour's refusal to include private industry in the takeover of the Northlands, claiming that "private industry will be able to bring the dividends to the Tumbran people much quicker." Much of their manifesto circles around the Northlands, with security policy also being highlighted; the Liberals have been very keen to highlight that they will take a harder line on the United Clans, the terrorist organisation claiming sovereignty over the Northlands. The Shadow Minister for Defence, Gerald Kingsley, paid a visit to the Northlands several times over the course of the campaign; despite the Northlands themselves only electing three non-voting delegates to the House of Representatives at the election.

Much of the Liberals' policy has also revolved around smaller government, with Williams during the leaders' debate claiming that the country needed a "new relationship" between the federal government and the states. This is likely a reference to the often-fractious relationship that the states and the federal government had during the Everett era, and the Liberals' long-term commitment to letting state governments govern more; but Williams, ever the bold reformer, proclaimed that the "current system of federalism is failing Tumbra," in the single most viral moment of the campaign so far.

ALLIANCE



SEATS AT DISSOLUTION: 31/650 (combined)
LEADER: Cressida Granger (Progressive, PM candidate; MP for Penhurst, Washington)

The alliance between the Greens and the Progressive Party — which actually first began in 2026, but was formalised days into the 2029 election campaign — has seen its poll numbers shoot up, with its bold step of naming a Prime Ministerial candidate — Cressida Granger — seemingly doing well with the electorate, despite having been rubbished in certain corners of the political spectrum. Their manifesto, titled An Alternative Government For An Alternative Age, sets out the single largest problem that it feels Tumbra is going through — that it has taken on an unfair amount of bad press by launching an invasion of the Northlands, and both major parties are perfectly content to allow it to continue. The Alliance has so far also been one of two major parties to fully commit to a withdrawal from the Northlands, the other being the hard-left Social Democratic Party.

The manifesto, which describes itself as "the most radical plan to save Tumbra from a generation of inequality and carrying on the generational trauma of an unfair economic system," includes an immediate push towards renewable energy, including a commitment to have Tumbra's energy be generated by 100% renewable sources by 2040, while also advocating for a huge increase in social services provided by the government — all of which would be funded by a large increase in the top bracket of personal income tax and corporate tax — has been wildly popular amongst the younger generations. A poll conducted by Woolton & Bluefield Ltd. showing the Greens as the most popular party amongst 18-25 year old voters for the first time. Other planks calling for electoral reform — proportional representation has long been a policy plank of the Green Party — have been received similarly well, with a plan for Senate reform making it easier for independent candidates to get elected gaining popularity in the wake of the Conservative Party's scandals. With claims that "discontent with both major parties is at an all-time high," Ms. Granger's reach-out to the younger, economically disaffected voters entering the job market for the first time has worked wonders — and most polls have put its support in about the 13-15% range, which would mean the highest third party effort since the Moderates won 11% of the vote in 2013.

This, however, would not translate into very many seats; most polls put its final seat count in the high 30s to low 40 range, which, while still being a high-water mark for the Greens in an election, would be way off the 326 required for a government.

aMODERATESa



SEATS AT DISSOLUTION: 21/650
LEADER: William Boyd (MP for Tamworth, Marlsbruhe)

Flagging numbers and a lukewarm reception to their program meant that the Moderates' campaign has been criticised as being "largely uninspired," with their manifesto's open-ness to an interest rate hike to combat inflation being the most controversial part of their campaign. It has been the most "intellectual" of the campaigns, with Moderate leader William Boyd painstakingly painting the party as the party of the reasonable centre, taking ideas from both the left and right. Unfortunately, it hasn't been received well; the interest rate hike policy was lambasted in most left-leaning media, which is where the Moderates tended to get most of their voters in elections past. Its policy on the Northlands has also been criticised for not going far enough on either end; while supporting a ramp-up in military presence in the Northlands, it also supports dialogue with the United Clans.

With its anti-establishment current usurped by the Alliance, and rapidly hemorrhaging voter support themselves, the Moderates are estimated to end the election on less than 15 seats, which would be its lowest seat tally since 1984.

CONSERVATIVES


SEATS AT DISSOLUTION: 17/650
LEADER: Alan Spalko (MP for Nottingham, Georgia)

Perhaps the party generating the highest amount of controversy, any policy statements the Conservatives have made have been overshadowed by the money laundering allegations, with leader Alan Spalko going all guns-blazing on denying the allegations. The controversy has seen a precipitous drop in the Conservatives' poll numbers, with a complete wipe-out from Parliament not out of the question according to recent polls. Their policies have mainly focused on foreign affairs; with their main policies both advocating a unilateral withdrawal from the Esportivan Union and a major military build-up in the Northlands, while simultaneously guiding Tumbra towards "looking inwards" instead of attempting to become a bigger player on the global stage.

Their manifesto and any policy statements, however, have been far from the major focus of the campaign; with much of it focusing on their leader, Alan Spalko. Spalko, the Conservative candidate in the 2026 presidential election, has been at the helm of the party for nine years now; and is continually eager to quash rumours that his party is slowly losing faith in him, although the allegations have resulted in six Conservative Senators leaving the caucus, with rumours of more to follow. Electoral oblivion is a likely prospect for the former firebrand populist, who shot to power over the old guard of the Conservatives in 2020 over a platform of needing to aggressively expand and spread their message. A half decade of growth was followed by another half decade of stagnation, with the presidential campaign catapulting Spalko to international recognition while sending the Conservatives' finances into a death spiral.

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS


SEATS AT DISSOLUTION: 3/650
LEADER: Justin Spearing (MP for Palling, Clearmont)

The SDP's manifesto — A Letter To The Working Class — is typically Social Democratic; calling for ever greater government intervention in the economy, while decrying the Northlands as an imperialist project. Much of the campaign has been focused on the new leader of the party, Justin Spearing; the 49 year-old proudly touts himself as the "son of a coal miner" and "proudly socially conservative." This marks the final stage in the Social Democrats turning away from the social progressivism that brought them their renaissance in the 1990s and embracing the social conservatism of the Coal Belt in Clearmont.

A key part of their manifesto that has generated controversy has been a promised ban on transgender kids participating in sports, and a crackdown of gender-neutral language in government; but with little chance of their candidates being elected outside the three seats they already hold, little attention has been paid to them otherwise. They look likely to hold these seats due to an implicit deal they have with the Labour Party; where Labour doesn't campaign too much in seats the SDP hold, in order to guarantee that a left-wing party at least holds those seats. In return, the SDP doesn't actively campaign too hard against Labour — much of the fury the SDP manifesto holds towards the Northlands invasion notably isn't directed at Labour; but rather the Liberals for promising to continue and ramp up the invasion.

2029 Federal Election Polls/Seat Estimation (90% confidence band)
LAB 36.7% [276 — 298]
LIB 39.9% [282 — 316]
ALL 13.6%  [35 — 47]
MOD  4.6%   [8 — 15]
CON  1.7%   [0 — 6]
SDP  1.2%   [2 — 3]
OTH  2.3%   [0 — 2]

Probability of overall outcomes
LIB largest party  42%
LAB largest party  33%
No overall control 19%
LIB majority        4%
LAB majority        2%

[Tumbra]

Archives - 2030s elections

Liberals win big in Assembly of Esportiva elections as Labour insiders question Bertram Andrews' future

2030 Tumbran elections to the Assembly of Esportiva
50 seats
Turnout: 50.07%

Party  Seats Chg    Votes      Pctl%
LIB     18    ▲2  15,112,768  35.12%
LAB     13    ▼5  11,038,229  25.65%
ALL     12    ▲5  10,234,796  23.78%
MOD      3    -0   2,577,242   5.99%
NDP      2    ▲2   2,047,290   4.76%
SDP      2    ▲1   1,513,482   3.52%
CON      0    ▼5     510,477   1.19%

The second ever elections to the Assembly of Esportiva marked Bertram Andrews' first-ever electoral defeat, while the Alliance celebrated their best-ever showing in any election.

Marked by extremely low turnout — just half of all Tumbran citizens eligible to cast a vote did — and a subdued election campaign that was overshadowed on Election Day by a tragic bombing incident in the Northlands that killed thirteen and left thirty-seven injured, the Liberals under Stephen Williams decisively won the elections, and will send a larger delegation to the Assembly than it did five years ago.

Speaking at a toned-down Liberal party event, Liberal Party chairman Michael Harper celebrated the win, calling it "a good day for the Liberal Party as the country reinforces the decision it made six months ago, despite the tragic cloud cast over it by the Northlands bombing." Winning 35.1% of the vote, the Liberal Party underperformed its popular vote percentage in August, though the depressed turnout may have been a factor in the 5% underperformance as compared to most polls for the House of Representatives.

The mood was darker over in the Labour camp, as they won just a quarter of the vote — their worst performance in any election since the 1980 federal election — and lost five seats. Questions were raised over the future of embattled Labour leader Bertram Andrews after he cancelled an appearance at the post-election event, citing the bombing earlier in the day as the reason. Speaking in his place, Shadow Labour and Pensions Minister Rebecca Hardy called the result "disappointing" but stressed that Labour "had to press on", citing the upcoming Georgia Senate by-election as a must-win contest. Polls in that election, which will see former Labour Senator Caroline Hall go up against the Liberal Premier of Georgia Max Young in an attempt to re-take her old seat, have given her a small but consistent lead — something Hall has put up to "a perception that Young has abandoned the people of Georgia to seek federal office."

The Alliance had much to celebrate — they'd come within 850,000 votes of finishing second in the election, and gained five seats. Their vote share of 23.5% was also the best ever recorded for the Alliance, and Alliance leader Cressida Granger spoke of her belief in a "united Esportiva" that the Alliance would contribute heavily to. The topic of the Northlands was lightly danced around; but she did reiterate her stance that the situation necessitated dialogue with the United Clans, a ceasefire and an eventual proposal for Tumbra to withdraw from the Northlands.

Perhaps the surprise of the night was the right-wing, avowedly Esportivan-sceptic New Democratic Party picking up two seats. Its success was largely attributed to right-wing voters fleeing from the Conservative Party — which lost all its elected representation, picking up only 1.1% of the vote — but George Dempsey, former MP for Mayfield and founder of the party, took the result in stride. "Now I can truly say that we have arrived on the political stage in Tumbra," he said in a victory speech that struck a notably dissonant tone from the subdued speeches the rest of the parties issued. "We can only move on up from here."

Early analysis of the results showed that those who voted were more likely to have been older and unemployed, a side effect of Election Day not being a holiday. "I can see future elections to the Assembly of Esportiva held alongside Senate and Presidential elections to drive up turnout," said Associate Professor Stephen Barkley of Guildholm University. "To hold elections for the Assembly again in two years would seem counter-productive, but the alternative would be that these elected delegates would stay in their seats for eight years." A similar plan is said to be in place for state elections, with seven of Tumbra's twenty-five states planning to either extend their current terms or shorten them to hold them at the same time as the upcoming 2032 presidential elections, ostensibly in order to save costs.

The biggest questions, however, revolve around Labour leader Bertram Andrews' future — while there are no concrete details over a potential leadership challenge, there are rumours that confidence in the leader is decreasing with every day. Shadow Finance Minister Sandra Campbell is seen as a potential continuity candidate should Andrews not decide to run in any spill motion, while the hard left of the party could run a candidate. Party rules dictate that the leader of the Labour Party is elected by members when the party is out of power, which means that approximately 350,000 Labour Party members will be able to vote if Andrews is removed from office.

Super Friday 2032 — A Very Early Preview

TUMBRA'S 29th elections for the posts of President, Vice President and the entirety of the 200-member Senate, to be held on 6 February 2032, looks set to be the biggest election day in Tumbra, as three more state legislatures have announced that they will be holding their state elections on the same day — while introducing an entirely new electoral system into those legislatures. The joint announcement by the Premiers of Straton, Harren and Bencoolen that they would be moving their elections forward to February 2032 means that ten states are now intending to hold their elections on the same date as the first round of the presidential election. The surprise announcement of the day, however, would be that all three states would be transitioning away from single-member districts to multi-member districts utilising federal electoral boundaries. All three states are set to increase their federal parliamentary representation from the next Parliament. Straton is set to gain five House seats, bringing its total from 16 to 21; while Harren and Bencoolen are set to gain three seats each, going from 8 to 11 and 6 to 9 respectively.

All three states will be electing a similar number of representatives per constituency; Straton will elect four legislators from each of the twenty-one constituencies, bringing the total number of seats in Straton's City Assembly to 82. Bencoolen and Harren, meanwhile, will elect five legislators from each of their constituencies, meaning that they will elect 45 and 55 members of their city-state's legislatures respectively. All three states will use the single transferable vote method of electing their representatives, subject to constitutional amendments passing through each state's legislatures.

As mentioned above, this brings the total number of states that will elect their legislatures to ten. The originator of the move, Finnley Premier Jacob Andersen, announced that he would look to dissolve the Finnley state legislature in February, four months ahead of schedule, so as to save costs on running an election and reduce voter fatigue. Several other states have followed suit, citing a similar desire to save costs in running the election by having them both on the same day. Four other states — Thornton, Severn, Raleigh and Alexandria — are currently in talks to hold elections on the same day, though the latter two will need to pass a constitutional amendment to allow for the calling for the election on that date. Neither of the two biggest states in the Federal Republic, Napier and Bechor, however, have yet committed to dissolving their state legislatures on Election Day. Marcato Premier Elaine Cho, a strong proponent of federalism and who has established herself as one of the staunchest opponents of Prime Minister Stephen Williams' proposed New Federalism policy, has rubbished any claims that she will dissolve the Marcato state legislature on the same day as the other legislatures. She is likely to be followed by a slew of Premiers from states that have recently held their elections, or who are otherwise reluctant to send voters to the polls so soon after an election.

THE PRESIDENCY

With Presidents constitutionally unable to run for a second term, the lead-up to every presidential election is always filled with a quiet hubbub over who will run. The President's place in Tumbran politics, as ceremonial as it is, is still the highest office in the land — and speculation over who will run is often as rampant as the election itself. No candidates have formally declared themselves yet, though it's looking likely that Vice President Thomas Carmichael will run for — and secure — the Alliance's nomination for the Presidency. He would not be an early frontrunner, however; in hypothetical polling, Carmichael would struggle to reach the second round in what looks set to be another crowded field of candidates.

The current ambassador to Eura and former Minister for Finance, Edward Merryweather, is thought to be a leading candidate amongst those within the Liberal Party. Marlsbruhe Senator and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Michael Holloway, is also thought to be preparing a bid for the presidency. The Vice Presidency — which traditionally has gone to a member of the National Party, the junior party in the Liberal/National coalition, could be prepared for longtime former leader Richard Hinchcliffe, 77, who retired from politics in April 2029's election. There are no clear frontrunners within the Labour nor Moderate parties.

There could very well be two surprise candidacies next February, however; the former Premier of Georgia, Max Young, fresh off a defeat to Caroline Hall in Tumbra's first-ever Senate special election, is said to be mulling a run as either an independent candidate or as part of a nascent Federalist movement. Commentators have raised the possibility of a Young presidential run, saying that Marcato Premier Elaine Cho could be drafted as his running mate to showcase the "strength of opposition to any alterations to Tumbra's federal structure."

The other potential candidate is that of former Kingsbury Tribune reporter and media personality Eugene Ziegler, who has hosted Ziegler Live on Aurora Broadcasting for the past five years. Unashamedly embracing a spot on the far-right of the Tumbran political spectrum, Ziegler could either run for the nomination of the Conservative Party or the New Democratic Party, but has kept mum on the prospect. Notably, however, he has called Alan Spalko and his Vanguard movement a "bunch of cryptofascist Tumbran-haters," meaning that the chance that Ziegler allies with Spalko should be extremely remote.

THE SENATE

The main question about how the chips will fall in the Senate largely depends on how the Conservative seats fall. Currently, they are on track to have zero Senators throughout the country, barely registering in most polls. A few sources have tentatively mentioned the possibility of a negotiation with the New Democratic Party to form a unified Esportiva-sceptic, right-wing bloc, which might save the Conservatives a few seats. Most Senators within the Independent Conservative Group, a breakaway group of Senators who left the Conservative Party midway through the 2026-2032 Senate term, are not running for re-election; those that are are reportedly intending to run under the banner of the New Democratic Party.

With the census giving Straton, Severn, Clearmont and Harren an extra seat each in the Senate at the expense of Thornton, Grantfeldt, Iswilyn and Lormark, the prospect of the Liberals reaching 100 seats remains slim. It has been announced, however, that the electoral system will be changed to a open-list proportional system, meaning that individual candidates will be able to run their own campaigns; the prospect of independent Senators being elected to the Senate is also a possibility, even if it remains a remote one.

STATE LEGISLATURES

It's not been a great few years for Labour at the state level. Currently, the party holds government in nine states, and majority government in six. The Liberals, meanwhile hold government in fifteen states, and majority government in ten of them. The Greens in Bencoolen are the sole remaining government, being the only state government led by a party other than the two biggest parties since the short four-month Moderate government of Neil Robinson in 1981-82.

Ten states so far have committed to holding an election on Super Friday 2032: Clearmont, Grantfeldt, Iswilyn, Dartmoor, Finnley, Straton, Caduke, Pesvern, Harren and Bencoolen. Napier, which has to call an election by the end of 2032, is also reportedly considering moving its election date up, though have not committed to anything. Bechor, the country's second-largest state, is currently in a hung parliament; state premier Clarence Callaghan could very well be tempted to try and fight for a majority of his own by dissolving his Parliament early, as well. The state governments of Thornton and Severn, who are due to have elections in 2033, have raised the possibility of dissolving their legislatures a year early. Six state legislatures have to hold elections by 2031; of those six, Raleigh and Alexandria are considering a temporary amendment to their state Constitutions to allow for the election to be delayed until February 2032. Should all the states that are considering dissolving their state legislatures to sync with the presidential election cycle do so, this could mean seventeen of Tumbra's twenty-five state legislatures could hold their elections on one day.

PROJECTIONS FOR POTENTIAL SUPER FRIDAY 2032 STATE ELECTIONS
Toss-up - 50%-55% chance of victory
Tilt - 55%-65% chance of victory
Lean - 65%-80% chance of victory
Likely - 80%-95% chance of victory
Safe - >95% chance of victory

*States employing a proportional representation system of election have Likely as a maximum value, due to the fluid nature of government formation after elections held with proportional representation

Alexandria: Tilt Labour (flip) - The three-term Liberal administration has seemingly run out of steam. The recent resignation of Bruce Marshall has given the party a polling boost, but Karen Hobbs' party still faces an uphill battle in convincing voters that they're still up for the job. Labour hold a steady polling lead here, and are well-placed to capitalise on fatigue with the state government.
Bechor: Toss-up - Bechor's state election ended up delivering a hung parliament, with both major parties on 75 seats and subsequently courting the Moderates to form government. Two years on, with former Premier John McKay still helming the state Labour Party, and Liberal Premier Clarence Callaghan unable to make much progress on his legislative agenda, control of Tumbra's second largest state is still up in the air. Callaghan will hope that a potential coat-tail effect generated by a successful Liberal presidential nominee will give his party a majority in the House; McKay will hope that voters are tired of legislative inaction, though will be wary that the Liberals will put the blame on him for the state's legislative malaise.
Bencoolen: Lean Green* - The change in the state's voting system almost certainly means that the Greens will be unable to win a majority in the state election. However, they look set to retain their position as the largest party in an expanded state assembly; meaning that the question now lies in how the party will find a majority. A deal with Labour, who are closest to the party ideologically, is not out of the question despite them trading numerous barbs in the past decade.
Caduke: Safe Liberal - The state has long been a happy hunting ground for the Liberals, and looks set to remain so.
Clearmont: Toss-up - Similarly to Alexandria, the state National-led government is lagging slightly behind in the polls, and seems to have run out of steam; but they're still fighting it out with Labour. Rumours of a schism between the Liberal and National parties have so far been unsubstantiated, though the Nationals have fallen a long way behind the Liberal and Labour parties.
Dartmoor: Tilt Liberal - Premier Gerald Coghlan is personally popular, though his party has been beset by scandals. His party still holds a small lead in the polls, though the possibility of him bringing his party to a fifth straight victory is decreasing the more time goes on.
Finnley: Likely Labour - The state naturally trends towards Labour, and the party have begun to open up a gap on the opposition.
Georgia: Safe Liberal - The state Liberal party, despite having just undergone a leadership change, still holds a large lead in the state. Their massive numerical advantage in the legislative advantage (82/130 seats) means that they have enough of a cushion to lose seats, yet hold government. Had Max Young still been in power, the chance of Georgia moving their election date forward by a year would be near nil. Sylvia Evans, however, who ran uncontested in the leadership election to succeed Young, is reportedly anxious to gain a majority of her own, and keen to move past the short-lived feud Young had with Prime Minister Stephen Williams.
Grantfeldt: Lean Liberal (flip) - Premier Mike Lycett dragged the Labour Party home to a third successive election victory by winning in eight battleground seats by less than a thousand votes, though he's needed the Green Party to pass legislation since. The tide has shifted away from Lycett and Labour, with the general political sentiment shifting in favour of the Liberals, themselves led by hardline conservative Jordan Lyons. The Liberals have held a steady poll lead since the start of 2030; it will take a Herculean effort to force a fourth straight Labour victory here.
Harren: Likely Labour* - Premier Tom Allison, the former head of the Harren Casino Workers' Union, was swept into power in 2028 after a scandal regarding casino workers' wages destroyed the Liberal government's credibility. His decision to change the state's voting system to proportional representation has garnered criticism from some quarters of his party, but is widely believed to be a conciliatory move towards the Greens, who won 12% of the first preference vote but only one seat. The party is leading by a wide margin in all polls, and is expected to win a second term in government with Green support.
Iswilyn: Likely Liberal - Louise Fawcett's Liberals have employed a steady, growing lead since the surprise tie in the 2028 election. They look likely to win the election outright, though expect the Moderates, who hold an unusually strong position within the state, to try and deny the Liberals a majority and force themselves as kingmakers again. The state Labour party has been beset by schisms and a revolving door of leadership; so much so that former premier Alex Holden, now at the age of 70, looks likely to lead the party into an election that could see them lose up to three quarters of their seats, potentially letting the Moderates become the Official Opposition for the first time since 1971.
Napier: Likely Labour - Despite having held this post since 2021, Christine Evans shows no sign of slowing down. The 2029 state election, held on the same day as April's federal election, saw her win a third straight term in office with an increased majority, something that is almost a rarity in politics. Despite rising calls for her to step down, she's remained stubborn that she will lead Labour into the next election. With her large majority and opposition Liberal Party's disunity, Labour are likely to hold on to control of Tumbra's largest state.
Pesvern: Safe Liberal - Similarly to Caduke, the country's newly-minted smallest state has been in Liberal hands for all but four years since 1995. The major point of interest here for election watchers will be whether the state becomes a two-party parliament, or whether smaller parties will force themselves back into the Pesvern Parliament.
Raleigh: Toss-up - Both major parties are evenly matched in the polls, as Leonard Potter attempts to win a third term with Labour. He's signalled that this will be his last election, no matter what happens. The possibility of a hung parliament is surprisingly low, as the minor parties struggle to keep their positions in the state assembly. The status of this election is currently pending a constitutional amendment which would allow for a one-time extension to the current Raleigh Parliament's term, through to 6 February 2032.
Severn: Toss-up - Both major parties are deeply unpopular in the Riverine State; Aaron Levinson's administration has been beset by strikes after the government attempted to put a pay freeze on rail workers' pay. The Labour Party, led by Romesh Thakur, has come under heavy criticism for being too business-friendly and unwilling to side with the rail workers over a 'fear' of appearing too extremist to the voting population. Most polls have put both major parties beneath 35%, with one putting both below 30%. Levinson has already announced that in a bid to break the deadlock in the state parliament — both left and right are currently on 50 seats — he will be dissolving the state assembly for an early election in 2032. The New Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party are both expected to make major inroads this election, but whether that will translate into electoral representation is another matter.
Straton: Likely Labour* - Straton Premier Ashley Douglas has announced that this third election will be the last with her as leader. The capital is a strongly Labour-leaning province, and she should have no trouble finishing as the largest party in 2032.
Thornton: Safe Liberal - Hardline conservative Dorothy Walker enjoys a 24-seat majority in her state's parliament right now, and has been polling high. There is little to no doubt that Thornton will re-elect the Liberals; the only question is how big the majority will be.

STATES HOLDING ELECTIONS IN 2031
These states have announced that they will not be delaying their elections to 2032, but instead will be holding their elections on the same day in 2031. All these elections will be held on 1 March.

Fremont: Lean Liberal (flip) - The West has proven itself to be treacherous political territory for the Labour Party. George Heinemann capitalised on widespread discontent with the Liberal Party, which had been beset by infighting and politicking, as well as the dismal state of the state's health service to win power in 2028. Heinemann has managed to improve the latter, but faces strong headwinds in a region increasingly trending to the right. Eschewing federal party support, having assessed the Labour brand as toxic, he has so far cast himself as a maverick operating outside the established two-party system. It's an unusual approach, but it has kept him in with a fighting chance of retaining the Southwest's sole Labour government.
Gamaliel: Likely Liberal - Charismatic Premier Kate Marshall looks set to win a second term as Premier, having kept the Liberals' small polling lead open. That there have been little to no major incidents during her tenure, and the emergence of a budget surplus — a rarity in Tumbra — has helped her case.
Turvenal: Likely Liberal - The sudden retirement of long-serving former Premier Richard McCartney has thrust the little-known Health Minister Tony King, who won the heavily-contested leadership vote, into the spotlight. King has since embarked on what he has called a "low-tax, high-growth experiment," which has involved slashing tax rates on the wealthy and reducing business taxes, while simultaneously embarking on a massive reduction in government spending. The state is likely to re-elect the Liberals — they have won six successive majority governments — but the election could see a voter revolt against King's controversial fiscal plans. Two members of McCartney's former cabinet (and colleagues of King), who have already declared they will not be standing for re-election and crossed the floor to the Moderates, having publicly lambasted his tax plans as "unrealistic." King, for his part, has announced he will soldier on.
Westmond: Tilt Labour (flip) - Andrew Faulkner's harsh line on Northlands-related protests in Ridgewell, as well as a flagging state economy, have done his re-election chances no favours. Labour leader Jennifer Kendall looks likely to win an outright majority in the state, though the result is still on the line.

STATES NOT HOLDING ELECTIONS
These states all held elections in 2030 and are not due to hold another until 2034.

Hamilton, Lormark, Marcato, Marlsbruhe

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NEWS > Politics > Decision 2032
Government likely to gain majority in razor-tight Senate election with support from minor parties; presidential election still too close to call

LIVE Senate results; detailed results accessible by clicking on the image

STRATON: Prime Minister Stephen Williams' ability to pass legislation through the Senate for the final year of his parliamentary term has been bolstered, as the Liberal-National coalition eked out a narrow victory in the Senate elections. Together with its junior coalition partner, the Moderates, and the ideologically-aligned New Democratic Party, the centre-right is likely to hold 104 seats in the next Senate according to projections made by the TBC's Results Desk.

Speaking after exit polls gave the Liberals a clear lead in seats, despite only leading Labour nationwide by less than a million votes, Prime Minister Stephen Williams thanked voters for choosing to put their trust in the Liberals in the run-up to the next elections for the House of Representatives — due August 2033 — and pledged to use the remaining time of the 50th Parliament to "pass an economically liberal agenda, and to gain your confidence that my team and I should be the ones to continue to lead Tumbra into a new age of our nation." Williams, who is due to start a series of state visits to Mertagne, Kotzellach and Grande Cucina on Monday, was heavily involved in campaigning for the Senate elections, perhaps unusually so for the Prime Minister, who traditionally refrains from campaigning in elections to the upper house.

The Liberals gaining seventeen seats was mainly down to the party being able to take advantage of fleeing Conservative voters, who lost all their seats in the House. A muted post-election party was filled with tension, as several commentators on election night openly questioned the long-term future of the party. Party leader Derrick Atkinson, now one of two remaining parliamentarians belonging to the Conservatives, is widely expected to tender his resignation in another blow to the already-beleaguered right-wing party. The party has struggled to regain credibility after a financing scandal in 2029 launched a money laundering investigation into the party and its former leader, Alan Spalko; whose shadow still looms large despite having been suspended and expelled from the party after being formally charged with money laundering.

Not all Conservative voters fled to the Liberals, however; the right-wing populist New Democratic Party, which has been described as libertarian in its outlook, won seven seats. Party leader and former Liberal MP, George Dempsey, who himself won election to the Senate in Clearmont, described the party's breakthrough as "a new dawn for freedom." The New Democrats finished third in the final vote count in four states — Grantfeldt, Pesvern, Severn, and Clearmont; and are widely expected to serve as the new voice of the right wing in Parliament.

Political attention is now expected to switch to the second round of the presidential election, where an insurgent, self-described "independent Federalist" ticket of two former Premiers — Max Young, the Liberal Premier of Georgia, and Elaine Cho, the Labour Premier of Marcato — may yet overcome the Labour ticket of former Senate Government leader Ben Tennyson and former Finance Minister Natalie Stern to head to the second round.

[Tumbra]

Archives - Hansard

HANSARD
Federal Parliament of Tumbra > Hansard > House of Representatives: 16 January 2032 > House Chamber > Oral Questions to the Government

Oral Questions to the Government

Volume 50186: debated on 16 January 2032

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3.30pm

Nicole Chen (Greenford North East, Alliance): To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs a) on developments in the situation in Farfadillis, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' procedures for evacuating Tumbran citizens should they choose to leave the country on short notice; b) if the Government is intending on taking a stance on the rapidly evolving conflict or remain neutral, and c) if the country is intending to admit refugees from the nine Farf nations should the need arise, and in what numbers.

Madam Deputy Speaker: The Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Paul McKenzie (Cantonment, Liberal): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the Hon. Member for her question. It is true that the situation in Farfadillis — or the geopolitical entity we know as Farfadillis, at least — has turned south faster than most care to admit. For all their stature in football — which, to some, is an appropriate measure of soft power in our corner of the AREIMA regions — Hon. Members of this House should know that Farfadillis is not one nation, but nine.

A Hon. Member: Why've they still got one football team, then?

Madam Deputy Speaker: Order. The Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Paul McKenzie (Cantonment, Liberal): Madam Deputy Speaker, as I helpfully mentioned earlier, football does still seem to be the only thing holding these nine nations together under one football association. Regardless, the Government has been monitoring the situation in the nine ethno-states for quite some time, now; and all I can say on the matter for now is that the outbreak of conflict is largely down to the actions of certain individuals acting belligerently in the name of long-standing racial conflicts. I hope the Hon. Member can understand that the situation is, and still remains, delicate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently has consulates in two cities on the Farf landmass, namely Ferdullalele and Puerto Farolero. I should add, Madam Deputy Speaker, that these are not full embassies is because there is limited individual recognition extended to each of the nine ethno-states by most nations on the international stage, and that the Diplomatic Corps, no matter how hard they have searched, have been unable to procure permanent Ambassadors willing or foolhardy enough to represent the nation to the landmass.

Returning to the point on evacuating Tumbran citizens, may I reassure all Hon. Members of this House that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed — and will remain committed, until the end of this conflict — to delivering any Tumbran citizens who wish to leave the Farf landmass back to Tumbra at no cost to them. I know several of my sporting-minded colleagues will also be worried about the safety of Ms. Audrey Pearson, a footballer who currently plies her trade in Rülândéá; Hon. Members should also remain assured that we are in constant contact with her, and she is safe with her club.

As my earlier statements might have hinted, Madam Deputy Speaker, this Government is not about to take a stance on the evolving conflict at this time. Things may rapidly change, and we are continually monitoring the situation for any damage to our interests. Any further movements will be done in accordance with our Esportivan allies, and we will respond to situations as they move accordingly. I will make it known to this House that the Banijan government has already indicated its support for the Faroleran regime of Alex Teran; which opens up the possibility of becoming a wider scale diplomatic conflict than a military one, which we expect will remain entirely locked to the Farf landmass.

And on to the third part of the Hon. Member's question, Madam Deputy Speaker; the previous Government was very friendly to refugees from the Farf landmass. In this, we joined the ranks of esteemed nations like Kelssek in extending our arms to those who need it the most. This current Government aims to continue that policy, but I must add that we are also constantly monitoring the situation. May I also remind the House that we, as a nation, are constitutionally bound to offer those seeking refuge from political matters a home in our nation. This Federal Republic itself began as a refuge for those seeking to escape persecution by an illiberal and autocratic Empire, and it would be hypocritical to turn those needing refuge in their time of need away. Yet, with the pointedly ethnic nature of this conflict, Madam Deputy Speaker, we must also be cautious on both the ratio and numbers of refugees from the different Farf nations we are giving a chance at life in Tumbra; our Ministry is working closely together with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social Affairs on the specifics. There are many factors to consider; ethnic enclaves in our biggest cities, and tension between members of the different Farf communities living so close to each other; but I think, Madam Deputy Speaker, that we need be worried less about language acquisition and integration, since they have proven remarkably adept at picking up our language and integrating into our multicultural society as a whole. Again, Madam Deputy Speaker, I turn back to football; in several of our Under-18 World Cup squads, we have fielded footballers with heritage from several Farf nations; the country's consistent performances in that tournament have not just been a source of pride when it comes to football, but also from a national integration standpoint.

I will endeavour to the best of my ability, Madam Deputy Speaker, to provide updates on the situation on the Farf landmass whenever it is needed; and my colleagues from the other Ministries will also provide updates on the refugee situation as appropriate.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Leaders

Presidents

Vice Presidents

Prime Ministers

Chief Justices of the Federal Constitutional Court

No.	Name	Tenure	Age	State
1	Samuel Cohen	1864-1870	62-68	Napier
2	George Hughes	1870-1886	60-76	Harren
3	Richard Brown	1886-1900	64-78	Raleigh
4	Fabian Carrington	1900-1920	62-82	Severn
5	Francis Cameron	1920-1930	70-80	Iswilyn
6	Clement Morrison	1930-1948	53-75	Napier
7	David Wright	1948-1952	58-62	Bechor
8	Quentin Crowe	1952-1965	62-75	Georgia
9	Walter W. Blair	1965-1981	59-75	Grantfeldt
10	Eleanor Stewart	1981-1989	54-62	Clearmont
11	Edwin Ramsey	1989-1995	56-62	Marlsbruhe
12	Jonathan Hu	1995-2006	64-75	Straton
13	Elizabeth van Wijk	2006-2019	57-70	Lormark
14	Michael Turner	2019-2026	61-68	Westmond
15	Alexander Mitchell	2026-	52-	Napier

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Politics

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — History

Prehistory to 500 AD

Middle Ages (500 to 1400)

Confederations era (1400 to 1600)

Imperial era (1601 AD to 1855)

Civil war (1855 to 1864)

The new Republic (1864 to 1908)

The growth of modern Tumbra (1908 to 1940)

Middle Power (1940 to 1980)

Modern Tumbra (1980 to 2025)

Tumbra, colonial power (2025-)

[Tumbra]

Tumbra — Education

Tumbra — Universities

University education in Tumbra is considered a fundamental priority of the Tumbran state. To this end, school fees are heavily subsidised by the state. By law, universities are autonomous, but almost all of them are considered public research universities, as they receive heavy funding from the government. Almost all undergraduate degree programmes in Tumbra are four-year programmes; with Masters degree programmes taking about two to three years to complete, and doctorate-level programmes taking four to six years to complete. The overall federal regulatory board for universities in Tumbra is the Board of Universities.

Wisteria League

The Wisteria League is a collective of nine universities instituted before the formation of the Empire of Tumbra in 1601. Collectively, these are the oldest institutions of higher learning in the modern-day Federal Republic; and are known for their relatively low acceptance rates, academic excellence, longstanding culture, outstanding athletics programmes. They are usually associated with the elite of Tumbra; and often rank amongst the highest in subject rankings for academic subjects within Tumbra. Of particular note are Guildholm University's history programme, the University of Clark's law programme, the University of Couno's political science programme, and Coromandel University's agricultural studies programme, which are the highest-ranked in the nation. In terms of sports, the University of Kingsbury's aquatics programme is one of the best in the nation.

University	Location	Founded	Undergraduates	Postgraduates	Teaching staff	Endowment	Nickname	Colours
Guildholm University	Guildholm, Bechor	1216	18,446	3,447	1,469	$12.48 billion	Wasps	... ...
University of Clark	Clark, Finnley	1224	15,013	2,938	1,208	$20.15 billion	Knights	... ...
Straton University	Straton, Straton	1268	14,917	1,883	1,063	$18.92 billion	Tigers	... ...
University of Couno	Couno, Napier	1290	12,383	4,882	1,557	$15.33 billion	Crimson Hawks	... ... ...
University of Kingsbury	Kingsbury, Georgia	1316	20,049	8,773	3,162	$24.81 billion	Lilywhites	... ...
Severn University	Knapford, Severn	1337	16,448	5,012	1,449	$16.48 billion	Viridians	... ...
Alexandria University	Newton, Alexandria	1349	7,993	864	1,039	$11.42 billion	Wattles	... ...
Coromandel University	Hesham, Clearmont	1408	23,092	7,239	1,449	$13.88 billion	Big Blue	... ... ...
Bencoolen University	Bencoolen, Bencoolen	1492	8,016	1,039	998	$10.74 billion	Stallions	... ...

League of Twelve

The League of Twelve are a collection of universities established after the institution of the Federal Republic. They were established for what are now acknowledged are three reasons. One, to bring higher education to less-served parts of the country; two, to give rapidly-industrialising cities a local knowledge base, and three, to establish somewhat more subservient institutes that could be given preferential treatment in the wake of the Civil War, and pull power away from the Wisteria League universities, who were still heavily associated with the Tumbran Empire. The biggest of these institutions, the Tumbran National University, is today Tumbra's largest and most famous university; sporting the best medical school in the country. The other standout university amongst the League of Twelve is the Hoxford Technological University; which has Tumbra's best physics and computer engineering department.

University	Location	Founded	Undergraduates	Postgraduates	Teaching staff	Endowment	Nickname	Colours
Tumbran National University	Straton, Straton	1868	35,448	12,394	4,066	$30.35 billion	Eagles	... ...
Clyde University	Clyde, Clearmont	1870	,	,	,	$4.66 billion	Lions	... ...
University of Nantwich	Nantwich, Finnley	1872	,	,	,	$8.71 billion	Mariners	... ...
Marlsbruhe University	Fontwell, Marlsbruhe	1872	,	,	,	$11.85 billion	Dragons	... ...
Westmond University	Ridgewell, Westmond	1874	,	,	,	$4.88 billion	Thunder	... ...
Hoxford Technological University	Hoxford, Fremont	1875	,	,	,	$9.12 billion	Engineers	... ...
Dartmoor University	Tavistock, Dartmoor	1878	,	,	,	$4.07 billion	Pride	... ...
Marcato University	Chesterfield, Marcato	1880	,	,	,	$5.38 billion	Wolves	... ...
University of Lakewood	Lakewood, Severn	1883	,	,	,	$2.79 billion	Gryphons	... ...
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NEWS > Politics
Government introduces bill to give Northlands full parliamentary representation, increase House and Senate sizes by 25

By Luca Collins
TBC News

THE Government has introduced a bill to increase the number of MPs and Senators by 25 each, and, in doing so, will increase the number of parliamentarians in the Federal Parliament to its greatest number ever — 900. The Bill, which was introduced on Tuesday by Minister without Portfolio Michael Prentice, will spread the 25 additional parliamentarians in each house amongst the 25 states — but will also give the Northlands parliamentary representation, with current estimates giving it eleven MPs and seven Senators. Currently, the Northlands — a self-governing territory of Tumbra — elects three non-voting delegates and one shadow Senator — despite having grown in population over the last twelve years to have more people than Caduke, Lormark, and Pesvern.

"If we are to eventually have the Northlands ascend to become the twenty-sixth state of Tumbra, then they should be entitled to full parliamentary representation in both Houses of our Federal Parliament," said Prentice at the dispatch box at the House of Representatives. Shadow Minister of Home Affairs Stephanie Wilson, in her response, "welcomed" the proposal for parliamentary representation for the Northlands but criticised "the addition of additional parliamentarians atop the 850 that both Houses already have, which will only add more to the taxpayer's burden of supporting our legislative branch."

The addition of twenty-five Senate seats — eighteen if the projected seven seats for the Northlands are removed — is widely seen as an olive branch to Senators from smaller, western states, which have been growing increasingly agitated by the decrease in parliamentary and Senate representation due to various factors in demographic changes which have seen it steadily lose ground to more populous, larger eastern states. Under projected figures from TBC News, each state would now essentially be guaranteed seven Senators, up from six, which would maintain representation for western states in the Senate.

Northlander premier David Melksham, from the Northern Democratic Party, a centre-right unionist party, welcomed the move from the government, and said that his party would "strenuously contest" every seat in the Northlands should the bill pass. The leaders of the Twenty-Six Alliance, a right-wing unionist party, and the United Party — of no relation to the United Party mentioned earlier in this article — a leftist party largely seen as representing the interests of indigenous Northlanders — could not be reached for comment.

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NEWS > Politics
Northland state ascension talks thrown into jeopardy over taxation

By Luca Collins
TBC News

READALE — The first round of Northlands ascension talks, which will determine whether the federal territory will become the 26th state of the Federal Republic, have hit an impasse over the tax regime that the Northlands would have to follow immediately upon becoming a state. The disagreement stems from the Northlands, which is currently not subject to federal taxation, is able to set wildly lower tax rates than the rest of the country — something that the territory's Premier, Craig Price, has deemed as essential to attracting migrants to the territory. Ascending to the Federal Republic would mean that Northlander residents would have to begin paying federal taxes, as well as the Northlands having to harmonise tax rates with the rest of the country.

"The current rate of tax is crucial for the economic development of the Northlands," said Northlands chief negotiator Simon Shaw at the end of the fifth day of negotiations. "To immediately demand that we make our tax rates the same as the Federal Republic is too much. We're looking for an exemption — not the one-year currently offered, but ten, twenty, maybe even thirty as things stand. Not a permanent tax holiday, but something that will allow us to catch up to the rest of the states in terms of economic development."

The government's chief negotiator, David de Ruiter, said at a short press conference that "the taxation regime is a matter of fairness for all twenty-five states. If the Northlands would like to take part in the rights that a state has, it must also have the obligations that a state has, particularly when it comes to taxes."

[Tumbra]

Joint Statement
from
the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Tumbra, Bertram Andrews
and
the Premier of the Territory of the Tumbran Northlands, Craig Price

1 In the sixteen years that the Tumbran Northlands have been established, the two governments have maintained a cordial working relationship spanning the efforts of five Prime Ministers of the Federal Republic and three Premiers of the Northlands. The goal of these efforts has always been the eventual ascension toward statehood of the Territory of the Tumbran Northlands, as the twenty-sixth state of the Federal Republic. Great progress has been made in these past sixteen years, culminating in the election of eleven Members of Parliament to the House of Representatives and seven Senators to the Senate with full voting rights, replacing the previous three-member non-voting delegation to the House and one shadow Senator to the Senate. This was seen as the most concrete move toward ascension undertaken by both parties.

2 Late in 2039, the government of Bertram Andrews indicated to the Northlands government that they were willing to begin talks regarding the ascension of the Northlands to become a fully-fledged state of the Federal Republic. These talks would take place in 2041, giving both parties ample time to prepare for the talks.

3 These talks, which eventually occurred in September 2041 in Readale, Gamaliel, were productive and resulted in a sustained conversation over the future of Tumbran-Northlander relations. Both parties agreed that ascension was a mutually beneficial endpoint for both polities. Both parties also agreed that a timetable for future such talks to continue the process of gradual integration of the Northlands into Tumbra would be ideal.

4 However, there were also several points of contention between the two parties which resulted in the talks over ascension breaking down, including customs regimes, tax rates, and the level of federal financial aid for the territory after its ascension to the state. These differences ended up being irreconcilable for the two parties.

5 Talks resumed a few days later on a different topic, namely the future status of the territory and the status of the Northlands as a political entity. Members of the Northlander government who joined the second round of talks, including the Premier of the Northlands, Craig Price, indicated their dissatisfaction with the status quo of the Northlands as a territory.

6 Negotiations have resulted in the following solution, thereby known as the Readale Settlement: the territory of the Northlands will be due to hold a referendum on whether it wishes to continue with ascension talks with a view of becoming a state, remain at the status quo of being a territory, or independence but under a compact of free association with the Federal Republic, with the Federal Republic being responsible for the defense of the Northlands in times of strife.

7 While the exact timeline and method of conduct of the referendum on the future status of the Northlands is to be determined by the territorial government, both parties agreed that the result will be delivered by September 1, 2043, in order to give both sides the ability to prepare for the eventual result of the referendum.