Bacticania on trial.

A case has been brought in the Peoples High Court asking for the ejection of Bacticania for repeatedly spamming on the regional HQ. An accompanying procedural request for a 'fast hearing' has been denied. Bacticania now has 24 hours in which to respond.

Update 7/10

Bacticania has left the region of his own accord.

Following the elections, the new cabinet are settling down to the business of running the region. The delegate, Blackbird, posted this outline of the planned activities in the coming term.

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Comrades, after a brief government meeting where we spoke about short-term objectives for this term, my government has created a brief manifesto of some of its goals for this term.

The Ministry of the Interior intends to further develop the Voice of the Proletariat as well as work on the new Director of the Immigration Department, to create even larger and more successful recruitment drives.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the immediate future, intends to continue writing a mutual assistance treaty with Greece, propose to Canada and Anarchy to join the Diplomatic Wing o the RLA, as well as begin developin weekly reports.

The Ministery of Defense intends to begin training our troops via the ADN training, coordinate meetings between all Defense Heads of the RLA (chaired by the RLA Commander, CFES (Eurosoviets)) to identify common threats and work on future planning.

The Office of the Delegate continues to work on the basic managerial aspects of this region, including security, as well as maintaining and running the operation of RLA Intelligence. The Office of the Delegate continues to represent TPC at the ADN and that RLA, as well as seeing come to fruition the Dalioranium Education Proposal, as well as a Justice Ministry.

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Defence of Cuba.

The Minister of Defence recently (6/10) reported a successful operation...

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Today the region of Cuba was defended successfully by a coalition of forces that included The Proletariat Coalitions Defence Force. The Delegate was endorsed and the invaders defeated in a massive showing of solidarity by the defender community. As Cuba was in the process of applying to join the RLA this defence was critical in ensuring they remain a free people and that they are left to determine their own future. With the spotlight now on Cuba again it is my hope that the RLA Council of Regions will take action to decide upon its membership ASAP. If made a made a RLA member Cuba?s future is more secure as the invaders are unlikely to bother the region knowing the number of allies it has to assist them.

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Thank you for the updates. :)

Voting has just opened on whether TPC should ratify the proposed new Articles of Alliance for the ADN. This is proving a contentious topic. Turnout is high, with the Yea camp currently ahead by a whisker.

Update 12/10.

With 3 days to go, the No votes are now significantly ahead. If it stays that way it will be a disappointment to our delegate Blackbird, who put a lot of hard work into the drafting of the new articles.

The Education Council has opened its doors, and the first entries have been placed in the library. In addition to the library there is a forum for debate and discussion, and a public enquiry service. Comrade Dalloranium is the First Councillor and has been working hard to get the service off the ground.

If any Canadian citizens are aware of good educational material (particularly but not exclusively with political relevance), then I would be delighted to bring it to the attention of the Education Council.

Regional founder dismissed from the Peoples High Court.

It was with great regret by all concerned that a case was brought to dismiss comrade Haderan (our region's founder) from his position as a Judge on the Peoples High Court. Our constitution demands this step when a judge has been inactive for over 2 weeks.

Haderan had been ill previously, and then returned. We are all concerned for his well being. If a recurrence of his illness is the cause of his absence, we wish him a speedy recovery.


Update 14/10

With Haderan's departure from the bench, the vacancy was immediately filled by comrade Mechana who had previously acted as our Public Defender. This was shortly followed by the re-appointment of former judge Southern Tasmania. There is one vacancy ramaining, and a decision on this post is expected shortly.

Voting has closed with a flurry of no votes towards the end, giving a 70% rejection of ratifying the new ADN charter.

For local comment on this result, see this article in The Voice of the Proletariat.

Thanks for the update. What does this mean exactly for TPC and the ADN?

It means that our Delegate BlackBird will vote against the current draft Articles. It do not means that TPC will withdraw from the ADN.

The current government's point is that we wait two months to see how the "new" ADN works before any new referendum about withdrawal.

Cool. Thanks for the clarification.

New embassy opens its doors

The Proletariat Coalition were proud to add Greece to its list of active embassies. Ambassador Karpathos was made welcome to the region and has started to make his voice heard on the regional boards. We look forward to developing a deeper understanding as time goes by.

New Regional Flag

A poll has recently been concluded to choose a regional flag. There were six entries including the flag I have been flying. This stirred up a hot debate with many comments on the various interpretations of the symbols involved. The flag looks particularly snazzy on our own black-and-red boards.

Controversy over VOTP article

An article in the Voice of the Proletariat was withdrawn by our delegate at the request of Pope Hope of the ADN. The article as originally written had included direct quotes taken from restricted ADN forums. Although there is no suggestion that there was any leak of militarily sensitive material, the use of material from these boards is contrary to the forum rules. The article has since been re-released with the relevant material removed or revised.

This has raised concerns within TPC over the censorship of our news media. Delegate Blackbird has made it clear that there is no intention to deny us access to the facts, but that the privacy of the individuals involved must be respected.

Having seen both the original and the modified articles, my personal view is that little if anything has been lost by the removal of the quoted material. The revised article can be seen here.

If the use of the information was contrary to the board use guidelines at the ADN forum, then it seems reasonable that the improper use of the information was cured by changing the article as it appeared in the TPC forums.

From a legal perspective, the actions taken are consistent with information use laws and information handling guidelines that are common both in RL European Union and in Canada.

TPC population passes the 300 mark

Minister of the interior, comrade Red Factions has run a long and very successful recruitment campaign to expand our region. We have recently passed the 300 mark, which includes a high proportion of UN nations. Our delegate also has an excellent level of endorsements, higher than that of several of the larger regions.

With further recruitment initiatives planned, and a campaign to get inactive members involved on the offsite boards the region is really humming at the moment.

Good for you all! :clap:

:clap: Congrats, TPC!!!! :clap:

Court report

A nation called Germachinia has been found guilty of flaming and spamming of the regional HQ. Two judges have still to post before sentence will be finalised, but the current consensus is for a 6-month ban.

This was my last case in my current term as a judge - we limit the term to 3 months and I was not re-selected. Comrade Earthfirst takes over as from today. I would like to take this opportunity to wish him well.

I look forward to being able to kibbitz on court cases without having to watch my tongue all the time!

A thing that canadians should know : Mathom (Almonaster) was one of the best Judge I've ever seen on the bench. You can believe me, I was myself Judge before getting elected Minister.

Thank you Mathom. ^_^

Al's da bomb! ;)

:D

Aw shucks.

Thanks for those kind words DSSSG. I'll try not to let it go to my head.

Universal Acceptance on trial

A long term resident and highly active poster, Universal Acceptance finds himself up before the Poeple's High Court today. He has been charged with flaming and treason.

In an interesting switch of roles, I will be acting for the defence in this case, so my reporting here should be examined with the possibility of bias!

In the opening indictment, a large number of posts were quoted in evidence, and the defence has requested an extension to the normal 24 hour rule to go over these. Judge Hypercube posted an immediate guilty verdict before the defence had been lodged, and this has been protested by the defence.

Update 11/11

In the finest traditions of integrity, Judge Southern Tasmania has excused himself from the case, due to a conflict of interest. He has frequently fallen out with UA in the past and felt unsure of his ability to remain unbiased. Judge Hypercube indicated that he had understood the defence had had sufficient time, and his verdict was based on that error. He intends to continue with the case. The defence have been given 72 hours to prepare their case.

Update 15/11

UA having realised he would be away over the weekend has obtained a further extension - we are due to post the defence tomorrow. I still haven't heard much from him, so its going to be a bit of a lash-up even after all this time. Ho hum.

Update 17/11

I've been trying to contact him all evening - finally posted a defence to the treason charge and a start to the flaming defence. I've requested leave to defer the final portion until tomorrow on the off chance that UA will come up with some useful input.
Frankly, I'm not a little hacked of by the whole scenario. If the judges rule that he's had his chance, I would not feel that was out of order!

Update 18/11

I've concluded what I set out to say. UA has also posted in his own defence, picking up on some of my contributions and adding a few twists of his own. We have given the judges a lot to think about - the verdict may take a while.

Public debating

The Council of Knowlege, proposed and led by comradde Dalioranium has gone from strength to strength. We currently have threads in the Centre for Debate and Discussion on Non-violence, the Abolition of Inheritance and Open Source Software amongst others. Visitors are welcome. The boards should be public - if you have any problem accessing them please let me know.

Thank you for updates. :clap:

No problem FCW, that's my job!

By sharing a little of what goes on in our respective regions, we can grow in friendship and understanding. The Canadian reports you post in TPC have been very interesting and I thank you for your continued good work in this regard.

Peoples Defence Forces in Action

The following statement was recently issued by our Minister of defence, Anarchtopia.


Yesterday (Tuesday November 16th) RLA forces successfully defended our allies the Urbanites. The reason this action was taken was to pre-empt the possible expiration of the former Delegate White Lotus Eaters. For the past three weeks she has not been online, had not answered various messages and had neglected her duties as Delegate. In doing this she also left the region extremely vulnerable to attack. Roughly around two weeks I was contacted by the nation El Turk about the current situation and also by Founder Grub of the 10000 Islands. Both expressed worries about the situation and reasoned that outside help would be needed to avert a possible invasion (the region is on a number of invaders lists and is historically known as a defender region).

Over the last few days various defender groups stayed in constant contact with me and Comrade Eurosoviets of the ASE and Commander of RLA forces started to initiate a plan to install an active native into power. Through swift but substantial consultation we concluded that El Turk was the best nation for the job. From late Monday evening RLA forces and TITO forces moved into the region to endorse El Turk. Success was claimed at update yesterday with El Turk now installed as Delegate.

With an ongoing and increasingly close operation in the RR I chose to pull our forces out of the Urbanites to continue their duties. Commander Eurosoviets announced on the Urbanites civic HQ that the ASE troops would stay around until the new Delegate got things in order.

The mission was not just a successful defence of our allies and RLA members the Urbanites it was a great success in terms of our forces fine effectiveness. Engaging in multiple defences can often be a delicate and careful affair. We had our RLA commitment but also a prior operation ongoing. We took a risk leaving the RR to help the Urbanites but one that was taken with great planning and exemplary combat manoeuvres.

This mission shows that we do not have to choose between two alliances of which we are members but that we can defend effectively where ever we are called. We are in a unique position in that we are a bridge between two great defender alliances and in this position we can be the crucible that defender unity is formed, maintained and furthered.

I’m confident that our forces via the RLA and the ADN will continue to succeed in defending and also be a positive influence on both alliances relations with each other. Thus concludes my official report on the Urbanites mission.

Shock News - Anarchtopia resigns

In an unexpected twist, our Minister of Defence resigned earlier today. He cited RL circumstances as the key factor leading to his decision, and apologised to the region for the inconvenience which this would cause.

Our delegate, Blackbird, had this to say...

" It is with only the greatest sadness and reluctance that I see the resignation of Minister Anarchotopia. He served TPC with honor, enlarging our defense force, defending our allies, and doing all the things behind the scenes which keeps our region safe.

I salute you, Comrade. "


As we are within a few weeks of a general election, the post will not be filled immediately. Blackbird will assume the duties of the MoD until the elections have been held.

update19/11
Blackbird has appointed Peaceful Minds as deputy Minister of Defence until the elections. It is understood that he will be performing the majority of the MoD functions, while leaving the final responsibility with Blackbird.

Peaceful Minds is our board administrator, and brings a wealth of experience to the position. I think we will be in very safe hands.

Election season.

Nominations for delegate have opened. So far comrade Star City is standing unopposed. Star City is a former Minister for Foreign affairs for the region, and placed a close second to Blackbird in the last election.

Nominations close at the end of the month, with a week of polling (if required) following that. Elections for the ministerial positions follow the same pattern 2 weeks later.

New delegate for TPC

Star City has been elected unopposed.

We now have a quiet week which would otherwise have been the delegacy campaign before ministerial candidates declare themselves.

Update 11 Dec
The delegacy has been successfully transferred to Star City without any sign of trouble from without.

Should we have a founder?

This debate has been rumbling on for a long time, and we will be holding a referendum shortly after the cabinet elections. The Proletariat Coalition was founded before the Nation States game engine recognised the concept of a regional founder, so we have only ever had a Delegate. Under special circumstances such as these, the Moderators can appoint a founder, provided that that is the clear intent of the region.

The arguments for are largely practical - it gives us a safeguard against invasion. The claim then follows that this would allow for greater openness of governement, since we would then need to be less worried about security.

The arguments against are largely on matters of principle. We have a strong democratic constitution, and whatever the practical benefits, a founder is essentially a lifelong dictator. They may choose to exercise their power in accordance with the will of the people, but are fundamentally unaccountable.

Canada's debate on the same topic:

http://invisionfree.com/forums/NationState...p?showtopic=108

Thanks Chex. We have indeed covered a lot of the same ground, albeit in rather different language. The 'Puppet founder' idea attracted some attention a while back, but appears to have been dropped in favour of making Blackbird the founder.

I didn't see our issue resolved in that thread....but as you may have guessed, after a long time of flirting with the idea, we declared it "contrary to the spirit of the region" and decided against it.

Which is essentially this second argument you posted. :)

Policy towards right-wing nations

This is another debate which has been rumbling on for months. A survey was recently conducted, to see if there was a consensus, but the results seemed to show a divide. There would appear to be a majority in favour of free speech, but a significant and vocal minority would like to see certain types of government banned from TPC.

Proponents of expulsion see the very presence of these nations as an affront to the ideals of the region, and a potential security risk. Opponents say that tolerance and free speech are key to the ideals of the region, and that we already have procedures for dealing with disruptive behaviour or genuine security threats. The reliability of the NS government categories has also been questioned.

This issue also seems set to go to a referendum after the elections.

Ministerial Elections

Nominations have closed for the Ministerial positions and campaigning is underway.
Those standing are...

Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Dobbyniania
D.S. of Soviet Sexy Girls

Minister of the Interior:
Earthfirst

Minister of Defense:
Peaceful Minds
The Red Factions

Polling under way.

There has been an early flurry of voting, with keen interest in both contested positions. The Red Faction has opened out a lead ahead of Peaceful minds in the MoD race, but
past races have tended to show the "conservative" faction voting later than the "progressives", and PM may well pick up support later on.

The MoFA contest stands at 9 votes each to DSSSG and challenger Dobbyniania. Since publishing his manifesto, DSSSG has changed his stance on ADN withdrawal, which is a key topic this election. It is not clear yet what the final impact of this will be, but most commentators have suggested it will hurt him.

This one promises to a close race for both positions all the way until the polls close on 28/12.

Update 27/12.

The Red Factions has pulled ahead by another couple of votes, and seems likely to clinch the MoD spot. The Foreign affairs contest is still tied, currently standing at at 16 votes each.

Election result (singular!)

TPC has a new Minister of Defence. The Red Factions came home comfortably ahead of Peaceful minds. As noted earlier, Earthfirst was unopposed for the Ministry of the Interior.

This leaves the Ministry of Foregin affairs, where we have an unprecedented draw. The constitution makes no provision for this, so the election will be re-run.

MoFA Election, take 2

Yes, the re-run is happening, and guess what? They're running neck-and-neck again. As of this minute, DSSSG is ahead by a single vote, having 13 to Dobbyniania's 12.

In good old TPC tradition, we're debating what to do if another tie comes up while the vote is going on. No consensus has emerged so far.

Long-term resident departs TPC

A long-standing and highly-respected comrade, Peaceful Minds recently announced his departure from the region. He cited the level of bickering on the boards (largely centred on the ADN issue) as the main reason for quitting.

He will be greatly missed, both as a voice of reason in TPC and for his work as board admin. I wish him well wherever he decides to go next.