On Sunday, 12th October, at 7:36PM GMT, Marquis Cassidy opened up the first Meeting of the Mercian Parliament House of his second term as First Minister. Because of his services to the Kingdoms & Lands Represented in the Council of the Diarchal crowns of the Disciples (Mercia), and the wider Würtige Empire, the Marquis was re-appointed by the Lords of Mercia to remain as Mercia’s Head of Government until March 2015. The inaugural Meeting of this term was marked by a stern, staid consolidation of structure within Mercia, while further defining the rights of the Subjects and Nobles of the Lords of Mercia – both signature movements of his previous term.
The first debate was small and brief, over the choice of Patron Saint for Mercia; options ranged from Saint Michael the Archangel, for his perfection, to Saint Andrew, who offered fish and bread to Christ when he fed the five thousand in the Gospels. The Pagan lobby within the Mercian Parliament House, in keeping with the Christian nature of the debate, suggested Lucifer, the Fallen Angel, to be the Patron Saint of the Alliance of Crowns. After a brief period of voting, 50% of the Parliament, including the First Minister, the Lord Spiritual, and the Delegate to the Synod of the Mercian Christian Church, voted for Saint Alban, the first British martyr, to become the Mercian Patron Saint; 33% of the vote went to other recognised Saints (the vote was split evenly between Saint Michael and Saint Andrew), and 17% of the vote went to Lucifer. Another Christian suggestion, the English Patron, Saint George, received no votes. This decision became the 12th October Patron Saint Bill, which was passed at 7:52PM GMT that night, and was ratified by the Lord Temporal immediately after.
The main debate, over the legal establishment of partisan democracy within the Mercian Parliament House, and thus the enshrinement of political parties, was brought forward by the Lord Spiritual, HL Richard I, Lord of Clyro. Suggesting that Mercia now had an active enough legislature and a sufficient citizenry to begin partisan activity, such as elections, the creation of political parties and so on, the Lord Spiritual began the debate in earnest. The idea of legalised partisan politics in Mercia was met with severe opposition, particularly from the Pagan lobby in the Parliament. Baron Harland-Hackenschmidt, Noble of the Rio Cinema Hundred, had this to say on partisan democracy:
The fundamentals of the a partisan political system would be that a political party member would emphasis the promotion of their party’s goals, if I am not mistaken. The issue I have with this is that such a promotion could lead to a lack of reactivity in the creation and amendment of policy. I don’t see it as a system able to actually keep up with the needs of a society because of that. It lacks a sense of accounting for the abrasiveness that will inevitably occur.
When the voting came about for the 12th October Partisan Democracy Bill, the combined oppositions and abstentions stood at 83%; the democratic supporters, lead by the Lord Spiritual, only secured 17% of the vote, and the motion failed. Earl Crannis, Noble of the Declan Forest Hundred and a prominent Pagan politician, added to the discussion post-voting that political factions and affiliations did not need state sanction to exist; indeed, in the Empire of Austenasia (where Earl Crannis also holds a title and position within government), political parties were formed outside of law, but the affiliation still had relevance in Austenasian politics. Therefore, politicans who voted against partisanry being made part of the legal structure of Mercia still potentially have the chance to form partisan groups within the Mercian Parliament House. The Burnham Micropress will stay updated on the political affiliation situation.
Finally, the 17th August Rights of the Subject Bill and the 17th August Powers of the Nobility Bill were voted upon, passed and ratified. The Rights of the Subject Bill, despite providing legal framework for basic human rights under the traditional Justinian Theodorist model, only received 60% of the vote( enough to pass) a significant rejection of the Bill by the Pagan supporters within the House. The later Powers of the Nobility Bill, however, received unanimous support, establishing the hierarchy of how landless Nobles must treat Nobles ruling Hundreds, how they in turn must treat Nobles ruling Shires, and how all Nobles must treat the Lords of Mercia, and the Mercian administrative, executive and judicial organs. The Meeting was then adjourned, at 9:07PM GMT.
In other news, the Holy Empire of New Israel is not the only state to join the hegemony of the Lords of Mercia and become a Concession. On the 13th October, the Republic of Covanellis, a secessionist state in Australia, joined the Alliance of crowns as a Mercian Concession, accepting both the Mercian Treaty of Concession, and the laws laid down by the Würtige State Joining Treaty. Representatives from Covanellis have expressed great interest in becoming the financial sector of the entire Würtige Empire, a move that is being watched with great interest by the Autonomous Member States and their holdings.
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