Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
¡Prontu, Prüm Citaxhiên! #2 - Talossa as narrative
My good friend and co-founder of the Free Commonwealth of Penguinea, Adiêns Glaçâ, once said to me: "Talossa is a story or it is nothing", or words to that effect. He was damn right. Talossa is not an RPG, in which a designer sets up the terms of a "game" and everyone else plays roles in it. (Although sometimes it got that way when ex-King Robert was at its worst.) Talossa is an ongoing collaborative narrative - a story about a small independent nation in North America - in which the co-writers are all characters, playing themselves. Sometimes it's a narrative about whether that nation should even exist; or whether it is even a nation. But "a small independent nation in North America" is the sine qua non, or should I say the sânc qët nitgil, of the Talossan narrative.
It follows that the only reason anyone will be interested in Talossa is if the story is interesting. But who writes the story? Simply put - we all do, by our interactions as Talossans. And - if we want new people to come join us in our glorious, ridiculous pasttime - we have to make that story an appealing one. The old Kingdom, for most of its history, had a narrative of "the combat between Leftists, Rightists and Centrists". By the pre-revolutionary period, that had turned into "patriots vs. traitors", a far less interesting story, because who really wants to play the role of a traitor?
So, this is the question for those voting in the current Chamber of Deputies election. Whose narrative is most interesting? Which of the three candidates is telling a story that not only you, the voter, finds most interesting, but prospective citizens might find interesting, interesting enough that they wish to become not only a character but a co-writer of this story?
Let's look at the platforms of the various parties in this election. The Democratic Socialists' platform is completely devoid of contact. It basically promises "I will be a good person". And no-one doubts that cxhn. Jum will be so, but how will it push the Republic forward? What will he do?
On the other hand, the Peculiarists at least have a vision. One can argue about whether simplified immigration (i.e. lowering our standards?) or provincial reform (i.e. turning them into clubs?) will be a good idea. But they are raising debate. It is the debate about what kind of nation Talossa is, and is really the only nation worth having. The one flaw is the ridiculous option of abandoning half the national territory, and that's a flaw basically because it sends a message to all prospective citizens - "The Republic of Talossa is not real, not serious". (Certainly not as serious as the intransigent Royalists under the Woolley monarchy.)
Compare these to the Defencist manifesto. Electoral Reform will make our elections mean something in terms of programmes and mandates, rather than personality - i.e. will make them part of the ongoing story of Talossa, rather than a bloodless process of rubber-stamping members of a committee. Legislative Reform will make it much easier for citizens and newbies to understand "the rules of the game" - or "the story so far". Real Time Talossa will enable us to be Talossans in other way than posting on a web forum indistinguishable from a godzillion others. Federalism will make the Talossan story more interesting by decentralising it - a goal we have in common with our Peculiarist cüncitaxhiêns, although we may differ on the means. And finally, the National Webspace is our window on the world. Currently it is impenetrable and unfriendly. If we are serious about getting new citizens, we need to reform that.
In summary, I would say that the PVZT manifesto is a specific and realistic way of making our Republic more understandable, more attractive and more interesting as "the story of a small independent nation in North America". This will enthuse both us, and outsiders. Can you, the voters, say that the DemSoc or Peculiarist visions will do as well?
It follows that the only reason anyone will be interested in Talossa is if the story is interesting. But who writes the story? Simply put - we all do, by our interactions as Talossans. And - if we want new people to come join us in our glorious, ridiculous pasttime - we have to make that story an appealing one. The old Kingdom, for most of its history, had a narrative of "the combat between Leftists, Rightists and Centrists". By the pre-revolutionary period, that had turned into "patriots vs. traitors", a far less interesting story, because who really wants to play the role of a traitor?
So, this is the question for those voting in the current Chamber of Deputies election. Whose narrative is most interesting? Which of the three candidates is telling a story that not only you, the voter, finds most interesting, but prospective citizens might find interesting, interesting enough that they wish to become not only a character but a co-writer of this story?
Let's look at the platforms of the various parties in this election. The Democratic Socialists' platform is completely devoid of contact. It basically promises "I will be a good person". And no-one doubts that cxhn. Jum will be so, but how will it push the Republic forward? What will he do?
On the other hand, the Peculiarists at least have a vision. One can argue about whether simplified immigration (i.e. lowering our standards?) or provincial reform (i.e. turning them into clubs?) will be a good idea. But they are raising debate. It is the debate about what kind of nation Talossa is, and is really the only nation worth having. The one flaw is the ridiculous option of abandoning half the national territory, and that's a flaw basically because it sends a message to all prospective citizens - "The Republic of Talossa is not real, not serious". (Certainly not as serious as the intransigent Royalists under the Woolley monarchy.)
Compare these to the Defencist manifesto. Electoral Reform will make our elections mean something in terms of programmes and mandates, rather than personality - i.e. will make them part of the ongoing story of Talossa, rather than a bloodless process of rubber-stamping members of a committee. Legislative Reform will make it much easier for citizens and newbies to understand "the rules of the game" - or "the story so far". Real Time Talossa will enable us to be Talossans in other way than posting on a web forum indistinguishable from a godzillion others. Federalism will make the Talossan story more interesting by decentralising it - a goal we have in common with our Peculiarist cüncitaxhiêns, although we may differ on the means. And finally, the National Webspace is our window on the world. Currently it is impenetrable and unfriendly. If we are serious about getting new citizens, we need to reform that.
In summary, I would say that the PVZT manifesto is a specific and realistic way of making our Republic more understandable, more attractive and more interesting as "the story of a small independent nation in North America". This will enthuse both us, and outsiders. Can you, the voters, say that the DemSoc or Peculiarist visions will do as well?
Monday, 21 March 2011
SIMCÂ PÎNTS PËR 'N NOUÂ TALOSSA: The PVZT manifesto for the Fourteenth Chamber of Deputies
¡Votetz C. Carlüs Xheráltsëfiglheu për Deputat!
Carlüs has worked hard and well for Talossa for nine months as Seneschál, and he needs a new mandate for a new programme with the PVZT. Here is the plan he will present to the Fourteenth Chamber:
1. Electoral Reform: The current "candidate based" system of voting for the Chamber has been inoperative for quite a while. A PVZT majority will bring back the old Party List system, so Talossans get a clear choice between political alternatives.
2. Legislative Reform: Talossa has too many laws and not enough of them are interesting, operative and relevant. We will go through the Federal Code and the Executive Orders and repeal anything that's useless. We will then start a program of legislation and SOs to declare all manner of things "official" (national car, national food, national entertainer, etc.) so as to expand the definition of what it means to be Talossan.
3. Real Time Talossa: A nation which is only a web forum is a waste of time. We will encourage Talossans to interact in other ways. We will instigate a live Joint Session of Parlamînt (either by Skype or IM), and encourage real-time provincial discussions. We will finally send out the citizenship certificates. We will see about starting a Second Talossan Chess Tournament (and of course invite our Royalist brethren).
4. Federalism: Vibrant provinces mean a vibrant and interesting Talossan Republic. Friendly competition between provincial identities provides an interesting alternative to party politics. We pledge to make the Provincial legislatures active in all those Provinces where we have members, and enact this program on a provincial level where applicable.
5. National Webspace: Our website is currently a confusing mess. However, since it's on a Wordpress platform, it should be easy to amend, once we have someone to take responsibility for it. But first, we will conduct a national survey to see what you, the Republic's citizens, want to see on it.
Carlüs has worked hard and well for Talossa for nine months as Seneschál, and he needs a new mandate for a new programme with the PVZT. Here is the plan he will present to the Fourteenth Chamber:
1. Electoral Reform: The current "candidate based" system of voting for the Chamber has been inoperative for quite a while. A PVZT majority will bring back the old Party List system, so Talossans get a clear choice between political alternatives.
2. Legislative Reform: Talossa has too many laws and not enough of them are interesting, operative and relevant. We will go through the Federal Code and the Executive Orders and repeal anything that's useless. We will then start a program of legislation and SOs to declare all manner of things "official" (national car, national food, national entertainer, etc.) so as to expand the definition of what it means to be Talossan.
3. Real Time Talossa: A nation which is only a web forum is a waste of time. We will encourage Talossans to interact in other ways. We will instigate a live Joint Session of Parlamînt (either by Skype or IM), and encourage real-time provincial discussions. We will finally send out the citizenship certificates. We will see about starting a Second Talossan Chess Tournament (and of course invite our Royalist brethren).
4. Federalism: Vibrant provinces mean a vibrant and interesting Talossan Republic. Friendly competition between provincial identities provides an interesting alternative to party politics. We pledge to make the Provincial legislatures active in all those Provinces where we have members, and enact this program on a provincial level where applicable.
5. National Webspace: Our website is currently a confusing mess. However, since it's on a Wordpress platform, it should be easy to amend, once we have someone to take responsibility for it. But first, we will conduct a national survey to see what you, the Republic's citizens, want to see on it.
Sunday, 13 March 2011
GUEST POST: Provinces and Philosophy
(by C. Carlüs Xheráltsëfiglheu, Seneschál of the Talossan Republic)
The issue of provincial reform has always sparked heated debates and discussions. It’s clear that we’ll never all agree on a solution to some of the issues that face our provinces, or indeed what the provinces’ functions are in our Republic. As a vehement federalist, I’ve always advocated an increase in provincial authority and control over the political system. The mistake many make here is to assume that the federalist goal here is to completely overhaul the system and to replace it with a fully decentralised one. This is, quite simply, not the case.
What the Federalist Party failed to take into account when proposing radical reforms to the assignment laws was the macronational cultural identity that certain provinces wielded. The exemplary Cezembre shows how an entire provincial identity has spawned from the ‘European flavour’ that ensued from having an overseas territory in Europe. In this respect, it should be the aspiration of each province to have a binding and identifiable provincial link otherwise what would the provinces be other than small social clubs? Of course, if a citizen doesn’t identify with the binding cultural link, then he or she has a fairly strong case with the Court.
Reform is necessary, but for reform to have any effect it requires immediate action. The Defencist philosophy maintains that action be decisively implemented, that the problem be tackled as soon as possible, and that it tackles the problem at the root. Now, whilst there’s no doubt that the Peculiarist philosophy has the nation’s best interests at heart, it is unlikely that slow deliberation will get us anywhere any time soon. The same approach can, and should be applicable to government as well. If the government is to function in a way that is beneficial to the Talossan Republic, it must work conscientiously.
Of course, not everyone has the time, or possibly the willpower, to apply this ethic with such energy and enthusiasm. This is understandable, and many may tire of officials asking time and time again for an update one thing or another. Misinterpretation of this leads to the assumption that Defencist philosophy advocates bullying tactics, but this isn’t the case. Through reports and updates the Seneschal, the President, or even other Cabinet members can then work with struggling officials in order to relieve the pressure and eight of whatever tasks they’re required to complete. The trend for any government that doesn’t have a Seneschal incessantly though figuratively prodding other officials in their respective ribs is that progress is slow, reform is grey, and the problem will inevitably remain unfixed.
In the long run, the only way the Talossan Republic can solve many of its issues is by increasing the influx of prospective citizens. The opposition parties are well within their rights to criticise any failure in doing so, but must also recognise that it’s possible for the government to work on a multitude of projects and reforms at the same time. Though Defencism may annoy some of the slower-paced politicians in the Republic, in the long run such a philosophy is one of the primary reasons Talossa hasn’t completely sunk into the boggy marshes of apathy.
Thursday, 3 June 2010
¡Prontu, Prüm Citaxhiên! #1 - Micronationalists and tifosi
The first in what might be a regular series of half-baked and delightfully unofficial musings from Miestrâ P. Schivâ, PVZT founder-leader and President of the Talossan Republic.
Estimats cüncitaxhiêns és amici:
In my official State of the Republic speech, I referred to micronationalism as "our glorious, ridiculous hobby". (Before I get going on the essence of this talk, let's get some definitions out of the way. Let's define micronationalism as "a group of people who simulate nation-statehood on a recreational basis". Yes, that includes the Kingdom of Talossa, and they can come argue with me if they disagree.)
Well, what drives people to do such a thing? I have long been of the opinion that small-group organisations follow extremely similar lines, in terms of organisation, internal dynamics and the evolution of conflicts, no matter what the on-paper purpose and ideology of the organisation is. Everyone knows that tiny political parties and tiny religions behave quite similarly - you can extend that to chess clubs, sci-fi fandom circles, minority sexual orientations and, yes, micronations.
The common factor is surely a specific subset of human nature common to the broader culture from which all the members of these groups come. I just want to look at one interesting parallel today.
As many of you know, I play and follow the sport known in our national language as futból sochéir, "football" in most of the world and "soccer" in the rest. One of the reasons I got interested in futból sochéir is that, unlike any of the other codes of football, it has a fandom culture of the type that would be familiar to sci-fi fans, of which I am also one. I recently informed a baffled nerd of my acquaintance that soccer fans have invented filking as well. Except instead of making up new words for songs to express the forbidden passion of Kirk/Spock, they do them to troll the opposing team. (It's incredibly what a range of subject matter can be set to the tune of "Guántanamera" or "Walking in a Winter Wonderland".)
An eye-opening exposition of football fandom is the book A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. Parks is an English-born author living in Verona, Italy, who spent a year following the notoriously violent and racist tifosi (hard-core fans) of Hellas Verona FC on the road all around Italy. An interview he did with the Australian Broadcasting Comission on this issue had him saying that, in his view, the racist sentiments expressed by the Hellas tifosi
I've always thought, going all the way back to 1997 when I first discovered Talossa, that micronationalism is just one example of a general trend towards a kind of "artificial localism", or voluntary tribalism, which catches on given the complete breakdown of all traditional affiliations and bonds of solidarity in modern globalised capitalism.
But similarly - just as Hellas tifosi go from being perfectly respectable citizens in their daily lives to spouting the most insane verbal abuse at opponents and sometimes their own players at the game - so do we in our micronationalist lives entertain concepts and modes of behaviour that we would never approve of in daily life. The mere concept of "patriotism" or "nationalism", for example, sends shivers through me as a socialist in my daily life. But as President of the Republic, I will be yelling for more and more vigorous patriotism just about every day for the next year, and hopefully beyond.
The Talossan Republic will only survive and thrive - as any micronation - if it provides something that we can't get elsewhere in the world. That can't just be "a place to hang out and meet people online" - that probably worked in 1997, but today there's a few million other ways to waste one's time on teh intarwebz.
A former Seneschál of the Republic, now sadly no longer with us, seemed to be under the impression that what that could be for us was the kind of organised mock-violence that Tim Parks sees as the core of Italian football fandom. I think his words - and I'm paraphrasing here - were something like "the point of Talossa is to be in a gang", and compete with other gangs.
I think he might have been right... but not in the sense that he meant. He was talking about party political warfare. Now that's fun and everything, but it really drags down group cohesion. I am familiar with the concept of "lesbian drama", for example - that in a small, rather enclosed social situation, tiny personal issues get blown up into grand guignol vendettas. That's certainly how pre-Revolutionary Talossa worked (given that the sides in any vendetta were King Robert and Sycophants vs. Traitors of the Week). It led to actual, real personal damage, and the retreat of that monarch increasingly into a very nasty and narcissistic personal reality.
No, citizens and friends, I don't think that the point of our Republic is political combat with other citizens. This can be a good thing - as long as it's political, rather than personal. And "political" means "around real issues of substance about our collective direction as a nation".
I think that "our gang" is a good place to start. But our gang can't be our political party - to a lesser extent it can be our province, but there's limited mileage in that. It can't even be the Talossan Republic - because that leads to the logic of "cold war with the Kingdom", which I'm thoroughly bored with.
No, dear friends, our gang is Talossa. I suggest that patriotism - that dirty word - is precisely what the modern world of open borders and multinationals deprives us of, and what Talossa - with its 30-plus year cultural history - can offer people, and what we should, to use the modern jargon, market as our Unique Selling Point.
To make our nation survive and thrive, we must present ourselves as proud of it. We must start wearing the green and red (with or without the four silver stars) with the same pride as the Hellas fans wear the gialloblù. We must happily discuss Talossa with our non-Talossan friends and acquaintances. We shouldn't seek to start wars with any other gangs (except on the field of sporting combat!), but to simply express our deep-down belief that Talossa is a simulation-of-nationhood worth the deepest pride, and a measure of evangelisation.
But what if we simply don't want to do that? If we are ashamed of Talossa - or apathetic about it - then that is a real problem with our nation-building, which we must rectify. So perhaps, before we can wear our colours with pride, we must make them mean something to ourselves. And that's the ethos I want to take into the Seventh Year of Our Freedom Restored.
(P.S. Hellas Verona are contesting the playoff final in the next two weeks for promotion to Italy's Serie B [second division]. Wish them luck!)
Estimats cüncitaxhiêns és amici:
In my official State of the Republic speech, I referred to micronationalism as "our glorious, ridiculous hobby". (Before I get going on the essence of this talk, let's get some definitions out of the way. Let's define micronationalism as "a group of people who simulate nation-statehood on a recreational basis". Yes, that includes the Kingdom of Talossa, and they can come argue with me if they disagree.)
Well, what drives people to do such a thing? I have long been of the opinion that small-group organisations follow extremely similar lines, in terms of organisation, internal dynamics and the evolution of conflicts, no matter what the on-paper purpose and ideology of the organisation is. Everyone knows that tiny political parties and tiny religions behave quite similarly - you can extend that to chess clubs, sci-fi fandom circles, minority sexual orientations and, yes, micronations.
The common factor is surely a specific subset of human nature common to the broader culture from which all the members of these groups come. I just want to look at one interesting parallel today.
As many of you know, I play and follow the sport known in our national language as futból sochéir, "football" in most of the world and "soccer" in the rest. One of the reasons I got interested in futból sochéir is that, unlike any of the other codes of football, it has a fandom culture of the type that would be familiar to sci-fi fans, of which I am also one. I recently informed a baffled nerd of my acquaintance that soccer fans have invented filking as well. Except instead of making up new words for songs to express the forbidden passion of Kirk/Spock, they do them to troll the opposing team. (It's incredibly what a range of subject matter can be set to the tune of "Guántanamera" or "Walking in a Winter Wonderland".)
An eye-opening exposition of football fandom is the book A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. Parks is an English-born author living in Verona, Italy, who spent a year following the notoriously violent and racist tifosi (hard-core fans) of Hellas Verona FC on the road all around Italy. An interview he did with the Australian Broadcasting Comission on this issue had him saying that, in his view, the racist sentiments expressed by the Hellas tifosi
are tagged onto a more healthy tradition, it seems to me, of creating a local identity for today, just for today, we imagine we’re back in the Middle Ages to city-states who hate each other.
I've always thought, going all the way back to 1997 when I first discovered Talossa, that micronationalism is just one example of a general trend towards a kind of "artificial localism", or voluntary tribalism, which catches on given the complete breakdown of all traditional affiliations and bonds of solidarity in modern globalised capitalism.
But similarly - just as Hellas tifosi go from being perfectly respectable citizens in their daily lives to spouting the most insane verbal abuse at opponents and sometimes their own players at the game - so do we in our micronationalist lives entertain concepts and modes of behaviour that we would never approve of in daily life. The mere concept of "patriotism" or "nationalism", for example, sends shivers through me as a socialist in my daily life. But as President of the Republic, I will be yelling for more and more vigorous patriotism just about every day for the next year, and hopefully beyond.
The Talossan Republic will only survive and thrive - as any micronation - if it provides something that we can't get elsewhere in the world. That can't just be "a place to hang out and meet people online" - that probably worked in 1997, but today there's a few million other ways to waste one's time on teh intarwebz.
A former Seneschál of the Republic, now sadly no longer with us, seemed to be under the impression that what that could be for us was the kind of organised mock-violence that Tim Parks sees as the core of Italian football fandom. I think his words - and I'm paraphrasing here - were something like "the point of Talossa is to be in a gang", and compete with other gangs.
I think he might have been right... but not in the sense that he meant. He was talking about party political warfare. Now that's fun and everything, but it really drags down group cohesion. I am familiar with the concept of "lesbian drama", for example - that in a small, rather enclosed social situation, tiny personal issues get blown up into grand guignol vendettas. That's certainly how pre-Revolutionary Talossa worked (given that the sides in any vendetta were King Robert and Sycophants vs. Traitors of the Week). It led to actual, real personal damage, and the retreat of that monarch increasingly into a very nasty and narcissistic personal reality.
No, citizens and friends, I don't think that the point of our Republic is political combat with other citizens. This can be a good thing - as long as it's political, rather than personal. And "political" means "around real issues of substance about our collective direction as a nation".
I think that "our gang" is a good place to start. But our gang can't be our political party - to a lesser extent it can be our province, but there's limited mileage in that. It can't even be the Talossan Republic - because that leads to the logic of "cold war with the Kingdom", which I'm thoroughly bored with.
No, dear friends, our gang is Talossa. I suggest that patriotism - that dirty word - is precisely what the modern world of open borders and multinationals deprives us of, and what Talossa - with its 30-plus year cultural history - can offer people, and what we should, to use the modern jargon, market as our Unique Selling Point.
To make our nation survive and thrive, we must present ourselves as proud of it. We must start wearing the green and red (with or without the four silver stars) with the same pride as the Hellas fans wear the gialloblù. We must happily discuss Talossa with our non-Talossan friends and acquaintances. We shouldn't seek to start wars with any other gangs (except on the field of sporting combat!), but to simply express our deep-down belief that Talossa is a simulation-of-nationhood worth the deepest pride, and a measure of evangelisation.
But what if we simply don't want to do that? If we are ashamed of Talossa - or apathetic about it - then that is a real problem with our nation-building, which we must rectify. So perhaps, before we can wear our colours with pride, we must make them mean something to ourselves. And that's the ethos I want to take into the Seventh Year of Our Freedom Restored.
(P.S. Hellas Verona are contesting the playoff final in the next two weeks for promotion to Italy's Serie B [second division]. Wish them luck!)
Monday, 10 May 2010
Speech from Miestrâ Schivâ launching her campaign for President of the Republic
Yes, Miestrâ Schivâ wants the highest office in the Republic. And, seemingly unlike my opponent, I have actually read the proposed Constitutional amendment, and I understand that the job carries a lot more power and weight under the proposed amendments than simply stopping laws that might look unconstitutional.
The Talossan Republic must continue, must thrive, must prove that Republicanism is better than monarchy. Strong leadership is necessary to make this happen - not in the sense of dictatorship or top-down control, but by setting an example of what Talossan patriotism means in practice. For example - if the Constitutional amendments pass, then the President will have the right to hire and fire the Government (the Chamber retaining only the right to fire). I intend to use this against Governments, Ministers and civil officials who are slow and slothful. You want the fancy title, do the work.
The new Constitution also makes it clear that the President is responsible for the defence of the Republic. Friends, that's not just a meaningless phrase suggesting that the Prez wears a tin helmet if someone ever starts a war. At the moment, the biggest enemy of the Republic is apathy and attrition of citizenship. I will appoint and advise a Government which promises to fight these deadly foes by a mixture of (a) stirring up things a bit around here; (b) actively recruiting citizens for the Republic.
Precise plans for this will of course be drawn up in consultation with a Government which has the confidence of the Chamber, but here are some preliminary thoughts: The Free Commonwealth of Penguinea survived and thrived when we were attracting all the greatest micronational leaders as dual citizens, due to the excitement of our political system and culture. Can this happen again? And how can we get inactive or former citizens excited about being Talossan again? Let's make the most of our fancy new website, also.
Talossan politics has become boring and stale since mid-2007, the point where the party system collapsed and political debate ceased. Successive governments have been terrified of controversy. Perhaps now is the time for governments to be deliberately controversial, in order to provoke opposition.
Even my worst enemies will tell you I have the three most important qualities for a Talossan head of state - style, vigour and a pig-headed refusal to admit defeat. Unlike my esteemed opponent, cxhn. Valcádac'h, the adjectives "wishy-washy", "indecisive" or "unnecessarily meek" could never be used in my presence.
Vote YES on the Constitution, and vote MIESTRÂ for President! For the smack of firm government!
The Talossan Republic must continue, must thrive, must prove that Republicanism is better than monarchy. Strong leadership is necessary to make this happen - not in the sense of dictatorship or top-down control, but by setting an example of what Talossan patriotism means in practice. For example - if the Constitutional amendments pass, then the President will have the right to hire and fire the Government (the Chamber retaining only the right to fire). I intend to use this against Governments, Ministers and civil officials who are slow and slothful. You want the fancy title, do the work.
The new Constitution also makes it clear that the President is responsible for the defence of the Republic. Friends, that's not just a meaningless phrase suggesting that the Prez wears a tin helmet if someone ever starts a war. At the moment, the biggest enemy of the Republic is apathy and attrition of citizenship. I will appoint and advise a Government which promises to fight these deadly foes by a mixture of (a) stirring up things a bit around here; (b) actively recruiting citizens for the Republic.
Precise plans for this will of course be drawn up in consultation with a Government which has the confidence of the Chamber, but here are some preliminary thoughts: The Free Commonwealth of Penguinea survived and thrived when we were attracting all the greatest micronational leaders as dual citizens, due to the excitement of our political system and culture. Can this happen again? And how can we get inactive or former citizens excited about being Talossan again? Let's make the most of our fancy new website, also.
Talossan politics has become boring and stale since mid-2007, the point where the party system collapsed and political debate ceased. Successive governments have been terrified of controversy. Perhaps now is the time for governments to be deliberately controversial, in order to provoke opposition.
Even my worst enemies will tell you I have the three most important qualities for a Talossan head of state - style, vigour and a pig-headed refusal to admit defeat. Unlike my esteemed opponent, cxhn. Valcádac'h, the adjectives "wishy-washy", "indecisive" or "unnecessarily meek" could never be used in my presence.
Vote YES on the Constitution, and vote MIESTRÂ for President! For the smack of firm government!
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Exploratory thoughts
If the Defencist Unity Party were to stand a candidate for President of the Republic for Year VII, here are a few of the themes:
1. The Talossan Republic must continue, must thrive, must prove that Republicanism is better than monarchy.
2. Strong leadership is necessary to make this happen - not in the sense of dictatorship or top-down control, but by setting an example of what Talossan patriotism means in practice.
3. The Free Commonwealth of Penguinea survived and thrived when we were attracting all the greatest micronational leaders as dual citizens, due to the excitement of our political system and culture. Can this happen again?
4. How can we get inactive or former citizens involved again?
5. Talossan politics has become boring and stale since mid-2007, the point where the party system collapsed and political debate ceased. Successive governments have been terrified of controversy. Perhaps now is the time for governments to be deliberately controversial, in order to provoke opposition.
6. Inactive Governments and civil officials should be sacked without pity or mercy. You want the fancy title, do the work.
7. Let's make the most of our fancy new website.
A Republic under PVZT leadership would be - if nothing else - interesting. Talossa is an ongoing story, and every narrative needs something pushing it along. If that has to be a borderline-crazy President, striking ridiculous poses, begging for popular attention and alternatively cajoling and threatening all the other political actors, so be it.
1. The Talossan Republic must continue, must thrive, must prove that Republicanism is better than monarchy.
2. Strong leadership is necessary to make this happen - not in the sense of dictatorship or top-down control, but by setting an example of what Talossan patriotism means in practice.
3. The Free Commonwealth of Penguinea survived and thrived when we were attracting all the greatest micronational leaders as dual citizens, due to the excitement of our political system and culture. Can this happen again?
4. How can we get inactive or former citizens involved again?
5. Talossan politics has become boring and stale since mid-2007, the point where the party system collapsed and political debate ceased. Successive governments have been terrified of controversy. Perhaps now is the time for governments to be deliberately controversial, in order to provoke opposition.
6. Inactive Governments and civil officials should be sacked without pity or mercy. You want the fancy title, do the work.
7. Let's make the most of our fancy new website.
A Republic under PVZT leadership would be - if nothing else - interesting. Talossa is an ongoing story, and every narrative needs something pushing it along. If that has to be a borderline-crazy President, striking ridiculous poses, begging for popular attention and alternatively cajoling and threatening all the other political actors, so be it.
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