The ZRT is an unapologetically nationalist party. We reject any comparisons of our micronationalism with violent, racist or xenophobic macronationalism. Our nationalism is "operatic"-flamboyantly entertaining and entirely open to everyone who chooses Talossan nationality-regardless of religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origins.
We believe that the Republic, now more than ever, is morally speaking a true heir to the spirit of the old Talossa. Not in its rhetorically vicious incarnation, but in its imagination, goofy lack of proportion and fierce pride in its Talossan identity.
We honour the Founding Parents who showed the Talossan people the way forward-away from an archaic past of kings, nobles and constant cleansing of dissident voices. For our country to progress beyond a collection of internet contacts, or offline friends who join the same internet bandwagon, we must emphasise instead the collective wisdom and effort of all of our citizens above that of any particular individual.
The ZRT believes therefore that it is time for the people of the Republic of Talossa to renew their declaration of independence-situating themselves once and for all as a beacon of freedom, equality and solidarity in micronationalism, rejecting all assertions, tacit or otherwise, that we are an illegitimate expression of Talossanity, and reaffirming not only our seperation from Black Hand Talossa, but also our independence from the United States of America and the French Republic, from which our territories have seceeded.
The ultimate goal of the ZRT is to achieve a stable population of approximately 50 citizens. This would ensure sufficient personnel for our governing institutions, while maintaining the "village" atmosphere of our community. This will not be achieved for some time, and we may be criticised by fainter spirits for setting such an ambitious goal. The ZRT believes that with the aid of the tools created by the ZRT Ministry of Information, such as Talossa.info weblog, and the further development of the National Webspace, this goal is both necessary and achievable.
The ZRT believes that a clarification once and for all that Talossan history is also the property of the people of the Republic, as well as a confirmation of the Republic as an ambitious secessionist project in its own right, will act as a magnet for people looking for an entertaining and forward-looking micronational experience.
Thursday, 8 March 2007
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
Reform of Government
The ZRT believes it is vital for the health of our democracy, as well as being a bit of a laugh, to have a Second Chamber of Parlimînt. The Senats as it was originally conceived was to be a territorial chamber, representing the provinces. Public interest in the provinces, with the exception of Cezembre, has however been disappointing. They are perceived as abstractions or legacies of an older, patronage-laden form of Talossan politics that was more interested in appearance than substance.
The ZRT therefore proposes a reorganisation of local government that will make it stronger, more viable and more powerful than before. In place of the existing system of provinces, we propose that two "departments" be created. Metropolitan Talossa will be composed of all the current North American territories of the Republic. Cezembre will be both a department and a province and will retain its functioning local government. No changes will be made to the current allocation of citizens.
The ZRT proposes to expand the powers of local government making it more relevant and more interesting. This will be done by increasing the number of areas in which federal and local government share responsibility. These would be in domains such as education, social affairs, and the integration of new citizens, as well as the sole exclusive domains of the provinces at the moments, cultural affairs and self-government.
With a functioning system of local government in place the ZRT believes that a Senats should be convened. Representation in the new Senats will be based on the departmental areas, with each department getting one Senator for approximately 6-12 citizens, with each department having at least one Senator.
The ZRT therefore proposes a reorganisation of local government that will make it stronger, more viable and more powerful than before. In place of the existing system of provinces, we propose that two "departments" be created. Metropolitan Talossa will be composed of all the current North American territories of the Republic. Cezembre will be both a department and a province and will retain its functioning local government. No changes will be made to the current allocation of citizens.
The ZRT proposes to expand the powers of local government making it more relevant and more interesting. This will be done by increasing the number of areas in which federal and local government share responsibility. These would be in domains such as education, social affairs, and the integration of new citizens, as well as the sole exclusive domains of the provinces at the moments, cultural affairs and self-government.
With a functioning system of local government in place the ZRT believes that a Senats should be convened. Representation in the new Senats will be based on the departmental areas, with each department getting one Senator for approximately 6-12 citizens, with each department having at least one Senator.
Introduction
The ZRT asks the voters of the Republic to renew the mandate it received in 2006-for measured and careful reform of our Republic, mindful of Talossan traditions but not bound by sentimental attachment to outmoded models, or idealised visions of unity.
The ZRT believes in
-effective local and national government, intrinsically linked to our territorial claims in the Talossan homeland;
-a renewed assertion of the Republic's identity through a new declaration of independence and sovereignty over the Talossan lands;
-a programme of investment in concrete symbols of nationhood, using the Finance Bill 2006 as a model of effective collective action for common goals.
Let the ZRT build upon its proven record in government. Our Republic has a future!
The ZRT believes in
-effective local and national government, intrinsically linked to our territorial claims in the Talossan homeland;
-a renewed assertion of the Republic's identity through a new declaration of independence and sovereignty over the Talossan lands;
-a programme of investment in concrete symbols of nationhood, using the Finance Bill 2006 as a model of effective collective action for common goals.
Let the ZRT build upon its proven record in government. Our Republic has a future!
Tuesday, 1 August 2006
'N Manifesto Zefençistà / A Defencist Manifesto
adopted by the founding congress of els Zefençadéirs dàl Repúblicâ Talossán, August/Guscht 2006/xxvii/III
Zefençismeu, or Defencism - the ideology on which the ZRT party is founded - sees itself as the heir to the traditions which have kept Talossa strong, vibrant and proud throughout its history. At the same time, it repudiates the traditions which kept Talossa paranoid, nasty, and cultish for much of the later history of the pre-Revolutionary period. We stand in, and defend, the best traditions of the Declaration of Independence of December 1979 which created Talossa, the Revolution of June 2004 which created the modern Talossan Republic, and the “Quiet Revolution” of August 2005 which created the modern Kingdom of Talossa.
Defencism, therefore, contains the following strands:
1. Nationalism. We uphold the tradition that Talossa is a nation - defined by Perry Anderson as “an imagined community”. we see ourselves (or at least behave as if we do) as a nation of the world, but we cast no judgement on the validity of other non-sovereign entities' claims to nationhood. The Talossan nation includes all current citizens of the Kingdom and the Republic of Talossa, and some who are not currently citizens but have historically shown themselves to be Talossan. We support Talossa having the full panoply of institutions of a nation-state, insofar as they are useful or fun for a population of our size.
2. Traditionalism. Talossa is the Talossan traditions that have evolved more or less continuously since 1979. A Talossan is defined in part by being aware of the history of that tradition and continuing to work within it. This tradition is always open to change - however, too great a rupture with those traditions, and Talossa will cease to be Talossa. One vitally important tradition of the Talossan nation is el glhetg naziunál, and Defencism strives towards the goal of 'n naziun Ladîntsch- where all citizens would know and use at least a small amount of the Talossan language in their daily business.
3. Pretentiousness. Although the Talossan state possesses no sovereign power, behaving as if it does is an essential part of the fun of being Talossan. Pomp, rhetoric and boasting are an important part of the Talossan tradition. however, we also see all this with a touch of irony. We repudiate that part of the Talossan tradition which honoured historical dictatorships and oppressive regimes on the grounds that their uniforms were snazzy. In this, Defencism is a left-wing form of Talossan nationalism.
4. Republican dirigism. This phrase attempts to define the particular way that Defencism sees the Talossan state:
a) All citizens should be equal before the law.
b) All government offices should derive their powers from a popular mandate and be regularly subject to democratic scrutiny, to the extent that this does not impede their ability to make decisions and take action.
c) The state should have real power and responsibility for the collective life of the nation, including but not limited to cultural development, settlement of disputes between citizens and relations withother nations.
d) Real power in the Talossan state should lie where the constitution and laws declare it to lie. We repudiate pre-Revolutionary Talossa's history of “name only” governments and committees, and a legislature which debated frivolous bills while real power lay elsewhere.
5. Unity. There is no good reason for two Talossan states to exist. This political division weakens the nation. However, the cultural gap between the two states is currently too wide for political unity to be a realistic goal in the forseeable future. The Defencists support:
a) as a first priority, rebuilding the cultural unity of the Talossan nation;
b) eventual political unity as only coming after a vast consensus of both States, under a new Constitution drafted by a convention with equal representation by both States.
6. Diversity. We repudiate the historical tradition of “cultural monolithism” in Talossa. Every one of good will who pledges loyalty to the Constitution and Laws of Talossa should be welcome as a citizen. Although we defend Talossan cultural traditions as we understand them, we recognize that the democratic will of the people trumps tradition. Cultural distinctiveness should be encouraged in Talossa's provinces - in fact, that is the main reason why they should continue to exist.
7. Focus outwards. At all those times when Talossa has become inward-looking and static, it has become a nasty place to live. Talossa is best when we are continually accepting new Talossans, and engaging in cultural exchanges with non-Talossans of good will. we are poorer for pretending that we exist in a vacuum.
The ZRT is therefore a cultural movement as well as a political party, which seeks to actively build Talossan culture and deepen understanding of our history, while at the same time competing democratically for positions within the Talossan State and seeking to improve our constitution and laws. We believe that our Seven Points above embody the positive side of the tradition which has kept Talossa alive for almost three decades.
Zefençismeu, or Defencism - the ideology on which the ZRT party is founded - sees itself as the heir to the traditions which have kept Talossa strong, vibrant and proud throughout its history. At the same time, it repudiates the traditions which kept Talossa paranoid, nasty, and cultish for much of the later history of the pre-Revolutionary period. We stand in, and defend, the best traditions of the Declaration of Independence of December 1979 which created Talossa, the Revolution of June 2004 which created the modern Talossan Republic, and the “Quiet Revolution” of August 2005 which created the modern Kingdom of Talossa.
Defencism, therefore, contains the following strands:
1. Nationalism. We uphold the tradition that Talossa is a nation - defined by Perry Anderson as “an imagined community”. we see ourselves (or at least behave as if we do) as a nation of the world, but we cast no judgement on the validity of other non-sovereign entities' claims to nationhood. The Talossan nation includes all current citizens of the Kingdom and the Republic of Talossa, and some who are not currently citizens but have historically shown themselves to be Talossan. We support Talossa having the full panoply of institutions of a nation-state, insofar as they are useful or fun for a population of our size.
2. Traditionalism. Talossa is the Talossan traditions that have evolved more or less continuously since 1979. A Talossan is defined in part by being aware of the history of that tradition and continuing to work within it. This tradition is always open to change - however, too great a rupture with those traditions, and Talossa will cease to be Talossa. One vitally important tradition of the Talossan nation is el glhetg naziunál, and Defencism strives towards the goal of 'n naziun Ladîntsch- where all citizens would know and use at least a small amount of the Talossan language in their daily business.
3. Pretentiousness. Although the Talossan state possesses no sovereign power, behaving as if it does is an essential part of the fun of being Talossan. Pomp, rhetoric and boasting are an important part of the Talossan tradition. however, we also see all this with a touch of irony. We repudiate that part of the Talossan tradition which honoured historical dictatorships and oppressive regimes on the grounds that their uniforms were snazzy. In this, Defencism is a left-wing form of Talossan nationalism.
4. Republican dirigism. This phrase attempts to define the particular way that Defencism sees the Talossan state:
a) All citizens should be equal before the law.
b) All government offices should derive their powers from a popular mandate and be regularly subject to democratic scrutiny, to the extent that this does not impede their ability to make decisions and take action.
c) The state should have real power and responsibility for the collective life of the nation, including but not limited to cultural development, settlement of disputes between citizens and relations withother nations.
d) Real power in the Talossan state should lie where the constitution and laws declare it to lie. We repudiate pre-Revolutionary Talossa's history of “name only” governments and committees, and a legislature which debated frivolous bills while real power lay elsewhere.
5. Unity. There is no good reason for two Talossan states to exist. This political division weakens the nation. However, the cultural gap between the two states is currently too wide for political unity to be a realistic goal in the forseeable future. The Defencists support:
a) as a first priority, rebuilding the cultural unity of the Talossan nation;
b) eventual political unity as only coming after a vast consensus of both States, under a new Constitution drafted by a convention with equal representation by both States.
6. Diversity. We repudiate the historical tradition of “cultural monolithism” in Talossa. Every one of good will who pledges loyalty to the Constitution and Laws of Talossa should be welcome as a citizen. Although we defend Talossan cultural traditions as we understand them, we recognize that the democratic will of the people trumps tradition. Cultural distinctiveness should be encouraged in Talossa's provinces - in fact, that is the main reason why they should continue to exist.
7. Focus outwards. At all those times when Talossa has become inward-looking and static, it has become a nasty place to live. Talossa is best when we are continually accepting new Talossans, and engaging in cultural exchanges with non-Talossans of good will. we are poorer for pretending that we exist in a vacuum.
The ZRT is therefore a cultural movement as well as a political party, which seeks to actively build Talossan culture and deepen understanding of our history, while at the same time competing democratically for positions within the Talossan State and seeking to improve our constitution and laws. We believe that our Seven Points above embody the positive side of the tradition which has kept Talossa alive for almost three decades.
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