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Bill: Luthori, 4939-4969
Details
Submitted by[?]: Conservative Party
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This bill is a resolution. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: March 4973
Description[?]:
| 4939-4946: Tommy Brewer (Luthorian Workers') 4939 (Coalition with National Movement and New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) def. Patrick Duncan (Peoples' Revolution), Bennet Reed (Communist), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Levi Ford (Conservative), Edward Montgomery (Country) 4943 (Minority coalition with National Movement and New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) def. Patrick Duncan (Peoples' Revolution), Jackson Brumby (Country), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Levi Ford (Conservative), Amahle Inyone (Pirate) 4944 (Minority coalition with National Movement and New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) def. Patrick Duncan (Peoples' Revolution), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jackson Brumby (Country), Amahle Inyone (Pirate), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Levi Ford (Conservative) The recount in St. Richard's North remains the greatest 'what if?' of Luthorian politics. Thirty years of Luthorian history made by thirty votes between the Luthorian Workers' Party and the Communists when the result was finally declared after two days of counting. With the result, a coalition of the Luthorian Workers' Party and National Movement with the support of (and inclusion of a minister from) the New Luthorian Church had 76 seats and a majority in the Diet. Countless electoral petitions were filed and dismissed. All the efforts of the establishment, the months of negotiations after the 4935 election that had seen the Communists and Peoples' Revolution form a coalition with Conservative and Country backing, had ultimately come to nothing: on the 15th of November, Tommy Brewer became prime minister. But the narrowest of majorities would not have even been possible were it not for a Church dispute and the intransigence of all but the Luthorian Workers' and National Movement parties in refusing to recognise the 'New Luthorian Church' splinter as a legitimate religious group. Incensed by the repeated refusal, the NLC had finally announced that it would be running and endorsing candidates against the parties responsible for its 'persecution'; on election night, even as the Luthorian Workers' Party and National Movement fell against the opposition's carefully-crafted electoral pacts, 16 NLC-aligned candidates entered the Diet. Equally, though, had the National Movement not managed to completely alienate the Country Party during the Attridge ministry they and their coalition partner would have had a lot more room. The New Luthorian Church would not, however, allow the coalition they supported to simply do as it wished. The proposed Segregation Act, "against the Hosian ideals", was defeated with their votes. "If the New Luthorian Church are truly such good Hosians how is an attempt to impose racial segregation not a deal breaker for them in coalition negotiations?" asked one opposition MID. "We are on a mission sent by God. If no one else is willing to help on that mission we will work with the National Movement. We will not support segregation," said the Church's leader, Jonathan Keeper. This, at least, meant the government's bigotry was restrained to it being led by the man who had owned the Malivian libs by eating a parrot and getting food poisoning. " Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Prime Minister's claim is that it is far from the most deranged thing he has said to date," said Pirate leader Amahle Inyone when Brewer informed the Diet that his government had received thousands of letters from "Luthorian women complaining that their fiances and prospective husbands have been lured away by the charms of Duka-worshipping, dark-eyed, saree-wearing Malivian enchantresses," and was introducing legislation (which failed, of course) to "end this threat once and for all." Just as the National Movement had alienated the Country Party, however, so did they end up alienating the New Luthorian Church. When the Church's supporters in the Diet voted to ban paramilitaries, Louise of Hurrington warned the NLC that the National Movement would "not tolerate the presence of a New Luthorian Church minister in the cabinet when his party votes with the left". In response, Keeper announced that he would begin negotiations with the opposition's 'rainbow coalition'. Furious at the National Movement's actions, which now threatened to leave Ord permanently in the wilderness as the NM had been for decades, and their recent votes for secularisation, Brewer announced that the coalition was over. Snap elections were called for once again. The newly-rebranded 'Ord', as the Luthorian Workers' Party now was, kept first place with a net gain of two seats and almost double the total of the Peoples' Revolution, which lost nine. Even still, Brewer knew that no coalition could be formed with him leading it; with the alternative being a Peoples' Revolution-Pirate coalition supported by the Conservative and Country parties, he agreed to back a different candidate as prime minister. 4946-4956: Levi Ford (Conservative) 4946 (Coalition with Ord, Country, New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs, and Empire Forwards!) def. Tommy Brewer (Ord), Patrick Duncan (Peoples' Revolution), Amahle Inyone (Pirate), Jackson Brumby (Country), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Edward Fennessy (Empire Forwards!), William Maugham-Ponsonby, Duke of Middenriding [de facto] ("Duke's Men" independents) 4950 (Coalition with Ord, Country, New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs, and Empire Forwards!) def. Tommy Brewer (Ord), Amahle Inyone (Pirate), Jackson Brumby (Country), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Patrick Duncan (Peoples' Communist Party), William Maugham-Ponsonby, Duke of Middenriding [de facto] ("Duke's Men" independents), Edward Fennessy (Empire Forwards!) 4951 (Coalition with New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs, Country, and Empire Forwards!) def. Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Amahle Inyone (Pirate), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Jackson Brumby (Country), Edward Fennessy (Empire Forwards!), Patrick Duncan (Peoples' Communist Party) 4953 (Minority coalition with New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs and Country) def. Amahle Inyone (Pirate), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Jackson Brumby (Country) 4955 (Minority coalition with New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) def. Amahle Inyone (Pirate), Ethelwin Paglesham (Alliance), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) Ford was a prime minister who never should've been; and yet he was. As a young rising star in the Conservative government of 4914-4919, he had been widely tipped as a potential successor when leader Erin Romney stood down over the Luthorian Workers' Party decision to align with the National Movement, but instead chose to support Peterson's successful campaign for the leadership. Over the next eighteen years, as the Conservatives continued to alternate between further decline and slight improvements, he served as a party spokesman in various roles, succeeding Peterson as leader after his retirement in 4937. By 4946, having led the party to three performances each worse than the last, the Conservatives were ready to junk him. The state of the party's finances was such that it refrained from running in the 4945 ducal elections. As it was, the party's performance on election night 4946 was its worst since the 4760s. But his combination of cabinet experience with near-elder statesman status instead made him the perfect candidate to lead a unity government, Brewer being unpalatable to Country and Edward Fennessy's Empire Forwards! party. The cabinet he formed, with Brewer as Deputy Prime Minister, would turn out to be one of Luthori's longest-lived. The government's programme, as voted on by the Diet, was to "reform the ducal electoral system", "establish a commission to explore introducing a separate, ceremonial head of state", but offered "free votes otherwise: this is primarily a government of constitutional reform". The government would accomplish no constitutional reform whatsoever; in effect, Ford's time in office would be as little more than a caretaker ministry. One of the first moves overseen by the government was a two-point tax raise on Luthorians earning more than £15,000 a year. Introduced by Ord due to a budget deficit, the proposal passed despite Conservative opposition with support from the Pirates and the abstention of the Peoples' Revolution party. Conservative proposals to deregulate the economy were defeated with the opposition of all the coalition's other members with the exception of Ord; a bill to devolve powers over food, health and safety, and smoking laws to the duchies was more successful, passing the Diet narrowly. Attempts to have the Diet ratify the Confederate Neutrality Treaty were frustrated by Conservative opposition and complaints from the Duke of Middenriding that Luthori's southern neighbour had stolen his family's ancestral lands (taking the opportunity to demand their return). Foreign Secretary Ray Sivewright from Ord proposed the diplomatic recognition of the Union of Communist Councilist Republics, just so that he could vote against it and have his party "register our most fervent disapproval of Red Dranland"; never let it be said that Luthori is not perfectly capable of being petty. The Diet also voted against an initiative by the Duke of Middenriding to abolish prisoner of war labour, Ord and the National Movement coming together to oppose the bill, and the Pirate and Peoples' Revolution MIDs 'accidentally' missing the vote. The Diet would, however, vote for his proposal to legalise hugging and kissing in public; "This is a slippery slope. What will we allow next? Men wearing shorts? Women wearing trousers? I should hope not," protested Brewer to no avail. A National Curriculum would be established in 4947 after a proposal from the National Movement. The Duke of Middenriding became a YIMBY hero after asking (that is, having one of his elected MIDs) the government in the Diet to bypass local bureaucrats who were 'holding things up' on his plan to build a new housing estate outside Martwick. The Diet voted to implement a no-first-use policy on weapons of mass destruction - the military would've ignored it if Luthori had any. Political restrictions on trade unions were abolished, with only the National Movement voting against. More powers were devolved to the duchies. The Pirates managed to abolish software patents after one government backbencher missed the vote. In conclusion, the Ford ministry was a government of contrasts. One of the few successes that could be said to actually be the government's was the 4947 publication of an integrated defence and foreign review authored by defence secretary Vic Scoles. Plotting out the future expansion of the Luthorian armed forces and the direction of the country's foreign policy, the Scoles Report came after centuries of governments having neglected the international scene, something that had only recently changed with the Attridge and Brewer ministries and their look to an alignment with the (former - as of 4970, in perhaps more sense than one, with the recent rise of the Native Confederacy to power in Likatonia) settler colonies in North Seleya. It is notable that Scoles has remained in his post even under the Paglesham government, and will be overseeing the first launch of a Luthorian aircraft carrier in centuries later this year; with that, it is widely expected that he will seek to end his 24-year career as defence secretary on a high note and retire. "Louise of Hurrington: 'Ord has betrayed the interests of the Luthorian citizens and made a deal with the Luthorian Conservative Party. We now have a Prime Minister from a party that received less than 10% of the vote. Ord is clearly showing which side they are on by allowing the political elites and the particracy to form a coalition with them. Mr. Brewer has no plans for the future and is only thinking of his own self-interest. This new government has no agenda and will not pass economic reform to improve the lives of millions of impoverished Luthorians. That is something we cannot accept.' Interviewer: 'But you did make a coalition with Ord, didn't you?' Louise of Hurrington: 'Yes, we did for many years. At the time Ord was a big, popular party with clear policies. Then we began to understand what was going on. Ord began to side with the New Luthorian Church, which passed left-wing policies, including disbanding our paramilitary unit. Ord said: this is OK, get on with it. But I said: no! This party must be ousted from the coalition. And that's what started this whole crisis. That's why in 4950 the NM has to be the first party, so we can have a strong mandate and lead this country with our policies. I think the mask is slowly coming off and many people now understand what kind of party Ord is.'" The Diet passed the Armed Forces Act 4949, overturning the no-first-use policy introduced less than two years before. The Duke of Middenriding became a beautiful and attractive progressive when he spoke out against the introduction of a religious test for entry to the armed forces, which under Luthori's conscription laws effectively criminalised atheism or belief in a religion other than Hosianism (though the government has been reluctant to apply this, except against its outspoken political opponents). When the National Movement proposed the so-called 'Banning the Left Act', Ord did what is commonly known as 'did a little trolling' by moving an amendment designating the National Movement as leftist 'for fulfilling the anti-racist, anti-national, and progressive criteria'. "The National Movement is anti-the Luthorian race and nation, with its close ties to Gishotoi supremacists and hatred of our patriotic government. It has also voted for secularist legislation seeking to 'progress' by removing Luthori's explicitly Hosian character from the law. With that in mind, my party shall be voting for this bill with the amendment," said Brewer. With the government's first term coming to a close, the nation went to the polls in January 4950. "Despite analysts saying that the party would make a significant breakthrough, possibly even take first place from Ord, our exit poll has the National Movement in fact losing - against all predictions! - three seats." — Luthorian Broadcasting Corporation election coverage "Even Ord's own insiders privately expected, as the polls projected, that they would lose perhaps twenty seats and fall to second or third place. Instead, the party has stayed the largest in the Diet for the seventh election in a row, losing only five seats. Why?" — Fort William Inquirer Louise of Hurrington: "The results are not what we expected. The National Movement, the only right-wing opposition force to this government of political elites, has lost more than 1 million votes. We may have lost one battle, but we are not defeated. In this election, there was no real winner. The Ord disappointed a lot of people and made its worst result since 4923, a weak 23%. There are also countless factions in the Diet: a party for junkies, a party for farmers, MIDs for the New Luthorian Church, even MIDs for the Duke of Middenriding. The only good news is the continuing decline of the Communists. That's why we need a strong National Movement, a strong leadership! We need to have a way out of this particracy! When victory comes, the traitors will go to prison. Now the political elites will form a cabinet without us, again! We will once again be the main far-right opposition party. The duchy elections will take place in 4 months, let's get ready and shake up the system." The National Movement went down in flames at the ducal elections in April, winning only Orange, having won at the 4945 election all five duchies in alliance with Ord. Later that year, a private members' bill proposing the banning of the internet as a 'Satanailic contrivance' was soundly defeated. Having survived an election thought to be its doom almost unscathed, the defeat of Ord would ultimately be at its own hands. Only a year after its miraculous 'victory', in January 4951 some of the party's backbenchers would put forward a 'Segregation Act'. Although their theory of race and discrimination upon it was significantly different to the National Movement's, the latter saw an opportunity to at least partially advance their aims and to split the government. This worked perfectly. The coalition partners privately talked and, facing the prospect of the government being brought down, Tommy Brewer decided upon a course of action that he, the former arch-racist, surely understood the inevitable consequences of. That spring conference, having previously had no provision for it, he proposed changing the party's rulebook to allow the leadership to expel from the caucus members of the Diet who were 'bringing the party into disrepute'. Factions came to literal blows on the conference floor. By the end of it, the party was no more. The party's radicals left for the National Movement, and the remainder voted to dissolve the party into the Conservatives. Snap elections were called for October. The Conservatives and National Movement surged, Empire Forwards! and New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs made gains of eight seats each, and the other parties stayed where they were. The Duke of Middenriding's lot had been banned from standing for (re-)election after it came out that the progressive hero had been intimidating his tenants into voting for them. The second half of the Ford ministry would stand in sharp contrast to its first. After five years of little happening in the government itself - Ford was 'the grey man' - came five years of near-constant scandals. In late 4952, both Empire Forwards! and the Peoples' Communist Party were dissolved by the courts for the illegal use of public funds. Protests of innocence and then "I didn't know anything about it," amounted to nothing, and snap elections were called for January 4953. The Pirates surged - taking all of the PCP's seats and then some - while the National Movement and New Luthorian Church (Luthori's Komeito in more ways than one, scandal-free in a scandal-ridden government) made minor gains. The Conservatives fell from first to fourth place. When the Country Party was dissolved for the same offence, disgruntlement turned to outrage. Snap elections were called, the Pirates ran a suspiciously well-funded online campaign that saw them capture a third of the seats, the newly-formed Alliance led by ex-bureau-securocrat Ethelwin Paglesham came out of nowhere to take second place, and the Conservatives lost more than half their seats. And outrage turned to farce. As the Ford government hobbled on with less than a quarter of the seats, this time it was the Pirates in the opposition who were found to have illegally used public funds and dissolved by the courts. Snap elections were called yet again, while Louise of Hurrington led a demonstration of 200,000 protesters in the streets of Fort William demanding the prime minister's resignation. This time the Alliance took first place in terms of seats, though coming second behind the New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs (tactically backed by much of the left) in terms of votes cast. The Conservatives, though in last place, doubled their seat count - this time, at least, it had been the opposition and not the government with the scandals. The National Movement had come third, with a campaign that both called democracy "a broken system" (advocating instead a hereditary Imperator from the Hurrington family) and thundered against "the useless anti-democratic government". It was surprisingly environment-focused otherwise, following the party's recent environmentalist turn led by its youth wing: the Alliance was "out of touch with reality" with its opposition to the National Movement's green proposals. Paglesham hit back hard: Louise of Hurrington, of all people, was a 'watermelon', "green on the outside and red on the inside". Turnout at the 4956 election was the lowest since the 4555 general election 401 years before. Louise of Hurrington: "The dissolution of the Pirates is a victory for the National Movement. It is our movement's influence that put the pressure on the deep state to ban harmful crazy parties." How little she knew. 4956-4970: Ethelwin Paglesham (Alliance) 4956 (Coalition with New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) def. Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Louise of Hurrington (National Movement), Levi Ford (Conservative) 4959 (Coalition with New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs) def. Alexander of Hurrington (National Movement), Jonathan Keeper [de facto] (New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs), Joseph Brown (Monarchist Tory) 4964 (Coalition with National Movement) def. Alexander of Hurrington (National Movement), Joseph Brown (Monarchist Tory), Jonathan Keeper (Union of Luthorian Hosian Churches) 4969 (Coalition with National Movement) def. Alexander of Hurrington (National Movement), Joseph Brown (Monarchist Tory), Jonathan Keeper [imprisoned] (Union of Luthorian Hosian Churches) Ethelwin Paglesham was born to a civil servant on the 9th of January 4905 in Arford, Duringland, a duchy-within-a-(stem) duchy so conservative that even the language was. He attended Arford Grammar School, moved away from Duringland when he went on to the University of Northminster, and then came back to Duringland to follow in his father's footsteps and work as a bureau-securocrat himself in Thwireford. Fifteen years of making his way up the ladder, and he married the granddaughter of a friend of his father's. A life story not dissimilar to that of hundreds of thousands of other not-too-distant relatives of landed gentlemen. After a few years, it turned out that his wife Winifred would be unable to have children; and so Paglesham devoted himself to a life of local public service as an alderman, to earn a legacy of having his name on a foundation stone. In the dying days of the Brewer government when he first won election to the city's council, the national stage was nowhere in his mind. But like many a good Luthorian (near-)gentleman, he was infuriated when the Ford ministry turned from its steady course of the status quo (with the carrot of a restoration) to the unfortunate but inevitable corruption of career politicians. Of course. Who manages the finances, especially those of government members? Who runs the courts? Who is in the private members clubs? Why would the government come to a halt if the Diet ever tried to forbid the use of titles of nobility? Even after an interregnum of almost four centuries, Luthori was still the Holy Luthorian Empire. Immediately following the election result, the National Movement attempted to reach out to the Alliance and form a coalition. Paglesham rejected these overtures, instead opting for an arrangement with the New Luthorian Church, receiving the support of NLC-aligned MIDs in return for a number of cabinet positions. Another condition would be the reunification of the 'new' Church with the mainstream Church, on favourable terms to the former and with appointments to Church offices; uproar from the Alliance backbenches was smoothed over thanks to deals with factional leaders, and the abstention of much of the opposition when it came to vote in the Diet. The first years of the Paglesham government would be dominated by the discovery and release by genealogists at the University of Richbrough of letters revealing that the last Orange-Villayn emperor, Charles IX, had in fact declared one of his natural children legitimate shortly before his death in 3841. Although many conspiracies emerged suggesting that the letters were forgeries, the letters were determined by the vast majority of academics to be genuine, and with a definitive heir – found to be living in a Fort William slum – to rally behind the government introduced legislation to restore the monarchy. Attempts to get the bill through the Diet would, however, be frustrated by National Movement opposition, the party still angered by Paglesham's refusal to negotiate the formation of a government with them. https://i.imgur.com/rhqJ29U.png The Church (Settlement) Act passed in 4957, finalising the appointments the New Luthorian Church had demanded. So did the Diet Act, extending the legislative term from 4 to 5 years. The Environment Bill introduced by the National Movement (and called by them the 'Saving the Environment Bill'), providing for fishing quotas and pollution restrictions, was defeated 91 to 34. The party's Segregation Act would meet with more support, passing narrowly, but was rendered irrelevant by the decision on the part of Luthorian Covenant Society-aligned members of the Alliance to move an amendment clarifying that segregation will be on the basis of their bizarre division of the world into two races of believers and unbelievers. The National Movement refused to support the amendment, and the Alliance backbenchers in turn the bill's original provisions. Louise of Hurrington resigned the presidency of the National Movement in 4958, succeeded by her 24-year-old grandson Alexander of Hurrington, hitherto president of the party's youth wing and the driving force behind the National Movement's environmentalist turn. That year a new Segregation Act passed the Diet, clarifying segregation to be between 'the two races of believers and unbelievers', and ever since then atheists and non-Qedarites (following a complicated legal challenge and theological debate that disputably determined God, Elyon, and Akim were 'the same words in different languages') unwilling to convert or lie about their faith have been treated pretty poorly. Food, healthcare, and education were all devolved to the duchies, while a National Movement motion to declare climate change 'a serious issue' failed. The Conservatives voted at their party conference to dissolve, with many of its members joining the Monarchist Tory Party that had been founded two years before (the Tory tradition is a venerable one in Luthori, dating back to when the Catholics were still 20% of the population two and a half thousand years ago). Snap elections were called, which saw the Monarchist Tories win one more seat than their de facto Conservative predecessors, while the combined vote share of the New Luthorian Church-aligned MIDs collapsed as the left-wingers who had tactically voted for them deserted over the Church's support for the Alliance. There was now finally a majority in the Diet for the restoration of the emperor, which finally succeeded on the third attempt. The emperor's coronation was to be held in 4960. After the vote succeeded, Transport Secretary Enmond Buckenham made a polite enquiry as to why the National Movement had voted against the restoration. https://i.imgur.com/kzpPPmz.png His Majesty Eowin VI was crowned Holy Luthorian Emperor in St. Richard's Cathedral, bringing an end to an interregnum of almost four centuries. It was the first time a Luthorian emperor had taken the Orange-Villayn name since the death of the emperor's direct ancestor Charles IX in 3841. Thousands of guests were in attendance at the cathedral, including prime minister Ethelwin Paglesham, and millions more lined the streets of Fort William to wish their new emperor well. Shortly afterwards the Hurringtons had their titles, noble status, and the privileges derived from the two stripped from them – for "their open betrayal of the imperial line and declaration that they wanted Alexander of Hurrington and 'not an unknown emperor' to be head of state" – on the prime minister's advice. Hurrington was quick to protest. "The new Emperor appointed by the government decided to strip me and my family from our titles of nobility. I believe it is a clear insult to all our voters. The Emperor is the puppet of the Alliance. With its millions of supporters all across the country, the National Movement will fight against this fraudulent restoration for a free and independent country. Luthori needs a real leader and not a puppet of the Alliance. I know a lot of people are angry against this fraudulent, illegal restoration, where the Emperor is not neutral but against us, against the millions of people who trust our movement. When we take our country back, those who betrayed us and appointed this political Emperor will go to jail for treason! LONG LIVE LUTHORI!" The Imperial Household released an official statement saying that the role of the monarch "is to follow the advice of the prime minister", and that given the circumstances not following Paglesham's advice would have been a direct breach of the emperor's neutrality. "It is because the emperor is apolitical and not political that the prime minister's advice was followed." Paglesham said that Alexander of Hurrington's actions were "obviously, entirely treasonous" and that he should be "thankful he is not in court." The Data Act (expanding surveillance), Public Order Act (expanding police powers to disperse crowds), and the Public Records Act (effectively ending freedom of information) passed through the Diet in the afterglow of the coronation. Government almsgiving and the workhouses were devolved to the duchies. The Duke of Middenriding's brother, George Maugham-Ponsonby, suggested that the Charles IX letters had been 'awfully convenient' for prime minister Ethelwin Paglesham and cast doubts as to their veracity; he was found dead in an apparent suicide. Alexander of Hurrington ran for governor in the far-right stronghold of Orange, losing in a landslide to Alliance candidate Peter Amesbury - though the ducal elections did see his party take control of Northriding from supporters of the New Luthorian Church in a campaign marked by religious polarisation and tension (and, as at the national level, the NLC's left-wing tactical voters abandoning them). The National Movement's new ducal government introduced food standards, health and safety laws, a 35-hour work week, a ban on industrial hemp, a ban on displaying the LGBT flag, and ethnic profiling guidelines for the police. With the National Movement neutralised, Paglesham turned his attention to the New Luthorian Church. Although he had made the deal with them, him being practical when necessary did not distract from the fact he was – like his less pragmatic backbenchers who had opposed the deal – a traditional conservative from Duringland. Using their opposition to the Judiciary and Policing Reform Act introduced by the National Movement and supported by the Alliance as an excuse, that summer he arranged for a meeting with Alexander of Hurrington and stabbed the Church in the back. Furious, the NLC announced the formation of the 'Union of Luthorian Hosian Churches' as a political party to oppose the government. Hurrington publicly reconciled with and acknowledged the Emperor, making an oath of his and his family's loyalty. The Hurrington family's noble titles, status, and privileges were restored shortly afterwards. Despite accusations from the Church of "using the Emperor as a pawn in their bribery", Paglesham insisted that the decision had followed "months of discussion" and that it had been planned before the recent rapprochement between the Alliance and National Movement. The National Movement re-entered government for the first time in almost twenty years, Alexander of Hurrington being appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Paglesham dined at the Hurringtons' eponymous ancestral hall, and a government programme was agreed to: the rooting out of any 'anti-national' and/or 'politically biased' elements amongst the army of government employees (curiously, this unofficially did not apply to government supporters); the loosening of restrictions on contraception, which would now be allowed on prescription for married couples; the bringing of the Bank of Luthori back under government control; the censorship of international media; an end to the policy of forest clearance; restrictions on international aid; and – silently – a reduction of penalties for blasphemy. The Hosian Union's proposed Human Rights Act, proposing to end religious segregation, was defeated 91 votes to 59 that September. Over the remainder of the term the Diet would also vote to 'empower local governments to make their own decisions regarding foreign investment and how best to encourage it', give 'local governments in areas with high unemployment the ability to make laws regarding the employment of non-citizens', implement a ban on research into human cloning, require all films to receive government approval to be viewed, and introduce mandatory sentences for all crimes. Due to the unfortunate placing of a semicolon in the rush to cover all criminal offences, knocking and running is now punished with death. 4964 was the first time in fourteen years that a diet had lasted its entire scheduled duration. Both the Alliance and National Movement saw losses, but their coalition kept its majority. In its first moves of the new Diet, the government abolished the 57% tax band, reduced welfare spending by £3 billion, required businesses to introduce profit-sharing programmes for workers, introduced preferential government hiring for ethnic Luthorians, and reintroduced penal servitude. The 4965 ducal elections saw the coalition lose Shipleyriding to the Monarchist Tories and Orange to the Hosian Union. His Majesty The Emperor married Wilhelmina Anke von Faust-Essen, a princess of the former Dorvish ruling house and the third sister of the current claimant to the throne of Dorvik, in a ceremony at St. Richard's Cathedral; in attendance at the imperial wedding were members of the bride's family and Luthorian aristocracy, among thousands of others, including the prime minister Ethelwin Paglesham - who had been reported to be urging a match for some time - and deputy prime minister Alexander of Hurrington. The Imperial Diet offered its congratulations to the emperor on his marriage. The government continued: the police was militarised; the education system reformed; pollution restricted; and the opposition censored. Media critical of the government, or publishing material it simply did not approve of, was now forbidden. And the New Luthorian Church's claimed second coming of Elijah was found dead, with a DNA test revealing him to likely be the illegitimate son of Jonathan Keeper; the coroner's inquest into the circumstances of the death has still not yet been completed. But what should've been the end of the New Luthorian Church, as the other churches that had joined the Hosian Union abandoned it, ended up strengthening it when Keeper was arrested on suspicion of fraud; conspiracy theories abounded that Keeper had been set up, that 'Elijah' really was who he claimed to be, and that the government had killed him. To be continued |
Proposals
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 22:42:42, July 25, 2021 CET | From | National Movement | To | Debating the Luthori, 4939-4969 |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 150 | |||||
| no | Total Seats: 0 | |||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: In cases where players have failed to clearly and accurately reference their nation's RP laws in the "Bills under debate" section, Moderation will rule them invalid if a challenge is made to their validity. |
| Random quote: "We are told that this is an odious and unpopular tax. I never knew a tax that was not odious and unpopular with the people who paid it." - John Sherman |