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Post by sirdinglefoot on Mar 25, 2008 12:42:58 GMT -5
Editor: Posul[align=center]  [/align] [align=center] Formerly Great Britain and Ireland's Most Famous NewspaperPast Winner of Best Thread AwardPatroned by His Majesty The King[/align]
[align=center] England Expects[/b][/color][/align] [align=center]  The spirit of Traflagar...needed now more then ever[/align] It is not often that the international community in Nationstates springs to life anymore. In the past skirmishes and actions were far more common and yet lately much of this ground swell of military action and international diplomacy has dried up. In recent days that has changed. Rather aggressive actions both major Nationstates powers have managed to breath both interest and life into the diplomatic scene...and yet in Great Britain and Ireland things remain strangely quiet. Why? On the face of it Great Britain and Ireland is in a prime position to act. We are allied with some of the major players in the action including Gatesville. However rather then showing the political courage of picking a side, this Government has chosen to sit on the fence. In a time of great international crisis, where glory can be won and prestige can be gained, our region has chosen to do absolutely nothing. To aid no one, to give no words of support to any side. Why? Our Foreign Secretary's Manifesto said: Our Deputy Prime Minister even said: The perfect moment has been created by which the Government could take a bold foreign policy and what has happened? A bottle job. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet can have no excuse, they have the right to act and it is for all to see in the Book of Treaties. Despite the lack of a 'formal' request from Gatesville, our ally is in need of assistance or at the very least assurance that this region is going to support it. However No.10 has been silent and the Foreign Office has given no sign of a change. How can our region continue to have an active armed force when it is stifled for participating in global events? How can an alliance with this region mean anything if our allies see no visible reward for their friendship with us? How can our region continue to thrive if when moments of great NS activity arise, we are cut off from international events? The former Prime Minister, Gililand, has put forward a motion which The British Statesman and we are sure other members of this region will applaud. The motion asks that the Government at least gives some kind of belated help to our allies, to prove that not only are we are an active force on the international stage but also that we care enough about these events to act. Inaction, no matter what the Government's reasons, can only be seen as cowardice. There are no military issues which should prevent actions. We have no commitments at present, we are a founded region with an active founder at that. Diplomatically speaking we are perfectly entitled to come to the aid of an ally. Things have slowly ticked along in GB&I so far under this Government, a Government which has laid claim to being one of reform and action. Now is a chance for an injection of activity and bold movement. Great Britain and Ireland expects.
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Post by sirdinglefoot on Mar 25, 2008 12:43:37 GMT -5
[align=center] [/align] [align=center] Formerly Great Britain and Ireland's Most Famous NewspaperPast Winner of Best Thread AwardPatroned by His Majesty The King[/align]
[align=center] Government in Crisis of Confidence[/b][/color][/align] [align=center]  Besieged, The home of Sir Dingle Foot at Downing Street holds the embattled Prime Minister and his Cabinet as they seek to find a way out of this crisis[/align] Regardless of what our readers may or may not have been doing these past few days no one can say that these have not been interesting times in our fair region. Sadly, not for the happiest of regions. The Government has come a cropper to its first crisis, a one which seemingly would of been easily avoided, however now the Government and the majority of the region are in stalemate as both seem unwilling to budge in their position. For those not aware, this crisis of confidence has arisen from the Government's decision not to provide aid to Gatesville in The North Pacific Affair which recently emerged when Gatesville planted a new delegate in the region to the disgust of other regions such as The Pacific. What has emerged has been a fiasco of embarrassing proportions for the Government of the day, who's pacifist/isolationist stance on this issue has been in complete juxtaposition to the rest of the region which is eager to help assist Gatesville, a region which is allied to Great Britain and Ireland. The reasoning behind this moved has chopped and changed so much over the past few days, that The British Statesman has had supreme difficulty trying to find out what exactly the reasoning is behind this movement. It started as an unwise movement in which it would affect the long term fortunes of the region, then became an ideological argument about the benefits of using the military to get involved in international events, then it has turned into an issue of intelligence (with GB&I apparently wanting to get involved as soon the proper time had elapsed...unbeknownst to the Prime Minister) and now it is has degenerated into a matter of confidence in the Government, with anyone who wants to see action in the North Pacific undermining the Government by doing so. This affair has hit heavily on the characters of the three leading members of the Government, Klopstock, Don and Sir Dingle Foot (The Foreign Secretary, Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister respectively) with the worst of the damage falling upon the fanatical Don who has outrageously attacked anyone who has even dared to criticise the Prime Minister. While such devotion is no doubt heart warming for the Prime Minister to see, in practice it has seemingly undermined the Deputy Prime Minister's ability to do his job properly and many have questioned whether he will be able to survive this affair. The First Sea Lord has already been removed partly down to the North Pacific incident, with Fenchurch being sacked by the Prime Minister for undermining his authority and the unity of Cabinet by her constant criticism of what had taken place. The Prime Minister has yet to announce a replacement and there are a variety of possibilities as for who shall take over the Admiralty, a key department it would seem given the current situation. Now that the Government has set itself this course it seems unlikely that anything can be done to stop it. The Government has invested so much political capital into this affair that if it now u-turns the moral authority of the Government will be broken and no doubt some form of meat (most likely the Deputy Prime Minister) will have to be thrown to the masses. If the Government does not reverse its decision however, there is a danger that discontent will continue to rise and that in the coming weeks this might see the toppling of the Government if it does not manage to reverse its fortunes. This may only be the beginning for what turns out to be a defining moment in the history of this Government and possibly in the region itself. After the previous election, it seemed that the Commonwealth Club's march towards a change in foreign policy domination would be unstoppable. However thanks to a series of political miscalculations, lack of communication (both between Ministers and to the public) and a range of unfortunate events, it would seem that this march has not only been halted but turned into a headlong retreat. It is doubtful that the Government will now be able to do much foreign policy wise for the rest of this term, leaving constitutional reform as one of the few avenues for change in the hands (at present) of a man who's political future is uncertain at best. |
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Post by sirdinglefoot on Mar 25, 2008 12:44:17 GMT -5
[align=center] [/align] [align=center] Great Britain and Ireland's Most Widely Read NewspaperWinner of the Best Newspaper AwardPast Winner of Best Thread AwardPatroned by His Majesty The King[/align]
[align=center] Regional Activity Slumps[/b][/color][/align] [align=center]  Tumbleweed, a new resident of Great Britain and Ireland, most noted around Whitehall[/align] But GB&I simply can't afford to not play the game of Nationstates (the diplomatic and military parts of GB&I) because that leaves us as no more than a forum community, which will eventually die. ~ His Majesty The King, Jan. 19, 2008 No one can doubt that these words have become true, and The King spoke wisely in the thread of Sir Dingle Foot's Manifesto when he said them. There can be no doubt that after the ranting and raving over The North Pacific Affair, this region has descended into a spell of chronic inactivity and inaction. The Government has refused to play the 'game' and now the region seems to have given up on the idea as well. There have been a few bright spots of activity, the People's Awards were published not too long ago, and there has been a by-election (though we use the word 'election' in its loosest sense of course), not to mention that the Chairman of the Citizen's Panel has made a few appointments. However, considering that this Government was seen as one which was going to be rather radical there has been very little movement at all. Infact it has probably been more conservative governments there has ever been. The House of Commons is as dead as a door nail as is the House of Lords, with new policy ideas few and far between. The Government has removed aggressive foreign policy and military operations from the table, now the region has been left with little or nothing to do. This situation cannot continue, and it does not seem at present that the Government is actively doing anything to change the present circumstances the question must be asked: How long can this continue? The Government's traditional role in these times it to take the lead, through stimulation of foreign policy and military policy. Attacks, treaties, debates are the tools of the Government to help keep people interested in the affairs of the region. However as the Government seems to have pulled back from organisations such as the Congress of Sovereigns, has abandoned any aggressive foreign and military strategy and seems content merely to sit back helping defender organisations whenever they need it there is little for most in the region to do. If this is what the 'Commonwealth' Model proposed in the General Election means, then we can safely conclude that it has failed in practice, as this newspaper said it would. It is not reactionist to want to see action from this Government, it is not militaristic to want to see this region's Armed Forces actively used in the promotion of our interests. This is what Nationstates is all about. The 'game' if you will is a political and military one, if this region is not actively participating in military affairs of an aggressive/exciting nature and not working with other regions across the Nationstates world then what is the point of even existing? We at The Statesman know that many enjoy the company and surroundings of this forum and that is delightful. Of course, we like to see people getting along and having a laugh. However, while that is of course healthy for the region that must come hand in hand with progress on military and political fronts. A forum community on its own, as the King said, cannot stand along in Nationstates. The Statesman is sure that critics of this newspaper will attack this as being 'sensationalist' in nature and trying merely to cause trouble for the sake of it. If that is the case, then we are quite happy here. At least that would of stirred up a measure of activity which has been sadly lacking from the majority of this region over the past few weeks. While the Government cannot generate all the activity and indeed, we do not expect it to do so. The Government has the ability to stimulate activity through a variety of means and this so far has not happened. The by-elections may be seen as an attempt to do this however if that is the case then they have failed completely in that respect. If this spell of inactivity and inaction is to last, then this region may start to reverse the progress it had made recently in terms of political debate and activity. The Statesman makes this plea to both those in Government and outside of it. Post, Participate and Act. Anything that you can do to help keep this region ticking over will be much appreciated by The Statesman and we are sure by the region as a whole. All must take responsibility now, as this Government seems either unable or unwilling to act. |
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Post by sirdinglefoot on Mar 25, 2008 12:44:50 GMT -5
[align=center] [/align] [align=center] Great Britain and Ireland's Most Widely Read NewspaperWinner of the Best Newspaper AwardPast Winner of Best Thread AwardPatroned by His Majesty The King[/align]
[align=center] Foreign Secretary Resigns: General Election Imminent[/b][/color][/align] [align=center]  Parliament listening to the resignation speech of former Prime Minister and now former Foreign Secretary, Klopstock[/align] The Government has suffered another massive blow to its reputation as intellectual light of the Commonwealth Clubbers, Klopstock, has now resigned from his post as Foreign Secretary. Sir Klopstock has now failed to complete a full term as Foreign Secretary some four times, and has now stated that he is going to be leaving the region for good, though we see a return at some point in the near future quite likely. The Foreign Secretary’s speech was one that was both cutting to his supposed friends and enemies. On the one hand, he savaged the Government stating: The Foreign Secretary also attacked, Gililand, a former Prime Minister and Lord Chief Justice: He left probably his most savage attack though for the former First Sea Lord and Kaiserin of The New Inquisition, Fenchurch: The Foreign Secretary has indicated that he believes the region has passed up its best hope for revival, in not giving the current Prime Minister, Sir Dingle Foot the chance to govern and that he believes that GB&I has failed to reform itself in the manner that it should do. He criticised what he called ‘the stubborness of the old guard’, a coded reference no doubt to the House of Lords which he blamed for legislative ‘deadlock’. Though the speech reminds many of someone determined to bring down as many people as possible, The Foreign Secretary has generated the sympathy of the House with many of his Parliamentary colleagues asking for him to stay or reconsider his position. It would seem unlikely that Klopstock will be returning to the region any time soon if the words he used in his speech are anything to go by. However, this speech has left the region in an interesting limbo. If the mud sticks to both Gililand and Fenchurch then these two Parliamentarians whom may or may not be considering to run for another term in office may find it difficult to generate support leaving the option of another possible runner. The region awaits to see the reaction of the Prime Minister, who has been missing from the forums a great deal lately, and whom it seems has given up on his desire to change the direction of the region. With that in mind it seems likely that a General Election will be called extremely swiftly in order to replace this dying Government with something rather more active and robust. With the ‘Commonwealth Model’ of Government practically dead, it will be interesting to see what the next Parliament offers in the way of direction. Will people return back to the imperialist Government of old, where military and diplomatic efforts were more aggressive in nature? Will this mark an isolationist period of GB&I, where Parliamentarians become more focused on sorting out the internal slump of the region from within rather then trying to stimulate it from without? Or will ‘reform’ dominate the agenda once again as politicians promise changes to the constitution and governance of the region in a desperate attempt to paint over the cracks in the wall? For now however, The Statesman watches closely with the rest of the region to see what will happen over the coming days. No matter what happens The Statesman will continue to keep it’s readers as informed and up to date as possible. |
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Post by sirdinglefoot on Mar 25, 2008 12:45:27 GMT -5
[align=center] [/align] [align=center] Great Britain and Ireland's Most Widely Read NewspaperWinner of the Best Newspaper AwardPast Winner of Best Thread AwardPatroned by His Majesty The King[/align]
[align=center] Prime Minister Calls General Election[/b][/color][/align] [align=center]  Citizens shall return to the ballot box once again, as the Prime Minister was forced to call another General Election in the region[/align] The tenure of this Government is fast drawing to a close as the Prime Minister has called a General Election to take place on 28th March, ten days time. In a short and brief statement, the Prime Minister simply said: The Prime Minister's announcement confirms the general sentiments of the region that there needs to be change. The Prime Minister has further announced that the Deputy Prime Minister will be taking over the duties of the Foreign Office for the next ten days. With the term ending, the Prime Minister will no doubt be mulling over the successes and failures of his term. The British Statesman has taken therefore this moment to analyse the term in general. Home AffairsPerhaps the one thing to be noted from this term is that the Home Office, under the Home Secretary Flake, has been able to keep the region afloat in terms of numbers. Though there has been continued problems with naturalisation (no doubt linked in some ways to general problems in NS activity), the region has edged closer towards 200 nations and this effort has not gone unnoticed across the region. The Prime Minister praised the Home Secretary for his work, and of course this is right, let us hope that the next Home Secretary (or if Flake remains, the Home Secretary) continues this good work. Foreign AffairsThis is perhaps the area that the Prime Minister would wish he could go back in time and change, but doing nothing he did more to damage this Government then any other course he could of taken. The region was not too concerned it seemed with who it acted with, but the fact that the Government did not get involved flew in the face of standard GB&I practice. The Government had been elected on a peaceful foreign policy, however no one had believed they had voted for isolationism. The North Pacific Affair and the resultant fall out and resignations has no doubt brought this Government down. The relative inactivity of the Foreign Secretary, for a variety of reasons, further left the Prime Minister without one of his key allies. We can only speculate the damage that this did to the decision making process, but it probably played a factor in the demise of the Government. Constitutional ReformThough this was not an issue that The British Statesman can approach in an unbiased way, given our previous editions, we can safely say that the reformists are as far away from reforming the region as they were when they started. Despite the papers being flown around the Deputy Prime Minister's Office, there appears still to be no real consensus and the Bill in the House of Commons on changing the number of MPs appears to be in deadlock, it is doubtful it will pass before the General Election certainly. While this was not an issue the Prime Minister or his Government was elected on, the Government made this an issue and the inactivity on this (or at least the slow progress) only helped to create the image of a 'tired' Government. MilitaryIt is hard to speak of the military as there was absolutely no military action. Of course any one well versed in GB&I politics can identify this as the problem immediately. By not using the military, the Government helped to further create the image of an inactive Government and this has caused well known tensions amongst many in the region. The Government further failed to get its legislation passed on the matter of allowing foreign military members to serve in GB&I, yet. Though this may pass before the General Election, this is only a small issue. Cultural AffairsCultural Affairs are something that are very hard for any Government to regulate, as they occur naturally. The Culture Minister must be thanked as well as the Foreign Secretary for getting the People's Awards done (though this did take longer then expected). However there has been a general dip in activity since The North Pacific Affair, proving (as always) that it is when the region is politically active that the region is culturally active rather then one being able to exist without the other. The region is now left in limbo, and it will be up to the next Parliament to put forward a new direction for the region however the first job will be to make sure that the region gets active again. The General Election may help to do this, but a region that can only be active during an election campaign is a region that is on the decline. We need to be active not only during election campaigns but also after election campaigns. The Statesman shall continue to keep all our readers up to date with the elections and latest news as soon as possible including a special edition on the candidates and their manifestos. |
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Post by priii on Apr 3, 2008 21:56:52 GMT -5
Great Britain and Ireland's Most Widely Read Newspaper
Winner of the Best Newspaper Award
Past Winner of Best Thread Award
Patroned by His Majesty The King
Prime Minister Appoints 'No Surprises' Cabinet [/b][/color][/center]  The Prime Minister stops for another photo opportunity, in order to improve his 'image'The new Prime Minister has made clear the destination for the region this term in the appointment of his new Cabinet. Though many have claimed that there were 'no surprises' in the Cabinet, there has been very little criticism thus far from the majority of the citizens over the Cabinet, and a vote taking place at the Lords though far from applauding the appointments has given its further nod of approval. The Prime Minister has appointed Flake and Paq as the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Community Affairs respectively, the change in the name of the Minister for Community comes amid rumours that the Prime Minister feels the Ministry has become 'just as important as the Foreign Office and Home Office'. The new additions, Fenchurch and Gililand have not caused all that much shock, given the close relationship between Gililand and the Royal Navy as well as Fenchurch and her links across foreign affairs. The British Statesman understands that there have been some eye brows raised at the appointment of Fenchurch to Cabinet and in the vital role of Foreign Secretary, however our sources close to No.10 inform us that the Prime Minister is aware of this and has made it clear to those in Cabinet and outside of Cabinet that any sign of 'TNI' Influence on Government activities will be see a new face in the Foreign Office extremely quickly. The Prime Minister has further appointed for himself a 'Parliamentary Private Secretary' as a go to man for his term. While The British Statesman meets this with some cynicism (is this post really necessary?) we believe that Clemantion is a sound Member of Parliament and will do whatever jobs he is assigned extremely well. The real question for this Government is whether this early activity can turn into something concrete, while things remain up in the air there is also the problem that they may flitter out into nothing. However, if the Government can score some early successes and begin to generate momentum, then this may be the start of an extremely productive term for the region as a whole. While there seems to be alot of good will for the Government at present, this may change if the Government makes one or two 'bold' moves which others do not agree with. However, we shall have to wait and see as to whether that is the case. At present, there seems to be general warm approval for the Government so far and little ideological division in the House of Commons something which caused so much confusion over the previous few terms. With a Foreign Office Press Release already out, a Conference being created and the region teetering on the verge of 200 nations, there are many positive marks for the Government so far. However as many in Downing Street have said, this is going to be a marathon not a sprint, it will be a test of stamina for the Prime Minister as much as the region itself, to see if his Government can keep ahead of steam over the coming weeks, as the region prepares for the 'summer' and the dip in activity |
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Post by Zeldon on Apr 15, 2008 17:21:49 GMT -5
[align=center] [/align] [align=center] Great Britain and Ireland's Most Widely Read NewspaperWinner of the Best Newspaper AwardPast Winner of Best Thread AwardPatroned by His Majesty The King[/align]
[align=center] VICTORY![/b][/color][/align] [align=center]  An artist's impression of one of the many Great British and Irish Naval Vessels firing in the invasion of Lazarus[/align] The worldwide defender community was delivered a massive blow tonight, as one of their biggest names, Northern-Chittowa, was booted out of Lazarus by an invasion that brought the international non-defender community together. The invasion had been started by King of The Last Kingdom, Bromannikha some time ago as he slowly gathered endorsements within the region. However he spotted over the weekend and thus was launched the invasion of this feeder region. Northern-Chittowa has been the King of Lazarus for some time now and he fought bitterly to hold onto the region. In the early hours of Monday Morning, the Great British and Irish Government received the call from the The Last Kingdom in order to aid this venture, and after a quick vote by the Cabinet, it was decided to join in the fray in aid of an ally. The New Inquisition was already committed to the battle by that time, and so the proud vessels of the Royal Navy both flagged and non-flagged steamed into the battle providing the crucial support that was needed by the King of The Last Kingdom. The Monarchs still battled it out after the Monday Update as N-C managed barely to cling onto the delegacy at the Update time, however over the course of Monday Afternoon and Evening the numbers began to poor in as the heavy bombardment of invading units began to take affect on the defending forces. There was hope at one point in the early hours of Tuesday Morning though as in a last ditch counter-attack, the defending community brought all its guns into action in order to try and cling onto the delegacy and succeeded in going ahead of Brom by a single endorsement. However it was not enough. The King of the Last Kingdom slowly gained more endorsements up until the update time, and then on the Morning of 15th April, the feeder was captured by the invading forces. This battle has been one of the -largest- in Nationstates History with over 200 units on both sides taking part. The current count sees Brom's Nation (Hellraiser) with 141 while N-C still trails behind with 134. The difference between them still a close 7 endorsements. The Great British and Irish Fleet can take much credit, over the course of the battle Nine Ships of the Royal Navy took part and considering to the closeness of the numbers over the course of the battle can consider themselves to have played a crucial part in the success of this operation. The British Statesman gives its Huzzahs to the Royal Navy and suggests there should definately be a medal presented by Parliament to the brave sailors who managed to bring home to the region such a magnificent victory. We end simply by saying: God Save The King! God Save Great Britain and Ireland! Praise Be To The Royal Navy! |
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