Foreign Dispatch
Volume X, Issue IV
Special Cultural Edition
http://s6.zetaboards.com/Imperial_LKE/index/ | https://www.nationstates.net/region=the_land_of_kings_and_emperors
WA Delegate: Cawdor East (Thea Sebastian)
| Nation Count: 418 | Regional Rank: 28th |
[th colspan=“3”]Imperial Government[/th][th]The Imperial Council
Prime Minister: Megaleiotha Eirhno
Deputy Prime Minister: Paulus Gaius Epistre
Minister of the Exterior: Thomas Insaniac
Minister of the Interior: Wilhelm von Seeckt
Minister of Culture: Rex Ciphra
Minister of Colonies: Barzai Ux Loddhan
[/th][th] The Monarchy
Emperor: Theoden Sebastian
Emperor Emeritus: Onder Kelkia
Empress: Thea Sebastian
Crown Prince: Linkin Talleyrand
Prince Imperial: Akillian Talleyrand[/th][th]The Imperial Senate
President: Barzai Ux Loddhan (The Lion Party)
Senator: Julio of Nulkia-Sova (The Lion Party)
Senator: Wilhelm von Seeckt (The Lion Party)
Senator: Tiberius Caesar (The Lion Party)
Senator: Megaleiotha Eirhno (The Lion Party) [/th]
[hr] [hr] Historic Post Counts
Post Count Stocks Spiralling Up
April was a historic month for us in the LKE. On April 17th, we reached 5,252 posts and exceeded the previous record for most posts made in a month. On the 23rd, we were at 6915 posts made and all eyes were set on breaking eight thousand posts by the end of the month. On the first of May, His Supreme Majesty Theoden Sebastian made the announcement that the Imperial Forums had accumulated 8,574 posts in the month of April. According to data from https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=33944809#p33944809 we had accumulated more forum messages than every major Game-Created Region. This enormous post count was created by heated activity in the Estates-General, the Roleplay forums, the Imperial Council, and of course spam games in Tiberius Street. With the incredibly active state of the forums, and an ever-growing Discord server too, the current Imperial Government has high hopes for May.
[hr][hr]Roleplay Redevelopments
The World Map of The Land of Kings and Emperors
The World of the LKE is back and better than ever! With a new map, new nations, and new management. Under the leadership of Minister of Culture Rex Ciphra and Deputy [Culture] Minister for Roleplay John Spencer-Churchill, the World of the LKE has shown large amounts of growth. We have a new map, graciously developed by regional cartographer Bran Astor, where any elector can register their nation and claim a spot. The old map of the LKE was based upon the Imperial Realms and restrictively named, the new map has lost that limitation and the naming structures and systems are being actively developed by the roleplay community. Since the adoption of the new map, fifteen individuals have sought to register their nations, six factbooks have been created, nine different roleplays have been created, and no nukes have been launched, yet.
The World of the LKE is not the only type of roleplay happening in our borders. Starting with the Interregional Gala with The West Pacific, the LKE has been infatuated with character roleplay. We have had three parties hosted, one by the Prime Minister, one by the Baron of Shaftesbury, and one by John Spencer-Churchill. The parties are joined by a historical preservation society, a tavern, and a horse and hunting club; all of which are in-character.
Finishing off the roleplay developments is the All-Out War RP, taking place in medieval England and pitting army against army. May the finest warlord obtain victory.
[hr] [hr] Getting Lectured
The Seal of the Imperial University
The University of The Land of Kings and Emperors (TULKE) has had a rather successful year. With the successful passage of The University Reestablishment Act of 2018, the University was in a state of reorganization and redevelopment. The first major development was purely administrative, as TULKE was made into a first tier sub-forum and is now featured more prominent on our forums. Secondly, The Kelkia Military Academy, The Hall of Honour, and The Theological College of The Forum of the Most High Gods have been merged into The University of The Land of Kings and Emperors.
This all coincidences with a great deal of lectures occuring within the halls of the University. The President of the Lion Party, Rayreglia Von Arcadia has served as chief lecturer in The Old School of General Studies, with topics ranging from Biology to the Occult being taught.
In the Kelkia School of Law, former Prime Minister and current Dean John Spencer-Churchill has announced the a Bachelor of Law program being offered. This program is based on The Land of Kings and Emperors primarily and will focus on the development of the regions political institutions and functions and will be taught by John Spencer-Churchill and Prime Minister Megaleiotha Eirhno.So far three lectures of the current session have been posted. The third lecture, focusing on Constitution writing and the dichotomies of NationStates has been included below.
In the first lecture, we discussed the Derivative Powers Principle. This principle essentially asks the question, from whence does the power of this Constitution come? In democratic societies, that power comes from the people. In monarchical societies, that power comes from the Emperor. The conclusion of this power is what we call the Eirhno Principle, namely, that any power outlined by the Constitution, which descends from the power of the Emperor, is ultimately a power of the Emperor. Your fellow classmate, Paulus, gave a simple test to determine if the power of a thing is derived from another, simply: if the latter thing from which the first could be derived did not exist, would the former thing still have its power? If yes, then the power is not derived. If no, then the power is derived. Since the Constitution would not exist but for the power of the Emperor, all the powers of the Constitution are derived from the Emperor, and thus, the Emperor has all the powers therein.
In the second lecture, we discussed the fact that a Constitution is a subtle form of propaganda, telling its reader that the particular system of government outlined therein is the best of all possible systems. We discussed the need for structure, which assists in the propaganda campaign to add beauty to the system.
Today, we will be discussing the continuation of this desire for beauty in discussing a Coherent Philosophy of Purpose.
Now, here I am going to make an important distinction. Where you stand in the process of writing a Constitution affects your purpose, and thus, how you write the Constitution. The motivations of everyone else writing the Constitution will also affect their additions, corrections, or stipulations throughout the process.
As such, you, the drafter of the Constitution, must set out, at least for yourself, a Coherent Philosophy of Purpose. Let me break down what I mean when I say that phrase.
A purpose is pretty straightforward: the goal you wish to accomplish. But the difficulty arises in that a Constitution is a complex document that does not fit readily into an action plan. You can have an overall purpose that everyone can agree to rather simply: this Constitution is meant to establish form of government for our society. This statement alone is fine–it’s just that getting into the specifics reveals much more about your true purpose. You have to come up with a purpose that coherently provides an answer to questions like:
Should the Head of State have powers that are never delegated?
Should the Head of Government be elected directly by the people?
Should the Judiciary be kept in check by the Head of State or Head of Government?
Should the legislature consist of all the people or just some of the people?
Should one particular office hold power over another?
Are there other considerations that should limit the Constitution?
Are there cases in which the Constitution should be below swift action?
Are there non-governmental institutions that should be considered in the Constitution?
Are there laws that must supersede this Constitution?
How long should terms of office last?
How many positions should be enumerated in the Constitution?
How simple should it be to change the Constitution?
How should different branches limit one another?
These questions are just a few of hundreds that must be answered in a measured and considered way. There are at least three spectra that you must consider while determining your personal philosophy:
Monarchist vs Republican: How dependent the elected government should be on the monarchy to act? Monarchists are in favor of a heavier reliance on the monarchy, while Republicans are in favor of more reliance on structures and governments apart from the monarchy.
Imperialist vs Colonist: How much oversight should the capital have over the colonies? Imperialists are in favor of more oversight and support, while Colonists are in favor of more colonial independence and representation.
Federalist vs Democrat: How much should the people be allowed to participate in governmental decisions and elections?Federalists are in favor of limited direct participation, while Democrats are in favor of more direct participation.
Thus, you arrive at the peculiar problem of identifying as a “liberal” or “conservative” in this game. If we claim that the divide between a liberal and a conservative is how far power should be disseminated, then a Monarchist-Imperialist-Federalist, who all want power to be distributed as little as possible, would seem to be the most conservative of folks. A Republican-Colonist-Democrat, therefore, would be the most liberal of folks, with power as disseminated as possible. But most of us probably fall somewhere in the middle. It is this spectra that seems the most useful to me, but also the one that proves rather difficult in unwinding.
Once you have determined your position on these issues, answering the earlier questions become a bit clearer. Should the Head of State have powers that are never delegated? Well, a Monarchist would likely say yes, that some powers should be exclusively delegated to the Emperor. A Republican might say no, that there are no powers that the Emperor should wield on the Emperor’s own. Are there laws that must supersede this Constitution? An Imperialist would say that of course there are–the laws of the capital must supersede those of the colonies. A Colonist would say that no, the capital has no right to write laws above its own Constitution unless they provide some means of colonial representation. How long should terms of office last? A Federalist would want long term limits to ensure that power is kept in the same hands for as long as possible, which means stability. A Democrat would want shorter term limits, to encourage greater participation.
Circumstances might change what your underlying philosophy is between writing particular Constitutions, and the perspective of other people is likely to shift and wane under that broader purpose of doing good for the region. But as a drafter of the Constitution, you need to make consistent decisions based off of a coherent philosophy of purpose. The particular ideology, whether Monarchist or Federalist, Imperialist or Colonist, Federalist or Democrat, should consistently guide your decisions in writing the Constitution. If you find yourself constantly switching between different positions, then maybe what you believe to be your ideology doesn’t really fit your true purpose.
[hr] [hr] Other News Of The Realm…
-The Land of Kings and Emperors has once more surpassed 400 nations.
-The Imperial Discord server had over 10,000 messages sent during April.
[hr] Brought to you by the Ministry of the Exterior
On behalf of His Supreme Majesty’s Government, Peers, Electors and the Imperial House of the LKE.
