Luthori

[Cirith]

President and Government at Loggerheads!

The President of the Republic and the Government have come to blows as the President made the extradionary decision to invite nations to sanction Luthori.

In a public address, the President said, 'I hereby adress you as the President of the Republic of Luthori. I would like to tell you that we have again stepped onto a path of civil rights restrictions. The ruling right-wing cabinet has begun to clamp down on civil and workers rights. This is not the first time this has happened. I lay my appeal on all foreign presidents, emperors and chancellors to condemn our current government and take sanctions upon Luthori. It is hard for me to say that but Luthori is again ruled by an authoritarian regime. Another 4 years we will have tk endure repression and abuse. I stand here in front of you as a bastion of liberal democracy, humble and honest.'

The Government responded by censuring the President, removing his role in foreign affairs for the term, after a vote in the National Assembly, and issuing its own reply, 'We are the elected and legal Government of Luthori and all foreign affairs shall be handled by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The proposals and policies we are enacting are endorsed by the people who elected us in July 4729. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the 'Presidents' inappropriate, overtly political and unacceptable address.'


Duke Thomas, the Prime Minister of Luthori

The President did not go quietly though, making another appeal, 'As you see, our governments actions confirm what I said yesterday. We have an authoritarian regime which supresses free speech and human rights. They want to censore me but I can tell you they wont succeed. Their censorship bill is powerless and it wont prevent me form reporting here every month. Again I appeal on all nations to censure our government. I have one message for them: i am watching an reporting every move you make.'

The Prime Minister is believed to be furious, and has proposed a vote of no confidence in the President. It is not yet known if the Government can win such a vote, but so far no nations have moved to sanction Luthori. The last time Luthori was put under sanctions was when the Communists took over and tried to implement their so-called revolution.

[Cirith]

Government Start Legislative Agenda!

The new Government have started their packed legislative programme with the Pro-Life Act 4730, a bill which terminates all funding for abortions, allows for abortions to only take place during a medical emergency, and terminates the legality of any form of euthanasia.

The bill met fierce opposition in the Assembly, passing by just 6 votes. The Communists said, 'This is not "pro-life", this is against women's rights. Women have the right to do whatever they want with their foetuses and they also have the right to not keep their baby if they don't want to. With limits of course.' The White Rose responded saying, 'It is pro-life, the baby is alive and therefore this protects there lives. It protects the women if they are in need of medical assistance through an emergency.'

Minor protests took place outside the Assembly during the debates, with both pro-life and pro-choice groups making their voices heard. Ultimately, the Government won the day and the bill takes immediate effect. Abortion clinics reported record numbers today as the choice becomes illegal from midnight. We are also hearing that Courts saw a 41% increase in Euthanasia Order applications during the last 6 months, which will still be valid if submitted before close of business today, even if granted in the future.


Rallies during the legislative debate

The Government passed their Corporation Tax Act 4729, which cuts the tax rate to 10% on businesses. The Communists in opposition said, 'A lot of people are struggling each day and while our workers are giving 30 % of their income in taxes, greedy capitalists will only pay 10 % on the revenues of their companies.' The White Rose responded, 'Again, more nonsense. The companies will pay 10%, the owners, directors etc will all pay income tax at the relevant level. This will allow the companies to employ more people, offer more services and cut their costs for consumers.'

Another controversial bill to pass was the Privatisation Act 4729 which privatised all but the central bank, made it independent of the Ministry of Finance, privatised all energy companies but regulates their prices, terminates the need for employee representation on corporate boards, and privatised all train operating companies. The Government announced the immediate divestment of those nationalised companies which were to be sold, a process which will be overseen by Sarah Jenkins, the Secretary of State for International Trade and Industry.

The Government also managed to pass their Morality Act 4729, which bans cross-dressing, fixes gender identity to birth gender, and makes public blasphemy a minor criminal offence. The Communists railed against the reforms saying, 'These are blatant attacks against the transgender community and also against those who made the choice of not believing. First, they deprive the transgender people from their rights, then they will ban our party and then they will establish a dictatorship. Rights for everyone, we must stand against fascism!' The Left for Progress said, 'If the left-wing politics is not always norms, but the Liberal Democracy is the REAL moral in the Earth. And this proposal against the Liberal Democracy. Your democracy is one of the ancient, defective democracies.' The Government caused more controversy when the White Rose responded, 'Transgender is a mental illness, not a recognised community. The White Rose has been about longer than the commies, and we have never banned them or moved to a dictatorship, such nonsense is not welcome by the left. People are free not to believe, they are not free to publicly blaspheme.'

[Cirith]

Government Undertake Privatisation and De-Regulation Programme!

Sarah Jenkins, the Secretary of State for International Trade and Industry, has launched the Governments programme of de-regulation today after the Regulation Act 4730 passed. She also confirmed that the state had sold the final bank, energy company and train operator shares today, which would be followed by the Chancellor making appointments to the Executive Board of the Bank of Luthori.

The Government have removed all enforcement of food standards provisions and health and safety legislation effective immediately. Instead, the Department for Food and Agriculture has issued food safety standard guidelines, which will be updated annually.

The Department of International Trade and Industry said it would continue to issue annual health and safety regulations, but that these would not be actively enforced. They have confirmed they will undertake an online ratings programme which will rate on a scale of 1 to 10, all big companies based on their adherence to the regulations. There was no detail on which companies would qualify as 'big'.


The Programme launched by the Department of International Trade and Industry

The nationalised banks have been sold off onto 6 large national banks, with account holders receiving letters telling them which bank now holds their accounts. The Government has said that people can transfer their current and saving accounts at will, but cannot shift their mortgages, loans or debts, they must be cleared first, although they did confirm that the privatised banks would honour interest rates and repayment terms on all existing agreements.

There are now 17 private train operating companies across Luthori, replacing the 5 nationalised region-wide companies. The largest company, Fort Rail, operating around Fort William and linking the capital to other cities in Orange, has already announced mass investment in the capitals rail infrastructure, taking full advantage of the low corporation tax. They also announced they would be offering uncapped contracts now that the working time restrictions had been lifted.

The Government divested their energy shares between 5 companies, mostly divided across region-lines with some cross-over at borders. They have announced that new providers may register and begin providing energy from the network provided they meet the national criteria, and can buy power from the privatised generator companies. The Government received some criticism for creating 5 big companies which could potentially dominate the market, they responded by confirming that monopolies would be banned in the energy market.

[Cirith]

Chancellor Appoints Board of new Bank of Luthori!

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Marquis Francis Stinson, has appointed a Governor of the Bank of Luthori, for a term of 10 years, as well as 10 members to the Executive Board of the Bank, all serving 5 year terms. The Privatisation Act 4729 ensures the government appoints the head of the central bank and an executive board to manage the central bank but does not otherwise interfere in its operations.


The Bank of Luthori new logo

The new Governor is Chloe Horton, a former Chief Finance Officer in one of the now defunct nationalised banks. In her first statement, she confirmed that the Board would immediately issue interest charging policy to the new banks who they consider large enough to be covered by the regulation.

[Cirith]

Government Parties Clash on Trade Unions!

The Government have, after 18 months, disagreed for the first time in the National Assembly, over the Trade Unions Act 4730 which would have allowed the firing of illegal strikers and limit trade unions to open shops only.

The LCP said, 'We still support our government; however article 2 is a bridge to far the Government has no right to decide who gets fired or not.'


The White Rose Leader, Duke Thomas, heading to negotiations with the LCP

The Governing Party Leaders, Duke Thomas and Tina Jackson, are expected to meet later to discuss the situation, but the Left for Progress said, 'The essence of this bill is that we defeated the exploiter White Rose and only that matter.'

The Communists took aim at their former partners, the Liberal Bloc, who voted for the bill, saying 'What a shame to see the "Liberals" cooperate with the far-right to sack the workers who wish to defend their rights!'

[Cirith]

New Budget and End to Salary Cap!

The National Assembly passed a new budget, with the Opposition supporting the spending proposals of the Government for the first time in decades. Chancellor Stinson said, 'This is a great day for Luthori and democracy, we came together and agreed new spending plans. The Government is expected to give 'high levels of aid', to do this, we require a lot more money and will invest in humanitarian efforts across Terra.'

The new budget sees revenue of £237.3 billion to spending of £236.5 billion, leaving an £820 million surplus. The historic budget saw the foreign affairs budget double whilst Health & Social Services remains the largest department, a position once held for centuries by the MoD.



The Salary Act 4730 passed the Assembly, with the support of the Labour Party giving it a large majority. The bill terminates the Government cap on all salaries effective immediately. The White Rose said, 'A cap is on aspiration, not just high earnings. There is no point in telling people they cannot earn more than a set amount, all that will do is ensure those at the top drive down the wage of those at the bottom to ensure they earn more, and why work all that much harder when the Government will stop you earning more.'

The Labour Party supported the bill, saying 'We will be voting yes. We also urge our brothers on the left to start reaching across the aisle in solidarity, as we will never get anything done as a nation if we cannot find middle ground. There will NEVER be a dictatorship or even a single party government, as well as a single minded government. We must work collectively in order to succeed.' The CWP opposed the bill, saying 'We believe in the values ​​of our party and will not put them down or betray them just because the middle is more popular at the moment, we will campaign for the left-wing values ​​and fight for it in parliament or regionally. We, Mr Speaker, will vote against it. And I warn all traditional socialist parties who want to vote for ir that they will lose seats and most importantly - people's trust.'

[Cirith]

Governing Parties Make Deal!

The next stages of the Governments legislative agenda has commenced after the White Rose and the LCP agreed private terms to get support for the White Roses proposals on firing striking workers. The Strike Act 4731 allows employers to fire striking workers, provided they have Government approval, which would be handled by the Chancellor of Justice to ensure the reasons where both fair and legal.

Trade Unions had proposed striking about the new bill, but the Prime Minister said, 'We have made clear the Unions that they have not met the necessary voting requirements for strikes. They have agreed and cancelled them. We continue to talk to them.' During the debate on the bill, the Left for Progress and the White Rose came to logger heads debating the differences between employee and employer rights in Luthori.

The Government also passed the Trade Union Act 4731 which means only open shop trade unions are allowed. The Communists decried the bill, saying 'Another attack on the trade unions.' The White Rose responded, 'No, making the Trade Unions open and democratic.'


The White Rose Leader, Duke Thomas, after agreeing terms with the LCP

The next stages of the Government's legislative agenda included;

The Profit Act 4731, which created a fiscally beneficial system encourages companies to share profits with employees, but terminated the requirement to share a minority fraction of its profits to employees.

The Contraception Act 4731, which terminated all subsidisation of contraceptives. The Communists said, 'Contraception is very important because safe sex is the key to end undesired pregnancies. Everyone should be able to afford contraceptives. That way, we'll have less abortions. Isn't it what you want? Or is your far-right ideology more perverse, which consist in doing everything you can to increase the birth rates in Luthori, deprive women from their rights and satisfy your fascist fantasies?' The White Rose replied, 'If you cannot afford contraceptives and do not want a baby, do not have unprotected sex. Abortions will be less because they are now illegal outside of risk to the life of the mother.'

The National Service Act 4731, which means all adults upon completion of schooling must serve either a term in the military or a lesser paid term of civilian national service, at their option.

And, the Nobility Act 4731, which restores all titles of nobility and their use, but gives the granting of said titles to the Government and any other political body designated by it. The Left for Progress and the White Rose came to logger heads again, this time debating the difference between conservatism and monarchism.

[Cirith]

Empire Restored as Government Enact Constitutional Reforms!

The Holy Luthorian Empire has been restored after just 4 years of Republicanism, with the elected Imperator replacing the President, an Imperial Seal Bearer replacing the Prime Minister and the return of the Duchy and Diet system.

The Imperial Restoration Act 4731 officially abolishes the Second Republic as President Michael Hewitt was powerless to intervene, his party dissolved meaning he has no support or position in the National Assembly, he will continue to serve as the censured President until the next election, when the Presidency is abolished. He serves as the Second Republic's first and last President.


Duke Thomas with his wife Sarah as they leave the residence of the President

The Imperator is an elected monarchy position, agreed during the last restoration as the parties failed to agree on a House to take the throne. The Prime Minister, Duke Thomas Weston of the White Rose, said 'We want an hereditary Emperor, not an Imperator. We will continue to field blank papers in the Imperator elections, as we did in the President one, until we can enthrone a Royal House.'

This was swiftly followed by the Administration Act 4731, which restored the Imperial Diet, as well as the Duchy system. It originally reformed the office of the Prime Minister into Imperial Chancellor, but this is now expected to be turned into the Imperial Seal Bearer, under the Imperial Seal Bearer Act 4732 currently on the Assembly floor.

The next election, due July 4734 if not before, will be for 150 Diet seats and the elected Imperator.

[Cirith]

Government Push on with Legislative Agenda !

The Government have ignored calls for early elections, despite the 36 empty Assembly seats, saying they are taking a leaf out of the Communists books who have always rejected early elections when in power, even though they are now calling for them.

The Prime Minister, Duke Thomas Weston, rejected the proposals for compromise on the restoration of the Empire. The Left for Progress had proposed the creation of the State of Luthori, to end the constant conflict between the Republic and Empire. The compromise received the support of the Communists but was rejected by the White Rose, LCP and Labour Party.

The Government has now pushed on with there legislative agenda, with over 16 months remaining on their term if they do not accept early elections in the restored Empire. The new wave of legislation includes no less than 6 bills, as well as an update to the Cabinet/Line of Succession Act.

The Judicial Independence Act 4732 seeks to end the election of judges and magistrates, instead allowing the Ministry of Justice to appoint them. Chancellor of Justice, Edward Rush, confirmed the judges and magistrates would be appointed for life.



The Pollution Act 4732 seeks to terminate all restrictive and punitive pollution standards, creating unenforced pollution guidelines instead. The bill also seeks to change the Governments official climate change position to, 'The official government position is that climate change is a problem. However we have to balance environmental protection with economic interests.'

The Gated Communities Act 4732 seeks to end Government established gated communities and has been met with unanimous support in the Assembly already.

The final set of bills are more controversial as they are around the sanctity of marriage. The Adultery Act 4732 seeks to make adultery illegal, but stops short of prosecution; the Arranged Marriages Act 4732 seeks to end the enforcement and legality of arranged marriages; and the Marriage Act 4732 seek to end homosexual marriage contracts, only allowing those between a man and a woman.

Whilst the Arranged Marriages Act 4732 has been met with unanimous support in the Assembly already, the others have met fierce opposition. The Marriage Act 2732 will end LGBT rights to get married in any form, and the Adultery Act 4732 will once more mean adultery is against the law. The White Rose states that divorce remains a legal option and can be initiated by either party in a marriage so their would be no need to commit adultery.

[bholley55]

Liberal Party holds convention, Martin retains leadership in landslide victory!





BREAKING:

The Liberal Party of Luthori held their first pre-election convention as a federal party in the headquarters city of Richbrough in Northriding. This was the first major event the party has hosted since its' inception. After undergoing many changes throughout the past few years, including three name changes since returning to the national spotlight, the event was an excellent show of force for the party, as well as take care of some legislative business. An election to decide the next leader of the party was held on the 15th, the last night of the convention. The incumbent, and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Jonathan Martin was running for reelection. His lone challenger was former businessman turned lobbyist, Jacques Richards. 4,000 delegates cast their vote and the results were as followed:

JONATHAN MARTIN 3,720 93%

JACQUES RICHARDS 280 7%

In an outstanding showing, Jonathan Martin won his reelection bid as leader of the party and held strong against an apparent attempt to monetize and exploit the party by lobbyist Jacques Richards, who seemingly appeared out of thin air to challenge the chairman. In his victory speech, Martin assured his followers and fellow Liberals that the party will stand firm and emerge successful in the upcoming national election. He urged attendees to get out and canvass for the party in all regions from all corners of the country, and to assure voters across the country that the Liberal Party will always and forever stand and fight for unity, democracy, and civil rights.

Liberal Party of Luthori