Luthori

[Cirith]

Government Present Final Bills Before Election !

The Prime Minister, Duke Thomas, has agreed to early elections once the Rent Act 4732 and the Renewable Energy Act 4732 pass the Diet. The Renewable Energy Act 4732 lifts the restrictions on renewable energy research and investment; whilst the Rent Act 4732 removes all rent regulations.

The Conservative Coalition which has governed since 4729 has been one of the most politically successful Coalitions in recent memory, passing a raft of legislation and reforms, governing for a full 4 year term, and restoring the Holy Luthorian Empire. The next election, expected in 4733 now the White Rose have accepted an early poll, will be the first for an Imperator since the Restoration.


Duke Thomas with his wife Sarah at the White Rose campaign launch

The Duke retained the title of Prime Minister, saying the next elected head of Government will hold the re-established title of Imperial Seal Bearer, a tradition that Weston's will not take titles once they restore or reform offices, they always wait for the next public vote.

The Duke and his wife attended the White Rose campaign launch in Fort William where the party announced they would pursue a further right-wing Coalition after the next election if the numbers allowed, and would pursue aggressive economic reform. The Duke said this would include lifting more restrictions on the free market, ending Government regulations where possible, and that further privatisation was being considered.

[bholley55]

Election Night in Luthori: Jonathan Martin elected Imperator!

Well, the results are in from the 4734 Early Election across our country to decide the next Imperator.

FIRST ROUND:

Jonathan Martin (L) 26,417,195 votes (44.55%)

Unidentified Candidate (WR) 20,225,835 votes (34.11%)

Graham Phillips (C) 12,524,517 votes (21.12%)

SECOND ROUND:

Jonathan Martin (L) 32,941,220 votes (59.74%)

Unidentified Candidate (WR) 22,046,056 votes (39.98%)


In a shocking turn of events, Jonathan Martin has been elected the Imperator of Luthori, despite his party's poor showing in the parliamentary elections. He was greated to a ruckus introduction and applause at the party election night headquarters in Richbrough (see picture above). He wished the other candidates in the race well and thanked them for such a competitive campaign cycle. He also thanked the other federal parties who threw their weight and support behind him, namely the Luthorian Conservative Party, the Common Wealth Party, the Left for Progress, and the Communist Party of Luthori in the second round of voting after Graham Phillips finished third. In his speech, Mr. Martin called for unity within Luthorian Parliament. "The days of parties sticking straight and narrow with their beliefs without any regard for the care and protection of our citizens is over!", he proclaimed. He also called for more involvement from even the smaller parties in parliament, seeming to push for a cabinet that includes every federal party elected to parliament. While it may seem like an outlandish idea to some, to Jonathan Martin, it only seems as likely as the sun rising tomorrow morning.

LIBERAL PARTYOF LUTHORI

[TrueDignity]

CPL News:
April 4733: Dwayne Loops wins the CPL Leadership Election.


The now former president of the CPL Graham Philips was defeated in the second round of the election, facing Dwayne Loops. This failure can be explained by the electoral debacle during the Philips presidency. The CPL had a great success in 4722 becoming the first party and gathering 26.75 % of the votes, a record high since 4624. However, the party quickly lost votes after that and only gained 12.35 % of the votes in 4729.
Dwayne Loops is a revolutionary communist and talks about returning to the "roots of communism". The night of his election victory he said "Mr. Philips dishonored the CPL, we have to come back to more radical points of view and actions to defeat the fascists. That way, we'll achieve victory".
The more moderate elements within the party are fearing that their party may close their eyes on women rights, LGBT rights and minority rights. Some even fear that the democratic principles may become less important for the CPL.
Barbara Garrod, a former CPL parliamentarian, joined the new Left for Progress because of her disagreement over the election of Dwayne Loops at the head of the party.

Nonetheless, Graham Philips is still the CPL candidate for the 4734 election because he was already registered for the early election which was delayed.

https://particracy.fandom.com/wiki/4733 ... p_Election

[bholley55]

Jonathan Martin makes first public address as Imperator of Luthori


Imperator Jonathan Martin addressing the public in Fort William, Orange

In a packed ballroom in the capital city of Fort William surrounded by the flags of each region in the Holy Luthorian Empire, Jonathan Martin made his first public remarks as the newly elected Imperator. We have his speech in its' entirety quoted below.

Good evening ladies and gentleman. I know that there has been a lot of speculation in regards to the lack of communication coming from myself and my office, and I wish to take this time to apologize. My family and I have been mulling over the future of this position, and we've been taking precautionary steps to find ways to protect my family and closest personal friends as the increase in my national profile has surely increased. I thank you all for your understanding, and I promise from this moment on, now that everything has been settled, you will be hearing from myself and my office more frequently. I wish to talk to you about the future of our country and the future of our parliament. You see, when the Liberal Party was brought back to life a few years ago as the Workers' Party, I was tapped to lead the party into the future. With several name changes, we decided to finally settle with being the Liberal Party. We sat through meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion with the other party leaders about how we govern you all into the future. We agreed on issues, and we surely disagreed on issues. However, what we all found common ground on was our love of God, love of people, and love of country. That, my friends, still carries over into our newly elected Conservative government majority. But there are a few things I must get off of my mind. I remember working as a union leader, when a conservative majority ruled over the working class for years, and sitting on the sidelines helped not only my comrades see but I saw myself the amount of damage that was being dealt to the working class. We tried so hard to backtrack their policies when we on the Left finally won a majority, but it seems that our hard work to better our people is being shot down and thrown in the trash. I hear from our members in Parliament daily, and they inform me of bill after bill coming in a lightning flash-like speed progressing their right-wing conservative policies as we knew them in the past. Now, in this role as Imperator I am taking this responsibility in a non-partisan approach, meaning although I am a member of the Liberal Party, I will not speak for them on a national stage. I will leave the debates and partisan speeches to the members of the Imperial Diet. However, with the onslaught of this conservative government, I am asking my party leaders and the other party leaders who fall to the Left to hold meetings, gather and organize and set aside their differences, in order to come up with solutions and policies that better everyone in our great nation. We must set aside the partisan bickering on not just the left, but from both sides and work on policy issues together. Pushing legislation through to a vote without a debate has a dictatorship-like vibe to it, and it is surely undemocratic in nature. We musn't put our policies over the rights and freedoms of our people. That being said, I myself am willing to work with the Imperial Seal Bearer Ms. Tina Jackson in order to come up with solutions and ideas at our level that can give the people hope, strength and security. I also want to address the return of the Holy Luthori Church. While I welcome them back and thank them for their years of service long before I entered into politics, I stand firm with my brothers and sisters across the country who feel that they are only "piggybacking" off of the success of the Conservative movement in our last election. I would love to hear from Pope William II on his reasoning for the party hiatus, and what their plans and polices are going to be moving forward. I tend to disagree with them on many, many issues, as the other members of my party do. The Left I know for sure will be taking a second look at what the HLC, along with the Conservatives and White Rose have planned. Yes, I might say some pretty heated things and in politics there is a whole lot of back and forth, I wish them well and hope they work with the Liberal Party along with the others in order to preserve and protect our nation. I wish everyone in the Imperial Diet well, and I hope that we can all continue to stay the course on our respective sides as well as come together to find permanent solutions to our issues, not temporary ones that in no way benefit anyone. Folks, I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity and your votes to be able to stand here proudly as your Imperator, and I can surely promise you that I will do everything within my power and with the help of the power of the almighty, we will move this nation forward! God bless you all, and god bless the Empire!

[bholley55]

Imperator Jonathan Martin holds town hall regarding the nation's political landscape in Erneshire


Imperator Martin speaks to voters in Adlerberg, Erneshire

Thursday night, Imperator Jonathan Martin held a town hall in the city of Adlerberg, which drew a sizeable attendance despite the Liberal Party's low finish in the region during the last election. He wanted to make clear the fact that he wanted to have a face to face conversation with as many voters as possible, regardless of how they voted or how they plan to vote in the next election.

Unexpectedly, there were no jeers or snide comments that came from the crowd when Martin took the stage. He began his speech by stating,

Ladies and gentleman, I understand that the office of Imperator is almost solely a symbolic position. I don't have really any role in parliament, and I cannot be named as a member of the Imperial Cabinet. But, this position gives me the pleasure of spending every single day speaking with members of the Imperial Diet in all parties, members of the cabinet, world leaders, but most importantly you, the voters in our country.

He went on by thanking everyone for exercising their constitutional right and duty by voting, as the nation has seen a higher voter turnout in the past three elections than we've ever seen. He explained that although not many people in the duchy of Erneshire happened to vote for the Liberal Party, he assured everyone that he wasn't there to campaign for the Liberals and that as long as we have as many citizens vote as possible, that's the only thing that matters to him and the other national party leaders. That being said, he did announce that he will be running for reelection saying,

Although I've done my job to the best of my abilities, I feel that there is quite more that I can do. I want to continue to place Luthori at the forefront of world issues like civil rights, workers' rights, and the environment. Folks in the Imperial Diet can bicker with each other until they all turn blue in the face, but I'm out travelling to share that the nation on a world stage will never be close-minded about any issue, and that I will remain a faithful representative of all Luthorians on any stage this position brings me to.

He then decided to take a different turn than he had taken in his previous event in Fort William, fully addressing the political landscape in the country.

Folks, I don't get involved in the issues that arise in the imperial diet as that's simply none of my business. While I am still the leader of the Liberal Party, I don't hold a seat in the Imperial Diet therefor I don't debate the legislation that passes through or fails. But, there have been a few things that have peaked my interest and I am only bringing them up because I, like you, am a concerned citizen of the Holy Luthorian Empire. In the speech I made in Fort William, I said a few things that werent taken lightly by members on the conservative side of the spectrum, and I want to take this time to apologize for any ill-will that others believed I meant towards them because in no way, shape, or form did I mean that. That being said, I want to talk about the Holy Luthori Church and their conduct in the Imperial Diet. It was brought to my attention by Sarah LeCroff, our party leader in the Diet, that they were attempting to expell and discredit not just the Liberal Party but other left-leaning parties like the CWP, CPL, and LFP from holding a position in the national cabinet under a bipartisan coalition, and even proposing bills at a lightning speed that in nature sounded fascist. I also learned that Pope William II has been referring to God as his reasoning for proposing legislation that bashes our LGBTQ community, tramples on the reproductive rights of women, and pulling tens of billions of funding resources away from our healthcare and medical industries and tripling the defense budget when we all know that we are not entering or starting any conflict with any nation. Folks, I've got to be honest, I don't think William and I worship the same God. The almighty lord that I and we all know and worship, loves all of his children regardless of their identity. I also firmly believe that he wouldn't accept the fact that a government should have the right to take away another citizens rights that were given to them by him, not government officials. The lord believes in clothing and housing the poor, feeding the hungry, and caring for the sick. Ladies and gentleman, that's the Lord I know and I'd like to think that he knows me to. We don't need an elected official who only claims that he can speak with God, and we especially don't need him dividing the nation like he did before.

He then decided to end his event by acknowledging the growing danger of fascism and its enablers,

Before we all get out of here, I wanted to address the arrival of the Luthori Union of Fascists, or "brownshirts" as they call themselves. Friends, when a party comes along with the same ideas as the LUF or any fascist organization aimed at targeting the right of minorities and adhering to hate speech and violence, we have truly found ourselves in troubling times then haven't we? Although I mentioned earlier that I don't make political statements or suggestions from the office of Imperator, I want to make it clear to the LUF and the HLC, of whom the LUF is a staunch supporter and legislative bedfellow, that ideas and laws that incite hatred, bigotry, racism, or xenophobia will never, and I mean never, be accepted in this country. I also want to call on members of not just the left, but members of every single party in our nation, to understand what we're all dealing with here and that now is the time for bipartisanship. Now is the time to stand together not as right wingers, left wingers, or centrists. Now is the time to stand together as Luthorians, as open hearted, open minded, and caring people of this planet. Ladies and gentlemen, I so humbly thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting with you all again. May the lord bless each and everyone of you, and may the lord continue to bless our glorious empire!

The end of his speech drew a roaring applause, a standing ovation in nature. We are all anxious to see how the other parties will respond to the Imperator's address as it will certainly strike a few nerves in the Imperial Diet, but I believe we are all even more so anxious to see how the people of the Luthori will vote come March 4739, and if they hold the same opinions on the political landscape of our country as Jonathan Martin. The only thing left to say is, let's get this show on the road.

[Cirith]

*belated election news

Conservative Government Increase Majority in Election !

The Conservative Government have increase their majority in the newly minted Imperial Diet to 82 out of 150 seats, but the 2 parties have swapped positions with the LCP taking seats and the White Rose losing them, coming in second nationally, to the LCP.

Despite this, the right wing parties secured 51.77% of the total vote with turnout near 80% nationally, giving them a solid lead over the 4 left wing opposition parties. The re-established Common Wealth Party came third with just 15.06% of the vote.


Duke Thomas with his wife Sarah Leaving the WR Results Night at Campaign Office in Fort William

The Duke immediately re-affirmed the White Rose alliance with the Luthorian Conservative Party, confirming that Tina Jackson of the LCP would become the new Imperial Seal Bearer, with him serving as Deputy.

They promised further mass reforms and to serve a full term, bringing it to 10 years conservative majority rule without an early election.

[Cirith]

Conservative Government Continue Moral and National Reforms!



After winning their increased majority at the end of 4734, the Conservative Government have undertaken a new wave of mass reforms from justice to morality.

The Restoration of Justice Act 4734, once more legalises the death penalty as a sentence for terrorism, treason and crimes against mankind. It comes as a shock as the re-introduction of capital punishment passes 137 to 13 votes as the Liberals, CWP and Communists give it support.

The Free Enterprise Act 4734, removes all regulations around monopolies and stock exchanges. The Government hailed it as the lifting of interference and restrictions. The Communists said, 'An unregulated capitalist economy will lead is right in the economic crisis!' It passed down party lines.

The Cryptocurrency Act 4734, abolishes the Governments own cryptocurrency which Chancellor Marquis Francis Stinson hailed as a great move to remove more Government interference in the economy, but allowed for regulated private cryptocurrency to be issued. The Chancellor confirmed that the Board of the Bank of Luthori had been asked to draft those regulations and create a selection process for private institutions. The bills passed with support from the Liberals.

The Morality Act 4734, implements a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy relating to homosexuality in the military, ending the open policy and the MoD said it would be implemented immediately. The Liberals and Communists joined the Government, with the Communists saying, 'We need a strong and powerful military. We believe it is a step in the right direction.'

The Census Act 4734, created a religious census, to be undertaken every 10 years by the Home Office, to monitor the faith in Luthori, checking which churches had support and check the adherence to the official, but voluntary, state religion, the Holy Luthori Church. The bills once more passed with Liberals and Communists support, along with Left for Progress.

[Cirith]

Opposition Lose All Bills as Government Split on Foreign Investment !

The Opposition have lost no less than 6 votes in the Imperial Diet and the Government joined with the Liberals to condemn statement by the new Communist Leader. At the same time though, the Coalition parties split on the White Rose endorsed Investment Act 4734 which would have removed the need for Government approval on investment sourced outside of Luthori, but ensured no one based outside the country could get a majority of shares in any Luthorian business.

The Investment Act 4734, would have meant foreign investors could invest in national companies freely, but may not get a majority share, instead of the current need to obtain government approval for all investments in national companies. The bill was a surprise split for the WR and LCP allies, losing 73 to 77. Strangely, the White Rose, Common Wealth and Liberal Party all voted for the bill, whilst the LCP, Communists and LFP all opposed.

The new Communist Leader, Dwayne Loops, used his maiden speech in the Diet to address the recent election. He said, 'The fascists may have won, they may have 82 seats. but all of this was not in vain. I have taken back the party left by Graham Philips in a terrible state and stopped its decline... there IS NO COMPROMISE WITH FASCISTS! That should be our policy from now on. We must fight these policies inside and outside the parliament for victory to be ours.' The CWP aligned with the Communists, with their Leader, Aida Bat-Elle saying, 'We agree with the CPL because we have to fight outside of Parliament and convince people.' The Liberals surprisingly opposed the statement, with the LFP abstaining in the vote.


Duke Thomas arrives for the Opposition Motion votes in the Imperial Diet

The CWP's Democratization of the Economy Act I 4735, which would have encouraged the formation of Democratic Workers' Councils through subsidies and tax exemptions was rejected by the Government along party lines, although the White Rose did say, 'We would not oppose removing the restriction, but we will not encourage.' DMC's remain banned from running businesses in Luthori.

The Communists lost their bill to restore the Chairman of the Board of Science and Technology. The Government abolished the Board in their last term, merging the Department into Trade and Industry, allowing for an elected Speaker. The Liberals and LFP joined the Government to reject the motion.

The Communist Nationalisation of all Banks 4735 also failed along party lines, the Conservative Government privatised the banks just 4 years ago when they divested the nationalised banks into 6 large private banks. The bill failed along party lines.

The National Service Bill 4734 which would have ended the lesser paid term of civilian national service option was rejected and once more the Coalition parties split in the vote. The LCP endorsed the Nebular proposed bill, whilst the White Rose joined the opposition parties to reject it. The exact same voting lines occurred on the Privatisation of Telephone Lines Bill 4734 by Nebular.

[Cirith]

Further De-Regulation and Subsidy Removal Leads to Talk of Strikes !

The Conservative Government Act 4735, the brain child of the new Imperial Seal Bearer, Tina Jackson of the Luthorian Conservative Party, has passed along party lines but met with fierce opposition from not just political parties but also unions and activists.

The first parts of the bill which encourage teacher-led prayers in schools once more and increases the retirement age by 1 year, were left relatively undiscussed as the opposition rounded on the key articles on subsidies and regulations.

The Act removes all price regulations on the energy companies meaning the 5 energy conglomerates the Conservative Government authorised to operate 5 years ago are now unrestricted in their charges. The Act terminates subsidized tuition which has been in place for more than a century, brought in by the White Rose themselves, although it does allow scholarship programs. The Act also terminates all subsidies for public transport companies.


The TWU launch their 'Secure the Future' campaign

11 of the 17 private train operating companies across Luthori, which replaced the 5 nationalised region-wide companies 5 years ago have all announced price increased over 5% on tickets. The largest company, Fort Rail in the capital, has said their ticket price for inner city travel will increase by 12% from midnight.

The Transport Workers Union immediately issued the Government notice that they would be seeking strike authorisation from their members. Authorisation is not easy in Luthori as the Unions must hold a ballot of all members before going on strike, a majority of all members, regardless of if they vote or not must approve the strike action.

Teachers unions have said they will also begin the process and called on the Government to re-instate subsidies to ensure an educated population, allowing every single citizen to access higher education. Their are activists peacefully protesting outside the new Headquarters of each of the 5 energy conglomerates calling on them to freeze their prices.

[Cirith]

Duke Talks About HLC Return, Address Imperator's Recent Public Addresses !

Duke Thomas Weston, the Duke of Greater Youk in Northriding, has addressed a large home crowd outside the White Rose National HQ in the city of Youk today. He spoke candidly about the HLC's unexpected return to the national political scene, as well as the recent public addresses made by Imperator Jonathan Martin.

On the HLC, the Duke was quick to remind people that the political party is NOT the national state Church itself, but more an anti-Pope set up by a cult of sycophants. He said;

We remember the dark days of the HLC. The managed to gain pilitical support by the mere fact they went to extremes and every party opposed them, making them stand out to the right wing of Luthori. That will not happen again, we will make sure they never impose religious clothing, prayer or mandatory religion on the Luthorian people. They may have enjoyed some political success, but they have never successfully led a Coalition or been able to maintain long-term support to govern, and we hope that remains the case. Let me say, here and now, the White Rose will never enter Coalition with the HLC, no matter what. The Commies like to call me far-right, I have always rejected that as we make our decisions based on reasoning and the policy presented, our believes are centre to right wing, no extreme right. The HLC are a far right group which, if we are honest, it is a national tragedy they have returned.

Duke Thomas addressing the crowd at home in Youk

The Duke went on to talk about the new Imperator, the first since 4728 when the 4 Year Republic was declared. He welcomed the Liberal parties commitment to voting on legislation based on belief and review of the policy, and not blind opposition to the Conservative Government. He confirmed that the White Rose would field a candidate for Imperator against Mr Martin, but would not be completely dejected if he should win again, especially if it keeps the Commies or HLC out of the Office. He said;

The Liberals are not the enemy, they merely have different beliefs. They seem to be willing to engage which should be welcomed as this term has actually, despite all the radical reforms the Conservative Government has undertaken in the last decade, this term has seen a lot of collaboration. A lot of big wins on bills with cross-party support, and that can only be good for the democracy they claim we want to destroy but which the White Rose has upheld for 520 years!

When asked about the Imperator's town hall in Erneshire, the Duke said;

The people of Erneshire know better than to trust the left, but if he is being honest and genuine, then I am not completely opposed to what he is saying. We have different views and position on civil rights, workers' rights, and the environment, but I believe we both hold strong convictions on those belief, and have our own reasons for the policies we pursue.

The Duke went on to confirm the Conservative Government would continue to present legislation as it was not finished, despite attempts to bring it down by an Opposition who never had the numbers to succeed.