Tropica

[jamescfm]

     Council of Regions votes to block coalition's constitutional reforms
               22 September 4816

The upper house of the Tropican Parliament, the Council of Regions, has voted against legislation that would have marked the most significant constitutional reform in generations. Despite the support of a number of Labour Party representatives, the government legislation was defeated by a resounding margin, with only 36 votes in favour but 63 cast against.

Although the legislation was widely expected to fail due to the firm opposition of the Labour leadeship and the majority of the upper house's independent members, the confirmation has set the stage for a consitutional showdown. The most contentious part of the legislation is the proposal to completely abolish the role of Rangatira, a hereditary clan leadership position that is still used as the head of a small number of Tropican regions. Both of the two coalition partners campaigned on a promise to abolish the office, which they deride as undemocratic.

The role of Rangatira was included within the provisions of the 4635 Tropican constitution to secure the support of a number of Mātou groups who continued to operate according to traditional tribal leadership structures. Since then several of the regions have abolished the office independently and the few that remain are located in the country's easternmost reaches. While the actual operation of the office varies between these regions in most places it has the effect of establishing a quasi-absolute monarchy for certain local policy issues.

Recent opinion polling on the subject has shown that the public supports the government in abolishing the office and that even a majority Mātou people are against the continuation of the role. In spite of this opposition, politicians (especially those of regional parties) perceive the issue as a symbol of the federal government imposing on indigenous administrations. The decision of a number of Labour representatives to break their whip, however, suggests that the matter has divided even those within the same political party.

At the moment it is not clear how the coalition government will respond to the vote in the Council of Regions. Although they have a majority in the National Assembly and the power to call an early election, they cannot do so for the Council of Regions. Like executive positions at the regional level, seats in the Council of Regions are elected according to a variety of procedures. In a controversial post on social media though, the Deputy Prime Minister suggested that the government might attempt to utilise the electoral commission in the next boundary review to punish regions who oppose their legislation.

     Nikutabi Today is an independent local newspaper in the Tropican capital that covers news, culture, politics, economics and sport

[jamescfm]

     Nikutabi to ban all vehicles from city centre starting next year
               19 July 4818

In a bold attempt to embrace the environmentally-friendly label that has frequently been assigned to Tropica, the capital's mayor Taanga Petera has announced that Nikutabi will prohibit all vehicle traffic from the city's central region from the beginning of next year. The full details of the new plan will be published in the coming months but it is expected to build on the long-term project of "pedestrianisation" of the national capital that has been implemented by a succession of metropolitan administrations.

In the past three decades new measures including cycle route extension and the provision of bike racks have seen a record increase in the number of residents using bicycles as their primary method of transport. Petera, who has been the capital's mayor for almost twelve years, is the chair of the Urban Sustainability Group, a non-partisan group of local officials that have been working together to implement radical and innovative approaches to urban development.

Extensive regulation across the capital already limits the usage of automobiles. The "pollution tax" requires residents who live within the wider metropolitan region to pay an additional fee on top of ordinary road tax if their vehicle falls within strict limits on emissions. In addition there is a so-called "green zone" within the city's Churchtown business district that all drivers must pay a fee to enter by road.

Despite praise for the plan from some individuals and environmental groups, others remain unsure about the effects of the newly proposed scheme. Opposition politicians have criticised the mayor's efforts to transform the city into one of the greenest in the region as "bad for business" and even some within the Labour Party have been sceptical on the impact of regressive taxation models. Annabel Morris, a lecturer in environmental science at the University of Nikutabi, said the plan was "half baked" and claimed it was not a "long term solution to structural problems."

     Nikutabi Today is an independent local newspaper in the Tropican capital that covers news, culture, politics, economics and sport

[jamescfm]

National Museum of Science opened by the Kaitiaki in Tropica City
7 June 4820

Kaitiaki Hannah II was alongside the Minister of Research and Science in the former capital of Tropica City this morning for the official opening of the recently completed National Museum of Science. Since the project was first announced almost a decade ago, it has become a focus of government attention and has been hailed by the Prime Minister as "the most ambitious cultural and educational project in the country."

The new building was designed by architect Erin Miller in a modernist style that incorporates allusions to traditional Tropican design. With funding provided by the federal government the institution will operate on a donation-only basis and allow free admission for both locals and tourists. Over the coming years it is hoped that the museum will attract new visitors into the city in an attempt to revitalise a local economy that has suffered since political and economic institutions were moved to Nikutabi.

Organised into a number of sections based around different branches of science, the new Museum focuses particularly on astronomy and geoscience. In addition to the primary exhibitions there will be capacity for three rotating or travelling exhibitions from across the country or the world too. The museum is the latest in a series of projects by successive governments to expand access to educational institutions across the country.

The Tropican Daily Dispatch is an independent daily newspaper in Tropica that covers topics including politics, economics, culture and sport

[jamescfm]

     Rebel Labour MPs leave the party to form new movement
               23 April 4827

Thirteen members of parliament from the Labour Party have issued a joint declaration stating their intention to form a new "political and social movement" directly inspired by the resurgence of the Liberation Movement in Seko and their continued belief in an economic programme that centres worked-based cooperatism. The decision was announced at a press conference in the capital where the MPs, led by senior backbencher Kamaalit Godara, expressed the view that their party had "abandoned a commitment to working people and economic justice."

In the past two years since Fetu Kuresa became the leader of the Labour Party, he has sought to de-emphasise the party's commitment to democratic socialism in an attempt to win back voters from the conservative governing parties. Although there has been little concrete electoral evidence of the effectiveness of this strategy, the party has been ahead of their rivals in National Action in the national polls for most of the past eighteen months.

Despite this relative success many members of the party, including many backbench parliamentarians, are nervous about shifting their economic policy to the right in the long-run. For many years the Labour Party has been among the few electorally successful democratic socialist parties in the southern hemisphere and Godara has previously warned that the party should avoid "applying alien electoral tactics to the Tropican democracy."

Although it is not clear whether the new movement will be adopting the name, the new party is clearly inspired by the Liberation Movement's political programme and societal approach. In their joint declaration, they deliberately evoked the wording of the preamble to the Sekowan constitution by stating their desire for a movement "based on respect and equality for all where the desire for a good life predominates."

The new movement is not the first time that Sekowan cooperatism has exercised a philosophical and political influence on the Labour Party though. In their press conference the new movement's leaders were keen to emphasise that the Labour Party enjoyed its most consistent success under the leadership of Makuku Manuera. Throughout her leadership of the party as well as her two-decade premiership, Manuera was explicit that the Sekowan model was a key underpinning of her economic policy. Despite periods of conservative rule of the country, many of these economic ideas continue to form a core part of the Tropican economy.

     Nikutabi Today is an independent local newspaper in the Tropican capital that covers news, culture, politics, economics and sport

[jamescfm]

Hannah III crowned as Kaitiaki in scaled back ceremony
31 January 4859

Following the death of Kaitiaki Pahu at the end of last year, the new monarch has been formally crowned in the national capital. At the request of the new Kaitiaki, the ceremony was somewhat scaled back in recognition of the tragic period endured by the royal family over the past several months. Having produced no heir of his own, Pahu was succeeded by his eldest niece Hannah last month only six weeks after the death of her own father.

At the relatively young age of forty-three, Hannah assumes the throne in unusual circumstances for a contemporary monarchy. The new monarch's mother Ruhi was the third child of the Kaitiaki Hannah II and was not expected to be a prominent part of the royal family for most of her early life. When the Crown Prince renounced his claim to the throne though, Ruhi edged closer to the line of succession. Eventually it became clear that her elder brother did not intend to start a family and Ruhi was expected to succeed to the throne herself until her death three years ago.

For most of her life, Hannah has tended to limit her public appearances and maintain a reserved family-oriented lifestyle. At the age of twenty-two she married the Luthorian-Sekowan businessman Rei Mifune and the couple have four children including the new Crown Prince. Even since her formal succession last month, the new Kaitiaki has spoken publicly only once and in doing so indicated that she is still in a period of grief following the loss of her father and uncle.

Notably she did not request the attendance of any foreign dignitaries at her coronation. The primary guests were members of the royal family, a select few notable Tropican political figures, a small number of priests and some close personal friends. The coronation received remarkably little attention in the press and among the public. Although the Tropican nobility is renowned for eschewing many of the formalities of other royal families, the most recent event was remarkable even by the country's standards.


The Tropican Daily Dispatch is an independent daily newspaper in Tropica that covers topics including politics, economics, culture and sport

[jamescfm]

     Co-operative Union wins historic election victory
               14 September 4860

Daisy Timu-Fisher is expected to be invited to form a government by the Kaitiaki this week after her political movement, the Co-operative Union, won an unprecedented victory in yesterday's federal legislative election. Despite being the third largest party in the National Assembly heading into the eleciton, Timu-Fisher capitalised on widespread disappointment with both major parties over the past three decades and a record turnout among rural voters to win the largest number of seats for a single party in almost a century.

For the past three decades since their foundation, the Co-operative Union has prospered primarily as an electoral vehicle for disgruntled members of the larger, centre-left Labour Party. Timu-Fisher has spent most of the past seven years reinventing the party in an attempt to position them as a major political force in the country. At the core of this electoral platform has been a firm commitment to a "co-operative economy" that echoes the politics of former Labour leader and Prime Minister Makuku Manuera.

Like most Tropican governments, the new administration faces the challenge of an upper house in which they are the firm minority. In spite of their relatively recent political growth however, the Co-operative Union has benefited from a significant number of key defections from both the left-wing of the Labour Party as well as a selection of like-minded regional parties too. In a long speech to an assembled crowd in the capital on election night, Timu-Fisher paid tribute to a number of key influences and contributors to the election win including the celebrated Sekowan thinker Kono Saki by saying she would create "a country where the youth can fall in love".

     Nikutabi Today is an independent local newspaper in the Tropican capital that covers news, culture, politics, economics and sport

[Pragma]

Hannah III of Tropica visits Emperor
3 December 4861

Above: the Imperial Palace in Kamalata

[jamescfm]

Thirteen people dead following unexpected volcanic eruption
30 January 4862

Prime Minister Daisy Timu-Fisher has promised an investigation into safety procedures surrounding the island of Akanahe after thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when the volcano that constitutes the island erupted. Despite it having no permanent population, almost a hundred visitors were on the island as part of official tours when it become to erupt at around 11am yesterday morning.

The island of Akanahe is one of the northernmost islands in the country and is composed of a single submarine stratovolcano that has been erupting periodically for the past seven years. In spite of this it is still possible for tourists and researchers to visit the island for both commercial and scientific reasons. Following the deaths it has been suggested by some that access to the island should be permanently prohibited. At the moment the Prime Minister has shown no sign that she will be taking such a step though, instead emphasising that it would be better to wait for the conclusion of an investigation into why so many people were present on the island when it erupted.

Akanahe is located extremely close to the boundary between the Temania and Vascanian tectonic plates that have shaped the modern geography of the southern hemisphere in more than just geological terms. Alongside a number of other nearby islands including the much larger Sasilimu, it has in the past been claimed by Tropica's larger neighbours on the Vascanian continent. In recent centuries though these tensions have been eased by a number of agreements affirming sovereignty over most islands in the disputed region.

The Tropican Daily Dispatch is an independent daily newspaper in Tropica that covers topics including politics, economics and culture

[jamescfm]

Prince Matthew marries Princess Amelie Orléans-Vasser-DeChambeau
12 December 4878

In an uncharacteristically lavish ceremony in Nikutabi, Prince Matthew has wedded the Lourennais Princess Amelie of the historic House of Orléans-Vasser-DeChambeau. The young couple announced their engagement earlier this year having been publicly together since the beginning of 4877. The wedding was notable for a variety of reasons and was a historic first in the recent history of the Tropican royal family, attracting both domestic and international attention usually not paid to the relatively modest House of Tropica.

Prince Matthew is the first Tropican heir to marry a foreign royal since the establishment of the House of Tropica over a century ago. In the recent past, Tropican royals have taken spouses ranging from actors to businesspeople but have not tended to marry into other noble houses. Unlike many marriages of this kind though, the wedding is not believed to have been in any way arranged. Quite the opposite: it was apparently a source of frustration to the Kaitiaki that her grandson had chosen to marry a foreigner, as she feared he may be tempted to spend long periods in Lourenne as a result.

In addition the wedding was the first in the history of the Tropican royal family to take place in an Aurorian church. The royal family have traditionally been members of the Bishopal Church of Tropica, which previously served as the nation's established church in the early post-colonial period. Prince Matthew chose to convert to the chosen faith of his fiancée several months before the wedding and the wedding, which was held at the Church of the Queen in the capital.

Aside from the personal details of the relationship, some commentators have noted a political dimension to the wedding of Prince Matthew and Princess Amelie. The couple are believed to have first met during a visit by the Prince to Lourenne on behalf of the Kaitiaki. Over the past decade the two countries have recognised a closely related international policy agenda that seeks stronger relationships between the countries of the east and the promotion of sustainable energy. In some sense the royal marriage is a symbolic recognition of this increased cooperation.


The Tropican Daily Dispatch is an independent daily newspaper in Tropica that covers topics including politics, economics and culture

[jamescfm]

     Landmark constitutional reform approved by Parliament
               4 January 4879

Parliament has approved a set of key constitutional reforms proposed by the government of Daisy Timu-Fisher. The most significant constitutional changes since the adoption of the 4635 Tropican constitution, the reforms significantly reduce the power of the Council of Regions in favour of the National Assembly. For many decades successive Tropican governments have struggled to deal with the fractured politics of the Council of Regions and there have been numerous failed attempts to reform the institution.

Historically the Labour Party has allied with regional parties to prevent reform to the structure of the Council of Regions. Even when they have been in opposition, they have retained sufficient support in the upper house to block any major change. Since her initial election almost two decades ago, Timu-Fisher has been consistent that her government would restrict the power of the Council of Regions if they had the votes to do so. Three regional elections at the end of last year finally gave her the chance.

The legislation was supported by the opposition National Action. Despite some public consternation about cooperating closely with her conservative rivals to ensure the legislation was passed, the Prime Minister ultimately decided that it was "in the interest of the country to act for reform". In the end the vote turned out to be much more comfortable than expected in the Council of Regions because the Labour leadership whipped their party to abstain.

As a consequence of the legislation, the National Assembly will become the de facto dominant chamber within Parliament. Though the National Assembly has always held more power than the Council of Regions, the latter had significant power to block legislation. Both chambers could originate legislation and both had to vote in favour of a bill before it could be approved and become law. The procedure for overriding opposition from the Council required a two-thirds majority vote in the lower house, something which was usually impossible.

Under the new constitutional settlement, legislation must originate in the National Assembly, which is granted the power to overrule the Council of Regions with a majority vote if a bill is returned to them more than twice. In addition the composition of the upper house will be radically overhauled. At the moment there are a variety of different methods of election or appointment used. From next year a new system will be introduced that involves regional governments appointed a proportional number of delegates to the chamber.

     Nikutabi Today is an independent local newspaper in the Tropican capital that covers news, culture, politics, economics and sport