Rutania

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Against the backdrop of the nation’s precarious economic situation and the complete destruction of the nation’s once famed “regional economic development model” at the hands of successive conservative administrations, the serious tone of the Lord Chancellor’s first meeting with the Toiseachs of the provinces had been well-established. Amidst a lack of critical cashflow from the national government into supporting provincial projects having a major influence on the Labour Party’s victory throughout last month’s super election, the Toiseachs hoped that they would not be caught making the same mistakes which turned many voters towards the RLP. “It would be beyond ridiculous for us to promise transformative reforms throughout Rutania and reverse our commitments once we’ve obtained power. Doing that will make us no different from the tories the Rutanian people resoundingly rejected in this most recent election.” Toiseach of Garraway Peter Buchanan told reporters mere moments from the commencement of the meeting. Beyond being a major departure from the established order set by previous governments, the gathering is geared towards bridging the gap between the national government and the provinces. Successive political administrations had established a quasi-canyon between the provinces and the national government, with the inability of Toiseachs to communicate their challenges to the national government mainly being facilitated via their respective Parliamentary Secretaries (i.e. the Parliamentary Secretary for Garraway, North Glenshire, Ardern etc), and the Lord Chancellor and senior members of the cabinet primarily maintaining an arms’ distance. Numerous political scientists have attributed this lack of core communication among the nation’s key decision-makers as one of the numerous factors influencing the nation’s social, political and economic decline as well as the hostile status quo between civil servants within the service of the provinces and those within the service of the national government. In a press statement issued moments prior to the meeting’s conclusion, Beauford House (the Lord Chancellor’s Office) Press Officer Steven Wilson confirmed that the meeting had drawn inspiration from similar gatherings done by the heads of state of Lodamun and New Englia. “Although the Lord Chancellor views it largely unnecessary to maintain a portfolio such as a Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs as had been proposed by many over the past decade, he views this meeting of the Toiseachs as an opportunity to broaden the scope and reach of intergovernmental communication. Through this gathering, which I should note will become an annual event, the national government and the provincial governments will work together towards making Rutania one of the greatest nations in the world,” the statement read.

Following the meeting, Lord Chancellor Cochrane led separate substantive press conferences with the various Toiseachs, pledging the national government’s support for their respective economic ambitions. Standing alongside the Toiseach of Ardern Lachlan Ramsay, Lord Chancellor Cochrane stated that the national government would ultimately support the province’s ambitions towards becoming one of the key manufacturing hubs on the Artanian continent. Toiseach Ramsay expanded by noting Ardern’s established history in the manufacturing sector largely due to the work of previous RLP governments in the province. “The rebirth of Ardern’s manufacturing might is within reach. I am both delighted and excited to know that Ardern will receive the help it needs towards pushing our agenda. This province has endured much hardship amidst our declining economic situation; various factories and companies which were once profound hallmarks of our achievements as a province and as a people are no longer with us. It is my hope that we can leverage our inherent advantages towards both salvaging our existing pool as well as preparing for our hopeful leap into greater growth,” Toiseach Ramsay said. As part of a preview of the government’s wider plans for economic development and planning, Secretary of State for Economic Planning and Development Dr Emily McKay was on hand to provide greater context to the government’s agenda and the potential implications for the provinces. “I wouldn’t want to misstep and speak to points which the Lord Treasurer [Dr John Allison] will speak to in his budget presentation, but the wider gist of the agenda would be for each province to maintain a broad “Development Bank/Agency” which would be responsible for financing, developing and potential implementing all plans related to provincial economic planning. Therefore, Toiseach Ramsay’s plans for Ardern’s manufacturing sector would undoubtedly be developed, financed and implemented by this future Development Bank/Agency alongside the Provincial Government,” Dr McKay explained. Alongside Toiseach of Garraway Peter Buchanan, Lord Chancellor Cochrane committed the Department of Food and Agriculture to the province’s drive towards re-establishing itself as a major food producer on the Artanian continent. According to Buchanan, although the province had numerous advantages including arable land and relatively flat topography, its inability to leverage infrastructure has hindered its potential. “Amidst decades of chronic mismanagement at the hands of the Tories, significant investment is needed in the era of decay among our rural communities,” Buchanan noted.

Minister of State for Rural Economic Development Caelan McKenzie confirmed that the Department of Economic Planning and Development was currently in the process of obtaining feedback of its broader plan for revitalising the nation’s rural communities, which he noted was extremely integral to the success of Garraway’s ambitions in the agricultural sector. He noted that one of the recommendations coming from economists and civil society include the creation of an independent authority responsible for revitalising communities akin to the Lodamese Rural Development Administration. According to McKenzie, such an entity’s creation would ultimately be pursuant to a cabinet decision and the approval of the Lord Chancellor but urged the public to await the Lord Treasurer’s budget presentation.

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Having had the importance of regional economic planning underscored by both Lord Treasurer Dr John Allison and Secretary of State for Economic Planning and Development, Dr Emily McKay, the Barrymore Executive, the province’s supreme executive decision-making body, is the first subnational government to complete have outlined its intentions for the province’s economy in the future. At a joint press conference held alongside Provincial Secretary for Finance and the Economy Mark Stuart, Toiseach of Barrymore Struan Milne stated that in step with the province’s established history in the ocean/blue economy, the province would refocus its efforts on transforming Barrymore into a major player on the Artanian continent within the blue economy. He stated that whilst increased investment into the “blue economy” could range from plans for the redevelopment of the Rutanian shipbuilding sector in Barrymore, the province’s initial focus would ultimately be aimed at rebuilding coastal communities, primarily those communities which have been the most impacted by the previous centuries mismanagement of the province’s and by extension the state’s maritime resources. “I believe it would be remiss of me to state our objective of wanting to become a major player in the ocean/blue economy on this continent without bringing to the public’s attention the fact that we maintain no initial interest in developing a shipbuilding industry at this stage. I am aware that such a decision would come as a surprise to many and will draw considerable backlash, however, at this moment, we remain focused on rebuilding coastal communities which have been hardest hit by the decades of mismanagement at the hands of previous administrations both here in Kirkland and in MacIntrye,” Milne explained. In step with the party’s campaign promise to introduce an economic planning authority within the province, Milne revealed that the recently reconstituted Barrymore Development Agency (BDA) would act as the province’s central planning authority. Milne noted that under previous BLP administrations, the BDA had been primarily responsible for financing economic development initiatives within the province, pointing to the BDA’s failed attempt at financing a particle accelerator within the province alongside private sector partners. He explained that ultimately, the reformed BDA would be largely responsible for targeting investment/financing into strategic areas throughout the province whilst also ensuring the province’s economic activities align with its broader objectives. According to Secretary Stuart, although the BDA would be a largely independent authority, it would be under the purview of his Ministry of Finance and the Economy. “In budgeting for the coming fiscal term, we will be working in tandem with the BDA to ensure the economic agenda of our party and recommendations from the BDA are fused to ensure unison. We are largely seeking to avoid the confusion of previous administrations and hence, all matters related to economic planning and development would ultimately fall under the Ministry of Finance and the Economy instead of five separate entities,” Secretary Stuart clarified. Milne ended the press conference short of providing details surrounding the province’s budget for the coming term, however in a passing remark he noted that the province would be focused on “coastal communities” and “maritime resource management”.

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Although there is a case to be made that the nation’s manufacturing “renaissance” should be led by the central government, Toiseach of Ardern Lachlan Ramsay believes that it is imperative that the province get a head start, noting the allure of dependence on the central government is often difficult to break for most provincial governments. At an event hosted by the Ardern Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Ramsay recounted the means by which the province’s once-promising manufacturing sector had been allowed to slip into mediocrity, thus enabling the rise of other manufacturing centres throughout the continent. He noted that amidst the failure of successive governments to focus much of their attention and energy on supporting the businesses where the vast majority of the province’s manufacturing might is located: small to medium-sized enterprises, many businesses found themselves on the short end when the nation’s precarious economic crisis hit. “Owing to their failures many businesses were forced to shut their doors, thus killing the momentum we had spent decades building,” Ramsay proclaimed. Not sparing his own party for its own failures, Ramsay stated that successive RLP administrations within the provinces had ultimately failed to work both resilience and long-term planning in much of their economic agendas, pointing to the Ardern Labour Party’s historic record of solid, competent economic planning yet lacklustre monitoring and reform. “Ardern is the home of broad economic planning in Rutania as much of the ideas and thinking behind economic planning today in Rutania originated from the work done by successive administrations. Where we continue to fall short as a province is monitoring and ensuring that these plans are highly responsive to changes in the macroeconomic environment,” he explained. According to data from the Ardern Department of Business, Innovation and Employment, around 1,386 micro and medium-sized businesses have identified themselves as being either a part of or working in conjunction with the province’s manufacturing sector. The data noted that many of these businesses are involved in light manufacturing, ranging from textiles/haberdashery to machine parts/inserts, with growing interest among numerous startups to become involved in more specialised heavy industry manufacturing such as automotives, microchips, steel and aluminium processing, etc. President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Elodie Patterson stated that although it was imperative for the province to focus on supporting domestic industry, the role of FDI (foreign direct investment) should not be discounted. Pointing to the relative success of numerous businesses on the continent, she noted that Ardern and by extension, Rutania must snatch at every and all available opportunities to attract foreign businesses to establish centres for growth within the nation. “A revival of domestic manufacturing and a commitment to support local businesses should remain a priority for both the provincial government and the national government. We [the Chamber] are pressing the importance of foreign direct investment in the rebirth of the provincial and national economy. We should encourage firms such as ADG, SlipStream and other firms throughout the continent to come to Rutania to take advantage of the inherent benefits of the Rutanian people,” Patterson proposed. As part of the province’s broader commitment to a restructuring of its economic planning culture, Toiseach Ramsay unveiled the Ardern Development Authority (ADA) which would be wholly responsible for leading the province’s efforts in leveraging its inherent advantages, having been empowered to govern over the province’s soon to be announced “Advanced Manufacturing Fund”.

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In what defence planners and policymakers have called a decision long in the making, but thankfully brought to the forefront by the new government, the Department of Defence has released the “Strategic Defence White Paper,” the first of its scope and scale in decades. At a press conference held at the Cabinet Offices in St. Glasdoine, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Grant called the document, “the single most important document related to the Rutanian Defence Force in centuries.” Being the first defence white paper by the government in decades, the document had been highly anticipated throughout various political administrations however had yet to see the light of a public release. According to insiders familiar with the report’s unredacted version, much of the report’s time behind closed doors was spent sensitizing the Rutanian defence community including planners and the nation’s infant defence industry to the demands and expectations of the future Rutanian Defence Force (RDF). The document offers a realistic and much-needed reassessment of the Rutanian Defence Force, particularly its role within Rutanian foreign policy, regional and international geopolitics and more importantly, within Rutania proper. Secretary Grant notes that the review had been initiated with the hopes of correcting a major issue within the defence architecture which had plagued the nation for decades: the unsuitability of the RDF and its capabilities. He explained that it lays out plainly that in its current form, the RDF does not adhere to a coherent doctrine or strategy from which its tactics and specialised capabilities may originate. “It has been no secret to those who have been paying attention to developments within the RDF for decades that it is simply not fit for purpose.” Secretary Grant explained. Recently appointed Chief of the Defence Force General Michael MacMillan, who was also present during the press conference, confirmed that the White Paper makes certain a major restructuring of the Rutanian Defence Force. He noted that in order to move forward into the modern era and therein enhance its capabilities beyond its current limitations, the RDF would have to abandon its centuries-long dogma of “total defence.” Amidst a heightening of tensions throughout the world, most notably drawn from the manoeuvres of the world’s larger military powers, General MacMillan notes that the Rutanian Defence Force must be restructured with the sole purpose and intent of protecting the nation’s interest both at home and abroad. “Whilst this paper does not call for some sort of imperialistic grab as we have seen with other territories, it nonetheless impresses upon the entire defence establishment, the need to ensure that we [Rutania] can respond to perceived threats to our domestic and regional security,” General MacMillan posited. Although the document did not outline what the new defence establishment considered the most definite threats to Rutanian domestic and regional interests, it noted that there was a need for the Rutanian Defence Force to adopt a model which would not lend itself to rigidity but instead flexibility. “In responding to emerging threats, the Rutanian Defence Force must embody a structure which, owing to its flexible nature, would allow for the RDF to respond swiftly and adequately to challenges of varying scale and complexity,” the document read.

The document notes that although it advocates for an enhancement of RDF capabilities with a vision of the self-sufficient Rutanian defence establishment, Rutania must not shy away from aligning itself with like-minded nations of the world. It notes that in an era of unofficial alliances, caricature foreign policy and nations feigning neutrality, the world would be better off without the uncertainty brought to the forefront by certain nations. It noted that the “reformed RDF” must make yeoman efforts to reduce and/or eliminate instances of military miscalculations by enhancing cooperation with nations throughout the Artanian continent and beyond. It proposes a strong and reliable security cooperation arrangement between Rutania, Luthori, Dorvik and Hutori which would become the foundation upon which regional stability operations will be based and from which, the aforementioned realignment of Rutania to like-minded nations will flow. “By anchoring itself to these nations, Rutania ultimately proclaims to the world, that these are the nations which we [Rutania] consider to be our closest allies and the foundation upon which much of our posture beyond our nations and well into the region and beyond rests,” the document notes. The White Paper reiterates its position against the idea of an aggressive RDF as it delineates: “Although the reformed RDF must prepared to confront potential adversaries as they may arise, it must by no means adopt an aggressive stance. The RDF must become a force for good not only within the region but wherever it may operate. Therein it must remain committed to the principles of mutual cooperation and respect for all nations and forces which it comes across.” Connected to this position of alignment with like-minded nations with respect to defence, the document notes that the entire defence establishment must be committed to working with partners not only within the region but throughout the world. The Rutanian defence industry must be prepared to cooperate with other territories and companies in order to achieve the overarching objectives of the White Paper. It posits that greater cooperation and coordination between Rutanian companies and their partners would lend itself to great innovations in technology, which would in part lend itself to a more capable RDF. Beyond this, it offers that a whole-of-community approach must be established going forward, pointing to the historically reserved nature of Rutanian defence intelligence. Rutanian defence intelligence agencies have traditionally maintained an inherent suspicion of foreign intelligence sharing, noting the potential that the information shared could be used against Rutania in the future. The report rejects this notion, stating that although such a policy would play well towards derisking the RDF, such a policy would be retroactive when applied to potential allies/partners and could potentially disrupt the flow of credible/actionable intelligence between states. “To this end, the Rutanian Defence Intelligence Organisation (RDIO) must become receptive to the idea of cross-border intelligence sharing. Whilst it is important to note that it must maintain a degree of suspicion as it pertains to the medium by which it shares information with allies, it must nonetheless remain committed to the idea of sharing information with like-minded nations for the benefit of all,” the document notes.

Speaking on the broad transformation of the RDF structure as outlined in the white paper, General MacMillan noted that although numerous legacy formations including the Airborne/Paratroopers and the Royal Marines will be retained, the doctrines and strategies governing said units will see a major transformation. He explained that the Rutanian Army, the Royal Rutanian Air Force and the Royal Rutanian Navy would ultimately be joined by a new formation coined the Royal Rutanian Territorial Guard. The Territorial Guard, according to General MacMillan takes inspiration from the Kazulian Home Guard and the Lodamese Commonwealth Guard in that it will be a formation whose principal purpose will be on local defence and civil support, safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity. He noted that the formation would take over from the paratroopers as the nation’s premier rapid reaction force, adding that the TG would herein be responsible for responding to threats on Rutania’s immediate borders and could also be called upon to aid law enforcement in domestic operations in certain circumstances. Beyond this, the TG will take over much of the responsibilities of the Geàrdan Sìthe with respect to maritime security, thus enabling the TG to assume the role of the Rutania’s Coast Guard in all but name. The document noted that as far as the nation’s land border is concerned the TG will be primarily responsible for assisting the Geàrdan Sìthe in border checks, should the need arise. “There will be specific circumstances governing when the Territorial Guard can be called up to operate at the Borders or to join the police in domestic patrols, such circumstances will undoubtedly be based on the assessment of the Secretaries of Home and Kingdom Affairs and Defence respectively,” General MacMillan explained. By creating this new formation, MacMillan argues that the Rutanian Army would be allowed to streamline its structure towards matters pertinent to a modern land force. Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sìomon MacGhearailt confirmed that in step with the White Paper, the Rutanian Army would be returning to a flexible mechanised/motorised mobility structure. He noted that the rationale is primarily driven by the need for the Rutanian Army to prepare itself for high-intensity and low-intensity conflict, explaining that high-intensity conflicts involving major armoured formations are a reality on the Artanian continent and that low-intensity conflicts involving highly mobile units are likely to be elsewhere. He noted that the Rutanian Army would be following the equipment regime of the Luthorian Armed Forces albeit with changes “here and there, upon assessment.” Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Peter Burnett stated that the Royal Rutanian Air Force had to step into the modern era and had to be the tip of the spear as it pertains to Rutania’s adoption of cutting-edge/advanced technology. “We need to be at the forefront of military innovations as a means of maintaining an edge over our counterparts. We have to demonstrate that although we will be a relatively small operation compared to our regional counterparts, we are nonetheless as lethal if not more.” Lt. Gen. Burnett revealed that his wish list for Royal Rutanian Air Force (RRAF), would be for the nation to procure the Unionfighter, the Tornado, the AV-13 Fiskeørn and the F-15. Concluding on the navy, Lord Admiral Sir Felix Anderson stated that the Royal Rutanian Navy will be taking a measured approach in gradually building up in strength, noting that it intended to learn from a lot of the mistakes of its Luthorian counterparts.

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As a largely rural province, it is expected that any major economic restructuring in Garroway would lend itself to a similar reorganisation of rural economics. As the titular home of Rutania’s once-budding agricultural sector, historically the province has often leaned on the sector as a means of jumpstarting economic movement throughout its economy. In many instances, the agricultural sector and the various businesses which support the sector, be it directly or indirectly have often been marked as the province’s economic foundation, owing to its established importance. Having achieved a broad commitment from the national government, specifically the Department of Food and Agriculture, Toiseach of Garraway, Peter Buchanan believes that the province can continue to lean on the agricultural sector albeit a diversified one. According to Buchanan, the province’s historic failure to rely on the agricultural sector largely stemmed from endemic failures to diversify the sector. He noted that under previous administrations, although the agricultural sector had received considerable attention, not much had been paid to building resilience into much of the plans and arrangements established. Pointing to the fact that much of the funding for the agricultural sector has historically been oriented towards scaling up the productivity capacity of firms/entities operating within the sector, Buchanan posits that there needed to be considerable attention placed on ensuring the sector was as diversified as any other sector. “Although there had been yeoman efforts to boost productivity among farmers and agribusiness, there had not been much attention placed exploring new avenues for growth within the sector. We can have agricultural processing, fisheries even research and development. We don’t simply have to focus on farms only, there is a world of immense opportunity for us to do what many are not,” Buchanan proposed. Returning to his point on rural economic development, Buchanan stated that in rebuilding the province’s economy, particular attention had to be placed on implementing policies which rebuild the potential and might of Garraway’s communities. “We can make these amazing speeches and orations about the world of opportunities for us to snatch yet, all of it would amount to nothing if we fail to mobilise our rural communities. Rural economic development is extremely important to this province and we have achieved numerous commitments from the national government to support us in these efforts.” Buchanan said. In a press release following the Toiseachs' meeting with Lord Chancellor David Cochrane, Secretary of State for Economic Planning and Development, Dr Emily McKay confirmed that the national government had intentions to create a “Rural Economic Development Corporation”, modelled after a similar structure in Lodamun which would finance rural economic development projects throughout Rutania. The release noted that in the rationalisation of the national government’s wider strategy, entities such as the proposed “REDCorp” would be a quasi-subsidiary of a much larger national development authority. According to Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Communities Caiden Sim, the vast majority of the province’s broader agricultural and rural economic development strategy will be unveiled in the coming weeks to months, with the first announcement following the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy’s budget present.

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Although the sector has been largely forgotten, cast to the wayside by the nation’s previous political administrations and subsequently left to weather the numerous financial and economic storms of the Artanian continent seemingly on its own, Rutania’s financial services sector and its performance/relative health remains important to the overall performance of the Rutanian economy. Although the sector is in many ways a shell of its former self, having been forced to shed much of its strength in order to survive decades of austerity, uncertainty and below-average economic growth, financial services and insurance continues to employ around 5% of the Rutanian population and has solidified its positions as one of the key linchpins of the modern Rutanian economy alongside manufacturing and agriculture. Although there have been yeomen efforts towards diversifying the underlying structure of the finance and insurance sector into investment banking which it was hoped would lend itself to a broad expansion of various Rutanian banks throughout the Artanian continent, much of the sector remains anchored to traditional commercial and private banking, with the vast majority of business between financial institutions being centred around serving small businesses and citizen transactions. In its most recent report on the performance of the financial sector and its general stability, the Bank of Rutania noted that owing to historic failures by the central government to intervene via structural reforms to the financial system, Rutanian banks continue to underperform compared to their counterparts in Luthori and Dorvik. It notes: “The broad success of incremental reforms within the Luthorian financial system therein reinforces the importance of similar reforms for Rutania. In the absence of structural reforms aimed at baking resilience and competitivity into their respective growth models, Rutanian banks would continue to fall behind the regional average.” At a press conference held alongside Financial Secretary to the Treasury Fern MacLeod ahead of his meeting with the financial services sector, Lord Treasurer Dr John Allison stated that the reforms to be undertaken by the Department of the Treasury would focus on structural and procedural reforms, most of which would likely be implemented by either the Bank of Rutania or the Department itself. He noted that in conversations with the Governor of the Bank of Rutania, Dr Conor McCulloch, the central bank governor had advocated for an increase in the bank’s independence from the Treasury. Although the BoR exercises relative independence compared to other central banks throughout the world, McCulloch posits that it can enjoy greater autonomy/independence which would ultimately lend itself to a more proactive BoR rather than one which is reactive. McCulloch, although having been recently appointed as the Bank’s Governor, has been a long-time proponent for stress testing Rutanian financial institutions including commercial, investment and private banks alongside cooperatives and credit unions. He notes that the practice is done throughout the world, particularly in territories with wide experience in the financial services sector and is often used to prepare financial institutions for potential external shocks and build resilience among firms. In an open letter penned to the then Governor of the Bank of Rutania Dr Leighton MacDonald, McCulloch a university lecturer at the time, proposed that the Bank of Rutania mirror the regime implemented in New Englia, positing that it would be better to build resilience in Rutania’s infant financial institutions now instead of the the future, thus allowing for a cultural of resilience to develop within the sector naturally. Financial Secretary MacLeod noted that the structural reforms package the government intends to implement would mainly focus on the reorganisation of the sector’s administration and oversight. Pointing to the experiment in the City of Lonmouth in New Englia, MacLeod stated that a similar structure would be implemented in St. Glasdoine, which would see the management of Rutania’s future “international financial centre” largely left to the City of St. Glasdoine Corporation, the municipal body responsible for governing St. Glasdoine, the Rutanian capital.

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Statement by the new Lord Chancellor
On the occasion of the appointment of a new Cabinet of the Privy Council

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Torsten Robertson the Marquess of North Glenshire has today appeared outside Kinlair House to address the public, press and both Houses of Parliament for the first time since his election as Lord Chancellor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed members of Parliament, representatives of the press, and the citizens of Rutania,

Today is a momentous occasion as I address you for the first time since assuming the role of Lord Chancellor. For those of you who do not know me, I am Torsten Robertson, the Marquess of North Glenshire, and I stand before you not just as an individual but as Leader of the Imperial League of Rutania. Following our electoral victory, and before the formation of this government, I sought the confidence of my party, in a vote that returned resounding support for my continued leadership. The trust placed in my leadership is a testament to our commitment to democratic principles and the values we hold dear.

In the brief time since the formation of the First Robertson Ministry, we have diligently worked to fulfil the promises outlined in our party's manifesto. Today, I share with you the outcomes of the first three legislative decrees passed by both Houses of Parliament.

The first decree encompasses a broad spectrum of reforms aimed at shaping the future of Rutania. From addressing reshaping the national cabinet to introducing economic reforms, and redefining our cultural identity, this decree embodies our commitment to progress, inclusivity, and the preservation of our rich heritage.

The second decree proposed by the Lord Warden of the Duchy of Murray focuses on redefining the structure of devolution in Rutania. It emphasises a cohesive and responsive governance system, aligning with our historical and cultural roots. Concurrent elections, early elections, and the establishment of vital components such as the Gathering of Clans and Chieftain's Council reflect our commitment to a more integrated and harmonised Rutania.

The third decree, focused on the structure of government, stems from an internal review and consultations with His Royal Highness the King. It establishes the 'Great Officers of State,' ensuring a streamlined and efficient cabinet. The introduction of the positions of Lord Steward, Lord Constable, Lord Exchequer, Lord Advocate, and Lord Warden of the Duchy of Murray present our more structured approach to governance.

Each of these decrees is a step toward a more prosperous, inclusive, and culturally rich nation. We move forward with a clear vision, a commitment to democratic ideals, and a dedication to the well-being of every Rutanian citizen. I return to working now, for you. Together, let us build a Rutania that honours its traditions, embraces progress, and stands united in the face of challenges. I thank you all for your trust, and I look forward to the journey ahead as we navigate these transformative times together.

God Bless Rutania. Thank you."

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Lord Torsten Robertson, Marquess of North Glenshire
Lord Chancellor
Head of Government

Lady Isabella MacGregor, Countess of Dunhaven
Lord Steward
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

Sir Ewan Wallace CPM KGC
Lord Constable
Secretary of State for the Home Department

Lady Aileen MacTavish FRSA CPA
Lord Exchequer
Secretary of State for Finance

Sir Edwin Howard KC KGGC
Lord Advocate
Secretary of State for Justice

Laird Eric White of Killmoran
Lord Warden of the Duchy of Murray
Secretary of State for Devolution and the Constitution



Field Marshal Robert MacLocke CCC RGC
Secretary of State for Defence

Professor Malcolm Fraser FCIHT PIPD
Secretary of State for Transport and Infrastructure

Doctor Fiona Stewart DHCM
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Professor Eilidh Cameron PES FCCS
Secretary of State for Education and Culture

Lady Morag MacDonald CFHAS
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology

Sir Lachlan Adair KGC
Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

Sir Hamish McLeod KT
Secretary of State for Business, Trade, and Industrial Strategy


Mr Lachlan Thistlewood CGC
Minister of State for Tourism and the Clans

Mr Toren McGellen MAgSc
Minister of State for Agriculture and Fisheries

Ms Eilwen Sinclair BIdM
Minister of State for International Development

Sir Cairn MacBryde KC KGC
Attorney General

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Beiteynu
"The time is now"; Sneakyeth delegation tours Artania - June 5409

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Office of the Lord Chancellor

Lord Chancellor Lord Torsten Robertson Announces Comprehensive Response to Ikradon Crisis

In an effort to address the escalating crisis in Ikradon, Lord Chancellor Lord Torsten Robertson has announced today the passage of a Special Legislative Decree, granting the government the authority to take specific measures in response to the instability and civil conflict in the neighbouring Ikradon. The Lord Chancellor, following parliamentary approval, has directed key government officials to commence immediate actions aimed at stabilising the situation and providing humanitarian assistance.

Field Marshal Robert MacLocke, the Secretary of State for Defence, has been directed to commence the amassing of troops in the provinces of Barrymore, Ardern, and Moorland. This strategic deployment is part of Rutania's commitment to regional stability and security, as we actively contribute to efforts to address the crisis in Ikradon.

Simultaneously, the Minister of State for International Development has been tasked with establishing humanitarian zones within the borders of the Kingdom of Rutania. This initiative aims to provide refuge and aid for citizens affected by the turmoil in Ikradon.

To deepen Rutania's involvement in stabilising Ikradon, the Lord Chancellor has directed Lady Isabella MacGregor, the Lord Steward, to initiate the building of an international coalition with allies and partners. This diplomatic effort underscores Rutania's commitment to a coordinated response to the challenges facing Ikradon.

Lord Chancellor Lord Torsten Robertson emphasised the gravity of the situation and the need for a comprehensive and compassionate response. He stated, "Rutania stands ready to fulfil its responsibilities on the international stage. The measures we are taking, both militarily and diplomatically, reflect our commitment to promoting stability, protecting the vulnerable, and fostering peace in the face of crisis."

The Lord Chancellor concluded by expressing gratitude for the parliamentary support and urged citizens to stand united. Further updates on the progress of these initiatives will be communicated in due course.