Mersch - National Gazette

[Mersch]

HIGH QUEENS "CHILDHOOD OVER"
Happy Birthday Your Majesty

Today marks High Queen Philippina's 18th birthday and therefore her unrestricted reign begins. The High Queen inherited the throne of Mersch at the age of 8 following the death of her Father. High King Eduard died in 2012 following a short illness brought about by a suspected poison. With two daughters the family saw the crown pass to Philippina with her uncle Dietmar acting as effective monarch until she reached certain landmarks. At the age of 16 the High Queen was permitted to appoint nobles and make presentation of various honours. She also was permitted to undertake various significant ceremonial roles. At the Age of 17 she was permitted to act as commander in chief to the military and now as she reaches her 18th birthday she has full control of the Kingdoms. Celebrations took place across the nation to mark the beginning of a new era. One of the leading figures in the young High Queen's life has been Anneliese Hahn, one of a team of tutors who has helped guide both the High Queen and her younger sister Magdalena. While having had some powers the Queen has largely been closely managed by her family and the civil service. The day started off with the High Queen sharing a photo of her and her sister before posting on instagram a message hinting that she intends to start travelling the world. Anneliese Hahn explained that the High Queen has always had an interest in the world. "In her bedroom it was sometimes quiet sad. She brought a huge map from online that had the outline of every nation on Mundus. It was one of those that you can use a coin to scratch off where you've visited and it just sat there on the wall untouched. Meanwhile she'd get bombarded on social media from people around Mundus. While our generation would have had pen pals she did, thanks to the Intelligence Services, have some online pen pals that she valued. The map had postcards and photos they'd send her surrounding it. Now she'd going to get to see all those places."

The day to day business of the High Queen is managed by a Royal Secretary, the current one is Liselotte Van Amelsvoort. Miss Van Amelsvoort confirmed that the High Queen has already begun plans for the first nation to be scratched off the map. "Today we have RSVP'd to an event in Lijiang. Its a country we know little about but the High Queen has already ordered lots of books be delivered from the National Library." We asked Miss Van Amelsvoort about other plans and were told. "This world has numerous exciting and diverse countries. She plans to visit as many as possible. Remember that although we could say today means childhood over she is still a young woman and the interests that go with it."

The leader of the Kingdom of Attert, Fürst Kaspar Martens, was among the first to send his best wishes, along with a stallion and mare. In an official statement he said, "Our system of government has in many ways held us back. We've now the energy of a hyperactive 18 year old to drive us forward. I look forward to the ride." The 27 year old has long called for the High Queen to be given an education on "the world" but Intelligence Services have been in his mind overprotective. "The High Queen has been denied a normal childhood, she's been surrounded with hand picked people her age to be friends, not necessarily people she'd naturally be friends with. My concern is that she now not overdose on freedom. She's a real difficult task ahead of her and I will do what I can to help."

The High Queen spent the day with family and some friends before going to the highly rated Juniper Restaurant in the capital city. This evening she will welcome all the Fürst's of the Kingdoms to the Royal Palace and host a formal ball. It is thought each Fürst will also publically retake an oath of loyalty now the High Queen is technically an adult.

[Mersch]

HIGH QUEEN OPENS HER FIRST COMBINED COUNCIL

It is tradition that upon ascending to the throne or every June the monarch addresses the Combined Council, the nations elected body with members from all four Kingdoms. This year with High Queen Philippina having just turned 18 and assuming all her royal powers it was determined that she would under take the opening as her first real official duty. The day began with the High Queen posting a rather cryptic message on social media which increased interest in the speech that would be given. The High Queen was accompanied to the Combined Council Hall by members of the Marine Guard as is tradition however she declined to wear the crown of state. Upon arrival she was presented with a gift by the youngest member of the Council, 23 year old Mikhael Aichner. Councillman Aichner presented the High Queen with a brooch of silver in the shape of an oak tree. The High Queen presented the Council with the traditional gift of a barrell of ale before taking her place in the Council speakers chair. The details of the Queen's speech are reproducted below.

Since 2012 our nation has been in a kind of hibernation. When my father died the crown passed to an eight year old children whose mother whisked her away from the world and spun her up in bubble wrap. I've spent the last ten years quiet literally watching the world through my window. The problem is that while I was sat in the family home in the woods outside Wahlstadt as a nation we did likewise. We sat in our province of North Alba Karinya watching the world go by. This was because my mother was scared that a wrong move would mean she would lose her daughter. I should have been inconsequentle. What is good for the Kingdoms comes first and always should. We can always get a new monarch, and in some ways despite me being on your stamps, your coins and your bank notes for the last decade today marks the real start of the reign of a new monarch. Therefore there has to be changes, some you will like and some you will hate.

To start with there will be one that you hate. Those involved have been informed by me in person today and I thank them for their service. Starting tomorrow I shall be appointing a totally new cabinet. We have always had a law that the monarch may pick any individual who could be a member of the Combined Council to be a Minister. That though has meant that for about the last hundred years monarchs have always picked Councilman. I will not, at least not for now. I shall be picking experts in their field to be Ministers. Currently Mr. Jacques Denberth serves as Minister of Education, he has tried hard and I respect him, but he has never had to stand in front of a class and teach. If we are asking people to run parts of our nation they need to be experts. I will ensure the best and brightest in each role are appointed, if at some point down the road an amazing teacher enters the Council then I will naturally pick them but for now there is nobody who I believe fulfills the criteria.

My second change is that I am implementing a change to the way tax money is distributed to the four Kingdoms. Currently they are paid an annual amount to run infastructure projects and to invest in their communities. This will continue however at present we have a 10% sales tax across the Kingdoms. I am now stating that this will be split, 7.5% will go to central funds while the 2.5% will go to the Kingdom in which it was collected. It is fair that the Kingdoms that contribute the most tax get the most to invest. Local communities know best which streets need repaving, they know best which villages need new swings for their childrens parks and they know best which high streets need investment. It is my hope this measure will the Fürst of each Kingdom a boost in their spending.

Thirdly I want to start work on strengthening relationships with our neighbours. We recently saw the nations of the Illumic meet in East Moreland to reaffirm their co-operation. My mother is her wisdom believed that as East Moreland has issues with terrorism our representative would be in danger. As a result we've missed out. I intend to catch up. I am not yet sure whether we shall go and become a full member of something like MICA but we can't afford to never leave our homeland. We have two of the more politically active nations on our continent and I want to meet with them, and everyone else soon. East Moreland and Heyra must be nations we work with on a huge manner of tasks. I am also grateful to the royal familes of Rokkenjima and Daito for their well wishes on my birthday and while diplomacy may traditionally be conducted informally I am of the younger generation and social media is a useful tool, if someone invites me then I'll accept whether its a Tweet or a wax sealed envelope.

My final thought I want to share with you is a promise. Mersch currently is a tiny acorn in terms of how the world sees us. It takes many years, centuries sometimes, for the biggest oaks to grow. We don't have that time. My promise is by the time I'm 21 that our nation will not be isolated, we will not be that eight year old girl sat at her bedroom window watching other boys and girls playing in the woods. We can not and we will not be frightened of the world and I will not be frightened of leaving the Palace.

Over the next 12 months I intend to ask you to work very hard. I expect you to step up and if you can't then step aside. I wish all of us good luck.

Following the end of the speech it was revealed that the High Queen has already moved out of the Palace and has purchased her own house in Wahlstadt. The High Queen has spoke several times of regretting missing out on lots of things young girls have and seems intent on making up for lost time.

[Mersch]

DOWAGER QUEEN TO BE "UTILISED ELSEWHERE"

In a day where High Queen Philippina was reported to have interviewed several people in regard to Cabinet positions there was also one firm announcement. Many had expected the High Queen's mother, Anna-Bernice to have a significant role. The Dowager Queen has effectively been regent for the past decade and authored much of the nations legislation during that period. Pundits expected her to be given a role such as Home Affairs Secretary or Foreign Secretary however that will not be the case. The High Queen's Royal Secretary, Liselotte Van Amelsvoort announced. "Her Majesty hopes to be able to finalise a cabinet over the weekend. I can confirm some positions were offered and some accepted. There are still posts to be filled before we make any official announcement. I can however confirm that the Dowager Queen will not feature in the cabinet but will be utilised somewhere else." It is now expected that she will be utilised either as some sort of Special Envoy or an Ambassador.

The High Queen did today though state that the funding of the Armed Forces is to be cut. In a statement read out in the Combined Council the Queen wrote. "For the past decade we have spent money on the armed forces in two very clearly defined ways. The first was to maximise the amount of forces around myself and around my sister. We never travelled anywhere if it wasn't with a huge military escort or in a heavily armoured vehicle. We spent insane amounts of money on domestic military security when there was no need. The second way we spent vast sums was on fortifying things that didn't need it. We have borders with several nations that have not even remotely threatened our borders for a very long period. Why do we need huge bunker networks facing East Moreland? As a result I will be cutting military spending and streamlining some of the measures we have taken in previous years. Our armed forces are bloated for a nation of our size. We will hopefully be able to do this in a way where no one is forced from a job they need or enjoy. It is my hope we can find a way for example to allow those with long service to take early retirement and allow them to enjoy the fruits of their labours."

[Mersch]

HIGH QUEEN APPOINTS FIRST MINISTER

High Queen Philippina has today appointed the first member of her new cabinet. Erik Haanraats has been appointed Minister of Science and Technology. The 32 year old entrapenuers appointment has raised a few eye-brows as for the last two years he has kept out of the media spotlight. After leaving University in 2011 during his 2nd year of a four year degree course Haanraats established EHCable, a company that sought to provide cheap broadband internet across the nation. By 2014 his company had earned a reputation for embracing cutting edge technology and had branched out into telecommunications and micro-electronics. In 2017 he sold his company for $300million and twelve months later established Haanraats Media, a broadcasting and media publishing house that began to make TV series, films, video games and a range of other mediums. In 2020 he sold Haanraats Media to a major media corporation for $400million and announced that he intended to retire to the countryside, buy a villa and marry his model girlfriend Famke Kauffmann. It was rather surprising then when he was named in this role.

The High Queen issued a statement that said, "As a young girl I had broadband provided by EHCable, companies across the Kingdoms ran their technology off EHCable connections. As I grew older I watched TV shows that carried his companies name. As media evolved his businesses were pushing what we could do here in Mersch. He built two successful businesses and created thousands of jobs across the Kingdoms. When I said I wanted people with proven track records running departments this is what I had in mind. I am very proud that Erik is returning to the public eye to be in my cabinet. I have asked him to explore avenues of ensuring that Mersch becomes a major player in global science and technology. He has the connections and the ideas that can make this work and I look forward to working with him."

Erik Haanraat was present in Wahlstadt, the capital of the Kingdoms, to accept the appointment. He spoke briefly with the media. "I'm excited about starting a new chapter in my life. I had intended to spend the next 70 or so years sat in the countryside sipping chilled wine, eating fine food and getting fat. In truth though after just 24 months I was bored out of my head. I loved spending time with Famke but she's always busy with her projects and her work. She loves what she does and I'd never hold her back. What I need is something I can get my teeth into. I was scratching around for a project when Her Majesty contacted me out of the blue. I've got a chance now to make us a leading player in the world of Science and Technology and there are a great many businesses out there I'd love to get to work with."

The High Queen says she expects to have the full cabinet in place within the next 10 days. She has ruled out a position for her mother, Dowager Queen Anna-Bernice saying "My mother has served the nation and now its time for others to step up. I have offered her a role to allow her to continue to have a minor position but it will be exactly that minor."

[Mersch]

YOUNGEST CABINET IN NATIONS HISTORY

High Queen Philippina has today finalised her cabinet and it is the youngest in the nations history. The High Queen had promised that she would not be appointing people based on previous service within the cabinet nor family connections and would instead be seeking to appoint people with relevant experience in the fields that they would become Minister in. With an average age of just over 33 some have said that they are concerned about the lack of experience. One of these is King Nikolaas Kerner of Kiischpelt who has said "We have in the past had excellent cabinets drawn from the two Councils, none of these people have even stood for election to the Combined Council and yet now they have a portfolio to manage. They do not understand the systems required to make things work. I can only hope they hit the ground running."

The High Queen though has denied that this need be a concern saying, "Over the past decade we have seen a cabinet drawn from the Councils, people who have made a career out of just being politicians. I believe that they have lost touch with the real world in some ways. I've selected people with a record of success in their field. I've thankfully convinced some to leave careers they are doing great at to come and serve me and the nation. I'm excited what we can do together." The various members of the cabinet will arrive in the capital of Wahlstadt tomorrow and swear the oath of office before attending a meeting with the High Queen.

Below we have a break down of the cabinet and its new members.

Minister of Finance - Pien Drechsler - Aged 29 Miss Drechsler has been a member of the Kingdom of Winseler's Economic Forum for the past three years. The Forum exists to help manage the finances of the largest of the four Kingdoms that make up Mersch. She has been advocating "Caveated Taxation" for business in which incentives are given for businesses to pay less tax if they meet criteria such as reinvesting profits, sharing profits with employees and various other "positive actions". This approach has however received criticism from some who say it is too complex.

Minister of Education - Liselotte Kristiansen - Aged 33 she is somewhat of a national Twitter celebrity among teachers. Qualified as a Literature teacher she set up the "Book Nerd Network" (BNN) which saw teachers using Twitter to share teaching resources and ideas. The BNN even began to organise social events between teachers and eight years ago hosted its first "Big Book Club" conference, which is now an annual gathering of around 300 teachers. She has published six books focusing on different aspects of promoting teaching and learning.

Minister of Home Affairs - Vilhelm Jensen - Aged 31 he is a former member of the National Border Force. In 2020 he became the youngest commander of a Border Force Patrol Ship in history. He left the service six months ago having become the father of a son with medical conditions that drove him to want to spend more time ashore. He is perhaps one of the least well known to the public members of the cabinet.

Minister for Foreign Affairs - Wanda Grosse - Aged 27 she is a former researcher for the Erderm Institute, a think tank dedicated to pushing for greater international co-operation in many different fields. She had worked for the Institute for four years and in that time had written no less than sixteen position papers including two examining the nations relationship with MICA and the AKO. She is the only member of the cabinet to a member of the Cult of Helus with all other members following Labrysism

Minister for Justice - Ulf Baumann - At the age of 46 Mr.Baumann is the oldest member of the new cabinet. He has served as a public prosecutor for the last seven years and has experience of tutoring at University. In 2017 he was part of the prosecution team that successfully oversaw the famous Jerssonstadt murder case where Thomas Holm was found guilty of 17 murders over six years. He has on several occasions advocated for a return to the death penalty.

Minister of Defence - Hendrik Kuijpers - The 33 year old is a injured member of the nations Air Force. Mr. Kuijpers was a pilot of a strike fighter which in 2020 experienced engine difficulty and ditched in the Illumic during which he fractured his leg and now walks with a cane. While recuperating he began working with several veterans societies to help organise events to commemorate and celebrate the nations forces. He served briefly as one of three aide-de-camps to the mother of High Queen Philippina but resigned after three months as he disagreed with the Dowager Queen's stances on regional politics. 

Minister for Transport - Frode Messmann - The 39 year old is the former Director of Push Deliveries, a company that utilised bicycles to conduct deliveries around the pedestrianised centres of some of the older medieval centres found in some cities of Mersch. In 2018 he sold his share of the company to his two business partners and has since spent time supporting sport in the Kingdom via gaining shares in football, rugby and hockey teams.

Minister for the Environment - Meinard Essert - The 27 year old is a Professor of Environmental Management and has spent the last twelve months conducting an indepenent government review into coastal beach management. While a student Mr.Essert was a member of the National Students Environmental Society that campaigned for several reforms across the nation in terms of waste water, soil pollution and use of green energy.

Minister of Farms, Forest and Fisheries - Renate Fisker - The 34 year old is the middle child of the Fisker Family who have for the past 100 years run the Fisker Alliance, an organisation that has taken the families fortunes from coal mining in the 1800's and utilised it to support restoration of former mining areas. In many places this has seen them turn what was once spoil and slag heaps of mines into woodland habitats for animals and in some places farmland. Renate is the only daughter of the family and has been heavily involved in the front line of the Alliances efforts to restore woodland in the south of the nation.

Minister of Culture and Sport - Anuschka Burgstaller - The 31 year old is a former performer of the Royal Ballet who for the last six years has also operated her own dance production company. In 2019 she won a national award for cerography and in 2020 she was recognised as one of the nations best young producers of dance. She has been a regular campaigner for more funding in music and dance in schools over the past 18 months. Her uncle Philip is also Assistant Coach on the national hockey team.