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Messages - CGJ

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121
Conference Hall / Re: A Summit For Reform
« on: January 09, 2018, 05:26:13 PM »
Quote
Drop the Naming already xD

NO :(

122
Government Archive / Draft Constitutional Amendment
« on: January 09, 2018, 12:59:31 PM »
Constitutional Amendment Act (2018)

An act to amend the Constitution to abolish the Premier and the Regional Assembly, and for connected purposes.

WHEREAS the members of the Independent Order have, after due time and consideration, determined that there shall exist a single Constitution with supreme authority over all laws,

AND WHEREAS said members believe such Constitution has, since its enactment, failed to increase activity with regional governance or gameplay, and therefore believes significant amendments are required,

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, by and with the advice and consent of the Regional Assembly, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Amendments

(1) After subsection 2a, insert:
“(b) Making any such enactments required for the peace, order and good government in the region;
(c) Appointing Ministers, the Lord Chief Justice and the Roleplay Moderator, and any other formal positions, where required;”

(2) In subsection 2b, omit ‘Premier elections and’.

(3) Section (3) shall be repealed.

(4) Section (4) shall be amended as follows:
“(4) The Grand Chancellor may be recalled following a referendum of all eligible members of the Independent Order, as defined by law. Should a Grand Chancellor be recalled, then an Constitutional Convention shall be required to appoint a replacement.”

(5) Article Two, including sections 5-13, shall be replaced with:
Article Two: Legislation

(5) The Grand Chancellor may enact any legislation, including amendments to the Constitution, Criminal Code and Roleplay Rules.

(6) Any enactment made shall be known as Acts of the Chancellory.

(7) The Grand Chancellor must, when seeking to make such legislative changes, publicly post, and announce on Discord, the regional message board and any other relevant areas, the proposed Act in the Conference Hall.

(8) The Act must remain in the Conference Hall, open for public debate or opposition, for a minimum of 72 hours, unless such an Act would amend the Constitution, Criminal Code or Roleplay Rules, where it must be open for at least 96 hours.

(9) Any eligible member may petition in the Conference Hall thread to block an Act. Should the petition receive two further signatures from eligible members while the Act is in the Conference Hall, then the Act shall be subject to referendum of all eligible members.

(10) Any eligible member may bring forward their own legislative amendments and, with the support of four further eligible members, require the Bill to be brought to a referendum of all eligible members.

(11) The Grand Chancellor may, where authorised or required by law to do so, issue statutory instruments known as an Order of the Chancellory (herein ‘Order’). No Order shall need prior approval, however, any eligible member may bring forward, to the Conference Hall, a petition to repeal the Order. Should the petition receive four further signatures from eligible members, then the Order must be withdrawn.”

(6) Article Three, including section 14-20, shall be repealed.

(7) Section (22) shall be amended as follows:
“(22) The Roleplay Magistrate shall be appointed by the Grand Chancellor for an indefinite term. The Roleplay Magistrate may be dismissed by the Grand Chancellor, or may be recalled following a referendum of all eligible members of the Independent Order, as defined by law.”

(8) Section (26) shall be amended as follows:
“(26) The Lord Chief Justice shall be appointed by the Grand Chancellor for an indefinite term. The Lord Chief Justice may be dismissed by the Grand Chancellor, or may be recalled following a referendum of all eligible members of the Independent Order, as defined by law.”

(9) In section (29), omit ‘Regional Assembly’ and insert ‘Grand Chancellor’.

(10) In section (29), omit ‘Zetaboards Terms of Service and Terms of Use’ and insert ‘Forum Terms of Service Act (2015)’.

(11) In section (30), omit ‘, with the exception of members of the Regional Assembly.’

(12) After section (30), insert:
“(31) An eligible member is one who has been a member of the forum for a period of at least 45 days, has made more than 20 non-spam posts on the forum, and is not serving any form of sentence under the Criminal Code (2013) or the Forum Terms of Service Act (2015).”

Consequential provisions

(13) All previous Acts of the Assembly shall henceforth be known as Acts of the Chancellory.

(14) Any power, authority or responsibility derived from other statutes for the Premier or Regional Assembly shall henceforth be considered powers of the Grand Chancellor.

(15) Existing Orders of the Executive (herein ‘Executive Orders’) shall remain in force, however the power to make such  Executive Orders shall be depreciated and vested in the Grand Chancellor’s power to make Orders.

123
International Organisations / Re: The Council of Albion
« on: January 05, 2018, 05:54:39 PM »

Kingdom of Dartfordia
Department for Foreign Affairs

Notification of Signature

To the Chair of the Council of Albion,

His Majesty's Government herein gives formal notification that:
- The Charter of the Council of Albion was signed by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, acting as plenipotentiaries for His Majesty, and was ratified by a vote in both Houses of Parliament;
- It shall bring forth legislation to implement into Dartfordian law the relevant provisions concerning Articles 6, 8 and 14 of the Charter; and
- At the end of the objection period, Sir Jonathon Ashdown shall be appointed as Ambassador to the Council of Albion.

Signed on behalf of His Majesty the King,

The Right Hon. John Lankly MP
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

124
Introductions / Re: Feels good to be home
« on: December 29, 2017, 08:16:01 PM »
Welcome back, Baal!

Change?! I haven’t noticed anything...

125
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A copy of the privacy policy can be found here.

Children

The UK GDPR contains provisions intended to enhance the protection of children’s personal data. As we do not identify individual's beyond their IP address, username and email address, we do not believe any action is required.

Order Law

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Discord

The Independent Order is not the data controller for our Discord server, as we are not responsible for the processing of personal data. However Discord maintains the same privacy policy for all users which is (to the best of our understanding) GDPR compliant. You can read their privacy policy here.

Brexit

The transition period ended on 31 December 2020, meaning the UK is no longer bound by EU rules. However, the UK has decided to continue to apply GDPR in accordance with the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. This means we will continue to apply the same principles and follow the same rules as prior to Brexit. It also means that, in our privacy policy, it is referred to as 'UK GDPR'. The UK Government has provided a consolidated UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 here.

Misc

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We will consider on an ongoing basis all other requirements.

126
International News Networks / Re: Dartfordian Broadcasting Company (DBC)
« on: December 26, 2017, 09:40:51 PM »

Government to Introduce Mandatory Dashcams

The Government has announced that it plans to make the inclusion of forward and rear cameras (known as ‘dash cams’) a mandatory feature on all new cars sold after March 2018. The Bill, which was given its First Reading in the House of Commons, sets out minimum requirements and specifications, including 128GB SDXC cards for each camera’s storage, crash protection (including the permanent archive of incidents), and the ability to support low-light environments. The Bill will also mandate car manufacturers and garages to provide services to retrofit dash cams to existing cars, and authorises insurance companies to require existing customers to retrofit their cars.

The Bill has received support from the insurance industry and from the main opposition the Socialists. Thomas Godwin, a the Minister for Roads, told the Commons that the policy would ‘reduce insurance prices, make the roads safer and improve general driving.’ However, it’s noted the government does run the risk of alienating both their confidence-and-supply partners the Liberal Party, and there is already opposition from the Green Party. Privacy advocates are calling the Bill an extension of the police state, noting that individual’s privacy could be at risk.

The Motor Vehicles (Mandatory Video Recordings) Bill 2018 is due to be debated in the Commons in January.

127
Press Offices / Re: Press Office of Social Media
« on: December 25, 2017, 02:39:14 PM »

128
International News Networks / Re: Dartfordian Broadcasting Company (DBC)
« on: December 24, 2017, 04:01:18 AM »

Anger in Arendelle as ‘Cross-Straits University’ Plans Fall Through

This morning Arendelle City Council voted in favour of a motion criticising the government of its handling of the former headquarters of the Cross-Straits Union in the city. The complex, built over a previously-abandoned industrial estate, has itself become almost entirely abandoned, following the announcement by the Department for Education in Hematite that the Cross-Straits University project had collapsed due to the ‘inability to reach agreement with the University of Arendelle and South Hawley Metropolitan University.’


(The former headquarters of the Cross-Straits Union, photo taken prior to its closure)

The complex, which was transferred to Dartfordia in accordance with the ‘Dexit’ agreement, is required to be used principally as an ‘establishment for higher or further education open to all Dartfordian and Cross-Straits citizens.’ However, the University of Arendelle, who have a student body of 30,000, and South Hawley Metropolitan University, who have 75,000 students (25,000 located in Arendelle), both objected to its creation due to existing pressures on the student housing market. The Government rejects such arguments, noting publicly that ‘the departure of the CSU has opened up significant amounts of housing stock, much of which will be converted to student housing.’

Yet the failure to reach an agreement means the government may be forced to renegotiate the Darxit deal to purchase the land directly to reuse for other purposes.

129
Vignettes / Re: The Adriana Chronicles
« on: December 22, 2017, 03:53:10 AM »
Suburban Hematite, Dartfordia
September

Princess Adriana of Littlebrook, the Crown Princess of Rokkenjima swallowed as the imposing double decker bus approached  the rather unassuming bus stop at which she stood. It was just a sign on a pole with the numbers of the three different routes that served it and a red roundel with the words ‘BUS STOP’ inscribed in white. All rather quietly, Adriana had been driven from Winchester Castle to Hematite to live with her new ‘guardians’, Johnathan and Irene. After today, there would be no Mummy or Daddy to help her. Except at weekends, of course.

The 96 stopped, it’s old, rickety doors pulling themselves open. It would be odd, considering Adriana’s history of bus travel, that her mother would let her travel so casually aboard one. Yet it appeared Alexander’s argument that ‘state school buses were so awful a terrorist would shoot himself before he reached her’ seemed, oddly, to convince the Empress Emerita. The tired bus driver looked at her, waiting for her to either say something or tap a pass against the reader. When Adriana produced neither, the man sighed. “What do you want?”

“To get to school,” Adriana murmured after a moment.

The bus driver let out another long, elongated sigh. “Got a DartCard?”

‘A DartCard!’ The girl realised, immediately rummaging her pocket to pull out the card she was given that morning, and showing it to the driver. The red pass had a mugshot of herself, as well as her name and school next to it. The driver’s eyes widened slightly, took the card and tapped it to the reader.

It beeped twice.

“Go on,” the driver handed her the card, closing the doors behind her and pulling away form the curb.

The girl’s body lurched towards the middle of the bus, and she began to take in the sight. Naturally, she wasn't the only Secondary school student on the bus, there were dozens of others, some were sitting together, chittering away about their plans for the day. Some sat by themselves as awkwardly and lonesome. Because after all, secondary school was just full of awkward kids in awkward phases.

One of the more lonelier kids sitting near the front of the bus noticed the awkwardness of the new girl, raising a brow in curiosity before moving his small stack of books.  His light blonde hair curled wildly, bright blue eyes reflecting the light that poured in through the windows.  "You can sit here,” he piped up, his voice soft and meek.

Adriana had been eyeing up two seats on the right, which had so far been left unoccupied, though the blonde boy’s offer made her smile. She didn’t have much time to think, as the bus lurching to to a stop almost sent her flying to the front again. Wincing at the sound of a few girls at the back laughing at her, she stepped forward and sat next to him. “Hi,” she began sheepishly, as two boys got on the bus and immediately occupied the seats she had been considering, “I’m Adriana.”

"Wallace!" The boy smiled brightly at her. His cheeks were round and pink, it was obvious he was well-fed. He hadn’t yet fully connected all the pieces, even if the name Adriana was familiar to him.

Adriana smiled, trying, albeit failing, to find a comfortable position on the decades old seat. Only the bus driver had recognised her so far, and this certainly relieved the girl. “So uh,” she glanced down at Wallace, “how come you’ve got all those books?”

"Oh." Wallace looked down at the small pile in his lap, giggling a bit "I get bored in class a lot," he explained, "So when I'm not working I'll read, my dad gave me a bunch of books to check out, but, I'm not sure I'll get to read them all."

“Yeah but,” the girl laughed slightly, bemused by the boy’s answer. “You’re gonna be carrying around 5 books that you don’t know if you’ll read with you all the time?” Aren’y you gonna put them in your bag?”

He nodded. "Yeah," the boy giggled a bit, a blush sweeping across his features, looking back up at the girl, "I was running late, so that's why I haven't done that yet."

“Oh!” Adriana chuckled, feeling a little bit silly for asking. She glanced to her left, where a man in his mid-thirties sat. He wore sunglasses, and held a long stick in one hand. “Hey,” she whispered to Wallace, “why’s that guy holding a stick?”

Wallace took one glance at the man, pausing from stuffing his books into his bag, giggling a little bit before responding, "He's blind," the boy pointed to the cane, "he uses that to help him 'see' where he's going!"

“He’s blind?” Adriana gasped, staring at the man for a few moments. She had never seen a blind man before. A deaf one, sure, she was almost proficient in Dartfordian sign, but a–

“Just because I cannot see you does not mean I cannot feel your eyes on me,” the man said, his deep voice penetrating the noise of the bus.

The Princess looked away quickly, turning back to Wallace. “So where do you come from?” She asked, too awkward to continue even thinking about the blind man next to her.

Wallace was grinning, trying to keep himself from laughing at the exchange between the man and the Princess, "I recently moved here. I live a little bit away from downtown. My father refuses to live around noise,” he explained, giving a shrug.

Adriana nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I used to live right in the middle of the city, then I got moved out to the most remote place imaginable, then my parent’s have made me move here…” A sorrowful look adorned her face. “I’m really gonna miss my parents.”

"Oh?" His brows furrowed "Why did they make you live out here?" He asked, slightly confused. She was a bit young to live on her own.

"It's my father's house from when he was a kid, his dad made him do the same thing,” Adriana chucked. "I'm living with my Guardian's parents!" A guardian was the generally accepted non-religious godparent, used commonly in Dartfordia, though godparents were skill common.

"That's an odd tradition." Wallace shrugged, not bothering to ask more. They were probably one of those weird families. At least she wasn't alone.

Adriana laughed. "It's not really a tradition," she told the boy, grinning. "But my Dad went to Lexia Secondary School as a kid and thinks I should go to Lexia, too!"

Wallace was intrigued "So you're following your dad's footsteps?" he asked, curious about this girl and her family.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed proudly, though she was still anxious to reveal herself. "I'm in a family business so it's good to do what they do, y'know?"

"Family business? What do you do?" he asked, still intrigued as ever. "My dad is a baker!"

"Your Dad is a baker?" Adriana repeated the boy’s statement, her expression one of interest. "What sort of stuff does he bake?"

"He bakes bread mostly! He owns a bakery, I have to help him with the customers though." Wallace laughed shyly, shaking his head, before adding: “You never answered my question!"

Adriana grinned. "What was your question?" she asked, before suddenly gasping and pointing out the window. "Hey look! Those are the school fields!"

Wallace was instantly distracted by the girl's eagerness, looking out the window "It is!" He hummed, looking back at the girl, "You seem pretty eager.”

"I've been looking forward to this for ages!" Adriana admitted, blushing softly. "My last school was kinda lame and they made is speak Rokkenjiman all the time, I can't wait to just be able to speak English like normal people!"

Wallace blinked a couple of times "You went to a Rokkenjiman school?!" He asked, "What was that like?!"

Adriana shrugged nonchalantly. "It was alright," she said, not that enthused, "all the kids spoke English, but the teachers made us speak in Rokkenjiman. It kinda sucked, Dad and Mum thought it made sense though."

Wallace gave an interested hum, “Sounds like those Stonian-speaking schools. You still never told me what your family business is!" He laughed, “You’re the master at avoiding questions."

“My Dad is uh…a teacher,” Adriana murmured, nervously, knowing that ‘teaching’ certainly wasn’t a family business, but hoping it might be enough to placate Wallace.

"A teacher? So is he like a tutor or something and he's raising you to be a tutor too?" The boy was inquisitive. Nothing was going to shut him up

“Uh, no,” Adriana laughed nervously, “teaching is a side job…he err…teaches at a normal school, in Rokkenjima that is. Well…he used to…” Before he got himself convicted of war crimes, she added mentally.

"...okay?" Wallace couldn't help but to feel that something was missing in this story, but he sensed her nervousness and didn't push any further as the bus came to a stop. He stood, gathering up his belongings.

Adriana smiled, standing up to get off the bus. Suddenly, a thought passed through her: someone is going to notice her, and she didn't want Wallace to find out who she was through someone else. She stopped him as they got off the bus. "My Mum was the Em-"

"You're Princess Adriana!" A boy, less than ten feet away from them, shouted, pointing directly at the girl.

Wallace looked at the boy, then at Adriana, then back at the boy again before pointing at the girl in confusion.  When the boy nodded in confirmation, Wallace nearly flipped. "Holy Sh--crap!! You're the princess?!"

Adriana sighed, not answering and merely looking at the ground. Others began to swarm her in interest, much to her annoyance, and she tried to push her way through the crowd to the entrance. Just as she reached the door, a leg stuck out in front of her, sending her tumbling to the floor. Some people laughed. She sighed, as two gentle hands helped the girl up, Wallace smiled at her, trying to reassure her that everything's gonna be fine.

"Hey. Just because you're a princess doesn't mean I'm gonna treat you any different." He hummed "That's what you want, right? To be treated like any other kid?"

Adriana smiled appreciatively. "Th-thank you," she murmured, picking up her bag. "That's why I didn't tell you...I didn't want to be seen as-"

"Just move," one kid, aged about seventeen, pushed the two aside with a frustrated with. "Bloody kids," he muttered as he strode down the hall.

Wallace glared at the boy that shoved them, his pink cheeks turning into a deep shade of red. "Asshole,” he muttered.

A giggle escaped from Adriana's lips. "Don't worry about him," she said, noticing a crowd of people were gathering around her again. "Ugh," she groaned, "come on."

Wallace's brows furrowed "Do you know where your first class is? I can walk you to it." He offered, giving her a smile, forgetting briefly that the timetable for Year 7 in secondary school would be slightly different to how it was in Year 6 in Primary School.

Adriana shook her head. "We haven't even been given timetables yet!" She exclaimed, a grin adorning her face as she watched Wallace get all flustered. Suddenly, a thought occurred, "Hopefully we have the same class!"

His flustered nature did calm a bit at this, a smile returning to his face "I hope so, too!" He beamed, standing on his toes. The princess liked him!! This gave him warm and giddy feeling, knowing that he had a friend in someone so special.

“Year 7s!” A call rang out from the other side of the room. There, a stern looking old woman stood, dressed in a tight-fitting suit and blouse, making her look at least 60. “Please head down to the assembly hall,” she gestured down the corridor, where there was a door that led outside. “It’s outside and to your left.”

Adriana nodded, glancing briefly at Wallace and accompanying him as they made their way out of one building and into another, helpfully pointed along the way by another two teachers. The assembly room was almost full, with just a few dozen places at the front. “Oh crap,” Adriana whispered, thinking they were late, “where should we sit?” She asked Wallace.

Wallace looked around before spotting two empty chairs next to each other. He quickly grabbed Adriana's hand and rushed her over to the seats before anyone else could take them. As Wallace dived into his own seat, he nearly fell off, causing him to erupt into childish laughter.

Adriana giggled with them, finding the boy’s antics rather amusing. “Oh Wallace,” she whispered, not noticing the weirded stares and snorts of laughter coming from those around them. “Nobody was behind us!”

“Oh look!” Came a voice behind them. A girl with golden blonde hair, a very slim build and piercing blue eyes leaned forward. “Looks like the Princess has got herself a boyfriend!” The girls next to her jeered at the two of them.

Wallace went tense, his face turning red for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. He turned his body to look at the blonde girl, "I-it isn't like that." He sputtered, "We are just friends..!"

“Oh boohoo,” the girl teased, “look at little chubby cheeks here getting all embarrassed.” She turned to Adriana. “You really shouldn’t be hanging out with these sorts people,” she gestured towards Wallace, “perhaps you should hangout with us?”

Adriana let out a snort. “Fuck off,” she muttered, turning her back to the girls, who were shocked at the girl’s casual use of a swear.

Wallace stared wide-eyed at Adriana, the corners of his lips being pushed back into a look of astonishment. He had been trying hard to hold back his swearing, but that was one thing he did not expect. A princess. Swearing. Yet his astounded look faded away as he started to giggle, forcing him to cover his mouth.

Adriana stayed facing forward, though a grin was adorning her lips. "Never heard a princess swear before?" she asked, folding her arms and leaning back into the admittedly uncomfortable chair.

"Never!" Wallace laughed, "Well. Now I don't have to worry about holding back my swearing!!"

Adriana smirked at him. “Actually, you do.” Playfully she straightened up and began to do an impression of her mother. “It is rude for one to swear before a Princess.”

Wallace giggled, nudging her playfully "What a hypocrite!" He laughed, "do I get special rights since I'm your friend?"

She flicked her hand dismissively. “Why of course, humble servant,” she said, sticking her nose in the air. “You are welcome to swear in my presence.”

Wallace laughed, pretending to bow in his seat “Thank you, your majesty! I appreciate your kindness."

“I am not yet the Queen,” her face took a very serious tone, “I am a Princess. Therefore you shall refer to me as Your Royal Highness first, and then ma’am for every occasion following.” Adriana glanced at Wallace, grinning as she recited what she had been taught numerous times. “And it’s ma’am as in ham, not ma’am as in farm.”

Wallace laughed at that "I've never heard ma'am said like that!!" He shook his head, wild curls bouncing "Maaarm..."

Adriana giggled, settling back down again as the woman from earlier looked to get people's attention. "In the Navy they pronounce it Marm! And loads of old people do, too!"

Wallace pressed his finger against his lips, being an obedient kid. "Shh" he whispered, "It's starting!"

The girl giggled again, staring forward as the room quieted down.

"Good morning, ladies and gents, and welcome to Lexia Secondary School. As you can probably tell, this place is a lot bigger than your primary school, and we have students who are eighteen-years-old attending." The stern woman spoke for the next ten minutes, talking about the school's achievements, it's famous alumni - including Alexander Anselmo, its values and principles, the two school ‘houses’ Athena and Marconi, and other useful information like the school day and where buildings are located.  "Now for tutor groups, each one of you will be assigned into one of 32 tutor groups, and you will be joined by older students tomorrow. Please listen carefully for your name."

"I hope we're together," Adriana whispered to Wallace.

Wallace nodded eagerly, listening intently for his name as well as Adriana's.
He was born nervous and excited.

He kicked his feet, a nervous reaction.

The list seemed to go on forever, until, finally: "A13, John Wilson, Tony Hawk, Shana MacDonald, Adriana..." A pause, as the room waited with baited breath. "...Adriana Ansemo, Ricky Johnson, Kelsey Mitchell." another pause. "A14, Mi-"

"We're not in the same tutor group!" Adriana gasped, turning to Wallace. She was evidently louder than she thought, and much of the room turned to look at her, making her blush in embarrassment.

Wallace frowned, crossing his arms as he slid into his chair more in a pout. As if that would change his fate.

"Maybe we can hang out between classes?" He asked, looking at her

"A16, Brandon May, Jack Willy," the name caused a stir of snorts and giggles, "Wallace Stillebarn, Nathan Oaten, Thomas Fields."

"You're in Athens,” Adriana whispered, referring to the house they had been assigned to. "My Dad says that means we could be in the same classes together!"

Wallace nodded in understanding, although a slight look of worry adorned his features. “I guess it means we can still be best friends?”

“Sure,” replied the Princess, smiling at him. “Best friends forever.”

130
International News Networks / Re: Dartfordian Broadcasting Company (DBC)
« on: December 21, 2017, 03:42:28 AM »

Anger as Prince Alexander Flown to Dartfordia for Adriana's First Day

Questions have arisen over the Prince of Littlebrook's 'community service' conditions, as data revealed by Rochester Palace show that, since his arrival in Uppsala in September, the Prince has flown back to Dartfordia on taxpayer-funded chartered aircraft every weekend and, at the expense of the Rokkenjiman government, has recently been staying in the recently completed 5-star Phoenix Hotel. Yet it's not just the expenses, which include over £2 million in security costs, that are racking up. There has been anger over the apparent breach of community service conditions as it is revealed the Prince was present in Dartfordia on a weekday which, unless for an approved official engagement or in exceptional circumstances, is prohibited under the terms agreed by the International Court.

Rochester Palace denies that any wrongdoing took place, and in a comment to DBC noted that 'The prince was authorised by his supervisor to visit Dartfordia over Sunday and Monday, and remain in Uppsala on the Saturday. All travel costs, where not required for an official engagement, will be paid for out of the Prince of Littlebrook's personal wealth upon the end of his sentence.' The government has refused to comment on the allegations, but note that financial responsibility for security, accommodation and transport within Uppsala is, as the 'offending country', the responsibility of the Rokkenjiman government.


Exterior of the 5* Phoenix Hotel in Uppsala, built on the former site of the Ritz Hotel Uppsala

Meanwhile, complaints have emerged from Lexia Secondary Academy, where Princess Adriana has been attending, due to the installation of 'excessive' security features. Including live-monitored CCTV in classrooms, panic buttons, regular presence of sniffer dogs and compulsory bag searches whenever any student, staff or visitor enters the school. A continual armed police presence is provided while the Princess is attending, however they are generally confined to an office within the school grounds and out of sight of students.

In other news...
University Student Comes Out of Hiding
A University student has reportedly come out of hiding following an almost 3 month absence. The student was believed to have been drinking an excessive amount of alcohol and had pulled 'too many all-nighters'. The student has told DBC that 'All is well', although noted that he was, 'Open to anyone who wishes to write his dissertation.' Analysts predict he will return to hibernation following the resumption of term.

131
Forum Administration / Forum Maintenance (27/11/2017)
« on: November 26, 2017, 12:59:16 PM »
Hi y'all,

Just FYI the forum will be taken offline tomorrow at about 12PM UTC/GMT (7pm UST, 4pm PST, 11am AEDT, 1am CET) for approximately two hours.

This will be so I can :
- Test changing our SSL certificate without ruining your lives (after I couldn't do it last time); and
- Update the forum from version 2.0.14 to 2.0.15

Thanks!

132
Forum Administration / Re: Forum Maintenance (20/11/2017)
« on: November 21, 2017, 12:52:46 AM »
Okay so this didn’t happen due to factors slightly beyond my control.

133
Forum Administration / Forum Maintenance (20/11/2017)
« on: November 19, 2017, 10:17:05 PM »
Hi y'all,

Just FYI the forum will be taken offline tomorrow at about 9PM UTC/GMT (4pm UST, 1pm PST, 8am AEDT, 10pm CET) for approximately two hours.

This will be so I can test changing our SSL certificate without ruining your lives.

Thanks!

134
Laws of the Land / Elections and Referenda Campaigns Act (2016)
« on: November 04, 2017, 12:25:44 AM »
Elections and Referenda Campaigns Act (2016)

An act to establish rules regarding campaigning for elections and referenda, and to enable members of the Independent Order to widen democratic participation.

Be it enacted by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, by and with the advice and consent of the Regional Assembly, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

General Provisions

(1) During any referendum, there shall be two official campaign groups, one advocating an affirmative vote, and one advocating a negative vote.

(2) During any Premier election, there shall be one official campaign group per Premier candidate.

Official Campaigns

(3) Appropriate provision shall be made to allow members of the official campaign groups to organise and implement a strategy to campaign in favour of their desired cause.

(4) Provisions in Section (3) shall be implemented as soon as reasonably possible.

(5) During referendums, a campaign period of fourteen (14) days prior to and including the referendum shall be allotted for members of both campaigns to convince members of their cause.

(6) During elections, a campaign period of five (5) days shall exist during the nomination and election period for members of each campaign to convince members that they are the most suitable candidate.

(7) During the campaign period, and during the polling days, campaigners shall be entitled to:–
(a) Post in the Politics and Elections forum (and any relevant subforum);
(b) Alter their avatar, signature or Custom Profile field;
(c) Send private messages to members of the Independent Order;
(d) Post messages on the Regional Message Board; and
(r) Post messages in the forum Shoutbox or Discord chat.

(8) Campaigners shall not be entitled, at any point, to:-
(a) Promote their campaign by posting in non-relevant forums or topics;
(b) Act contrary to the Charter of the Independent Order or Criminal Code (2013);
(c) Spam the forum Shoutbox or Discord chat with campaign messages, including the use the @everyone tag on Discord;
(d) Spam the Regional Message Board;
(e) Send telegrams on NationStates;
(f) Use the the forum email function to promote their campaign in any way; or
(g) Post campaign messages, or provide links to a campaign message, in the primary nomination or election topic.

(9) The Grand Chancellor may amend Sections (7) and (8), by Order, for a specific referendum or election campaign, should they be satisfied that this Act does not provide sufficient safeguards against abuse of the referendum or campaigning process.

(10) Members campaigning for an alternative outcome, or campaigning for one of the stated outcomes but who do not wish to join an official campaign group, must remain compliant with Sections (7) and (8), but no provisions under Section (3) need to be made by the Grand Chancellor in relation to their campaign.

(11) Any campaign material included in avatars, signatures or custom profile fields must be removed within 72 hours of the polls closing, while campaign topics should be archived in this same period, unless such campaign material remains compliant with the Political Party Registration and Regulations Act (2017).

Encouraging Voter Participation

(12) The Grand Chancellor, World Assembly Delegate and any member with authorisation from the Grand Chancellor may encourage members to vote in any election or referenda, so long as such message does not promote any particular outcome.

(13) Those authorised may use any method allowed by section (7), as well as:
(a) Sending telegrams on nation states;
(b) Using the @everyone tag on Discord; and
(b) Using the forum email function.

(14) No member of an official campaign group may be authorised by the Grand Chancellor to fulfil this criteria.

Purdah

(15) Twenty-four (24) hours prior to the start of any campaign period, the Chancellory and executive government shall enter purdah.

(16) During purdah, neither the executive government nor the Chancellory may announce a new policy, publish a report, open a consultation, submit legislation or make any political statements.

(17) The rules of purdah do not extend to candidates or campaign groups not acting in an official capacity as a member of the executive.

(18) Should a matter arise that requires urgent or immediate attention, then the Grand Chancellor may, with the advice of the Attorney General, authorise purdah to be suspended for that particular matter.

Amendments to the Criminal Code (2013)

(15) Section 23 shall be amended as follows:
“(23) Any person, political party, action committee or other political group who knowingly violates the provisions of the Elections and Referenda Campaigns Act (2016) shall be guilty of Illegal Campaigning under this law and liable to a punishment at judicial discretion not exceeding a 48 hour ban for a first offence, up to 5 months for any subsequent offences and a suspension from office for a period not exceeding 12 months. The Court may at their discretion hold the individual or the group responsible for the offence.”

(16) Should a person, political party, action committee or other political group be suspected of violating the provisions of this act, the Grand Chancellor may, upon the advice of the Lord Chief Justice or Attorney General, suspend that individual, party or group from participating in that particular election or referendum campaign.

(17) Should an official campaign or Premier candidate be suspended, then the Grand Chancellor may, by Order, postpone a referendum or election to allow for a trial to take place.

Conflicts of Interest on Matters Regarding the Chancellory

(18) Should a referendum be on the question of the Grand Chancellor’s recall, or on the veto exercised by the Grand Chancellor, then Regional Assembly must appoint an individual to inherit the responsibilities of the Grand Chancellor under this Act.

(19) Any member appointed to exercise such powers must act in a neutral capacity, but may cast a vote during the referendum.

Conflicts of Interest on Matters Regarding the Premier

(20) Should the powers invested in the Chancellory under Article 9 be used during an election in which the present Premier is standing, then the approval of the Lord High Steward, Attorney General or Speaker of the Regional Assembly may be used in lieu of the Premier shall be used.

135
Repealed Laws / Shitpost (Regional Sport) Order (2017)
« on: October 30, 2017, 11:12:58 PM »
Shitpost (Regional Sport) Order (2017)

The Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (3) of the Constitution, orders as follows:

(1) ‘Quidditch’ shall become the official sport of the region.

(2) This Order shall come into force immediately.

(3) This Order shall be repealed the moment it comes into force.

136
OOC Socialisation / Re: Leave of Absence Topic
« on: October 29, 2017, 05:07:37 PM »
So due to how busy I've been lately, I'm now on an indefinite Leave of Absence. Will still pop by and do anything that needs doing, but in terms of RP I will be mostly absent.

137
Laws of the Land / Forum (Terms of Service) Order (2017)
« on: September 16, 2017, 12:02:09 AM »
Forum (Terms of Service) Order (2017)

The Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (8) of the Forum Changes Act (2017), orders as follows:

(1) The Zetaboards Terms of Service Act (2015) shall be replaced with the Forum (Terms of Service) Act (2015), as included in the annex to this Order.

(2) Any references to the Zetaboards Terms of Service or Terms of Use shall be considered to refer to the iFastNet Terms of Service.

(3) Any references to the Zetaboards Terms of Service Act (2015) shall be considered to refer to the Forum (Terms of Service) Act (2015).

Annex
Forum (Terms of Service) Act (2015)

An Act to bring into Independent Order law the provisions of the iFastNet Terms of Service.

Whereas iFastNet Limited provides hosting services to the Independent Order and has full control over the content, software and servers, it has been resolved, without hind nor hindrance to the abilities of iFastNet Limited. in the running of their services, that the provisions hereinafter set forth should enable, within the framework of Independent Order law, iFastNet Limited, the Webmaster, Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, and any forum administrator or global moderator to enforce the rules set forth by iFastNet Limited in the iFastNet Terms of Service.

And whereas Her Excellency has, under section (8) of the Forum Changes Act (2017), determined to amend the Zetaboards Terms of Service Act (2015),

Be it therefore enacted by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Short Title

(1) This Act may be referred to as the Forum (Terms of Service) Act (2015).

Member Agreements

(2) All members of this forum, at the point of registration, shall be compelled to adhere to the iFastNet Terms of Service, as prescribed in this Act.

(3) The Terms of Service is maintained and included on this webpage.

Enforcement

(4) Should a member be found by the Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited to be breaching, or have breached, the Terms of Service in any way, shape or form, then the Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited shall have full authority to warn, limit or ban the offending member from the forum.

(5) The Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited shall have the full right to determine if a user has breached the Terms of Service and what punishment shall be imposed.

(6) The Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited may also warn, limit or ban members for behaviours not specifically listed in the Terms of Service, but where they feel a member has breached the spirit of the Terms of Service.

Content Screening and Disclosure

(7) Neither the administrators, nor iFastNet Limited, preview any Content transmitted on the forum.

(8) The Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited has the right to access any forum and its related Content and delete, edit, or restrict access to any Content, should it be deemed that such content is disallowed.

(9) The Grand Chancellor, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited has the right to log, access and disclose any email sent using the forum, and iFastNet Limited and the Webmaster shall further have the right to log, access and disclose my private message sent on the forum.

(10) The Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited reserves the right to further disclose any information provided by the member, including IP address, date of birth or email address, to fulfil what is required by law or is needed to comply with legal processes or to protect the rights (including copyrights), property, or personal safety of anyone.

Appeals

(11) Should a member banned without warning by the Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, for the posting of prohibited content, then another member of the forum, if believing such a decision to be unjust, may appeal this decision to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

(12) No member may appeal a ban issued by iFastNet Limited, or by the Grand Chancellor or forum administrator where iFastNet Limited has made such a request.

Amendments to Other Legislation

(13) The following section shall be added after section (33) of the Criminal Code (2013):

“(34) The provisions of this Act shall not apply or extend to cases where a member has breached the IFastNet Terms of Service, as otherwise defined by law.”

Miscellaneous

(14) The Grand Chancellor, the Webmaster, an administrator, a moderator or iFastNet Limited shall have the full right to determine if a post includes Prohibited Content, or that a member has partaken in prohibited behaviour, and what punishment shall be imposed.

(15) Provisions in the Judiciary Act (2014), the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014), or any other act passed prior to the granting of Chancellory Assent to this Act shall not apply, extend or interfere with the provisions of this act.

(16) Provisions in this act shall not apply, extend or interfere with the actions, policies or decisions made by iFastNet Limited.

(17) Where reference is made to the ‘Webmaster’ in this Act, it shall have the same meaning as ‘web host’ as in section (2) of the Forum Changes Act (2017).

(18) A list of administrators and global moderators shall be maintained in the Annex of this Act (previously ‘Annex III’), and may be amended by Order when changes in this list occur.

Annex: Forum Administrators and Global Moderators

(1) The list of forum administrators is as follows:
Beatrice
CGJ
Achkaerin
DaveIronside

(2) There are presently no global moderators.

138
Laws of the Land / Re: Zetaboards Terms of Service Act (2015)
« on: September 15, 2017, 09:46:51 PM »
Act as originally enacted

Quote
ZetaBoards Terms of Service Act (2015)

An Act to bring into Independent Order law the provisions of the ZetaBoards Terms of Service and Terms of Use.

Whereas Zathyus Networks, Inc. provides ZetaBoards free of charge to the Independent Order and has full control over the forum content, software and servers, it has been resolved, without hind nor hindrance to the abilities of Zathyus Networks, Inc. in the running of their services, that the provisions hereinafter set forth should enable, within the framework of Independent Order law, Zathyus Networks, Inc., Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, and any forum administrator or global moderator to enforce the rules set forth by Zathyus Networks, Inc. in the ZetaBoards Terms of Service and Terms of Use.

Be it therefore enacted by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Short Title

(1) This Act may be referred to as the ZetaBoards Terms of Service Act (2015).

Member Agreements

(2) All members of this forum, at the point of registration, shall be compelled to adhere to the ZetaBoards Terms of Service and Terms of Use, as prescribed in this Act.

Prohibited Content and Behaviour

(3) No user may post, upload, link to, or send via email any Content that contains, promotes, gives instruction about, or provides Prohibited Content, as stated by the Annex I of this Act, nor shall they partake in Prohibited Behaviour, as stated by Annex II of this Act.

(4) Should a member be found by the Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, or Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards) to have knowingly posted Prohibited Content or partaken in Prohibited Behaviour, then the Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, or Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards), shall have the full authority to warn or ban the offending member from the forum.

Content Screening and Disclosure

(5) Neither the forum administrators, nor Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards), preview any Content transmitted on the forum.

(6) The Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, or Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards), has the right to access any forum and its related Content and delete, edit, or restrict access to any Content, should it be deemed that such content is disallowed.

(7) The Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, or Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards), has the right to log, access and disclose any email sent using the forum, and Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards) shall further have the right to log, access and disclose my private message sent on the forum.

(8) The Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, or Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards), reserves the right to further disclose any information provided by the member, including IP address, date of birth or email address, to fulfil what is required by law or is needed to comply with legal processes or to protect the rights (including copyrights), property, or personal safety of anyone.

Appeals

(9) Should a member banned without warning by the Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, for the posting of Prohibited Content or partaking in Prohibited Behaviour, then another member of the forum, if believing such a decision to be unjust, may appeal this decision to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

(10) No member may appeal a ban issued by Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards), or by the Grand Chancellor or forum administrator where Zathyus Networks, Inc. (Zetaboards) has made such a request.

Amendments to Other Legislation

(11) The following section shall be added after section (33) of the Criminal Code (2013):

“(34) The provisions of this Act shall not apply or extend to cases where a member has breached the ZetaBoards Terms of Service or Terms of Use, as otherwise defined by law.”

Miscellaneous

(12) The Grand Chancellor, a forum administrator or global moderator, or Zathyus Networks, Inc. (Zetaboards) shall have the full right to determine if a post includes Prohibited Content, or that a member has partaken in prohibited behaviour, and what punishment shall be imposed.

(13) Provisions in the Judiciary Act (2014), the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014), or any other act passed prior to the granting of Royal Assent to this Act shall not apply, extend or interfere with the provisions of this act.

(14) Provisions in this act shall not apply, extend or interfere with the actions, policies or decisions made by Zathyus Networks, Inc. (ZetaBoards).

(15) Annex I and Annex II of this act may be amended, by Order-in-Council, following a change of the ZetaBoards Terms of Service or Terms of Use, however such amendments must be inline with changes made to the Terms of Service or Terms of Use.

(16) A list of administrators and global moderators shall be maintained in Annex III of this Act, and may be amended by Order-in-Council when changes in this list occur.

Annex I: Prohibited Content

(1) Prohibited Content includes any Content that breaks any local, state, county, national or international law.

(2) Prohibited Content also includes:
(a) Content that infringes upon any rights (including, but not limited to, copyrights and trademarks),
(b) Abusive, threatening, defamatory, racist, or obscene Content,
(c) Viruses or any other harmful computer software,
(d) False information or libel,
(e) Spam, chain letters, or pyramid schemes,
(f) Gambling or Illicit drugs,
(g) Terrorism,
(h) Hacking or cheating for internet/online games,
(i) Warez, Roms, CD-Keys, Cracks, Passwords, or Serial Numbers,
(j) Pornography, nudity, or sexual material of any kind,
(k) Excessive profanity,
(l) Content that is invasive of privacy or impersonation of any person/entity,
(m) Hacking materials or information.

(3) Subsection (b) shall be extended to include homophobic or sexist Content.

Annex II: Prohibited Behaviour

Prohibited behaviour includes:
(a) Interfering with ZetaBoards' servers or software,
(b) Attempting to access any restricted area that they do not have access to: this includes private forums, password protected forums, accounts of ZetaBoards staff or other members, Control Panels, or any forum's Admin CP,
(c) Posting harmful or disruptive html/javascript,
(d) Reproducing, distributing, or publishing Content posted by other users without the prior permission of the owner,
(e) Excessive hotlinking by sites not located on a ZetaBoards server of images hosted by ZetaBoards,
(f) Hotlinking images from other websites without proper permission,
(g) Abusing the report system by sending in false reports or flooding the system with duplicate reports,
(h) Abusing the support ticket system by flooding the system with tickets.

Annex III: Forum Administrators and Global Moderators

(1) The list of forum administrators is as follows:
Avakael
Beatrice
CGJ

(2) There are presently no global moderators.

139
Laws of the Land / Anniversary and Emergency Awards Act (2017)
« on: September 14, 2017, 11:08:01 PM »
Anniversary and Emergency Awards Act (2017)

An Act to make provision for the creation and award of special Anniversary and Emergency Awards, and for connecting purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (4) of the State of Emergency Order (2017), and with the advice and consent of the Council of Nobility, as follows:

Anniversary Awards

(1) The Grand Chancellor shall, by Order, and with the advice and consent of the Premier, establish specific awards for each annual Anniversary of the creation of the Independent Order.

(2) The formal date for creation shall be considered to be 29 September 2013.

(3) All awards established shall be awarded by the Grand Chancellor by means of a Writ, with the advice and consent of the Premier

(4) Only those who have been presented Anniversary Awards by the Grand Chancellor may wear such awards.

(5) Any member may be stripped of an Anniversary Award by the Grand Chancellor, with the advice and consent of the Premier.

Emergency Awards

(6) The Grand Chancellor shall, by Order, and with the advice and consent of the Premier, establish specific awards for service during the State of Emergency.

(7) The ‘State of Emergency’ shall be defined as the period:
(a) Starting on 26th August 2017, in accordance with section (2) the State of Emergency Order (2017); and
(b) Ending on 17th September, in accordance with section (1) of the State of Emergency (Termination) Order (2017).

(8) All awards established shall be awarded by the Grand Chancellor by means of a Writ, with the advice and consent of the Premier

(9) Only those who have been presented Emergency Awards by the Grand Chancellor may wear such awards.

(10) Any member may be stripped of an Emergency Award by the Grand Chancellor, with the advice and consent of the Premier.

Miscellaneous

(11) No Order made under this Act shall require the approval of the Regional Assembly.

(12) Should section (1) of of the State of Emergency (Termination) Order (2017) be amended, then section (7)(b) of this Act shall also be considered to be amended.

140
Laws of the Land / Emergency Procedures Act (2017)
« on: September 13, 2017, 05:46:02 PM »
This legislation is not yet in force

Emergency Procedures Act (2017)

An Act to repeal the Emergency Procedures Act (2014), establish procedures to deal with emergency situations that threaten the existence and integrity of the Independent Order, and for connecting purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (4) of the State of Emergency Order (2017), and with the advice and consent of the Council of Nobility, as follows:

State of Emergency

(1) If the Grand Chancellor determines that a condition exists in the Independent Order that:
(a) Threatens the independence of the region from external control;
(b) Threatens the execution of the laws of the region; or
(c) Otherwise subverts the constitutional order of the region,
and that the Regional Assembly, Premier, and/or Cabinet of the Independent Order are incapable or unwilling to address the issue, or that any of these offices have been compromised by foreign agents, they may, by Order, declare a State of Emergency.

(2) When declaring a State of Emergency the Grand Chancellor shall establish a Council of the Nobility (the ‘Council’), which shall consist of at least 5 members of the Nobility.

(3) During a State of Emergency the Grand Chancellor shall have the right, with the advice and consent of the Council to:
(a) Enact any primary legislation, secondary legislation, subordinate legislation or statutory instrument; or
(b) Make use of any power vested in or exercised by the Grand Chancellor, Premier, Cabinet or Regional Assembly.

(4) A State of Emergency may last up to three months, but may end earlier on a day appointed by the Grand Chancellor with the advice and consent of the Council of Nobility.

(5) At the end of the three month period the Grand Chancellor must either end the State of Emergency, or seek permission to extend the State of Emergency by a referendum of pre-emergency residents of the Independent Order.

Reservations

(6) No enactment under section (3) may amend, or enable the amendment of:
(a) The Constitution of the Independent Order;
(b) The Criminal Code (2013); or
(c) This Act
but such enactments may:
(d) Temporarily suspend provisions for subsections (a) and (b), for the duration of the State of Emergency; or
(e) Provide for consequential or transitionary arrangements.

(7) Should the Premier, Speaker of the Regional Assembly, Lord Chief Justice or any Cabinet member not be a member of the Nobility, then the Grand Chancellor may appoint them honorary non-voting members of the Council.

(8) Should the Grand Chancellor wish to extend a State of Emergency under section (5) but:
(a) Is unable to determine who consists of ‘pre-emergency residents’; or
(b) Has determined that allowing any one or more of the pre-emergency residents to participate in a referendum would constitute a risk under section (1)
then they may, with the unanimous consent of the Council, declare a fresh State of Emergency.

(9) Except under the conditions prescribed in section (8), the Grand Chancellor may not declare a new State of Emergency:
(a) If the previous State of Emergency lasted less than 45 days, within 14 days; or
(b) If the previous State of Emergency lasted longer than 45 days, within 30 days
of the end date of the previous State of Emergency.

(10) The Grand Chancellor may suspend the appeals to the High Court during the State of Emergency, but members shall have a right to make appeals relating to matters occurring during the State of Emergency once the State of Emergency has ended.

Miscellaneous Provisions

(11) Emergency Procedures Act (2014) is repealed.

(12) No Order made under this Act shall require the approval of the Regional Assembly.

(13) This Act shall come into force on the end date prescribed by section (1) of the State of Emergency (Termination) Order (2017).

141
Statutory Instruments / State of Emergency (Termination) Order (2017)
« on: September 11, 2017, 10:15:32 PM »
State of Emergency (Termination) Order (2017)

Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (6) of the State of Emergency Order (2017), orders as follows:

(1) The Level One State of Emergency declared on 29th August 2017 with effect from 26th August by the State of Emergency Order (2017) (the ‘Emergency Order’) shall cease to have effect on 27th September 2017 (the ‘end date’).

(2) The Emergency Order shall be repealed on the end date.

(3) From the end date, appeals to the High Court shall be allowed for matters arising during the State of Emergency. The High Court shall otherwise resume normal procedure.

(4) Any enactment passed under section (4) of the Emergency Order shall continue to have effect beyond the end date, and shall have the same legal validity as any other enactment of its kind.

(5) The Grand Chancellor may continue to exercise powers under section (4) of the Emergency Order until the end date.

(6) The Grand Chancellor may amend this Order by Order to appoint a new end date in section (1), but this date may not exceed 3 months from the date of the effect of the Emergency Order.

142
Laws of the Land / Re: World Assembly Procedures Act (2014)
« on: September 11, 2017, 09:56:15 PM »
World Assembly Procedures (Amendment) Act (2017)

An act to amend the World Assembly Procedures Act (2014), and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (4) of the State of Emergency Order (2017), and with the advice and consent of the Council of Nobility, as follows:

(1) In section (3) and (4), the words ‘Conference Hall’ shall be substituted for ‘World Assembly subforum of the Regional Assembly.’

(2) Article 2 shall be replaced with:
Casting General Assembly and Security Council Votes

(5) The WA Delegate must vote in accordance with the majority opinion of members of the Independent Order.

(6) ‘Majority opinion’ shall be determined by number of votes cast by Independent WA Members on a given resolution.

(7) Where there is no majority opinion of members, then they may cast a vote based upon their own conscience.

(8) The WA Delegate may vote against the majority opinion if authorised to do so by a motion in Regional Assembly.

(9) Should the majority opinion change, then the WA Delegate must, if possible, amend their vote.”

(3) Article 3 shall be repealed.

(4) The amendments in Section (1) shall not apply to the incumbent WA Delegate at the time of enactment, so long as they remain the continuous and uninterrupted WA Delegate.

143
Laws of the Land / Re: World Assembly Procedures Act (2014)
« on: September 11, 2017, 09:55:56 PM »
Act as per forum transfer.

Quote
The World Assembly Procedures Act (2014)

An act to establish World Assembly Procedure and clarify the responsibilities of the World Assembly Delegate.

Short Title

(1) This act may be referred to as The WA Procedures Act (2014).

Recognition of WA Delegate's Position and Selection

(2) The World Assembly Delegate on NationStates (herein ‘WA Delegate’) is determined by the nation who has the most number of endorsements or, where two nations share the same number of endorsements and one is the incumbent WA Delegate, the incumbent WA Delegate.

(3) Any nation wishing to become WA Delegate must be able to demonstrate that they have had a nation in The Independent Order for a minimum time period of seven (7) days and that they have made a minimum of six (6) non-spam forum posts, before posting a notification in the Conference Hall.

(4) Any nation unable to demonstrate the qualifications in Section (3), or who have not posted a notification in the Conference Hall, shall be limited to a maximum of fifteen (15) endorsements. Any nation with more than fifteen (15) endorsements may be kicked by the Grand Chancellor, or banned for repeated offences.

General Assembly Responsibilities

(5) As the chief representative of the Independent Order to the World Assembly it is the duty and responsibility of the WA Delegate to vote in accordance with the majority opinion of the WA Members on any Resolution presently At Vote before the General Assembly.

(6) This vote shall be determined by the voting tally as noted with the Resolution at vote, accessible via the Details link included with the Resolution At Vote.

(7) The Delegate shall check this tally daily and must change his or her vote to match the majority opinion of Independent WA Members.

Security Council Responsibilities

(8) Recognizing the potential political implications of Resolutions before the Security Council the Speaker shall be empowered to call a vote of the Senate to determine the vote cast in Commendation, Condemnation and Liberation proposals.

(9) The Speaker may defer this vote to the majority opinion of Independent WA Members in cases of Commendations and Condemnations with the advice and consent of the Premier. In such cases the WA Delegate shall follow the same procedure used when voting for General Assembly votes to determine the majority opinion of Independent WA Members.

(10) Recognizing the political implications of Liberation proposals a vote of the Senate shall determine the vote cast by the WA Delegate when a Liberation is At Vote before the Security Council. Upon certification by the Speaker the WA Delegate shall be directed to cast his or her vote as determined by the Senate vote.

144
Laws of the Land / Judiciary Act (2017)
« on: September 11, 2017, 09:55:11 PM »
Judiciary Act (2017)

An act to establish a new appellate court to replace existing structures, allow for the effective prosecution of offenders, establish a Code of Conduct, amend the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014) and Judiciary Act (2014), and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (4) of the State of Emergency Order (2017), and with the advice and consent of the Council of Nobility, as follows:

Judicial Committee of the Chancellory

(1) The highest appellate court of The Independent Order shall be the Judicial Committee of the Chancellory (the ‘Judicial Committee’).

(2) The Judicial Committee shall be made up of every active and willing member of the Nobility, as determined by Order.

(3) When a case is submitted for appeal from the High Court, the Lord Chief Justice shall review the grounds of appeal and decide on their validity.

(4) Should it be decided that the case shall be heard, then the Lord Chief Justice must appoint at least three (3) judges to hear the case.

(5) No member on the list may be selected if:-
(a) They are the appellant or defendant;
(b) They were the Judge at first instance;
(c) They were an official party (including witness, claimant, defendant, victim, etc.) at first instance; or
(d) The Regional Assembly, by majority, votes to prohibit them from sitting.

(6) Should the Lord Chief Justice fall into a category under section (5), then the decision to appoint judges under sections (3) and (4) shall be made by the following:
(a) Grand Chancellor;
(b) Vice Chancellor;
(c) Premier;
(d) Chancellor Emeritus (in order of precedence);
(e) Speaker of the Assembly; then, if all the above fall into a category under section (5) or are unwilling to make such an appointment,
(f) By majority vote, the Regional Assembly.

(7) Should the number of available judges be fewer than 3, then the Grand Chancellor may, by Order and with the advice of the Lord Chief Justice, appoint members beyond the Nobility to hear the case.

(8) The provisions in this Chapter shall not normally extend to cases appealed from the Roleplay Magistrate. However, should the Lord Chief Justice have a conflict of interest in such a case:
(a) The Grand Chancellor shall appoint a member from the list in section (2) to hear the case; or
(b) Should the Grand Chancellor also have a conflict of interest, then the provision in section (6) shall apply to this section.

(9) The Grand Chancellor must submit a list, by Order, under section (2) within thirty (30) days of this Act coming into force. This list may be amended, by Order, and must be reviewed at regular intervals.

Banning and Charging Members

(10) The Grand Chancellor, and:
(a) A moderator or administrator contained within Annex III of the Zetaboards Terms of Service Act (2015) on the forum, or;
(b) any moderator or administrator with sufficient privilege on Discord,
may ban a member if there is reason to believe they have acted contrary to the Criminal Code (2013).

(11) The Grand Chancellor or relevant moderator or administrator may extend the ban to include both the forum and Discord.

(12) For High Crimes and Felonies, the Grand Chancellor or relevant moderator or administrator must formally press a charge against a banned user in the High Court within 72 hours of the ban taking effect.

(13) For Misdemeanours, the Grand Chancellor or relevant moderator or administrator must formally press a charge against a banned user in the High Court within 12 hours of the ban taking effect.

(14) Should no charge be received within the specified times, then the ban shall be lifted. The specified time shall be considered to be the time of the initial ban.

(15) No member may be banned more than once for the same crime, unless new evidence is brought to light.

(16) In certain circumstances it may be appropriate for the Grand Chancellor, or a moderator or administrator, to warn a member on the forum or Discord, or kick a member on Discord, committing a misdemeanour. Any warning or kick prior to a ban or charge shall be admissible in court.

(17) Section (20) of the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014) shall apply to a member banned under section (10) of this Act.

(18) A member may still be charged without their account being banned, and the Grand Chancellor may ban a member following a charge being filed.

(19) Sections (10-17) of this Act shall not apply to members banned for breaching the Zetaboards Terms of Service Act (2014) or Discord (Terms of Service) Act (2016).

(20) The Order Prosecution Service Act (2015) shall be repealed.

Code of Conduct

(21) The Grand Chancellor shall, with the advice and consent of the Regional Assembly, establish a Code of Conduct (herein ‘Code’) by Order.

(22) The Code shall include what is considered unacceptable behaviour and may include guidelines on acceptable behaviour on both the forum and Discord channel.

(23) The Code shall have no formal legal standing, but all provisions within the code must have a clear basis in law, and it shall be considered admissible evidence in court.

(24) The Grand Chancellor must lay down a draft Code within 90 days of this Act coming into force. Prior to this period, the Grand Chancellor must consult with the Premier and Lord Chief Justice on its provisions.

(25) The Grand Chancellor may amend or replace the Code by Order, with the advice and consent of the Regional Assembly, and following consultation with the Premier and Lord Chief Justice

Amendments to the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014)

(26) In Sections (10), (12), (78), (81), (83) and (84) the words ‘Privy Council’ shall be replaced with ‘Chancellory.’

(27) In section (15) shall be replaced with:
“(15) At the pre trial hearing the defence may make a bail application to the court, it is the responsibility of the defence to make this application, failure to make this application may result in the defendant being remanded in custody (banned from accessing the forums or Discord channel).”

(28) Section (20) shall be replaced with:
“(20) The Defendant shall have the right to contact their counsel. Should they be banned form both the forum and Discord channel, they may further contact their counsel via NationStates or privately via Discord, or by any other means agreed suitable.”

(29) Section (23) shall be replaced with:
“(23) Judges shall be appointed by the Premier by Executive Order, with the consent of the Regional Assembly.”

(30) Section (31) shall be replaced with:
“The judiciary shall have their own private sub forum within the High Court.”

(31) Sections (33-35) shall be repealed.

(32) In Sections (37), (39), (47), (48), and (49), the words ‘Minister of Justice’ shall be replaced by ‘Lord Chief Justice.’

Amendments to the Judiciary Act (2014)

(33) In sections (5) and (17) the words ‘Attorney General’ shall be replaced with ‘Lord Chief Justice.’

(34) Section (6) shall be replaced with:
“Judges shall be appointed and dismissed in accordance with the provisions of the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014)."

(35) Sections (8), (19) and (20) shall be repealed.

(36) In section (10) the words ‘Attorney General (supervisory capacity)’ shall be removed.

Miscellaneous Provisions

(37) Where in other legislation any reference is given to the ‘Minister of Justice’ or ‘Attorney General’, these shall be considered to read ‘Lord Chief Justice.’

(38) Where in other legislation any reference is given to the ‘Judicial Committee of the Privy Council’, it shall be considered to read ‘Judicial Committee of the Chancellory.’

[big]Explanatory note (not part of Act)[/big]

This is a complicated Act that makes a number of connected changes.

Article 1 of the Act establishes the Judicial Committee of the Chancellory, replacing the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and makes provision for the appointment of judges, selection of judges to a particular case and mandates a list of available judges to be published by Order.

Article 2 repeals the Order Prosecution Service Act and empowers the Grand Chancellor (and others) to press charges against a user suspected of committing a crime. It also allows the Grand Chancellor (and others) to ban a member from the forum and/or Discord for committing a crime, prior to charges being filed.

Article 3 mandates that the Grand Chancellor establish a Code of Conduct. The Code will outline acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, but anything outlined must be greedy the Regional Assembly and will not constitute law.

Articles 4 and 5 make amendments to the Judicial Procedures, Sentencing and Evidence Act (JPSE) (2014) and Judiciary Act (2014) to bring them into line with existing legislation, and to update them in accordance with other provisions in this Act.

145
Vignettes / The Adriana Chronicles
« on: September 08, 2017, 04:30:36 PM »
 
The Adriana Chronicles
Stories from the Schoolgirl Princess
By Beatrice and CGJ

Join the daughter of Beatrice and Alexander as she waltzes through secondary school life, encountering your everyday childhood issues and a few more rich-person problems on the side.

146
Government Archive / Proposal to Condemn Avakael
« on: September 07, 2017, 09:49:46 PM »
Code: [Select]
[box][align=center][b][size=125]Condemn Bruthannia[/size][/b][/align]
[align=center]Category: Condemnation | Nominee: [nation]Bruthannia[/nation] | Proposed By: [nation]Dartfordia[/nation][/align]

[i]The Security Council,[/i]

[i]Recognising[/i] the existence of [region]The Independent Order[/region] as a long-standing, independent roleplaying region,

[i]Noting[/i] their subsequent move to [region]Independent Order[/region],

[i]Dismayed[/i] at decision by [nation]Bruthannia[/nation] to remove all Regional Officers from the region,

[i]Dismayed further[/i] at the actions of [nation]Bruthannia[/nation] to exclude members of [region]The Independent Order[/region] from accessing their forum,

[i]Noting[/i] that these acts are in direct violation of General Assembly Resolution XXX???,

[i]Hereby condemns[/i] [nation]Bruthannia[/nation].[/box]

147

Adriana Arrives in Dartfordia, Alexander Sets Off to Uppsala

Her Royal Highness Princess Adriana of Littlebrook returned home earlier this week, along with her brother Prince Lucius. The Princess is shortly expected to start school at Lexia Secondary Academy, where she is to be looked after by the Princess Georgia. The Princess’ arrival came just 4 days before Prince Alexander set out for Uppsala, where he arrived today.

The Prince, who travelled in his Royal carriage on the Trans-Albion Railway to the interim freight centre on the outskirts of Nya Åland, was then taken by helicopter to the main refugee site in the city. The Prince has told organisers that he intends to ‘do what he can’ to improve the lives of the people of the city.

The Prince of Littlebrook is expected to return to Dartfordia each weekend to visit his daughter and to carry out functions on behalf of his father, the King. DBC is not yet aware whether Princess Beatrice (Empress Emerita of Rokkenjima) will stay with her family in Dartfordia, or whether she will return to Rokkenjima.

148
Forum Administration / Re: New Features
« on: September 06, 2017, 02:20:15 PM »
You can now attach/use SVGs and these will be displayed as images - previously the forum just got a bit confused.

149
Office of the Chancellory / Move to a new region
« on: September 05, 2017, 10:51:33 PM »
Dear all,

As per the NationStates (Change of Region) Act (2017), we have moved to a new region.

Fortunately, this one is called 'Independent Order', so it shouldn't be too difficult to adjust!

Find it here and click 'Move [your nation] to Independent Order'.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

150
Laws of the Land / NationStates (Change of Region) Act (2017)
« on: September 05, 2017, 10:12:30 PM »
NationStates (Change of Region) Act (2017)

An act to change the official NationStates region, and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by Her Excellency the Grand Chancellor, exercising powers under section (4) of the State of Emergency Order (2017), and with the advice and consent of the Council of Nobility, as follows:

(1) The official region on NationStates of the Independent Order shall cease to be ‘The Independent Order’, founded by Bruthannia, and shall become ‘Independent Order’, founded by Littlebrook (the ‘new region’).

(2) Where, in any piece of legislation, including in any treaties, reference is made to:
(a) The Region on NationStates;
(b) The Regional Message Board;
(c) The World Assembly Delegate;
(d) Embassies; or
(e) Independent World Assembly Members
it shall be considered to exclusively refer to the new region.

(3) Section (2) shall not apply where legislation makes specific reference to another region.

(4) Any offence committed prior to the enactment of this Act on ‘The Independent Order’ shall still be triable.

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