Sir Prime Minister, Sir

[Danihel Laurieir]

I rise to address Sir Fritz, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Talossa.

Sir Prime Minister, I want to clear the air to make one point crystalline: You are serving the Kingdom well indeed. While I felt justified (and still do so feel) in criticizing your administration's endorsement of the proposed treaty between the Talossas, your remarks about how the proposed treaty was in fact just that—a proposed treaty meant to be discussed and debated and that there was no need for anyone to become upset—are well-taken.

To date, your administration has always played above board and sought consensus where possible and—always, always—at least input from other parties, from all Talossans. I am sure that I speak for everyone in the opposition (let alone your own party) when I express appreciation for the mature and open way you have conducted the business of the Kingdom. To the extent that any of my occasionally intemperate remarks directed at you, the Foreign Minister or your party were unfair, I apologize.

I will continue to oppose the treaty as proposed, but I applaud your engagement with the Republic and your continuing open-mindedness to suggestions from all Talossans.

I hope that in addition to A Speech from the Throne delivered by Regent Rajala, all Talossans will here your voice this December. I thank you for your wise, tolerant leadership.

Dan Lorentz
Member of Cosa

[Sir Samuhel Tecladeir]

I rise to address the honorable Dan Lorentz in response to his address to the Prime Minister:

Your apology, for my part, is accepted.

However, I would also like to ask your pardon in particular in that I should have communicated the state of the proposed document more clearly.

I would also like to applaud and thank you for your input. Many of the issues brought up by your self and Sir Woolley are being addressed in further drafts. It is my intent that the next draft will go for government comment. In my negotiations with the Republic, I will consistenly refer to whatever is being discussed and addressed on the floor.

Thank you for your support and kind words.

Sam Tyler
Member of Cosa

I yield the floor.

[Hooligan]

The Senator for Vuode rises, belatedly.

He puffs himself up for an especially long and certainly unnecessary speech.

He clears his throat.

He watches many of his fellow legislators, scrolling down the length of this horrendously long speech and realizing what they are in for, head for the doors, pretending to take urgent phone calls.

Lord President, I thank the chamber for the indulgence. These past weeks have seen a true flurry of activity in our proud nation. My party and I have remained relatively silent on the issue of primary concern. S:r Justice Siervicül, a member of the Cosâ, has perhaps taken the lead for the RUMP in speaking on the issue. As the leader of his party, I commend and support His Honour in all his words and efforts.

As the leader of the RUMP, however, I realize -- from a great many instances of private correspondence -- that a public statement by Talossa's largest opposition party, and particularly from its leader, the Distáin, has been awaited. I now propose to offer the beginnings of such a thing.

The Senator pauses, watching his fellow legislators return from the corridors, pretending to finish their phone calls.

Lord President, I wish to state at the outset that the proposed agreement between what are being termed (by the esteemed member Justice Lorentz) the "two Talossas" has been the subject of a great many pieces of correspondence within my party. RUMP members are well-acquainted with the proposal, and extensive communication and discussion has been held on its points. I thank my fellow party members for their time and input, and for reading all my words (if, indeed, they choose to do so; who knows? -- God knows I probably wouldn't).

Without detailing every aspect of these discussions and conclusions, I wish to offer for the public a very high-level overview of three specific points of observation concerning the proposal.

The Senator pauses, as his fellow members, hearing the words "only a high-level overview," pretend to hear their cell phones ring again, and exeunt once more to the chamber corridors.

First, the position of the RUMP is such that the alternate language proposed by MC Justice Lorentz would be an excellent beginning to any form of cultural coöperation between the two parties. We agree with Senator Woolley that the Kingdom cannot officially treat with any organization whose sole claim to sovereignty presupposes a loss or reduction of the sovereignty of the Kingdom, which would not only be Inorganic, but also -- given the fact that Talossan citizens of all seven provinces do indeed exist, and are represented here in the Ziu -- a falsehood. The Kingdom cannot treat with a government that we cannot recognize as sovereign unless and until it possesses a claim to some territory outside our own boundaries. I pause for an aside here, simply to note that should the other party make such a claim, the Government (for whom I do not speak here) could conceivably choose to recognize the other party as sovereign over those foreign lands, and thus as a fellow nation, one with which we have a territorial dispute. This could then be brought to a table and the two parties "treat" on this or any other subject. Concerning the lands in question, the parties could then decide whether to (a) go to war [nah, let's not] or (b) arrange a mutually acceptable division of the disputed territories [speaking while holding a copy of the Organic Law, nah, let's not], or (c) agree to disagree on that particular issue, and silently move on to other issues. To repeat, Justice Lorentz's proposal that the agreement concern only cultural and historical coöperation, that it be termed an "Agremeent of Understanding" (or some such), and that it leaves the land issue for later or never, is one which my party would support.

Before moving to my next topic, I wish to expose my ignorance by inquring of the Republicans whether their constitution countenances and approves the secession of territory, or provides for how it is to be handled if some group within the Republic claimed to leave the Republic and take with them the sovereign territory of the Republic. This is truly a question borne of nothing but curiosity. It seems, however, that if a small group of Republicans (or even a single Republican) declared that he left the Republic, taking with him all of the land of the Republic, the position of the Republic -- if it acted as it requests the Kingdom to ask -- would need to be that it would recognize this action of secession from the Republic as a legal and proper fait accompli, and thereupon fold up the Republican tents, having realized by this admission that the entire nation no longer existed. As a loyal subject of the King, and addressing any single Republican or group of Republicans who might have this object in mind, I believe I can state for the Kingdom that we would be pleased if you would announce that the territory with which you leave the Republic is to be "re-annexed" into the Kingdom. I apologize to my patient audience for having gone so far afield making minor points, and hoping only to provoke smiles. Allow me now to return to my main text.

I must admit that I had a difficult time choosing whether to make the next subject this the second or third point I wished to discuss. I wished the final point in this speech to be the most important one, and I am very unsure which of my second and third points I adjudge more important than the other. I must choose, however, and so the second point I wish to make is the one in support of Justice Lorentz's initial posting on this thread. Speaking for both myself and my party, I wish to convey deep appreciation for the efforts of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. I am aware, from public and private correspondence, that the interests of these esteemed Talossans are and have been only for the good of their nation, that they intend no harm, no dismantling of the nation, no compromise on principles of our organic law. They have worked tirelessly simply to open the doors to others of our culture, so that this great and good Kingdom may heal its old wounds. No commendation I can offer could properly convey the appreciation of the nation for the courage and dedication of these tireless public servants. Justice Lorentz expressed that appreciation far better than I, and in a helluva lot less space. My party and I simply join him in his words.

I begin my third and final point by saying that -- as a Talossan who served King Robert I for only a very short time before his abdication -- I admit to little or no knowledge of the causes and events surrounding last year's renunciations. What I do know about the subject, however, has been taught me in the last week or so on these boards, and can be summarized very simply: Friends were torn apart and now they are getting back together. Setting aside the political disagreements entirely, the personal aspects truly overwhelm me. I still don't know who all the Republicans are, I can't keep their names straight, and I was frankly taken very much aback by their sudden appearance here, but the welcome given them by the Lord President of the Senate and by the others who remember, know, and like if not fraternally love them (and who share such a long history and common bonds) is truly, unspeakably, incredible to me. A whole new world of Talossa, if you will.

I do not know what will happen on the political level. I suppose that the best thing would be for the Kingdom and the Republic to continue adhering to their own beliefs, but while so doing, coöperate on all (non-political) things Talossan.

I do not know what will happen with domain names. I suppose that the best middle-ground thing would be for the Kingdom and the Republic to agree that certain of the domains will host an overall "There are Two Talossas" set of pages, providing cultural information, information on joint projects, and links to both the Kindom Website, which shall remain separate, and that of the Republic, which shall also remain separate.

I do not know what will happen with the Republican Government. As a subject of the King, I dare say it is none of my business. In the dreams of my nation, the Republicans will return to the service of the Monarch, perhaps adapting their republican forms of government to the governance of provincial assemblies that come within their electoral control as perhaps a political party in the Kingdom. As I say, this is probably nothing but a dream. More likely -- if indeed any change to the status quo of detente and friendship, without official recognition, is desired -- might be that the Republicans someday annex non-Kingdom lands so that the possibility could exist that the Kingdom recognize their government as sovereign somewhere, meaning that the two could officially treat with one another, and still choose (I would imagine) to ignore the disputed lands issue forever and a day.

Lord President, fellow Senators, members of the Cosâ, honoured guests, even I am very very tired of hearing myself speak. I now yield the floor.

The Ziu returns en masse from the corridors, re-forming a quorum.

[Baron Fritz]

Thanks Dan. Hope to get a chance to meet you this December as does the rest of the Milwaukee Gang. Merry Christmas. Fritz