Lily dies aged 7

Lily in 2010, soon after arriving at her new home.

Lily, Mascot of the Order of the Bullmastiff, has died aged 7.

Lily was born in 2010 to Rose, a pet bullmastiff of the Imperial Family who also served as Mascot.

She was sold to a family living in the British county of Surrey, and was visited by members of the Imperial Family in 2010 and 2011. Upon the death of Edd in April last year, Lily was appointed the Order of the Bullmastiff’s new Mascot.

Lily’s death was announced earlier this evening by her owners. She had been experiencing health issues since late last year.

Lily was the last surviving member of the Carothan kennel of bullmastiffs, and her death has left the position of Mascot vacant for the first time since its creation by Terry I in January 2009. If no bullmastiff can be found, there is provision for a dog of another breed to be appointed Honorary Mascot.

Jonathan I has sent a message of condolence to Lily’s owners, expressing sympathy at her death and thanking them for giving her a loving home.

Senate convened as Emperor celebrates five years on the Throne

The Empire yesterday celebrated Imperial Ascension Day, the yearly anniversary of the reigning Monarch’s ascension to the Throne.

It has now been five years since Emperor Jonathan I accepted the Throne upon the abdication of his predecessor Emperor Declan I.

Yesterday also saw the recently passed Second Amendment to the Constitution formally come into force after having been approved by both a referendum and by Parliament.

As part of the Second Amendment, an Austenasian Senate has been established. The task of the Senate will be to keep the Monarch to account, and as part of this, the Monarch must make a yearly address to the Senate. The first such address was made by the Emperor yesterday to the Senate before being published publicly, and can be read below:

To the Most Illustrious Senate, greetings from Our Imperial Majesty!

We are pleased to deliver this address to you, five years since the day we ascended the Throne, on the founding day of an institution that is at once both new and ancient. You inherit the legacy of the Empire’s Senates of old, and we are pleased to have restored this institution.

Austenasia now has seventy nine people and over thirty two hectares of land, spread across every continent in the world but Antarctica. The fifth year of our reign saw sixteen Acts of Parliament, six Imperial Decrees, and seven Imperial Edicts passed. Constitutional amendments were approved by a vote taken by our people in a referendum, and successfully passed into law. The Empire grew with the annexations of the Towns of Ionisia and Jovanovo and the Territory of Hoagland, and diplomatic relations were entered into with Imvrassia and Ashukovo.

Perhaps the most momentous event in the past year was the passage of an Act of Parliament in June adopting Christianity as the official religion of Austenasia. This decision was not made lightly, and important questions regarding religious freedom were considered before the Act was passed. Nevertheless, an unanimous vote in Parliament, followed by the majority of the population voting in support of similar measures in the recent referendum, reveals that this decision has been far from unpopular. As Austenasia forges on towards its tenth anniversary, organically constructing and realising its own national identity, we can now affirm that we are a Christian country.

The tenth anniversary of our nation will indeed be something to celebrate. It is not often that an endeavour such as the one undertaken by the now Imperial Family in September 2008 endures for a decade, and far less often that so many other people feel drawn to take part in it and help to make it a success. We plan to celebrate this success – our shared achievements and experiences over the past ten years – with a celebration hosted at the Imperial Residence on Independence Day 2018, and hope that all who are able to shall attend. We also look forward to seeing plans realised for other ways of celebrating this momentous milestone in our small nation’s history.

As a result of one of the amendments made to the Constitution as a result of the recent referendum, Cabinet ministers are no longer required to be Representatives. This opens up the executive branch of our government to a far greater number of people, with different skills and abilities to draw on. We shall discuss with our Prime Minister the best way in which to utilise this new pool of talent, and to what extent Cabinet ministries may be reallocated to ensure that we have the most suited and capable people working to govern the country.

Over this coming year, we shall engage upon a publicity drive for Austenasia in London and more specifically the Borough of Sutton, seeking to draw upon local interest in order to revitalise the Carshalton Nations and, if possible, to find new talent to benefit the Empire itself. As authorised by an Act of Parliament passed last year, we shall designate an area of land to be claimed as the Kingdom of Rushymia reborn, after ascertaining that there are no local objections to the annexation of said territory.

Personally, we intend to remain at the Austenasian Consulate-General in Castile and León with Princess Hannah until we return back to Wrythe in late June, with a visit back for Easter of a week or two in April. In late September, we shall take up residence in Chester as we begin a year-long Master’s degree at the university there.

Throughout this coming sixth year of our Imperial Majesty on the Throne, we shall continue to actively oversee the smooth running of the state, and to work with our Prime Minister, Cabinet, and the Representatives of our people to ensure stable, just, and efficient governance.

God bless you all, and God bless the Empire.

I C J A

Soria
20 January 2018

Constitutional amendments approved in referendum

A referendum held yesterday saw proposed amendments to the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 approved by the Empire’s electorate.

Out of the 54 subjects eligible to vote, 37 did so, a turnout of 68.52%. The amendments had been divided into four parts, each of which could be voted on separately.

The first part establishes a Senate as a body responsible for the accountability of the Monarch which may in extreme circumstances vote to depose them. It also removes the requirement for Cabinet ministers to be Representatives. This part of the amendments passed with 81.08% of votes in support.

The second part of the amendments makes it a requirement for the Monarch to be a baptised Christian, and explicitly claims that Austenasia is a continuation of the Roman Empire; this part passed with 70.27% of votes in support.

The third part of the amendments clarifies that marriage in the Empire is between one man and one woman, and also permits Parliament to expand upon various human rights laws in the Constitution which until now were unable to be repealed and put into more detail. This part passed with 64.86% of votes in support.

The fourth and final part of the amendments changes the office of Deputy Prime Minister from being the runner-up in a general election to being a Representative nominated by a newly elected Prime Minister. This part passed with 81.08% of votes in support.

Now that the amendments have been approved by referendum, they must be approved by Parliament. A requirement of over 80% of Representatives to be in favour of any constitutional amendments means that if more than one of Austenasia’s seven Representatives opposes the changes, they will not be able to be passed.

Upon approval, these amendments will come into force cumulatively as the Second Amendment to the Constitution at one second past midnight in the morning of Imperial Ascension Day, 20 January, the fifth anniversary of the Emperor’s ascension to the Throne.

2018 begins with the appointment of Consuls

Lord Admiral Kennedy and King Adam I

New Year’s Day has been heralded with the appointment by the Prime Minister of the two Consuls for the year.

Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, Prime Minister, has appointed himself one of the two Consuls, and re-appointed King Adam I of Überstadt – one of last year’s – as a Consul for 2018 as well.

Consuls may serve a consecutive term, but King Adam is the first to have done so since Emperor Declan I, who held the consulate in both 2011 and 2012.

The Consuls are the highest judicial authorities in the Empire, passing sentence when guilty verdicts are reached. However, due to Austenasia’s practically non-existent crime rate, their function is mostly ceremonial, primarily being used to name the year after.

2018 will therefore be known as the year of the consulship of Adam Rex and Joseph Nobilissimus Caesar.