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What is your stance?
For 12 (92.3%)
Abstain 0 (0%)
Against 1 (7.7%)
Total Votes: 13
The Speaker Act - TSA [PASSED]; To elect a Speaker to oversee the Senate
Topic Started: Sep 21 2013, 08:27 AM (416 Views)
Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

Please see here for earlier discussion. I have created this poll as I think we need a Speaker to announce votes so we can finish the constitution and basic laws and get on with discussing other matters.

If a majority of us present (currently 7 if only Senate Nations present on this forum are counted) approve, then the motion will become law and we can elect a Speaker and move the debate forward.


At present I believe that all versions of the constitution being considered include the right for the senate to set their own proceedings.

We have quite a few polls and nobody has seen fit to announce the result, close the debate, and prod the government into action (if appropriate). This is a matter which we could fix.

I therefore hereby move that THE SENATE ASSEMBLED establish forthwith:

Posted Image

Rules Governing the Post and Proceedings of the Speaker of the Senate:


1. It shall be the duty of the Speaker of the Senate or his assigned deputies to announce the results of votes cast when an appropriately long voting period has ended.
2. It shall be the duty of the Speaker to maintain ordered debate in accordance with procedural rules promulgated from time to time by The Senate.
3. It shall be the duty of the Speaker to defend the Senate's rights, powers, and privileges.
4. The Speaker shall hold office until any Senator moves a motion of no-confidence. Should the Speaker win the vote he shall be reinstated.
5. Should the Speaker be found by a court to be in breach of any procedural rules that the Senate may create, he shall be removed from office.
6. Should there be no Speaker, an election from amongst the Senators shall be held forthwith. Such an election shall be administered by the Senate or by its representatives.
7. The Senate's opinion shall at all times be the opinion supported by the majority of votes cast by Senators.

Opinions? Amendments?
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Imbrisian
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Administrator

I like this idea and support it fully.
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Nerod
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Emperor of the GNNE.

I like this idea and support it fully.
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Governor of Grenavia
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I must agree that I do support it fully.
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Ghant
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Libraria and Ausitoria
Sep 21 2013, 03:27 AM
At present I believe that all versions of the constitution being considered include the right for the senate to set their own proceedings.

We have quite a few polls and nobody has seen fit to announce the result, close the debate, and prod the government into action (if appropriate). This is a matter which we could fix.

I therefore hereby move that THE SENATE ASSEMBLED establish forthwith:
Rules Governing the Post and Proceedings of the Speaker of the Senate:
1. It shall be the duty of the Speaker of the Senate or his assigned deputies to announce the results of votes cast when an appropriately long voting period has ended.
2. It shall be the duty of the Speaker to maintain ordered debate in accordance with procedural rules promulgated from time to time by The Senate.
3. It shall be the duty of the Speaker to defend the Senate's rights, powers, and privileges.
4. The Speaker shall hold office until any Senator moves a motion of no-confidence. Should the Speaker win the vote he shall be reinstated.
5. Should the Speaker be found by a court to be in breach of any procedural rules that the Senate may create, he shall be removed from office.
6. Should there be no Speaker, an election from amongst the Senators shall be held forthwith. Such an election shall be administered by the Senate or by its representatives.
7. The Senate's opinion shall at all times be the opinion supported by the majority of votes cast by Senators.

Opinions? Amendments?

This is the Prime Minister.
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Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

It shouldn't be. The job of the Prime Minister should be to co-ordinate the government and execute laws. The job of the Senate is to make laws, and they should be totally in charge of their own proceedings.

That means a Speaker is needed who is at all times answerable to the Senate, and who is focused entirely on legislation and on defending the Senate's rights, and by extension, the rights of individual Senate Nations.


Edit: I should add have no objection to the Prime Minister being the ceremonial leader of the House, but Senate proceedings must be decided by the Senate.
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Ghant
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Libraria and Ausitoria
Sep 22 2013, 01:58 PM
It shouldn't be. The job of the Prime Minister should be to co-ordinate the government and execute laws. The job of the Senate is to make laws, and they should be totally in charge of their own proceedings.

That means a Speaker is needed who is at all times answerable to the Senate, and who is focused entirely on legislation and on defending the Senate's rights, and by extension, the rights of individual Senate Nations.


Edit: I should add have no objection to the Prime Minister being the ceremonial leader of the House, but Senate proceedings must be decided by the Senate.

I can see the merits of that. How would the Speaker be decided?
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Naybra
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Minister of Internal Affairs

Ghant
Sep 23 2013, 02:41 PM
Libraria and Ausitoria
Sep 22 2013, 01:58 PM
It shouldn't be. The job of the Prime Minister should be to co-ordinate the government and execute laws. The job of the Senate is to make laws, and they should be totally in charge of their own proceedings.

That means a Speaker is needed who is at all times answerable to the Senate, and who is focused entirely on legislation and on defending the Senate's rights, and by extension, the rights of individual Senate Nations.


Edit: I should add have no objection to the Prime Minister being the ceremonial leader of the House, but Senate proceedings must be decided by the Senate.

I can see the merits of that. How would the Speaker be decided?

6. Should there be no Speaker, an election from amongst the Senators shall be held forthwith. Such an election shall be administered by the Senate or by its representatives.

It appears Senators will elect from themselves their speaker. Much the same way the U.S. House of Representatives does this in present time.

I support this, although taking the Prime Minister out of the constitution and leaving it up to interpretation, only to have this draft install a speaker would make things complicated. Its better to add this in the drafted constitution, clearing up confusion and showing how the Speaker interacts with other Regional Government Branches.
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Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

It's also the same way the Westminster Model works too.

I suppose we could include this proposal as one of the articles in the Constitution, and I give permission for it to be copied in as such.

However I'm a little wary of making the Constitution too long and complicated. If I can use two real-world examples again, India has a Constitution thousands of pages long that needs to be modified practically every week. The US has a short brief constitution with guiding principles and it rarely needs to be amended. I would sooner follow the latter model.
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Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

Whether we add this in the Constitution later or not, we really need to work out our basic legal codes, and for that - including for passing the constitution - we need someone to say when the polls close.

I'm therefore going to add a poll - we've had plenty of time for discussion!
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Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

Please see here for earlier discussion. I have created this poll as I think we need a Speaker to announce votes so we can finish the constitution and basic laws and get on with discussing other matters.

If a majority of us present (currently 7 if only Senate Nations present on this forum are counted) approve, then the motion will become law and we can elect a Speaker and move the debate forward.
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Imbrisian
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Administrator

As you've moved into a voting phase, would you like this thread closed?
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Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

Yes please.
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Libraria and Ausitoria
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Prime Minister & Speaker of the Senate

Prime Minister, any chance you could get the vote moving please?
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Imbrisian
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Administrator

The whole Constitution business has confused me as it's bounced back and forth sooo many times and hasn't even been formalised yet, but can't I, as Minister of Internal Affairs, cast this forth into a formal vote?

I'd have thought as it is internal that I could, and then have it signed off or altered per Prime Minister decision at the end.

EDIT: Actually, why not go ahead with this proposal? The Speaker is within the Senate, voted for by Senators and is an internal issue for Senators themselves. As such, I think you can roll with this and start nominations for a Senate speaker.

You have my approval as Minister of Internal Affairs, the votes and a prior debate concluded, and all this points in favour of this proposal.

This is entirely a Senate-based proceeding and as you mentioned, the Senate, liaising with myself as Internal Affairs just to keep such matters as this noted for reference, should be able to conduct itself with more independence from the executive.
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