Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR

[hirahammad]

Spoiler: Letter to the Empress Dowager and General Leon

Fellow Hispanians,

I ask you to a meeting to discuss a political plan of action, and perhaps a merger of the Reconquista and Imperial parties.

MRA Velazquez, Archbishop of Grenada

 

[Mach Twelve]

The Empress chooses to accept the request to meet.

((For our Portuguese General b.1720 Shock focus))

 

[BelisariustheGreat]

Spoiler: Letter to the Empress Dowager

Good Empress Dowager,
may we meet to discuss urgent matters, being connected to this rebellious Arceo
John FitzRoy

 

[hirahammad]

Spoiler: Letter to the Empress Dowager

Good Empress Dowager,
may we meet to discuss urgent matters, being connected to this rebellious Arceo
John FitzRoy

((If you want we could combine the meetings. It is pretty redundant to go through the IC steps, if you want that. ))

 

[Firehound15]

It is good to see members of Parliament propose reforms, but I have some concerns, mainly in how they would operate. While ensuring the Assembly is properly represented in the Cabinet may be a good idea, should not the Cortz be included in this consideration? Also, seeing as all ministers not in Parliament who are on the Cabinet automatically become members of the Assembly, this would only really limit the number of ministers that can come from the Cortz rather than ensure the representation of the Assembly. As for this law that restricts the Prime and Second Ministers to being members of Parliament but from different houses, this again causes issues. Seeing as the Second Minister cannot be a member of the Cortz and that any minister not in Parliament becomes a member of the Assembly, this changes nothing in who can become Second Minister, but instead forces it so that the Prime Minister must be a member of the Cortz seeing as the Second Minister is automatically a member of the Assembly. I find this restriction on who can be appointed Prime Minister counterproductive, although the nobles will surely approve of their sole control of that vital position. I also have some concerns about shifting members of the Assembly to the Cortz. The Cortz has long been representative of the nobility, but placing all these appointed members into the house will dilute their position and remove the whole purpose of the Cortz as a vehicle of the nobility. Also, would these appointed individuals serve as they would in the Assembly or are the positions only to exist until the members pass on? Would they become hereditary in the spirit of the rest of the Cortz? I feel I cannot support such a drastic shift in representatives without further explanation. I must also point out that the Committee of Religious Affairs is redundant, seeing as we already have the Council of Churches which exists for the sole purpose of representing all the sects of the Church of Jesus Christ and encouraging inter-faith relations. The Ministry of Religious Affairs is merely the government branch tasked with carrying out the will of the Council of Churches and the Crown in religious matters. Perhaps the reform should instead merge the existing ministry with the Council of Churches to avoid the creation of two identical religious bodies.

- His Imperial Highness, Alfons IX de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, & Protector of the Greeks

"Your Majesty,

"I am fully of the opinion that the most liberal and appropriate position would be to have two bodies: one for the nobility and appointments as they presently hold seats in the Assembly, and another for those who most accurately represent the voice of your subjects. It is wrong on a fundamental level that the Assembly is not wholly comprised of individuals who are elected with the confidence of the people, that they might express their beliefs, attitudes, and positions in the manner most appropriate.

"Similarly, the Cortz ought to exist as the advisory body of Your Majesty's choice, as it is ultimately through the Crown's discretion that they are given mandate to sit in that Chamber. Ultimately, the matter of whether the voice of the Nobility will be diluted would only fall upon Your Majesty's decision on whether to appoint such a number of limited-term members that their voice could become crowded out. Certainly, it is important to note that there would likely be a smaller percentage of the Cortz who would sit under a direct appointment than currently exist within the Assembly, largely shielding them from the crowding caused by these unrepresentative individuals in my own Chamber.

"The bill makes plain that their movement from one chamber to the other will be a simple re-positioning, and I intend for it to exist precisely in that manner. As it stands, Your Majesty already holds the power to make hereditary appointments to the Cortz, so all this shall be doing is bringing together all those who are appointed by Your Majesty and do not sit in the Assembly. Fundamentally, there is not a significant distinction between who the Crown chooses to appoint for a temporary term, a lifetime, or for countless generations, so I do not believe there to be a significant issue in this matter.

"As for the matter of separating the Committee of Religious Affairs from the Council of Churches, I believe that separate institutions express not a redundancy, but the most appropriate and necessary separation of religion and administration. By granting a committee - which is not subject to the flighty emotions of certain Church leaders - power in the secular concerns of religious institutions, there will be a proper and adequate separation of powers within the government.

"Thank you."


Cibran Arceo
MA for Galicia

 

[zenphoenix]

Spoiler: Letter to the Empress Dowager and Velazquez

I accept your request.

~Leon

 

[hirahammad]

((Meeting))
"Welcome. This is Bishop Lagos. Rest assured you may trust this man with anything. Now, we know why we are here. Many years ago, Your Majesty, I feared that the Phoenixes may rise again. I feel now that my fears may have been confirmed, in the shape of Cibran Arceo. His proposals are threatening Hispania, its Royalty, and its religion. While not a majority yet, he appeals to the lesser populations of Hispania, and I believe this man is orchestrating some sort of insurrection. Not military, I believe, as the Phoenix War has shown how those work, but political. I believe he is slowly working to completely change Hispania into a new, Phoenix-esque state. Therefore, I have called you here.

We must from an alliance to protect Hispania from this threat. I suggest we form a group to block any proposals of Arceo. If he goes further, then we would have to as well, but until then, I wish to stay within the boundaries of the law.

We could do this in two ways: Either the Reconquista and Imperials publicly merge, or we three maintain a shadow party, in order to give Arceo a false sense of security."—Velazquez

 

[Mach Twelve]

((Meeting))

Sophia met with the men at the designated place with her squad. They quickly broke off to secure the perimeter.

Indeed. The man seems to want to enforce the very thing we fought to prevent Montsegur from achieving, and his lack of respect to the Imperial Family is concerning.

I feel that we must be willing to take the steps needed to ensure he fails.

 

[zenphoenix]

((Meeting))

Leon arrived at the designated meeting place with a few former Reconquista operatives. They joined Sophia's men outside. He went inside and met with the others.

"Arceo has crossed the line," said Alejandro, "I put up with his antics for several years, as thanks for opposing the Phoenixes, but he has gone too far. I believe I can use the support network that the old Reconquista built up within the common people to counter Arceo's influence. As for opposing him within the government, I support an alliance between all of us. It should be a shadow party, hidden from public knowledge, for now, so that Arceo does not become suspicious."

 

[Mach Twelve]

((Meeting))

That might work. The Chamberlain has requested that I meet with him to discuss our friend Arceo. I intend to gain his support and begin to sway the rest of the Nobility to our side. Should you gain the support of the people, we should have the ability to ensure that Arceo gets nowhere.

I accept your proposal of a shadow alliance.

 

[hirahammad]

((Meeting))
"It is decided then. Bishop Lagos shall be a witness. Thus, we have convened the first meeting of the Triumvirate to protect Hispania."

 

[Michaelangelo]

"Your Majesty,

"I am fully of the opinion that the most liberal and appropriate position would be to have two bodies: one for the nobility and appointments as they presently hold seats in the Assembly, and another for those who most accurately represent the voice of your subjects. It is wrong on a fundamental level that the Assembly is not wholly comprised of individuals who are elected with the confidence of the people, that they might express their beliefs, attitudes, and positions in the manner most appropriate.

"Similarly, the Cortz ought to exist as the advisory body of Your Majesty's choice, as it is ultimately through the Crown's discretion that they are given mandate to sit in that Chamber. Ultimately, the matter of whether the voice of the Nobility will be diluted would only fall upon Your Majesty's decision on whether to appoint such a number of limited-term members that their voice could become crowded out. Certainly, it is important to note that there would likely be a smaller percentage of the Cortz who would sit under a direct appointment than currently exist within the Assembly, largely shielding them from the crowding caused by these unrepresentative individuals in my own Chamber.

"The bill makes plain that their movement from one chamber to the other will be a simple re-positioning, and I intend for it to exist precisely in that manner. As it stands, Your Majesty already holds the power to make hereditary appointments to the Cortz, so all this shall be doing is bringing together all those who are appointed by Your Majesty and do not sit in the Assembly. Fundamentally, there is not a significant distinction between who the Crown chooses to appoint for a temporary term, a lifetime, or for countless generations, so I do not believe there to be a significant issue in this matter.

"As for the matter of separating the Committee of Religious Affairs from the Council of Churches, I believe that separate institutions express not a redundancy, but the most appropriate and necessary separation of religion and administration. By granting a committee - which is not subject to the flighty emotions of certain Church leaders - power in the secular concerns of religious institutions, there will be a proper and adequate separation of powers within the government.

"Thank you."


Cibran Arceo
MA for Galicia

I thank you for clarifying your position. I can see now how moving the appointed representatives all to the Cortz and leaving only the elected in the Assembly would help to make the two bodies better representative of the various segments of the population, with those with hereditary rights and imperial favour in the Cortz and the people's choices in the Assembly.

If I am understanding this correctly, this Committee is to contain only secular representatives rather than the higher ranks of the various sects as the Council represents, and that these men are to deal with the more administrative tasks of the Church of Jesus Christ and leave the matters of faith to the Council? I personally do not see why they need be separate, for surely those highest in the ranks of each sect would know best the administrative needs of the various churches and religious institutions. It seems to me then all this accomplishes is replacing the Minister of Religious Affairs with an entire committee, which in effect makes it almost identical to the Council of Churches regardless of its prerogative. I suppose this would help ensure all sects are better represented, but then again that means there is little point in having two seemingly identical groups dealing with religious affairs if they can both accomplish the same thing.

- His Imperial Highness, Alfons IX de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, & Protector of the Greeks

 

[alscon]

It is good to see members of Parliament propose reforms, but I have some concerns, mainly in how they would operate. While ensuring the Assembly is properly represented in the Cabinet may be a good idea, should not the Cortz be included in this consideration? Also, seeing as all ministers not in Parliament who are on the Cabinet automatically become members of the Assembly, this would only really limit the number of ministers that can come from the Cortz rather than ensure the representation of the Assembly. As for this law that restricts the Prime and Second Ministers to being members of Parliament but from different houses, this again causes issues. Seeing as the Second Minister cannot be a member of the Cortz and that any minister not in Parliament becomes a member of the Assembly, this changes nothing in who can become Second Minister, but instead forces it so that the Prime Minister must be a member of the Cortz seeing as the Second Minister is automatically a member of the Assembly. I find this restriction on who can be appointed Prime Minister counterproductive, although the nobles will surely approve of their sole control of that vital position.

- His Imperial Highness, Alfons IX de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, & Protector of the Greeks

"Your Imperial Majesty,

The concerns You have raised are only further proofs that our system needs reform. The first problem are the honourary titles for ministers, a fact that both my proposed act as well as MA Arceo's act would end. Right now, the ministers might be part of the Assembly, but without coming from its midst, without representing any of the people's interests. How can one say that they are true assembly members? No, they shall either receive no seat at all in the parliament, or be part of the appointed members of the Cortz. This is the only way to insure that the Assembly takes part in the government, and not the government in the Assembly, as things currently are. This might have to be another amendment:

3rd Amendment to the Parliamentary Act of 1755​

Ministers shall no longer receive a honourary seat in the Assembly if they aren't in it, but in the Cortz.

As for the office of Second Minister, it would need reform as well, as Your Highness is right that the Act would be counterproductive as of now. The office needs a different purpose, one that better reflects Hispania's Parliament's bicameral system. Here would be my modifications ensuring that the Lead Ministry Act achieves its goal:

Lead Ministry Act​

I.The offices of Prime Minister and Second Minister shall both be held by a member of the Parliament, both being from different houses.
II. Both Lead Ministers serve as head of their respective houses.
III. The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the Crown.
IV. The other house shall elect their head to be Second Minister.
V. The Second Minister shall continue to fulfil the Prime Minister's duties if he is indisposed.
VI. He shall also be able to veto one ministerial appointment in each election period.
VII. The First Amendment of the Parliamentary Act of 1755 is hereby revoked.

These reforms are necessary for the Assembly to function properly. Or we members of the Assembly must continue to tell our electors that their vote has no influence on Imperial politics whatsoever."

 

[hirahammad]

Spoiler: Letter to Triumvirate

Faixon is an enemy.

 

[Mach Twelve]

Spoiler: Letter to Triumvirate

Faixon is an enemy.

Spoiler: Response to the Triumvirate

Naturally,

The man supported Arceo in the last session and now he proposes madness here.

No further changes to the plan are needed however, we just include him as well

 

[Dadarian]

Coat of Arms of the Etxeto​

The continual push for the weakening of the Noble Estates by MA Cibrán Arceo, alongside the undermining of the Church's role, goes against the original intentions of the Faccion de los Campos in which I have joined. Although I respect the MA, I must insist that his proposals be either edited or removed from the voting docket.

Gran Duque Sancho B.B. Etxeto de Etxeto, MC, et al

 

[zenphoenix]

Spoiler: Triumvirate

I agree. We must adjust our plan to include this second madman.

 

[Firehound15]

Coat of Arms of the Etxeto​

The continual push for the weakening of the Noble Estates by MA Cibrán Arceo, alongside the undermining of the Church's role, goes against the original intentions of the Faccion de los Campos in which I have joined. Although I respect the MA, I must insist that his proposals be either edited or removed from the voting docket.

Gran Duque Sancho B.B. Etxeto de Etxeto, MC, et al

"I must remind the Gran Duque that the Noble Estates will not be weakened by this reform anymore than they would be weakened by a new grant of nobility by His Majesty. Certainly, what is there at the present moment to prevent the creation of such a vast expanse of nobility that the present composition of the Cortz would be rendered moot regardless? I must assure you that I work only with the best intentions, and that, if anything, the Cortz will emerge with a sense of legitimacy and newfound strength.

"It is important to note that, coupled with reforms proposed by others in Assembly, the Cortz will become an institution which will be guaranteed a greater role than ever in the Hispanian government, as well as an institution in which the nobility are able to keep down the appointments of unrighteous bureaucrats. It is as it has often been said: that one should keep his foes closer than his friends."


Cibran Arceo
MA for Galicia

 

[Michaelangelo]

"Your Imperial Majesty,

The concerns You have raised are only further proofs that our system needs reform. The first problem are the honourary titles for ministers, a fact that both my proposed act as well as MA Arceo's act would end. Right now, the ministers might be part of the Assembly, but without coming from its midst, without representing any of the people's interests. How can one say that they are true assembly members? No, they shall either receive no seat at all in the parliament, or be part of the appointed members of the Cortz. This is the only way to insure that the Assembly takes part in the government, and not the government in the Assembly, as things currently are. This might have to be another amendment:


As for the office of Second Minister, it would need reform as well, as Your Highness is right that the Act would be counterproductive as of now. The office needs a different purpose, one that better reflects Hispania's Parliament's bicameral system. Here would be my modifications ensuring that the Lead Ministry Act achieves its goal:


These reforms are necessary for the Assembly to function properly. Or we members of the Assembly must continue to tell our electors that their vote has no influence on Imperial politics whatsoever."

Indeed, some reform is needed, and I expected such when the system was created. I do have a concern though with the revised Lead Minister Act. What is to happen to the Chamberlain? It suggests the Chamberlain will no longer be head of the Cortz, seeing as either the Prime Minister or Second Minister will fill that role, but it neglects to mention the fate of this role. Seeing as it does not call for the position's abolition, it is assumed that it will still exist, which in turn means we'll have two representatives of the Cortz. If the Chamberlain is no longer going to serve as the head of the Cortz, I'd recommend it be clarified whether the position will continue to exist in a new capacity or be replaced entirely.

- His Imperial Highness, Alfons IX de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, & Protector of the Greeks

 

[alscon]

Indeed, some reform is needed, and I expected such when the system was created. I do have a concern though with the revised Lead Minister Act. What is to happen to the Chamberlain? It suggests the Chamberlain will no longer be head of the Cortz, seeing as either the Prime Minister or Second Minister will fill that role, but it neglects to mention the fate of this role. Seeing as it does not call for the position's abolition, it is assumed that it will still exist, which in turn means we'll have two representatives of the Cortz. If the Chamberlain is no longer going to serve as the head of the Cortz, I'd recommend it be clarified whether the position will continue to exist in a new capacity or be replaced entirely.

- His Imperial Highness, Alfons IX de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, & Protector of the Greeks

Your Imperial Majesty,

I thank You for listening to the issues of Your Assembly. A glorious day when Your government decides, or has to, do the same. The office of Chamberlain has been one of the nobility for the nobility. As such, I would encourage the nobles to decide of their representative's fate. While I do believe it is antiquated, the nobles need their traditions, even more as they surrender their feudal rights upon entering the Cortz. He can assume some role within their chamber; they could also decide that the Chamberlain is the head of their house should the Cortz happen to have the Second Minister; it would be an early vote who assumes this position. I would leave it up to the members of this house to decide if they reserve a function for the Chamberlain, but my proposal would leave no governmental duties for this office.