((Private: First Secretariat Officials, His Majesty))
Regarding the Abuses of the Royal Audience and the Laxity of the State Council in Previous Matters
It can be safely stated that the Royal Audience has, since its inception, overstepped its legal bounds numerous times; the most recent motion sired from that body is wholly indicative of that point. In the estimation of the acting First Secretary, however, the blame does not solely lie with the Audience, fount for such thoughts and actions though it may be; a great, though certainly lesser, share of the blame can be placed upon the State Council, which itself has become a body without purpose, presence, or power, despite its de jure status as the immediate superior of the Audience.
It is therefore deemed both advisable and indeed necessary for the upper body to be immediately remodelled to more effectively serve its intended purpose within the system, and provide a meaningful counter-balance to the Audience. To accomplish this, the Office of the First Secretary shall endeavour to resolve the various structural issues of the State Council, as well as enshrine its position as an effective body at the service of the Crown.
~ El Marques de Pontevedra
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Regarding the Present Nature of the State Council
Having reviewed this eminent body and, having found its structure to have become both unnecessarily bloated and needlessly unpruned, the Office of the First Secretary proposes these general reforms.
The body, having in previous years ranged wildly in terms of its numbers and the stations of its members, shall now be composed – generally – of some thirty men of high birth, born into families of Marquis, Dukes, or Grandees of any station.
These men shall be appointed solely by the Crown, and no person or body can override the decisions of the Crown in such matters. These men shall also be thoroughly vetted by the Interior Secretariat and representatives of the First Secretary before assuming the post to ensure moral uprightness and absolute devotion to the Crown.
As before, members of His Majesty’s Government are ex officio members of the State Council. Other such exceptions to the general guideline set forth in the articles below may be taken at the discretion of His Majesty.
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Should this be found acceptable to His Majesty, the restructuring of the body can begin with all deliberate haste.
~ El Marques de Pontevedra
((In effect, the State Council will be composed of ~30 noble men, ranging in viewpoints from conservative to reactionary, typically equal in representation, but occasionally veering 60/40 in either direction depending on appointments and deaths and the like)).