[Forum Game] - Crisis in the Reichstag

[Maxwell500]

I will allow the Reichstag to form a committee to receive and review reports sent every month by the SSK, then they may note their objections and it will be taken into consideration. I will task the Chancellor with forming the committee. ((sent from my iPod touch))

 

[theAhawk]

This is not adequate; this committee must, at the very least, be made of members of all parties and have powers to control the actions of the SSK. These laws must be approved by us before that can be enacted. A committee of the ruling party is easily corrupted. Consideration means nothing; it is just empty promises. The SSK must be subject to all the laws of the land, just as the military, every member of the Reichstag and even the Kaiser are; furthermore, I remind the Kaiser that he does not have the power to legislate independently of the Reichstag.

 

[Revan529]

I agree with Herr von Wettin; we should have this committee made up proportionally from all parties.

Upon further inspection of what this organization would do, I must lodge a protest against the formation of the SSK; I fear its powers will be too broad and, as Herr von Wettin has already pointed out, could be used by corrupt members of our Reichstag for their own selfish pruposes.

Furthermore, I feel that the Imperial Police are more than capable of performing their role without the interference of this new body.

 

[Syriana]

In my capacity as chief commander of the Royal Army of Poland, I recall Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły and his victorious Polish legions to Warsaw so that they may be replenished with local reinforcements. Once restored to full strength, they shall be deployed to the Bessarabian Front to provide for the invasion of Romania. I must remind the gentlemen of the Reichstag that war waits not for elections, and now that a new government has been formed we must focus our efforts on the Balkans. I would ask the departing Foreign Minister, Herr von und zu Birkenfeld, to pass on my last instructions to his successor, namely the effort to bring Romania and Greece to the peace table without further bloodshed.

- His Royal Highness, Prince August Wilhelm, Viceroy and Governor-General of Poland

 

[Imperator1993]

I support von Weiss as Reichkanzler and leader of the DKP, as he has had the most experince in government.

-Graf Ludwig von Mudra.

 

[theAhawk]

Seeing as the DKP is unable to resolve its internal differences, might I propose that the Chancellor is chosen from the two men by a vote of the Reichstag? This would allow the government to begin its business as soon as possible.

((EDIT: This statement has been retracted in accordance with the below post.))

 

[Frymonmon]

With the ascension of the National Liberal Party into the coalition, I hereby announce the German Government to be legitimate and fully functioning. I call upon Vice-Chancellor Birkenfeld to bring forward the first issues on the legislative agenda.

Here is a copy of the new German Government.

Chancellor: Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (Frymonmon)
Vice Chancellor: Reinhart von und zu Birkenfeld (KeldoniaSkylar)
Justice Minister: Artur Friedrich von Essen (Duke of Britain)
Colonial Minister: Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (Frymonmon)
Post Master General: Artur Friedrich von Essen (Duke of Britain)
Naval Minister: Friedrich von Weiss (MastahCheef117)
War Minister: Prince Viktor zu Leiningen (etranger01)
Interior Minister: Graf Ludwig von Mudra (Imperator1993)
Treasury Minister: Freiherr Erich August von Hohenzollern (Riccardo93)
Foreign Minister: Gustav Goldschmidt (Spitfire5793)

 

[theAhawk]

I retract my earlier statement, for clearly I was ill-informed as to the state of the new government; may I request the Chancellor's permission to place two bills to the house?

 

[Frymonmon]

I shall open the floor to debate by Herr von Wettin, and he may propose two bills to be discussed and if the support is seen as positive and sufficient, I shall pass a motion to bring it to a vote.

 

[theAhawk]

Firstly, I propose the Poland Act, 1918, which will enable the efficient government of Poland:

The Poland Act, 1918
Section I - Parliament
1. There shall be a Polish Parliament.
2. It shall be gain devolved powers over internal affairs, including powers to legislate independently of the Reichstag.
3. It shall be allowed to raise taxes independent of the Reichstag.
4. It must retain a balanced budget, or else gain approval from the Reichstag for the budget.
5. It shall provide the German Empire with troops in accordance with guidelines to be set by the War Ministry.
6. All military and foreign powers will remain with the Reichstag and the German Emperor.
7. The Reichstag reserves the right to legislate with respect to Poland.
Section II – Executive
1. The Viceroy of Poland shall serve as the representative of the King of Poland.
2. The First Minister of Poland shall be selected by the Viceroy to lead the Polish government.
3. The First Minister shall be given powers to appoint a cabinet.
Section III – Law
1. All laws currently applicable to the German Empire as a whole are applicable to Poland, but may be repealed or amended by a Polish Parliament, unless the Reichstag explicitly forbids them being repealed or amended.
2. Polish law shall apply to all residents of Poland.
Section IV – Misc.
1. This Act is not permissible to being repealed or amended by the Polish Parliament.
2. This Act comes into force if the Polish people approve the Act in a referendum. The Act will be deemed to have passed if it gains the approval of 30% of all Polish voters and a majority of those who vote.​

Secondly, I propose the Official Parliamentary Opposition Act, 1918, which will allow for efficient scrutiny to the governments actions, so that the policies of the German nation may be strengthened:

The Official Parliamentary Opposition Act, 1918
1. The Shadow Cabinet of the Official Parliamentary Opposition (OPO) shall be formed.
2. The purpose of the OPO is to pass criticism on the current government and its respective legislation, as well as offering alternative policies.
3. The leader of the largest non-governmental party in the Reichstag shall be asked to become leader of the OPO, also know as the Shadow Chancellor.
4. The Shadow Chancellor shall appoint Shadow Ministers, to shadow the actions of Governmental Ministers, who collectively form the Shadow Cabinet.
5. The Shadow Cabinet may be formed of members of multiple parties, who are part of the Shadow Coalition.
6. The Shadow Cabinet shall be given space within the Reichstag building to conduct their affairs, including a Shadow Cabinet room and offices for Shadow Ministers.
7. The Shadow Cabinet shall be given time on the floor of the Reichstag equal to that of the Governmental Cabinet, and shall be awarded seats on the front bench of the Reichstag, just like the Governmental Cabinet.
​

I comment these bills to the house.

 

[MastahCheef117]

"I vote YES to both bills."

 

[Frymonmon]

I remind Minister von Weiss that these bills are NOT for voting, just for discussion.

 

[MastahCheef117]

OOC: Cue embarrassing moment. Herpaderp.

"These bills look promising. Should they be submitted for voting, I would gladly support them."

~ Minister Friedrich von Weiss

 

[etranger01]

I will not support the Poland Act so long as Section III, Clause 1 remains. Any Polish Parliament should be entirely subject to the laws and ordinances of the German Empire, without the ability to repeal those laws on its own authority. I would instead suggest that the Polish Parliament be given the right to appeal to the Kaiser and the Reichstag for exemptions from specific German laws. Should the Poland Act be so amended, I will offer it my support.

It is my position that the tradition of loyal opposition is sufficiently lively within this Reichstag so as not to merit wasting legislative resources on a formal shadow government. Should any member of the Reichstag oppose a course of action taken by the government, they are free to voice their opinion without fear of persecution or retribution. There is no need to offer those not favored by the Kaiser or the German electorate any kind of official sanction or ridiculous 'shadow' title, much less the privileges given to His Imperial Majesty's ministers.

 

[theAhawk]

Minister zu Leiningen,

I draw your attention to several clauses in the Poland Act that limit the powers of the prospective Polish Parliament; Section 2, Clause 2 gives the Reichstag the express power to 'forbids them [laws of the German Empire] being repealed or amended.', Section 1, Clause 7 reserves the Reichstag 'the right to legislate with respect to Poland.'. Are these clauses not enough of a limit on the powers of the Polish People, without making the Parliament into a mere talking shop? The powers you are asking for are there in black and white, but maybe in a less condescending and overbearing form than you would like.

I am glad that we are agreed that the role of the opposition in a parliamentary system, such as the one we work in here, is important; however, I feel that this important institution must be preserved and strengthened, to allow it to operate more effectively. What better way to preserve a valued institution, such as the opposition, is there than making it official? If we wish to work together to create a stronger Germany, we must give the opposition the resources and space in which to draft counter-proposals and counter government orthodoxy. That is the basis of the bill, and if you disagree that the opposition is an invaluable part of our parliamentary system, then feel free to vote against the proposal; after all, I'm sure you'll never end up in the opposition, Minister.

 

[etranger01]

The notion that any subject nation should have the power to repeal the Kaiser's laws is absurd; the necessity for the Reichstag to explicitly forbid that repeal in each relevant piece of legislation even moreso. My counter-proposal is intended to ensure the primacy of the German Reichstag and to prevent unnecessary complexity from being added to our legislative process, nothing more. As is true across the entire Empire, Imperial law must stand above all local law. Giving the Polish Parliament the right to appeal for an exemption is already an extraordinary freedom not available to other states within the Empire and should be more than enough.

Those in opposition to the Kaiser's government already possess the resources necessary to express their discontent as members of the Reichstag and as members of political parties. Should a time come when my party is no longer within the governing coalition, I am sure that we will manage perfectly well without any kind of make-believe title. In the meantime, our focus and our resources should be dedicated to real issues facing the German Empire, not the addition of extra office space and speaking time for the minority parties.

 

[KeldoniaSkylar]

To the Former Vice-Regent: The matter with Greece has been resolved, and peace has made between them and both Austria-Hungary and ourselves.

To the floor: I believe that we must first concentrate on rebuilding our nation before we start passing reform. I say this as large regions of our nation were destroyed by the war. I invite any of those who do not believe that such steps are necessary to visit the West Bank of the Rhine and Frankfurt-am-Main. Additionally, I to those who would balk at the costs, I have a mechanism that will pay off this debt shortly that will be revealed in the next round of proposals.

The Reconstruction Act​

Acknowledging the devastation cause by the French in the Great War,

Understanding the need for government investment to return Germany to prosperity,

The German government will create a fund endowed with 7,000,000,000 RM for the reconstruction of the West Bank of the Rhine, rebuilding both personal properties and those of the businesses that power our nation.

The German government will create a fund endowed with 500,0000,000 RM for the reconstruction of Frankfurt-am-Main and other areas affected by the war along the banks of the Rhine, rebuilding both personal properties and those of the businesses that power our nation.

The German government will work to rebuild properties belonging to national champions, ie Krupp Industries, IG Farben, among others, that were damaged during the course of the war such that employment may return to normal levels. These funds should come from the from an endowed fun of 500,000,000 RM. Krupp shall receive 300,000,000 RM for rebuilding, IG Farben shall receive 150,000,000 RM for rebuilding.

The War Atrocities Compensation Program​

The German government will create a fund endowed with the 1,000,000,000 RM received from the French government to compensate the families and loved ones of those lost to the atrocities committed by the French.

 

[Frymonmon]

I hereby bring The Reconstruction Act, The War Atrocities Compensation Program, and The Official Parliamentary Opposition Act, 1918 to vote in the Reichstag.

 

[KeldoniaSkylar]

I vote yes on the Reconstruction Act, and the War Atrocities Compensation Program, as for the Official Parliamentary Opposition Act, 1918, I will at present, abstain.

 

[bakerydog]

I vote yes on both acts.