Taighan Free Press

[Taigh Ur]

The Taighan Free Press
March 17th, 2010

McDonald Selected as New PM

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STIRLING - It's official: the Taighan Parliament is controlled by an internationalist party for the first time since the Emigration. Early this morning, voting numbers confirmed that the Progressive Party, long the opposition party in Parliament until now, has gained control of an additional 15 seats, losing only 2, bringing its total in the 100-member House to 60, with the former slight majority enjoyed by the Taighan National Party being reduced to 35. The Libertarian Democratic Party was able to steal two seats from the Progressives, while the Social Liberal Party, Conservative Party, and Christian Alliance each managed to hold on to one seat. As a result of this new majority, David McDonald of the Progressive Party has been selected as the nation's newest Prime Minister. Mr. McDonald is a representative of the Bathgate constituency.

The success of the Progressive Party has been widely attributed to its internationalist platform. McDonald, among others, has long claimed that the Republic has been harming itself by refusing to be active in international politics.
"The time has come to shake off the paranoia of isolationism," McDonald said in his speech in Fife last week. "We are a strong nation, a vibrant nation, with a population just as clever as any other. Why, then, are we so afraid to participate? Who do we have to fear?"

The Taighan National Party, on the other hand, has its own response. Harold Simm, in his consolation speech, reminded Taighans of their past hardships. "It seems," he said, "That Taigh has chosen to take its chances with the international community once again. I can only hope that we do not suffer a similar disaster to the Civil War or the Emigration." Simm continues to represent North Dundee for the TNP.

In his victory speech earlier today, McDonald addressed the still-substantial isolationist demographic in the country. "We can no longer fear whatever bogeymen lurk just beyond our borders. The world is a lot bigger, a lot madder, and a lot more brilliant than that."

 

[Sheridan]

Department of Foriegn Affairs

Perhaps a meeting is in order between our two nations? Your Prime Minister and our President can meet in Freistadt and discuss possible trade agreements and further cooperation between our nations.

 

[Taigh Ur]

Press Update: Taigh-Freiheit Summit Imminent
March 17th, 2010​

STIRLING - Foreign Secretary Scott Barrowman has invited the Foreign Minister of Freiheit to Stirling Castle for a discussion of the relationship between the two nations. Freiheit, a close neighbor of Taigh Ur, is a nation of Germanic people with a large supply of certain fossil fuels, among other powerful industries. Discussion is expected to include future trade agreements, particularly concerning Taigh's sizeable oil and gas reserves, as well as electricity exports from Taigh to foreign nations.

Secretary Barrowman is reportedly very excited to be meeting with the Freiheit Foreign Minister; until now, the Foreign Secretary position has been largely ceremonial.

 

[Taigh Ur]

The Taighan Free Press
March 18th, 2010

Conservatives Balk at New Archbishop of Aberdeen

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ABERDEEN - It appears that the Kirk's recent appointment of Katherine Griswold as the new Archbishop of Aberdeen, only the second female to ever hold the post, is not as cut-and-dry as it once seemed. While Griswold has long had a reputation for being a liberal-minded bishop, her leadership of the Church has never been widely questioned until now. In the wake of the recent conservative-minded electoral losses, The Conservatives - and, to a lesser extent, the Nationals - seem intent on "stirring the pot" with Taigh's more traditional demographics. While the parties have no direct influence upon the Kirk - it operates completely separately from the state - they maintain profound influence over the Kirk's main focus: the Taighan People. Conservative Party Leader Stewart Finch, an MP from the rural district of Forthshire, gave a speech in the small town of Firth today.

"While I have enormous respect for Bishop Griswold - she's an absolutely brilliant clergywoman - I question the soundness of the Kirk's decision to put her in the position of highest authority. Would it not be more prudent to have a more traditional Church leader, and let the people balance their liberal politics with their conservative personal lives?" Those in attendance cheered his speech.

Archbishop Griswold, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic about Finch's comments. "Representative Finch is completely out of line. The Church of Taigh has no political influence; why are the Conservatives attempting to stick their noses in Church business?"

The answer to the Archbishop's question may lie in the public perception of the Church in Taigh. As the Archbishop of Aberdeen, Griswold is the de facto spiritual leader of the nation. Well over two-thirds of the country aligns themselves with the Kirk in some respect, including the majority of the members of Parliament. Past archbishops have frequently been unofficial "spiritual advisors" to the Prime Ministers and MPs, and can have a substantial, if indirect, influence upon national politics. As a result, the Conservatives are pushing back against the Kirk, but it is unlikely that they will be moved.

In Other News

DUNDEE - MP Harold Simm is announced as the keynote speaker at the National Party fundraiser next month; attendance is expected to be high.

STIRLING - Progressive Party moves legislation through the House that would give positive incentives for breaking stereotypes in mass media.

BATHGATE - Celebrations over McDonald's victory cause "jovial chaos," according to local law enforcement.

 

[Éireann]

Oifig an Príomh-Aire
Office of the Prime Minister

On behhalf of myself and HM government, I wish to send Mr. David McDonald congratulations on his selected as the Prime Minister of Taigh Ur.

Conor MacCarthy, MacCarthy Mór, Prince of Desmond
Prime Minister
Kingdom of Éireann

 

[Großlausitz]

Die Staatskanzlei

On behalf of the Kingdom of Franken I would like to congratulate David McDonald upon his selection as prime minister of Taigh.

~Graf Peter Solms
Ministerpresident of HM Government

 

[Taigh Ur]

Press Update: Eireann Summit Pending
Alban Central Oil Opens to Foreign Investment
March 18th, 2010​

STIRLING - Continuing the developing trend of international dialog in the nation, the Foreign Minister of Eireann, a fellow nation of Celtic heritage, has been invited to meet with Secretary Barrowman in Stirling tomorrow. This meeting comes directly on the heels of the meeting with the Freiheitian Foreign Minister yesterday. The details of that meeting have yet to be published.

ABERDEEN - Following the accession of the Progressive Party, Taighan companies have followed the lead of the government itself, and have opened themselves up to foreign investment. One of the most notable examples of such corporate behavior is the Alban Central Oil company, which controls a sizeable portion of Taigh's offshore oil rigs. According to a corporate release, the company is allowing both direct investment by offering 40% of its shares to foreign markets, and investment in individual projects.

 

[Taigh Ur]

Taighan Free Press​

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March 19th, 2010

Simm Concerned About Speed of International Reintegration

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DUNDEE - When the third international meeting in as many days was announced this morning, this time with the Foreign Minister of Franconia, most of the Taighan people were excited about the reintegration of the country into international politics. Significant portions of the population, however, are still wary of relations with the larger European community. One such skeptic is the former Prime Minister Harold Simm, who retains his Parliamentary seat for the National Party in North Dundee. In a local gathering with his constituents today, he expressed his concern over the rapidity of Taigh's reintegration.

"I have no doubt that the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are doing what they feel is best for the people of this country, no doubt whatsoever. That said, however, I cannot help but worry that we are moving back out into the world to quickly. We're like a ship that has set out to sea without properly surveying the weather; that is to say, we just don't know what's out there. We certainly do not want to embroil ourselves in messy international affairs unnecessarily, or accidentally involve ourselves with nations that are condemned by the international community. My words to the Prime Minister are simply these: Be careful." His speech was generally warmly received by his constituents.

The Prime Minister, on the other hand, had his own take on Simm's statement. "Mr. Simm seems to be attempting to perpetuate the ideology of paranoia that has thus far paralyzed our nation on the world stage. This was a highly unnecessary statement on his part; we have no intention of besmirching our nation's name through our international affairs."

It is widely assumed that Simm was referring to Taigh's recent meeting with the Foreign Minister of Freiheit, and admittedly militaristic and ethnocentric nation. The Progressives have countered this concern by reminding us that Freiheit is a close neighbor, and that the country would be foolish not to engage in a dialog with them.

In Other News

PERTH - Northern Taigh Energy Collective (NTEC) announces the construction of the country's largest solar farm to date just outside the city.

ABERDEEN - A new study is published by ACO scientists detailing newer, more efficient methods of extracting crude oil from the nation's oil shale reserves.

ABERDEEN - Banca na Taigh (Bank of Taigh) announces that it will begin investing in foreign ventures in addition to its existing domestic investments.

 

[Guiana]

Office of the Prime Minister

On behlf of myself, HM Gianan government and the Commonwealth of Guiana, I send congratulations to the Rt. Hon. David McDonald on his being selected to lead Taigh Ur as its prime minister.

Harcourt Fenton Mudd
Prime Minister
Commonwealth of Guiana

 

[Taigh Ur]

Taighan Free Press​

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March 21st, 2010

Massive Energy Deal Signed with Freiheit

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STIRLING - An enormous new energy deal has been brokered between Taigh Ur and our northern neighbor of Freiheit, Foreign Secretary Scot Barrowman announced at a press conference earlier today. The deal aims to increase Taigh's stake in the supply of foreign oil, while simultaneously encouraging foreign investment in our own domestic energy industry.

"As our first major international deal since the end of isolationism, we could not have started off on a better note," Secretary Barrowman said today. "The Freiheitians seem very keen on developing their own energy grid for the future while also encouraging the creation of our own alternative energy sources." The tenets of the deal allow Taigh to build two medium-size oil-fired power plants in Freiheit - a job which our government will likely subcontract to one of the major energy companies, such as ACO - in exchange for what Secretary Barrowman calls a "sizeable investment" by the government of Freiheit in the Perth Solar Farm project. In the future, the Freiheitian government intends to buy up the Taighan plants in their country, at which point they will begin to pay for the oil used to power the plants; while the plants remain under the control of a Taighan company, the government does not consider the oil to be changing hands.

Some on the Political Right are saying that the deal falls short of its potential, based on rumors that the Freiheitians offered a Coal for Oil Free Trade Agreement that was turned down. Conservative MP Stewart Finch in particular inveighed against the deal, calling it "a waste of paper." He may, of course, be neglecting the fact that Taigh does not contain any coal-fire power plants, with the last remaining plant near Dundee having been decommissioned almost half a decade ago.

Secretary Barrowman was far more enthusiastic. "This is something tangible, something real; it is a true first step onto the international stage for our nation."

In Other News

STIRLING - The Foreign Minister of Eireann arrives for a diplomatic meeting with Secretary Barrowman.

STIRLING - Prime Minister McDonald pledges to maintain the existing legislation which tolerates recreational drugs, citing a common faith in the judgment of the people.

 

[Taigh Ur]

Taighan Free Press​

March 25th, 2010
Finch Pushes New Capital Punishment Legislation

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STIRLING - Conservative MP Stewart Finch seems determined to remain in the national political conversation, now that the Progressives have gained control of the Parliament. After the small stir that his critique of the new Archbishop of Aberdeen created, Finch is throwing another proverbial stone into the pond, this time by introducing new legislation onto the House floor which will, if passed, re-introduce capital punishment.

It is not considered likely that the bill will pass; even if every member of the National Party voted for it, it would still fall far short of the required simple majority. Finch has, of course, referenced the conservative lilting of several Progressive Representatives, and has said that the bill "appeals to the common sensibilities of the nation."

"This is not some publicity stunt on my part," Finch said at a Conservative gathering today in Dundee, "but a gesture of genuine concern for the safety of the Taighan population at large." While it is true that the country has been seeing a small increase in crime overall, there is little evidence that major crimes that this bill addresses - murder, rape, and the like - have increased at all. As of this writing, the bill has only earned condemnation for the left, with the Christian Alliance - which subscribes to the "culture of life" free from capital punishment - and the Social Liberal Party both damning the pessimistic and draconian nature of the bill. The Prime Minister himself has said that "the culture of death has never had a place in Taigh, in the Progressive Party philosophy, in my own personal views, or in the best interests of this nation. This bill is distinctly not what this country needs right now."

In Other News

FIFE - Uranium deposits are discovered west of the town of Fife; the Government has dispatched environmental inspectors to check local radiation levels.

STIRLING - PM McDonald announces government subsidies for private schools that go "above and beyond national standards" as part of a national education reform program.

 

[Anglyn]

Foreign Office

On behalf of His Majesty's government, I send my congratulations to the Rt. Hon. David McDonald on his selection as the Prime Minister of Taigh Ur and request on behalf on Prime Minister Sir Weatherby Swann, a meeting between them. Or, if that is not possible at this time, a meeting between myself and Foreign Minister Barrowman, I am hoping will be acceptable.

Sir Ian MacKenzie
Foreign Secretary
Kingdom of Mayaland

 

[Taigh Ur]

Taighan Free Press
April 2nd, 2010
Taigh to FAC: North Taigh is Ours

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ABERDEEN - Taighans swarmed Murrayfield Stadium earlier today in a show of solidarity and support for the Taighan inhabitants of North Taigh, the part of the country which lies on the far side of the Strait of Fife. Recently, a group of Freiheitian extremists has called for the "return" of what they deem to be "ancestral Freiheitian land." PM McDonald addressed this issue in front of the large and vibrant crowd.

"They say that this land, this Tiaghan soil, belongs to them. I believe that the families that have spent generations working the lands of Perth, and Greenock, and Falkirk, and our other Northern towns would have a few choice words for them! That land is Taighan land, it has been Taighan land, and it will be Taighan land!"

The FAC is claiming that the land now comprising North Taigh was "bought" by Taigh from the Freiheitian government some years ago, a claim which many Taighans, the Prime Minister included, dispute.

"We have worked that soil, sweated and died in that soil, since the time of the Migration. How dare you claim this land as yours?"

Other members of Parliament have made a point of distinguishing the direction of Taighan criticism as being the FAC itself, and not Freiheitians in general. Harold Simm has worked particularly hard to clarify this point, while simultaneously supporting the Prime Minister's obvious indignation.

"There is no excuse for such blatant expansionism and misinformation. None whatsoever."

In Other News

PERTH - Ground breaks on the NTEC solar farm, Taigh's largest to date.