Meeting of the County Chancellors

Reaching the sideboard, Patan nods at Lady Caitilin, "I hope that she is able to attend. As you say, it would be good to have all the counties discussing and agreeing on a plan. If we all work together and can present something that we think would be the best for England, and is logical and workable, I hope that the King would agree to it."

The Scottish gentleman turns to her to offer a drink, and Patan smiles, "Thank you, Sir. I should very much like a cup of tea, actually - and perhaps a slice of cake."

She smiles at the new arrival, and watches as Lady Irish speaks and lays out the documents. Hearing Father Deekay ask for clarification, Patan moves forward, "If I may explain that...? Our thoughts were that each of the County Chancellors would have a particular responsibility. The suggestions of Arkrantos and Silvermane go into a little more detail - but essentially the Ambassadors and Interpreters would each report to a particular Chancellor. As you say, reporting to all four would indeed cause confusion and problems." She nods in agreement.

"Lord Plotnik," she turns to reply, "Yes indeed there was a secret meeting in the Royal Embassy - the Treaty Room, as I understand. This was between the Chancellor, the Queen, the Count/esses - although not all, and the Earl Marshall." She frowns, "Now, why the Earl Marshall was involved in a high-level diplomatic discussion regarding the procedures of the Embassy, we can only conjecture. And, too, we can only guess why they chose to lock all the County Chancellors out of the Embassy itself. However, the outcome of that secret meeting was that they sent a proposal to the counties for agreement - the one that was brought to this table earlier [OOC - on page 1].

"That proposal essentially took away everything from the counties except negotiation of trade. There was a rather grudging acknowledgement that County Chancellors might have a room in the Royal Embassy, but otherwise there seemed no other involvement in any kind of diplomacy for the counties.

"Devon and, I believe, another county have rejected this proposal, and we are here to discuss whether we might present an alternative that we think would work. Our document was a draft of a beginning for this." She indicates the document that Lady Irish had presented.

Falcon enters the room just in time to hear Seamus ask for Irish's order. I will answer that Seamus, I have a bottle of fine rum in the back of the cabinet wrapped in old paper. I think she will be more than pleased with that! Bowing to his favorite cousin, and how are you this fine evening Irish, giving her a big hug. I thought I might sit in and listen to the meeting, as I watch the kingdom around us full of unrest it might be wise to pay attention to this important gathering. It is funny, I just left the Royal Ambassadorial Staff Room and I only see one name all over the page, grinning. I don't know why they still ask me to help or don't seem to take my keys.

Falcon waves to his family and the many friends there, some he hasn't seen in a while. Fot those I don't know here I am Falcon and just here to listen in.

Deekay wrote:

He turned and accepted Lady Irish's embrace. He smiled until she mentioned young William, and it was as though a dagger pierced his heart.

"I am sorry, news may not have travelled. There was an accident at Wolvesey Castle." His hands shook a little as he spoke. "Well, unlikey to be an accident. William was found with a dagger in his hand and his throat bleeding badly. I fear he will not survive."

Waving at Lord Plotnik he retook his seat, and perused the document that Lady Irish had circulated.

"I wonder - could someone explain how this part of the arrangement would work?" He tapped the paragraph

Quote :

Ambassadors, appointed by the Board, report to the County Chancellors

Interpreters, appointed by the Board, report to the County Chancellors

"Does that mean that the ambassador will report to all of the Chancellors - at least four? This seems to lead to difficulties. In any organisation - military religious - it is esential to know who is giving the orders."

The color drained from Irish's face as Deekay told her the news of young William. She sat back down in her seat with a thud, she was having a hard time concentrating on what was being said to her about the suggestions Devon had for the running of the Royal Embassy. There was an emptiness in her heart as if she had lost one of her own children.Tears welling up in her green eyes.All she could manage was a whisper, I have failed
Wiping away the tear that fell over and down her cheek she turned her attention back to what Deekay had asked. No Deekay according to what Ark had outlined each of the 4 Chancellors would have a specific duty. the Ambassadors, depending on what their duties are would report to the Chancellor in charge of that particular duty.
as an example. Lets say for this instance I am the Chancellor in charge of all of the RE Ambassadors to foreign countries and one of them brings me a Non aggression pact. I would myself personally bring int the EM as an Envoy to handle this as I am not well versed in such things. Or if not the EM then someone I know who is. I hope I'm making sense.

Deekay placed his glass down, perhaps a little too heavily.

"To correct Lady Patan, the meeting was not secret, but private. It was certainly known that the Monarch had convened a meeting with the Royal Chancellor, and the four Counts.

It was a subject of some debate in the Lords, part of it quite offensive, as to the reason for the Earl Marshall's presence.

Shall we take it as accepted that many of us have had some form of disagreement with the current Royal Chancellor, but if this discussion is to be constructive it must put aside personalities, and focus on how we might agree on something that our four counties might agree on, and present it to our own Councils.

Personally I would like to be imaginative first, before we concentrate on the documents. I would like to know the extent to which we believe matters should be dealt with nationally or by County.

The national draft leaves trade to the counties. I welcome that. I am not convinced there is yet trust between counties to leave that to a central office. Are we better having four judicial treaties between the counties and say Modena, or one between England and Modena. Personally I prefer the latter. Only one office needs to check it and translate it.

Do we need a county embassy, and what should it do?"

Well said, Father. Hard as it is, put aside the person who holds the office, and discuss the office itself.

And thank you to Lady Patan for the clarity. I'm starting to piece it together now.

A moment out of time, if you will allow, then I'll speak my peace. It is my new understanding that the meeting in London developed a second document, to counter the first proposal. The second is modestly tamer. I present it without further comment, then I'll discuss my real preference.

Quote :

Diplomatic Policy in England
This document is a letter of intent for changes within the National Embassy. It is supported by the national government of England and the counties of England, including Devon, Mercia, Sussex, and Westmorland.

In order to present a unified national front, reduce redundancy, and make relations clearer for foreign territories, the National Embassy shall be central agency for Diplomatic Relations in England. All treaties such as Diplomatic Relations, Friendship Treaties, Non-aggression Pacts, Judicial Treaties, Mutual Defense Pacts, and specialty documents such as Peace Treaties shall fall under the authority of the National Embassy, with the exception of Trade Agreements. The National Embassy shall pass no document that interferes with county trade or county laws. The Counties of England shall have the freedom to create trade treaties so long as they do not harm another county or the country.

The National Embassy shall consist of:
The Embassy Board, consists of the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, the Chamberlain of the Embassy, and two representatives from each of the Counties
- The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, appointed by the monarch, sets and oversees foreign policy
- The Chamberlain, elected by the Board and ambassadorial staff from amongst their number, and is responsible for the daily operations of the National Embassy
- County Representatives, appointed by the County Councils, usually one Chancellor and the Count(ess), oversee the four areas within the Embassy
- Ambassadors, appointed by the Board, report to the County Chancellors
- Interpreters, appointed by the Board, report to the County Chancellors
- Special Envoys and other special posts, appointed as necessary by the Board, report to the Board

The National Embassy shall create and maintain a public archive of all treaties.

The process for approving National Treaties shall follow the following guidelines:
1) A treaty is submitted to the National Embassy by a foreign territory or by the National Embassy to a foreign territory.
2) The treaty is translated, checked for accuracy, looked over for basic revisions, and made as correct and whole as possible.
3) The treaty is submitted to the Embassy Board for discussion, during which the County representatives may seek input from their County Councils.
4) Once the Board finds the treaty satisfactory, it is submitted to the House of Lords for discussion, revision, and a vote.
5) If approved by the House of Lords, the treaty is signed and copies are posted both to the foreign territory and to our repository of treaties.

We the undersigned agree to this procedure and, on behalf of those who we represent, pledge to work towards the necessary changes to enact it.

King
Chancellor
Countess of Devon
Count of Mercia
Count of Sussex
Countess of Westmorland

My preference is for peace, harmony, and joy. All kidding aside, really, that is what I want. I supported the plan under Prince Stuart that all county Embassies - back then we had nine - meet in London to discuss everything. If Bretagne wanted an alliance, nine counties plus the National representative had equal voices on the matter. If four counties said that allying with an enemy of France was suicide, and one representative of the crown insisted it was for our good, then the one voice would be the minority unless they could sway the majority.

Sussex has high desire to be on friendly terms with our neighbor, Artois. Cumberland had high desire to be on peaceful terms with their neighbor, Galloway. Sussex didn't think much about Galloway and neither did Cumbria worry over Artois. When we put our collective heads together, we could develop a robust national policy, but separately we each had to face the reality that is called "The Tyranny of Geography." S'truth.

I still think four Chancellors plus a High Chancellor is a well-rounded Steering Council. Diplomacy is never fast. It should never be fast. Diplomacy takes place over years, not seconds. But dissuading a blade - that takes seconds, and sometimes those seconds can only be successful with a diplomat at hand. Not a ruling council, but an ambassador-on-the-spot. Setup a Steering Council to think in big terms, then give the ambassadors authority and trust to act in-the-moment.

Over the Steering Council, we still have the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Over the Committee on Foreign Affairs, we still have the House of Lords. And the king decides who may sit, and who is forbidden to sit, in that House, with the advice of the Counts' nominations and the College of Heraldry's vetting process. The king may empty that House in a second, with the stroke of one pen all charters of nobility could be revoked. And yes, the king can load the House with yes-men, and clean it of his political enemies. Be damned the false story that the henhouse is separate from politics, when a politician rules the roost.

Ambassador - Chancellors - Oversight Committee - House - Crown.

There is my peace-joy-love solution.

To bring that horrible despot "Reality" into the mix, I must agree with my peers that a vacuum of leadership is always filled by-and-by, and not always well-filled. It would be nice to have one clear voice with a vision for diplomatic relations to offer that clear direction. It would be nice. I think we should avoid putting one person in charge of the Embassy. For the same reason that Sussex does not want war with France, we should not have one person - flawed as we all are - in charge of diplomacy. One voice in charge of translaters, okay. One clerk in charge of administration, okay. Someone with the "additional duty" of being in charge of keeping standard treaties organized, okay. An chronicler and researcher of treaties, of course. But one person who can command the Embassy in one direction? Unwise. Let us have five. I believe that is workable. Ten would have been difficult to control, but five is within reason. Four Chancellors, appointed of the heads of counties, one Chancellor appointed of the head of kingdom.

What opinions have you on the subject?

Seamus pours a goodly measure of rum from the bottle described to him, and places it near Lady Irish's spot at table. Murmuring to Lady Patan, he says Yer tea weel be a moment, as I mun make it whilst I am in the kitchens, yonder, seein' tae yer cake, but twill be ready soon. Addressing the newly arrived gentleman, apparently from Sussex, Seamus says Pardon sir, what refreshment might a mon fetch for yerself?

Caitilin smiled at her brothers and cousin. She was glad they had also come in. They had worked in the diplomatic field and knew what the country would need as well.

Listening to each one speak on their various alternative proposals for embassy processes, she pondered if the King would be willing to accept anything other than what he and the Royal Embassy had presented prior. Would he be open minded enough to realize there were better options or would he be so vain to think he and his cohorts were the only voices in the nation who had wisdom? She looked over each document and read them carefully. It was Lord Plotnik's proposal that intrigued her.

My Lord Plotnik, it is good to have you here. It has been some time since we have had a chance to talk. Your offering here. to me, has all of the elements that could be accepted by the counties and the monarchy. I particularly like that no one person has all of the power of the embassy, but it is a board, a joint control, if I understand correctly. Cait picked up the document and referred to a section that most interested her.

Quote :

The process for approving National Treaties shall follow the following guidelines:
1) A treaty is submitted to the National Embassy by a foreign territory or by the National Embassy to a foreign territory.
2) The treaty is translated, checked for accuracy, looked over for basic revisions, and made as correct and whole as possible.
3) The treaty is submitted to the Embassy Board for discussion, during which the County representatives may seek input from their County Councils.
4) Once the Board finds the treaty satisfactory, it is submitted to the House of Lords for discussion, revision, and a vote.

I am in favor of this process.

Pulling herself together,Irish turned her attention to matters at hand. Nodding a thanks to Seamus. Having spoken recently to our Countess, Treena informed me that only two people were extremely displeased with this document. What Jennet fails to realize it that by setting up the RE to run this way,makes it more efficient and still leaves the Chancellor to do what is needed and that is to be the face and voice of the RE for England. This document takes away no powers but rather divides them making it much easier to make sure things are done in a timely manner.
Devon is already adapting to such a structure as Lord Arkrantos has outlined here seeing as we have 3 Chancellors in our embassy. Each of us has our strong points and we work well together.

I have yet to figure out why the EM is there,but he was one of the two voices protesting this proposal that was sent back to the meeting. It is my earnest hope that we can all get behind this new proposal and make sure our council's see the wisdom of how the RE should be run.This is indeed a step in the right direction for our National Embassy and it would show a untied front to the world as well...... I hope.

Father Deekay, the County Embassy would still be the forefront of our National Diplomacy. We are the face and the voice of England as a whole. there are somethings ,in my opinion, that the RE should never be involved in dealing with for a county. for only the Chancellors of said counties know what is good for their counties. Is it not why our council's appointed us Chancellors in the first place.

Quote :

Seamus says Pardon sir, what refreshment might a mon fetch for yerself?

Thank you, I'll whatever the Captain is having. Let's see if her leadership on the sea is matched by her leadership away from the water, as it were. Thank you.

I've seen to gotten lost in thought again. Could someone clear my head?

The meeting offered the document that we first saw [ooc: page 1].

Then My Lords Arkrantos and Silvermane countered with their thoughts [ooc: page 2, by Irish].

The meeting begrudgingly modified their proposal, as I presented just now, making it a wheensy-bit less bitter.

Am I right so far?

My Lady Wardour, could you clarify for me which document you meant? I'm not sure which document made who mad. I'm sorry I cannot keep them all straight.

For Sussex' part, Count Faheud has expressed himself to be less than satisfied with the new proposal, the one I'll call Wheensy, unless someone proposes a better name. I advised him to have Council vote against it.

The new Wheensy papers, if I may call them that, still possess a phrase that sticks in my craw, that being "The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, appointed by the monarch, sets and oversees foreign policy". That statement gives the Chancellor the power to ignore the board, and forward any treaty to the House of Lords over the objections of the four counties. I cannot imagine a Chancellor having more micromanagement of the Embassy that the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod has over the House of Lords. Simply my opinion, based upon my history with the National Embassy lo these past three years. Back then, I was mayour of Dover, looking across the Straits at Calais, wondering what the first ship would bring to my Jolly English Soil. I was asking our Ambassador to France the mood of that nation, and whether trade laws were welcoming, and whether we had treaties in place that would be honoured. What have we learned of those questons, since then? What have we learned in the last year?

Did not Artois open fire upon an English-Flagged ship just this week? And did not the French Crown order them to stop, and received insults in return?

Take this document, or that document, or any document, and find one that will keep the interest of the people of England best secured. Let it stand on its own merits, and let us enjoin with tranquility.

To that end, is there a document in existence with the modifications requested by My Lords Arkrantos and Silvermane? I'd like to see that.

Irish nearly choked on the sip of rum she had just taken when she heard herself being addressed as Lady Wardour.She chuckled silently and began to answer Plotnik, Lord Plotnik, as you can see the "jobs" of each position within the RE has been explained.
the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs sits on the Monarch's Privy Council. Their job it to report what is going on with in the Embassy not only to the Monarch,but to the Committee of Foreign Affairs as well. The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs is also the person who would bring Treaties to the HoL after they have gone through the Board at the RE.
As you can see Lord Arkrantos has outlined each job not only for the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs but also that of the 4 County Chancellors who make up the Board.

Arkrantos wrote:

While since concept is mainly one I would love to see the Royal Embassy take on I had thought, especially considering out current situation in Devon it would be worth considering, I will outline a structure only at this point, it is also directed at the Royal Embassy.


High Chancellor
Selected by His majesty, oversee's all the Embassy.

Chancellor (4)
Each Counties appointed Chancellor

Portfolio's
Four portfolios which are given to each County Chancellor, essentially a different duty with the High Chancellor coordinating and making sure everybody does their due.

1. Treaties
- Handles treaty negotiations with the appropriate Ambassador
- Works on standard treaty templates

2. Internal Diplomat
- Handles the English Diplomats
- Compiles reports from their Diplomats

3. External Diplomat
- Handles the Foreign Diplomats
- Compiles reports from their Dipolmats
- Moderates the Embassy
- Hands out/revokes Keys
- Compiles the final reports



Its mainly just thoughts and not very fleshed out but I think you get the idea.

As you can also see Lord Silvermane took this a bit further and out lined in some detail what each of the 4 Chancellors would be doing.

Silvermane wrote:

Chancellor of Foreign Affairs
Selected by His majesty, oversee's all the Embassy.

I agree.

Chancellor (4)
Each Counties appointed Chancellor

I agree

Portfolio's
Four portfolios which are given to each County Chancellor, essentially a different duty with the High Chancellor coordinating and making sure everybody does their due.

Also agree.

Now as far as division of duties and separate portfolios, I agree to the basic premise, however not as to the way it had been divided below. I would suggest the following for a more even distribution

1.Internal Diplomat ( Within the Royal Embassy)
- Liaison English County Diplomats
- Treaties
- Handles treaty negotiations with the appropriate Ambassador
- Works on standard treaty templates

2. External Diplomat - Western World ( English, French and Spanish speaking Towns, Counties and Countries including Scandinavia)
- Handles the Foreign Diplomats
- Compiles reports from their Diplomats
- Creates a map of his areas of responsibility and a list of the ambassadors assigned to specific areas within the realm of his responsibility.

3. External Diplomat ( Eastern World - German, Italian, Turkish, Greek and Slavic speaking cities, counties and countries)
- Handles the Foreign Diplomats
- Compiles reports from their Diplomats
- Creates a map of his areas of responsibility and a list of the ambassadors assigned to specific areas within the realm of his responsibility.

4. Administrative Diplomat
- Moderates the Embassy
- Hands out/revokes Keys
- Compiles the final reports
- Ensures that arriving Foreign Diplomats are greeted on a timely basis and not left forgotten. Announces Foreign Diplomatic arrivals to the Diplomat or Ambassador responsible for that area.

5. Ambassadors and Consuls

1) Ambassadors are long term diplomats that shall engage their designated destination in discussions as directed by the policy of England to that area.
They shall not only seek treaties, if that is the wish of England, but also create a discourse with their foreign counterpart(s) regarding those counties, duchies, countries relations with their bordering territories and report their findings back to their immediate supervisor so such information can be incorporated into the report.

2) Consuls are diplomats designated for specific one time tasks to a foreign territory and report back to England. After which they may or may not be appointed as ambassadors to that specific region if regular ambassadors are not available.

3) Reports should be done on a timely basis ( I would suggest every 2 weeks unless some imperative news is garnered which maybe be of vital interest to England) designating the diplomats advance or lack thereof in accomplishing the goals set out for him/her by their supervisor.


Again this is basically an overview without all the detail.

We feel that this is a far more efficient way to run the Royal Embassy and it will give the Counties a say so in our Nations foreign policies,where they have none at the present time. The thought behind this structure is so that no one person has total power ,but rather it is divided to make things easier.This way we do not see our foreign dignitaries waiting for weeks on end to even be spoken to or to conduct the simplest of business which is what is currently happening in our National Embassy now.

It is the current Chancellor and the EM who are not happy with this document.I would not suggest voting against this particular document. It is as I have already stated a far more fair document where county embassies are concerned. The original all but rendered a County embassy useless where this one does not.As you can see any given Ambassador is to bring their Treaties and such to their respective Supervisor, who is one of the 4 county Chancellors. They in turn would go over the document and once satisfied,whether there si a rewrite or not, would then pass it along to the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs to be brought before the HoL.

Assuming Lord Plotnik was referring to Lady Irish as Captain, since she was the only person Seamus knew of that had the slightest thing to do with a navy, or water in general, and the only other female he had known to hold the rank of Captain previously was Caitilin, the young man pours another glass of rum, and places it near Lord Plotnik's place at table. He then quietly excuses himself to run down kitchen and see to Lady Patan's requests.

The Count of Sussex will soon be advising the London Crew of universal disagreement with their last proposal.

Looking around the table, Patan listens and then frowns very slightly, "I beg your pardon, Lord Deekay. It may have been known in some quarters that the meeting with the Counts had been convened. For myself, however, I only discovered about it when I found myself barred from entering the Royal Embassy and then mentioned it in our county's Embassy. However, perhaps I just, for some reason, missed hearing about it." She smiles deprecatingly and then listens to Lord Plotnik, suddenly feeling herself becoming a little confused.

"My Lord Plotnik, may I just seek clarification? You mentioned that the meeting in London developed a second document, which was modestly tamer. You presented it - although in fact, it seems to be the document that we in Devon drafted and which Lady Irish presented here earlier. If I understood you correctly, you are advocating an additional committee within the national Embassy...is that right? Or was that steering committee the same as the board that was in the Devon draft? Our intention was that this board...or committee, if you will... would indeed be the ones to run the national Embassy.

"However, you are now saying that you are advising your Count to reject this revised proposal - one which involves each of the counties in the running of the National Embassy - outright, rather than suggest further changes? Is that correct, or have I misunderstood?"

"Lady Patan - I cannot speak for Devon. However Count Alastair announced that discussions were taking place at the Royal Embassy. That was in the Council Chamber, so visible to the County of Mercia. Therefore I concluded it was not secret.

I must admit I too was lost in Lord Plotnik's enunciation. I think the second document he referred to is the one I understood as the "Devon proposal".

I have read the proposals from Lords Arkrantos and Silvermane. Until it is clear which of the two is proposed I remain confused.

Under the current system, take me as an example. I am Ambassador to Champagne. I deal with Champagne's ambassador, and any necessary contacts with their government.

Under the Silvermane scheme, I deal with Chancellor No 1, while the Ambassador from Champagne deals with Chancellor No 2. I don't see the sense in this.

Lady Irish, I understand your frustration at the current incumbent. However, I would not support a document that gave no role to England's Chancellor. If Devon feels sufficiently strongly about the current incumbent, then it should make its views clear to His Majesty. And if necessary signal unwillingness to work with the Embassy."

He paused, as a note was passed to him, by a servant. He read it carefully.

"Lord Baldar, my son sends me word that he has heard Westmoreland proposes secession from England. I think before we proceed further, you should clarify the position. It would seem that if your county's government is planning treason, then we would be, shall we say embarrassed to be accepting your hospitality at such a time."

He sat back, waiting for Lord Baldar's response.

[Edit to remove reference to Sussex voting

I was told the second document, then one I presented, resulted from the Closed-Door meeting in London, after it became clear that the original plan would be rejected outright. If I was told wrong, instead of being a plan offered by the High Chancellor, if it was instead the plan offered by Devon County, then I apologize for passing on the incorrect information I received. I only know what I have been told, and what I have been told was particularly vague. I'm trying to sort it out, and obviously failing.

I agree with Father Reynard, that any plan that has no role for the Crown's Representative - be they called High Chancellor or Head of Mission - is antithesis. Conversely, any plan that includes the words "oversee's all the Embassy" without explaining them, will likewise receive no support from me. Under... whichever plan is before us... this plan, the Crown's Representative could claim veto power over the selection of the County Representative, merely by refusing to seat them, or demanding they file the Application To Become An Ambassador. I refuse to let the Crown's Representative choose the County Representative, which this plan seems to allow by silence, if not by right. Still, there's no point in discussing details of the proposal, until after we figure out which proposal we're discussing. Which I do not yet grasp.

Which leaves me asking - if the 2nd is the Devon Plan, then what of Lords Arkrantos' and Silvermane's comments?

I'm so confused that I've confused those around be. Someone please help.

Plotnik chokes back a draught of rum which he finds near at hand. Rancid.

Deekay wrote:

Lord Baldar, my son sends me word that he has heard Westmoreland proposes secession from England. I think before we proceed further, you should clarify the position. It would seem that if your county's government is planning treason, then we would be, shall we say embarrassed to be accepting your hospitality at such a time."

Plotnik moans, "Not again" and swallows more rum.

Is there nobody who supports Lord Mortimer? Or do they exist, but merely I've not met such a soul since before he became Regent? If the majority disagrees with a minority, the way to solve problems is not to take your toys and go home. Did the lessons of the last three years of my life teach no one the path to Divine Truth lies in community, not in hermitism?

Let the son of Shawn_Math have no sway here. Let evil begone from England. Let us be the light to show the way to Truth. Aristotle as a guide, Jah will protect.

My Lord Reynard, on the discussion and rumours of Westmorland, on there succesion, it is a discussion being held in the taverns by Westmorland citizens, and nothing at the moment to do with the government.

We in Westmorland belive in the freedom of speech, and if citizens have an idea to speak of it and discuss. There is at the moment no plans as far as I know of succession.

Now going back to the agreements, there are a lot of good ideas, and it is a bit confusing at the moment. I would say that at this point we stop and read carefully and confront all the ideas one by one and come up with one document that we all agree with and present it to our Councils.

I am a firm beliver in the Ambassador on the ground to be the main man in dipomatic relations. I would remind the Lords and Ladies here of the Florence incident where English subjects were tried to be killed and the Embassy was slow on acting as there wasn't an Ambassador after my resignation.
My intervention as Chancellor of Cumbeerland and with contacts, saved the exections, and even if people didn't like the outcome, the English citizens were exiled only. I was criticized by the Chancellor who tried to find evidence against me for accusations had come that I had accused and told the Florentines false accusations that they were ONE members.

If I had not intervened we would have had Enlish blood on our hands due to the slowness of our Embassy.

In the future document we need somewhere written that in an Emergency situation the Ambassador can act immediatly and then inform the RE.

I like the idea of splitting the decision making, and it is of no use just doing treaties so has to show that the Embassy is doing its stuff. The counties thru there representatives should outline the foreign policy with the King. (es.What use is a defence treaty with Croatia if we or them can't even get there to help each other.) Lets take a breather, read the proposels one by one and lets create this document.

Ok let me explain this the way Prince Chris did,I hope it makes things a bit more clear as to how Devon's suggestions for running the RE should be implemented.

Quote :

The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs is the highest authority other than the Monarch concerning Diplomacy. The Vice Chancellor or Chancellor of the Embassy or whatever other name you want to give them should control the day to day things happening in the Embassy and not be setting foreign policy, that's the job of the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs. Jennet SHOULD NOT be running the Embassy....she should be running the Kingdom's Diplomacy! But, we all know why she is currently, she chased off the person running the Embassy. Now, if that is what she wants to do...she should be appointed in that position.

This is why Ark and Silvermane suggested the break down in duties as they did. It gets the Counties involved in the day to day running of the Embassy,as they should be. Each of the 4 Chancellors has specific duties to handle within the RE.

He also stated that the original document sent with the Count/ess's had it all backwards and he is right. England's diplomacy should always start with the County Embassies. That it should be the County Chancellors who filter up any and all treaties except for Trade agreements,which can and should be dealt with at the county level and not a national level.

the original document that Baldar had sitting here was not the first draft that the king keeps insisting it is,but rather the second draft. Those attending that meeting,Count'/ess's were told to take it back to their councils for approval. It is that document that Devon voted against as it renders all of our County Embassies totally useless.
That Counter proposal that Devon wrote was sent back to the meeting in the RE with our Countess and is what Lady Patan and I brought here with us to discuss as well. I will also say that the Chancellor and the EM are not happy with this new proposal and are fighting it tooth and nail according to our Countess.

Patan nods at Lady Irish's explanation, and decides to add one more clarification, "I think that the actual roles of the County Chancellors in the Embassy, and their areas of responsibility, are suggestions are the moment - albeit ones that were suggested by those who understand how the Embassy should work. However, if the principle is agreed, then how the responsibilities are actually divided up can surely be discussed."

Baldar takes the proposal and re-reads it,

My fellow Chancellors
I would make the following proposels

Quote :

Quote:
Procedure for Diplomatic Policy in England

This document is a letter of intent for changes within the National Embassy. It is supported the national government of England and the counties of England, including Devon, Mercia, Sussex, and Westmorland.

In order to present a unified national front, reduce redundancy, and make relations clearer for foreign territories, the National Embassy shall be central agency for Diplomatic Relations in England. All treaties such as Diplomatic Relations, Friendship Treaties, Non-aggression Pacts, Judicial Treaties, Mutual Defense Pacts, and specialty documents such as Peace Treaties shall fall under the authority of the National Embassy, with the exception of Trade Agreements. The National Embassy shall pass no document that interferes with county trade or county laws.

The Counties of England shall have the freedom to create trade treaties so long as they do not harm another county or the country.

The National Embassy shall consist of:


The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, appointed by the monarch, sets and oversees foreign policy Take out and put something on the lines [ is the voice and face of the RE]

The Embassy Board, consists of the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, the Chamberlain of the Embassy, and two representatives from each of the Counties

The Chamberlain, elected by the Board and ambassadorial staff from amongst their number, and is responsible for the daily operations of the National Embassy

County Representatives, appointed by the County Councils, will be the Chancellor (in case of more than one chancellor per county they rotate)and the Count(ess), oversee the four areas within the Embassy

Ambassadors, sre appointed by the Board, and report to the appropriate County Chancellor

Interpreters, appointed by the Board, report to the Appropriate County Chancellors

Special Envoys and other special posts, appointed as necessary by the Board, report to the Board


The National Embassy shall create and maintain a public archive of all treaties.

Each Chancellor will be selected and have the following assignments.

1.Internal Diplomat ( Within the Royal Embassy)
- Liaison English County Diplomats
- Treaties
- Handles treaty negotiations with the appropriate Ambassador
- Works on standard treaty templates

2. External Diplomat - Western World ( English, French and Spanish speaking Towns, Counties and Countries including Scandinavia)
- Handles the Foreign Diplomats
- Compiles reports from their Diplomats
- Creates a map of his areas of responsibility and a list of the ambassadors assigned to specific areas within the realm of his responsibility.

3. External Diplomat ( Eastern World - German, Italian, Turkish, Greek and Slavic speaking cities, counties and countries)
- Handles the Foreign Diplomats
- Compiles reports from their Diplomats
- Creates a map of his areas of responsibility and a list of the ambassadors assigned to specific areas within the realm of his responsibility.

4. Administrative Diplomat
- Moderates the Embassy
- Hands out/revokes Keys
- Compiles the final reports
- Ensures that arriving Foreign Diplomats are greeted on a timely basis and not left forgotten. Announces Foreign Diplomatic arrivals to the Diplomat or Ambassador responsible for that area.

5. Ambassadors and Consuls

1) Ambassadors are long term diplomats that shall engage their designated destination in discussions as directed by the policy of England to that area.
They shall not only seek treaties, if that is the wish of England, but also create a discourse with their foreign counterpart(s) regarding those counties, duchies, countries relations with their bordering territories and report their findings back to their immediate supervisor so such information can be incorporated into the report.

2) Consuls are diplomats designated for specific one time tasks to a foreign territory and report back to England. After which they may or may not be appointed as ambassadors to that specific region if regular ambassadors are not available.

3) Reports should be done on a timely basis ( I would suggest every 2 weeks unless some imperative news is garnered which maybe be of vital interest to England) designating the diplomats advance or lack thereof in accomplishing the goals set out for him/her by their supervisor.


The process for approving National Treaties shall follow the following guidelines:


1) A treaty is submitted to the National Embassy by a foreign territory or by the National Embassy to a foreign territory.

2) The treaty is translated, (by Embassy interpreters)checked for accuracy, looked over for basic revisions, and made as correct and whole as possible.

3) The treaty is submitted to the Embassy Board for discussion, during which the County representatives may seek input from their County Councils.

4) Once the Board finds the treaty satisfactory, and aproved it is submitted to the Royal Chanceloor of foreign affairs to present to the House of Lords for discussion, revision, and a vote.


5) If approved by the House of Lords, the treaty is signed and copies are posted both to the foreign territory and to our repository of treaties.


We the undersigned agree to this procedure and, on behalf of those who we represent, pledge to work towards the necessary changes to enact it.

King

Chancellor

Countess of Devon

Count of Mercia

Count of Sussex

Countess of Westmorland

Reading the amendments, Patan nods, noting one or two amendments for tidying. Spotting something, she looks up, "I have just read the suggestions for splitting the chancellors' duties again, and realise that the duties of number 4, the Administrative Diplomat, are in fact those of the Chamberlain. That is not a problem, but then the section relating to that post is incorrect.

"Currently, it says:
The Chamberlain, elected by the Board and ambassadorial staff from amongst their number, and is responsible for the daily operations of the National Embassy
If Chancellor number 4 is in fact the Chamberlain, it should read something like:
The Chamberlain, elected by the Board and ambassadorial staff from one of the County Chancellors, and is responsible for the daily operations of the National Embassy

"Regarding the Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, I do think that they should be referred to as the head of the Embassy, although we are trying to avoid that person having the sole responsibility of being the one to set the policies. So, perhaps something like:
"The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs, appointed by the monarch, is the Head of the National Embassy, chairing the Embassy Board, and representing the Embassy, and the monarch, if required, in public arenas."
"I think that something along these lines would cover what we anticipate their responsibilities to be."

Having expressed her immediate thoughts, Patan continues to read through the document in case further questions arise.

Caitilin tensed at Lord Deekay's question. She had heard the tavern talk but that was not the county council. She moved closer to Baldar as he spoke. Her husband was a true diplomat and he answered the priest's comment much better than she would have. She smiled and gave Baldar's hand a gentle squeeze.

She listened gladly as the talks continued on course.