Realm of Strathclyde
Realm of Strathclyde | |
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 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Anthem: Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns | |
| Capital | Dumbarton |
| Largest city | Glasgow |
| Official languages | English |
| Demonym(s) | Strathclyde |
| Government | Elective parliamentary monarchy |
• Elected King for life | King Mark |
• Elected Prime Minister | John T Powell |
| Legislature | Parliament ("the Witan") |
| Establishment | 20 August 2001 |
| Population | |
• (as of 2011 census) census | 5 |
| Currency | British Pound |
| Time zone | (GMT) |
This nation is a member of the League of Secessionist States (LOSS), Splendid Union of Microstatia (SPUM), League of Micronations (LOM) | |
Strathclyde declared independence from the United Kingdom on 20 August 2001.
She claims the late Strathclyde Region in Scotland as her national territory (because it was in the Strathclyde Region that the present King of Strathclyde was born in 1980), which is roughly equivalent to the national territory that would have constituted the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde until the 11th century CE.
Government
The head of State is an elected monarch (King Mark), whose functions are analogous to those of a constitutional monarch and who retains purely ceremonial functions as head of State. The monarch is elected for life by the Witan from among its members; the monarch must always be non-political and act in most cases in accordance with the Prime Minister's advice.
Legislative power is vested in the Witan, which consists of the directly-elected Prime Minister as chairman, all members of the Privy Council and all adult citizens over 14. A quorum of only one is needed to proceed to business. Executive power is held by the Prime Minister, directly-elected every year; he is responsible to the Witan. Judicial power is held by the Quarter Court, which is the Witan in its judicial capacity; it is presided over, if there is one, by an Attorney-General, directly-elected every two years. The Government and the Judiciary are therefore directly elected. There is universal suffrage at 14. All constitutional changes must be submitted to the voters, who can force a referendum to repeal a law or recall a public official, and anyone can lay a Bill before the Witan for consideration as law. The Witan cannot create victimless crimes, define treason or delegate its power to elect the King. Strathclyde is a direct democracy.
Head of State: King Mark Prime Minister: John Powell (Communist) Attorney-General: VACANT
Geography
Strathclyde is a small country in western Europe, bordered to the north, east and south by Scotland in the United Kingdom. Strathclyde does not have any external territory.
Strathclyde's climate is, for most of the year, windy and rainy; cold winters are normal with little snow, and hot summers are rare, wind and rain being more common.
Politics
The King's role is largely ceremonial and policy is dictated, as in the UK, by the Prime Minister. The Attorney-General, who is directly-elected every two years, and if there is one, presides over the highest national court (the Quarter Court). The Witan is primarily responsible for legislative matters and is very much the centre of political attention. All Strathclyde citizens aged over 14 are entitled to vote for, and stand for election as, Prime Minister, Attorney-General or members of the Witan.
Politics are characterised by consensus and stability and voters have a large say in the political and administrative life of the country through a long-standing tradition of direct democracy. The vast majority of citizens are, however, inactive, the only real active citizen being the Prime Minister. All constitutional changes must be submitted to the vote (compulsory referendum). If a certain number of voters challenge national laws, these are put to the vote and are repealed if defeated. The government can decide to re-submit rejected legislation at a later date, but the voters always have the final say.
Due to the small number of citizens, citizen activity is weak and we are always looking for new citizens to help our democracy flourish.
Law and order
Strathclyde has always, since her independence, been a law-making nation. We take pride in our legislation and draft over a hundred items each year. Any citizen can lay a Bill or a proposal before the Witan to be considered for making law. Once a Bill has been passed by the Witan, it is signed by The King, only after which can it become law.
International Relations
Strathclyde has relations with several other micronations through the various organisations of which she is a member. She is recognised by at least 17 micronations as a sovereign, independent state.
Articles 1 and 3 of the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1933) lays down the minimum requirements that any group of people must meet in order to be a state and that state exists independent of recognition by other countries. Strathclyde fully accords with these Articles and, as such, is an independent state in international law, regardless of recognition from any other country. {