Vedran

Within a matter of weeks, the highly efficient Fisher had the government organized. Despite his large degree of influence over the commoners, he wasn't too close to Edward. He'd been sworn in by the King at a meeting of the Privy Council, but he dealt largely with the Council wherever his duties intersected matters of state. He had formed his cabinet, and nearly all of the positions were filled by the former permanent secretaries of the respective departments - mostly people whom Fisher had appointed. Edward approved of this, knowing that letting the civil service take over the government infrastructure would gain him their loyalty. Edward continued to run things directly, being very much a hands-on ruler. His recognition of air power as the way of the future led to the RAF getting a big boost in funding from Fisher's people in the Treasury, along with the modernization of the fleet. Along with the aging Ark Royal, the Navy had three Illustrious-class carriers to beef up its air arm. Edward gave the admirals a free hand in fortifying Orkney, effectively placing the islands under military governance while security around Scapa Flow was increased. Radar stations were built, and redundant layers of submarine nets were placed around the mass of ships. An RAF station was built nearby, with air patrol duties alternating between RAF Spitfires and carrier-borne airplanes to keep crews sharp and low on fatigue. All the old dreadnoughts were scrapped, replaced by four brand-new King George V-class battleships, which he personally christened; supported by four of the modern Nelson class and two of the slightly dated Revenge class. He knew enough of the changing times to respect the battleship as a powerful asset, but not rely on it overmuch. Since Parliament was gone, there wasn't much of a lawmaking assembly, so he ruled by decree, commandeering the Privy Council to be his personal legislature. Orders in Council came one after the other, mainly on major matters while Fisher's cabinet issued more mundane laws in his name. Edward was something of a dictator and it wasn't a terribly efficient system, so perhaps the country suffered a little - but he had at least established his authority and freedom of action. Delegations from the islands trickled in slowly, and Edward was named Lord of Mann. The Channel islanders offered to name him Duke of Normandy, but he had no particular ambitions upon the continent, so he refused them. He did appoint governors to Bermuda, the Channel Islands, and Man, who formed local councils and ironically made them more free than the mainland. The farthest outpost of the Kingdom, Bermuda, was England's only dominion in the Americas, and as such it was fortified with a wing of fighters, plus a naval base housing ten of the Kingdom's submarines and a handful of cruisers and destroyers.

An air courier was sent from England to Spain carrying a letter marked with the royal seal and addressed to the government of Mendoza.

Edward took the time out of his schedule to write back to the countries recognizing the new Kingdom, and thanked them for their support. Now that he had legitimacy in the eyes of the international community, he could turn his attention to more mundane matters. The workload of government was beginning to get burdensome. He had to keep track of the citizenry's matters, and while he had never been one for tradition or convention, it was a hassle to formally receive guests at Buckingham Palace. He retired to his country estate at Sandringham House in East England, bringing the Guards along with him. Newly built Spitfires patrolled the skies often enough to provide security, but not so often as to interrupt recreation. Wallis came along, and they hosted a few parties for the benefit of the aristocracy - to let them know he had their interests in mind, and to keep them from getting too restless. While Wallis entertained the guests with her typical American charm, Edward attended to more pressing matters. He brought over a slew of important figures for afternoon tea, wearing a suit and making the atmosphere only semi-formal, even as Spitfires buzzed overhead and he undertook discussions which no monarch could before, due to those pesky constitutional limits. Generals and Admirals filed in and out, the Coldstream Guards always on call with their newly minted M1 Garand rifles. Eventually, he had to make the difficult decision of appointing a Prime Minister. All the important Lords and Members of the last several decades had either perished in the chaos of the last few years, or were too old or unsuitable for his consideration. Edward had to look to the Civil Service, which was left largely intact even as much of Westminster was damaged in 1934. He recalled something about civil servants not being allowed to hold political office, but this outlook would be "modernized" as many others were. No doubt he would catch flak from the family about breaking so strongly with tradition in recent years, but they were easily handled by Wallis' charm and his commanding presence. Edward simply made a note to give the more troublesome ones, like his stuttering brother, some insignificant commission or responsibility, then sent a letter inviting Sir Warren Fisher over for tea with the King. Knowing that Edward was now in a position to give immense patronage to anyone who was competent and loyal enough, Fisher, the head of the civil service for over twenty years, drove out to meet Edward the next day. He found the King rather unorthodox. While Edward refused any incessant bowing or obvious deference while at Sandringham, he did have a quiet expectation for Fisher to know who was in charge. After a seemingly leisurely discussion of recent events and possible future events, Edward decided Fisher was the right man for the job. In the midst of a conversation about hunting prospects in the area, he said to Fisher: "We have decided to appoint you Prime Minister forthwith. Upon the formal appointment at the Palace, you are to form a cabinet and a government, the composition and size of which is to be of your own choosing. There shall be no input from politicians, but through the Ministries and the Civil Service you are to control local authorities in England, Wales, and our overseas dominions." Fisher was taken aback, but after some thought, accepted. He knew that Edward was starting a new order of sorts, to be led by the civil service. He was also not a fool, and knew that Edward was forming the military command and Civil Service as his core supporters, along with the titled aristocracy. Edward briefed him and instructed him to administer new oaths throughout the civil service, pledging loyalty to the King of England and Wales. Anyone who refused was to be sacked or demoted. Afterwards, Edward formed his Privy Council. While Fisher ran around trying to bring the established centers of civilian power into line with the King's new groove and ran the day-to-day affairs, Edward intended to build a close cadre of advisors to run the business of state. He chose from his closest and most competent allies from the previous years, coming up with several from each of his main groups of supporters. The sons of previous Lords were eager to take some measure of power now that the House of Lords was extinct, and Edward had to separate the wheat from the chaff. Apart from that, the selection process was easy and painless, since he knew who his friends were. Now that the House of Lords was gone, there weren't many places to put more influential political opponents to let them look pretty and be useless - and thus harmless. So, he had to concede to formality for once and place a few additional people on his Privy Council. Mainly Oxbridge professors, Bishops, his brother the Prince of Wales, and other assorted individuals who had no actual power in his regime. Of course, everybody knew that only the important people would be coming to meetings of the Council that actually dealt with serious business. The others would have to be satisfied with what they got, at least until the time came to give out knighthoods.

England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Orkney, and Bermuda as England and Wales. Or whatever fits.

[b]Parliamentary Reform Convention Makes Good Progress[/b] - The meeting of provincial and federal leaders convened in Ottawa by decision of the Prime Minister has decided upon an upper house for the Federation. The Federation Senate shall have three members from each province - currently South Ontario, South Quebec, Vermont, Maine, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. An additional one member without voting powers is allocated for each trust territory - currently only North Quebec. Senators will be elected by the provincial legislatures of each province in non-secret ballots, and will meet at Parliament Hill in the newly dedicated senate chambers, previously used as a museum. The powers of the Senate have been set partly as a check against the federal government - the Senate must now approve any forthcoming non-defensive declaration of war by a President, as well as any attempt to dissolve the lower house or dismiss the PM or cabinet. To temper these checks, the President of the Federation shall also serve as President of the Senate, and may veto bills introduced in the upper house. President Evans said he looks forward to the new responsibility. ------ [b]Provincial Militias Raised, Despite Wishes of Federal Government[/b] - Despite the attempts of the President and Prime Minister to get the courts to stop the provinces from creating militias, they have done so anyway. The Nova Scotia Provincial Defence Force and the Maine National Guard joined the New Brunswick Provincial Defence Force in a parade through Fredericton today, on the invitation of the Premier. The Premier was unable to attend the parade of the three light infantry regiments, because he had been summoned to Rideau Hall by the President to explain his actions, along with the other provincial heads of government. He said to the press, "I have no intention of rebelling against the legitimate authority of the Federation, but at the same time I have no desire to allow the federal government a monopoly on the defence of the nation. I have long favored provincial autonomy, including in the area of defence. Now that we have this, we shall protect the provinces better than the Primary Reserve ever could on its own." The parade was attended by many pro-autonomy figures from the Maritimes, while at the same time units of the Federation Forces located within NB and Maine were placed on alert. It remains to be seen what the President's reaction will be.

Some years ago, on the State Opening of Parliament in 1934, the Westminster Palace cellars were ceremonially searched by the Yeomen Guards, as with every State Opening since the 17th century - to prevent a repeat of the Gunpowder Plot. The ceremony continued when the guardsmen came back up and, as with every year, reported that the cellars were free of evildoers. King George V arrived at the Palace to give his annual speech to Parliament. Near the close of his speech, something entirely unexpected happened. Several dozen tons of TNT placed in the Palace cellars, underneath the House of Lords chamber was detonated. In an event that came to be called the second Burning of Parliament, the King, the government, the opposition, and over a thousand Lords, MP's, clerks, guests, and members of the public perished as a hellish orange mushroom cloud rose above Westminster. The people who "searched" the cellars were nowhere to be found, and the real Yeomen Guards supposed to be there that night were discovered floating in the Thames some time after. Nobody knew who the culprits were - anarchists, communists, fascists, the military, a foreign power. The only thing that was clear was someone with access to tons upon tons of TNT had wanted at least one person in attendance dead and didn't mind the collateral damage. Present day, 194X Years of chaos and civil war in Britain had finally passed, leaving Edward, Prince of Wales in charge of the country. His domain was much reduced. The colonies and dominions had drifted away, and he had abandoned them to their own devices, particularly the Africans whom he held in disdain. On his coronation day, he was crowned King of England and Wales. Apart from England and Wales, his kingdom held the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Orkney, and Bermuda. The Empire existed only in vestigial form, but Edward was determined not to let the sun set on it under his reign. He had encouraged the press to blame the bombing of Parliament on communists and other leftist agitators, but it didn't really matter who had done it now. He had drastically cut back constitutional limits on the monarchy, and rather than the Kingdom being a parliamentary republic paying lip service to a monarchy like it had been in his father's time, it was now the other way around. Edward VIII was crowned alongside Queen Wallis, and not even the church complained. It was now his duty to form a proper government, and he issued a radio address some time after his coronation. "We speak to you now on a matter most important, to address the proper governance of our land. In the difficult years since the passing of our king, you, our subjects, have wanted for a government which shall attend to your needs and the Kingdom's. The previous system, while noble in its goals, had miserably failed the people of Britain and its colonies and dominions across the seas. It allowed itself to be destroyed by traitorous elements which have yet to be brought to justice. It is because of this that we shall usher in a new age of a stronger government, selected and guided by the sovereign. We shall make our selection known in due time. The sun has set on the old British Empire, and many of its dominions now lay free of England's influence. This is for the best. We do not need hordes of uncivilized peoples holding us back from our destiny of becoming, and continuing to be the greatest nation on Earth. A new day dawns on the Kingdom of England and Wales. God bless you all." Edward did not appoint a prime minister for some time. Most of the people he wanted, including his first choice Lloyd George, had all perished along with his father. Edward continued to run the business of state and government himself, with a close knit group of advisors. His first act as king was to inaugurate Westminster Square. The ruins of the Palace had been razed to the ground and replaced with a square, dominated by a statue of Britannia that faced across the Thames and was even larger than Nelson's column. In the coming days, the military would be organized. A standing army was already in place in England and Wales, and much of the fleet still remained in Scapa Flow. Edward, being a supporter of air travel and a qualified pilot, intended to strengthen the RAF and build modern aircraft carriers to bring England into the modern age. A telegram was sent to the heads of state of most nations - deliberately leaving out the communist ones - announcing the coronation and inviting them to establish embassies in London. -------------------------------------- Factbook - Kingdom of England and Wales Head of State: Edward VIII Head of Government: Ditto, for now Form of Government: Absolute monarchy Capital: London Points breakdown: 150 points - tech year 1940 50 points - 500,000 soldiers 10 points - 3000 artillery pieces 15 points - 750 medium tanks 10 points - 1000 light tanks 15 points - 1500 fighters and bombers 25 points - 50 destroyers 25 points - 25 cruisers 3 points - 1 battlecruiser 50 points - 10 battleships 40 points - 4 carriers 20 points - 60 submarines Everything else - industry

[b]Developing: Maritimes Militia Woes[/b] - Parliamentary investigators are scattered throughout Augusta, Halifax, and Fredericton attempting to corroborate rumours that the eastern and Maritime provinces are raising provincial militias contrary to the wish of the federal government to maintain a reserve force under the control of the Federation Forces. Documents have already been leaked, the authenticity of which is unconfirmed, that the Governor of Maine has been looking into buying enough C7 rifles from Diemaco, and other equipment from various suppliers to outfit a small defensive regiment for the province. The Premier of Nova Scotia is under similar suspicion, and Parliament has been seeking the Supreme Court to issue subpoenas for all relevant documents, as well as an injunction against raising provincial militias until such time that an act of Parliament permits it. The PM supported the effort, but had no comment with respect to allowing provincial militias in the future. She has asked the President to summon a conference of the provincial premiers and inquire into their activities. ------ [b]Parliament to Gain Upper House?[/b] - For some time, Members from the eastern provinces have been calling for a reform of Parliament, with particular attention to the formation of an upper house. The smaller provinces have often been vocal about their perceived under-representation in the Chamber of Deputies, Parliament's one and only house. With South Ontario and South Quebec together holding about 162 of 212 electoral districts and thus seats in Parliament, there have been calls for an upper house with equal representation all the way from Vermont to Labrador. The smaller provinces have been united in their lobbying for the formation of an elected Senate, to be named after the upper houses of both of the Federation's predecessors, the United States and Canada. Parliament Hill even has ample space to accommodate such an endeavour, as the old Canadian Senate chamber and support facilities remain intact, mainly used as a tourist attraction these days. The PM, even though her seat is from the most populous province of South Ontario, has shown great support for the idea, although some suggest this is an attempt to draw the Maritimes leaders' attention and energy away from the developing militia fiasco, on which she appears to oppose them. A convention of Parliament members and provincial government representatives is set to take place in Ottawa to discuss the matter, as well as take suggestions on the powers and composition of the proposed Senate. In a surprising break from the unity she's so far shown with her coalition partner President Evans, PM Richards insists that Parliament reform is a matter of government and not state, and needn't be sent to the head of state for approval if adopted. Rideau Hall did not reply when asked for comment.

New Year Festivities Largely Uneventful - With elections, autonomy issues, and a terrorist attack in the news in recent months, New Year celebrations across the Federation have gone without a hitch. Last night's live broadcast of fireworks from Windsor to St. John's courtesy of FBC Television showed off the cold weather to be expected this time of year, but little else apart from the impressive light shows in the Federation's larger cities. President and Mrs. Evans hosted a dinner at Rideau Hall last night, inviting important government figures and the heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Ottawa to attend. In attendance were Prime Minister Richards, the Parliament Speaker, and several ministers, as well as various provincial Premiers and Governors. Former PM and current junior minister Laroche was also in attendance, but left soon after with the Premier of South Quebec to attend the festivities in Montreal. ------ PM's New Year Speech Promises Progress in Civil Rights - After being elected Prime Minister, Olivia Richards has spearheaded a number of progressive bills in Parliament with the backing of her party and the coalition government. Now that some of those bills are nearing critical votes, she has apparently seen fit to address them in her new year's speech. After acknowledging the efforts of the previous government under Laroche and the progress they made the previous year, she promised to do better with the help of members of that government still serving in Parliament and the Cabinet. "This eight-member federation on the shores of the Atlantic and the Great Lakes has accomplished much in its time, and I plan to continue that work. There are now a number of bills under debate in Parliament, intended to have far reaching effects in the areas I promised to improve upon accepting my premiership: language equality, gender equality, freedom to worship or not to worship, and the elimination of negative discrimination from the workplace and other areas of life. I want to thank the public for their continued trust in this government, which will be implementing my campaign promises in due time. While many of the provinces already guarantee these rights to their citizens, I intend for the federal government to guarantee these rights, and realize Trudeau's goals of a just society." Advocates of provincial autonomy have mixed feelings regarding Richards' agenda. Some welcome the push for rights, while others are wary of intrusion by the federal government on the right of the provincial governments in pursuing their own policy. Some of the provinces, for example, wish to maintain their own military or militia force, which the federal government has repeatedly shut down in favour of a Primary Reserve under the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. It's been said through the grapevine that the eastern provinces have taken certain steps to establish provincial militias in their seemingly continual effort to get out from under the shadow of their larger partners of South Ontario and South Quebec. Journalists have yet to uncover a paper trail to confirm this.

[b]Provinces Exercise New Autonomy[/b] - Since the passing of the autonomy bill, the eastern provinces of the Federation have been looking to exercise their newfound freedom in making compacts with another without the approval of Parliament - with some exceptions. Yesterday, the Governor of Maine and the Premier of New Brunswick made an announcement in regards to the longstanding territorial dispute over some minor islands. The respective governments of the two provinces have been in talks since the passing of the bill, discussing the status of Machias Seal Island in the Gulf of Maine. The island is well known locally for its long-contested status if nothing else - it has been in quiet dispute since the American revolution, between the United States and Britain, then Canada. Now that the land is a part of the Federation, the provinces have seen fit to end the dispute once and for all. Rather than appeal to the Federal Supreme Court in Ottawa for arbitration, Maine and New Brunswick decided to take matters into their own hands. The talks have produced an agreement whereby Machias Seal Island is to be ceded to New Brunswick, with the federal government providing lighthouse keeping and coast guard duties, and both provinces having equal rights to the valuable lobster fishing operations in the area, thus regulating overfishing which had been a problem in the area in the past due to uncertain laws. While its effects will be rather minor, the agreement does provide a successful example of a test case for the autonomy recently granted to the member provinces of the Federation, and should improve relations between the Maritime provinces and their southern neighbours.

Military Exercise in Atlantic Wraps Up - The Federation Forces exercise codenamed Exercise Lancer has concluded, according to the National Defence Headquarters. The wargame involving various branches of the Federation Forces has been announced a tentative success, with much data being gained to refine the Forces' tactics, along with a chance for many sailors and airmen to increase their operational performance. The winner of the wargame portion of the exercise is the defending force, who managed to defend the Halifax area against the attacking force's submarines despite taking a number of simulated losses. First honours went to the hunter-killer submarine FNS Lance, which intercepted its fellow Victoria-class submarines and logged kills on both while underwater. Second mentions go to FNS Partizan of the attacking force, which sent the attack submarines to distract the defending force while it attacked Halifax. The exercise was paused momentarily when a nearby container ship declared a medical emergency, and one of its crew who had appendicitis was airlifted by Sea King helicopter to a Coast Guard facility in Maine for transport to a hospital. Once the exercise resumed, Partizan launched a brief missile attack on Halifax, being largely intercepted but logging significant but manageable damage on naval facilities before being acquired by a patrolling CP-140 aircraft. After a lengthy chase and several simulated torpedo attacks, the computer simulating damage aboard Partizan flashed a warning that the sub had been crushed due to weakening of its hull by near misses of torpedoes. The exercise ended at that point. A report will be forthcoming from the National Defence Headquarters regarding the results and implications of the exercise - the wargame is claimed to be a great help to understanding and refining the Federation's tactics, and the naval facilities at Halifax are scheduled for a review of their air defence component. Parliament will be setting up a select committee to study the feasibility of increasing air defence coverage across the Federation in the near future.

Federation Forces to Conduct Joint Exercise off Nova Scotia - The Federation Forces have announced their intention to conduct a wargame exercise in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nova Scotia, to be conducted as a joint operation between the Navy and Air Force, with cooperation from the Army. Exercise Lancer, assuming a hostile naval attack originating in international waters, aims to gauge the Forces' effectiveness in defending the coast as well as urban concentrations along same. The other main objective is to improve said effectiveness and increase preparedness in the event of an actual attack. For the benefit of international commercial travel as well as the peace of mind of foreign powers, National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa has published an order of battle, along with the objectives, areas of operation, and duration of the exercise. An attacking force consisting of attack submarines Halberd and Glaive, along with modified1 SSBN Partizan, will be aiming to conduct a simulated attack upon Federation Forces Base Halifax, the city and Port of Halifax, and elements of the Federation Atlantic Fleet stationed therein. The attack is to consist of torpedoing naval assets and launching conventional (nonnuclear) missile strikes on critical installations throughout the area. The defending force will consist of the attack sub Lance, along with surface vessels of the Atlantic Fleet intending to prevent the attack and destroy a large portion of the attacking force. For the purposes of the exercise, fleet carrier FNS Avenger will be in port with simulated damage to propulsion systems precluding its use in the exercise beyond launching ASW aircraft. Its smaller counterpart, FNS Resolute, will be participating actively in anti-submarine operations and will be leading the defending force. The Air Force's involvement will consist mainly of patrols by CP-140 aircraft intended to support defending force operations, and Army cooperation extends to providing detailed casualty lists of their personnel and equipment in the event that the attacking force succeeds in its (simulated) attack on Halifax, as well as providing missile defence units to the defending force. Local government has notified area residents of the exercise, and advised them not to panic at increased activity that may be visible in FFB Halifax. NDHQ (NatDef Headquarters) has covered the expense of notification due to it being because of actions taken in the national interest, and the Foreign Ministry has circulated memos to all foreign embassies in Ottawa informing them of the exercise. Disruption to commerce is projected to be negligible. FNS Resolute on pre-exercise maneuvers 1All ballistic missile submarines of the Federation Forces have been modified so as to replace their nuclear capability with conventional cruise missile capability. ------ Federation Withdraws from New World Order - In a joint announcement at Rideau Hall today, President Evans and Prime Minister Richards have formally announced the Federation's withdrawal from the New World Order anti-colonialism bloc. This was apparently decided in a number of discussions since the PM's election, held with the President in the Langevin Bloc of Parliament in the presence of the Cabinet. Since the NWO headquarters at Cayenne is no longer under the direct control of an independent state, it was decided to make a unilateral announcement rather than lodge a notification at the headquarters. After the announcement, the heads answered several questions from the press. A reporter from the Globe and Mail asked into the origin of the decision: the President fielded the question. "The change in policy came about as a result of several factors. Mainly, the state and government have noted the inactivity of the bloc, combined with the lack of tangible colonial threats since the Greenland issue. Further, it is the opinion of the government that a reticence to engage in strategically oriented talks with foreign powers may stunt the development of positive relations with non-American states, particularly with regard to strategic deals. This move is meant as no insult to our partners in the NWO, but rather an action made to reflect the realities of the situation." A reporter from FBC Television asked the heads about whether the withdrawal, combined with the upcoming military exercise in the Atlantic, represents a significant shift in policy away from isolation and neutrality. The PM fielded that one. "Obviously we cannot comment on government policy which has yet to be made, but the current government is in favour of a less strict view on foreign relations and involvement than the previous one. We can, however, still assure the public that this does not represent a turn to expansionism, or even imperialism of our own. The Liberal Party policy and practice, which is shared by President Evans' SDP, is that the Federation must look first and foremost to the interests of its own citizens well before ambitions of empire." More politically slanted newspapers throughout the Federation have been reacting to the news rapidly, with many quick to point out the benefits or drawbacks associated with this issue. With or without their praise and criticism, the President and PM seem determined to go through with the move - certainly a strong, early show of coalition unity when many seem eager to play up the potential delays and difficulty associated with cohabitation. Approval ratings have risen accordingly.

The Minister quietly accepted the tea. Once he'd taken a sip and set it back down, he began. "Thank you. You'll find our proposals are simple, and are essentially what was offered to France several months ago. Given the cultural ties, we would like to initiate a cultural exchange program, as well as exchange diplomatic representation in the form of an embassy exchange and consular representation. Additionally, we would like to propose a loosening of trade and travel restrictions, especially visa restrictions for personal travel between our two states. My government believes these simple steps are important for improving relations with the UK, and setting the framework for any further steps that may be taken."

[b]New Government Shows Good Early Momentum[/b] - It's official: we have a new Prime Minister. Olivia Richards MP was sworn into office by the Chief Clerk of the Chamber of Deputies in Federation Hall this morning. She opted for the secular version of the oath, and following in the footsteps of her predecessor gave a speech on the front steps of Centre Block to record crowds that stretched all the way to the other side of Wellington Street, where traffic was diverted due to the ceremony. On behalf of the new coalition government, the PM promised an aggressive, progressive program of social change at the federal level, coupled with a (supposedly not directly related) effort by the Liberals throughout the provinces to effect the same sort of change. The areas of focus have been stated as civil rights, anti-discrimination, LGBT rights, equal access to government service in both of the official languages, and the freedom of and from religion. The PM seems like the perfect candidate to spearhead these efforts from a public relations standpoint, being a well-known atheist with a same-sex spouse. President Evans, at his own speech after swearing an oath to continue his duties to the Federation for another term, welcomed the new partnership with the Liberal Party, and has met with the PM to congratulate her and begin discussions on forming a cabinet. Most notably, Foreign Minister Philippe Montgolfier has been retained, while major SDP backer and Minister for National Defence, Ollie Wood, has gotten the sack. His replacement has yet to be announced. The outgoing PM, Adele Laroche, has been appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Consular Services, a junior position assisting the Foreign Minister. This will keep her in the cabinet in some capacity while much of her former Cabinet is relegated to the backbench for this term. In related news, the Centre-Right Union, led by the Conservatives, has been named Official Opposition, and will be facing the strong coalition government this term. Crowds gathering on Parliament Hill

[b]ELECTION RESULTS: Liberals in Government, Evans Holds Presidency[/b] - As polling stations across the Federation closed last night, there was still some uncertainty as to the results. While the Liberal Party had gained quite a bit of traction in polls over the last month, it was uncertain as to whether they'd be able to displace the current SDP government when it came time to count the votes. Any doubts have since been dispelled, as the Liberals have taken a solid plurality in Parliament, with a deal negotiated with the Social Democratic Party to form a coalition. This will allow some of the more successful SDP ministers to retain their positions, whereas other positions more critical to the Liberals' agenda will be displaced. The new Prime Minister, Olivia Richards, will be sworn in tomorrow at Federation Hall, Parliament Hill - much like her predecessor, Adele Laroche, who has retained her seat in Parliament as well as the leadership of the SDP. It is uncertain what role she will take in the new government, if any. President of the Federation, William Lyon Evans, having been successful in his bid for reelection and having approved Parliament's selection of a Prime Minister, will be awaiting Richards' inauguration to discuss the appointment of Cabinet ministers. This will be the first time a President has aided in the selection of the cabinet as constitutionally bound, since the President was yet to be elected the first time a government was formed. On the subject of ministers, Richards mentioned the matter in a pre-inauguration interview: "I have every intention of keeping our current Foreign Minister, as well as the Minister for Trust Territories. Beyond that, I think it best to keep my intended selections private until they are made." The CRU and SDP have taken the biggest hits in Parliament this election. The Conservatives' leadership change so close to the election contributed to a significant loss in seats, although this was tempered by a strong new leader. The Greens, along with several minor parties in Parliament, managed to gain a modest amount of seats. All in all, the government coalition holds 125 seats out of 212, 89 of which belong to the Liberals and 36 to the SDP.

Philippe enjoyed the ride through London; it was an iconic city with many landmarks, quite a different capital in philosophy to Ottawa. It was only when the scenery shifted to that of Whitehall that he felt he was somewhere akin to the Federation's capital territory. Once he was in 10 Downing Street standing in a room with the Prime Minister, Montgolfier shook his hand and exchanged greetings. "Thank you, Prime Minister. It is a pleasure to meet you. President Evans sends his regards." He set his briefcase on the table, and took a seat when it was offered. "My government has a number of basic proposals for improving relations between the Federation and the UK, and we should be able to get through all of them today, as well as yours. Would you like to begin, or shall I?"