New Bava - The Newspaper for the Twenty-First Century - Circulation 233,500 est.

6 November 1998

Cyberia's new Speaker and most prolific legislative draftsman Alan Grieve (Christian Democrat) has revealed the results of the first legislative ballot, unveiling successes for his voting reforms, and afterwards announcing new constitutional proposals that would activate the Senate.

The Referendum and Recall bill was passed easily 10-3, with Socialists split 2-2 over the bill, and its other opponent being conservative Keegan Drake. The Suffrage and Elections bill, also by Grieve, which establishes Single Transferable Vote federally, was carried by the same margin, but this time all Socialists, Christian Democrats, and most rightwingers were in favour, with a minority of three rightwingers voting against (Drake, Wilkins, and Ceres).

The Ceres Tax bill, which was opposed by half the rightwingers in the Chamber, was passed with the support of the remaining rightwingers, the Socialists, and the Christian Democrats. The bill, proposed by respected Liberty Party leader Gary Ceres, lowers taxes on low-income-earners, and has been criticized by some conservatives. The Menet Republic predicts conservative disappointment if Ken Kerns (who opposed the bill, believing that it should be dealt with later on when the budget is reviewed) vetoes the measure; but it can be said with certainty that the disappointment among the left, which was more solidly behind Ceres than the right, would be even stronger.

The Santucci Sunday bill narrowly fell, defeated 6-7. Voting for it were 5 rightwing members plus 1 Socialist, and voting against were 3 Socialists, Christian Democrat Grieve, and 3 rightwingers. However, Santucci's Flag bill was unanimously passed, and the competition to design a new flag for Cyberia is now open.

Yesterday evening, Deputy Grieve presented to the Chamber his new proposals for amendment to the laws governing the legislature.

Celebrations as Bavan Constitution is Overwhelmingly Carried

After a few days' lapse due to computer failures at the Electoral Commission, Commissioner Conan Saunders announced the Bavan referendum result. The new Constitution of the Province of Bava has been carried by a 4-to-1 vote. Governor Pond expressed delight, saying, "80% is an excellent vote for the Constitution, giving it undoubted democratic legitimacy. I hope that as soon as we can find enough active citizens here in Bava, bodies of the provincial government can begin to be formed."

Bavans took to the streets in celebration, while commentators noted the radical nature of the province's Constitution, which is believed to the first provincial constitution to prohibit the death penalty and to guarantee public health care. It also contains wideranging guarantees of civil liberties and of fair trials.

Cyberian Media Race Continues

The range of media available in Cyberia continued to grow as Matthew Powell (independent libertarian-socialist and former Liberal Party member) announced the creation of a new newsmagazine, The Cyberian Observer. Unusually for Cyberia, the Observer will have several journalists, including three or four regular columnists. More details are expected to be announced soon.

In addition, two e-mail newspapers, run by David Oatney and Adam Graham respectively, have taken off. The Menet Republic has a distinctly conservative slant, and is published quite frequently. The Corli Free Press, meanwhile, has established a name for itself by publishing correspondence between Scott Rosen and Skinner Layne, and most recently by printing a controversial interview with the Vivaldian leader.

Other Stories

Grieve, Pond, Dunkin in Terra Novan negotiations. Terra Novan citizens Alan Grieve, Richard Pond and founder Tim Dunkin have recently been at the forefront of efforts to finalize the Executive Article for the new cybernation. Communications have taken place both on the TN forum and by email between the three.

New Bava is published by the Bavan News Company (BNC), a workers' cooperative.