Nearly Real World Current Events, 2009

July 2007
This page documents current events in the Nearly Real World. The events on this page are for 2007 only; previous years have seperate articles below.

21st
Two weeks after taking office, the new government of Georgeland announces a bill, the Judiciary Reform Act, to have federal judges undergo screening and selection processes by committees of Parliament and a special Judicial Commission. In the past, all federal judges have been appointed by the President acting on the advice of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

12th

 * Former Prime Minister of Georgeland Zoe Parker announces she will stand down from Parliament immediately. This will force a by-election in her seat of Peterson, which new Liberal Democratic leader Robin Sales will contest to attempt to enter the House of Commons. Parker will take up an apppointment to the board of property investors Wilton Hammerley.

7th

 * Senator Robin Sales is elected as the next leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands, defeating Andrea Perkins. As Sales is not a member of the House of Commons, he will not become Leader of the Opposition, and the role will be filled by Lawrence Porter until Sales enters the House of Commons.

6th

 * Luke Macaulay is sworn in as Georgeland's 26th Prime Minister by President Charlotte Lang.


 * Saydneyan President Miranda Eaton congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister saying that she looked forward to meeting with the new Prime Minister and working with his administration.

5th
A day before his swearing-in, Georgeland's Prime Minister-elect, Luke Macaulay, announces details of his Cabinet:
 * Martin Higgins will be Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, but the Department of the Deputy Prime Minister will be abolished.
 * James Bradford will be Treasurer.
 * Mary Byrne will be Minister for Home Affairs.
 * Stephen Hamer will be Foreign Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate.
 * Michael Armstrong, former Capitalian Tory leader and recently elected to the House, will be Minister for the Environment. Another former state Tory leader, Jennifer Duggan-Wright, will be a junior minister to Armstrong as Minister for Climate Change.
 * Bob Prior will be Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House of Commons.
 * Madeline Woods will be Minister for Sport and Youth; at 30, she will be the youngest person ever to be a federal minister.
 * Bob Kane will be Chief Government Whip.
 * John Sutherland will be Minister for Finance, and take on an additional role as Chairman of the Parliamentary Conservative Party.

4th

 * Campbell Rhodes resigns as Georgeland's ambassador to the United Nations, citing differences with the incoming administration and declaring that he would "rather resign than be fired."

3rd

 * Conservative Gary Trent is declared the winner of the 2007 mayoral election for Georgeland's capital city of Topstad. Trent wins just over a third of the primary vote but defeats Liberal Democrat David Collins 54%-46% after preferences are distributed from several high-polling minor candidates. Trent will become Mayor on July 14.

2nd

 * Andrea Perkins, former Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland and 2005 leadership candidate, announces she will seek to become the next leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands.

1st

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007:
 * Zoe Parker officially announces her resignation as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands, but stops short of resigning from Parliament. She will continue as Prime Minister until Luke Macaulay takes office. Michael Boyle will become interim party leader until the party formally elects a new leader.
 * As counting continues, four Commons seats are in doubt. In the seat of Exeter, former Cabinet minister and LDP powerbroker Patricia Gibson is leading her opponent by only 73 votes.
 * A referendum to insert a clause into the Constitution of Georgeland passes by 83% in favour to 17% against.

30th

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007:
 * Luke Macaulay is elected the 26th Prime Minister of Georgeland, with election results showing a Conservative majority of between fifteen and thirty seats in the House of Commons and a multiparty Senate.
 * Incumbent Prime Minister Zoe Parker concedes defeat to Mr. Macaulay at around midnight among her supporters.
 * In his victory speech, Macaulay thanks voters for their trust and says "I will not let that trust be misplaced."
 * Michael Elderton and Christine Hinkle are elected for the Georgeland Alliance to the House of Commons, though Hinkle wins by less than 100 votes.
 * Greg Downes is elected to the Senate for the Greens, along with Independent Sandra Wood. Counting indicates it is likely the far-right Georgeland National Front will also win a Senate seat.

29th
On the final day of campaigning, the leaders of all major and some minor parties make one-minute televised addresses on live TV throughout the evening broadcast on all free-to-air channels. Luke Macaulay repeats his "time's up" mantra, which the Conservatives had used in campaign ads in the final week. Zoe Parker urges voters not to trust Macaulay to govern effectively and moderately. Michael Elderton argues the need for a consensus-based approach to government and Greg Downes talks about climate change issues. The polls will open at 8:00 am tomorrow morning on the west coast, and one hour later on the east coast.
 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007

27th

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007
 * Prime Minister Zoe Parker confirms in an interview with GBC radio that she will resign as Liberal Democratic leader if she loses the election and will not serve as Leader of the Opposition.
 * New polls indicate the Conservatives with a narrow lead over the LDP in the final week of the campaign, with most bookmakers still showing Luke Macaulay as the favourite to win.

22nd
Zoe Parker and Luke Macaulay participate in the election's only debate, live on GBC television from the University of Topstad. Immediate post-debate polling shows 59% of the audience believed Macaulay the winner. Macaulay creates a minor stir by his blunt message to Parker at the debate's conclusion, quoting Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A Changin' (song) and announcing "Time's up."
 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007

20th
Doubledance FC defeat Lylecity FC to win the 98th Georgeland Cup. It is Doubledance FC's fifth cup win and it's first since 1990. Runners-up Lylecity had not previously played in a cup final since 1981. The cup final is the first since 2003 not to involve Santa Christina United and only the third in a decade not to involve Georgeland's most well-known club.

14th
Luke Macaulay, leader of Georgeland's opposition Conservative Party, announces he will meet the Dalai Lama when he arrives in Georgeland next week. The Chinese embassy issues an official protest against the meeting, and warns Prime Minister Zoe Parker not to meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader.

12th
Both Prime Minister Zoe Parker and Opposition Leader Luke Macaulay announce their plan for long-term economic growth; the Liberal Democrats promise measures to increase foreign investment and deregulation of certain industries, while the Conservatives promise a universal tax cut and reforms to industrial relations.
 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007

11th
Georgeland Alliance leader Michael Elderton announces a legal challenge against his exclusion for the televised debate between Luke Macaulay and Zoe Parker, scheduled to air on GBC Television on June 22.

4th
Melanie Emerson, the wife of former Saydneyan President Marc Emerson, has annouced she will contest the upcoming 2008 SDC primaries for congressional seat of North Bay, in Candarra. If succsessful Mrs. Emerson will contest the seat in the 2010 Federal election. Mrs. Emerson said she had considered entering politics for a long time, but was committed to support her husband. Mrs Emerson said "Now that Marc has retired, i think it is time to step forward." If elected in 2010, Melanie Emerson will be 40 years old. Full Story Here.

2nd

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007
 * A new poll shows the Liberal Democratic government under Zoe Parker closing the gap between themselves and the opposition Conservatives. The Gallup poll shows the Tories leading the LDP 55% to 45% on a two-party basis, down three percent from the date the election was called.

28th

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007
 * Incumbent Treasurer of Georgeland Xavier McLaren makes a gaffe when interviewed on morning television. McLaren makes an announcement relating to agovernment superannuation scheme; the scheme had previously been rejected by a Cabinet committee. McLaren's gaffe prompts his Opposition counterpart, James Bradford, to attack the government as disunited and economically incompetent.

24th

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007
 * The Conservatives release their defence policy, which includes a $3 billion upgrade to the country's Air Force and an overhaul of defence administration.

21st

 * Georgeland legislative election, 2007
 * Federal Arts minister Amanda Keogh announces that a re-elected Liberal Democrat government will extend the artistic grants scheme to cover more varieties of artform, including but not limited to rock and pop music, abstract or alternative art and artistic-based and community websites.
 * Conservative leader Luke Macaulay re-affirms his party's committment to balance the federal budget, and announces a plan for outsourcing of a number of government services and the abolition of a number of autonomous government agencies.

18th
The Georgeland Senate rejects the government's "mini-budget" by a vote of 40 votes to 38 (two Senators did not vote). Prime Minister Zoe Parker meets President Charlotte Lang at 6pm and formally requests a double dissolution and general election for both houses of Parliament, to be held on June 30.

15th
The Georgeland government's "mini-budget", handed down last month and featuring a controversial civic works program, is re-introduced into the House of Commons after having been defeated in the Senate on April 30. The bill is expected to pass the Commons, but indications are that the Senate will again block the bill when it votes on Friday, May 18th. In that event, Prime Minister Zoe Parker has declared she would very likely seek a double dissolution and call a general election.

14th
The Georgeland Cricket Council, Georgeland's cricket governing body, declares it will not be participating in cricket matches against Zimbabwe for an indefinite period, in protest of that nation's continuing human rights abuses.

30th
The Georgeland Senate rejects the government's "mini-budget" by 40 votes to 39, when Georgeland Alliance Senators vote to block the legislation. Prime Minister Zoe Parker declares she is prepared to negotiate for the passage of the bills, but warns that she will call a double dissolution if the bills are not passed when they re-enter the Senate in late May.

27th
Georgeland's House of Commons passes the Treasurer's "mini-budget". The bills will now move to the Senate, where the government does not have the numbers to secure passage. The Georgeland Alliance, which controls the balance of power in the Upper House, is yet to announce if it supports the mini-budget.

25th
Georgeland's Treasurer, Xavier McLaren, unveils a $14 billion "mini-budget" in the House of Commons, pledging $2 billion dollars to fight climate change, a further $4 billion in defence funding and $3 billion dollars for extensive redevelopment of intrastructure in urban areas. The opposition Conservatives attack the mini-budget as "pork barrelling" and indicate they will block it in the Senate.

21st
The Conservative Party of Georgeland leader in Long Island, Jennifer Duggan-Wright, is confirmed as the official Conservative candidate for the key marginal seat of Wilkes, currently held by Liberal Democrat Holly Ellington, at the forthcoming election.

18th
59 people are killed and more than 40 injured after a public bus in Topstad's south crashes into a semi-trailer after failing to stop at red lights. The incident is the deadliest road accident in Georgeland's history. President Charlotte Lang proclaims a national day of mourning and orders all flags flown at half-mast in sympathy for the victims.

13th
Georgeland's Treasurer, Xavier McLaren, announces that on April 25 he will hand down a "mini-budget" consisting of a number of redistribution bills, in what is seen as an attempt to reestablish government cohesion in light of Christine Hinkle's defection and the upcoming election.

9th
A week after announcing she was quitting the Liberal Democrats and sitting as an Independent, former Georgeland cabinet minister Christine Hinkle announces she is joining the Georgeland Alliance.

4th
The President of Norman, Dr. Obser Tamis, dies of a heart attack and is replaced temporarily by Adaran Yato pending new elections.

2nd
Maverick Liberal Democrat MP Christine Hinkle, who resigned from Cabinet in January, announces she is leaving the party to sit as an Independent MP.

1st
Former Prime Minister of Georgeland Campbell Rhodes participates in an elaborate April Fools prank in which the Georgeland Broadcasting Corporation widely reports that the government of Delmago Island has voted to secede from Georgeland and that a civil war is looming. Rhodes even makes a televised appearance in which he urges a 'peaceful solution', and a detachment of Georgeland troops are filmed "occupying" certain government buildings in Georgetown.

27th
The Parliamentary Reform Act 2007 is passed unanimously by the Georgeland House of Commons, creating fixed terms for that House in future, with the next election date fixed at August 3, the first Friday in August. If the bill is passed by the Senate, the first Friday in August every three years will be the permanent date for future elections. A constitutional amendment will be put to referendum at the election to entrench the practice into the constitution. The Georgeland Senate will vote on the bill on Friday. It is expected to pass because all parties have agreed to it. The bill becomes the first parliamentary legislation to pass the House of Commons unanimously since 1964. Scoitan Chief Minister Brad Zimmerman expresses his opposition to the proposed double dissolution in August, and declares he will withhold that consent on behalf of the Governor of Scoita.

14th
Michael Boyle is announced as the new Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland, replacing Tom McCully, who was dismissed after decieving Parliament concerning local government funding allocation. Boyle, the Minister for Social Security, will officially take office on Monday, 19th March, and his successor in his current job will be named by the weekend.

13th

 * Saydneyan President Miranda Eaton had today called upon zimbabwean dictor Robert Mugabe to release Zimbabwean opposition leaders, following a crack down on pro-democracy groups. President Eaton also said that the world was watching Mr Mugabe and how he would be treating those he had detained, the President said that "Mr Mugabe, must release those prisoners and must release with out delay and with no further harm"
 * The Deputy Prime Minister of Georgeland, Tom McCully, is dismissed from Cabinet after he admitted deceiving the House of Commons over his department's dealings with local government. An enquiry is underway to determine if the redistricting of some local government districts was influenced by political favoritism. McCully had told the House on February 25 that he had not signed a letter authorising over-allocation of resources to a Liberal Democratic council in Scoita; it has now been revealed that he had. After initially standing by him, Prime Minister Zoe Parker has announced Mr. McCully's removal from Cabinet.

9th
Delmago Island legislative election, 2007:
 * Polling booths open, with early exit polls (as of 10am GEST) indicate a surge of support for the Georgeland Alliance and the National Front at the expense of the Liberal Democrats and governing Conservatives.
 * After voting concludes, the predicted gains by the National Front and Alliance do not eventuate. Only one sitting legislator is actually defeated, the Alliance's Ade Leach, who loses by a single vote to Liberal Democrat Yasmin Foley. The new legislature is therefore 6 seats to each of the major parties and one Georgeland Alliance member, Speaker Colin Brennan, holding the Balance of Power. Brennan announces he will initially support the Conservative government of Daniel Mahoney remaining in power, but places the government "on notice".

8th
Brad Zimmerman is elected by his state's Conservative Party to become the 21st Chief Minister of Scoita. He replaces Mick Pearson, who is running to become the next Governor of Scoita. Zimmerman is the first Jewish Chief Minister in the country's history. His deputy Chief Minister is Paula Galvin, who becomes the highest-ranking woman in the history of the state.

5th
Saydneyan President Miranda Eaton annouces that Saydney will be sending 2500 troops to help secure Afghanistan. President Eaton said the troop deployment recommitted Saydney to the region and to the promise to assist Afghanistan in search for peace and stability.

28th
Adam St. John is named to replace Dr. Hinkle as the Georgeland Finance minister. St. John's promotion into Cabinet from the junior Immigration portfolio is seen as a meteroric rise, as he was appointed Immigration minister only in 2006. Jon See replaces St. John in Immigration, and Candice Healy replaces See as the new Finance Minister's Parliamentary Secretary.

27th

 * Christine Hinkle, a key member of the Georgeland Cabinet and Minister for Finance, resigns after apparent conflict with Prime Minister Zoe Parker and with other cabinet colleagues.

22nd

 * The government of Linari confirms King Kwate II was killed in the initial coup attempt by Edward Otanga but that his death was kept secret to avoid public panic. The country is now officially in mourning.
 * Mwandi III becomes King of Linari, though an official coronation will not take place for some months.

21st
2007 Linari coup attempt:
 * Georgeland forces consolidate their control over parts of Abodu, while military forces remaining loyal to the government drive forces under the control of Edward Otanga away from the capital region.
 * There are reports the 32 hostages taken by Otanga's forces are being held at a secure location deep in the jungle, and that several of them have been executed.
 * With King Kwate II still missing, Crown Prince Mwandi, returns to Abodu after seeking refuge in neighbouring Tanzania and takes personal command of the country's armed forces.
 * The Linarin government confirms that Milton Swambe has been killed, shot by Otanga's soldiers (some reports indicate Swambe may have been personally killed by the rebel leader). Photos of Swambe's body are shown on state TV.
 * George Tanobudu is appointed as interim Prime Minister of Linari.
 * Georgeland Prime Minister Zoe Parker announces to the House of Commons that a full-scale deployment of more than 2,000 ground forces and an Air Force detachment to Linari pending a formal international peacekeeping agreement.
 * African Union John Kufuor supports Georgeland's calls for a pan-African peacekeeping force in Linari, but condemns Georgeland's deployment plans as 'unwise'.
 * U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Georgeland has a right to defend itself, but stops short of giving U.S. support to the deployment. She also backs calls for an African Union peacekeeping force.

20th
2007 Linari coup attempt:
 * Linarin Prime Minister Milton Swambe is placed under arrest by police and charged with corruption. Police forces loyal to the government have been unable to return Swambe to a safe haven.
 * First Deputy Prime Minister George Tanobudu assumes control of the government and orders all loyal Linarin military forces to protect key government assets.
 * Another six people are killed in mob violence in Abodu and Tongoville.
 * Reports that ethnic violence has broken out between the Okandu and Araye tribes are played down by Linarin media.
 * King Kwate II is rumoured to have fled to neighbouring Zambia, which the Zambian government denies.
 * The Georgeland government refuses to answer questions as to whether a military operation against Otanga's forces in support of the Swambe administration is underway. Le Monde reports on its website that officials on Reunion Island have refused permission to use the island as a base from which to launch any military incursion into Linari.
 * Georgeland forces attack Otanga's troops and drop into the centre of Abodu in an effort described as 'peacekeeping'. Twenty-seven Georgeland soldiers are killed in the landing.
 * CNN reports the hostages taken at the Embassy and at the parliament building are no longer in Abodu and have been moved to a rebel camp in the jungle.
 * Rumours emerge that King Kwate was in fact killed in Otanga's assault on the palace and that his son, Prince Mwandi, has taken refuge in Tanzania.

19th
2007 Linari coup attempt:
 * A force of more than 1,000 soldiers loyal to Colonel Edward Otanga has attacked the capital of Linari, Abodu, and stormed the Parliament building, taking 11 MPs hostage including the country's Finance minister. The same force has attempted to storm the palace of King Kwate II but have been repelled temporarily by loyal forces. Colonel Otanga has declared his intent to overthrow the monarchy in a coup. Fears of a civil war are increasing.
 * Prime Minister Milton Swambe takes refuge inside the Georgeland embassy after Otanga's forces attempt to place him under house arrest.
 * Fierce fighting breaks out in the streets of Abodu, with at least 15 killed in clashes between anti-government forces and soldiers.
 * Otanga demands the Georgeland government hand over Swambe or his troops will swarm the embassy. Georgeland's Prime Minister, Zoe Parker, says that Swambe is beign protected as the democratically elected leader of his country.
 * Forces loyal to Edward Otanga attack the Georgeland embassy before the ambassadorial staff and their families are evacuated. The helicopter designated to carry Swambe and the diplomatic staff out of the capital is shot down by Otanga's troops.
 * The Georgeland Embassy in Abodu is captured by Otanga's forces. Prime Minister Swambe is placed under arrest and Ambassador Geoff Proctor taking hostage. Otanga gives Georgeland twenty-four hours to withdraw all its forces from the country and abandon its mining operations in the country's north-east, threatening to execute his hostages if the government attempts to retake its embassy.
 * Prime Minister Zoe Parker addresses the Georgeand people in a live telecast, in which she pledges never to surrender to the demands of terrorists, and continues to express support for the Swambe government.

10th
The governing Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands retains the two vacant seats in the Georgeland House of Commons at by-elections. Turner is won handily by Abigail Jupitus, but the formerly safe seat of Cheltenham is retained only narrowly by Mark Offberg, who suffers a swing of nearly 8% against him and rendering the seat a key marginal at the upcoming general election.

2nd
The Globe and Standard reports that Prime Minister Zoe Parker, while a student at the University of Doubledance in 1981, had an illegal abortion performed at an underground "shadow clinic". Abortion was not legalised in Mainland until 1985.

29th
The 2007 session of the Parliament of Georgeland opens in Topstad. President Charlotte Lang makes her annual address outlining the government's agenda, which includes a proposal to introduce fixed terms for Parliament. The speech also confirms that the next election will be held "in the latter half of 2007", and not in early 2008 as had been predicted. For full text of the President's speech, see President of Georgeland's Speech to Joint Session of Parliament, January 29 2007.

23rd
Former President of Georgeland Susan O'Byrne, who died on January 18th, is buried at the St. Patrick's cathedral in Emilypolis in a state funeral attended by seven heads of state, nine heads of government, five members of royal families and the United States Vice President.

22nd
The Chief Minister of East Mainland, Lucien Hagerty, and his deputy Georgia Cobar of the Georgeland Alliance, announce that the state's next election, due in 2010, will be held under a system of proportional representation, making the state the fourth in Georgeland to abandon the widely criticised first-past-the-post voting system. The leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats in that state, Gillian Sopwith, says the issue should be put to a referendum. Such a referendum was defeated in West Mainland in 2006.

18th
Georgeland is in mourning after the unexpected death overnight of popular former President Susan O'Byrne, who died after a short cancer-related illness on which her family have refused to elaborate. O'Byrne had been sick since November but her condition hidden from the press. O'Byrne was President of Georgeland from 1999 until 2003, and for her period in office enjoyed very high approval ratings. She was Georgeland's first woman President. President O'Byrne's funeral will be held on January 22, and will be attended by the incumbent President, Charlotte Lang, former Presidents Thomas Andrews and Hank Reynolds, current Prime Minister Zoe Parker and her predecessors Eric Edge], Michael Fisch, Michael Elderton and Campbell Rhodes, as well as dignitaries from dozens of other countries. Rumours are already circulating that Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Marc Emerson and Nelson Mandela are making arrangements to attend the funeral.

9th
Michael Fisch, a former Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of Georgeland for three weeks in 1999, announces he will seek his party's candidacy to become the next President of Georgeland.

5th
Tony Rouse, a backbench Liberal Democrat member of the Georgeland House of Commons is killed in Sergiocitta in the early hours of the morning after leaving a bar in the central business district. Early reports suggest Rouse may have been mugged; the police are yet to name any suspects. Rouse's death leaves two seats vacant in the House of Commons. Tony Rouse was 46 years old and is survived by his wife Amelia and their two children.

2nd
Opinion polling for the Delmago Island state election in March indicates the far-right Georgeland National Front could potentially win up to three seats in the state's 13-seat legislature.

2006: See Nearly Real World Current Events, 2006 2005: See Nearly Real World Current Events, 2005

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