The Imperial Atlantean Empire - An Empire of the stars

[Jmouse]

Congratulations, Emperor. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us during your reign in OSITM!

Until next time...
Joan

[bat]

Congrats on your award, Emperor!

[Emperor Stormont]

Oh my how wonderful.

I'm so pleased to have been given this honour and yes we shall have updates. I'm currently preparing the One Year Celebration updates and those will posted throughout March as well as Part Two of Strangford. So lots to look forward to this March.

I'll also make full replies with the next update

Once again thanks to the staff and everyone that supports this CJ it makes all the work worthwhile 

[warconstruct]

WoW... it is quite simply splendid! 

I adore very well well your centre town of the Middle Ages it make and it is very realistic !
Your place paved are very well make, and the walls are well placed!

I still congratulate you for your works splendid and also for your nomination in this section 

Cheer

Paul

[emilin]

Congratulations on the award!

I often lurk in this thread, and not comment. It's probably because I don't have much to say except for: good job, and such. And since I can't offer much input I often remain silent instead.

But, every once in a while I guess it's time to just say the selfevident stuff: you are doing a magnificent job, this is a fascinating place to read about and the pictures are stunning (especially the old city wall in recent updates). I often find myself thinking that it actually exists for real.

[rooker1]

Congratulations on the award of SIOTM. 
So you say one year anniversary, well I can't wait to see what you have in store for us.
Robin 

[Strechnitz]

My most heartfelt congratulations with winning the OSITM Michael.
Very well deserved indeed.

And I have missed some great updates in my absence. Wow!


Strech.

[Emperor Stormont]

I will have updates ready by the weekend. I have been having a slight loading problem with Strangford. I'm still trying to source the issue.

So this weekend we shall have a look at the Atlantan Systems of government and then on the commuter town of Malone. Expect glorious beauty as always

Full replies will also be made

[Emperor Stormont]

Pip - Hey Pip and thanks for stopping by, so pleased you liked it all, also happy you took time to read it also

Bat - Thanks very much, so happy you enjoyed it all

Joan - Always happy to see you stopping by Joan. I always enjoy your comments they are always supportive and well worded so thank you again and I hope you like this one.

dragonshardz - Many thanks for the invitation to commence diplomatic relations, the Imperial Government have approved. I will post a formal acceptance once I get the chance this week hopefully

Sebs - Indeed we do, we do pride ourselves on providing safe and car free areas within our towns and cities. I very much look forward to having people from your lovely country visit the glorious kingdom, they will not be disappointed

Pat  - Nice to see you back Pat and thank you for your kind words

Nascar_guy - The Imperial Kingdom of Atlantis accepts the beginning of trade relations with the Republic of Eastern Virginia. Also very glad to see you enjoyed the pics.

Bat and Pat- Thanks, no need to wait, it has finally arrived.

Warconstruct - So wonderful to have you comment, very pleased to see you enjoyed all you have seen. I hope you visit again Paul

Emilin - Well I'm very pleased you look in now and then and of course even better now you have commented. It would be truly wonderful if it did exist, what an amazing country it would be to live in and visit. Thank you for your lovely words.

Rooker1 -  Indeed Atlantis is 12 months old I have prepared several updates to celebrate. I hope you like.

Hubert - So glorious to see you again and of course to comment my dear friend, indeed you have missed a few updates, but you have returned so all is forgiven LOL


Thank you to everyone for your warm congratulations on my MD winning the OSITM award, I was very very pleased to have been awarded the honour and I thank the staff also for their decision.


As I stated above, I'm having some problems with Strangford. I have found the rouge plugin and have started to finish Strangford however in the meantime we shall have a closer look at Atlantan Government. This will be split over two parts, the first will look at the Imperial Parliament and the Colonial Congress and the second on the Imperial Senate as well as a look at the town in which it is located. So onto the first update.





The Imperial Kingdom of Atlantis is a Semi-Constitutional Empire were His Imperial Majesty the Emperor is both Head of State and Head of Government. The kingdom operates a Tricarmalist system, constituting the Imperial Parliament, Imperial Senate and Colonial Congress.

The Imperial Parliament

The Parliament is located in the central district of the City of Atlantis is made up 550 members directly elected by the people of the Imperial Kingdom in a general election held every 6 years. Voting is compulsory and the age of suffrage is 17.

Located in a stunning location overlooking the River Mourne the building was completed 3 years after the establishment of the Imperial Kingdom. Its crowning feature is the gold dome that dominates the skyline in the city.



The political party that wins a majority after an election is invited by his His Imperial Majesty to form a government. The leader of the party is made Prime Minister and becomes Deputy Head of Government. The Prime Minister will draft a list of ministers and put it to His Majesty for approval, the cabinet will then be formed and called to order.
The Emperor signs all laws and will also at times direct government policy. The day to day running of the country is the responsibility of the Prime Minister and his ministerial cabinet. The Emperor also selects the Speaker of the House which is then approved by the Parliament by an all party vote. The current largest party is the Atlantan Alliance Party. The other parties include the Democratic Liberals, Conservative Coalition and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.



The governing party will put forward policies and laws as well as reform and the entire house will vote. The Emperor generally does not intervene in Parliament affairs but must approve all bills before them become law. It is rare that bills are denied Imperial Ascent, however both Emperor Stormont I and II threw out 20 bills in total. Emperor Stormont III has yet to use this power.

The Emperor is also the Commander-in-Chief of all the Imperial Armed Forces and Space Fleet and can if needed take the Kingdom to war without advising Parliament. This has never happened and the Emperor will usually meet with government representatives which then make a case before Parliament before war is declared 

Should a Parliament turn hostile toward the nation then the Emperor may dissolve it and only reintroduce Parliamentary democracy once a situation has been rectified. In the event of this the Imperial Senate will be invited to form an interim government. This power has never been used, but remains at the disposal of His Imperial Majesty.

The Colonial Congress

This is an assembly of 150 members that represent the Imperial Colonies of the Kingdom both on earth and off-world. They are elected by the people of those colonies and are then sent to Atlantis to represent the people and needs of that colony in the Imperial Capital and to the Imperial Government and indeed the Emperor himself. Colonial elections are held every 6 years for regional assemblies that run the colony and every 10 years for Colonial representatives.



Representatives will also lobby organisations and institutions to invest in their colony and provide investment. The Emperor retains the power to dissolve all Colonial assemblies and impose the will of the Imperial Government should a colony prove unstable or hostile. This also has never happened and the colonies are well governed and provided for. Colonial representatives will elect a Speaker of Congress who will preside over Congress meetings.





The Congress is located not far from the Imperial Parliament building and overlooks the River Mourne. The building was built in the early days of the new kingdom and 3 years ago was renovated to provide a larger Congress space and a more refined environment for representatives to work in. A new library was also constructed and across from the building a new hotel was constructed to provide 150 suites for the Representatives as well as office space.

[bat]

That's a great first update here in your special month!

And the parliament and its area is looking very beautiful! Also the congress building and its area is great!

Looking forward to the second update in this month...

[Emperor Stormont]

Next update in a couple of days 

To fill the space.....

[Pat]

Emperor wonderful last update and the paper was great too!!! I cant wait for the next update!!!

[Jmouse]

Very impressive update, Emperor!

It isn't easy to make a presentation like this work, but you've managed to pull it off! IMO, the RL photos increase the impact of your always-striking in-game shots, and provide some new ground for the imagination to explore.

I love the stately park-like atmosphere you create around government buildings. The TPW, the canals and the landscaping all come together very well. Normally I don't care for trees lined up in a row like little soldiers, but you have managed to add just enough asymmetry to make it work. And night shots are always appreciated! Now all we need is a bit of traffic and some admiring Sims walking about.

Until next time...
Joan

[bat]

Nice new newspaper there! Great new work on it, Emperor Stormont!

Again looking forward to the next update...

[Strechnitz]

Hello Michael,

What a nice newspaper!

And I espescialy like your update on the Atlantan political system. the buildings and interiors are wonderfully matched by the way.   It has been a very interesting read, and I look forward to see the sentate palace in all it's glory wink wink

Hubert.

[sebes]

Very interesting 2 updates. I like the way you presented the Colonial Congress Building. Looking the interior I was really wondering what building you would use for that, revealed in the last picture. I don't remember seeing that ever before.. is it your own? 
Looking forward to the Senate update...

[Emperor Stormont]

Bat - Very pleased you liked it, hope you enjoy this one also

Pat - Thanks Pat, always great to have you stop by. Next update has arrived, I hope you find it just as enjoyable

Joan - I'm so happy you enjoyed the update. I also welcome your reply. Yeah I am a big fan of lined up trees, as you said can be very difficult to make work, but I feel I do pull it off pretty well, many thanks for your kinds words. Hope you like this update.

Bat - Thanks Bat

Strechnitz - Hello dear Hubert. I'm so glad you liked the update, I do try to educate as well as awe, lol. I hope you find this update agreeable.

Sebes - Thank you very much, no that building is the JFK Arts Centre, I've had it for a long time but very rarely see it displayed in MD's, its a lovely building and suited my needs very well. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it and I hope you like this one.



Before the update I have a very special thank you to make to Debussyman. I asked him to BAT one of my favourite building, The Northern Ireland Assembly Building. He agreed and I have used this for the home of the Imperial Senate. Without his kindness I would have been forced to use something else. This BAT is also the very first building from Northern Ireland and I believe from all of Ireland to be turned into a SC4 Landmark, hopefully the first of many.


So.....onto this double update...enjoy..






The Imperial Senate

In February the Senate moved to the small but exclusive commuter suburb of Malone, home to the old Caledon National Assembly, The historic building was built in 1922 and was completely refurbished when it was announced it would serve as the new location for the Imperial Senate.

The building was commissioned by the Caledon Parliament in 1920 to serve as the new building to serve as parliament. Work started on 1922 and was designed by Sir Arnold Thornley. Designed in a Greek Classical style, it would be built in Portland stone. Work was also started on the extensive grounds that would surround the building, including the 'Mile Drive' a grand and imposing central avenue leading from the Prince Amadeus Gates leading to a statue of Sir Henry Pottinger, founder of the current system of government. Work was completed in 1932 and Parliament was opened by His Majesty King Edward Amadeus IV.



After Caledon entered the Second World War, it was feared the building would be an important target and so a black paint was painted onto the pristine white stone, supposedly easily removable after the war. It proved to be a terrible blight on the building that did not every trace removed until 1998, restoring the magnificence of the stone work.  As a token of thanks for the assistance Caledon gave the United Kingdom during the war, King George VI, gifted a large chandelier which was placed in the Great Hall. Smaller copies were made and also installed alongside the central chandelier.



The building served as the home of the Caledon Parliament until the nation ceased to exist. With the creation of the Imperial Kingdom it served as a temporary parliament while a new building was constructed in the capital. I was turned into a museum over 90 years ago and for the past 20 has been left unoccupied. 10 years ago it was confirmed the Imperial Senate was move to Malone and a period of extensive repair, refurbishment and landscaping took place to prepare the Assembly Building for its new use. The Mile Drive was re-opened and the gatehouses restored. A new central public stairway was constructed and a water cascade created at the rear of the new Senate building.





A new Senate Administration complex was also constructed and provide suites of offices for Senators and their staff.



Consisting of 100 members, the Senate is the most prestigious political institution in the Kingdom. Now housed in the former Caledon National Assembly building it was first based on an island in the River Mourne close to the Central District. The old Senate Building has been converted to a new museum on Atlantan Political History.



Senate members are elected by the people of Atlantis every 12 years. They play an important role in debating new bills and laws put forward in the Imperial Parliament and can prevent a bill from going to a vote if they deem it potentially damaging to the country. They cannot prevent a bill from obtaining Imperial Ascent, but can send it back to the Parliament a maximum of four times. The Chancellor of the Senate is similar to the Speaker of the House in Parliament and is appointed by the Emperor, there is no vote to approve, the decision of the Emperor is final in this matter.



Senators are non-party aligned and all must stand as independents in Senate Elections, any affiliation to a political party will result in the Senator being removed from office.

In the event of the Imperial Parliament turning hostile and being dissolved the Imperial Senate will serve as the interim Parliament and will elect members to take ministerial positions. In this situation His Imperial Majesty will approve all positions and will dissolve the interim arrangement once the Imperial Parliament is restored.

Malone

Malone is a small yet highly exclusive commuter town located along the River Mourne, just north of the capital. It was established back in 1890 as a retreat for the wealthy mill and factory owners of the Caledon capital, Queenstown. It grew and developed over the years and came to national prominence in 1920 when it was selected as the home to the new Parliament.
This lead to rapid yet controlled growth, a new country club was opened as well as a marina and a small shopping district was built to serve the larger population, consisting mainly of boutiques and some offices for local businesses.

By 2008 the town had a population of roughly 3000. The town was also home to two leading grammar schools and a modern medical centre, mainly serving private clients. The town continued to grow and the wealthy population increased to over 4500.

The area north of Malone was awarded National Park protection and the area given green-belt status where further residential development would be tightly controlled, as such the population rise slowed and Malone stopped growing, which suited the current residents.

The town would soon rise to national prominence again when in 2130 Michael Stormont was born. Michael Stormont would soon become the most important person in the history of the Imperial Kingdom. After the Europa-Larisa war he founded the National Movement for Reconciliation and Prosperity and sought to re-establish national pride and a stable nation. He and his party went on to dominate the political life of post-war Caledon and establish the Imperial Kingdom of Atlantis. He is remembered as the founder of this great nation and the first Emperor of Atlantis and is commemorated as such. In his birthplace of Malone an immense memorial tomb was constructed and his body laid to rest after his death. The tomb of Emperor Stormont I is constantly watched over by the Imperial Guard and on National Day thousands flock to the tomb to mark his achievement, including the current Emperor. His successors have continued his dream and now that dream has been achieved, the nation is once again strong and powerful on both the world and off-world stage. The Imperial Kingdom is a nation that other aspire to copy and its people are once again proud.

[Jmouse]

Wow, here you are again with those gorgeous gardens of yours! Once again, you have done a bang-up job of using RL photos with the in-game ones.

Those are some lucky Imperial Senate Administrators who work in those buildings! I've always loved the looks of courtyards but we don't have many here, and the ones we do have aren't usually very attractive. The entry gardens are beautiful, too and the ceremonial stairway is like nothing I've ever seen before in game.

The Atlantan Imperial Senate building is beautiful in the daylight but gorgeous at night with the lights on, and I like the fence you've used across the front. The nighttime overview is just breathtaking.

Malone is very attractive, too, created in that unique style of yours. But that last photo - the overview - says it all. I realize there are no signs of life, but in this case it really doesn't bother me. I just enjoy soaking up all that imperial beauty.

Until next time...
Joan

[spa]

Nice CJ. You're capitol city feels like a capitol. It makes me think of grandoise planned government centres such as Canberra and Washington. It's neat that you can almost feel the City Beautiful movement coming out of your design. Nice job.

[dragonshardz]

Looks great ES. I look foward to the meet between our countries. Mine or yours? The Envoy I sent seems to have had a bit of a mishap, so as the overtured country it is your right to make the decision.

~~Dragonshardz~~