Antillian Parliament Thread

[Dr. Cynic]

SPEAKER

Order! MPs shall sign in before speaking.

[Dr. Cynic]

xDavid Valentine

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

xJohannes Overgaard

[Senator Barnes]

x  Christian David Søndergaard

[ilikeverin]

x Steven Gudjonsson

[MOPolitico]

x Robert Alexander Burke II

[Dr. Cynic]

SPEAKER

Order!

Since there are MPs sitting currently, the floor is open. Motions to recognize?

[afleitch]

x Anders MacPherson

[lilTommy]

xBastian De Wilde

[Insula Dei]

xAchilles De Bruijne

[ChairmanSanchez]

xIan Harlow

[afleitch]

SPEAKER

Order!

Since there are MPs sitting currently, the floor is open. Motions to recognize?

Gentlemen.

As you are no doubt aware, the Pitfarris Firth, seperating Pitfarris from Antilla has been unbridgeable for centuries. As a frequent user of the ferry service across the Firth, I can attest to it's reliabilty. However, recent proposals have surfaced which I believe the Parliament should consider. After surveying and three years of pre-planning, it has been estimated that it is feasable to link the two islands by an undersea combined road and rail tunnel. Let me assure you, that the Pitfarris National Party is not ideologically opposed. We believe that Pitfarris and Antilla should have close co-operation, preferrably as two equal nations. Such a link would facillitate development and increase communication.

There are of course issues that concern us. As the Firth has been unbridgable for centuries, it has been thanks to ferrymen, many of them Farrian that the two islands have been connected at all times of the year. The Union of Shipbuilders and Ferrymen appear to be opposed to such moves; it would no doubt hinder if not kill off the the ferries. Ironically, their employers the ferry companies are also opposed to a tunnel.

I would ask the Parliament to consider a response.

[Insula Dei]

Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the honourable member for raising this issue, that most certainly lives in our mutual consituency. While I personally am highly in favour of the eventual realization of this link and of the symbolic closure it would offer to the process of Pitfarrian intergration into the Antillian nation, I would urge this house to take the potential social consequences of their acts into account.

The USF and the owners of the ferry-companies are right when they assert that the result of the creation of this bridge would be dramatic for the industry. I would then suggest that, as the bridge won't be built for years anyway, we start both a commision to look into concrete plans for a bridge/tunnel, and a commission to prepare compensations for the workers hit hardest by this measures. I'm thinking specifically of re-schooling and subsidizing the transformation of our ferry fleet into a fishing fleet, where possible.

I thank you for your attention.

[lilTommy]

Speaker, Fellow Members,
The Cooperative Party as always espoused the philosophy that all acts and measure taken by this house should take into consideration social and environmental consequences hand-in-hand with economic ones when pursuing policies to be enacted.

The Cooperative Party will require that the commission must be presented with an environmental assessment of both a tunnel and bridge option, as to ascertain which option is the most sustainable for integration into the fragile Firth ecosystem.

The Cooperative Party believes the old, antiquated gas automobile should not be given continued priority in dictating policy and daily life in Antilla; Cooperative municipal/regional governments have been leaders in establishing expansive mass-transit systems as well as redeveloping districts of our cities into pedestrian only zones. With that said, we will only support an electrified Rail link option, preferably one that can be integrated into the national TGV network we have begun to develope nationwide.
The Antilla ferry fleet is a vital part of our national transit network, most of our large centres are along the cost  with hundreds of thousands of islanders relying on this to move about the country. With greater desire to protect farm land and expand our nation parks system, building highways is just no longer a sustainable option. Keeping our rich ferry network intact must be a priority.

The second commission is one we support, but with some trepidation as put forward by the member. We do not support any further expansion of the already uniquely healthy fishing industry, this is a resource that needs to be continued to be managed closely but cannot support any expansion outside of generational and organic growth.

As stated during the election, we strongly believe that Pitfarris and all regions within Antilla should be given regional assembly's, as this house must realize that some matters are best handled on a more local basis. We feel this is one step to greater respect and realization of the regional distinctiveness that make a unified Antilla strong.

With those points made, i look forward to continued debate and thank you for this time

[Sibboleth]

X - Iorwerth Roberts

[afleitch]

Speaking: Mr Anders MacPherson. NOTE: Probably best to put your characters name before each post

Mr De Bruijne, will you recognise, that the language used in defense of 'integration' will not be warmly welcomed by members from this part of the chamber. This proposal has nothing to do with nationalism or unionism. It is purely a measure to increase communication and improve transportation and aid the peoples of both Pitfarris and Antillia.

Mr De Wilde, I share your ecological concerns. Indeed, the fact that a tunnel is being proposed as the preferred is a reflection of these concerns, Indeed, it may be preferable to restrict the tunnel to rail only, similar to the Channel Tunnel connecting England, Scotland and Wales to continental Europe. This may make the ferry an attractive option for motorists and make continued services viable.

[Sibboleth]

Iorwerth Roberts:

Surely Mr McPherson is aware that increasing communication and transport links between his island and the mainland will inevitably bolster the cause of unionism? It used to be the case that his fellow nationalists used to oppose any attempt at creating an undersea rail-link - which Members will remember was proposed by the Wansbeck government nine years ago - on that very basis.

[afleitch]

Mr Anders Macpherson

I am impressed with Mr Roberts' recall. He is correct that many within my party were opposed to the proposals of the Wansbeck government. I am also aware that some members may still be opposed to such a venture today. However, the Wansbeck proposals focused almost exclusively on 'plugging' Pitfarris to the heart of Antillia and (hessitates) the government even considered creating a terminus for the rail link just inside Pitfarris, necessitating passengers to change at the terminus for overland services to Auldburgh. Little consideration was given to connecting the link with Auldburgh or improving transport within Pitfarris. Pitfarris will not be a deadend to what appeared to be an exclusively Antillian service. I may remind those in the chamber that as strong a supporter of the tunnel as I am, unless Pitfarris taxpayers get a good deal, then...(hessitates) we will not be prepared to support it. The service must terminate at Auldburgh.

[Sibboleth]

Mr Iorwerth Roberts

I remember it well because I was responsible for negotiating the contracts for labourers who would have been employed by the scheme, as I'm sure Mr MacPherson is aware of. Of course he is correct to point out that that particular plan had its deficiencies; a more ambitious plan would have created thousands of extra jobs in Northern Antillia which was a depressed area then and remains so today... but I maintain that any plan would have been better than no plan and it was typical of the irresponsible attitude of the Nationalists at that time that they...

No, I will not give way.

As I said, it was typical of the irresponsible attitude of the Nationalists at that time that they opposed the plan on such a flimsy basis. An extension could always have been built at a later date, as Mr De Bruijne argued at the time. Nevertheless I am delighted to learn that a newer generation of Nationalist representatives have a more responsible approach to this most important issue.

I must now take issue with a remark by another member here. If Mr De Wilde thinks that the fishing industry is in good health, then he should take a visit to Fellsands or... haha... for that matter, to Auldburgh. If he did so, then he would surely note that the size of the fleet has declined significantly over the past three decades, creating new social problems in Auldburgh and making existing ones in Fellsands considerably worse.

[Senator Barnes]

Mr Christian Søndergaard

Surely, gentlemen, the time of this house would be better spent debating the issues at the present, than the ones of the past?

I join my Rt. Hon. friend Mr. MacPherson in welcoming a new connection tunnel.  While I am a staunch supporter for further devolved powers for Pitfarris, I seriously doubt connecting it with Antillia would serve to dampen the cause of the nationalist movement.

For example, look at the example Mr. MacPherson gave about the Channel Tunnel connecting Great Britian with France.  It entered operation in 1994, and since that time it has been a unrivaled success for transportation and trade.  Surely, this House cannot seriously believe that Britain has become more French from this partnership, or vice versa.

The mission of the Pitfarris Nationalists was never to build a proverbial wall between Pitfarris and Antillia.  We are proud of our heritage an know that we have a strong parter in Antillia, and this tunnel would only expand that partnership between our two people.

As for environmental concerns, as this House knows, I have long stood on a so-called "ecological-nationalism" platform.  I will support this proposal if, and only if, high-speed rail in used in the tunnel.  I also would support a plan to examine the environmental impact that the proposed tunnel would have on the Pitfarris Firth.

[Sibboleth]

In response to Mr Søndergaard's comment that 'the mission of the Pitfarris Nationalists was never to build a proverbial wall between Pitfarris and Antillia', Mr Roberts was heard to shout 'Yes it is!'

[MOPolitico]

Mr Alexander Burke:

Gentlemen,

While I am naturally inclined to support expanding existing infrastructure as a sign of progress, I must echo the concerns of my fellow honourable members with regard to the cost of such a project as the one recently proposed to the treasury, to the environment, to business, and to labour. Now, Mr MacPherson said in his initial statement that the proposal has been in planning for three years. Surely, the planners must have come up with an estimate as to how much it would cost?

[lilTommy]

Mr Bastian De Wilde

If the Speaker pleases, i'd like to address the concerns Mr Roberts has with definition of healthy, he should note that we Antillians should be lucky we continue to HAVE a fishing industry at all. If it had not been for the actions taken by the predecessors to the Cooperative party, the Greens and Agrarians, in the way of pushing stubborn SDP governments for a ban on factory farm fishing and increased enforcement of protection of Antillian waters from Portuguese and foreign fishing fleets our waters would be as barren as the Grand banks of Canada. Understandably Social Democrats, as the old man of Antillan politics, like to rewards the good old boys, are adverse to change and sometimes we need to speak up when talking to them… (pauses as laugher comes from the rest of the Cooperative caucus) the point I was making reinforces Mr Roberts comments. Our fishing industry cannot afford more, figuratively speaking, “mouths to feed”.

It’s pleasing to see such support for a High speed tunnel Rail link… and with that we say that commission look only at High speed Rail link options, less work for any commission which should focus on costs, community impacts and environmental sustainability.

[ChairmanSanchez]

Ian Harlow

Honorable Gentlemen, the ferrymen of the firth have kept our beloved nation united for many, many years. Now, do we really want to throw them under the bus? The ferry workers have long since been a cornerstone to our nation. They have always worked hard so we can communicate and travel. Is this how we repay them? This tunnel to Pittfarris? Is it worth it? Is it worth putting so many of our citizens out of work? I have absolutely no issue at all with getting on the ferry. Surely, if one needs to travel fast enough, their is the more expensive option of air travel. I oppose putting the good Antillean ferrymen out of business, for such a expensive, and fruitless project.

[Sibboleth]

Mr Roberts is heard to shout something else.

Mr Speaker:

Order! Did Mr Roberts say what I think he may have done?

Mr Iorwerth Roberts:

I said 'middle class walker', Mr Speaker. I understand that Mr De Wilde is a keen hiker.