SPORT: TIFA Championships Final 2005

Republic of Talamthom 1 - 0 Tománn Indo-China

So it came to this, after six matches, nine hours of football, all in front of a total of 180,000 football fans in Tománn Indo-China, and a good 4 million back in Talamthom, the TIFA Championships 2005 found themselves at the end of the road. It was time at last for the moment the teams had been waiting for, the final.

A sea of orange: The beautiful sight of the Tománn Indo-China fans in the Portela Hill stadium, Lhasa. This stadium will be used by the local team after the TIFA finals.

The final, along with all the other matches in the competition, was played at the purpose built Portela Hill stadium in the centre of Lhasa, Tománn Indo-China. Prior to the organisation of the tournament there had been not a single football stadium in the whole area of southern Tibet that Talamthom leases from the Chinese Soviet Republic. If it hadn't been for funding from the Tibetan Cultural Association and the local Governor's office the 30,00 seater stadium in Lhasa wouldn't have been anything more than a temporary stadium.

It was it was deemed necessary to invest in sporting enterprises in the region and following the final of the TIFAs the stadium will become the permanent home of TFA Division 2 team, the Tibet Tygers. The Tygers had been playing at a temporary stadium that was formerly a training ground of the People's Liberation Army, prior to the arrival of Tománnach Forces in the area.

The stadium had filled up by 1500 local time in preparation for the pre-match entertainment. This entertainment consisted of a concert that started with local Tibetan music and was followed by Tománnach Celtic Folk-Rock. Tománnach bands that were present included Whippin' Sally, Cheating Nashville and finished off with The Freetowners. All of which well and truly left the audience, both local and travellers, awestruck.

So on to the match. Talamthom and Tománn Indo-China had both beaten each other once before on the road to the final. Indo-China had startled Talamthom when they scored a massive victory over the 'Seat of Empire' in the opening match of the tournament with a 2-1 result. Later, when the two teams met again, Talamthom finally got their campaign to reach the final underway when they scored a 1-0 victory over the Colony immediately after beating Fealsamthom 4-3.

So with a beautiful rendition of Amhran na bhFiann by the President's Military Band it was time for kick off. When the match got underway there appeared to be no real options available for either side to break through each others' defence. Both teams were playing their football deep in there own halves, too concerned with giving nothing away. In the approach to half-time there seemed to be no let-up in the defensive playing style of both teams despite the effect it was having on the crowd, who, by this time, were looking slightly fed up with proceedings.

Luckily the second half started with a flurry of end-to-end activity that swung up and down the pitch in a seemingly perpetual motion. Then there came a key moment, George MacTíre, who'd been on the subs bench following a stomach virus through the week, was brought on in place of the struggling William Morgan. The effects for Talamthom was immediate. Where before they'd been struggling to really dominate the midfield play they suddenly appeared refreshed.

So it was that in the 85th minute when Justin Reid was brought down on the edge of the box that Talamthom were finally presented with a golden opportunity. There appeared to be an argument as to who was going to take the free kick involving all the key midfielders before the ball found itself at the mercy of MacTíre's boot. MacTíre stepped back and swerved the ball perfectly into the top-right hand corner of the goal.

MacTíre head over heals after scoring a free kick in the dying moments of the match.

The late timing of the opening goal proved decisive as Talamthom held on for three more minutes to take the win. The Tománn team climbed the steps and, to the cheers of the crowd, lifted the trophy aloft. This victory is a major one for Talamthom internally and has already worked to raise the profile of Talamthom's football development and, indirectly, the TFA domestic leagues. The TIFAs have been a success for the TFA, Tománn Indo-China and the Republic as a whole.

All attentions are now focused on Talamthom's 'senior' team in the EIFA World Cup following their successful navigation of the first group round. There next match will be against Mayo, for more details see here.

FLASHBACK: Urgharda, September 14th 2004

York's Economic Madness Helps Communist Party
by Alaric Veto Julia

Vindrus York, leader and only member of the Páirtí Saoirse Náisiúnta (the "National Freedom Party") has begun to describe his economic vision for the Republic.

"The NFP is an economic conservative party", said its leader at a small gathering in An Clós, embroiling himself in debate with the leading progressive minds of Talamthom, who espouse a just economic policy based on the fair distribution of wealth. Mr York described how his party, if ever seeing power, would simultaneously lower income taxes whilst raising value-added tax, placing the tax burden on the poor of the Republic rather than on those who can afford to pay their social debt.

Mr York has also proposed private meetings with the President and the Prime Minister to discuss with them the complete deregulation of the Tománn economy and the creation of a free-market stock exchange facility. Spokespeople from the Republic's progressive movement have criticised the proposals, telling Urgharda that the people must be consulted about the creation of a functioning Tománn economy so that their interests are properly represented. Workers told this newspaper that without inclusive discussion, parts of the Republic's labour force would become disaffected with the government, which, so far, has not embraced any economic policy.

One citizen present at Mr York's speech turned away in disgust, explaining that he could not afford to pay extra on essential goods whereas the rich could easily up their shopping bills to include Mr York's proposed increases. Like many others in the crowd, the spectator was wooed by a Communist distributing anti-PSN pamphlets and copies of An Camchéachta, the Communist Party's journal.

The Communist cadre spoke to Urgharda about the recent growth in his Party's membership. "Since the refoundation of the CP," he told us, "our membership has more than doubled and even the most conservative estimates show us to be the second-largest party in the country."

Despite the massive growth in the ranks of the Communist Party, its power is still leashed. The Dail Tománn, the country's legislative chamber, currently has no Communist deputies. President Kelly, who appoints deputies to the chamber, has been absent from his office whilst holidaying during the period of the Communist Party's amazing growth. It is hoped that upon his return, Communist deputies will replace some of the TUDP members who currently hold a near-monopoly of the chamber. The very fact that deputies are appointees highlights the disgraceful fact that the Republic has not yet implemented a formal vaguely democratic constitutional framework.

Whether or not the Communist Party can keep up it's growth is uncertain, but if the economic extremism proposed by Vindrus York continues, a polarisation of the Republic's political scene is certain.

This was originally posted in the Tománn publication 'Urgharda' by Alarico Veto Julia on the 14th September. In the week that Vindrus York announced his retirement from Tománnach politics this seemed a fitting tibute to the man that has so often been at the heart of arguments and debate. The original article can be found here http://urgharda.blogspot.com/2004/09/yorks-economic-madness-helps-communist.html.

Portela The Great Hope for the Right Wing

Following the resignation of Edgard Portela from the Nation Freedom Party a new dawn is being hailed for the Tománnach right-wing. His departure was formally announced following the President ordering action against the NFP Leader's unconstitutional activities in Mainistir. Mr Portela made a brief but decisive statement to the NFP Headquarters citing Vindrus York's behaviour as the main reason for departure.

Despite York's parting shot at Portela, in which he said that the young NFP member had contributed nothing to the party, there is a firm belief that any new right-wing party will be headed by him. It is not known quite what form a new right-wing party will take or even what any of its policies may be, but it is a firm intention that it will be up and running and prepared to challenge the old guard of the CPT and DLP in the next election.

Come election day, provided all goes to plan, the right wing will finally become a respected entity within Tománn politics, something it came close to, but never quite achieved with the NFP.

SPORT: EIFA World Cup Update

Talamthom despite winning only one of there three games in the first round group stage of the EIFA World Cup have managed to qualify for the next group stage. Talamthom's results so far in the competition are as follows:

Talamthom 0 - 1 Astor
Monte Liro 0 - 6 Talamthom
Talamthom 0 - 1 DUR

They have now found themselve in a group with Astor (again), Hullande and Regio Mayo. This is where the real action is about to take place. If Talamthom can qualify through this second group stage they will have really made their mark on the micronational football scene, even if they go home empty handed.

Talamthom play Mayo next on the 1st March. Last time these two met Mayo won; this time we shall hope for a little more.

York Ready To Throw In The Towel

Vindrus York has today made clear his intentions to retire from the Tománnach political scene only months after rejoining it. He has cited such reasons as wanting to spend more time with his family for the decision. It is thought by this publication that a lot of his decision is based on the fact that due to his own inactivity his party has fallen apart.

Yesterday, Edgard Portela, handed in his notice after learning of Mr. York's recent 'unconstitutional' activities. These activities are based around the NFP leaders' promotion and participation in an unconstitutional legislative body in Mainistir, the county he used to represent in parliament. This has landed him in court with the President taking action on behalf of the Republic. Mr York is still yet to answer the charges. The newly appointed Lord Chief Justice, Kevin Gladstone, has allowed him seven days to respond to the charges.

He has though requested the closure of the NFP forum and the deletion of the NFP archives. He took time in the NFP office to have one final jab at Mr Portela's resignation letter and responded to it saying.

"Portela, goodbye, to be honest, you have done very little for this party to begin with; I had thought you had dropped out of existance weeks ago."

The President leapt to Mr Portela's defence saying of him.

"He came to Talamthom with nothing, attempted to bolster your numbers in the Dáil, got appointed to the role of Governor of Indo-China and then got elected to the position of Head of the Citizens' Council, all whilst you have done nothing whatsoever as a Dáil Minister!!"

At this point it is still unknown as to whether he will still be active from the sidelines, the Citizens' Council or indeed whether he'll go on to apply for a non-partisan position, for example, a job in the Judiciary. Only time will tell.

York to Dáil: Pffft!

Vindrus York the man that the whole weight of the right-wing rests upon in our Republic is slowly losing losing the political glitz with which he re-entered the Tománnach political arena. Upon his return to Talamthom, after an unannounced absense of around two months, he appeared refreshed and ready to bring to Talamthom a more professional approach to right-wing politics. It was this stylist change in the presentation of his party which lead to him being able to attract a new member in the form of Edgard Portela, who would have been standing in the Dáil this term if it were not for certain immigration restrictions.

So with the National Freedom Party, the only right-wing entity following the rapid rise and demise of the Patriotic Citizens Party (STT), the flag was passed to Vindrus York to represent the right-wing heartleand of Mainistir and for Portela to push for more power for the right-wing in the Capital. So the question that begs to be asked is why then are the NFP failing so miserably to use this new found initiative and not making there presence felt?

Well the root of the problem can be traced to the NFP's first major piece of policy of the new Dáil term following an election campaign which saw Vindrus York return to legislative branch. This policy came in the form of a direct attack on Article 11 of the Constitution, the very article that gives East Fealsamthom its special administrative region status. In the policy stated:

"The National Freedom Party opposes Article 11 of the constitution; unless it applies equally to all counties of the Republic.The East Fealsamthom should not be entitled to 'special rights' in the constitution, we are one nation not separate entities. If Article 11 is allowed for EF, then other counties (i.e. Mainistir) should be guaranteed special status as well."

The NFP front-man then decided to continue his attack into the Dáil by submmitting a bill. This highlighted a marked change in the approach that the NFP was to take. In the previous administration York had opted in favour of conducting his battles outside of the Dáil by shouting from his corner of the Courtyard, Baile na hAlainn's central plaza. Although his approach was welcomed the content of his approach wasn't. The main reason for the dissapproval shown towards the NFPs Unity of the Republic Act was that, during the Constitutional Convention, it had been agreed upon by all parties concerned that East Fealsamthom's status as semi-autonomous was to be secured. In the eyes of both Labour Parties and the Communist Party there was no reason to start the debate on Fealsamthom again.

At the same time as submitting the Unity of the Republic Act the NFP party leader also submitted the National Military Act which laid out provisions for a military to be established in Talamthom. Although being very poorly presented it was generally well-recieved by the Dáil Ministers, who were at there most active, and was hailed a triumph for the NFP and Vindrus York.

Far from being encouraged by the success that the Military Act was having in the Dáil the NFP leaders' habitual negative attitude came back to haunt the government. Seeing that the Unity of the Republic Act was having a hard time York saw fit to request the withdrawal of both acts. This initially baffled most political observers in Talamthom (see The Tománn Independent Sunday 16th January) who didn't understand why he was cutting off his nose to spite his face.

A point he breifly made in dispatches was to define the new approach of the NFP leader, much to the discontent of his party members. This new approach would be one that was designed to disrupt the legislative process. This was virtual apathy - a euphamistic way of saying that he would choose to abstain from voting on certain acts.

This approach of not actually formulating an opinion of joining in the Dáil debate but still insisting on abstaining from voting. When he chooses to vote against a bill and yet not raise any objections whilst the bill is being debated he is robbing his citizens of their voice. In the mind of the NFP leader he believes that he is on a crusade against the 'oppressive socialist government' and the best way to fight is in the ballot box but how wrong could he be? Why does he choose to be passive when he should be getting involved directly in the debates to get extra protection for the people of Mainistir? Interestingly by being voted into government he isn't technically a representitive of Mainistir anyway, he is a representitive for all Tománnachs.

Vindrus York is in the process of ruining his own reputation. He was to be a candidate for the Tománn Independent's 'Best Political Comeback' award following his arrival back into Tománnach politics but this is now looking unlikely. Vindrus needs to start fighting vocally for Tománnachs in the Dáil and put an end to his fight in the Ionad Vótala.

SPORT: Talamthom Score an Important Victory

Republic of Talamthom 1 - 0 Tománn Indo-China

Talamthom have finally asserted some authority in the TIFA Championships by scoring an important victory against the Colony. Tománn Indo-China, the hosts of the competition, started their TIFA campaign against Talamthom with a well-fought 2-1 victory but they had no such luck as the two teams met once more.

As we enter into the second round of matches in the TIFA competition victories had become a necessity for both Talamthom and East Fealsamthom who'd both lost their opening matches. Talamthom managed a victory against East Fealsamthom and in order to secure their position further needed a win against the hosts.

So it was that the youthful Talamthom took on the Colonial 'old-guard' and did so with great venom. Talamthom's midfield played like a pressure cooker, slowly building as the first half went on. The score remained a somewhat unjust 0-0 at half time.

The second half began at a rather more relaxed pace no team looked to have the upper hand. That was until the 60th minute when a ten-minute period of relentless Tománnach pressure was unleashed upon the Fealsamánn goal. It was then that in the 70th minute that 18 year-old centre midfielder George Mac Tíre managed to cross a ball into the penalty area from nowhere. It then almost magically found the experienced striker Raymond Hannigan who had no problem with dispensing a perfect volley into the net.

This victory now paves the way for Talamthom to qualify for the final. They now only need one point from their remaining game to qualify. As for the Colony they too only need one point from their remaining game. It would appear that Fealsamthom's fate has been sealed.

Economy and Enterprise Meeting Called

President Thomas Ó Ceallaigh has called for all those interested in starting a functioning economy in Talamthom to come forward for a meeting. The President yesterday started a new ministry to deal with all aspects of the economic planning to be known as the Aireacht Eacnamaíochta agus Fhiontair (Ministry for Economics and Enterprise).

Vindrus York (NFP at-large) has long been pushing for some sort of functioning economy but is yet to throw his weight behind the project. One person who has put their name into the hat for the discussion is Ciaron Ó hEalaighthe who is taking the oppurtunity to prove his political worth. Any discussion is likely to start sometime during next week.

SPORT: Talamthom Finally Wake-Up in the TIFAs

Republic of Talamthom 4 - 3 T.R. East Fealsamthom

Talamthom have finally started to stake a claim for qualification to the final of the TIFA Championship in Tománn Indo-China. Their campaign has started in earnest after a hard fought victory against East Fealsamthom where the game belonged to great strikers and poor defenders.

This victory is all the more sweet for the manager Kevin Wilson as Talamthom are essentially fielding a second-string team comprising of reserves and youth team players. The reaon behind this is that Talamthom's first team squad are currently participating in the EIFA World Cup in Babkha. So with the spotlight firmly fixed on the TFA stars of the future the game was set.

Talamthom goals: Ray Hannigan 12, 32, 56; Phillip Mac Tíre 78.
East Fealsamthom goals: Greg Kelly 15, 41; Harry Gonzalez 84.

SPORT: Talamthom World Cup Update

Republic of Talamthom 0 - 1 United States of Astor

Talamthom's football (soccer) team are currently participating in their first intermicronational competition, the EIFA World Cup 2004/05 which is being hosted in Babkha. The timing has meant that Talamthom's national team is currently competing in two competitions at the same time, the World Cup and the Tománnach Inter-Regional (TIFA) Championships. The result is that all of the first team players are playing in Babkha now and a team made up of reserves and youth team players are playing in Tománn Indo-China.

With the full strength Tománnach team arriving in Talamthom on the back of a defeat in Lhasa against Indo-China, the coach, Thomas Kelly, was unsure what the team's morale would be. During practice though it became apparent that there was a real buzz going around the training ground. This was a team that was raring to go and ready to try and climb up the rankings from the current position of 12th. Talamthom's only other EIFA match came in the form of a defeat at the hands of Mayo back in October. Since then a strong two-division domestic league structure has emerged which has proved to be popular and is expected to be emulated in a few other nations, namely Novaya Zemlya.

So to the match in question. Talamthom found herself up against the United States of Astor in her first match of the World Cup. Astor is a country that prior to the World Cup was unknown to the Tománnach general public. All that is really known about Astor is that it is a German-language micronation, and they obviously know how to play football!!

The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic inside the stadium with the Republican Flag and flags saying "Tománn go Bragh" just about everywhere. So it was that following the pre-match excitement in the Tománnach camp, and amongst the fans, the match was decided in the first three minutes of play. With no time gone at all Astor broke through the Tománn defence and left the goalkeeper exposed and the ball was fired home by the Astorian striker with great ease. After the goal was scored the Astor strike force seemed permanently pinned back into the midfield as Talamthom went on an eighty-seven minute attack. An attack that was punctuated by half-time. It all came to nothing and Astor went away the victors.

Talamthom's next match in the competition is on the 17th February against French-speaking nation Monte-Liro. Talamthom are going to have to pull something out of the bag and soon, there are after all only three games in the group phase. Two wins must now be attained, we remain hopeful.

SPORT: Fealsamthom Are Kicked Hard!!

T.R. East Fealsamthom 2-4 Tománn Indo-China

The small colony has once again proved that its eclectic mix of locals and colonials is fast becoming a serious footballing entity. During the second match of the TIFA Championships 2005 the host nation never really looked like being defeated by the East Fealsamthom side which looked quite frankly ragged at times.

The match started in a flurry of activity which saw Tománn Indo-China go close to scoring on many occasions, all thanks to Finn McCloud. It was only a matter of time, in the 10th minute to be precise, that the masterful local boy Shiwa Jalus, having broken away down the left hand side of the pitch, drove in a low, hard cross which met the diving head of McCloud. The diving header is fast becoming McClouds trademark.

Just two minutes later McCloud returned the favour and threaded a ball through Fealsamthom's half-asleep defensive line which the nippy Jalus capitalised on, sending the keeper the wrong way after dashing for 30 yards down the pitch. At this point the Fealsamthom defense were playing so poorly that their manager, Mark Prendergast, took off striker James Harrisson and replaced him with centre-back Andrew O'Connor.


McCloud beats the helpless Henderson
following a corner to make it 3-0

The second half was just continuation of the first half in terms of pressure. So it was that on the stroke of the 50th minute, McCloud won a goal-mouth scramble resulting from cracking corner by another Tibet Tygers regular, John Eliot. McCloud appeared to be the only one in the whole box with his eye on the ball and managed to tap the ball over the helpless Fealsamthom goalkeeper, Seán Henderson.

The third Indo-China goal seemed to unsettle the team somewhat. Instead of building on the momentum they had established, they found themselves conceding the softest of goals within three minutes of scoring. Fealsamthom's first goal came about after midfield maestro Ryan Carr tried his luck from 40 yards out. The high looping ball seemed to catch the colonial goalie Patrick O'Haga completely unaware as the hit him on the shoulder and bounced in rather embarrassingly.

Fealsamthom then scored again further unsettling their opponents who had been so commanding for the majority of the match. The goal came about as a result of Ryan Carr being brought down in the box after an amazing turn of skill which the Indo-China defence couldn't keep up with. Indo-China defender Teshma Chi just wasn't fast enough attempting his tackle and took the player rather than the ball. Carr stepped up to take the penalty and slotted home with relative ease.

So with the score at 3-2 to the hosts it was well and truly game on. At this point it was time to cue yet another Indo-China late, late show; With time running out and tensions running high in the Potela Hill Stadium, Jalus found himself breaking through the defensive ranks of Fealsamthom. He then struck the ball from around 20 yards and the goalkeeper never looked likely to save it.

So with another win under their belt Tománn Indo-China have more or less sealed their place in the final of the TIFA Championships. It is now down to the two 'established' teams to scrap between themselves for not only the remaining place in the final, but also national pride.

Loutradis Triumphs in the Confidence Vote

Christos Loutradis, the head of the Talamthom Citizens' Council, has survived the first major test of his political career. Last week, following the escalation of troubles between Edgard Portela, David Redstone (DLP at-large) and himself, the vote of confidence was called. As reported in the Independent on Saturday 5th February, it was all an extension of hostilities following the filing of a complaint about Loutradis by Portela to the President's Office.

Round one has gone to Loutradis in this case but there is still the small matter of an impending court case to deal with in the near future. Funnily enough the cast for the court case is exactly the same.

San Martín Elections Update

Wired from Los Santos, San Martín: The latest from San Martín is that the left-wing candidates Ramirez and running mate Aruarte are currently have roughly 64.5% of the votes. The right-wing candidates Allende and running mate Benevides currently have 35.5%. It is believed that 25% of those registered are still yet to vote.

In the race for the six congress places there seems to be a 50-50 left-right split. At present the congress looks like having two PRN members, two PRI, one IU and a right-wing Independent. At present the right-wing Republicans must feel they are staring defeat in the face.

PM Act Bounces Backs to the Polls

Following the inconclusive result of the first vote on the President's Prime Minister Act, the act today finds itself back in the Ionad Vótala. The first vote ended when the bill failed to reach the necessary threshold to be passed into law. As a result a deal was brokered between the President, the CPT and the LPT whereby one clause was removed from the section which described the roles of the Prime Minister.

The President yesterday resubmitted the bill with the necessary ommissions. After only a few hours of the revised bill being in the Dáil it was motioned for vote by Alex Garine (LPT at-large) and seconded by Kevin Wilson (CPT at-large). It would now appear that Talamthom is once again on course to get the position of Prime Minister back after it was 'overlooked' during the Consitutional Convention in November. Alex Garine had campaigned that the position wasn't needed and Vindrus York had demanded the creation of a 'Vice-President' instead. In the end both ideas were ignored in favour of the CPT and DLP idea of reinstating the position of Prime Minister.

San Martín Presidential Election Update

Wired from Los Santos, San Martín: Early indications from San Martin show that the opposition sponsored candidates in the Presidential Election, Roberto García y Ramírez, and his running mate Alfonso Manuel Aruarte, are well in the lead. The pairing which represent a left-wing coalition currently have around 70% of all the votes cast so far. It is believed that around half of the registered voters in the country have cast their votes so far. This means there may still be time for turn around in fortunes for the right-wing candidates which include the current President, Jose Augustin Allende. The nation was recently reffered to a 'fast becoming a burden on Talamthom' following recent incedents involving dual citizens. It is hoped that any future administration will be less problematic for our Republic.

The vote closes on the 8th when the results will be announced and the new President and the members of the Congress sworn into office.

Indo-China Act Failing

With less than a day to go the Tománn Indo-China Act is inexplicably failing. The act defines four main points to do with Talamthom's colony in an area of southern Tibet being leased from the Chinese Soviet Republic. These four points relate to Tománnach sovereignty, style of governance, the role of the Governor and the aims of their colonialism. Also included in the bill's appendices were The Treaty of Lhasa, which is the treaty which was signed by the President which gives Talamthom sovereignty over the region, and also the Constitution of the Tibetan Cultural Association, a document which outlines the intentions of the Tománnach cultural mission in Tibet.

When the bill was first submitted to the Dáil by the President it received support from all the ministers that looked at it. These ministers were Mark Prendergast (DLP at-large), Alex Garine (LPT at-large) and Vindrus York (NFP at-large). It is not quite understood then that following the initiation of a vote on the bill by the Speaker of the Dáil that the bill is destined to fall short of the 'threshold' required for it to pass.

It would appear that a DLP member has voted in favour of it and a member of the CPT has voted against it along with the Labour leader. Garine's initial response to the bill was to say:

"I will vote for the bill on two conditions; Firstly we pass the rules proposal first. I don't want to be voting in chaos all term and secondly the president makes a habit of sending all treaties to the Dáil for assent."

It would seem with that despite the rules being passed and the President stating that all treaties would pass before the Dáil it is still not enough for Garine. Garine hasn't registered any complaint saying why he might have a problem with the bill, so it is assumed that his vote is in protest to some other event in Talamthom. The CPT didn't even get involved in the debate on the Act so there is no reason understood for their decision to oppose the bill.

It is also most likely that the NFP leader Vindrus York has voted to 'abstain'. It is noted that York has abstained in another recent vote, most likely as a result of his discontent at seeing his National Unity Act fail. It all quite strange, especially considering York's initial response to the Tománn Indo-China Act being:

"I support this TIC Act because it is the right thing to do for my constituents and our nation. The opportunity for Talamthom to acquire territories and colonies will pay off greatly for our society (culturally, financially, businesses). Talamthom is in the forefront in promoting democracy and human rights around the world. Our great nation has a history of reaching out to many nations"

It is only hoped that the vote will end in a stalemate and a continued debate ordered. This way we might understand the reasons behind the problems people appear to have, that they haven't seen fit to share with us as yet.

SPORT: Tománn Indo-China off to a Winning Start

Tománn Indo-China 2-1 Republic of Talamthom

In the first match of the Tománnach Inter-Regional Football Association (TIFA) Championships 2005 the hosts have managed to force an upset against 'the Fatherland'. The Tománnach colony in southern Tibet, an area formerly under the control of the Chinese Soviet Republic which still controls northern tibet, has only had a matter of weeks to formulate a 'national team' prior to the start of this tournament. The Tománn Indo-China (TIC) team consisted of a 50-50 mix of local Tibetans and Tománnach colonials but somehow has managed to achieve this great victory at the Potela Hill Stadium, Lhasa today.

The colony was chosen by TIFA to host the competition following discussions with the Governor of TIC and the Tibetan Cultural Association. They saw the opportunity of hosting a football tournament as a great chance to promote touristic interest in the area, not just from Talamthom but globally.

During the match the Republic of Talamthom had the lions share of all the action with nearly 67% of all the possession. Talamthom took the lead after just 10 minutes of play when Rangers winger Seamus MacLeod drove home a beautiful 30 yard shot from directly in front of the goal. The TIC goalkeeper, Patrick O'Haga, couldn't even respond as the ball came flying from behind a defensive mess in front of him.

TIC then drew level on the stroke of half-time following a poor goal-kick from Talamthom's goalie John Maguire which found itself at the feet of TIC striker Finn McCloud. McCloud, who plays his football for TFA Second Division side Tibet Tygers, then ran full-throttle for 20 yards with the ball before slotting it home past the helpless goalkeeper.


McCloud can't hide his joy after equalising
on the stroke of half-time.

Talamthom started the second half as strongly as they did the first but just could find the net. So it was, in the 87th minute, that following a corner at the other end of the pitch TIC cleared the ball and it found itself with the nippy local boy Shiwa Jalus, who also plays for Tibet Tygers, who ran with it down the right wing. Jalus, when level with the edge of the penalty area, floated in a perfect cross which met with the diving head of McCloud.

This game will have rattled Talamthom and the team's manager, Kevin Wilson, but they are expected to bounce back with some vigour in their next match. Additionally it has made a local hero of McCloud in TIC, something that he will be hoping to build on ready for the match against East Fealsamthom next week.

More information on the TIFA Championships 2005 can be found in the Portela Hill Stadium, Lhasa, Tománn Indo-China by clicking here.

Motion of No Confidence Launched

In a bold move, with legal action pending, Edgard Portela (NFP) and David Redstone (DLP at-large) have motioned a vote of no confidence against the leader the of the Citizens' Council, Christos Loutrado (LPT). The motion comes following the controversy of not only Loutrado's departure from San Martin or the impending trial but this time as a result of the Interior Ministry Conflicts Act.

The act was a direct response by Loutrado to the recent situation where it became apparent that Redstone had rejected a citizenship application without keeping a record of it in the national archives or the Interior Ministry. The application in question was of a Mr Montario who is known in various areas of the international community, but not really in Talamthom. A rumour arised in San Martin (fast becoming a burden on Talamthom in terms of the recent unrest involving trials) that Redstone, who is the Interior Minister of both nations, had rejected a citizenship application in Talamthom that niether the Dáil or the President were aware of.

Mr Redstone later apologised and said he was acting in the national interests of our Republic. The President accepted this and stated that maybe to prevent any future confusion that all records of applications, passed or rejected, should be kept. Mr Loutrado decided the best way to deal with this situation was a bill which he submitted to the Citizens' Council. The bill came up against strong opposition, especially from the Governor of Tománn Indo-China and the Interior Minister. Redstone felt that the bill was a direct attempt to have him removed from office as a result of a mistake he had already apologised for. The President was able to calm his fears by stating that the only person who can remove him from his position of the Interior Ministry was the man who put him there, namely the President.In the end Kevin Wilson (CPT at-large) and the President both agreed a Ministries Rules of Procedure or Code of Conduct would be prefereable to a bill.

Ultimately, the no confidence vote, which was opened yesterday, is 50% a result of the bill and 50% current circumstances. The President was unable to prevent Portela and Redstone from opening the vote of no confidence, despite his warning that it would be both "risky" and could "whip up a pre-trial frenzy". The vote finishes on Sunday night and is expected to result in Christo Loutrado keeping his job.

Talamthom's First Trial

Talamthom is to have the first trial in its history sometime next week. Temporary provisions have had to made by the President which empower Kevin Gladstone to preside as a judge. Talamthom at present does not have any concrete laws to deal with certain issues, only a list of definitions of criminal offences in the form of the Administration of Justice Act (2004). Mr Gladstone has stated that the main basis of the trial will be conducted using Tománnach common law. In the meantime, the President has submitted an act called the Administration of Justice (Temporary Provisions) Act to make it easier for such a situation to be dealt with easily in future. A long-term answer to Talamthom's lack of Judiciary is generally considered to be Constitutional Article defining the Judiciary. The main champion of the cause is Alex Garine (LPT at-large) who has submitted to the Dáil, during a debate on the Speaker's role, a rough framework of a Judiciary article.

So in the meantime how has this court action come about? Well the root cause is the recent publication of a series of allegations in a rival publication, Talamthom Cappuchino, by its editor Christos Loutrado. The allegations were aimed primarily at Edgard Portela (NFP), the Governor of Tománn Indo-China, and more specifically his actions in other nations that he is a part of. As a result of Mr Portela being a Tománnach and Loutradis being a Tománnach and publishing his newspaper with 'Talamthom' in its name, the trial is to be held in Talamthom. Ultimately Mr Portela is suing Mr. Loutradis for libel and the trial is set to begin on Monday.

Following the submitting of a complaint by Mr Portela to the Presidential Palace, David Redstone (DLP at-large) submitted a complaint saying he too would like to take Loutradis to court. At present nobody knows the nature of the Mr Redstone's complaint and both plaintiffs have been asked to submit a formal complaint to the court.

At this point the President has warned both parties to avoid contact with each other until the day of the trial to prevent any escalation in hostility. Needless to say the President isn't holding his breath.

Citizens' Council Arises From Its Slumber

This week should finally see the Citizens’ Council jumping into action for the first time since the institutions’ creation. The idea of the Council originally came about in the manifesto of the Tománn Social Democratic Party (TSDP) not long after the beginning of Talamthom’s life as a Republic.

Despite a great deal of support from all sides for the idea nothing actually happened, and the idea remained well and truly on the drawing board. It wasn’t until the start of the Constitutional Convention that the idea re-emerged from the depths of Tománn Politics. At the Convention Alex Garine (LPT at-large) stepped forward and championed the idea of the Council. He formulated both the TSDP’s original ideas along with some of his own to create a strong constitutional article. The article was adopted into the constitution without opposition.

Following the national referendum on the Constitution, and the President formally bringing it into being, there were elections held for the President’s Office and the Dáil Tománn. Nothing though was heard of the Council, and fears were beginning to circulate amongst Tománnachs that the people’s legislature may die once more of a lack of passion.

A month after the elections interest in the Council began to rise once more and power political figureheads called for the President to find a home for it. It took the President only an hour to find the perfect home for it. This perfect home is a place known to all Tománnachs as the Garden. The Garden is a place that only Tománnachs can see and was originally created to protect the views of citizens from the prying eyes of some malicious foreign parties. This protected forum had been closed when Talamthom had slumped into a major activity crisis, but seemed the ideal location for the Council to convene.

With everything in place for the commencement of activity the council still lacked one thing, a leader. So it was that a new citizen, Christos Loutrado, had made his way to the shores of Talamthom after departing Babkha. Loutrado joined Garine’s Labour Party and straight away began demanding more direct democracy; in fact he was chanting it like a mantra. He seemed a natural choice for the role of the Head of the Council and so when he put his name forward he ascended unopposed to position.

His first mission as the head was to formulate rules of procedure for the Council, something which he did with great haste. This brings us right up to the present. For the first time the rules of procedure and the Citizens’ Council as a real legislative body are to be tested to the full. It is believed that within the next few days that the Citizens Council will deal with its first bill. If all goes to plan, the bill will be voted on by citizens on whether or not to pass it forward to the Dáil, the main legislative body. The Dáil will then ultimately decide on whether to reject it or pass it on for the President to sign.

One thing is for sure it will be an interesting time as the current activity boom in Talamthom continues. It will also be interesting to see one of the oldest ideas in the Republic finally wake from its slumber. Hopefully it will be the first of many times we shall see 'The Peoples Legislature' in action.

CSR Declares Dormancy, TIC Still Open As Usual

Ripples were sent around various offices of Government in Talamthom yesterday when it was discovered that Mr Y. Lee, the President of the Chinese Soviet Republic, declared his state was to enter into a state of dormancy. A statement released from Mr Lee's office, known as the RENMINGONG, was found nailed the flag pole in the centre of Tianan Square in the Capital. It read:

"Due to the absences of comrades Shen Nu and Taozen, the the inactivity of comrade Dai Chao, and my personal difficulties in allocating time, I am notifying the microworld that the CSR is officially in a temporary state of dormancy.

While no emergency action will be undertaken at this time, the microworld must be informed. The state of dormancy will be lifted upon the return of our absent comrades and/or the increased activity of our inactive comrades.

During the state of dormancy, foreign affairs, and citizenship applications are still to be entertained to a certain extent."

Thomas Ó Ceallaigh, President of the Republic of Talamthom, has expressed limited concern at this and believes that this may only be a temporary glitch in the CSR administration. O'Ceallaigh has also made it clear that the Tománnach colony of Tománn Indo-China is still open for business as usual and will be going ahead with the TIFA Championships 2005. The TIFA Championships, which includes all three of Talamthom's 'nations', is being held in the capital of Tomann Indo-China, Lhasa, from the 5th February until the 19th February.

It promises to be an exciting time for the colony and for Tománnach football, despite the dormancy of the nation that lies dormant below it.

First Dáil Vote of New Term Commences

Finally after months (or at least it seems that long) the first vote to be taken by the Dáil Ministers has just commenced. Its not the worlds most glamorous of bills to be voted on, but it will forever be remembered as the first vote taken by an elected parliament in the Republic. The bill itself is a Constitutional amendment tabled by the President relating to the rescheduling of the election days in Talamthom. The only effect it will really have is ensuring that the current administration gets its full four-month term.

The vote was opened today and will last for a maximum of 72 hours. In the next few days it is hoped by the President that there will be more votes starting in the Dáil Polling Station. Next on the agenda is the Tománn Indo-China Act and the Prime Minister Act, which has now become a constitutional amendment. Tománnachs and Ministers alike can be partially satisfied with the way things are going so smoothly in the Dáil at present and they can be encouraged by a steady increase in interest and participation. With this said though the NFP leader, Vindrus York, hasn't participated for a while and the CPT interest seems to be waning. An interesting few weeks may lie ahead.