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Post by xander10 on Apr 2, 2022 20:46:05 GMT
First Councillor John Smith entered the Cabinet room on a cold Klutaz morning, with but one thing on his mind; finally nationalising the railways. With Yerkes's last government having bought majority stakes in most of the railway companies, this appeared to not be a difficult task, given if they could buy most of the remaining stakes from the remaining stockholders for the mainlines, and then there was the Yerkes Underground Railway Empire. He had bought back many of his stocks from his own Government before the election, thus giving him once more control over his company, however that would have to be dealt with once debates would start in the common council.
"Alright gentlemen, this week we have to try and get the MLP to accept our hardest policy to pass, that being of course the nationalisation of the railway network" the Councillor said, leading to murmuring in the Cabinet. "It should be fairly easy to take control of the mainlines, even the Cross Country Railway, however the big issue is of course... Mr Yerkes and his Underground Empire. We must find a way to either reason with madness incarnate, or placate him." Mumbled agreement filled the room.
"Right, we have six hours before the council session begins to draw up a plan of action. Lets be ready gentlemen."
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Post by xander10 on Apr 4, 2022 0:30:52 GMT
Alliance Common Council, 16:35
"This Bill the Right Honourable Gentleman afore me is proposing is by far the most aggregious attack against the hard working Sheenish Businessman I have ever seen!" Shouted Yerkes as he slammed his fist on the table. "And I do not say this as your proposal would nationalise MY HARD BUILT BUSINESS, which unlike other railways, is doing just fine, but also because of other railway CEOs having not suffered due to the poor economic management of the Divinian Government affecting DOC members who did manage to run their economies well! I will have you know my good friend Mr Watkin of the MOR is also not in need of this thinly veiled bail out of the main lines. The SUER, MOR, and CSR should all be excluded due to our abilities to properly run a railway, and forcing this upon the stockholders is surely illegal, God gave the land, and the stocks, to the people! Not to John Smith! Brothers, we must reject this abnormal call for Socialism and continue enjoying the freedoms bestowed by the freest market of the Ringsea!"
Murmurs were heard throughout the chambers of the Common Council, with many on both sides in agreement with the well spoken leader of the MLP, but at this moment, the First Councillor saw his opening to destroy the support of his years long political rival.
"I find it Ironic that The Right Honourable Leader of the Opposition brings up the known fact that the land was indeed given by God to the people, that the worth of Sheenish soil is shared by every Sheenish man, and not to be hoarded by landlords. What are the railway barons of our nation but Locomotive Landlords? Indeed, the Free Market is important, and that is why we are clearly respecting this fact by buying the stocks back at above the market's own rate from stockholders! This government is the government of the people, for the people, and by the people! We are taking the land and giving it back to the people, just as the people have requested by electing this here government to office. Sure, the Underground railways are doing well, and we have outlined that we are willing to allow them to continue as they are as long as they maintain their current profitability margin into the future, however this alone should not prevent the Right Honourable Gentleman realise that our Mainlines are under a grave threat of collapse, and the fact that his own government bought majority stakes in these companies, contradicting his own beliefs that have been stated today I am sure we are all aware, puts us today in a position to make sure that the Association of tommorow, and our children, will be able to enjoy an Association as strong and as connected as the Association is today. We must act, let us make the right choice, for the Association, for the people."
Further murmuring was heard throughout the chambers, with John Smith having clearly shifted the Council's opinion towards nationalisation with his speach, however he noticed a third man get up to speak, one that both He and Yerkes feared, not for his political influence, but for his unpredictable nature, Mr Robert Hall of the New Agrarians, the member representing the rural regions of the City of David.
"If I may speak on this issue for but a moment my Fellow Gentlemen, but the Right Honourable First Councillor has a point, despite his speech being economical with the realities of Georgist philosophy." with that statement, the Council erupted into a cocophony of booing and laughter.
"Order! Order! Will everyone please let the Right Honourable Gentleman have his time!" The Speaker shouted.
"Thank you, Mr Speaker." Mr Hall said calmly. "As I was getting to before I was rudely interrupted, the Right Honourable First Councillor has a point. The mainlines are in need of being taken over and rearranged. The current system leads to confusion and chaos, and that is certainly not helped by the fact that each railway uses their own solution to electrification, meaning we have no cross compatibility! We need to nationalise and sort out the mess that is our railways, mainly so that it's not a bloody mess."
After continued debating and creative namecalling by all sides, including a Monarchist calling Mr Smith "Economic with the demeanour fitting of a leader" the Ye's and Nay's were counted, with 78 for the passing of the bill to create a committee on nationalisation, 14 against and 8 abstaining, a resounding success for the NLSDAP.
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Post by xander10 on Apr 10, 2022 16:58:11 GMT
The Committee on Nationalisation of the Sheenish Railways (CNSR) met together for the first time but a month later. They came and discussed many points, however the largest issue was that for Mr Dyson Yerkes's Sheenish Underground Electric Railways Co. and the other Underground Railways of the City of Sheen. Relatively, they were in good shape after the Financial Crash of 1197 and in fact thriving, though one issue did stand, that of the MOCR's joint services on the mainlines, which according to the company's own records, was struggling. It was decided that all services that ran outside the City itself and ran on mainline railway's tracks would also be Nationalised, however the Underground railways would remain untouched for at least the next 15 years, until 1214. As for the mainlines, all would be nationalised and standardised.
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Post by xander10 on Apr 14, 2022 22:21:47 GMT
Due to the nature of the Sheenish Railway System being made up of several companies, with no real logo. It was decided that an official logo would be drawn up to have shown on all locomotives and trains in the Association, along with a cross country colour scheme, with a black paint chosen for it's low cost. The Logo was chosen to be as such:  The Comittee put forward to parliament these considerations as well as it's proposal, the Sheenish Railways Bill 1199. |
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