First on the list of important matters is the dissolution of the First Mercian Parliament Cabinet on June 1st, and the appointment of the Second Mercian Parliament Cabinet on June 2nd. The First Cabinet, overseen by Duke Joseph Kennedy, only sat three times in the five months that it was in power. Duke Kennedy apologised to the Lord of Clyro, HL Richard I multiple times over the last days of his term as First Minister for the lack of activity. Some days after Duke Kennedy’s term ended, he resigned his citizenship from not only Clyro & Mercia, but also from all other Würtige Autonomous Member States, including the Tsardom of Nolland. Duke Kennedy cited the reasons for this as being to focus his efforts on his own nation, the Ashukov Federation, and the Empire of Austenasia, within which he governs a territory and is an ambassador to North America. Kennedy’s Dukedom was hence stripped from him with his resignation.

The Second Parliament Cabinet is now comprised as follows:
First Minister – Marquis Thomas Cassidy
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Duke Arthur Lobao
Minister of the Interior – HL Karl Friedrich von Ravensburg I, Lord Temporal of Mercia
Minister of Transport & Communications – Count James Frisch
Minister of Defence – Earl Alejandro Whyatt
Synod Representative – HL Richard David Cunningham I, Lord Spiritual of Mercia

Marquis Cassidy stated that he would “be honoured” to be appointed to the position of First Minister, which he subsequently was. The Second Mercian Parliament Cabinet is expected to call a meeting of the Mercian Parliament House on the evening of June 22nd, where a ‘Bill of Standardisation’ will be motioned to streamline Clyro’s many Gorsedhs, Services and Offices.

Also in the news is the recent Election of the new Chair, Supreme Judge and staff of the Grand Unified Micronational (GUM) for the always-active ‘Summer term’ in the organisation. The elections started in early June, with HL Richard I running against Joseph Kennedy (the former Duke) for the position of Chair of the Quorum of Delegates. Tsar Thomas I of Nolland ran for the position of Supreme Judge against Taeglan I Nihilus of the Reylan Imperial Triumvirate, and HL Karl Friedrich I ran against Adam I of Adammia for the position of Secretary of Science and Research.

The results were mixed for the Würtige Empire in this election. Tsar Thomas I lost the Supreme Judge election by a wide margin of 3 votes to Taeglan’s 11. In addition, HL Richard I lost the Chair election 6-8 to Joseph Kennedy, despite releasing his campaign manifesto the day after voting began (the voting process lasts for a week in the GUM). M. Kennedy’s manifesto was released the day before the the polls closed, and it was freely admitted that the manifesto was based on HL Richard I’s own document. Despite this, Kennedy was always at a majority of votes as soon as the polls opened, showing an unfortunate trend in the GUM of voting for people instead of policy. It is encouraging to see though that HL Richard I was more in touch with newer members of the GUM; the Republic of Suntrain, a nation only a part of the GUM for a month or two, voted for His Lordship, as did the Federal Republic of Algasia, a provisional member that unfortunately had their vote censored because of their status as a Provisional Member and not a Full Member of the organisation. In better news, however, HL Karl Friedrich smashed the elections for Science Secretary, winning 11 votes to Adam I’s 3. Also, The Würtige Emperor, Arthur I (known as Duke Lobao in Clyro & Mercia) was voted in as the Vice Chair to Joseph Kennedy, meaning that the voices of the Würtige Empire and all of its Autonomous Member States are being heard loudly and clearly in the GUM’s Quorum of Delegates.

The Burnham Micropress is expected to be interviewing M. Kennedy on his appointment to the position of Chair of the Quorum of Delegates at an unspecified point in the future in the ‘Micropressure’ column.

Finally, the academic year in the United Kingdom and much of the modern world has come to a close until the Autumn, meaning that many Micronationalists are now prepared to become more activie within their own nations to make up for time lost in the revision and exam riddled Spring. This is exactly true for the Region of Clyro, which will now become far more active in cultural events, the legislature and the intermicronational community. On the Summer Solstice (June 21st), a national holiday in the Region of Clyro, HL Richard I will be meeting with delegates from the Empire of Austenasia, the Free State of Renasia and the Federal Republic of Francisville in London. Also in London, on July 6th, HL Richard I will be meeting not only Emperor Jonathan Augustus of Austenasia, but the Würtige Emperor, Arthur I, himself!

Expect news articles coming thick and fast over the coming weeks, and the Burnham Micropress apologises again for inactivity over the past three months. Here comes the Summer!