NR - Principality

[Burke McCrory]

At 02:18 AM 9/6/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>OK people, I have been very silent for a long time on a lot of lists.  Here's
>my take on this whole thing. We have started a discussion on the pros and
>cons of whether a Principality is a viable thing in the North or not.
>(Whatever it started out being, this is where we have ended up).  My answer
>is, maybe.  But that does not mean that I support it, I don't!  And here are
>my reasons.
>
>1)  Other than a few groups and households and political buddies there is not
>the cohesivness in the North that is being portrayed here.  The lack of
>participation from certain groups in the north last weekend kind of makes
>that obvious.


I am not sure what his excellency is saying here?  From the stories that I 
have seen posted it sounds like the event went off well.  I know that it 
was unfortunate that HRM called both a Belted Circle and Centurions meeting 
this last weekend at Gothic, opposite Wiesenfeuer Baronial.  That might 
have accounted for some of the people that were not in attendance but I 
think that the 112 degree heat that several people have pointed out might 
be a larger reason.

>Right now in this region you have the political pirhana chewing
>away at everything that isnt thier way of doing it or not their idea.  Then
>you have the people who are trying to have fun and remember what the game was
>about.  The majority of the people who just want to have fun aren't going to
>participate in this discussion one way or another because they see it as
>"just another argument" in a region that has had more than it's share in
>recent years.
>
>2)  Unless the State of Oklahoma triples in population it does not have an
>adequate base to ever attain Kingdom status. IMHO.  I just don't see the
>point in becoming a Principality just for the heck of it.  What we have now
>seems to accomplish the same things a new name, more banners, more brass,
>etc. would accomplish.

A valid point, but I would point out that many seem to feel that a 
Principality is a noble goal in and of itself.

>3)  Another level of Royalty.  CPs can't bestow any awards except
>Principality awards without permission of the crown.  CP's are subject to the
>Crown's will.  The Crown approves changes to principality laws, etc, because
>they are part of kingdom law.  CP's do what the Crown says and go where the
>Crown says.  Frankly I think we have enough representation if the peers and
>the Landeds do our job by recommending people for the awards they deserve.
>Anyone can recommend anyone for any award.  If there is an abundance of
>people who deserve recognition but aren't getting it, then that reflects
>badly on everyone in this region because they aren't doing what is necessary
>to get that recognition for the folks who deserve it.   The idea that we need
>another level of awards to recognize people for thier work in the region is
>ridiculous at best.  The Region is part of the Kingdom, and anything that
>betters the kingdom or region and not an individual group is already covered
>under the current award structure. Unless of course you're only in it for
>more cookies, not the dream.

Many of the Kingdoms over the years have handled the issue of awards by 
specifically granting the Coronets the right to give out AOA level awards 
without consulting the Crown in advance.  This is the system we are 
currently using for Baronial awards in Ansteorra.  Our Kingdom Law states 
that only the Crown has the power to give Armigerous awards but the local 
Baron/ess have been given the authority to give out their Baronial awards 
without clearing it through the Crown first (unless the system has changed 
in the last year).  As to the CP's being subject to the Crown's will, that 
is no different than the Peers and Landed's are now,  see the above 
mentioned circles last weekend.  I think that you will also find that in 
Kingdoms with Principalities the Crown usually is happy to let the 
Coronet's handle things in their area, freeing the Crown to concentrate on 
Kingdom wide matters.  I doubt that any Crown would tell a Coronet what 
events they were going to go to.  More likely if the Crown had some 
business that it need done at an event in the Principality, it would ask 
the Coronets to go and act as it's representative, the same way the crown 
asks Landed's to now.

>4) It frees up the Kingdom calender.  How is this possible? The deputy in
>charge of the calender already checks to see if there is anything in the
>region and ajoining region for conflicts.  That argument doesn't wash.  If
>anything it clutters it up more with four more events on the calender with CP
>tournaments and CP coronations.  As a landed noble, I must travel in the
>kingdom to baronial investitures, Crown Tournaments and Coronations.  As
>Baron, I'd like to travel to as many baronial championships around the
>kingdom as I can.  I constantly find myself unable to travel to these events,
>though, because there is the strong perception that the landeds *must*
>support events in this region.

It really only separates the Principality calender from the Kingdom one.  I 
see it as more of a perception issue.

>5)Over the last five or so years the SCA has been undergoing a steady drop in
>membership.  This Kingdom has been losing the equivalent to a Shire a year in
>population.  All of the groups in the North have been fluctuating at a pretty
>steady basis and in some cases recruitment efforts right now are marginal at
>best.  We get some new members, but we lose an equal number of older members
>for different reasons, ie, moving, politics, arguing, or just get tired of it
>and go on.  These are facts.

The populace drop off in some groups is a matter that worries me greatly, 
as anyone who attended one of my GOOF meetings knows.  But I wonder if a 
move towards a Principality might not indirectly galvanize people into 
being more active and thereby helping membership numbers.  It is point to 
ponder.

><snip>
>
>HE Barn Silveraxe
>Wiesenfeuer


Burke

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