2018 Presidential Election
- Thread starter Marky Bunny
- Start date
Friday September 9th, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II has died
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. She died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where she had spent much of the summer.The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother was a "moment of great sadness" for him and his family and that her loss would be "deeply felt" around the world. He said: "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.
"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."
During the coming period of mourning, he said he and his family would be "comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held".
The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday, Buckingham Palace said. He is expected to address the nation on Friday.
Senior royals had gathered at Balmoral after the Queen's doctors became concerned about her health earlier in the day. All the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision. Her grandson and now heir to the throne, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, also gathered there.
Prime Minister Michael Duggan, who became the 15th Prime Minister of the Queens reign last July, said the monarch was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had "provided us with the stability and strength that we needed". Speaking about the new King, he said: "We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long. "And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country, exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words 'God save the King'."
At Buckingham Palace in London, crowds awaiting updates on the Queen's condition began crying as they heard of her death.The union flag on top of the palace was lowered to half-mast at 18:30 BST and an official notice announcing the death was posted outside.
The Royal Family has now entered a period of mourning. In the coming days, much of national life will be put on hold. Official engagements will be cancelled and union flags will be flown at half-mast on royal residences, government buildings, across the Armed Forces and on UK posts overseas.Members of Parliament will pay tribute to the Queen and take an oath to King Charles.There will be church bells tolling and gun salutes as local and national organisations and charities organise ways to pay their respects, with commemorative events and books of condolence. A state funeral for the Queen is expected in the next two weeks.
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Friday, September 9th 2022
World leaders react to death of Queen Elizabeth II
London— Leaders across the world have issued words of condolence upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday. The queen, aged 96, passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, ending her 70 year-long reign, one of the longest in recorded history.
President Sam Seaborn of the United States, alongside his three living predecessors, all paid tribute to the late queen.
"Queen Elizabeth defined an era. In age that has seen tremendous change, she was a steadying, calming presence for the people of Great Britain, the Commonwealth and many throughout the world," Seaborn said in a statement. "Her devotion to public service was matched only by the warmth and grace she showed in gatherings, occasions and meetings of all size and circumstance."
In Commonwealth countries, where the British monarch is the head of state, the various prime ministers issued statements of remembrance. Canadian prime minister Kate Sansellfort praised Elizabeth's service to Canada and said that the nation "was in mourning", while New Zealand's leader Kylie Brownlee called her "an incredible and inspirational woman" and spoke warmly of her conversations with the Queen during her time as prime minister. Australian prime minister Dominic Rodgers, who has supported Australia becoming a republic, said that Elizabeth's death was "a deep loss for Australia" and praised her dedication to duty and public service.
Other world leaders, including President Benoit Martin of France, Chancellor Alex Baumann of Germany, Prime Minister Mander Varma of India, President Qian Min of China, Prime Minister Kazuki Kamei of Japan, and President Natalya Romanova of Russia, all expressed their condolences upon learning of the Queen's death, as did Pope Clement XV and United Nations Secretary-General Renata Barrica.
A sign of the esteem Elizabeth, who before her death was the longest-serving head of state in the world, was held can also be seen in the number of non-Commonwealth countries who have ordered their flags to fly at half-mast until her state funeral, including the United States, Germany, Thailand and Brazil.
Many world leaders, including President Seaborn, are expected to travel to London for Elizabeth's state funeral. The president's meeting with King Charles III, Elizabeth's son and heir, will mark the first time a sitting US president has met with a reigning British king since 1945, when Harry S. Truman met with Elizabeth's father, George VI only months after the end of World War II.
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Duke says schools should allow prayer, corporal punishment
Friday, September 9th, 2022
Republican nominee Alan Duke said Friday at a rally in Dayton, Ohio that public schools in the United States should allow prayer and for students to receive corporal punishment. Duke's rally focused on his education policies, with most students in kindergarten through high school finishing their first week of the 2022-23 school year.
"In this country, our public schools would instill values in their students," Duke said. "There used to be prayer, and with that came the knowledge of what was right and wrong...And when you did something that you knew was wrong, you got a nice swat on the backside to really drive home that what you did was wrong.
Back in those days, you didn't hear of anything like school shootings, or drugs in schools, or teenage pregnancies. That's the kind of education system we need back."
[Editor's note: The teen birth rate peaked in 1957 with 96.3 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19. The most recent statistics show the rate to be 15.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19.]
Predictably, Duke's comments have caused controversy, with conservatives supporting his stance while Democrats and progressives denounced the calls to bring back school prayer and corporal punishment as "an imposition of...faith on students" and "a system of punishment that does not work and could result in negative physical and psychological effects on the children who are subjected to it" in the words of DNC chair Angela Blake.
Educators and education organizations who have weighed in have largely sided against Duke. School-led prayer has been banned in public schools as a result of a series of Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s, while corporal punishment is banned in public schools in 31 states and while two states (Iowa and New Jersey) also ban its use in private schools.
The Duke campaign released a statement when asked about the former senator's comments, clarifying that Duke's "support for prayer and discipline in our public schools should not be taken as an endorsement of public schools requiring prayer or being mandated to use corporal punishment on misbehaving students. Senator Duke has long championed the rights of parents and local communities to decide how their children should be educated, and supports the rights of parents and school districts to create the appropriate guidelines for conduct...and solutions for misbehavior."
Saturday September 10th, 2022
Senior MPs take oath of allegiance to King Charles
Senior MPs including Prime Minister Michael Duggan have sworn a new oath of allegiance to King Charles III in a special session of Parliament. Commons Speaker Jack Smith opened proceedings by taking the oath, followed by Labour leader Jack Coll and former PM Richard Samuels.In a rare Saturday sitting, MPs and peers gathered for a second day of tributes to the late Queen. MPs are sworn in after each general election so they can take their seat, speak in debates, vote and receive a salary. The wording of the oath means MPs have already pledged their allegiance to the heirs and successors of the Queen, meaning they do not have to do it again at this point. The speaker told MPs: "There will be further opportunities for all honourable members to take the oath or make the affirmation following her late majesty's funeral".
The Prime Minister was foremost among those taking the pledge, speaking the words: "I swear by almighty God, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law, so help me God."
Following the taking of oaths, MPs took it in turns to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II and recount their memories of the late monarch.Many MPs used their speeches to tell amusing and at times emotional anecdotes about the Queen's wisdom, sense of humour and ability to put people at their ease. In all, 321 MPs spoke in the two-day session.
Commons Leader George Tamm made the final speech of the special two-day session, closing proceedings by praising the Queen's "devotion to duty" and public service.
Wrapping up, the Speaker said a humble address - which is a message to the monarch - paying tribute to the King Charles would be presented to His Majesty. With that Parliament was adjourned until after 21st September, during a period of national mourning.
Earlier on Saturday, senior ministers attended the Accession Council at St James's Palace, where Charles was formally proclaimed sovereign.The king has also received the prime minister, members of the cabinet and opposition leaders at Buckingham Palace for an audience with the monarch.A period of national mourning will last until the day of the Queen's state funeral on 19th September. Ahead of the funeral, the new King will visit Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and the Prime Minister will accompany him.
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Seaborn continues to hold large leader in first September poll
Saturday, September 10th 2022
The first NBS/YouGov poll taken in September has President Sam Seaborn (D) continue to hold a large lead over his opponents. The latest poll puts the president as the choice of 46 percent of likely voters, much higher than Republican nominee Alan Duke (25 percent) or independent conservative Andrew Long (19 percent). Green Party candidate Susan Buckner remains the choice of only three percent of likely voters.
Both the Duke and Buckner campaigns attacked the polls' findings. Former senator Harold Webster (R-VA), a Duke surrogate, attacked the polls as being "skewed" against Duke, while Green vice presidential nominee Anderson Gerald said that the low polling of his party was a way to "manufacture consent for the two-party system to destroy the Green Party as a viable movement", citing the Green campaign's loss of matching federal funds, and automatic ballot access in many states, if it fails to reach five percent of the popular vote in November.
Presidential Election Polling
Seaborn (D): 46% (+3)
Duke (R): 25% (-1)
Long (I): 19% (±0)
Buckner: 3% (±0)
Undecided: 7% (-2)
Seaborn (D): 46% (+3)
Duke (R): 25% (-1)
Long (I): 19% (±0)
Buckner: 3% (±0)
Undecided: 7% (-2)
The Commission on Presidential debates will be making announcement on this coming Thursday is to who has qualified.
NBS Election HQ: Updated House ratings and projections
Sunday, September 11th, 2022
With a controversial Republican nominee, high-polling independent, and historic candidates making it onto the ballot, this year's presidential race has understandably drawn most readers and political observers' attention this election cycle.
But the president doesn't govern alone. Congress, as much as residents of 1600 Pennsylvania may sometimes grumble about it, can be a blessing or a curse for whoever is residing in the White House on January 21 of next year.
With that, we have updated our House of Representatives forecast and projections. Our generic congressional ballot polling has the Democrats five points ahead of the Republicans in the race for the House, hopping ahead of the Grand Old Party in terms of seats projected to be either safe or at least leaning towards their party. Nevertheless, we still rate 36 races as toss-ups, meaning that both parties still have a good shot at winning a majority in Congress' lower chamber.
As a reminder, the asterisk on Ohio's 1st district denotes that two incumbent representatives of different parties have been redrawn into one district: Vince Mercer (R) and Janet Reese (D). Mercer has been labeled the incumbent, but the unusual circumstances of the race should be taken into account.
Generic Congressional Polling
Democratic: 49% (+3)
Republican: 44% (-1)
undecided/other: 7% (-2)
Projected Seat Totals*
Democratic: 203 (+6)
Republican: 196 (-2)
toss-up: 36 (-4)
Seats with changed ratingsDemocratic: 49% (+3)
Republican: 44% (-1)
undecided/other: 7% (-2)
Projected Seat Totals*
Democratic: 203 (+6)
Republican: 196 (-2)
toss-up: 36 (-4)
AZ-04: TOSSUP to LEAN DEM
CA-09: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
CA-22: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
CA-40: LEAN REP to SAFE REP
CA-51: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
CO-03: SAFE REP to LEAN REP
CT-05: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
DE-AL: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
FL-26: SAFE REP to LEAN REP
FL-28: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
GA-07: SAFE REP to LEAN REP
IL-17: TOSSUP to LEAN DEM
IA-01: TOSSUP to LEAN DEM
IA-02: TOSSUP to SAFE DEM
IA-03: LEAN REP to TOSSUP
KY-03: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
ME-02: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
MI-04: SAFE REP to LEAN REP
MI-08: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
NE-02: LEAN REP to TOSSUP
NV-01: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
NV-04: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
NH-01: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
NY-03: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
NY-18: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
OH-01*: TOSSUP to LEAN DEM
OR-05: LEAN DEM to SAFE DEM
VA-07: LEAN REP to SAFE REP
VA-10: TOSSUP to LEAN DEM
WA-05: SAFE REP to LEAN REP
* - Includes both "safe" and "lean" seats
SAFE DEM*
CA-21 (new)
CA-32 (open)
CA-50 (open)
IL-03 (new)
IL-13 (new)
NJ-11 (open)
OR-05 (new)
TX-07 (open)
TX-32 (open)
LEAN DEM
AZ-04 (Avila)
CO-08 (new)
FL-24 (Armitage)
GA-02 (Heyward)
IL-17 (open)
IA-01 (Pence)
MD-06 (Phelps)
MN-08 (Samuels)
NM-02 (Oswald)
NY-22 (Rivers)
NC-14 (new)
OH-01 (Mercer*)
PA-01 (Fitzjames)
PA-08 (Cipriani)
TX-23 (Ramírez)
VA-10 (Cameron)
TOSSUP
AZ-01 (Schwerner)
AR-02 (Stanton)
CA-03 (Taylor)
CA-06 (Brass)
CA-26 (Vinick)
CA-27 (Vazquez)
CA-45 (Hull)
CA-47 (King)
CA-49 (open)
CO-05 (Schultz)
CT-02 (Mazur)
FL-13 (Minnear)
FL-15 (new)
IL-14 (Schweitzer)
IA-03 (open)
KS-03 (Galloway)
MI-03 (Milos)
MI-10 (new)
MN-02 (open)
NE-02 (Garrett)
NV-03 (open)
NY-11 (Catsimidis)
NY-17 (Powell)
NY-19 (open)
NY-21 (Voight)
NC-13 (new)
OH-09 (open)
OH-13 (open)
OR-06 (Young)
PA-04 (Daniels)
PA-06 (Pitter)
PA-07 (Ackermann)
PA-17 (Jacobs)
SC-04 (Barclay)
WA-08 (Leggitt)
WI-03 (open)
LEAN REP
CA-13 (Durham)
CA-41 (MacLauchlin)
CO-03 (Ball)
FL-04 (new)
FL-21 (open)
FL-26 (Judge)
GA-07 (Marsh)
MI-04 (Coons)
MI-07 (Gibson)
MT-01 (new)
NJ-07 (Ramsey)
NY-02 (McHenry)
OR-04 (Zucker)
PA-10 (open)
WA-05 (Thomas)
SAFE REP*
FL-19 (open)
MN-07 (open)
MT-02 (open)
OH-02 (open)
TN-05 (open)
TX-08 (new)
CA-21 (new)
CA-32 (open)
CA-50 (open)
IL-03 (new)
IL-13 (new)
NJ-11 (open)
OR-05 (new)
TX-07 (open)
TX-32 (open)
LEAN DEM
AZ-04 (Avila)
CO-08 (new)
FL-24 (Armitage)
GA-02 (Heyward)
IL-17 (open)
IA-01 (Pence)
MD-06 (Phelps)
MN-08 (Samuels)
NM-02 (Oswald)
NY-22 (Rivers)
NC-14 (new)
OH-01 (Mercer*)
PA-01 (Fitzjames)
PA-08 (Cipriani)
TX-23 (Ramírez)
VA-10 (Cameron)
TOSSUP
AZ-01 (Schwerner)
AR-02 (Stanton)
CA-03 (Taylor)
CA-06 (Brass)
CA-26 (Vinick)
CA-27 (Vazquez)
CA-45 (Hull)
CA-47 (King)
CA-49 (open)
CO-05 (Schultz)
CT-02 (Mazur)
FL-13 (Minnear)
FL-15 (new)
IL-14 (Schweitzer)
IA-03 (open)
KS-03 (Galloway)
MI-03 (Milos)
MI-10 (new)
MN-02 (open)
NE-02 (Garrett)
NV-03 (open)
NY-11 (Catsimidis)
NY-17 (Powell)
NY-19 (open)
NY-21 (Voight)
NC-13 (new)
OH-09 (open)
OH-13 (open)
OR-06 (Young)
PA-04 (Daniels)
PA-06 (Pitter)
PA-07 (Ackermann)
PA-17 (Jacobs)
SC-04 (Barclay)
WA-08 (Leggitt)
WI-03 (open)
LEAN REP
CA-13 (Durham)
CA-41 (MacLauchlin)
CO-03 (Ball)
FL-04 (new)
FL-21 (open)
FL-26 (Judge)
GA-07 (Marsh)
MI-04 (Coons)
MI-07 (Gibson)
MT-01 (new)
NJ-07 (Ramsey)
NY-02 (McHenry)
OR-04 (Zucker)
PA-10 (open)
WA-05 (Thomas)
SAFE REP*
FL-19 (open)
MN-07 (open)
MT-02 (open)
OH-02 (open)
TN-05 (open)
TX-08 (new)
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Wednesday September 14th, 2022
Queen Elizabeth lying in state in Westminster Hall
Queen Elizabeth is now lying in state in Westminster Hall - hundreds of thousands of people are expected to file past her coffin in the coming days. She was brought to Parliament in a procession from Buckingham Palace - Princes William and Harry, along with King Charles III, walked behind the coffin.
Politicians from across the UK where in Westminster Hall to mark the vigil being held as the Queen's lying-in-state began. Prime Minister Michael Duggan and Leader of the Opposition Jack Coll stood side-by-side, dressed in black and looking solemn. They where joined in the ancient hall by Liberal Democrat leader Logan Ross, National Peoples Party leader Charles Thaw as well as the first ministers of Scotland and Wales, Karen Kilgore and Bronwyn Williams.
Guns were fired in Hyde Park and Big Ben was tolled every minute in the sombre ceremony. Meanwhile, there are long queues of more than two miles along the South Bank of the Thames as people wait for their turn to pay their respects. The Queen's funeral will be held on Monday 19 September which will be a bank holiday.
BBC.CO.UK
Thursday September 15th 2022
Details of The Queen’s Funeral Released.
Details about the late Queen’s funeral and her internment at Windsor Castle have now been released by Buckingham Palace.
The service will take place at Westminster Abbey, where the Queen’s coffin will have been conveyed following the conclusion of her lying in state. The State Funeral Service will be attended by Heads of State and Overseas Government Representatives, including Foreign Royal Families, Governors General and Realm Prime Ministers. In addition representatives of government, devolved governments, the Church and her Majesty’s patronage organisations will also attend.
The service will be led by the Dean of Westminster the Very Reverend Alan Wesley. During the Service, the Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth will read Lessons. The Archbishop of York and other religious leaders will lead prayers. The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Gerald Lacy will preach and give the commendation.
Following the service the Queen will be transported to Windsor Castle where a short service will take place. The Service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, with prayers said by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park. The Choir of St George’s Chapel will sing during the Service.
The Queen will later be buried with the Duke of Edinburgh in a private service.
Thursday September 15th 2022
Details of The Queen’s Funeral Released.
Details about the late Queen’s funeral and her internment at Windsor Castle have now been released by Buckingham Palace.
The service will take place at Westminster Abbey, where the Queen’s coffin will have been conveyed following the conclusion of her lying in state. The State Funeral Service will be attended by Heads of State and Overseas Government Representatives, including Foreign Royal Families, Governors General and Realm Prime Ministers. In addition representatives of government, devolved governments, the Church and her Majesty’s patronage organisations will also attend.
The service will be led by the Dean of Westminster the Very Reverend Alan Wesley. During the Service, the Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth will read Lessons. The Archbishop of York and other religious leaders will lead prayers. The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Gerald Lacy will preach and give the commendation.
Following the service the Queen will be transported to Windsor Castle where a short service will take place. The Service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, with prayers said by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park. The Choir of St George’s Chapel will sing during the Service.
The Queen will later be buried with the Duke of Edinburgh in a private service.
Thursday, September 15th 2022
Swiss to host Cyprus peace talks
Zurich— The government of Switzerland announced that it will begin to host talks to bring about an end to the war in Cyprus. Swiss President Giovanni Galbiati, who also serves as the country's foreign minister, said that the governments of Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom and the government-in-exile of the Republic of Cyprus had agreed to talks mediated by the Swiss government. The government of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey, will also participate. Other parties involved include representatives from the European Union (as Greece, Cyprus and the UK are all member-states), NATO (all parties except Northern Cyprus) and the United States.
Secretary of State August Adair will join the talks when they begin on Saturday. The negotiations will seek an end to the year-long occupation of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkish forces following an invasion in September 2021 after a series of attacks and massacres by both Greek and Turkish Cypriot militants on both sides of the armistice line dividing Northern Cyprus from the rest of the island. Turkish President Ahmed Faria had previously stated he would not negotiate until some of the sanctions placed on Turkey as a result of the invasion were lifted, but relented after it was reported that his prerequisite had received a lukewarm reception in Moscow and Beijing, capitals of the two nations (Russia and China) that Turkey has noticeably shifted towards after the invasion.
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Long will appear in presidential debate, commission rules
Thursday, September 15th, 2022
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) issued a ruling today that independent presidential candidate Andrew Long will join President Sam Seaborn (D) and Republican nominee Alan Duke in the first of three presidential debates, making Long the first third-party candidate to qualify since the commission's creation in 1987.
Jan White, CPD's executive director, said in the announcement that Long had met the commission's qualifications: constitutional eligibility to serve (as a natural-born American citizen over 35 years of age), being on the ballot in enough states to win an Electoral College majority (270 electoral votes), and having a national polling average of at least 15 percent in five nationwide polling firms used by the commission. White's announcement also stated that Green Party nominee Susan Buckner did not qualify based on polling below the 15 percent threshold.
Long will be the first independent candidate to appear in a national presidential debate since John Anderson appeared in the first presidential debate with Ronald Reagan in the 1980 campaign. Then-president Jimmy Carter boycotted the debate, which preceded the CPD's creation, and Anderson was not invited to the second debate that Carter had with Reagan, where Republican nominee famously told Carter "there you go again."
The first of the three debates will take place on Sunday, September 25th, with NBS' own senior anchor Mark Bunn as the moderator. The only scheduled vice presidential debate will take place in October, where Long's running mate, former governor Emily Rudden (IN) will also participate with former governor Bobby Tyler (D-VA) and retired general Lloyd Pendleton (R).
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National railroad strike averted at White House summit
Thursday, September 15th, 2022
A potentially catastrophic national strike of railroad engineers was averted at the last minute, after an agreement was reached earlier this morning after a marathon summit at the White House.
Press Secretary Cassie Tatum said the talks between the 12 railroad unions and national rail carriers had resulted in an "acceptable compromise" that will, if ratified by union members, result in new union contracts that are "fairer to the railroad workers and engineers who are vital for economy." The deal will result in an immediate 14% increase for worker salaries with a cost of living adjustment in subsequent years, a more regulated system of scheduling, and an increase in the number of vacation days given to railroad workers. The latter two issues were noted to be the biggest grievances among union members, who said that the lack of vacation or days off (as low as only 10 per year for each engineer) and inconsistent and on-call scheduling had created "a terrible quality of life" for many railroad workers.
Behind the scenes, the White House negotiation, moderated by Labor Secretary Toni Langone, nearly collapsed before President Sam Seaborn reportedly personally intervened to prevent a strike that could have widespread economic effects, including causing a large spike in inflation and causing supply problems weeks ahead of this year's elections.
The Seaborn campaign touted the avoidance of a strike as a victory and contrasted Seaborn's approach with what it said "a Labor Department under Alan Duke" would do, such as "undermine the men and women who run our nation's railroads...and make their jobs more stressful and less safe".
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BBC.CO.UK
Saturday September 17th 2022
The Dean of Westminster
As the eyes of the world turn upon Westminster Abbey in preparation for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral who is the person who will conduct the service?
Like St Georges Chapel Windsor, Westminster Abbey is a royal peculiar and the Dean, who leads the governing chapter, answers neither to the Bishop of London or the Archbishop of Canterbury, but solely to the monarch.
The Very Reverend Alan Wesley Dean of Westminster (photo by Martin Shaw)
The Dean was born in 1955 in Southampton, where his father was a teacher (and later headteacher) at the local grammar school. He went up to Exeter College, Oxford where he studied classics, before training for ordination at St Stephens House. He was ordained by the Bishop of Chichester in 1983 and served his title at St Mary’s Battle. After that he served a short incumbency in Eastbourne before returning to Oxford as chaplain of his old college in 1991. In 1996 he become Vice-Dean and Canon Chancellor of Salisbury Cathedral, then returned to his native Hampshire to take up the post of Dean of Winchester in 2001. Ten years later he was appointed to his current post.
Wesley is an accomplished composer of choral music and an avid reader of crime fiction. He is married to Laura a writer and historian and they have three children .
Saturday September 17th 2022
The Dean of Westminster
As the eyes of the world turn upon Westminster Abbey in preparation for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral who is the person who will conduct the service?
Like St Georges Chapel Windsor, Westminster Abbey is a royal peculiar and the Dean, who leads the governing chapter, answers neither to the Bishop of London or the Archbishop of Canterbury, but solely to the monarch.
The Very Reverend Alan Wesley Dean of Westminster (photo by Martin Shaw)
The Dean was born in 1955 in Southampton, where his father was a teacher (and later headteacher) at the local grammar school. He went up to Exeter College, Oxford where he studied classics, before training for ordination at St Stephens House. He was ordained by the Bishop of Chichester in 1983 and served his title at St Mary’s Battle. After that he served a short incumbency in Eastbourne before returning to Oxford as chaplain of his old college in 1991. In 1996 he become Vice-Dean and Canon Chancellor of Salisbury Cathedral, then returned to his native Hampshire to take up the post of Dean of Winchester in 2001. Ten years later he was appointed to his current post.
Wesley is an accomplished composer of choral music and an avid reader of crime fiction. He is married to Laura a writer and historian and they have three children .
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Sunday September 18th, 2022
Lying-in-state queue enters last full day ahead of funeral as world leaders arrive in London
The queue to see the Queen lying in state will be closed by the government later - the public will be able to see the coffin in Westminster Hall until 06:30 BST on Monday. The Queen’s funeral will be screened in parks, squares and cinemas across the UK, the government has confirmed.
Meanwhile world leaders are arriving in London ahead of the Queen’s funeral on Monday, with 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries invited. Late last night US President Sam Seaborn and his wife First Lady Laura Parker-Seaborn arrived onboard Air Force One at Stansted airport. The pair were greeted at the airport by officials and left for London. Seaborn is among some 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries coming to London for a gathering of world leaders not seen for decades. A large convoy including the president's armoured car, nicknamed "The Beast", departed Stansted just before midnight. He and other foreign dignitaries are expected to pay their respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall before the lying-in-state ends early tomorrow morning.
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New biography of Andrew Long reveals business, marital problems
Monday, September 19th, 2022
A forthcoming book by reporter Michael Schafer on independent presidential candidate Andrew Long will include revelations of several rocky moments in the life of the billionaire presidential candidate, including the near-collapse of his business empire and the point where his personal indiscretions nearly cost him his marriage.
Michael Schafer's book Maverick Mogul: The Story of Andrew Long, will hit the shelves on Monday, September 26th. Reviewers have stated that Long comes across as "driven, perceptive and surprisingly down-to-earth" but also that, in the words of New York Times reviewer Britta Goldsmith "the ego that it takes to run for president as a self-funded millionaire did not suddenly inflate in early 2022."
Long's business and political career are expounded in greater detail than perhaps the Long campaign wishes. There are plenty of humorous anecdotes (such as Long arriving late for a planned meeting at a Houston steakhouse only to find the person he was meeting being arrested for disorderly conduct for starting a drunken fight), and also sobering reminders that the kind of drive and business instinct that it takes to rise from the upper-middle class to the stratosphere reserved for billionaires can be dangerously close to obsessiveness and impulsivity. A longtime Long confidant recalls how Long's expectation that his employees follow his own rigorous work schedule led to a "culture of turnover and burnout", combined with unwise investments nearly led to real estate empire collapsing in the late 1980s when the Houston housing bubble popped.
In parallel, Schafer in separate interviews with Long and his wife Sherri, navigates the couple's near-divorce once Sherri found out about an affair Long was having with a former secretary (corroborated according to Schafer by several other interviewees who knew Long at the time). Sherri Long reportedly admits she even consulted a divorce attorney, but "gave Andrew one last chance" instead. Long himself is quoted as saying the affair was "a terrible mistake and something I regret to this day for the impact it had on my family." He also admitted to "doing some pretty hard partying" in the 1980s, something he said played a large role in his poor decision-making in his personal life. The couple reconciled, and Long has kept himself to a strict limit on alcohol ever since: "The last time I had more than three drinks in one day was when the [Houston] Oilers lost their last playoff game." Long is quoted as saying (the Houston Oilers' last playoff appearance before their relocation to Tennessee came in January 1994 at the Astrodome).
From there, the book goes less into Long's personal life as he gets older and begins to rub shoulders with civic leaders at galas rather than oil men and real estate barons in parties straight out of The Wolf of Wall Street. It charts the turnaround in his businesses' fortunes, thanks in part to both investments in other businesses beginning to take off, most notably cell phones, as well as some sweetheart deals from the city of Houston.
Briefly touched on is Long's complicated relationship with a candidate for Houston City Council in 1994 who blasted the city's decision to take reduced property taxes on some of Long's distressed properties as "a handout to the wealthy"—the first time Andrew Long became aware of future president Matthew Santos.
The Long campaign's statement called the book a "fair portrait" of Long, but disputed what it said were called "embellishments" related to stories from Long's time in the 1980s real estate boom and his extramarital affair. Long's running mate, former Indiana governor Emily Rudden, said that none of the revelations from Maverick Mogul, which she learned in mid-August when the campaign was told about the book's imminent publication made her re-think joining Long's ticket.
"I believed Andrew Long is the best candidate in the race [before learning of the book's contents] and I still believe it now," Rudden said. "And I'm hoping that the American people will see that as well, because the opportunity to get, as our president, a truly independent conservative who can cut through the partisan divide and get things done in Washington, is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Monday September 19th, 2022
Queen lowered into royal vault at Windsor Castle ahead of private family burial
The scenes we’ve witnessed today are likely to be replayed for decades to come. Here’s a recap of what’s happened:
- The day started with the conclusion of the Queen’s lying-in-state period, and the procession of her coffin to Westminster Abbey.
- A funeral service there was attended by around 2,000 people including many heads of state, including President Seaborn, President Benoit Martin of France, and President Natalya Romanova of Russia.
- A larger procession then marched the coffin of Elizabeth II to Wellington Arch: a landmark with triumphal significance in British history.
- The late sovereign was then placed in a hearse and driven to Windsor.
- The day’s third procession again saw the King and other royals walk behind the Queen’s hearse as she was taken to St George’s Chapel for a committal service attended by 800 people.
- This evening the Royal Family will return to the chapel for a private event that will see Elizabeth interred alongside her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
- A period of royal mourning continues for another week - until the end of September 26th.
So Long is definitely going to be in all 3 debates? That is based on where we was polling last Thursday, not any given point in time? So if he falls below 15% in the polls, he will still be in the debates?
No. I had to edit the story after double-checking the CPD rules.
The CPD reassesses polling before every one of the debates, so every candidate has to re-qualify for the second and third debates. Rudden will automatically appear in the VP debate since Long qualified for the first debate, but Long will need to maintain his 15% national average in order to be invited back.
Wednesday September 21st, 2022
Major candidates prepare for first TV debate on Sunday
With the first national TV debate of the 2022 Presidential campaign coming this Sunday. NBS has a special report on the debate preparations of the three invited candidates, President Sam Seaborn, the Democratic candidate, former Oklahoma Senator Alan Duke, the Republican candidate, and Texas Businessman Andrew Long, who is running as an independent. This will be a historic debate as it will be the first ever Presidential debate to involve three candidates.
Seaborn Campaign
The President will be heading to the Bartlet family estate in Manchester, New Hampshire late on Wednesday evening following his address to the UN this afternoon. He will be accompanied by his key advisors, including Campaign Manager Marc Chorley, New Hampshire Governor Liz Bartlet as well as Mitch Bryce (who headed up his Vice-Presidential search team), and Californian Senator and former Governor Gabe Tillman. Former First Lady Helen Santos will be joining the team on Thursday advising as she had faced Long in a three way debate during her failed Senate bid in 2018. We understand that Bryce has agreed to play Duke in the debate prep alongside Tillman as Long. The President will head to the debate site at Hofstra University, Hempstad, New York on Sunday afternoon.
The main campaigning over the coming days will be left to the Vice-President nominee Bobby Tyler and key surrogates such as Colorado Senator Ben Newell, Minnesota Governor Jarrod Daniels and New York Governor Governor Hakeem El-Amin.
Duke Campaign
According to the Duke campaign, the nominee will continue "a normal campaign schedule" until Saturday. He will arrive in New York on Saturday evening for "final prep". He will arrive via some of the key battleground states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Campaign Manager Mark Patterson has been pushing the view for the last few days that the race is "far tighter than is being reported", and that the Senator is "looking forward to putting his truthful vision of a Duke administration before the American people on Sunday evening, not the biased view of most of the press". Duke has been accompanied by key allies such as George Rohr, former Nebraska Governor John Moore and former Virginia Senator Harold Webster. We understand that Duke did a full run through of the debate on Tuesday evening with Pennsylvania Senator Carlin Cassidy playing President Seaborn (despite Cassidy being pro-choice, he and Duke get on ok), and it was thought his experience as a former TV actor would help the debate prep. Another key ally of Duke, Radio host and former Senate candidate for Arizona Henry Stern played Andrew Long in the debate.
Long Campaign
In the past couple of weeks, it has been clear to many that the "big mo" that the Long campaign seemed to have coming out of the Texas businessman's well received campaign launch at the end of July has stalled. It is clear that Long needs a big break through in the debate and win back some of that early enthusiasm. Long has been focusing on Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico in the past few days. He will return to his Texas ranch on Thursday ahead of debate prep before flying to New York via a campaign stop in Virginia on Saturday. Former New Mexico Governor Rudi Vansen is believed to have been playing President Seaborn in the debate prep last weekend alongside outgoing Congressman Chris Franklin of Pennyslvnia who is taking on the role of Duke. Alongside Long will be former Michigan Congressman Gus Edwards who ran for the Republican nomination, this year and Wyoming State Senator "Wally" Turney who have become key advisors to the Long campaign.
Buckner Campaign
We know that the Green party nominee Susan Buckner has not qualified for the debate, but she said his week she would be live tweeting the debate on Sunday, to "make sure her progressive vision of America" can still be heard by the "American people".
*The debate which is hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates, is being held at Hofstra University, Hempsted, New York, and will air at 9.PM (EST) Sunday and will be hosted by NBS Mark Bunn*
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