The Commission for the Lieutenancy of Maanenland

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The Commission for the Lieutenancy of Maanenland is a Duchy Agency responsible for the running of the nation of Maanenland based in Debley near Jennington , Dycan Valley.

History

After the civil war of Maanenland there was a requirement to set up a new ruling establishment in the nation. Previous to the war the lieutenancy arrangements were set by the parliament and executed by the king. When the 1st Grand Duke of Maanenland took control of the land he took up the role of the former King of the United Kingdom of Maanenland. Rather than appointing Lord Lieutenants to each of his provinces (who had been known to rebel) the one remaining Lord Lieutenant of the Duchy of Cliffton was to preside over a new parliament made up of representatives from each of the boroughs. To oversee this procedure in the more remote parts of the nation the Grand Duke called for officers of the crown to observe that the power of the crown through the Lieutenants was being enforced.

As the population swelled nationally there became too many issues from each region for the Grand Duke to make a judgement on. William III of Maanenland solved this by allowing his lieutenants to discuss common problems amongst themselves rather than all to the king. The Grand Duke simply reviewed the legislation and passed it if it met with his approval.

As the Lieutenants now had some power and their numbers also increased the Grand Duke created a council called the High Council of the Lieutenancy Arangements of the Grand Duchy of Maanenland to choose the Lieutenants , this situation lasted until 1652 when Grand Duke Harold I of Maanenland allowed the local ruling classes to vote for their local lieutenancy positions. When the elections came it fell to the council to organise the election and decide boundaries etc.

1692 saw the rebuilding of the offices of the Lord Lieutenant that had been raized centuries earlier by the Grand Duke. When the Lieutenants moved backed into the area it was made so that he could not ever re-enter the walls of the county even though technically his influence extended into the people who worked there. In order to stop the soverign marching into the area to influence the parliament there became a need for an armed force to protect the capital that was not one of the forces loyal to the head of state. It was at this point that the non-partisan Seregant Commissioners of Arms for the Lieutenancy of Maanenland was created to defend the Lord Lieutenant and the Parliament.

In 1832 Grand Duke Murray refused to approve the changing of a local boundary that would of seen one of his estates fall into the hands the son of someone which he detested. He disolved the parliament and over-ruled the decison of the High Council. The council bowed to the pressure as it was a crown agency despite protests from the Lord Lieutenant who claimed he had authority over the crown agency as he held the Sword of Maanenland , as there was no constitution there was nothing to refer to for the running of the country. To prevent a constitutional crisis the agreement was that it was the job of the council to act as watchdog over both crown and lieutenants to organise the running of the nation.

Whilst on an inspection of a government agency operating near Oakvale , Western Peak Districts Duncan Bird , an officer with the high council , was prevented from entering a government building where it was suspected that two lieutenants were were storing illicit substances on December 10th 1911. The officer could not call upon the armed forces because they were an agency of the executive and thus themselves open to investigation from the council. The only forces of similiar status were 160 miles away guarding New Westminster city. Following this incident it was decided by consensus to merge the Seregants and Councillors to form the present day administration.

The 1967 New Westminster Terrorist Attacks convinced the government to give the Commission the best training and weaponary in the nation. The all-black suits were deeply unpopular with the public when on patrol for being frightening and menacing. The Morning Telegraph newspaper nicknamed them Stormtroopers in 1982 and the name has stuck with them ever since even being refered to as such by Dennis Barry in the House of Boroughs in 2001.

Function

'To uphold the stability of the government of Maanenland 'To organise the governance of Maanenland 'To protect the democratic process

Organisation

The officers of the organisation swear their allegiance to the Duke of Cliffton but their loyalty in times of conflict is to the Grand Duchy itself rather than to the soverign.

The chief of the police service is Sir David Miles who takes the title of Lord High Commissioner of the Grand Duchy of Maanenland , usually shortened to simply Commissioner.

Each Lieutenancy area has a detatchment of varying numbers headed by the Borough Commander. The service is then split into seregants of detatchments and officers. The standard officer is known as a Officer Vanguard.

Constitutional Status

The former head of the service Sir Thomas Sugar joked in 2001 that 'We Are the Constitution' in reference to the famous quote 'I Am The Law' and there is a great deal of truth in that. In effect they act as the constitutional guardians of the realm.