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The Tinhampton Constitution (main constitution done; 0/47 amendments done)
CONTENTS:
Preamble
ARTICLE I: The Government and Parliament
ARTICLE II: The Courts
ARTICLE III: The Finances of Tinhampton
ARTICLE IV: Amendment of the Constitution
ARTICLE V: Federal and Municipal Powers
ARTICLE VI: Ratification
All sections in blue background have since been
amended - look for the small text next to the
points for the necessary amendments.
All sections in yellow background have since
been struck from the record - again, look for
the small text next to the repealed points.
Articles added later on are in green background,
as well as in the amendments. Yet again,
look for the small text next to the new points.
First Amendment (1936): Ballot measures at each general election
Second Amendment (1940): Formation of a Tinhamptonian Army
Third Amendment (1947): Demilitarised Zone agreement with the UK
Fourth Amendment (1952): Authorisation of UK media within the city
Fifth Amendment (1954): Free markets guaranteed
Sixth Amendment (1959): Freedom of religion; clearing up the UCT mess
Seventh Amendment (1961): NSUN membership prohibition
Eighth Amendment (1962): Universal womens' suffrage; electoral law changed
Ninth Amendment (1966): Usage of Tinhamptonian Army in nations with regimes
Tenth Amendment (1969): Relaxation of constitutional amendment quota
Eleventh Amendment (1970): Support of other nations with major mining industries
Twelfth Amendment (1972): Sanctions of "known enemies of the City"
Thirteenth Amendment (1973): Ban on amendments that carry "no useful purpose"
Fourteenth Amendment (1974): Repeal of 7th Amendment; city to join UN by 1980
Fifteenth Amendment (1975): Authorisation of TBS TV and TBS Radio
Sixteenth Amendment (09-1976): Management of extreme weather conditions
Seventeenth Amendment (11-1976): Definition of personhood; 12A clarified
Eighteenth Amendment (03-1977): Rights for the peoples of the Barrier Islands
Nineteenth Amendment (10-1977): Municipal funding for Devolution "Jubilees"
Twentieth Amendment (1978): 14th Amendment "UN by 1980" clause removed
Twenty-First Amendment (1979): Handgun ban; severe limits on other guns
Twenty-Second Amendment (1980): Devolution of underground/trams and buses
Twenty-Third Amendment (03-1981): Female enrolment into military
Twenty-Fourth Amendment (08-1982): Race relations laws enforced
Twenty-Fifth Amendment (1984): Right to personal opinions and free speech
Twenty-Seventh Amendment (1985): A public-sector NHS Trust for the city
Twenty-Eighth Amendment (1986): Fluoride banned from drinking water
Twenty-Ninth Amendment (1986): Standard school day set across the city
Thirtieth Amendment (03-1988): 12A clarified; raiders are not enemies
Thirty-First Amendment (08-1989): Clearing up the Assembly situation
Thirty-Second Amendment (11-1989): Difference between BMs & amendments defined
Thirty-Second Amendment (1990): 12A clarified; communists no longer enemies
Thirty-Third Amendment (1993): 12A further clarified; terrorism defined
Thirty-Fourth Amendment (1997): Repeal of 21A; re-iteration of gun laws
Thirty-Fifth Amendment (1999): Further regulations on computer misuse
Thirty-Sixth Amendment (2002): Same-sex marriage
Thirty-Seventh Amendment (2004): Adoption of UK media controls
Thirty-Eighth Amendment (2007): Government regulated on foreign elections
Thirty-Ninth Amendment (2008): Repeal of 14A; city to join WA by 2018
Fourtieth Amendment (2009): Government stimuli in recessions on industries
Forty-First Amendment (2010): Votes at 16 for 2011 General Election onwards
Forty-Second Amendment (06-2011): 0.75% of GDP for international aid
Forty-Third Amendment (08-2011): 30 years in jail for "serious computer misuse"
Forty-Fourth Amendment (2013): Bullying defined; punishments strengthened
Forty-Fifth Amendment (2014): Medicinal Marijuana legalised (still illegal federally)
Forty-Sixth Amendment (2015): Refusal of all EU funding in event of Brexit vote
Forty-Seventh Amendment (2017): Only animals of the genus Homo authorised to vote
1966: Repeal of nationwide district clause in 8A
1971: Conversion to pre-decimal currency
1973: Reduction of amendment signature count to 10
1986: Removal of all elections but National Mascot Elections
1989: Making "Die Hard" the national film of Tinhampton
1998: Tinhampton to be airlifted to Ever-Wandering Souls
2000: All paragraphs to be alliterated
2002: Secession of TinVision from Carlton
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We, the people of Tinhampton, gathered here in City Hall on this Fifteenth Day of April, 1929, for the purposes of creating a devolved society which is just, free, secure and with restrictions on what the state can and cannot do (and what it will and will not have as devolved powers), hereby enacts this Constitution of Tinhampton.
Section I: The Assembly, and Composure Thereof
All legislative devolved powers (which shall comprise of all legislative powers, except for those listed in Article V) shall be vested within the power of the Assembly. First Amendment
The Assembly shall be comprised of 150 Assembly Members elected from single-member districts Eighth Amendment; Electoral Reform Act 1952, each with an approximately equal size on the last Thursday in March in any odd-numbered year (which shall not take into account the Good Friday following, if necessary), hereinafter "Election Day".
Whenever there shall be a vacancy in the Assembly, the seat shall remain empty until Election Day.
Whilst federal rules for electing Members of Parliament shall apply Ballot Measure 1, 2015, no person shall attain to the office of Assembly Member, or to vote for one, if they shall not be at least twenty-one years of age and of the male gender Eighth Amendment; Electoral Reform Act 1952; and all peoples who fulfil the description listed in this subsection shall be obliged to vote for their local Assembly Member Eighth Amendment; Electoral Reform Act 1952.
For all devolved financial issues, there shall be an annual Budget on the second Friday of September, which shall detail the Government's plans for spending. The Assembly shall be dissolved, and power lie with the Mayor, until Election Day; except in a first-year budget, where this shall not apply. Sixth Amendment
The Assembly shall have the exclusive power to authorise the Bank of Tinhampton to mint coins and banknotes, borrow money and to prevent counterfeit monies; to authorise the creation of a court system entailing Magistrates' Courts, Serious Crime Courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court; and to collect taxes which account to no more than 7.5% of the average citizen's income, exclusive of any taxes which have a federally-set rate. NOTE: The average income of the citizen at the time was $800 in modern-day money, which meant that no citizen could be taxed more than $60. The average income is now about $38,000, so no citizen can be taxed more than about $2,850 or so.
The Assembly shall have the power to authorise a Census in the March of every even-numbered year that is not a leap year, in addition to the federal census held on the second year of every decade.
Each member of the Assembly shall be paid a total of $1,000 Amended various times, but most lately by Ballot Measure 2, 1993, which set a minimum wage of $7 and rigged the salaries of Assembly Members at $25,000 for each year that they serve as such.
Section II: The Mayoral Office
All executive devolved powers, and the power of being the Leader of the Assembly, shall be vested in the office of the Mayor.
The day of election of the Mayor shall be the same as that for the Assembly listed in Article I, Section I, Subsection II. They shall not be listed on the ballot paper Eighth Amendment; Electoral Reform Act 1952, but they shall be placed onto a separate ballot paper for the Election of the Mayor.
The Mayor shall be paid a total of $2,000 Amended various times, but most lately by Ballot Measure 2, 1993, which set a minimum wage of $7 and rigged the salaries of the Mayor at $40,000 for each year that they serve as such.
No person shall attain to the office of the Mayor, or to vote for one, if they shall not be at least twenty-four years of age and of the male gender Eighth Amendment; Electoral Reform Act 1952; and all peoples who fulfil the description listed in this subsection shall be obliged to vote for their preferred Mayor. In addition, no person shall attain to the office of the Mayor if they shall have lived in the City of Tinhampton Eighteenth Amendment for any less than eight years.
The Mayor shall have the power to approve referendums to determine the approval of amendments to the Constitution, information of which is detailed in Article IV. The Mayor shall also have the power to appoint nominees to the Supreme Court.
The Mayor may be impeached upon any grounds of treason, bribery, serious crimes that have happened in office or other serious crimes as may be determined by other bodies. The impeached Mayor shall be replaced by the Deputy Mayor, who shall not be impeached during their remainder of the two-year term.
Section III: Joint Powers
Neither the Assembly nor the Mayoral Office may carry term limits, except from the Election Day set on the
As shall be detailed later on, in Article IV, both 85 Eighth Amendment, Electoral Reform Act 1952 Assembly Members and the Mayor must approve constitutional amendment referendums.
All bills shall be approved with a majority of Assembly Members and with the signature of the Mayor.
Section I: Judicial Power
The judicial power of the City is to lay in its own separate court system that enforces both devolved and federal laws: a Supreme Court, as well as the inferior courts (the Magistrates' Court, Serious Crime Court, High Court in that order, as well as the Appeals Court for all cases except Supreme Court cases).
The judicial power of each court shall extend to all cases where applicable; and the Supreme Court shall have appellate power over all cases where an appeal has been made against an Appeals Court ruling. In addition, the Supreme Court shall have authority over all cases of Treasonous Acts, as defined under Federal Law, which shall be iterated as additionally applying to the City.
The decisions of the Supreme Court shall be binding, except through an Exceptional Constitutional Amendment, where 75% of both the Assembly and the voting populace must agree to the amendment. NOTE: There has only ever been one Exceptional Constitutional Amendment, passed by both the Assembly and by referendum with little over 75% of the vote: The Twenty-Ninth Amendment, passed after Murray vs City of Tinhampton ruled in May 1987 that supporting the "Black Hawks" region was considered a treasonous act. After four previous tries, the Amendment was rammed through the assembly in November, and made it onto the March ballot, where it passed by 75.21%. Ballot Measure 3, 1991, which would have seen the nation move to the Black Hawks and commit a complete U-turn on Murray vs City of Tinhampton, was rejected by 71% to 29%.
Section II: Judges and Juries
Each trial is to be held by jury of 13 peoples.
Each court shall have 7 judges, except at the Magistrates' Courts where there shall be 5, and the Supreme Court where there shall be 9.
Each judge shall be salaried $12,000; but for the Supreme Court Judges, which shall salary $18,000 Amended various times, but most lately by Ballot Measure 2, 1993, which set a minimum wage of $7 and rigged the salaries of the judges at $50,000 and those of the Supreme Court at $66,000.
Section I: The Budget
The Budget shall be held on the third Friday of September every year. The process for rejection has been detailed in Article I.
In the Budget, the Finance Minister shall clearly set out the city's financial plans for the following year, or half-year as may be necessary (for new Budgets are to be held after elections every other year). These plans must not overwhelm the city's economy, and must give consideration to the city's industries.
The budget shall also contain plans to collect devolved taxes from the denizens of Tinhampton, at a rate of no more than 7.5% of the average citizen's income, even if change shall be minimal.
Section II: The Bank of Tinhampton
The Bank of Tinhampton is hereby authorised to coin a decimalised system in the manner (but not exact style) of the United States for exclusive use in the city. The Bank is also authorised to create banknotes, and to make interest-free monies whenever possible.
The Bank shall also control the city's financial policy, keep interest rates at a level of 2.5% or thereabouts, clear off any debts that may arise in feature, and control the money supply where needed.
Section III: Debts
Tinhampton hereby clears all debts it may have acquired from the United Kingdom, which total $250,000 as of the time of writing.
Any future debts that may be owed shall be paid off as soon as possible, with consideration given in the Budget.
Responsibility for dealing with personal debts lies with Federal Government.
The Constitution shall be amended with the authorisation of 85 Eighth Amendment, Electoral Reform Act 1952, Tenth Amendment Assembly Members and the Mayor, as well as the approval of two-thirds Tenth Amendment of the voting populace of Tinhampton; except for Exceptional Constitutional Amendments for the repeal of Supreme Court results, which require the approval of 75% of both the Assembly and the voting populace. In addition, no Amendment may be more than 350 words long in total, excluding the introductory phrase "We, the people of Tinhampton" and the numbers and subsections of amendments thereof (i.e. I, II, III / a, b, c / i, ii, iii...)
These following powers are not devolved to the City of Tinhampton; all other powers shall be considered devolved:
Military powers Second Amendment
Healthcare, including the existence of a British National Health Service trust and services in the city Twenty-Seventh Amendment
Educational services Ballot Measure 3, 1977; Academies Act 2010 (federal law)
Any definition of what constitutes a crime punishable by imprisonment for 3 months or more in these fields, except under official federal advice NOTE: The Fourty-Fifth Amendment was legally allowed to pass under a loophole in the laws, where advice issued by the local NHS trust, Tin City Healthcare, was considered to be federal, owing to the similarities in descriptions between municipal and federal healthcare agencies.
Transportation Twenty-Second Amendment
Media regulation Originally just newspapers, then more media cropped up, then the Tinhampton Classification Authority launched with the 15th Amendment in 1975, then it was scrapped with the 37th Amendment in 2004, thus re-adding this section to the Constitution
Births, marriages and deaths Originally amended with the 36th Amendment in 2002, and then un-amended with federal legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013. Has been considered amended by many people
Copyright, trademarks, and length thereof
The collection of any taxes which cannot be devolved, such as Income Tax; and any financial-related issues that cannot be devolved for any reason (whether they be set by Federal Government, or whether they concern one of the fields above).
NOTE: There were reports by some of the drafters that gun ownership was set to be included, but left out over concerns of the low age limit of 14 years set in the federal Firearms Act of 1920. Upon the First Assembly convening in 1931, a suspiciously similar act was passed, the Weapons Act, which featured an age limit of 16 years and almost nothing else different.
This Constitution shall be ratified on the Fifteenth Day of October, 1929, with the approval of half of the voting populace of Tinhampton, which adds up to 68,472 males over twenty-five years of age, plus one voter. As well as the text of this Constitution, proponents and opponents shall also get equal views being aired, to be published by the stand-in Municipal Government in one Constitution Ratification Referendum Guide to be sent to each voter. NOTE: Tinhampton accepted the constitution with 95.2% of the votes. The referendum guides continue as Voter Advice Guides, which contain advertisements for all sides, and could drag on for 40 pages in a bad year.
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This is still a Work-In-Progress.
