Council Of Europe Puns

#26th March 1952, Rotterdam

It has been more than a year since the second 1950 session of the Council of Europe which resolved a number of major changes to the way the Council votes. However, these new changes including the implementation of majority voting in favour of unanimity have not yet been put into practise. After some preparations and changes to the legal bindings of the Council of Europe, the Netherlands is now ready to make the first significant proposals under these systems.

To be clear to all members of the Council of Europe, the following proposals were successfully passed and have come into effect:

• The vote to implement the 'Committee for the Invitation of New Nations of the Council of Europe' which will oversee any future requests made by observers or non-affiliated nations to join the Council of Europe.

• The vote to permanently implement a system of majority vote by 60% on all future proposals unless explicitly labelled to require a unanimous vote.

In addition we formally welcome the nations of Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) as members of the council of Europe. Furthermore, we are pleased to welcome the observership of the Untied Nations, the United States, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Holy See.

The Netherlands thus makes the following proposals to the floor of the Council of Europe for all member-states to vote on, each requiring a 60% majority to pass:

• As Belgium was the only nation to decline this initial proposal in 1949, the Netherlands once again proposes that the Council of Europe adopt a flag. Specifically, we put forward this design consisting of a blue field with 10 golden stars arranged in a circle to represent the founding 10 nations of the Council of Europe coming together once again. We are also open to future and/or additional design proposals which may overtake and/or replace this design.

• At the special request of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, we put forward the notion that the Soviet Union become an observer in the Council of Europe.

• We propose that the Republic of Turkey be invited as an observer to the Council of Europe.

And finally, in addition to these proposals which require only the

Following the resounding success of the Treaty of Amsterdam which so the Council of Europe formed, the Netherlands has called forth a meeting for all member nations of the young council. This first meeting shall act as an introduction whereby the council will discuss plans regarding the organisation moving forward, most notably including the matters of a potential flag or emblem for which the Council may meet under, as well as the discussion of future members.

It is then, that in Rotterdam, this first meeting shall take place as planned. The meeting shall be hosted in a temporary location until a formal building dedicated purely to the organisation is completed.

The Council of Europe, consisting of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, will all come together in assembly on the 26th September. Unfortunately, Italy has remained on the fence and has neither declined nor accepted invitation, however the Council must go ahead.

The agenda for the first meeting of the Council of Europe:

• The Netherlands proposes that the Council of Europe adopt a flag. Specifically, we put forward this design consisting of a blue field with 10 golden stars arranged in a circle to represent the founding 10 nations of the Council of Europe coming together. We are also open to future and/or additional design proposals.

• The Council of Europe must agree as to how often it should meet. For this the Netherlands proposes that the council meet bi-annually on the 26th of every September and March here in Rotterdam, specifically in the future Council of Europe headquarters.

• And lastly, the Netherlands calls to vote on the inclusion of several additional members whom will each potentially ratify the Treaty of Amsterdam and officially acquire seats of their own in future. The nations currently proposed to receive invitation to this organisation are: Greece, Turkey, Switzerland, and Iceland.

If any other member nations wish to offer further topics of discussion, we implore you to do so.

On the topic of the reconstruction of Europe, the Netherlands has begun what we call the Den Brink Plan, a series of projects to rebuild and revitalise various aspects of the Netherla

#Motion to condemn the decision by the Council of Europe to reinstate voting rights to the Russian Federation

This House notes that:

(1)In 2014, the Russian Federation illegally annexed Crimea;

(2) In response to the annexation of Crimea, the Russian Federation’s voting rights were suspended in the Council of Europe;

(3) Russia continues to illegally occupy Crimea, and take destabilising actions in Eastern Ukraine, and

(4) The Russian Federation used chemical weapons on the streets of Salisbury, endangering the lives of British citizens.

This House condemns:

(1) The decision by the Council of Europe to restore voting rights to the Russian Federation, and;

(2) The continued occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation

This House calls upon the Government to:

(1) Condemn the decision by members of the Council of Europe to restore voting rights to the Russian Federation;

(2) Communicate to the member states who voted against this our thanks for standing with the people of Ukraine, and;

(3) Reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine, pursuant to M395

This motion was proposed by /u/Tommy1Boys MP MBE, Spokesperson for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on behalf of the Classical Liberals.

This Division shall end on the 7th June.

This letter was originally sent by email from Katrin Stelzel to about 200 friends and colleagues. Permission to share it as sent.

Dear Friends and former Colleagues,

I’m writing to you today, because we became friends or worked together in different settings in my 31 years within Shambhala.

I started to write this letter already in February 2019, but it never left the draftbox, something was still not complete, so I did not send it out before.

I would like to let you know that I left the Shambhala Community. A lot of you will be surprised, because I was so involved, so devoted, so „in“ all my years in Shambhala.

I resigned being the European Potrang representative and one of the European Secretaries for the Mukpo family already in January and in the middle of June I will end being one of the Managing directors of the Shambhala Europe GmbH.

I am very sorry for everything that happened in the Shambhala Community. So many people were deeply hurt. Having been in a lot of different positions within the Community, I very much see myself as having an active part in the clergy abuse, the sexual misconduct, the betrayal, the emotional abuse, the misuse of funds, the whole financial catastrophe, the silencing of critical voices and everything else that happened, not only in the recent past but since a long time.

I knew that it was happening and at the same time did not know that it was happening.

There always has been a feeling that something is not right, but I was very good in silencing that feeling. I was very effective and skilled telling myself (and others) that everything is fine, that there are these great teachings and there are these great masters and there is this wonderful community.

When I read the Buddhist Sunshine Report 2 in June my strongest feeling, besides disgust, was relieve, relieve that finally there is an end to all of this……….. I was surprised about that feeling, since in my conscious mind, I did not feel that I needed relieve! At the same time, I thought: Whow! What an opportunity………(I thought that only for four months and then lost hope).

I do not want to be part of this community any longer, may it be with or without the presence of the Mukpo Lineage.

I know this is my truth and it might not at all be yours. Maybe with some of you, there is a possibility for an ongoing friendship. We will see how it evolves in the next couple of months.

I wish you all the best and if you would like to contact me, do not be afraid.

With l

In light of the continuation of the Marshall Plan, continuing reconstructions, and budding European based diplomacy and politics, the Netherlands believes that Europe should come together in the aftermath of World War II. It is clear that rebuilding in a physical sense, but also in diplomatic and economic senses is a continuous process for most if not all the nations of Europe involved in the war. As such, it is the opinion of the Netherlands that Europe come together in this time to better solve continental disputes, discuss shared problems, and propose solutions to better the continent as a whole as well as for each country involved. Thus, the Netherlands invites some of the principal nations of 'Western' (as in nations of Europe who share in the ideals of Democracy and align themselves more to the USA and NATO than the Communists) Europe to observe and discuss the possibility of the Statute of the Council of Europe or the potential 'Treaty of Amsterdam (1949)'.

Should the Treaty of Amsterdam be agreed, then all ratified invitees shall form a Council of Europe. In the shared vision of Winston Churchill in his 21 March 1943 BBC Radio Broadcast, we must think about how to re-build and maintain peace on a shattered continent. The idea of a Council of Europe was discussed here in the Netherlands at the Hague where there were a few different schools of thoughts as to how this council would be enacted. The Netherlands has decided to propose a mixture of the two main ideas in the form of the creation of a Committee of Ministers (in which governments are represented) and a Consultative Assembly (in whi