Quedéir Castiglhâ
Baron Quedeir Castiglha (Devin Burr) is a citizen of Talossa and of Florencia Province.
Castiglha became a citizen on 21 May 1998. The moderately conservative Castiglhâ had been an early supporter of the Black Hand party from its foundation in 2002, and served as a Member of the Cosa beginning with the January 2003 elections.
Seneschal and the Crisis of 2004
Castiglha served as Seneschal held during the 33rd Cosa and the crisis of 2004 that resulted in many citizens renouncing their citizenship to form the Talossan Republic. He was the first Seneschal to choose to be known by his Talossan language name.
Vowing to "serve our nationette as best I can," Castiglha was appointed Prime Minister as the member of the Black Hand party most acceptable to leaders of the Progressive Conservative coalition partners.
Castiglhâ spent his entire term of office walking a tightrope between the PC and King Robert I. The two were bitterly adversarial, and the King poked and prodded his Prime Minister to take action against the Progressive Conservatives. "I don't want to give them any excuse to pull the plug," Castiglhâ repeatedly told the King, continuing to politically attempt to calm the waters.
In an attempt to forestall the crisis, Castiglhâ called upon the King to dissolve the Cosa early, resulting in a General Election to run from 15 May to 14 June 2004. This was seen by the Progressive Conservatives as an attempt to terminate the coalition between the two parties, by giving the MN the chance to win an outright majority and push the PC into Opposition again. Based on this belief, Secretary of State Martì-Païr Furxhéir, a Progressive Conservative fired the King as his as Deputy Secretary of State and charged the MN with hatching an elaborate plot to steal the election through "fraud".
With the accusations of voter fraud rampant, as the election proceeded, it seemed likely that the MN would receive a majority.
On 1 June 2004, with the King and Queen away in Europe and the royal powers in the custody of regent Marcus Cantalour, the core membership of the PC renounced their citizenship and unilaterally cut off access to Talossa's online web presence from the remainder of the Kingdom. (Hearing of the PC's impeccable timing, former Seneschal Frédéric Maugey said they had behaved "like a real African dictatorship.") These new expatriates declared the secession of four Talossan provinces to form the Talossan Republic, though the claims of independence were not recognised by the Kingdom.
Castiglha addressed the action concerning the events, saying to his fellow-citizens: "Regardless of their grievances, they have acted illegally in their attempt to recreate Talossa in their own image. They have deserted you by taking what is yours, and claiming it is still yours only if you join with them. They have ignored you by leaving you out of their plans," he told the Talossan people. "The best and only way to resolve personal issues is to exert self-control. The best and only way to resolve legal issues is by using the instrument that we ourselves have created: the Organic Law. To achieve results by any other means cheapens the experience of being Talossan."
Despite the loss of so many prominent citizens, the election proceeded, as over 75% of the population stayed loyal to the Organic Law and the lawfully constituted government. Castiglhâ's party won 122 of the 200 seats in the Cosâ. Most of the remaining seats, having been accounted to the PC due to votes cast before the exodus, were vacant.
Personally burned out by the whole experience, Castiglhâ chose to leave office three days after the election, and Regent Cantaloûr asked Gary Cone to form the next government.
After some hesitation, Castiglhâ, a patriotic public servant searching for ways to make Talossa fun again, founded the New Vacillation Party and returned to the Cosâ.
Crisis of 2005
As Robert I's hatred of the expatriates grew, its effect on the Kingdom were unavoidable, and a new opposition to the King grew. Seeing that the King's power must be checked but the monarchy preserved, Castiglha then affiliated himself with the Conservative Loyalist Party of Fritz von Buchholtz.
As the CLP grew in membership, threatening to topple the King's Black Hand party in the elections to the 34th Cosa, the King's accusations of artificial inflation of the voting rolls by von Buchholtz in his role as Immigration Minister were reminiscent of the adversarial climate of suspicion and hatred that had led to the 2004 crisis. Seeing these similarities, Castiglha, with other CLP leaders, decided to stand up to the King and fight against his abuses of power, eventually causing Robert I to declare his abdication and renunciation on 16 August 2012.
Later Service
To recognise his resistance to tyranny, he was awarded the Order of the Cincinnatus. He was created a baron on 23 November 2006 by the regent for King Louis.
He has continued to serve Talossa in the Ziu and as a Justice of the Uppermost Court.
Personal Life
A resident of Chanute, Kansas, USA, Castiglha is an instrumental music instructor at area secondary schools. He is father to two young male dandelions, Agoschtin and Marsal.
Offices
| Preceded by Gödafrïeu Válcadác'h |
Seneschal January 1st, 2004/XXV - June 17th, 2004/XXV |
Succeeded by Gary Cone |