SENATE SPEAKER: Gentlemen! Gentlemen! These deliberations do you great credit! The range and depth of your wisdom is, in fact, quite overwhelming to a humble person such as myself. By all means, continue with these stirring speeches. But I would, if I may, point out one or two mundane procedural matters.

In this session, you have two great tasks. The first is to elect the First Consul who will lead Rome through the current crisis and for the next five years. As yet, we have three candidates - econ21, DDW and flydude - although their precise identities will only be revealed on Tuesday 6pm UK time. In due course, they will present manifestoes posted here, on the Senate floor. These manifestoes will draw - no doubt - on the wisdom revealed through your deliberations. At that time, I would advise you to take the opportunity provided by this floor to question them and demand satisfaction on the matters that most concern you. Based on their responses, you may then make an informed decision when you cast your vote.

The other great task is less straightforward. You have in you the power to pass motions that will bind the First Consul to whatever acts you direct. Now, granted when in office, he may seek to escape whatever binds you place upon him. But if so, there may be reckoning when he returns here in his third year to account for his progress. On this issue of motions, I have three points to make.

The first is cautionary. Do you need to bind our leader? To deprive him of his freedom to react to events? Think carefully on this. Your speeches may guide him. But your motions will constrain him.

The second point concerns the subject of such motions. We can broadly distinguish three key areas: diplomatic; economic; and military. On diplomacy, the First Consul must come to the Senate first to seek approval for declarations of war, ceasefires and alliances (trade rights he may seek as he wishes). It may be a benefit to our diplomats if you give advance authorisation to specific diplomatic actions, so the ground can be prepared well in advance. On the economy, it may be useful to set broad priorities - what does the Republic need: more troops or more investment in our trade, ports and road? On military motions, we may propose campaigns in specific sectors.

My third and final point is purely procedural. Your words are so powerful that I fear on occasion, they may overwhelm me. May I request that you present motions in writing, using the following format:

MOTION: This house proposes X,Y and Z

Following the format of this script - the emboldening, the italics etc - will greatly assist the scribes in arranging the relevant votes. Keeping the motions simple - ideally one sentence long - will assist them in drawing up composite motions and amalgamating related proposals.

From the debate so far, I can identify two motions that have been explicitly seconded:

MOTION 1: This house proposes that Quintus be given command of an army to unite southern Italy, by destroying Pyrrhus's army and then assuming control of the towns in the south.
Proposer: Tiberius
Seconders: Glaucus, DDW

MOTION 2: This house proposes raising a Third Legion.
Proposer: Tiberius
Seconder: Dutch_guy

I apologise if my scribes have reduce the beauty and subtlety of your fine words into such simple motions. If their form of words is unacceptable, proposers may withdraw the motions and substitute more carefully drafted ones.

The heated debates on wider issues than these two motions may in due course be distilled into further motions. There is no urgency in presenting such motions. Let the free debate continue in the hope of reaching consensus. The final deadline for motions to be floored is Wednesday 6pm UK time. And again remember - much of your wise advice may best be presented as guidance for our First Consul, rather than binding motions.