Allied Bovine States

The Commonwealth of Allied Bovine States

Flag of Allied Bovine States
Motto: We don't need no stinking motto
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Region	Technopolis
Capital	Goodwingrad
Official Language(s)	English
Leader	His Most Serene Highness Archie Goodwin IV Imperial Royal
Population	8,000,000
Currency	Aurii
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The humble island nation of the Commonwealth of Allied Bovine States has, once or twice in the past, flirted with relevance on the global stage under particularly charismatic leaders, but has a tendency to fade into the background of geopolitics more often than not, plagued by internal rivalries and a general "why the hell should we care?" attitude that goes beyond apathy in a lot of cases. Its first encounter was in the unification wars, where a young man named Laffin the Great struggled to unify the divided lands of the island under one banner - his banner, of course - a forge a stronger, more important nation as a result. He died during the wars that followed but his successor, Archie Goodwin the First, finally managed to unite the people in his name, under the title of the Republic of Laffin the Great (which was more of an Empire, as evidenced by Archie's assumed title - Emperor for Life). The Republic faded shortly after it formed, as Archie Goodwin I died (some say he was poisoned, but most folks dismiss those "some" as crackpot conspiracy theorists who wouldn't know a real assassination attempt if it jumped up and bit them on the behind) and the component province reverted to their own ways.

Recently, the great-grandson of Archie Goodwin I (Archie Goodwin IV - as it turns out the Goodwin family, though charismatic and true leadership material are not imaginative when it comes to names) has returned to power, uniting the people of the island a second time - this time not by force but by political cunning (he held a referendum across the island on the matter but only told his supporters the actual vote would take place the day before it had been initially advertised) - and pledged to bring his nation at least into the 20th century by the time his term is done (which, as it turns out, will be his death according to the terms of the referendum). He has already made headway on this matter, upgrading his bovine cavalry from bulls to a new armoured vehicle called the "Mechanical Bull".

Summary of Governmental Organization

The new government of the Commonwealth is bicarmeral in nature, with two distinct houses. Some (notably all of the House of Ministers excluding the Prime Minister, the Regional Low Ministers, the Provincial Reeves and the Lord of the Commonwealth) are elected, while others (the rest) are appointed by the Imperial Royal his self.

The Imperial Royal (currently his Most Serene Highness Archie Goodwin IV) is the seat of power, and is appointed for life in a special election upon the death of the last one. His power is as infinite as his wisdom and imagination, and he oversees all aspects of life in the Commonwealth. He is served by two advisers whom he chooses to elevate from among the masses, each whom heads up one of the two houses of government - the house of lords and the house of ministers.

House of Ministers

The house of ministers is overseen by the Prime Minister (currently Minister-Lord Andrew Walsh - a rather sober and thoughtful fellow to the Imperial Royal's brash exuberance) and serve to represent the populace. Each of the five regions elects four ministers to the house (four of whom become Portfolio Ministers - the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of the Exterior, the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Natural Resources - as appointed by the Prime Minister, while the remainder sit in the house as Unattached Ministers). The House of Ministers serves as the gateway for new laws - citizens approach one of their four representatives with proposals, the unattached ministers then approach portfolio minister to propose a law in the House (portfolio ministers can bring their own proposals directly into the House - a perk of being one) and is then presented before the House. After reading and debate (which must include one minister speaking against the law - if no minister comes out against the proposal than the Prime Minister must appoint an advocate to attack the proposal) last no less than three hours two ministers may move that the proposal be voted on. All ministers must vote (there is no option to abstain, although portfolio ministers may give their vote to the prime minister if they and the prime minister agree that there is a conflict of interest between the region that elected them and their portfolio). If the vote is successful then the proposal is passed to the House of Lords for debate.

Portfolio Ministers have additional responsibilities in addition to their generic duties as a minister:

The Minister of the Interior is responsible for overseeing the lower levels of government. Each of the five regions elects a Low Minister who answer directly to the Minister of the Interior and work for the benefit of all regions. Each of the provinces (components of the regions) also elect reeves, who serve the appropriate low minister in the same way. In this way all regions are represented in the House of Ministers through the Minister of the Interior.

The Minister of the Exterior is responsible for international affairs, the establishment of embassies and matters of espionage.

The Minister of Industry is responsible for anything dealing with the industry. He is served by several advisers - focusing on agriculture, human resources, labour, and research and development.

The Minister of Natural Resources is responsible for maintaining and developing the natural wealth of the Commonwealth. Like the minister of industry he is served by advisers - one of whom deals with the environment at large, and one of whom deals specifically with fisheries and ocean resources. The agricultural aid to the Industry Minister is also at his disposal.

House of Lords

Also known as the Privy Council (although this term specifically applies to certain lords within the house) the House of Lords are a body almost completely appointed by the Imperial Royal (the exception being the Lord of the Commonwealth, who is elected by the House of Ministers). Overseen by the Lord of the Privy Council, the House of Lords is structured like the House of Ministers, and has much the same rules - however they may not propose new laws, only debate and enact or reject those that arrive from the House of Ministers. There are four posts within the House of Lords (who make up the true privy council) who are appointed to their role by the Lord of the Privy Council. These roles and their duties are:

The Lord of War oversees the military, and has three aides (one for each service) to assist him at all times. He is also responsible for national defense, and ensuring the nation is more or less up to date with current military technology. Needless to say, given the Commonwealth's lack of military power, the Lord of Role is often seen as a 'free bird' or 'romper' position with little responsibility attached to it.

The Lord of Justice is responsible for law and order throughout the land. He has three assistants - one for each branch of justice (policing, the prosecution and the judiciary) who serve him.

The Lord of the Exchequer's Office is responsible for the fiscal solvency of the nation. He is immensely popular among both of the Houses as he signs everybody's cheque.

The Lord of the Commonwealth is the one non-appointed Lord in the House of Lords, and is chosen instead by the House of Minsters. He is responsible for the well being of the populace, and oversees public works, immigration, and health and safety. Although a lone voice in the house, his word carries immense weight there, as he is thought of as a representative of the will of the people.

Current Portfolio Ministers, Privy Council Members and Other Important People

His Most Serene Highness Archie Goodwin IV, Imperial Royal of the Commonwealth

Archie Goodwin the Fourth is something of an enigma. Although he is popular among the people, he came to power through rather subtle (and potentially illegal) means rather than the standard election/kill all opposition tactic. Although he can seem rather 'off-his-rocker' much of the time, we are told his foolish exterior is just a thin veneer that hide his sheer political genius. What is known is this - he is a strong leader who is now, for better or for worse, blessed with near limitless power within the Commonwealth. That, and he's not afraid to use said power to his own ends (fortunately, he's quite serenely happy most of the time).

Minister Lord Andrew Walsh, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth

Andrew is very much the straight-man to a lot of Archie's nonsense. He is quiet, reserved and thoughtful, and although he kowtows to the Imperial Royal in most matters, he has been known to dig in his feet from time to time. How Archie came to select Andrew as his prime minister is unknown - the two never knew each other before Archie's rise to power, and certainly do not seem like the type of people that would appeal to each other. Still, his presence is a frightening for for competency among an otherwise laughable inner circle. If there is a job to be done, Andrew will do it. If there is some fact or piece of knowledge to be know, be assured that Andrew knows it. And when it comes to reigning in his boss - well, he's pretty good at that too.

Lord Minister Saul Panzar, Lord of the Privy Council

If Andrew Walsh is the strength of the commonwealth, then Saul Panzar is the weakness. Rarely encountered, Saul Panzar's job requires him to do very little besides appoint his friends to sit on the Privy Council. Although this is changing some under the rule of A. Goodwin IV, he still treats it as the high paid, no work position it used to be - much to the aggravation of those interested in a working government.

Minister Lily Rowan, Minister of the Interior

Minister Fred Durkin, Minister of the Exterior

Minister Orrie Cather, Minister of Industry

Minister Fergus Kramer, Minister of Natural Resources

Lord Fritz Brenner, Lord of War

Lady Pearl Stebbins, Lady of Justice

Lord Theodore Horstman, Lord of the Exchequer's Office

Lady Carla Lovchen, Lady of the Commonwealth

Regions & Capitals

Braco

Braco is, in many ways, the most advanced of regions of the Allied Bovine States - owing much to the modernizing influence of HMSH Archie Goodwin IV, who has ruled this region since his father's death eight years ago (his family continued to rule the region even after the breakup of the Republic). Goodwin IV has sought to bring the region into the modern era and make it a force on the global stage - which meant a widespread abandonment of agriculture in favour of more modern industries. Braco is the centre for research and development in the nation, and features the lone institution of higher learning not dedicated to agriculture or veterinary sciences.

Goodwingrad

Goodwingrad is the capital of both Braco and the Allied Bovine States at large. Goodwingrad is renown for the ample width of its roads and the cleanliness of its lands (Archie Goodwin I was known to remark that if he ever had a city named after him, it would have usable roads and clean lands after visiting a similarly "named after our leader" city somewhere else in the world and being nearly driven off the side of one of its poorly designed roadways). It is also the seat of government (the House of Ministers, the House of Lords and the Palace of the Imperial Royal are located there) and home of the College of the New Allies (known somewhat lovingly as CONA) where all manner of science and technology are studied.

Goowingrad also houses the main business headquarters of the Stadt Engineering Company, who recently relocated their operations to the Commonwealth after being offered major tax breaks in exchange for working with the government. Stadt is currently producing the first line of "Mechanical Bull" APC's (also known as MB-001 APC's) which are expected to be received by the army soon.

Ossobuco

Jersey City

Abado

Ayrshire

Lagarto

Kurgan

Coxao

Zebu