Chaucerin

Chaucerin

Flag of Chaucerin
Motto: "Oh, Just Relax..."
[[1]]
Region	Equilism
Capital	Old Hauxland
Official Language(s)	English, Farsi, Spanish, Hindi
Leader	Director General Peotyr Armagast
Population	> 3 billion
Currency	Equiliant
NS Sunset XML

The United Combines of Chaucerin (the UCC, or The Combines) is a large island nation located in the region of Equilism. Chaucerin is located near the southern terminus of the Equilism Strait. The UCC is spread across two islands, the smaller island of Hauxland and The Chaucery Island. The nation is home to a large and diverse population that has preserved a continuous government for the last 1200 years. The nation's government is federal and is divided across four state units known as Combines. The UCC has a robust economy and an eclectic mix of traditional and more progressive beliefs. The Combines are world-renown for their military and civilian naval traditions.

Note: When referred to as ‘The Combines’ the name of the nation is still conjugated as a singular noun. As such, the grammatically incorrect ‘The Combines is…” will be considered proper, albeit colloquial usage.

Present Government

The current government of the UCC is a center-right coalition led by Director General Peotyr Armagast. Made up of three parties, the coalition is a fusion of the libertarian Civil Congress Party, the business-oriented Prosperity Alliance and Armagast’s own Conservative Progress League. Of the three, the CPL is the most moderate, with the CCP Alliance making up a moderate right block devoted to small government and robust private markets. Entering his third term as Director General, Armagast previously had a two party coalition with the Liberal League of Chaucerin after having a rare majority government that undid the venerable, centrist Combine Whigs at the start of his first term.

The most recent election saw the Liberal League placed in Leap Opposition status, but unable to form a majority coalition with the eight, smaller, center-left parties. The campaign was centered on renewal of the Combine Military, International Security in the face of recent terror attacks and the condition of the then sluggish Chaucery economy.

Armagast is the first modern Director General to be a native of the Red Coast Combine and its first Muslim Chief Executive. With Chaucerin having 36% of its population self-described Muslims, this was seen as a particularly important victory. It should be noted that while Armagast was raised in the moderate Muslim community of Alanneer, and still identifies himself as Muslim, he does not actively practice the faith. During the most recent campaign, this lead to allegations of pandering to the Chaucerin’s Muslim community.

Currently, Armagast has an approval rating in the mid-sixties and electoral polls show that the CPL might be in a position to win a majority of its own should an election be called. Rumors swell that the Director General is trying to find a popular issue for presentation to the legislature that might alienate the smallest component of his coalition, The Prosperity Alliance.

Government Structure

The present form of the Combines government derives from an older, constitutional monarchy that was undone by an act of the Combine Parliament in 1544. At this time, the nation was divided into four Combines. These are;

1. The Chaucery Combine
2. The Hauxland Combine
3. The Red Coast Combine
4. The Umberin Combine (also called Umberland)

The tri-cameral legislature, called the Citadel is made up three Great Halls of government.

1.The Citadel

i. Walker’s Hall

Originally, a hall into which common citizens entered via a stone walkway to make motions or pleas before an assembled tribunal responsible bringing ‘common’ business before the rest of the Citadel. In the New Citadel Act of 1760, this house was amended to take in the local representatives of the various districts within each Combine.

ii. Parliament Hall

The primary legislative body of the Citadel, the Parliament holds the elected representatives and acts as the main national assembly of the Combines. The head of state, the Director-General is drawn from the Parliament, mirroring common Parliamentary procedure. The Director-General leads the party with the most seats and forms a government made up of elected members from the same body.

iii. Consular Hall

A holdover of the age of the monarchy, this body is an advisory group made up of the appointed Consuls who once oversaw the governance of the nations original 521 counties. The Consuls have no power to originate or undo legislation, but can return it to the Parliament with a 3⁄4 vote. Any decision of the Consular Hall can be overturned by a 2/3 vote of the Parliament.

The Parliament and the Consular Halls are referred to jointly as the Combinate Assembly.

2. The Executive

While drawn from the elected Parliament, the Director General and the Cabinet also make up the Executive Wing of the government of the Combines.

The idea of a separate Executive that is also the head of the elected legislature is a novel one. The guiding philosophy is that while representative government is the desirable normal means of running the country, it is sometimes necessary and more practical for the government to be able to act swiftly and with a minimum of debate.

In the Combines, this authority takes the form of Executive Directives. In times of crisis, war or great consternation, the Executive can pass a Directive to temporarily lay an issue to rest. These Directives are of limited duration, generally no more than six months, and require a vote of the full Combinate Assembly to be continued. In modern times, Executive Directives have been limited to acts of peace-keeping, crisis management or other forms of emergency action. In previous times, most notably in the Executive Directive on the Status of the Church of Rome (ED 1802-14) the controversy brought down a government.

The Executive, when applied in its separated form also has the sole authority to appoint federal judges, Justices of the Combine Court and direct the action of the Combine Armed Forces. As the Executive is populated by members of the elected Parliament, there are no set terms or limits on tenure.

The current Director-General is Peotyr Armagast

3. The City-States, The Rise of Nations, The Monarchy and the Empire of Chaucerin

1. The City States (?-c.195)

The old nations of Chaucerin, Hauxland, Umberland and The Red Coast were once composed of independent city-states that allied and made war as their needs dictated. During this period, the area now known as The Red Coast was the region of the greatest concentration of power owing to its extremely fertile fisheries and active trade with the nations of the mainland.

In time, this emphasis of power shifted as fortune favored other regions through shifting populations, advancements in agriculture and the early use of writing and math in the city-state of Haux (called Hox, Hockslynn, Hauxlinnd and finally the modern Hauxland).

The age of the city-states was largely the story of ancient Hauxland. As the city grew in wealth and power it became the focal point of an entire continent. Alliance rose and fell, but the one remaining element was the power of Haux. ]

The end of the age of city-states was heralded in 15 BCE when the rulers of Haux took and held their first ‘colony’ on the mainland, namely the city of Chauxer. For the next two hundred years, the power of Haux was extended across the coast until the list of client cities grew to about two dozen cities and towns. In order to maintain revenues and security, Haux issued a series of orders to organize tithes, taxes and the organization of garrisons – in all but name Haux had ceased to be a city-state and became a nation.

In the years around 195 CE the Haux cities were the victim of numerous raids by the collected fleets of raiders from the Red Coast. In order to mobilize the assets to combat this menace, the rulers of Hauxland centralized all their authority into the person of their first King, Haushmarrydd I. Haushmarrydd named himself not the king of Haux, but the king of all the “Haux Lands” – with this pronouncement, Hauxland was born into nationhood.

Gameplay

Early Career

Chaucerin was recruited to Equilism in June of 2004 quite literally within a few moments of leaving Nation States behind. Never having been introduced to play in a forum-based region and having become bored with the Nation States game, what was meant to be a final log in resulted in replying to a recruitment telegram to join Equilism. Within weeks had been elected to the Senate and was later appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs when Neboe became Prime Minister upon the resignation of Retepland.

Almost immediately, Chaucerin became a fixture in the Open Debate Board where a background in philosophy and logic has served him well (see below, eventually).

When the Judiciary was formed in the next term, Chaucerin was appointed as the first Chief Justice of the Court of Equilism, a position he served in intermittently. At the beginning of the sixth Cabinet (December 2004), Chaucerin resigned both the position as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chief Justice as a result of RL demands. Later that term, Chaucerin returned to government for a second term in the Equilism Senate.

Prime Minister

In February of 2005, Chaucerin offered himself as a candidate for Prime Minister, eventually unseating the incumbent Zapvilla by a wide margin. Chaucerin was also re-elected to the Senate (his third such election) but obviously declined to serve. During this term, Chaucerin worked closely with Equilism President Nooterland and helped create the basis for the Better Equilism Council, an initiative to help renew the region. Chaucerin has frequently cited the generous and strong partnership with Nooterland as a basis for his later electoral success.

At the end of this term, President Nooterland announced that he would not be seeking re-election. Chaucerin presented himself as a candidate for the Presidency in June of 2005.

President of Equilism

Chaucerin entered the Presidency in June of 2005 with a resounding victory of almost 3 to 1 over his opponent, Koona. In an unusual move, Koona had formed an electoral ticket with his running mate, Moo-Cows with Guns vying for the position of Prime Minister. Despite Koona’s wide-margin loss, Moo-Cows with Guns had won an impressive plurality in a crowded race, and became Prime Minister despite the defeat of his running mate. This was Koona’s second consecutive loss in a Presidential run, and it has been speculated that it fueled his rapid withdrawal from Equilism and later, all of Nation States.

Chaucerin and Moo-Cows with Guns would go on to serve two terms together as President and Prime Minister, with Chaucerin them becoming an open supporter of his Prime Minister’s bid for President. In their second term, both ran unopposed an received overwhelming mandates in their confirmation votes (100% for Chaucerin and 96% for Moo-Cows with Guns).

Succession Crisis

At the end of his second term, President Chaucerin announced that he would not run for a third term and had no plans to return to the Chief Executive at all. In a sometimes hotly contested contest, Moo-Cows with Guns succeeded Chaucerin after the withdrawal of Equilism co-founder Westwind from the race. Equilism veteran Grothistan won a narrow plurality to become Prime Minister. Despite some pointed controversy and disagreement within the region, the new Chief Executive seemed headed for a term filled with momentum. Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Grothistan resigned on January 1st 2006 citing RL concerns. Within a few days, Grothistan had not only vacated the office of Prime Minister, but removed his nation from Equilism and left Nation States entirely. Seventeen days later, President Moo-Cows with Guns also resigned under the weight of RL issues marking the first Presidential resignation and the first resignation of the entire Chief Executive. Upon the departure of Grothistan, Vice-President Tse Moana became Prime Minister and Chaucerin was named to replace her in the line of succession. Upon the resignation of the Moo-Cows with Guns, Chaucerin had again become President. This shortened term would be his third, and the first time that an unelected President led Equilism.

Final Term

Chaucerin and Tse Moana were both re-elected in the following term, but with very narrow mandates. Chaucerin faced a strong challenge in the form of Astarial who was herself surprised by the support that she garnered. Chaucerin noted at the time that he might have simply been in office for too long, and fatigue with his Presidency was setting in. He recognized that his three-vote victory indicated that his mandate was limited, and promised to govern accordingly. Tse Moana actually won a Cabinet vote to resolve a tie in the general election between herself and EqualistCommunist.

Unconditional Retirement

At the end of his fourth term, Chaucerin informed the region that he would not seek another term as President and that he would never again present himself as a candidate for election in any role. In the time that has passed since then, Chaucerin has returned to the position of Chief Justice, and has been twice appointed as a Cabinet Advisor for Foreign Affairs. In his first term in this advisory post, a special negotiation secured formal regulation of ties between Equilism and The Pacific.

Chaucerin’s time in the Chief Executive is the longest served by any member of Equilism, and his tenure as the region’s UN Delegate was similarly the longest, lasting for three of his five Chief Executive terms.

Upon his retirement from the Presidency, Chaucerin was awarded the Equilism Medal of Honor, the region’s highest award.