Induced Capitalism
| |
| Flag of Induced Capitalism | |
| Motto: "A Meal For A Few Simple Coins" | |
| No Map Available | |
| Region | 18 Beech Grove |
|---|---|
| Capital | Lemona |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | Viceroy Thomas |
| Population | < 1 billion |
| Currency | The Pfennig |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Confederacy of Induced Capitalism is the economic heartland in the 18 Beech Grove region. It is found in the Western area of the region near the mythical Islands of Kloomp which are frequently used in scare stories when the nation's young fall out of line.
Induced Capitalism is a former colony of the Federation of Wharf Springs. It is now an independent nation with a sovereign government which totally denies its colonial history in an attempt to shake off any left-wing propoganda remaining from the dark years of the colony. However its traditionalist culture has allowed it to retain the position of Viceroy who heads the limited government that remains since the nations independance.
The nation is currently noted for its limited interference in the life of the individual on almost all aspects of life, promoting a strong pro-business culture whilst strangely encouraging environmental ways of life, tying in with its sustained and heavy investment in public transport which has followed its economic doctrine of Grahamonomics
Contents
History
Induced Capitalism is a relatively new nation in comparison to its neighbours in the region, having only been granted its independence from the Federation of Wharf Springs within the last 100 years. Previous to this it was the largest colony in the Federation after being annexed in a vast expansion 950 years ago. This colonisation was accepted by the small population and even welcomed as a protecting wing from a potential kloomp threat, emminating from the nearby Kloomp Islands.
Since then the region was found to be rich in mineral wealth, particuarly Uranium, and developed a significant economic sector around this. However, this was greatly limited by the federal government of Wharf Springs which clamped down hard on this private enterprise with huge tax hikes on business and private property. With other colonies seemingly accepting these left-wing polices, the population of Induced Capitalism became increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with the Federation which they had once welcomed with open arms.
This frustration came to a head following the passing of the Colonial Obedience Act, passed by the Federation's House of Dudes in §103 in which all colonial citizens must swear allegance to the Federation, wearing only underpants in the style of the Federation flag and a sweaty Arsenal shirt. This was deemed unacceptable by the population who immediately demanded independence from the Federation, sneakily using the strong form of 'referendum government' to force this through as law. As a consequence, the State of Induced Capitalism seceded along with several other colonies in the Federation in a time known as the "Lemon Divorce". (This has never been officially acknowledged by the Induced Capitalism government who stress that the nation was never under any left-wing sphere of influence and deny that any such things exist)
Following the "Lemon Divorce", the nation has undergone political and economic upheaval several times over until §168 when the nation produced the Capitalist Constitution in order to stabilise the country. This constitution still stands in force to this date and is strictly protected but the populist government.
The Constitution
The §168 Constitution of Induced Capitalism was drawn up by the philosophers and business leaders deemed to be in charge by the population in these turbulent political times. The economy had been showing sustained economic growth at just over 27% for over a decade now, but the political instability threatened to damage this growth as well as the good will of the nation who were tired of this continual change of government, demanding to know their political and civil rights and that they be enshrined in national law. The demand also included the wish to have a national law and a judiciary to enforce it.
The Constitution was passed quickly, much to the dismay of the remaining left wingers in the country, who subsequently left due to the pro-capitalist style of the Constitution. It firstly set about stating the civil rights of the individual, giving them extensive rights to property, freedom of movement and protest which made the Constitution comparable to the Bill of Rights in the USA. Political rights were also strongly emphasised in the Constitution, giving the population a regular vote on two levels which are:
The Viceroy
The Viceroy is the Head of State in Induced Capitalism as well as being the Head of Government, which gives them the greatest power of the government as a whole. However, they are still heavily restricted in social policy which is protected by the Constitution in terms of civil rights and so governement legislation is almost entirely made up of limited codes of conduct for business with power only enforcable in the name of competition and fair trade, which is enforced regularly and strongly. The Viceroy also has a Cabinet, which is consulted on policy decisions and vice versa although the Viceroy has ultimate authority unless 70% of the cabinet rebels, in which case it goes to the people in referendum. The Viceroy is directly elected by the electorate using the Single Transferable Vote system. These elections take place every 6 years and each Viceroy is unlimited in the number of times they can run for election although there is an age limit of 70 years at which point a Viceroy must stand down.
The House of Peasants
The House of Peasants is the legislative wing of the government and its memebers are directly elected by the electorate who vote for them using the Additional Member System. Numbers of members vary from election to election in order to present an absolutely representative parliament. The role of the legislature is somewhat confused; it has the ability to propose legislation to government as private members bills, and indeed has some power over the executive in its ability to bog down and amend legislation which must be ratified by the House on all matters.
The House of Wealth
The House of Wealth is essentially the direct connection between legislative and executive. The members of this House are directly elected via a majoritarian electoral system. However, this House is entirely responsible for the economic and business problems of the nation and as such is elected only by heads of businesses who all have 1 vote, irrespective of the size of the business they represent. The House of Wealth, once elected, then internally appoints a cabinet for the Viceroy which is irrespective of party and must represent party support in the House itself (+/- 5% of the exact vote in the House). As economic legislation makes up the vast majority of government legislation, a significant representation of business in the form of the House of Wealth was seen as necessary.
The Constitution almost entirely federalises the country, granting the majority of social and economic powers to local councils, although central government has total authority on matters of competition, monopoly, and fair trade. Therefore, central government usually attempts to advise local government rather than legislate against it. Because of their power, local government also enjoys regular and fair elections, once again usinng the Single Transferable vote system.
The Judiciary, under the Constitution are also directly elected and must be independent of party of government to ensure an effective separation of powers. They enforce what little civil law exists and so mainly protect the citizens from business fraud and deception providing a check on the actions of the business world.
