Difference between revisions of "Kelssek"

Revision as of 07:06, 27 March 2005

Kelssek

Flag
Flag of Kelssek
Motto: Omnis Invito Libertas
Map
Region	The East Pacific
Capital	Neorvins
Official Language(s)	English, French (both official)
Leader	President Joseph Sutter
Population	2 billion
Currency	Dollar
NS Sunset XML

Kelssek is a large country located in the East Pacific. It is a centralised federation of 9 provinces and 3 territories, governed as a republic. Although the formal name was previously Federation of Kelssek, the words "Federation of" have been dropped from the offical name, though use of "Federation", for example, in names of naval vessels, continues.

The capital of Kelssek is Neorvins (metro population 14,824,056), home to the nation's Parliament and the Presidential Palace. Kelssek is a member of the International Fair Trade Agreement and the Commonwealth of Nations.

History

Originally, Kelssek was the Kingdom of Guedia, formed by an amalgamation of existing local governments, whose leaders formed the nobility. The first King, Kenneth I, was crowned in 1522, and his descendants ruled the kingdom in relative peace until the popular revolt of 1887. The government of Guedia was based on feudalism, with a transition to an industrialised society having been more or less completed by 1850.

The Federation was established in 1889 after the overthrow of the Guedian Kingdom. The three principalities of Conroy, Beaulac and Noua Cymru formed a federation where the three princes, sons of the deposed king, would take turns at being federal head of state, ruling over the transition to democracy in 1896, with democratic elections for the House of Commons, although the nobility retained control of the Congress of Lords until 1968 following widespread civil unrest sparked by a pro-democracy movement and by alleged price gouging following utility deregulation, forcing amendment to the Legislative Act.

Kelssek today is relatively peaceful, and known for its lack of drug laws, the high value it places on environmental protection and civil rights, and its generally liberal and socialist policies - it is one of the world's top 5% most liberal nations. It has, however, been plagued by internal terrorism caused by a fundamentalist anti-abortion group calling itself Sanctity of Life. The group was destroyed in a military operation in 2004, although rumours of survivors plotting attacks persist.

Kelssek suffered from its minor involvement in the 2004 war between Packilvania and Infinite Loop. After Packilvania's attack on Adama Station, Packilvania was ordered to deactivate their embassy hive node. After several days of stalled negoiations, a deadline was set, which passed on 18 October. Military units were ordered to destroy the embassy. In retaliation, Packilvania fired a neutron missile at the downtown core of Mazinaw, the 5th-largest city, killing about 20,000 people. The situation caused widespread anti-Packilvania rioting, including racist attacks against Packilvanians and eventually was brought under control a week later after 166 people had been killed in rioting nationwide, mostly victims of hate crimes - the worst period of civil violence since the 1968 riots.

The situation was resolved at a peace summit hosted by the Free Pacific States, however previously friendly relations with Packilvania were broken off and many Kelssekians retain extreme anti-Packilvania feelings from what they see as a massive overreaction and a sign of a fundamental inablility of Packilvania to exist at peace, though some nationalists prefer to think of it as a purely unprovoked atrocity.

Economy

As an affluent, high-tech, socialist society, Kelssek has a good economy which has led to a high standard of living for its residents. An extensive social welfare system keeps poverty levels low. The government also operates a national health insurance program.

Kelssek's economy is reliant on its natural resources, although in recent years there has been a large shift to tourism and service industries. Kelssek is noted for its strong environmental laws and its strict enforcement of workplace and product safety laws. Although it operates a capitalistic economy, all utility, energy, transport (excluding airlines) and primary industry companies are either nationalised or strictly regulated.

Taxation

Most of the government revenue comes from taxes on recreational drugs, which are fully legalised, corporate income, gambling, and capital gains. Income taxes are kept at around 30% for middle-income and low-income earners, while the high-income earners pay around 40%.

Even before its entry into the IFTA, Kelssek's corporate taxation system had kept out many multinational corporations. Although there is no tax on incoming foreign direct investment, taking out funds can result in a tax on the outgoing money of 15% to 40%. All corporations are taxed based on their declared profit. Profit-making companies have 10% of their profit exempted from tax, and the rest is taxed progressively. The first $10 million of profit is taxed at 10%, the next $10 million at 20%, and so on. Over $100 million is taxed at a rate of 90% - this is referred to as the "profit limit".

Critics of the corporate taxation system say it removes much of the incentive for corporations, especially local ones, to perform well, hurting the economy in the long run, while supporters claim that by removing the motive for excess profit, companies willingly take profit hits by cutting prices and increasing wages, research, development, investments, and product quality, helping the economy and community more, while the additional tax revenue allows the government to expand its programs and increase funding for critical areas such as education, infrastructure, and public safety.

Trade

Kelssek opened trade links after signing the IFTA in September 2004. Kelssek exports airframes, agricultural produce, motor vehicles, household appliances and electronics and several of its natural resources such as refined metal ores. Kelssek's primary trading partner is its northern neighbour Nouveau Bretagne.

Kelssek is also known for its liquor exports, especially Wenerderian wines and beer. Extensive microbrewery operations can be found in the Kirkenes metropolitan area (known as "Kelssek's financial and beer capital" for the profileration of both financial institutions and breweries), and the Kirkenes Microbreweries Union helps its members bargain collectively with retailers and exporters.

Geography and Climate

Kelssek's coastal situation moderates temperatures, although it can be very cold in the mountainous interior. The capital Neorvins, on the coast, sees winter temperatures averaging at -2ºC, while Arlingsdale, at 1243m elevation in the interior, has average winter temperatures of -14ºC. The southernmost province of Weneredere has the most fertile soils in the country and the mildest climate, and thus accounts for 65% of the entire agricultural sector. Fertile grasslands also exist in the provinces of Konoha and Haligonia.

Kelssek's tourism industry benefits from its abundance of natural beauty, which has historically been fiercely protected by environmental laws. Wenerdere in particular attracts visitors to the Crystal Mountains and the Rocky Coast, and national forest reserves in many parts of the country exist.

People and Culture

Kelssek has always had a very socially liberal society. This is probably traceable to its coastal situation, which has allowed a great deal of immigration and cultural exchange to take place since the time of the Guedian Kingdom. Immigrants are generally welcomed as adding to the rich diversity and flavour of Kelssek's culture.

Kelssekians as a rule observe religion but are not very devout, and value reasoned debate over faith, and almost one fifth of the population profess no religion leading some religious leaders to criticise this as a lack of a moral foundation. Religion, or lack thereof, is a very sensitive topic due to what many Kelssekians see as an effort by internal and external religious extremists to impose their values on Kelssek's society.

Language

Although there is a sizable French-speaking minority, English is the common language for communication between the different language groups in Kelssek. Much of the cultural divide between Anglo- and Francophones has been eroded over time, although some cultural tensions do spring up from time to time. Besides English and French, significant immigrant populations speaking many different languages reside in Kelssek. Notable language groups include Hindi, Arabic and Chinese.

Sports

Hockey is Kelssek's unofficial national sport and enjoys almost universal popularity, while rugby is also popular throughout the nation, though to a lesser degree. Soccer, tennis, lacrosse, curling and wintersports in general are also popular. There is also a very lively extreme sports scene, especially skateboarding.

The major professional sports leagues include the Kelssek Hockey League for ice hockey, the Kelssek Superleague for rugby union, and the Kelssek Football League for soccer. Professional leagues also exist for lacrosse, swimming, curling, and downhill skiing.

Kelssek's rugby and hockey teams have both had some success at the international level, with the rugby team having reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup. Kelssek is also strong in swimming and in winter sports.

Government

Kelssek is a federation under a system of parliamentary democracy. The head of state is the President and the head of the government is the Prime Minister.

Federal Government

Kelssek's Parliament is biamercal, with 7,014 members forming the lower House of Commons and 150 members, 25 for each province and the Neorvins Federal Territory, forming the upper Congress of Lords. The Congress of Lords is able to veto legislation passed by the House and has the authority to investigate and hear legal cases involving government officials, but cannot debate or introduce legislation.

Elections for both houses are held coincidentally at least once every four years. The leader of the party which has the most seats in the House of Commons becomes the Prime Minister and is the head of government. He then selects his cabinet from members of his own party who hold a seat in either house of Parliament.

Kelssek's leader is Prime Minister Alan Kerk, who was elected in September 2004 as leader of the Green Party, which won the first majority government in 44 years after a voter backlash over an extradition dispute caused the Liberal Party to lose much support and caused almost a third of its members to defect to the Green Party in protest. Previously, the Liberals had formed the government in coalition with the Greens.

The President

Elections for the President are held once every five years using a three-round runoff system, and no person can serve more than two terms consecutively and Presidents are disqualified from becoming President again for three years after leaving office. Thus it is possible to have served an unlimited number of terms, but in practice this has never been done.

The President is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the military, and can veto any legislation passed by Parliament. Traditionally the President has had a figurehead role, but since the 1970s they have become more active in politics.

The current President is Joseph Sutter, who came to power after serving as Justice Minister for several years and a career as a Green Party MP. He has governed over the biggest-ever era of economic expansion and pushed for many socially progressive policies. Among his accomplishments were complete drug legalisation and legally enshrining gay marriage.

Provincial Government

Although the federal government is able to set national policy, by the Legislative Act provincial governments are able to control local health, education, and law enforcement issues, infrastructure, property, judiciary, and taxation, as well as "Generally all Matters of a merely local or private Nature in the Province."

Within each province, there are several provincial-level political parties. While these are usually affiliates of the main national parties, there are also some significant non-affiliated provincial parties such as the Bloc Beaulac and the Etnier Leninist Party. When Etnier joined the federation in 2004, its provincial Communist Party, which had wide support, absorbed the national Communist Party, which held only a few Parliamentary seats, to form the United Communist Party of Kelssek. Almost all the UCP's federal Parliamentary seats are in Etnier.

Provincial legislature elections are held every three years, and the leader of the party with the most seats becomes that province's Premier, and holds a function similar to that of the Prime Minister, but at the provincial level. In addition, the President appoints a Lieutenant-Governor who is the province's head of state and can veto any legislation passed by the legislature. This ensures that provincial laws and policy do not stray too far from the federal laws and policy.

Judiciary

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body and has jurisdiction over any legal case within Kelssek's jurisdiction. The next highest is the Federal Court, then the Federal Court of Appeal. Each province also has its own judiciary, and the system extends from the provincial Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to municipal and county courts.

Politics

The major political parties are the Green Party, the Liberal Party, and the Conservative Party. With the addition of the province of Etnier, the United Communist Party has also become a power. The moderate-left Freedom Party has also emerged as a minor player. The collapse of the Republican Party before the September 2004 elections due to an embezzlement of party funds by treasurer Martin Holmes, which left the party without funds to launch a campaign, led to a vaccum in right-wing politics which the Conservative Party has struggled to fill, especially as Kelssekians have become more liberal.

The Green Party currently is the ruling party, with the Liberal Party forming the Opposition. The Conservative Party does hold the plurality in the Congress of Lords by a narrow 2-seat margin.

The Green Party, United Communist Party, and Freedom Party tend to vote together. The three are often referred to as the "Lefty Alliance", though this probably due more to ideological agreements than to any formal alliance. The Liberal Party has often been referred to as schizophrenic because it tends to take a pro-business side while at the same time often voting with the left-wing parties erractically. The Conservative Party is relatively right-wing, though it would likely be a centre-left party in most other nations, while the small Christian Democrat Party tends to be neutral.

National Anthem

Kelssek's official national anthem is The Red And Blue Salute (the tune is the Hockey Night In Canada theme song), which was decided by popular referendum in 1902. The tune does not have any words, and originated from the Guedian Kingdom, during which it was used a royal fanfare. One of the major points in its favour is that having no words, it is thus universal and requires no translations, a plus with Kelssek's multi-lingual, multi-cultural society.

Kelssek's unofficial anthem is The Maple Leaf Forever (the tune is the same as the real song of the same name). Some favour making it the official anthem, however the movement has never really gained momentum. However, it is often sung in addition to The Red And Blue Salute at sports events, and the song is instantly recognisable to most Kelssekians. The lyrics are:

Oh Kelssek, land that we call home,

Ever glorious may you be,

May we forever live in peace,

Our nation great and free!

And may those ties of love be ours,

Which discord cannot sever,

And flourish green for freedom's home,

The maple leaf forever!

CHORUS

The maple leaf, our emblem dear,

The maple leaf forever,

God save our land and heaven bless

Our maple leaf forever!

From East and West, our heroes came,

Through icy fields and frozen bays,

Who conquered fear, and cold, and hate,

And their ancient wisdom says,

Protect the weak, defend your rights,

And build this land together,

Above which shine the Northern Lights,

And the Maple Leaf forever!

CHORUS

Foreign Relations

Kelssek is a member of the International Fair Trade Agreement, the World Capitalist and Communist Consortium, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations.

Kelssek is active in regional politics and also serves in the East Pacific regional government as a member of the East Pacific Grand Senate.