Difference between revisions of "Praetonia"

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The Crown Commonwealth of Praetonia
& Her Dominions Beyond the Seas

Flag and Coat of Arms of the Democratic Imperium
Motto: Vox Populi, vox Dei
Spoken Languages  - De-facto	Latin, English, Composite Praetonian
Capital	Praeton
Monarch	Rex et Imperator Sarius I
Prime Minister	Sir Tiberius Polax
Area  - Total  - % water	10,374,236 km² 17.23% water
Population  - Total (2005)	3,905,000,000 (Haven: 18th)
Establishment  - Current Form  - Original	17th March 1761 Antiquity
Government Type	Westminster System
Constitutional Form	Constitutional Monarchy
National animal  - Official (Parliamentary)  - Alternative (Royal)	Praetonian Field Cat Lion
GDP (2005)   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$175,070,738,114,472 (Haven: 9th) $44,832.46 (Haven: 3rd)
GDP Growth Rate:	5.25% per annum
Unemployment:	2.55% (Haven 4th)
Currency	1 Praefeli (Pr) = 20 Shillings (s) = 5 Denarii (d)
International Abbreviations	IMP, IP
Naval Craft Classification   - Imperial Navy   - Imperial Merchant Navy   - Royal Naval Flotilla	PWS IMS RNS
National Anthem	For Thee, Oh Pleasant Land
Internet TLD	.ip
Calling Code	+45

The Democratic Imperium of Praetonia is a country located off the North-East coast of the central Haven continent. It is surrounded by the Vascian Gulf - a sea which encompasses Praetonian territorial waters and Her Economic Exclusion Zone. The sea contains numerous small islands claimed as Crown Dependancies, many of them housing small naval and INSFC bases.

Praetonia has no land borders and proposals to build a tunnel to nearby Feline have been consistently debunked due to national security concerns. Mainland Haven has proved unstable in recent years, but Praetonia has managed to avoid any unwanted involvement in these conflicts due to Her naval power and island status.

Praetonia has several colonies in a state of nominal union known as Commonwealth Realms. They pay no taxes to Praetonia except in times of war, but maintain very strong cultural and private economic links with mainland Praetonia, whose Government has ultimate power over all the local Parliaments. Praetonia also has strong economic and diplomatic ties with Sarzonia, Questers, Skinny87 and Scandavian States, as well as numerous others through the Woodstock Pact.

History

Main article: History of Praetonia

Antiquity

Praetonia has been a nation since far back into antiquity and its origins are largely unknown. Records first emerged of a Feudal state which initially progressed rapidly, bringing all areas of Praetonia - even those outside the restrictive mountains surrounding the Praeton Peninsular - under a single central Government in Praeton by means of wholesale decentralisation of non-vital powers. This state produced a large intellectual class of poets, artisans and engineers.

The later Kingdom, however, began to stagnate and it is estimated that by 1200AD food production was at a lower level than it was in 920AD. The Fuedal Monarch's grip on power as also beginning to slip as the country became more and more divided, and the Praeton Peninsular more and more isolated once again. The nation could well have collapsed entirely, had explorers not arrived from foreign lands. These explorers attempted to colonise Praetonia, resulting in a series of pitched battles where Praetonian heavy cavalry and pikemen successfully pushed back foreign troops equipped with firearms through a serious of skilled strategic manouvers.

The First Civil War

This period sparked a revival of the Praetonian national spirit and hearalded a short lived golden age in which the economy and prosperity of the nation as a whole improved greatly. This was followed by a swift collapse brought about by a series of bad harvests and inflated goods prices. This, combined with democratic ideas brought into the nation by foreign traders, sparked a civil war which ripped the nation apart and divided families between the Feudal Monarchy and Parliament.

The King was eventually defeated and Praeton largely burnt to the ground. During the course of the civil war, the outlying regions of Praetonia industrialised rapidly to produce copies of foreign firearms and cannon. In the wake of the civil war a small council of wealthy Patricians and Feudal Princes took control of the Government for a brief period. The Partricians then turned the peasants against the Princes and they and their families were wiped out.

The King was invited back to rule under Parliament's gaze and the nation entered its second golden age, lasting until the 1720s, at which point the nation started to decline as manufacturing was hit by a major recession which then became a depression. Protestors marched on Praeton and many were killed as troops fired into the grounds and cavalry were brought into action on 2 occassions to prevent Parliament being stormed.

The Second Civil War

In 1748, the King was expelled from Praeton a second time and nearly killed by Republican terrorists who threw a bomb at his carriage. The King escaped alive and the Partician Horseguards turned on Parliament, killing several Republican MPs. The army joined them and Praetonia was soon under the control of a military dictatorship. This ended in 1761 when the King, invited back to Praeton to rule over the nation in name, but under the Particians in reality. The King galvanised the army against the Horseguards and decimated their ranks. For 7 days, Praetonia was ruled under Absolute Monarchy before the King reinstated Parliament and agreed to rule in accordance with pre-1720 arrangements.

This has been viewed by many as the 'Second Civil War', although it is far more complex than that, and was the essential birthplace of modern Praetonia as a strong state with a small, professional and highly loyal standing army guarding over constitutional norms. Over the next few hundred years, Praetonia became heavily industrialised and remained fairly stable. The country grew in size and economic strength whilst remaining politically stable.

Praetonia Today

In the early 20th Century, a Socialist Government won the elections and stayed in power for several decades, abolishing the Monarchy and spending massive sums on welfare. This Government later destabilised and collapsed, and was replaced by the Liberal Imperialist Party, which gradually became more and more Capitalist, until it too collapsed relatively recently, making way for a stringently Capitalist Liberal-Tory Government. Praetonia is currently considered a leading player on the world stage.

Government and Politics

Constitutional Form

All power is theoretically vested in the Monarch, but in reality Cabinet and the Prime Minister, appointed by the King, governs the country. The Monarch plays a role in Praetonian society and is widely respected by the public, but he has little direct power - relying instead upon his influence and contacts to nudge the course of Praetonian politics in his prefered direction, although he does have a great deal of non-governmental power, and he is capable of setting up official government commissions with or without the backing of Parliament. The current King of Praetonia is Sarius I.

Appointed by the Corwn, the Prime Minister in turn appoints Cabinet. Each Cabinet Minister controls a Government department, and have the most direct power of any other postion in Praetonian politics. The current Prime Minister, Sir Tiberius Polax, served as Foreign Secretary under the Liberal Imperialist Government of Prime Minister Lucius Agrippa before leading an LIP splinter to form the Liberal-Tory Party, which is currently in power with a 72% majority.

The House of Commons is the only body in Praetonian politics capable of passing laws, but these must then be studied and granted assent by the House of Lords and the Crown. Backbench MPs and Lords have little direct power, but can wield a great deal of indirect power by influencing the content Government bills as a group. Cabinet and the Crown are not capable of forcing legislation through against the will of Parliament, but the promise of Cabinet posts and the threat of denying them is usually used as a way of keeping MPs in line. MPs can also be dropped from their party ticket, drastically reducing their chances of being re-elected, but this almsot never happens. Lords cannot be removed except by Court Order as a result of successful criminal prosecution.

The Courts are fully independent, and as there is no written Constitution, judges' personal views rarely have any relevence in cases, although the Courts have been known to strike down authoritarian legislation found to be in contravension of the Royal Supremacy and Praetonian Liberties Act, 1861, which is presumed to take precedence over any subsequent law unless that law directly states otherwise.

Electoral System

General elections are called by the Monarch upon the dissolution of Parliament. Elections must be called every 5 years at the most, but are more commonly called between 4 and 5 years since the last election. An election can theoretically be called at any time. Praetonia operates a first past the post system where each citizen is entitled to one vote for an MP to represent his constituency. This has lead to a largely two-party democracy, with a small third party and extremely minor fourth party. The system is defended by its proponents, saying that it is the only way of ensuring a strong government able to get its programme through Parliament and the Lords.

Local elections are held every 4 years, but offset from the General Election. Local elections occur at the parish, urban (either town or city council, or mayoral elections) and county levels for a wide array of positions. Most Praetonians will hold some kind of public office at some point in their lives, although most positions are at a very low level and wield very little power. The county of Uxbridge is different in the sense that it is technically still an independent duchy (although there has been no Duke of Uxbridge for some centuries) and is legally entitled to its own Parliament which acts in a similar manner to a council and is elected every 8 years.

Current Political Landscape

Praetonian politics is currently dominated by the two Liberal-Imperialist philosophies embodied in the Liberal-Imperialist Party and the Neo-Liberal Liberal-Tory Party. The Liberal-Imperialist Party used to be considered the natural party of government in Praetonia, but with the emergence of the Liberal-Tory Party and the massive resurgence of libertarian capitalism, this position is in doubt. The Liberal-Tory Party defeated the Liberal-Imperialist Party in the first election since its foundation.

Aside from the major parties, the Imperial Monarchist Party and the Communist Society of Praetonia are the only two parties with seats in the House of Commons. The Imperial Monarchist Party is often viewed as the 'third party', aspousing an authoritarian capitalist ideology at odds to the other two major parties. Although they are a long way behind the Liberal-Imperialist and Liberal-Tory Parties, they are also a long way ahead of the Communist Society of Praetonia, who have only 2 seats. This Party is considerably different to the other two, with a hard-line Communist ideology that has failed to appeal to the wealthy and prosperous nation. Both of the CSoP seats come from Segmentum Praetonialis.

Several other parties exist which hold no seats in Parliament, some of which are moderately infulencial and receive some press converage. The Imperial Libertarian Party is the largest non-Parliamentary Party, and holds a number of council seats, but many see it as irrelevent when a slightly less extreme version of their ideology is already on offer from the government Liberal-Tory Party. The Green League is the primary environmentalist party in Praetonia, and holds a small number of council seats. Its policies, however, are at odds to those of all the Parliamentary parties, save the CSoP. The only other noteworthy political party is the Imperial Fascist League, a hardline Fascist party. It has few council seats.

Political Parties

Economy

The Praetonian economy is historically very strong and has been enjoying significant increases since the rise of the Liberal-Tory Party to power. Like most high-GDPPC economies, the Praetonian economy is primarily service-based, but agriculture, industry and research have all been industrialised and are going strong in Praetonian today. The success of these historic sectors has allowed to country to maintain a strong positive balance of trade, and has not lead to the country being forced to purchase vital strategic goods from foreign powers. The country has a very strong GDPPC, the third largest in Haven, leading to a consequentially strong overall economy as judged by GDP.

Research Sector

Although technically its own sector, most research is carried out either by companies located within other sectors, or universities which generally are not classes as businessness, despite being entirely privately run and operated. There is a long history of exploiting the market potential of research in Praetonia, and most universities have spin-off companies which help students and researchers to market any discoveries they make. Sometimes the rights to these are sold wholesale, but usually they are used as the basing for a new company which is given substantial government support in the form of tax breaks until it has started making an appreciable amount of profit.

The research sector, although generally small as a proportion of GDP, is the ultimate basing for all future earnings, and a lot of attention is therefore attributed to nurturing viable research with a future in industry, not only by the government but also be private organisations designed to promote business such as the Conferderation of Praetonian Industry and the Royal Research Council made up of several prominent research institutions as well as a number of wealthy businessmen, scientists, engineers and other interest parties.

Service Sector

The Service Sector is the largest in the Praetonian economy, and primarily services the domestic market. The largest segment within the Praetonian service sector consists of the multitude of healthcare businesses which emerged from the privatisation of all state industry. Tourism also makes up a major part, with the ports and airports formost amongst the transportation element. Praetonian retailers have been particularly successful, and many are looking abroad to expand their markets. The most important element of the sector with regards to exports and the largest by turnover and profit, if not by manpower, are the banks, insurers, stock brokers and other financial service providers, including the Imperial Bank of Praetonia and the Imperial Central Index stock exchange.

The service sector is by far the largest employer in Praetonia, with most low-paid jobs to be found on the checkouts of major retailers. A significant percentage of employees of this sector are also amongst the most highly paid in the country, primarily merchant bankers and stock brokers, as well as senior management and consultants. The sector has the advantage of never having been nationalised wholesale in the way that the industrial and large portions of the raw materials sector have been, and so although the sector has experienced no recent spurt in growth, it has maintained steady and impressive performance over a long period of time, and has built an extremely sound financial backing for itself.

Industrial Sector

The industrial sector is the primary export provider in the Praetonian economy, and is highly automated. A great deal of emphasis is put on reinvestment to maintain market positions and overtake foreign competitors. The largest Praetonian manufacturer is the famous Imperial Praetonian Shipyards followed closely by the engine and machinery manufacturer, Imperial Oil & Gas, which also has an arm in raw materials. Although an extremely profitable sector and a major source of money for the Praetonian economy, the industrial sector is no longer a major employer, with most employees machinery specialists, engineers or scientists who operate and design the factories which now operate with little or no unskilled labour.

The industrial sector was at one time wholly owned by the state, but has been privatised and the sector subsequently experienced massive growth. In what was an already prosperous and powerful sector, this rapid expansion was the primary cause for the resurgence of the Praetonian economy in recent years. The sector also includes a number of high-tech companies such as Imperial Electric and Duchy Pharmacheuticals. The sector is expected to continue strong growth figures as it looks abroad for further expansion into foreign and domestic markets, spurred on by new-found competition and investment via the stock market.

Agriculture and Raw Materials Sector

A diverse sector, primary industry in Praetonia covers a vast array of business from intensive farming to oil. The largest company in this sector is Imperial Oil & Gas, which has extensive interests in oil and gas reserves across the world, followed closely by Imperial Metallurgy which mines a variety of minerals and ores across Praetonia and the Commonwealth. The sector includes various smaller mining and hydrocarbon extraction companies, as well as numerous other, more specialised producers such as Imperial Atomworks which extracts Uranium as well as manufacturing nuclear reactors as its primary business.

Agriculture in Praetonia is highly mechanised, with a several consortiums controlled by and made up of land owned by the historic land owners of the country, most Lords, owning most of the agricultural land and farming it on a massive scale with extensive use of hydroponics and industrialised production of farm animals, milk and eggs. Many of these companies also own stakes in companies with bioengineering interests, such as Duchy Pharmaceuticals. These consortiums have experienced massive growth in recent years by buying up land taken in colonial expansions and the Commonwealth as a whole is now able to feed itself, although this is still largely reliant on the control of shipping lanes. Remaining small farms have largely switched to organic production due to the much larger selling price per unit mass and considerably lower initial cost of production.

International Relations

Friends and Allies

Praetonia maintains strong relations with a group of democratic, mostly capitalist nations, although Liberal-Tory Party policy is to be open to diplomacy with any nation, primarily as a means of securing free trade. The current government's primary international concerns including securing free trade with foreign countries, stimulating the expansion of Praetonian business into foreign markets and expanding Praetonian influence abroad. Praetonia is currently a member of the Woodstock Pact for whom Praetonia drafted the new pact charter. Praetonia is also a member of the Organisation of Maritime Powers, the Council of Air Powers and the Questerian Commonwealth.

List of Nations with Strong Relations with Praetonia (In no particular order.)

• Sarzonia
• Questers
• Pacitalia
• Isselmere-Nieland
• Verdant Archipelago
• Space Union
• Halberdgardia
• Hamptonshire

Tarrifs and Trade

Following the rise of the Liberal-Tory Party, Praetonia has taken a much more laissez-faire view to international trade and has seeked to encourage free trade across the world, but particularly between Praetonia and foreign powers. The following is a brief list of Praetonian policy concerning trade with foreign nations.

• Reciprocal tarrifs are imposes as a general rule, with any state which drops all tarrifs with Praetonia receiving a removal of tarrifs in return.

• 'Reciprocal Plus' tarrifs which reciprocate foreign tarrifs with a fixed percentage extra are imposed as sanctions. These usually have a cap beyond which tarrifs are merely reciprocal.

• Embargoes are legal and are often used against powers which are a direct threat to Praetonian national security as well as against nations upon which the government wishes to impose sanctions but with whom there is little trade.

• Foreign companies are allowed to buy shares in Praetonian companies freely. Certain strategic industries are protected by a government golden share which prevents them from falling out of Praetonian hands without permission.

• Foreign governments cannot buy shares in Praetonian companies without permission from the Praetonian government. This also applies to foreign government-owned businesses.

Empire and Colonies

See main article: Praetonian Commonwealth

The Praetonian Empire, colloquially referred to as the Praetonian Commonwealth, is a quasi-federal body of states each with their own Parliament, although the Praetonian parliament is the only one capable of legislating for the raising an army, or levying taxes. In addition, it can abolish the colonial parliaments at will, and so is the only one that could be considered sovereign. As well as strong local government, the colonies are granted a fixed 37% representation in Parliament with seats divided between colonies based on relative populations. Although there are some fairly minor parties espousing independence, the swiftness of communication and travel between the colonies, along with generally small native and non-Praetonian immigrant populations has led to a strong sense of loyalty to the 'mother country' and no independence parties currently hold seats in the Praetonian parliament.

Neo-Praetonia

Neo-Praetonia

Flag of Neo-Praetonia
Colonial Capital	Neo-Praeton
High Commissioner	Lord Thornwood
Governing Party	Liberal-Tory Party
Area  - Total  - % water	24,680,560 km² 6.84% water
Population  - Total (2005)	585,206,267
GDP (2005)   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$22,439,734,308,115 $38,345
GDP Growth Rate:	1.1% per annum
Unemployment:	2.91%

Neo-Praetonia, literally meaning 'New Praetonia', was the first Praetonian colony to be founded. Located in Manium, it is the largest of Praetonia's possessions and one of the largest contiguous claims on that continent. The colony is nominally very wealthy, but not as wealthy as mainland Praetonia or Porta Praetoniatam. It does, however, beat Segmentum Praetonialis as judged by GDP per capita. The colony is primarily given over to farmland and its settlement lead to a massive boom in the Praetonian mechanised farming industry, with companies like Uxbridge Farm Industries gaining vast swathes of productive land for almost nothing. The colony also contains some valuable mineral deposits, and a reasonably large amount of off-shore oil. Its agricultural output is capable of feeding the entire Praetonian Commonwealth.

Lacking a colonial identity as the other two established colonies do, Neo-Praetonia is extremely similar to the mainland in almost all cultural respects. Its politics are dominated by the same three parties - Liberal-Tory, Liberal Imperialist and Imperial Monarchist - as the mainland. There is little call for independence and nationalist parties currently hold only a few council seats. Their numbers have remained static for some years, and there is talk of the nationalist movement collapsing entirely.

The colony is a popular tourist destination for people living in mainland Praetonia, with vast swathes of untouched land still available on the sparsely populated landmass, which is more than twice the size of the mainland but contains only an eight the number of people. Many retire to Neo-Praetonia and most reasonably large families have relatives who live there.

The colony is the best protected of all the Praetonian possessions, with potentially hostile states covering a massive land border. A draft ensures there is an army several million strong at all times which is backed by a professional core and, since the expansion of the Borman claim towards its borders, elements of the Praetonian regular army. From the seaward side, the colony is protected by emplacements of naval guns and missiles, and the Imperial Colonial Navy maintains a large presence in the colony's waters.

Neo-Praetonia is Praetonia's largest fishing colony, and more than 62% of Praetonian-registered fishing vessels fly the Red Ensign of Neo-Praetonia. Piracy has proved a problem in the past, but fast gunboat squadrons have played a vital role in stamping this out, and her waters are now considered some of the safest of any Praetonian colony. Air travel is more limited, with most traffic going in via ship and travelling around the country via the combined motorway-maglev system - the first to be constructed on Praetonian soil and one of the fastest in the world at the time of its construction.

Porta Praetoniatam

Neo-Praetonia

Flag of Porta Praetoniatam
Colonial Capital	Uxbridge
High Commissioner	Sir Thomas Malborough
Governing Party	Liberal Party
Area  - Total  - % water	854,206 km² 2.84% water
Population  - Total (2005)	585,206,267
GDP (2005)   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$22,439,734,308,115 $38,345
GDP Growth Rate:	1.1% per annum
Unemployment:	2.91%

Segmentum Praetonialis

Segmentum Praetonialis

Flag of Segmentum Praetonialis
Colonial Capital	Prima Urbes
High Commissioner	Sir Julius Ferius
Governing Party	Liberal & Loyalist Party
Area  - Total  - % water	2,978,209 km² 12.31% water
Population  - Total (2005)	338,967,335
GDP (2005)   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$10,846,954,720,000 $32,000
GDP Growth Rate:	2.1% per annum
Unemployment:	5.75%

Primarily a raw-materials producing colony, Segmentum Praetonialis has a very large lower class of unskilled workers who hold jobs inmines, quarries and certain types of factory. Segmentum Praetonialis produces large amounts of coal, iron, tungsten, aluminium, nickle, zinc and tin. The colony also counts among its output several other vital minerals in smaller quantities. The poorest of the '4 lions' (Praetonia, Neo-Praetonia, Porta Praetoniatam and Segmentum Praetonialis), the average wage is only around $28,000 per year. The colony also has the weakest 'Imperial spirit', with nationalist and Socialist parties (often the same MPs) holding almost 32% of the seats in the Colonial Parliament.

There are four main ports in Segmentum Praetonialis, each a sprawling complex of industry, dockyards, cranes and warehouses. Each one processes a massive number of crago containers every day. In addition to civilian ports, Segmentum Praetonialis maintains three Imperial Colonial Naval bases and eight Gunboat Stations. A moderately large standing military force is maintained in Segmentum Praetonialist, primarily through national service but with a small professional core. Emplaced defences face primarily outwards towards the sea, as the colony is surrounded on all sides by allied or neutral powers. The colony is not seen as being in any real danger of attack, but its raw materials are vital to feed the factories of Praetonia, and so it is seen as a key strategic asset.

The colony is generally viewed as relatively loyal, with most polls indicating that the majority of the population are happy with their current constitutional state. It is, however, the most nationalist of the colonies with a strong (mostly socialist / communist) independence movement made up mainly of miners and factory-workers. Many of them want to nationalise and collectivise all industry in Segmentum-Praetonialis and use the proceeds to fund a large welfare state which would supposedly return the proceeds of industry in the colony to the workers. Most capitalists and loyalists argue that without the factories that process these good which are located in Praetonia, the colony's produce is more or less worthless.