Difference between revisions of "Sober Thought"

Revision as of 20:32, 3 January 2006

This factbook describes the Community or Gemeinde of Sober Thought as it applies to NationStates gameplay and roleplay. For the real life motivation of the creator of Sober Thought, see User:Sober Thought.

Sober Thought

Flag of Sober Thought
Motto: We are extreme in our moderation
IDU regional only / Seulement celle de l'IDU / Nur der Region
Region	International Democratic Union
Capital	Capital Province
Official Language(s)	English, français
Leader	Community Conscience (head of state), Chief Minister (head of government)
Population	1.7 billion
Currency	Denkmark(Ð)
NS Sunset XML

The Community of Sober Thought was created in February 2005 for the NationStates game. It reached a population of one billion the week of 23 August 2005.

Federal government

Main article: Sober Thought government.

Sober Thought is a secular republic in which the federation, the provinces and the municipalities all have constitutional rights and obligations described in each of their respective sections. No government may promote religion or monarchy, and no religious or (former) royal person shall be elected or employed by any level of government except on the same basis as other citizens.

The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over: international relations, foreign and domestic intelligence, criminal law, the constitution (including entrenched civil and human rights), prisons, currency, weights and measures, maritime transportation, air transportation, and broadcast communications and post. The House of the Provinces may choose the official language(s) of the federal government and its agencies. It has shared jurisdiction with the provinces over: defence (including emergency measures), education and ground transportation.

The federal government is represented by the Community Conscience (head of state elected by universal suffrage), Chief Minister (head of government elected by the House of the Federation) and Provinces' Speaker (chair of and elected by the House of the Provinces, rarely well known or long served). The exclusive and shared jurisdictions are organised into four ministries of three or four vice ministries each: Ministry of Community Wellbeing, Ministry of Community Prosperity, Ministry of Community Connections and Ministry of Community Defence. The Chief Minister appoints the Ministers and Vice Ministers. Collectively, they are all called the Cabinet and the five people acting as Chief Minister and Minister are called the Inner Cabinet. And with equal logic, the Vice Ministers are collectively the Outer Cabinet.

The federal government may fund itself by import and export levies and income taxes. It may also borrow on its own credit.

Community Conscience

The people of Sober Thought believe that the country must exist as a community or it is no longer worth of the name Sober Thought. The electorate as a whole chooses, from a list of candidates vetted by the House of the Provinces, the Community Conscience as head of state.

The Community Conscience performs largely a ceremonial role but has large reserve powers to defend and promote human rights, the constitution and the values of the whole country. After an election, the Community Conscience chooses the leader of the largest party or party coalition in the House of the Federation to serve as Chief Minister (formerly known as Federal Leader). Subsequently, the House of the Federation may remove the Chief Minister provided it simultaneously elects a new one in a constructive vote of non-confidence.

House of the Federation

Also known as the parliament, this body consists of 300 representatives representing no more than 240 (currently 230) electoral districts in the following manner:

The total population of the country is divided by 300, the total number of HF seats, to establish the representational quotient (i.e., how many people per HF seat). Each province is assigned HF seats based on these calculations subject to the following rules: each province must have at least one HF seat, fractional seats owed to provinces are added in order from the province with the fewest HF seats to that with the most and fractional seats owed from provinces are deducted in order from the province with the most HF seats to that with the least.

Within each province, MHFs are elected in the following manner:

• If there is only one MHF, simple plurality in an electoral district comprising the entire province.
• If there are two MHFs, the entire province comprises a single electoral district district in which parties are permitted a single candidate (although an unlimited number of independents closely identified with a party or issue are permitted) and the two candidates with the largest number of votes both win as constituency MHFs
• If there are more than two MHFs, four fifths (or the next smallest fraction possible) of the members shall be elected in single-member electoral districts. One fifth (or the next largest fraction possible) shall be elected through provincial party lists based on the proportional vote of each party's candidates in that province during the federal election.

Current seats/districts are assigned and voted on as follows: Central Province 110/88, Hochelaga 69/55 (missed a round up), Thuvia 40/32 (missed a round up), Cholmestay 30/24, Jarvet 11/8, Pastbeshchye (missed round up) 9/2, South Island (got unearned round up) 10/8, Braunekuste (got unearned round up) 7/5, Capital 7/5, North Island 5/4, Potato Island (got an unearned round up) 2/1.

Vacancies (whether from resignation or death) are filled as follows: constituency MHFs are replaced by a by-election (élection partielle) within 6 months of the vacancy, party list MHFs by taking the next available person on the list (the vacancy remaining unfilled if nobody is available from the list).

The House of the Federation chooses from among its membership one to serve as Chief Minister of the Community and the federal head of government. The Chief Minister has a permanent staff of civil servants underneath, called the General Directorate of Cabinet.

House of the Provinces

This chamber of government is designed to represent the interests of the provinces. Therefore, each province sets it own conditions for choosing its Members of the House of the Provinces, such election in its own provincial legislature, direct election by the people or simply by the sitting provincial government choosing its own members to have dual duty in the provincial legislature and the House of the Provinces. Consult the specific province you are interested in.

There is no set number of seats in this legislative body; rather, they are assigned on the following basis: provinces with two point five percent or less of the national population receive 1 seat; those with between two point five percent and less than five receive 2; those with five but less than ten receive 3; those with ten but less than twenty receive 4; those with twenty or more receive 5. Current membership is 30: Central Province 5, Hochelaga 5, Thuvia 4, Cholmestay 4, Jarvet 2, Pastbeshchye 2, South Island 2, Braunekuste 1, Capital 1, North Island 1, Potato Island 1.

Party politics

Main article: Sober Thought political parties.

Since the lower house of the federal government is partly based on proportional representation, it has encouraged the growth of smaller parties that would be shut out of a system based solely on simple pluralities in many electoral districts. An exhaustive discusion of political theory and its application to the political culture of Sober Thought is found in the article on the Christian Unity Party.

The three largest parties in the House of the Federation together typically control about two thirds of the seats, while the five smallest parties and a handfull of independents typcially control the remaining third.

* There are also three Independent MHFs and one vacancy: the Speaker of the House of the Federation who resigned from the Moderate Party during her tenure; an independently-elected strong-willed and popular local hero; a former member of the far-right CUP ejected for extremism who later was elected as an independent.

A double plus represents strong agreement, a single plus moderate agreement, a zero neutrality, a single minus moderate disagreement and a double plus a strong disagreement. Within a single voter, there may be several political cleavages working at cross purposes. For example, a deeply religious Catholic from a racial minority might be employed as unionized industrial worker in Hochelaga. As such, the voter might reasonably be attracted to the Christian Unionists, Socialists, Liberal Democrats or Parti hochelagais.

Some potential parties which do not yet exist could be built around: ecology, women's issues, Christian socialism and certain ethnic groups. Far more likely than a profusion of parties would be a slight consolidation. For instance, if the bulk of Rural Alliance supporters drifted into either the Free Enterprise Party or Christian Unity Party, or the Parti hochelagais supporters returned to their previous conventional political spectrum parties. The Christian Unity Party might also dissolve into feuding constituents, the parts being less than the sum of the whole.

All community-wide governments are coalitions of one sort or another. Four are based on the conventional political spectrum: Right-wing coalitions of CP, FEP, RA and perhaps one or both of CUP and PH are possibile but not common. Centre-right coalitions of MP, CP, likely FEP, and perhaps RA are both possible and common. Left-wing coalitions of SP and LDA are theoretically possible but have never been attempted. Centre-left coalitions of MP, SP and perhaps LDA are possible, common and the current governing coalition.

Outside the left-right spectrum, grand coalitions involving the SP, CP and perhaps MP are possible but exceedingly rare. Even broader national unity governments involving at least three additional parties (two of which must be the FEP and LDA) are possible but only briefly exist during moments of community crisis. A decentralising, provincial-rights coalition involving the MP, LDA, CUP, RA and PH is also theoretically possible but unsustainable, since it would collapse if its goals of dramatically increased provincial autonomy were achieved.

Click on the links of each party for details.

International relations and national defence

Main articles: Ministry of Community Defence and Community Defence Forces.

The main purpose of international relations is to provide external security to the federation and its citizens. Thus, the two are closely intertwined and are both suborinate to the Ministry of Community Defence.

Detractors outside the country tend to think that Theodore Roosevelt's dictum -- walk softly and carry a big stick -- characterised the national defence and foreign policy. However, citizens prefer to think of it as offering the open hand of peace before making the closed fist of war.

The country is a happy and active member of the International Democratic Union. The federation solicits and maintains defensive alliances with fellow democracies and actively defends democracy at the United Nations and in other international forums. Relations with undemocratic nations are both possible and desirable, but a support of democratic principles is required for close relations.

Short-term humanitarian aid may be provided regardless of the anti-democratic government of a nation in need, but long-term international aid will be commensurate with the level of democracy in the country. These services are integrated with the national defence forces.

The uniformed members of the Community Defence Forces provide the primary defence of the constitution and of the federation. However, due to the broad understanding of the concept of defence, they are assisted by many other organised and unorganised bodies which would not be counted as defence workers in many other countries. For instance, arms manufacturing workers and religious international aid workers (meeting federal standards) are also considered defence workers.

Education

Main article: Sober Thought education.

Education is a prerequisite to an informed electorate and democratic society, so Sober Thought places a strong emphasis upon it and makes it part of the super Ministry of Community Wellbeing. "Free" in the education system means at no direct cost to the student or guardian, to be paid for by public taxation or other government revenues.

Education is compulsory between age 6 and 15. Furthermore, it is free, public and secular until the end of secondary school. Any religious education, besides the study of comparative religion, shall take place outside the secular school hours. With the consent of the secular schools, religious education may be conducted on school property outside secular school hours. Secondary education is funded by the respective provincial government, while the standards are maintained at the federal level.

The federal government establishes the minimum program standards for granting degrees but otherwise is uninvolved in their governance unless it chooses to establish its own universities where it may compel its scholarship winners to attend as a condition of the scholarship. Provincial governments may establish their own universities on a similar basis and in which they may discriminate against out-of-province students.

Professional education is provided for such fields as law, medicine and accounting which would allow graduates a reasonable prospect to become self-employed. Each professional institution must meet federal government standards but may collect its fees in any way it desires.

The federal government pays the full education cost of the top one percent of applicants for secular tertiary education, half the cost of the next five percent and one quarter the cost of the next ten percent. Recipients of these scholarships may choose to begin a trades apprenticeship, attend a commercial college, attend an academic university or begin a professional programme.

Federal loans are available to students on bases similar to low-interest mortgages. Provincial governments may offer similar incentives but they may also attach such conditions as they see fit, e.g., residency in a province after graduation, attendance at a provincial-owned institution, entry into a specific program, etc.

Economy

Main article: Sober Thought labour-management relations.

An economy cannot grow without a strong education sector as outlined above. Therefore, this is a shared responsibility of the private and public sectors. The Ministry of Community Prosperity is responsible for all aspects of regulating, promoting, measuring and predicting the domestic economy.

Private sector economy

While free enterprise is permitted, valued and encouraged, it is not at the expense of social obligations and not by avoiding the true cost of business decisions. Therefore, goods are the responsibility of the industry from production of raw materials, manufacture, packaging, recycling or destruction. To enforce this responsibility, many business have formed self-governing industry associations which arrange their own membership and governance procedures for their constituent businesses. A business not belonging an association must bear all the responsibility for its own products.

For example, a steel company relying on iron ore that is strip mined, smelted with brown coal and whose slag is discarded into ecologically sensitive marshland is responsible (through its industry association) for the cost of landscaping, air pollution controls and marsh restoration. If a steel company sells structural beams to a construction company, the steel industry assocation must recycle or safely dispose of them at the end of the building's life.

Trade unions are permitted but no worker may be compelled to join one. Non-unionized workers at a business covered by a trade union collective agreements may be compelled to pay dues as if they were members like the real life Rand formula. When a majority of workers at a business are unionized, management must conduct its negotiations with that union. Contract disputes between labour and management will be arbitrated provincially as a branch of civil law or, if it is a business incorporated federally, the Vice Ministry of Employment. Federal government employees may not be unionized. Other governments may make other decisions on this matter.

Public sector economy

Government is directly involved in the economy only where national sovereignty demands it or a natural monopoly exists that a regulated private sector organization cannot or will not operate.

For example, police powers may only be exercised by government-funded provincial police, and may not be delegated to private security firms or private police forces. In the transportation and communications field, InfoST, STaqua, STferro and CommunitAir are all Community corporations. The postal service is an agency of the federal government.

Provinces

Provincial governments each have exclusive jurisdiction over: police, health, civil law and natural resources. Each provincial government may establish its official language(s) based on its own procedures. It has shared jurisdiction with the federal government over: public security, education and ground transportation. Provinces may fund their activities by levying property taxes.

Internal relations are fostered by the Ministry of Community Connections, especially its Vice Ministry of Community Cooperation which is responsible for the shared federal-provincial jurisdictions (including the Civil Guard).

Individual provinces

Each province, except the Capital Province, had its own reasons for joining the federation. Capital Province was created from two existing provinces to provide a neutral territory for the federal institutions. Once created or admitted into the federation, provinces may not be merged or severed without their consent or the consent of the House of the Federation.

For specific information, please choose from among the following eleven provinces, listed by decreasing percentage of the country’s population:

Provincial adhesion, secession and expulsion

While not a true confederal union, Sober Thought’s values of democracy extend the right of self-determination to each province (except Capital Province) and the federation as a whole to eject members (except Capital Province).

A sovereign country may become one or more provinces of Sober Thought if two thirds or more of the House of the Provinces answer ‘yes’ to the following invariable motion: “Are you in favour of admitting X Country to Sober Thought and making it Y Province(s)?”

In the year following a successful vote, the soon-to-be-former country must create a provincial government which meets Sober Thought’s constitutional requirements. Failure to do so will prevent adhesion.

Legal secession of a province may be secured if two thirds or more of the voters answer ‘yes’ to the following invariable referendum question: “Are you in favour of seceding from Sober Thought and becoming a separate country?”

In the year following a successful secession referendum, the federal government and the soon-to-be-former province will negotiate the terms of secession on the following conditions: residents of the seceding province lose citizenship in Sober Thought and may regain it only on the same conditions applying to other foreigners, and in the event that an agreement on the division of assets and liabilities cannot be reached, the federal government may seize and dispose of all physical or moveable federal assets in the seceding province.

Any attempts at secession outside this framework will be opposed by whatever civil and military means the federal government directs and secessionists will be prosecuted for treason as well as any specific overt crimes they may commit.

Expulsion of a province (besides Capital Province) may be secured if two thirds or more of the members of the House of the Provinces answer ‘yes’ to the following invariable motion: “Are you in favour of expelling X Province from Sober Thought and making it a separate country?” Negotiations are identical to secession except that it is the provincial government which may seize and dispose of all federal assets located in the province if another agreement cannot be reached.

Municipalities

There are 57 federally chartered municipalities in Sober Thought, located in the following provinces: 5 Braunekuste, 2 Capital Province, 12 Central Province, 6 Cholmestay, 7 Hochelaga, 4 Jarvet, 5 North Island, 4 Pastbeshchye, 1 Potato Island, 3 South Island and 8 Thuvia. The entire provinces of Braunekuste, Capital Province and North Island are covered by chartered municipalities. The remainder have at least some areas and population existing outside chartered municipalities.

Once chartered by the federal government, municipalities may not be merged, divided or altered without their consent. Municipalities may not move provinces without the concurrent assent of the governments of the municipality, the original province and the proposed province.

Municipalities have exclusive jurisdiction over municipal planning (zoning), fire protection and garbage disposal. Each municipal government may establish its official languages(s) subject to provincial law and municipal government decisions. They may fund themselves by sales taxes.

Although all chartered municipalities have equal status, they style themselves variously as: city / ville, county / comté, métropole (Mont Royaume only), peninsula (North Island only), region / region (Central Province only) and town (Princetown only). With the exception of the latter, all have at least 0.2% of the national population. Every municipality with at least 1% gets its own article or a section in an article on an urban agglomeration.