Difference between revisions of "The Freethinkers"

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Overview

The Sensible Commonwealth of The Freethinkers, or The Freethinker Commonwealth, is a multitech, liberal-democratic state, comprised principally of the territories of the continental 'Mainland' located in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, and two autonomous provinces, made up of the 'Freethinker Martian Territories', in the northern oceans of Mars, and the Fargon Archipelago in the far North Atlantic. The main inhabitants are humans, but there is sizable minority of Vampires and the half-breed Ghouls. The government is a democratic constitutional monarchy headed by the Sovereign member of the Royal Family, ruling over an elected unicameral legislature. The two provinces each has their own assemblies to rule on domestic matters, and the Vampire population is autonomous within the Commonwealth and is ruled by the Council of Navarrok, presided over and lead by the reigning Lord of Navarrok.

The Freethinker Commonwealth is a relatively powerful, historically democratic nation with a strong tradition of inclusion and tolerance for almost all species and races within and beyond its borders. The nation is headed by a economically liberal, progressive government and protected by a military that, though relatively small, is one of the best equipped of its era. A strong maritime tradition, both civilian and Naval, runs through the nation and its past and culture, especially in the capital, Navarre, historically linked with the mass immigration of old and the multicutural make-up of Freethinker society today. In the international arena, The Freethinker Commonwealth is a member of the New Alliance Treaty Organization and, more recently, the Concordat. It has forfeited UN membership over disagreements over economic soveriegnty, but nonetheless supports the ideals of the organisation and the Freethinker Commonwealth is an active supporter of improving political and civil rights on the international stage.

Geography

Location: Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Area:

• Land: ~82,155,000 km2 (Including Fargon & Freethinker Martian Territories)
  
• Water: ~12,030,000 km2 (Including Fargon & Freethinker Martian Territories)
  
• Total: ~94,185,000 km2
  

Border Countries: Euroslavia (Freethinker Martian Territories only)

Coastline: ~3,200,000 km

Maritime Claims:

• Contiguous zone: 120 NM
  
• Territorial sea: 36 NM
  
• Exclusive economic zone: 240 NM,
  
• Continental shelf: 240 NM or to the edge of the continental margin, whichever is greater
  

Elevation extremes:

• Lowest Point: Green Valley Reclamation Project, -12 Metres
• Highest Point: Mount Solace, 7831 Metres

Mainland

The Mainland is dominated by its vast, untamed deserts and towering mountain ranges. Comprised of a single, supermassive landmass surrounded by many smaller islands, this continent-sized equatorial state has a dry, arid climate except in small isolated spots near the coasts and between the larger mountain ranges. Desert and semi-arid terrain account for about 80% of the total land, with the rest dominated by shrubland, mountains and thick tropical jungles.

Fargon Archipelago

The Fargon Archipelago is located in the far north Atlantic, with much of the principle territory located near or above the Arctic circle. The northern edge of the islands are locked in permanent ice, and the majority of the province is either Arctic desert or tundra.

Freethinker Martian Territories

The Freethinker Martian Territories are located in the Northern ocean of Mars, with almost all of the territory situated in deep ocean waters, with only a few icy atolls avaliable for significant settlement. Recent efforts have begun to reclaim some land from the ocean, and further efforts are considered vital to establishing a fully functional colony in the region.

People

The people of the Commonwealth are an interesting breed, a mix of literally dozens of different ethnic backgrounds, ideologies, outlooks and beliefs that produces an incredibly diverse populace and a true multicultural society. The integretion of several domestic sentient species along with the repeated tides of immigrants from across the world have created a unique national identity that is both diverse in its composition and yet strongly united around a core of notable ideals.

Ethnicity and Species

The fact that the Mainland has sat at the crossroads of trans-Atlantic trade for several centuries has led to a huge conglomeration of different ethnic backgrounds from across the globe, as well boasting many domestic and foreign non-human races.

Breakdown of Backgrounds

• Human:
  • Caucasian: 50.23%
  • African: 13.44%
  • Southern Asian: 11.62%
  • East Asian: 6.21%
  • Arabian: 4.06%
  • Other: 1.60%

Human total: 87.06%

• Non-Human:
  • Freestian Vampire: 0.24%
  • Freestian Ghoul: 12.61%
  • Other: 0.09%

Non-Human total: 12.94%

Religon

As can be determined by the name and history of the Freethinker Commonwealth, the major religion is distinctly a lack of one. Whereas relatively few people would declare themselves as outright atheists, most citizens do harbour a humanistic or agnostic outlook and organised religion is still considered a minority activity. Nonetheless, recent immigration and improving trade links has started a trend towards a new revival in religious beliefs, especially in growing first and second-generation immigrant communities. The freedom to worship in good faith and exercise one's con is a central tenet of the Commonwealth's constitution, and although many do not profess a religious conviction there is a degree of respect and support given to religious institutions that are seen as generally progressive. An important note here is the importance of the vampire belief system, known as the Reverence, which is the largest faith after Christianity in terms of worshippers. It is especially prevalant in the Ghoul, outbacker and general military community.

Government

The Government system of The Freethinkers is a liberal, secular, democratic constitutional monarchy, headed by a Soveriegn Monarch as the ceremonial Head of State, with many of the executive powers entrusted to the current Prime Minister. The legislature is comprised of a unicameral, fully elected assembly collectively known as Parliament, with the party or coalition holding the most seats forming the actual government within the assembly. The smaller Freestian Vampire community has its own governing body ruling on matters of internal affairs, whilst the two autonomous provinces can boast their own assemblies (and heads of Government) which deal with all matters excluding foreign relations and defence seperately from the Mainland Parliament.

See Main Article: Freethinker Government

Suffrage

The ability to vote is granted to all those who have taken the Oath of Representation and completed their obligations to acquire full citizenship. The Oath may be taken from the age of sixteen onwards. The vote is denied, even with citizenship to incarcerated criminals and the clinically insane, as well as being removed for citizens who fail to complete their national service and other civic duties.

Head of State

The official Head of State in The Freethinker Commonwealth is His Majesty King Percival IV of the House of Hapsburg. Though constitutionally the Monarch has significant powers at his or her discretion, including the right to seize land in the name of the state in an emergency, the right to propose or veto a proposed or existing Edict or Act, and the right to over-rule the judgement of the High Court, these powers are very, very seldom used and such an act would be generally unthinkable unless being used a last ditch measure for the defence of the realm or to keep in check an unbalanced Parliament. The Monarch and his heirs are expected to remain strictly apolitical and must remain silent in their political views, although individual charitable work is encouraged (and expected) to a significant extent.

Parliament

Meeting in the Navarre House of Government (commonly referred to as Government House), a large, Gothic-style palace similar along the line of Westminister Palace in London, the legislature of the Freethinker Mainland consists of a unicameral (single) house, known as His Majesty's Parliament, of 800 elected members. Half of these are voted in on constituency, first-past-the-post ballots and the other half voted in through porportionate representation from the nationwide results. The idea behind this system is to ensure that all parties with a meaningful vote can be represented (a party only has to acquire 0.25% of the national ballot to earn a seat) whilst also ensuring that the main parties have sufficient strength to not get bogged down indecisively by coalition building and, unofficially, to ensure 'extreme' parties do not gain decisive decision-making power. All elections for the legislature are conducted every four years (on April 1st), and held across the Commonwealth by secret ballot.

The actual Prime Minister (the head of the legislature) him/herself is ceremoniously selected by the Monarch from the party with the greatest number of seats within Parliament. Unlike in many countries, the ruling party can take power even if its total number of seats is outbeaten by an opposing coalition of opposition parties, so long as it retains more seats than any other party alone. However, this is rarely seen, as a qualified majority is required in Parliament to pass most legislation and so even political parties with significant power and even a numerical seat advantage will still often form coalitions in power to ensure the passage of legislation.

The Prime Minister is infact the most powerful figure politically in The Freethinker Commonwealth, having similar abilities and responsibilities of the British or Australian PMs in RL. He selects the cabinet, represents the legislature as a whole in public, writes and approves (some) party legislation and can use the 'Party Whips' to ensure the loyalty of his fellow party members when a ballot is held. The current Prime Minister is Sir Theodore Barham. The Prime Minister's ruling cabinet includes all five major Ministry and fifteen minor Department heads, along with a selected number of Junior Ministers and Ministers-without-Portfolio, with each member of the cabinet is drawn from the ruling coalition.

See also: Freethinker Political Parties

Provincial Assemblies

The two dependent territories (Fargon and the Freethinker Martian Territories) each have their own elected Assembly which oversee all internal matters but do send advisors to the respective Foreign and Defence Ministries to ensure their views are accounted for. These advisors do not, however, have voting power within the Maindland legislature itself, something which still causes some controversy in certain circles.

Plebiscite

The Plebiscite is a interesting (and important) part of the Freethinker democratic process, a nationwide referendum with universal suffrage, based upon a privately submitted petition. A plebiscite can be started by any Citizen of the Commonwealth by collecting a sufficient number of signatures (usually around 100,000 depending on the issue) on a petition to introduce or repeal certain legislation. The result of this referendum has perogative over Parliament, and once enacted can only be vetoed by the reigning Monarch. All satsfactory petitions are put to public vote on Indepedence Day, and can be voted on at polling stations, by mail and more recently on the internet.

A plebiscite can also be called by the Government when an act to change the constitution is proposed. There are limits imposed to prevent repeat petitions every session, and a majority of voters have to provide a returned ballot in order for the plebiscite to become legally binding.

The Judiciary

The Royal Judiciary controls the court and prison systems, and is independent entirely of the legislative branches of the Freethinker government, save that the prisons and courts are funded through government taxation. Theoretically the reigning Monarch heads the Court System, though the actual powers this position provides are limited by historical precedent and royal discretion. The de facto head of the Judiciary is the Lord High Justice, currently Sir Micheal Campbelton.

Selected Legalities

• Capital Punishment has been abolished in the Commonwealth since it's official independence in 1885.

History

See Main Article: History of The Freethinkers

Economy

See Main Article: Economy of the Freethinker Commonwealth

The economy of the Freethinker Commonwealth is dominated by private sector, free market consumption and spending characteristic of an Anglo-Saxon economy, with the Government regulating and in certain circumstances supplying certain public goods (such as health and education services) where it feels the f[rivate sector alone fails to provide the necessary coverage in the relevant policy area. Capitalistic free-market systems are the dominant and prefered economic form, and free enterprise and entrepreneurship are encouraged to a large extent, but in turn private and public companies and corporations are expected to act with social responsibility as a guiding principle with regards to their employees, resource consumption and the products they retail.

Basic Statistics

GDP: purchasing power parity - US$212,877,111,879,432.00 (Mt107,513,692,868,400.00)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - US$45,005.00 (Mt22,730)

Population Below (Relative) Poverty Line: 8.2%

Unemployment Rate (ILO Measure): 4.3%

Unemployment Rate (Benefits Measure): 2.9%

Inflation Rate (Consumer Price Index): 2.5%

Labour Force: 4,100,000,000 (includes unemployed)

Currency: Mintel

Currency Code: FMT

Fiscal Year: 7th April - 6th April

Currency

See Main Article: Mintel

The official currency of The Freethinkers is the Mintel (FMT), created to replace the Midlonian Pound when the Freethinker Commonwealth became independent of the Midlonian Empire in 1885. The subunit of this currency is the 'Copper' and there are 100 Coppers (Cp) to the Mintel. The currency is represented in both metal coinage and paper banknotes. The Freethinker Commonwealth maintains a floating exchange rate with other currencies and currently maintains a foreign exchange price of around US$2 with most other economies.

Health & Education

National Healthcare

"Universal coverage with private sector efficiency, the best of both worlds" - Health Secretary Brian Depimer.

As per the Freethinker Constitution, access to free, high quality healthcare is a basic right for all Freethinker citizens. The actual application of this right through Government policy is managed through a comprehensive (and compulsary) National Insurance scheme, which provides funds for both public and private medical institutions.

Education System

Eduction is free and compulsary from the ages of 5 to 16, although almost all students will stay on in some form of higher education until at least 18. Tertiary education is heavily subsidised but most institutions still charge some form of tuition fees.

Intrestingly enough, because of the vast distances involved with travelling in the Outback, the Commonwealth has one of the most well-funded and developed home-schooling programs in the world.

See also: Freethinker Universities

Infrastructure

The harsh nature of Freethinker geography has lead to daunting challenges for the civil engineers of the Commonwealth, but this adversity has been meet by determination and ingenuity on a breathtaking scale.

Roads & Railways

The road system tends to be well developed and maintained in both rural and urban settings. Urban networks tend to be well developed and designed for excellent handling of commuter traffic and public transport. Rural roads tend to be heavily protected to prevent attacks by the various native inhabitants of the untamed wilderness.

The efficient and comprehensive railway system is a legacy of Midlonian rule, and although passenger traffic has moved towards aircraft travel, the railways are still by far the largest carriers of freight within the interior of the country. Internal tram and underground systems provide public transport within larger cities as well.

Basic Stats:

Ports, Harbours and Waterways

Basic Stats:

• Major Harbours: Navarre, Ademsea, Benarbor, Delta City, Portanova, Pebble Landing

• Waterways: 324,500 km (~200,000 km in commercial use)

• Merchant Marine (Maritime):
  • Total: 22,552 ships (1000 GRT or over) ~800,000,000GWT
  • By type: Bulk carrier 1,120, Cargo 8,664, Chemical tanker 645, Container 5,643, Passenger 239, Passenger/Cargo 1,070, Petroleum tanker 671, Refrigerated cargo 210, Roll on/Roll off 2,310, Vehicle Carrier 1,980

Airports and Aerospace Ports

Basic Stats:

• Aerospace Ports: 34
  • Runway Over 3,000 Metres: 4
  • Runway 2,000 - 3,000 Metres: 23
  • Runway 1,000 - 2,000 Metres: 4
  • Runway Less than 1,000 Metres: 3

• Airports (Paved Runway & Facilities): 9,821
  • Runway Over 3,000 Metres: 2,323
  • Runway 2,000 - 3,000 Metres: 2,180
  • Runway 1,000 - 2,000 Metres: 3,962
  • Runway Less than 1,000 Metres: 1,356

Communications

Basic Stats:

Power Generation and Distribution

Basic Stats:

• Electricity - Production: 1.5456 Quadrillion kWh

• Electricity - Consumption: 1.5204 Quadrillion kWh

• Electricity - Production by Source:
  • Fusion: 50%
  • Fission: 45%
  • Hydroelectric: 3%
  • Geothermal: 1%
  • Other: Negligible

See also: Freethinker Super-Engineering

International Relations

Immigration

Immigration into The Freethinker Commonwealth is actively encouraged, especially of foreign academics and entrepreneurs (and special bodies have been set up to encourage this), although all who are willing to work are generally welcomed and accepted. There are no set limits to the number of immigrants allowed to enter the country, however, certain health and security checks have been recently introduced to ensure that this liberal policy does not allow a freeflow of contagious disease or permit major security threats into the nation.

Typically, economic migrants are granted a one year probationary visa, which when expired a migrant can apply for a residency permit should the terms of the visa be met. Once residency has been established, a migrant is free to work and move within the Commonwealth and undertake private employment, although government positions, military posts and political voting rights are not granted. Freethinker Citizenship can be applied for after six years of residency, barring illegal action or unentitled welfare claims (which can result in deportation). Once citizenship has been achieved, new citizens will face commitments such as National Service in terms of their new nationality.

The actual demographics of immigrants are typical for a liberal western state, including civilians fleeing foreign wars and persecution, however, economic migrants and imported skilled labour make up the majority of newcomers.

See also: Freethinker Citizenship

Foreign Disputes and Illegal Activities

Organised smuggling operations are a serious problem within the Freethinker Commonwealth. The position of the Commonwealth in the centre of many trade networks has lead to a substantial black market operating within the country, including the transhipment of drugs, weapons and increasingly slaves of various races. Efforts to crack down on this behaviour have been limited in their impact, given the sophisticated nature and deep local roots of such groups and the indifferent attitude of the local population. Suspicion of support from local intelligence services is rife but the government has denied such allegations. Money laundering is also an issue due to the highly developed financial networks built up to support international trade, although recent efforts to combat this through new regulations and government oversight have had some success.

Organised crime is however significantly limited in scope aside from international transhipment activities. Given most narcotics are legally avaliable and prostitution is fully legalised there is little in the way of profitable activities outside of extortion and blackmail, which have been made increasingly difficult by encroaching police initiatives. The Commonwealth has taken an extremely hard line against such organisations and as such they are considered by most commentators to be non-existent actors outside of the above aforementioned areas.

Piracy remains a significant threat away from the established sealanes around the coast. Whereas most routes are well guarded and constantly patrolled, the vast unmonitered coastline and the relative ease of acquiring weaponry on the grey and black markets has meant a number of small time pirate groups have emerged. A recent investment in patrol boats and aircraft have reduced the number of attacks but most merchantmen which run outside of protected corridors still carry heavy armed protection.

The Freethinker Commonwealth has no territorial disputes with other sovereign states at present. All previous disputes with Midlonia and Knootoss have been settled by treaty.

International Organisation Membership

Military

• New Alliance Treaty Organization
• The Concordat

Economic

• Trade Network Association
• Knootian International Stabilisation Treaty
• Galactic Postal Union

Military

See Main Article: Freethinker Royal Armed Forces

The military of the Freethinker Commonwealth is the Freethinker Royal Armed Forces, established in 1885 at the outset of Freethinker indepedence.

Basic Statistics

Military Budget: US$18,150,240,000,000 (Mt9,166,790,000,000)

Military Branches: Army (Freethinker Royal Army, Freethinker Ground Defence Force, Royal Militia Corp, Crown Free Legions), Navy (Freethinker Royal Navy, Freethinker Royal Marines, Freethinker Coastguard), Air Force (Freethinker Royal Air Force, Freethinker Air Defence Militia), Space Command (Freethinker Royal Spaceborne Navy, Freethinker Royal Space Marines, Freethinker Orbital Defence System), Intelligence Agencies (Commonwealth National Intelligence Organisation)

Military Manpower:

• Age for Service: Humans: 16 years of age, Ghouls: 16 years of age
• Active Military Personnel: ~30,000,000 (male and female, human/ghoul)
• Available Military Personnel: ~4,200,000,000 (male and female, human/ghoul; able-bodied and of military age)
• Military Trained Manpower: ~3,800,000,000(male and female, human/ghoul; compulsory National Service in military setting)

OOC Notes

On Geography: The large size of The Freethinkers is a necessity to support both a large population and the supposed wilderness that occupies much of the country. No, it isn't a typo.