Difference between revisions of "Uncle Noel"

Revision as of 06:53, 23 March 2007

The Serene Democratic People's Fiefdom of
Uncle Noel

Flag of the Fiefdom of Uncle Noel
Capital	Port Sunlight/New Tenochtitlan
Suffrage	None
Official Language(s)	Nahautl, English
Government General Secretary	One-Party Socialist Republic Noel Hoogaboom (1953 to 2007)
Established Informally Dissolved	1953 Communist Civil War victory 2007 following free elections

The Serene Democratic People's Fiefdom of Uncle Noel was a state that existed from 1953 to 2007. It was founded by the Communist Party of Otiacicoh following their victory in the 6-Year Civil War and declared its sovereignty on 27 May 1953, following the flight of the previous Emperor Moctezuma VIII. The Communist Party's control over information and movement was reduced during the period 2000-2007 and the advent of open protest at the Government's handling of the Kaitan-Leagran Affair prompted the Fiefdom's ruler, Noel Hoogaboom, to announce his retirement and the beginning of free elections. Election day, 11 March, is commonly seen by historians as the date that marks the end of the Serene Democratic Fiefdom, a view which is not held by all.

History

The Civil War, and eventual Communist Victory, grew out of the conditions present in the early twentieth century. The industrial boom of the late nineteenth century, prompted by European innovation and technology, had produced a society with great income inequality and great racial divides. Worse, the industrial boom had slowed considerably thanks to the emergence of a oligarchical white elite that controlled the economy and ran it as a monopoly. The island suffered greatly during the Great Depression, with mass unemployment fuelling both radical politics and an all-out race war in several mixed-race working-class communities across the Empire. It was into this volatile mix that the Second World War descended. Otiacicoh, being a Pacific island, was naturally on the front-line of the war between Imperial Japan and the United States. Unfortunately for the ancien regime, the war proved to be the last straw. Both sides united, not in support of the USA, but rather in aiding Japan. The Aztec nobles, distrustful of the republican interests of their eastern neighbour, supported the Emperor in Tokyo. The Industrialists also, in a display of short-sightedness, believed the future to lie with the Asian power and joined the nobles. While Japan supplied arms and equipment to the Emperor on Otiacicoh, the island was too close to the Pacific shore of America to warrant being ignored. A US Marine Detachment landed on the island with no resistance and remained there until 1947. The fiasco with America demonstrated the isolation of both the nobles and the Industry Barons from the people 'on the ground.' Popular resentment, encouraged by a Washington keen to see change on the island, grew. The departure of the Americans in 1947 to fight other Cold War battles removed the last trace of stability on the island, and civil war soon erupted. The Civil War lasted for six years and was largely fought between Communist guerillas and Government Forces (with those forces being governed by an uneasy alliance of conveinence between the Aztec nobility and the European Oligarchical Industrialists). More information on this period can be read in the biography of Noel Hoogaboom, though save to say that the eventual victory of the Communists saw the end of the Empire and the foundation of the Fiefdom.

The Island under Uncle Noel

<div" class="plainlinksneverexpand">

The National Crest of the Fiefdom of Uncle Noel, incorporating (from the top left moving clockwise) The Hammer and Sickle, the god Huitzilopochtli, the boat of tlatoque Huitzilíhuitl II and the skyline of Port Sunlight

The Serene Democratic People's Fiefdom possessed two goals at its advent, the development of a Socialist Economy and Peoples along with the diplomatic support of those Socialist powers had, via a combination of tactical and military support, were able to ensure final communist victory over Imperial forces. To that end, therefore, the new government nationalised all industry on the island and created the Economical Commission for Planning of State Economy, whose first big achievement was the Eight Year Plan for Heavy Industry (1956-1964). This Plan had moderate success, though its achievements would later be built upon by subsequent plans. The Collectivisation of Farming was less successful, with large areas of the South and East being collectivised to a significant decline in agricultural production. Only the preservation of traditional farming methods in the West and North of the Fiefdom prevented famine, with these areas surviving due to the relatively regional power of the communist government during the first few years of the Fiefdom. The Fiefdom was a close ally of the Soviet Union, though did attempt to maintain friendly relations with People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The collapse of the Soviet Union saw the increase in relations with China and North Korea, though this did not prevent a massive economic slump from taking place. It was during this recession of the 1990s that the Government first allowed the liberalisation of the media that would ultimately lead to free elections, though this liberalisation originally occurred as a distraction to economic woes. Meaningful relations with non-communist countries, in particular the Empire of Pantocratoria, resulted in the Fiefdom's emergence from the diplomatic cold (a notable success being the arrival of Princess Helen of Pantocratoria as Ambassador in 2005. By this time, however, tensions were beginning to arise between the level of free speech allowed in the Fiefdom and the continued existence of a one-party state. Such tensions emerged following the diasterous Kaitan-Leagran Affair (at which the Communist Government attempted to impose a foreign monarch on that island, revealing a gross level of diplomatic ineptitude along with the concerted deception of the citizenry by hiding the existence of the sole heir of Moctezuma VIII). Recognizing that such an imbalance could not exist forever, the Party announced free and fair elections, bringing to an end the old Fiefdom and ushering in a new, free one.

The Economy

The old Fiefdom possessed a centrally-planned economy organised by the Fiefdom Council of Ministers Economical Commission for Planning of State Economy. Economic inefficiencies resulted from this system, however, making the need for continued Soviet support during the Cold War. Since the collapse of the USSR, the island's economy has begun to decline. The economy is primarily focused upon heavy industries and much of the island's manufacturing is under the control of the state-run company, The Zagreb Corporation. Zagreb is in particular famous for its automotive division and the production of its single model, the Zagreb Peoples' Car. Zagreb is also the island's sole steel producer and ship-builder. Mining, however, is controlled by the New Azcapotzalco Mining Division of the Ministry of Raw Materials, or the NAMDRW (pronounced Nam-Drew). The fact that the Fiefdom had a planned economy does not mean that a single, comprehensive plan was the basis of all economic activity. An interlocking web of plans having varying degrees of specificity, comprehensiveness, and duration was in operation at all times; any or all of these may be modified during the continuous process of performance monitoring or as a result of new and unforeseen circumstances. The resultant system of plans was extremely complex, and maintaining internal consistency between the various plans was a considerable task. Aiding such a task was the unveiling, in May 2006, of the mighty GOSPLAN 2000 computer system that, its makers hoped, would speed up the economy and reduce the costly bureaucracy inherit in planned economies. Early results to that end have been promising.

The Legal System

Legal legitimacy, prior to the Revolution, was dependent upon the principle that the Emperor and the nobility were descended from the god Quetzalcoatl and thus possessing the ability make or change laws. Indeed, it is for this reason that religious riots often broke out during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to the Christian refusal to recognise the basis for the Empire's legitimacy. Much of this legal system has been inherited by Uncle Noel and, in theory at least, has changed little. The reason for the lack of structural change was summarised by the historian Thomas Barzun who noted that

The legal system within the Fiefdom remains [unchanged] due to the somewhat redundant nature of its work. The law serves to supplement the will of the regime and, so long as it does so, it doesn't matter if its officials are termed judges, Techuhlatoque or supreme badger lords.

At the bottom of the system exists the Barrio courts that deal with minor civil and criminal offences. Like magistrates in other legal systems, Barrio judges are elected by the people and are inevitably ex-soldiers who boast a strong loyalty to Uncle Noel. Barrio courts exist in small towns and within the districts of larger metropolis, such as the capital Port Sunlight. Cases of sufficient import are transferred to the Teccali court. ‘‘Teccali’’ courts are situated in most major towns and consist of three Techuhtlatoque, Nahuatl for 'lords that govern the public well being and speak it.' Such men, during the empire, were invariably noblemen and certain sections of the aristocracy not forced into exile retain control. The Teccali courts are the last legal recourse in civil cases, though criminal matters may be referred to the Tlacxitlan, or appeal courts. Again staffed by three or four judges, such courts were traditionally the first encountered by the nobility and military, though the current regime has enforced an equality before the law for all citizens. Cases heard here can be passed up to the highest legal authority in the Fiefdom, the Court of the Supreme Lord that Govern the Public Well Being and Speak it. In the past, this role would have been filled by the Cihuacoatl-The Woman Serpent. Originally a member of the Imperial Family, the possessed a far-reaching portfolio but the position has fallen vacant since the fall of the Empire and now a Supreme Techuhtlatoque, the Honourable Tlacateotzin Henderson, is the highest legal figure on the island. The Supreme Techuhtlatoquen presides over 11 other judges in cases of great importance to the nation. Under the Empire, cases could also be passed to the Emperor himself at his discretion and whose Will was the final say.

In an effort to reform the system the Calmecac of Nanauatzin, referred to as 'The Oxford of Otiacicoh', has recently developed, a degree in law and all new judges and barristers must attend the institution. The law code of the island is, on paper at least, the complied law code produced in 1922 by the Emperor Montezuma VII. An updated version of the Montezuma VII Law Code is expected to be published by a joint Ministry of Justice/Calmecac of Nanauatzin Commission in 2008, though this now falls under the mandate of the new, democratic Fiefdom.

Politics

The Serene, Democratic People's Fiefdom of Uncle Noel was a communist republic in which the Communist Party of Otiacicoh was the only legimate and legal political organisation. The official ideology of the Party remains that of Marxist-Leninism though the influence of Maoism and Juche has grown in recent years. The Constitution of Uncle Noel theoretically catalogued the various actions and roles of both the Party and the State, though the reality of the Fiefdom is far from a reflection of this.

The Premier of the Fiefdom was Noel Hoogaboom who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Otiacicoh and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Uncle Noel also served as Supreme Commander of the National People's Army and Chairman of the Council of War. Noel Hoogaboom served as de facto Head of State and, as such, received Ambassadors and signed Foreign Treatries. The de jure Head of Government would have been, in theory, be the Party Leader of the largest single Party in the National People's Soviet. Elections to this ceased in 1993, and at the time of the advent of democracy there existed no constitutional role of Head of Government (though Uncle Noel's position as head of the Communist Party of Oticicoh would have made him this anyway). Noel Hoogaboom, therefore, was accorded the honourific of "Dear Leader" and a significant Cult of Personality has developed around him.

The parliament, the National People's Soviet, was the highest organ of state power (prior to 1988). Its 687 members were elected every five years by popular vote. In every district voters were offered only one candidate. The People's Soviet usually held two annual meetings, each lasting a few days, during which it elected a standing committee. The Soviet was viewed by the west as typically ratifying decisions made by the ruling OCP. A standing committee was elected by the Soviet and performed legislative functions when the Soviet is not in session. Here are the results of the last election to the National People's Soviet, held in November 1988.

The influence of the Juche political theory led to a gradual acceptance in the Party and the wider Body Politic of the need for an element of 'dynastic socialism'. Since Uncle Noel lacks any children of his own (having never married), the heir-designate was his nephew Trevor Macmillan, who now serves as General Secretary of the Communist Party and Cihuacoatl of Otiacicoh.

A Political Milestone or a Historical Imposition?

Despite the recent political liberalisation, debate exists as to whether or not the old Fiefdom no longer exists or whether the division into 'old' and 'new' is entirely arbitary. Supporters of this view argue that the supposedy 'New' Fiefdom continues to retain many of the features of 'old' one, including a centrally-planned economy and continued Communist domination. No institution have changed their names, and much of the matieral life of Otiacicoh remains the same. Even the new political freedoms are not revolutionary, but merely a better enforced version of the old Socialist one. Other scholars disagree, however, arguing that term 'old' fiefdom is still useful in distinguishing between the older, dictatorial one and the modern democratic version. Besides, they argue, the name of the country has changed from 'Uncle Noel back to 'Oiacicoh' making the need for categorisation all the more important.

Otiacicohan Nations
Preceded by: First Otiacicohan Empire	1953-2007 Serene Democratic People's Fiefdom of Uncle Noel	Succeeded by: Second Otiacicohan Empire