What governmental structure does Lusitania have? I assume that Mayor Bosquinha was elected, showing Democracy and the Starways Congress shows a Republic, of course meaning that the future is a Democratic Republic, but do all colonies have the same form of government? I don't think so because if you look at the differences between Path and Lusitania, Path is practically a Theocracy and Lusitania seems to be Democratic. How are goods distributed? Is Lusitania a Socialist or Capitalist colony? The issue of money isn't really mentioned. And the fact that there are Xenobiologists who are taking note of and changing the genetics of plants that are being grown for food seems as if the farms on lusitania are controlled by the government, but really that dosen't argue for either Socialism or Capitalism due to Lusitania's highly sensitive nature, what with the piggies and all. There is no mention of class either on Lusitania suggesting that it may be Socialist. Do colonies start out with Socialism and gradually as they gain in population and industry turn into a Democracy?
(Subsub-question: What is everybodies favorite "ocracy"? Democracy, Theocracy, Post-Communist Kleptocracy, Totalarian Regime, Socialist State, Military Junta, Constitutional Sultanate...etc.?)
Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :
Constitutional Robocracy.
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
lol, lemme try to answer.
/search Starways Congress
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Its somewhat of a Confederacy between the One Hundred first worlds colonized during the First Hegemon's (Peter the Great). Each World is a equal member of the Confereracy in the Parlimentary body known as Starways Congress See apendix A-233, and each world has a right to decide for itself how to govern its people, from closed traditional societies like Path or Divine Wind but also decide when such current government is nolonger suitable (i.e Divine Wind transforming from a Shogunate to a say Post WWII socio-economic Capitalist power house). Its possible also for worlds to decide its Immigration policy in most cases keeping the colony of a homogenious nature solving the National Question (see page "Politics and War from Philip II to Hitler") that has plagued nations since the first stirrings of Nationalism. Thus each world upon colonization usualy determined from the colonial supervisory council based from a given colony's homeworld starts with such and such political/economical system.
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Lusitania:
Lusitania is a Catholic Colony of Brazilian origin, major language is Portugese minor language is Stark. A small colony of some 2,000 colonists Lusitania was a certified Catholic colony and was given the privalege to restrict tourism and immigration though this met with fierce resistance from various Colonial lawyers argueing the need for living space and rationalism, however with the discovery of the pequeninos AKA "Piggies" these arguements were silenced since the need to preserve the first alien species discovered since Ender the "Xenocide" annaliated the Formics in the Third Great Patriotic Bugger War. Lusitania soon became the focal point for research into an alien species that for the first time ever we could communicate with, but soon Lusitania would play an important role in not only the revival of the Formic Species but also the discovery of instantanious FTL travel between worlds, the preservation of a third alien yet so human species an super intellegent quasi-plant computer symbiote named "Jane" (see Appendix Z-9780) and in the reformation of Starways Congress and the amazing Restoration of a new Inter-Stellar Hegemony under the revived Peter Wiggin rumor says possesses part of the inner will and memory of Andrew "Ender" Wiggin (see "The Era of the Battle School Brats and their effect on Military Strategy" and "The Bugger Wars" by famed historian Valentine Wiggin.
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-Encyclopedia Galactica Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
Socialist State, but what Lenin wanted not what Tovarish Stalin turned it into.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Very cute, Sid. Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
*bows* Thanks, I'm happy to be a service though I'm curious to what you find specifically cute so I can improve myself.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
The whole Lusitania post was amusing. I like the back-and-forth.
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
back and forth? Now I'm confused.
Posted by ChaosTheory (Member # 7069) on :
quote:"Constitutional Robocracy"
I had America out and just had to ask.
The Digital Revolution's Secret Weapon: 000111100011111100010101010001001001000100010
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
2
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Path and Lumana`i, at least, seems to suggest that while the Starways Congress sets some broad rules for all the inhabited worlds, individual worlds have varying forms of government. Han Fei Tzu et al do not seem to report to any local governing body, but rather directly to congress. The only authority figure we see submission to on Lumana`i is Malu, who leads theocratically.
That doesn't really give a definitive answer, though.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Sid, that was brilliant.
Without looking back at the book, let me just point out that there's such a thing as the official government - a mayor and town council, since the colony was really only one settlement - and the unofficial government, which was fundamentally theocratic. That Cathollic license meant that the bishop had enormous power and influence, probably greater than any wielded by elected officials.
You can have government forms, but the important question is: Who has the power to compel obedience without losing power himself? And whom do people willingly obey? The balance can shift day by day.
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
Which would explain the sudden change from a Shogunate to what we consider as being modern day Japan since historically the Meiji Restoration only happened because busy body Americans foced them to open their ports to trade (nowadays they're regreting that), so with Starways congress it would appear that governmental system changes would seem happen spontaniously according to what the people will, essentially the triumph of democracy even some of the worlds are anything but democratic the situation could easily change, fascinating. There really should be addition writers expanding the Enderverse Mr Card sir, speculation alone only gets us so far better yet those of us on Hatrack should contribute quasi esay fanfics to put forward what those of us believe to be the everyday politic situation in Starways Congress pre Peter and Post Peter.
Oh and ya thank you mr Card for you praise, I think one could count on both hands those who've been directly praised by you sir.
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I like the back-and-forth.
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