The Economist ~ Society and the State

Day 943, 06:01 Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom by Spite313
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Dear friends,

A couple of days ago I published an article to outline my thoughts about British Politics as it now stands. It got mixed responses, with one or two people choosing to use the comments to attack me on personal grounds, but the majority of people, including the UKRP Party President, agreeing. I think it’s really important that as a nation we accept there will always be left and right wing parties; That these groups will always argue, not only about economic policy, but about everything; That this argument, or debate, or discussion, is what pushes forward new ideas and brings change to the UK; That we can hold such a debate and still be a nation united in common purpose when we need to be; That we won’t let petty personal differences come between us and our obligations to our citizens, our alliance and ourselves.

In this article I’d like to talk briefly about what the UK is. The UK is a society, a group of individuals who are bound together by game mechanics and personal relationships. We’re not a big society, with about one thousand citizens who are active enough to vote, fight and work at every possible occasion, and a few hundred more on the periphery. It’s possible to think of the UK as a village, our congress as the parish councillors and the president as the mayor. Everyone knows each other- or at least can do if they choose to. Most of our Presidents have also been soldiers, ministers, congressmen. All of them have worked alongside you, trained alongside you. What I’m trying to say is that we’re a community, and the names that we use for the leadership often detract from that by depersonalising our ‘state’ leadership. Elected officials are nothing more than representatives of the community, and are no better than any other member.




Looking at it that way, we can see the justification behind organisations such as the communes. They are ordinary members of society, working together to produce their own food, weapons, tickets and so on. They do it because they can, they elect their own leaders to organise it. They’re a society within a society, and their difference enriches the experience for all of us by offering an alternative that we can see and experience and understand. But does joining the communes make you subservient, take your identity, reduce your personal contribution to the UK? Of course not. Nobody can claim that the likes of Ayame Crocodile, Johnobrow Dadds, Bob the Terrorist (and so on) are anything other than individuals.

In the communes all citizens are equal, leaders are no richer or more powerful than any other members. The idea is to provide an environment where all can perform their best function as per the time and effort they personally choose to put into the game, and the rewards are shared amongst everyone. This is how the communes have become one of the most successful projects in UK political history*.




What I think we should do is take that lesson and apply it to the UK. The state and all its apparatus- army, political, economic and so on- should be available to every citizen from birth. At the end of the day they are all part of the society, they contribute through taxes, through produce, through war and through their potential to take a greater lead in the future. We need to close the divide between the public and the state. That will be the greatest challenge for the future- even greater than V2.

Why do I say that? In V2 we will see a great complexification of all the modules. Military operations will be confusing, buying goods will be confusing, running businesses will be confusing, career paths will be confusing. It’ll make it harder for our society to adapt to it. Society has a method of self-protection though, and that is the true role of the state. Each person has their purpose, and amongst the elected leadership of the country are people who know V2 and its inner workings down to the last cog and bolt, and that knowledge will only deepen post-V2. It’s our role to ensure that the state and society are as close as possible, mutually dependent and mutually focused. To ensure that every citizen has the benefit of that knowledge, just as every citizen has the benefit of tax spending or military protection.




How do I suggest that we achieve this?

~More staff and resources to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
~Focus groups to develop retention policies
~An off-site recruitment website, with first week instructions
~Public Advice Bureau which will be advertised as the one stop shop for queries
~Combined Military Recruitment and Citizen Advice articles
~More regular and more detailed communiqué's with citizens

These are just a few ideas which could help bring the state closer to society and make information more accessible to all of us. The Ministry of Home Affairs is our most vital ministry, as it deals with the protection, development and education of our citizens. It is the most direct and recognisable link between the organs of the state and the people the state purports to serve. As such it should be developed and given the support and recognition it deserves. We talk about the need for a military orders article in top 5 at all times. We need an education article in the top 5 at all times. We have 150 new citizens a day, and more than half lose wellness in their first fight. Our birth survival rate is about 10% for the first week. This is because of a lack of communication between society and state.




Saying that, things can only get better. Identifying the problem is half the battle, and now we need to do something about it. We have twenty or so active involved congressmen, half a dozen ministers and a country President who are active and involved. They are the obvious face of the state. In addition we have dozens of under-ministers, apprentices and ministry workers. We have a Military Command staff, general staff, and hundreds of soldiers and NCOs. In other words, we have the tools and the willpower. In my last article I said that debate could be good for the country. Well here is something we can all contribute to. How do we support new players? how do we bring the game to them? How do we take a complex system like V2 and put it into focus? It’s something for us all to think about.


*please note I am not a PCP member, so this is objective