The Economist 12th February Edition
Day 450, 07:47
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Published in United Kingdom 
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by
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by Spite313
Leaders � Editorial
There is a saying, coined by British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, that a week is a long time in politics. This has never been more true in eRepublik than this week. The Economist goes to print on a Thursday, and so the last print edition was released at 5pm on the election day. The Prime Minister was still Deathtoll, the European Social Alliance (ESA) was something talked about in polite tones and the Free-Thinkers Party was just another small party. How things change.
The ESA is the big hot topic this week. Whatever you think of it, it has certainly caused a stir. The violent accusation and implications of treachery from MI6 were a surprise for many, including the author. It is certainly true that the development of the ESA would likely mean the gradual demise of Atlantis. As such, we can expect pro-Atlantis members to be against it, merely on this principle. There are also those who carry grudges against some Peace (and ex-Peace) countries such as France and Germany, and refuse to partake because of this. The final and most important criticism is this: Will the ESA be any different to Atlantis? The author asked Squiddy, Party President of the TUP, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the man behind the ESA project.
“If I had to narrow it down to one single difference, I would say it's the purpose in which each alliance was created for that's the main difference. ATLANTIS & PEACE both need each other, not that they would ever admit that, to justify their own reasons for existing. ESA's intentions are for the betterment of the European Continent. Military issues are secondary, not primary.”
It is true that like all global alliances, Atlantis-Peace are self sustaining. At the very least the creation of the ESA would leave some countries formerly hiding behind the twin alliances out in the cold, and could result in a serious global power shake up, the likes of which we haven't seen since the collapse of /v/akistan and the expansion of Romania. But is it in Britain's interests to side with this new alliance, or should we stick to what we know? That is for the Houses of Parliament to decide, and we will monitor and await their decision.
Leaders – Destiny fulfilled?
Our leader this week is inevitably focused on the landslide victory of the Coalition in the recent elections. Final Destiny was always the stronger of the two candidates, and the election was never one of personality, but one of Party. To give Jerry credit, his ideas were all strong and as is the case in many elections the UK would not have suffered under his hand. In the end, the UKRP electoral machine was not sufficient to overcome the unified forces of the People's Communist Party (PCP), The Unity Party (TUP) and the Movement for Democratic Unity (MDU). Smaller groups The Right Party and the Free Thinkers Party also participated in the coalition, with Mr. Brodie (TRP) a vocal Destiny supporter and Final Destiny himself the founder of the F-TP. The final election results were as following:
Final Destiny
| 283 votes |
| 62.06%
jerryGFL
| 141 votes |
| 30.09%
Shadowukcs
| 32 votes |
| 7.02%
So how does Final Destiny feel to be the ninth as well as fourth Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? The new PM told us that since June last year, things had changed a lot. “...We had much less of this red tape around passing legislation. Things are more complex around here... Lots of changes but some things are the same. For example my PM box is bursting.” It's hardly surprising that Final Destiny has been receiving a lot of private messages. The job of Prime Minister has always involved being the countries face abroad, and this Prime Minister in particular has contacts that would rival that of any statesman worldwide. The new Prime Minister has made diplomacy and tackling the catharsis which currently has ATLANTIS beleaguered one of his three priorities for the coming month: “We live in difficult times. The two Super Alliances are still at each others throats and dirty tactics have been used. I've already contacted every President on the Map to hold a Summit to tackle these issues. With good responses so far I have to say.”
A lot of ATLANTIS critics will take heart that one of their own is in office. But Final Destiny has shown himself in the past to be a man not above compromise, and it is in this author's opinion that should the opportunity show itself to salvage and renew the ATLANTIS union into something more than it's current military form then the Prime Minister will seize it. On the home front, recent criticism from Dishmcds over a government failure to tackle the economy will be addressed by the new administration: “The War with France saw our Gold Reserves take a huge hit. I'm trying my best to bring our best financial minds together to once again look to increase our reserves. Though we must tackle unemployment as well. This relates directly to our activity levels of late.”
The third goal of the FD administration is to, in the words of the man himself, make “the word 'sheep' mean a fluffy animal again”. This is obviously a goal, rather than a specific proposal, but the Economist predicts a wave of new ideas coming to the House of Commons soon. From our interview with the new Prime Minister, we gather that these reforms will come in two forms. Firstly, the government itself will be working to bring new citizens in earlier, presumably by expanding the workload to accommodate new workers: “We need to dust ourselves off and get back into the ring so to speak. New Members have to be able to get involved with things right off the bat.” Secondly, FD predicts that the coalition itself will force parties to become more active. Although the odds of it surviving the UKRP defeat are low, the parties involved have developed organisational skills which will hopefully be carried through to future elections. The UKRP has also worked harder than ever before, with the sheer number of members contacted during the election period there must be an increase in UKRP activity on the horizon. The Economist did not back any candidate in the election, and will always back whichever candidate supports its general standpoint of radical centrist. However, we would say that any candidate who doesn't share these views on congress will not get our backing:
“Back in June I gave Congress much more say. More say in politics than they ever had in UK history. The UK Congress and Lords are the heartbeat of the United Kingdom. A President who will not work with these institutions to run the country is not fit for the Office he or she holds.”
Finally, we would like to add to this article by talking about the events which have occurred over the last few days. This particular article was written on Friday, and as such a little bit of editing needs to take place. Since Sunday, things have certainly changed a lot. FD is missing in action, possibly in hospital or taking care of a newborn baby (two options offered by friends of the man). Either way, it is a credit to the cabinet and parliament of this country that virtually nobody has noticed he has been away! We hope he returns soon, and congratulate those who are in the government for their impeccable work ethic.
Letters-
Protectionism and the Wood Tax (USA)
Although I understand this paper's stand against Protectionism, I feel a degree of it is needed in the new world. You say that it is never beneficial, however I feel that it can be to a certain extent. While I don't support it fully, I believe that the raise of import tax is justified. If the USA's businesses have been taking advantage of the low import tax, then more than likely the Spanish market has been flooded with cheap goods. This is probably what has caused the tax to be changed because Spanish wood companies have probably been struggling to compete. This is lead to a collapse in companies and job losses for the Spanish. As the Spanish government's job is to protect it's citizens livelihoods then I feel this is a very good move for them.
-Anon. UK House of Commons MP
Britain � Population Boom
Well it seems that eRepublik is facing a new influx of people from the wonderful world of the internet. The administrators have evidently forked out their cash on some advertising and we've actually got some new people coming in. As is usually the case, the majority of new migrants are to the USA, UK, and other large countries. This means that we as a country have to make sure that we're welcoming to our new citizens and do our best to get them forum active.
So, if you're new, and have the staying power to wade this far through the Economist, then get yourself on the forums at forums.erepublik.co.uk It's where the politics, business and community activities take place. This isn't so much a report on what's happening in the UK as the portal to what happens in the UK. All of the major decisions, and a lot of the minor ones, are made there. This is part of a media-wide plea by all active forum go-ers to get yourself there and get yourself involved. See also, wiki.erepublik.co.uk for hints and tips on living in the eUK.
See you soon new people.
Europe – Is Dio back?
A question that is on the tongues of all following the Theocratic victory in the Swiss Presidential elections. The man who led Pakistan in the conquest of much of South East Asia has been gone from eRepublik for many months now, and many assumed that like so many members of the /v/ forums he had left for good.
For those who are unaware of the history of /v/ and /v/akistan, I will outline it in brief. /v/ is the video games section of the picture messaging board site 4chan. Last year, many of those who frequented /v/ joined and organised a political takeover of Pakistan, under the party name 'the Stardust Crusaders'. Led by Dio Brando, the Stardust Crusaders used their new base of operations as a springboard for military conquest. It was the rapid expansion of the new state of /v/akistan that in part led to the establishment of ATLANTIS.
When Dio reappeared and moved to Switzerland, many were shocked by his sudden appearance. It has been claimed by some that Dio's account was 'hacked' (in other words it is another logged in as Dio). Regardless of the truth of this, it is an irrefutable fact that the Dio account is now President of one of Europe's free states. So what happened over there? Here is a rough timetable of events:
25th January: Theocratic Pantheon stands in nearly every seat in area of Switzerland, gaining a majority of seats.
2nd February: Minimum waged voted to change to 50CHF, destroying all Swiss business.
4th February: Income taxes soar on all goods, Import taxes on finished products rises.
4th February: 3225CHF transferred from the Swiss accounts to the Theocratic Pantheon
5th February: Dio elected President
The Economist has asked Nemo Mobilis, who frequently visits the /v/ forums, his opinion on the supposed return of /v/. "4chan's /v/ has not been involved in the takeover, they could care less about us here,” Nemo has told us. “This is an independent act by Dio and a few of his most dedicated followers. At worst he may have a small army of close friends, but nothing like what we saw before". If this does represent Dio and just a few friends having some fun then this may give some hope for Switzerland and neighbouring states. Slovenia and other small non-aligned states must be feeling the pressure, having one of the most powerful individuals ever to play eRepublik in a neighbouring country. Austrian President Chicco has told the Economist that he does not consider the 'petty Swiss' to be a threat to his nation. The Economist does not share his optimism. We shall see how this story develops.
United States � Uncle Sam is preparing for war
This Uncle Sam isn't the symbolic top-hat wearing kind, but rather the man of the same name. Uncle Sam is the new President of the United States, the most powerful man in that country and one of the oldest and strongest. The United States has taken a kicking economically in the last few months, and things were far from perfect when the new man took over. We asked Uncle Sam how the USA was recovering from the recent treachery by the notorious Franco. “We've actually done pretty well at this point,” he told us. “Some of the taxes are falling, some of the other ones are being raised in preparation for war that is sure to come. All in all, we've recovered a good amount, however our job isn't quite done yet”.
The crucial part of this is 'the war that is sure to come'. One of the key differences between the eUSA and the eUK is that American politicians are a lot more happy to reveal the inner workings of Atlantis to their electorate than ours are. We have heard rumours of war, of course, and the usual bush-fires between Spain and Portugal; Romania and...well everyone. But when Uncle Sam says war I think he means big war. Sam's three big goals this term are to replenish the treasury, increase arms supplies and to prepare for and “bring a little war to the country”. What are the ramifications of all this for the eUK? Well as Sam said, “The UK is our closes and oldest ally, ever since the beginning of Beta. There is no reason why that should stop”. The Economist would agree with this factor, but is the eUK ready for war? Minister of Defence Hassan Pesaran told us this:
“The Royal Guard and Royal Navy now have mandatory activity checks every two weeks, so the entire Reserves is in perfect battle-readiness for a War. The Royal Navy are actually on a mission abroad at the moment to defend our allies, so they're gaining experience in War.
The Paratroopers do checks extremely regularly, and are also fighting well in the Spain War. Our aim is to get the most active and highest strength members of the Paras to Colonel rank.
So yes, I'd say we're ready for War, certainly.”
Atlantis is at the heart of all of this. Uncle Sam is a big advocate of Atlantis, although there is a significant anti-Atlantis movement in the United States. “I plan on bringing info to the people from ATLANTIS as best as possible without risking security,” we are told. For us, this is the biggest and most progressive step forward by any country since Atlantis was first formed. We only hear from Atlantis when there is a problem, and this leads to a lack of trust in the super-alliance. Will a potential new clash between Atlantis-Peace be the battle that pulls us all back together around the Atlantis flag, or will it be the final blow that sends it sinking below the waves?
The Americas � Venezuela's food problem
Venezuela is one of those countries in eRepublik which just gets on with itself and minds its own business. You may not have even realised it exists. But Venezuela is a country rich in certain natural resources, and a lot of people have started up new companies there, with the intention of exporting. However, Venezuela has its own home grown problems. Venezuelan President Mahernandezg said in his newspaper that:
“Jesus y mi persona estamos trabajando en reactivar las empresas Alimentos Venezuela dado que en el momento hay poca comida, estamos sacando comida diariamente para hacer frente al tema. La poca comida se debe a una mgracion de trabajadores al psector petroleo, si un boom petrolero, que espero no afecte nuestro suminitro de comida, no hacemos nada con mucho dinero en el bolsillo y sin comida para alimentarnos.”
Roughly translated that means that there are a lot of oil companies but the country is suffering from having absolutely no food companies. The government is actually having to start it's own company to counter-balance the lack of food in the market. So all the Economist has to say is- if you're a prospective business exec and you're looking for a hole in the market- message the Venezuelan ministry of trade and get yourself out there.
Middle-East and Africa – Occupied Africa
South Africa is the only African nation thus far added to eRepublik. It sits on the southern end of the continent, with a mixture of Africans, Swedes, Croatians and the odd Brit. It's an anomaly, in that in the world of super alliances it remains a forgotten state, independent and merely trying to survive. With four of it's nine regions occupied by Indonesia, it has little space to expand. It should be crying out to Atlantis for help. Yes the President, Erdwurm, seems to be focused on economic, not military expansion. “I plan to get South Africa on the business map,” he told the Economist. “We want to be a haven for business, and welcome it. As we are a neutral country we are perfect for all countries to come and use as a business hub”. In many ways, South Africa sees itself as the Luxembourg or Switzerland of the eRepublik world.
Neutrality and business is the way forward for SA then. When directly asked which countries they would be likely to be working with, the President simply said 'we will stay neutral'. To the Economist, that means that SA doesn't know who to trust. With Peace looking over their shoulder, and Atlantis being increasingly focused on Europe and the Near East, what choice do they have? South African pride prevents an alliance with the oppressor, and a lack of support from Atlantis nations such as the eUK means that they can't attack Indonesia to reclaim their territories without the certainty of defeat.
With the Atlantis debate currently raging in the UK, USA and beyond, we asked Erdwurm what he thought of the Atlantis-Peace global division. He told us that “South Africans do not want to be affected, as most South Africans are more concerned with our occupied territory, but want to stay neutral. We also believe that war will not ever end differences in opinions but will always enlarge the communications divide.” On this matter, we tend to agree. War should never be the base state. We should not presume that a state of war is the natural situation, and that only in exceptional circumstances should peace be approached. In this case, the existence of the two super alliances means that world war is something which will never end. South Africa doesn't want to be another pawn in the hands of the UK, USA, Spain, Sweden and Romania. But nor does it want to leave itself in the hands of Indonesia, Iran, France, Portugal and Brazil. What it wants is non-military aid. A helping hand. Before he left, we asked Erdwurm if he had a message he would like to deliver to the British people. He told us:
“Think of us in South Africa, we are peaceful and neutral and we want to stay that way. We are always looking for a peaceful solution to reclaim our occupied territory.”
Asia � Japanese diplomacy
Japan was never the biggest or most powerful of PEACE's nations, but its close proximity to the United States, its large immigrant population and its Indonesian links have made Japan's foreign policy something of interest to Atlantis states. It is certainly of interest to The Economist, and we welcome the latest change in diplomatic direction by the President, Akki. New focus on co-operation with the United States and a willingness to attend Final Destiny's summit on preventing political takeovers are good indicators that Japan is willing to extend the hand of friendship to Atlantis countries when there is an advantage in it for Japan. Akki recently stated that “I will always consider Japan over Peace, and If Peace ever becomes something which is bad for Japan, I will not be scared to leave from it”. This shows that it is not just certain Atlantis leaders which consider the stark alliance politics to be the only means of international co-operation.
For business owners: Japanese taxes are also about to undergo an overhaul. Import tax on weapons and gifts are being put at 15% and 20% respectively. Taxes on Hospitals and Defence Systems are being reduced to just 1%, and anyone in the RM business will be pleased to know that diamonds, iron, wood and oil are all to be pegged at 3%. Japan is a very small market and in terms of investment, it is crying out for new businesses. Although there are very few people there now, the potential for the country is great. Between them and their close allies South Korea there are seventeen regions awaiting development. The eUSA could profit greatly by becoming involved financially and diplomatically in the future of Japan. By taking the small country and offering support and friendship the USA could build real trust in the far East. Although a big country, the eUSA is not an imperialist one, and will provide a more sustainable and equal future to Japan's current relationship with the powerful nations in Asia. Uncle Sam, President of the United States, has said that he is open to the idea: “I've always been open relations, so it a good possibility. The USA is able to be civil with anyone, so if they want better relations, they should take initiative, since unfortunately, the US tends to worry about our own problems first.”
We must encourage America to take steps towards reconciling with smaller PEACE neighbours in Asia, whilst Britain and Sweden do the same in Europe.
Business News � Dish is back in the office
This week the MoT has burst back into action for the first time since November. Dish has reopened the old offices for trading, and launched initiatives, both new and old, to revitalise the markets. The new raw materials scheme (for those of you who don't understand what RM means) is basically a means of getting cheap raw materials into the country without lowering taxes and seeing the markets flooded. The idea is that if you are a Brit, you can sell your RM from a foreign country in the British market, and receive money back from the tax you have to pay to do so. So you sell at a benchmark price, and the government makes up the hole in your profits that is caused from import tax. Not a bad idea, but the Economist is not in favour of this kind of patronage. If there is a shortage of RM we should lower import taxes and open the markets to foreign business. Our home grown gifts industry, for example, would benefit hugely from untaxed diamonds. Not only would this be passed on to our own NHS, it would mean that our gift companies could compete internationally. Free-trade is not wise when it would mean British business suffering, but lowering tax on RM we are short of would be a much simpler solution.
One other thing this publication approves of is the direct trading of currency between nations. The money markets as they currently stand rely on the trade of gold as an intermediary between currencies, and although this makes things easier it also makes them more expensive and devalues gold. People are always more eager to buy currency than gold, which means that every sale of currency-purhcase of gold followed by sale of gold-purchase of different currency to trade in results in a slight loss of value. In some countries, such as the UK, the difference is around £0.35, in others it can be as much as £3-4 in British money. International money trading would not only open up the potential of true market trading it would also go a long way towards globalising the economy. In short: Welcome back Dish.
***The Economist***
Top 10 UK Businesses by Sales:
1. Empire Weapons
2. Q5 Housing
3. Aurum Arms
4. Aurum Cuisine
5. Bricks and Becks
6. Heinz
7. Organic Food
8. Ape Ammunition
9. Ape Food
10. Djar Housing
There is a saying, coined by British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, that a week is a long time in politics. This has never been more true in eRepublik than this week. The Economist goes to print on a Thursday, and so the last print edition was released at 5pm on the election day. The Prime Minister was still Deathtoll, the European Social Alliance (ESA) was something talked about in polite tones and the Free-Thinkers Party was just another small party. How things change.
The ESA is the big hot topic this week. Whatever you think of it, it has certainly caused a stir. The violent accusation and implications of treachery from MI6 were a surprise for many, including the author. It is certainly true that the development of the ESA would likely mean the gradual demise of Atlantis. As such, we can expect pro-Atlantis members to be against it, merely on this principle. There are also those who carry grudges against some Peace (and ex-Peace) countries such as France and Germany, and refuse to partake because of this. The final and most important criticism is this: Will the ESA be any different to Atlantis? The author asked Squiddy, Party President of the TUP, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the man behind the ESA project.
“If I had to narrow it down to one single difference, I would say it's the purpose in which each alliance was created for that's the main difference. ATLANTIS & PEACE both need each other, not that they would ever admit that, to justify their own reasons for existing. ESA's intentions are for the betterment of the European Continent. Military issues are secondary, not primary.”
It is true that like all global alliances, Atlantis-Peace are self sustaining. At the very least the creation of the ESA would leave some countries formerly hiding behind the twin alliances out in the cold, and could result in a serious global power shake up, the likes of which we haven't seen since the collapse of /v/akistan and the expansion of Romania. But is it in Britain's interests to side with this new alliance, or should we stick to what we know? That is for the Houses of Parliament to decide, and we will monitor and await their decision.
Leaders – Destiny fulfilled?
Our leader this week is inevitably focused on the landslide victory of the Coalition in the recent elections. Final Destiny was always the stronger of the two candidates, and the election was never one of personality, but one of Party. To give Jerry credit, his ideas were all strong and as is the case in many elections the UK would not have suffered under his hand. In the end, the UKRP electoral machine was not sufficient to overcome the unified forces of the People's Communist Party (PCP), The Unity Party (TUP) and the Movement for Democratic Unity (MDU). Smaller groups The Right Party and the Free Thinkers Party also participated in the coalition, with Mr. Brodie (TRP) a vocal Destiny supporter and Final Destiny himself the founder of the F-TP. The final election results were as following:
Final Destiny
| 283 votes |
| 62.06%
jerryGFL
| 141 votes |
| 30.09%
Shadowukcs
| 32 votes |
| 7.02%
So how does Final Destiny feel to be the ninth as well as fourth Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? The new PM told us that since June last year, things had changed a lot. “...We had much less of this red tape around passing legislation. Things are more complex around here... Lots of changes but some things are the same. For example my PM box is bursting.” It's hardly surprising that Final Destiny has been receiving a lot of private messages. The job of Prime Minister has always involved being the countries face abroad, and this Prime Minister in particular has contacts that would rival that of any statesman worldwide. The new Prime Minister has made diplomacy and tackling the catharsis which currently has ATLANTIS beleaguered one of his three priorities for the coming month: “We live in difficult times. The two Super Alliances are still at each others throats and dirty tactics have been used. I've already contacted every President on the Map to hold a Summit to tackle these issues. With good responses so far I have to say.”
A lot of ATLANTIS critics will take heart that one of their own is in office. But Final Destiny has shown himself in the past to be a man not above compromise, and it is in this author's opinion that should the opportunity show itself to salvage and renew the ATLANTIS union into something more than it's current military form then the Prime Minister will seize it. On the home front, recent criticism from Dishmcds over a government failure to tackle the economy will be addressed by the new administration: “The War with France saw our Gold Reserves take a huge hit. I'm trying my best to bring our best financial minds together to once again look to increase our reserves. Though we must tackle unemployment as well. This relates directly to our activity levels of late.”
The third goal of the FD administration is to, in the words of the man himself, make “the word 'sheep' mean a fluffy animal again”. This is obviously a goal, rather than a specific proposal, but the Economist predicts a wave of new ideas coming to the House of Commons soon. From our interview with the new Prime Minister, we gather that these reforms will come in two forms. Firstly, the government itself will be working to bring new citizens in earlier, presumably by expanding the workload to accommodate new workers: “We need to dust ourselves off and get back into the ring so to speak. New Members have to be able to get involved with things right off the bat.” Secondly, FD predicts that the coalition itself will force parties to become more active. Although the odds of it surviving the UKRP defeat are low, the parties involved have developed organisational skills which will hopefully be carried through to future elections. The UKRP has also worked harder than ever before, with the sheer number of members contacted during the election period there must be an increase in UKRP activity on the horizon. The Economist did not back any candidate in the election, and will always back whichever candidate supports its general standpoint of radical centrist. However, we would say that any candidate who doesn't share these views on congress will not get our backing:
“Back in June I gave Congress much more say. More say in politics than they ever had in UK history. The UK Congress and Lords are the heartbeat of the United Kingdom. A President who will not work with these institutions to run the country is not fit for the Office he or she holds.”
Finally, we would like to add to this article by talking about the events which have occurred over the last few days. This particular article was written on Friday, and as such a little bit of editing needs to take place. Since Sunday, things have certainly changed a lot. FD is missing in action, possibly in hospital or taking care of a newborn baby (two options offered by friends of the man). Either way, it is a credit to the cabinet and parliament of this country that virtually nobody has noticed he has been away! We hope he returns soon, and congratulate those who are in the government for their impeccable work ethic.
Letters-
Protectionism and the Wood Tax (USA)
Although I understand this paper's stand against Protectionism, I feel a degree of it is needed in the new world. You say that it is never beneficial, however I feel that it can be to a certain extent. While I don't support it fully, I believe that the raise of import tax is justified. If the USA's businesses have been taking advantage of the low import tax, then more than likely the Spanish market has been flooded with cheap goods. This is probably what has caused the tax to be changed because Spanish wood companies have probably been struggling to compete. This is lead to a collapse in companies and job losses for the Spanish. As the Spanish government's job is to protect it's citizens livelihoods then I feel this is a very good move for them.
-Anon. UK House of Commons MP
Britain � Population Boom
Well it seems that eRepublik is facing a new influx of people from the wonderful world of the internet. The administrators have evidently forked out their cash on some advertising and we've actually got some new people coming in. As is usually the case, the majority of new migrants are to the USA, UK, and other large countries. This means that we as a country have to make sure that we're welcoming to our new citizens and do our best to get them forum active.
So, if you're new, and have the staying power to wade this far through the Economist, then get yourself on the forums at forums.erepublik.co.uk It's where the politics, business and community activities take place. This isn't so much a report on what's happening in the UK as the portal to what happens in the UK. All of the major decisions, and a lot of the minor ones, are made there. This is part of a media-wide plea by all active forum go-ers to get yourself there and get yourself involved. See also, wiki.erepublik.co.uk for hints and tips on living in the eUK.
See you soon new people.
Europe – Is Dio back?
A question that is on the tongues of all following the Theocratic victory in the Swiss Presidential elections. The man who led Pakistan in the conquest of much of South East Asia has been gone from eRepublik for many months now, and many assumed that like so many members of the /v/ forums he had left for good.
For those who are unaware of the history of /v/ and /v/akistan, I will outline it in brief. /v/ is the video games section of the picture messaging board site 4chan. Last year, many of those who frequented /v/ joined and organised a political takeover of Pakistan, under the party name 'the Stardust Crusaders'. Led by Dio Brando, the Stardust Crusaders used their new base of operations as a springboard for military conquest. It was the rapid expansion of the new state of /v/akistan that in part led to the establishment of ATLANTIS.
When Dio reappeared and moved to Switzerland, many were shocked by his sudden appearance. It has been claimed by some that Dio's account was 'hacked' (in other words it is another logged in as Dio). Regardless of the truth of this, it is an irrefutable fact that the Dio account is now President of one of Europe's free states. So what happened over there? Here is a rough timetable of events:
25th January: Theocratic Pantheon stands in nearly every seat in area of Switzerland, gaining a majority of seats.
2nd February: Minimum waged voted to change to 50CHF, destroying all Swiss business.
4th February: Income taxes soar on all goods, Import taxes on finished products rises.
4th February: 3225CHF transferred from the Swiss accounts to the Theocratic Pantheon
5th February: Dio elected President
The Economist has asked Nemo Mobilis, who frequently visits the /v/ forums, his opinion on the supposed return of /v/. "4chan's /v/ has not been involved in the takeover, they could care less about us here,” Nemo has told us. “This is an independent act by Dio and a few of his most dedicated followers. At worst he may have a small army of close friends, but nothing like what we saw before". If this does represent Dio and just a few friends having some fun then this may give some hope for Switzerland and neighbouring states. Slovenia and other small non-aligned states must be feeling the pressure, having one of the most powerful individuals ever to play eRepublik in a neighbouring country. Austrian President Chicco has told the Economist that he does not consider the 'petty Swiss' to be a threat to his nation. The Economist does not share his optimism. We shall see how this story develops.
United States � Uncle Sam is preparing for war
This Uncle Sam isn't the symbolic top-hat wearing kind, but rather the man of the same name. Uncle Sam is the new President of the United States, the most powerful man in that country and one of the oldest and strongest. The United States has taken a kicking economically in the last few months, and things were far from perfect when the new man took over. We asked Uncle Sam how the USA was recovering from the recent treachery by the notorious Franco. “We've actually done pretty well at this point,” he told us. “Some of the taxes are falling, some of the other ones are being raised in preparation for war that is sure to come. All in all, we've recovered a good amount, however our job isn't quite done yet”.
The crucial part of this is 'the war that is sure to come'. One of the key differences between the eUSA and the eUK is that American politicians are a lot more happy to reveal the inner workings of Atlantis to their electorate than ours are. We have heard rumours of war, of course, and the usual bush-fires between Spain and Portugal; Romania and...well everyone. But when Uncle Sam says war I think he means big war. Sam's three big goals this term are to replenish the treasury, increase arms supplies and to prepare for and “bring a little war to the country”. What are the ramifications of all this for the eUK? Well as Sam said, “The UK is our closes and oldest ally, ever since the beginning of Beta. There is no reason why that should stop”. The Economist would agree with this factor, but is the eUK ready for war? Minister of Defence Hassan Pesaran told us this:
“The Royal Guard and Royal Navy now have mandatory activity checks every two weeks, so the entire Reserves is in perfect battle-readiness for a War. The Royal Navy are actually on a mission abroad at the moment to defend our allies, so they're gaining experience in War.
The Paratroopers do checks extremely regularly, and are also fighting well in the Spain War. Our aim is to get the most active and highest strength members of the Paras to Colonel rank.
So yes, I'd say we're ready for War, certainly.”
Atlantis is at the heart of all of this. Uncle Sam is a big advocate of Atlantis, although there is a significant anti-Atlantis movement in the United States. “I plan on bringing info to the people from ATLANTIS as best as possible without risking security,” we are told. For us, this is the biggest and most progressive step forward by any country since Atlantis was first formed. We only hear from Atlantis when there is a problem, and this leads to a lack of trust in the super-alliance. Will a potential new clash between Atlantis-Peace be the battle that pulls us all back together around the Atlantis flag, or will it be the final blow that sends it sinking below the waves?
The Americas � Venezuela's food problem
Venezuela is one of those countries in eRepublik which just gets on with itself and minds its own business. You may not have even realised it exists. But Venezuela is a country rich in certain natural resources, and a lot of people have started up new companies there, with the intention of exporting. However, Venezuela has its own home grown problems. Venezuelan President Mahernandezg said in his newspaper that:
“Jesus y mi persona estamos trabajando en reactivar las empresas Alimentos Venezuela dado que en el momento hay poca comida, estamos sacando comida diariamente para hacer frente al tema. La poca comida se debe a una mgracion de trabajadores al psector petroleo, si un boom petrolero, que espero no afecte nuestro suminitro de comida, no hacemos nada con mucho dinero en el bolsillo y sin comida para alimentarnos.”
Roughly translated that means that there are a lot of oil companies but the country is suffering from having absolutely no food companies. The government is actually having to start it's own company to counter-balance the lack of food in the market. So all the Economist has to say is- if you're a prospective business exec and you're looking for a hole in the market- message the Venezuelan ministry of trade and get yourself out there.
Middle-East and Africa – Occupied Africa
South Africa is the only African nation thus far added to eRepublik. It sits on the southern end of the continent, with a mixture of Africans, Swedes, Croatians and the odd Brit. It's an anomaly, in that in the world of super alliances it remains a forgotten state, independent and merely trying to survive. With four of it's nine regions occupied by Indonesia, it has little space to expand. It should be crying out to Atlantis for help. Yes the President, Erdwurm, seems to be focused on economic, not military expansion. “I plan to get South Africa on the business map,” he told the Economist. “We want to be a haven for business, and welcome it. As we are a neutral country we are perfect for all countries to come and use as a business hub”. In many ways, South Africa sees itself as the Luxembourg or Switzerland of the eRepublik world.
Neutrality and business is the way forward for SA then. When directly asked which countries they would be likely to be working with, the President simply said 'we will stay neutral'. To the Economist, that means that SA doesn't know who to trust. With Peace looking over their shoulder, and Atlantis being increasingly focused on Europe and the Near East, what choice do they have? South African pride prevents an alliance with the oppressor, and a lack of support from Atlantis nations such as the eUK means that they can't attack Indonesia to reclaim their territories without the certainty of defeat.
With the Atlantis debate currently raging in the UK, USA and beyond, we asked Erdwurm what he thought of the Atlantis-Peace global division. He told us that “South Africans do not want to be affected, as most South Africans are more concerned with our occupied territory, but want to stay neutral. We also believe that war will not ever end differences in opinions but will always enlarge the communications divide.” On this matter, we tend to agree. War should never be the base state. We should not presume that a state of war is the natural situation, and that only in exceptional circumstances should peace be approached. In this case, the existence of the two super alliances means that world war is something which will never end. South Africa doesn't want to be another pawn in the hands of the UK, USA, Spain, Sweden and Romania. But nor does it want to leave itself in the hands of Indonesia, Iran, France, Portugal and Brazil. What it wants is non-military aid. A helping hand. Before he left, we asked Erdwurm if he had a message he would like to deliver to the British people. He told us:
“Think of us in South Africa, we are peaceful and neutral and we want to stay that way. We are always looking for a peaceful solution to reclaim our occupied territory.”
Asia � Japanese diplomacy
Japan was never the biggest or most powerful of PEACE's nations, but its close proximity to the United States, its large immigrant population and its Indonesian links have made Japan's foreign policy something of interest to Atlantis states. It is certainly of interest to The Economist, and we welcome the latest change in diplomatic direction by the President, Akki. New focus on co-operation with the United States and a willingness to attend Final Destiny's summit on preventing political takeovers are good indicators that Japan is willing to extend the hand of friendship to Atlantis countries when there is an advantage in it for Japan. Akki recently stated that “I will always consider Japan over Peace, and If Peace ever becomes something which is bad for Japan, I will not be scared to leave from it”. This shows that it is not just certain Atlantis leaders which consider the stark alliance politics to be the only means of international co-operation.
For business owners: Japanese taxes are also about to undergo an overhaul. Import tax on weapons and gifts are being put at 15% and 20% respectively. Taxes on Hospitals and Defence Systems are being reduced to just 1%, and anyone in the RM business will be pleased to know that diamonds, iron, wood and oil are all to be pegged at 3%. Japan is a very small market and in terms of investment, it is crying out for new businesses. Although there are very few people there now, the potential for the country is great. Between them and their close allies South Korea there are seventeen regions awaiting development. The eUSA could profit greatly by becoming involved financially and diplomatically in the future of Japan. By taking the small country and offering support and friendship the USA could build real trust in the far East. Although a big country, the eUSA is not an imperialist one, and will provide a more sustainable and equal future to Japan's current relationship with the powerful nations in Asia. Uncle Sam, President of the United States, has said that he is open to the idea: “I've always been open relations, so it a good possibility. The USA is able to be civil with anyone, so if they want better relations, they should take initiative, since unfortunately, the US tends to worry about our own problems first.”
We must encourage America to take steps towards reconciling with smaller PEACE neighbours in Asia, whilst Britain and Sweden do the same in Europe.
Business News � Dish is back in the office
This week the MoT has burst back into action for the first time since November. Dish has reopened the old offices for trading, and launched initiatives, both new and old, to revitalise the markets. The new raw materials scheme (for those of you who don't understand what RM means) is basically a means of getting cheap raw materials into the country without lowering taxes and seeing the markets flooded. The idea is that if you are a Brit, you can sell your RM from a foreign country in the British market, and receive money back from the tax you have to pay to do so. So you sell at a benchmark price, and the government makes up the hole in your profits that is caused from import tax. Not a bad idea, but the Economist is not in favour of this kind of patronage. If there is a shortage of RM we should lower import taxes and open the markets to foreign business. Our home grown gifts industry, for example, would benefit hugely from untaxed diamonds. Not only would this be passed on to our own NHS, it would mean that our gift companies could compete internationally. Free-trade is not wise when it would mean British business suffering, but lowering tax on RM we are short of would be a much simpler solution.
One other thing this publication approves of is the direct trading of currency between nations. The money markets as they currently stand rely on the trade of gold as an intermediary between currencies, and although this makes things easier it also makes them more expensive and devalues gold. People are always more eager to buy currency than gold, which means that every sale of currency-purhcase of gold followed by sale of gold-purchase of different currency to trade in results in a slight loss of value. In some countries, such as the UK, the difference is around £0.35, in others it can be as much as £3-4 in British money. International money trading would not only open up the potential of true market trading it would also go a long way towards globalising the economy. In short: Welcome back Dish.
***The Economist***
Top 10 UK Businesses by Sales:
1. Empire Weapons
2. Q5 Housing
3. Aurum Arms
4. Aurum Cuisine
5. Bricks and Becks
6. Heinz
7. Organic Food
8. Ape Ammunition
9. Ape Food
10. Djar Housing
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Apologies for the as-ever buggy bold text. I can't edit it, because it tries to delete the whole lot for being too long.
Pertamaxxx!
Nice
great edition! not many newspapers this long can keep me hanging on every word
A fantastic job once again, very impressed and it's great to be able to get information on issues home grown and foreign in one place.
Looking forward to next week, once again.
Excellent article!
Brilliant article, thank you for spending the time to bring us these informative, entertaining reads.
Voted and subscribed. I am a RL reader of The Economist and I must say I was really impressed. Keep up the good work!
Wow...this is an amazing paper! Voted and subscribed; nice to see some decent articles in eRepublik! 😃
Best article I've seen so far in Erepublik 🙂
Thanx
Another great read.