Second Dawn:Union Government

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This is a reference document for the LARP The Second Dawn.

[edit] Eastern Union Government

When a man took up the mythic name of Thomas Washington and assembled the Eastern Union over 120 years ago, he wanted to model his new nation on the old United States that spread across the continent and beyond in the Ancient days. They wrote up a secret constitution in those bygone days, but its implementation shifted as the decades passed, changed by the needs of defending the Union and keeping it on civilization’s path.

The Union government has two branches, Executive and Legislative. The Legislative branch, the Congress, writes the Union’s laws. The Executive branch carries out those laws, but has control in times of emergency… and enough power to create times of emergency, should it need to.

The major players of the Cabinet are the five great Ministries: Army, Borders, Interior, Sciences, and the Watch. The Minister of the Army controls the standing armed forces; normally forbidden from operating in Union cities, but wielding a great deal of potential power. The Minister of the Borders controls foreign affairs, and is responsible for relations and treaties with foreign states, a position of subtler influence. The Minister of the Interior controls the police and internal commerce, but also oversees elections. The Minister of the Sciences is a Tinker, in charge of organizing his people and bringing their expertise and sciences to bear on the government’s needs. The Minister of the Watch is responsible for hunting and purging Black Science, which has extended to include a number of intelligence services.

Other Cabinet positions exist as well, but the five major have the practical power to enforce or ignore the will of the ruling party and President. The President serves only with the Cabinet’s approval, though direct coups are extremely rare; more often, the Cabinet might annul or manipulate popular elections, or refuse to serve their victor. The surest way to the Presidency is to win the Cabinet’s support.

The President remains the single most powerful individual in the Union. His place as a single individual (rather than a squabbling group of 5-10) allows him greater freedom and power to direct the nation’s policies and goals. The President appoints his Chief of Staff to act as his hands and eyes, and control who gets access to the President’s valuable time. If a Cabinet member dies or leaves office, the President normally has the authority to appoint his or her successor. This gives him great power in peaceful times, though when such changes occur as parts of intentional power plays, the President’s wishes may be circumvented quite flagrantly at times.

Congress is a more chaotic place, with 305 representatives from both Capitalist and Socialist parties and a few minor ones besides. Each county elects a single representative according to local laws, so the Congress’ membership reflects the political mood of the populace. Most individual Congressmen have only moderate power, but some wield much more influence due to their representation of powerful counties or their skill at bringing others to their causes. The party or coalition with the majority of seats selects the Premier of Congress as their leader, a post with significant power over the Congressional procedures that guide and control the passage of laws.

The capital of the Eastern Union is New Hudson, a sprawling city above Manhattan Bay with its beautiful underwater ruins. The government center within the city is known as “the Beltway,” for reasons lost to history.

People involved in government (local or national) frequently take up the names of historical political figures, in the tradition of Thomas Washington.

[edit] Union Government: Current Status

• President Jonathan Grant is a member of the Capitalist party, and has been president since 316; the 328 presidential elections are coming up in May, two months away. Most consider the President’s personal popularity to be shaky, making it easy to sway the popular election in favor of whomever wins the political struggle inside the Beltway.
• Franklin Kennedy is his Chief of Staff.

• The Premier of Congress is Eleanor Truman, a member of the Socialist party. She has been Premier since just after the elections of 326, and a Congresswoman only since 322. She is a rising star, one of the youngest people to ever hold the post.
• Congress currently has 156 Socialists, 143 Capitalists, and 6 others. The Socialists took over the majority in 322, and managed to secure an absolute majority on their own in 326, mostly at the expense of smaller parties.
• Congressman Martin Buchanan of Boston is an influential Capitalist.
• Congressman Sydney Monroe of New Providence is an influential moderate Socialist.

Any one of the above individuals (Kennedy, Truman, Buchanan, Monroe) would have a reasonable chance of succeeding President Grant if he should be unable or unwilling to run for reelection.

• Minister of the Army: Kara Atkinson, since 317
• Minister of the Borders: Charles Bazett, since 313
• Minister of the Interior: Margaret Eisenhower, since 318
• Minister of Sciences: Artair Tinker, since 314
• Minister of the Watch: Luther Gaines, since 322.

President Walther Ford was ousted in the elections of 316, and lost his leadership position among the Socialist party. Gone from the public eye, his personal fate is unknown and generally considered unimportant.

Mayor Andrew Jefferson of New Providence is a highly influential mayor; the placement of the Second Dawn project here is a sign of his accomplishments. He is not considered a contender for the current election. He is a member of the Capitalist party.