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FEP Members Propose Sweeping "Democratic" Reforms
In just the past fifteen days, members of the Freedom & Equality Party have proposed legislation to remove Senate floor privileges for Honored Citizens, instituting term limits on the Office of President, barring ministers from service in other branches of government, and the complete abolition of the Office of Supreme Chancellor.
These proposals have produced some of the most contentious and passionate debates in our recent history which, on the face of it, isn't such a terrible thing. In a time when people need to be poked with a hot iron to publicly take a side, one might even find it refreshing if not for the damage these proposals collectively represent to the Republic.
Let's put the HC debate to the side because, frankly, it doesn't matter all that much in the great scheme of things. The rest, however, do. The finer points of these debates are being fleshed out as we speak and you'll find no recitation of them here. This isn't a policy brief. This is an assertion that the FEP's legislative record is one that unarguably seeks to diminish or destroy stabilizing forces in Europeian politics and government. Further, it's an assertion that the FEP's legislative record promotes neither "freedom" nor "equality".
Populism is a powerful force in NationStates, just as it is in real life. In a competitive environment such as Europeian politics, there will be winners and losers. Those who are denied at the ballot box will naturally look to those in positions of power and influence as forces holding them back from promotion, access, and prestige. Such players have historically latched onto proposals like these which promote "separation of powers" and "impartiality" and "transparency" because they, perhaps not entirely foolishly, believe they will create a more level playing field. The purpose of this article isn't to demonize these folks but to assert that not only are these ideas impractical in the context of NationStates communities, they actually breed instability and stifle achievement.
The Freedom & Equality Party was supposedly founded to expand democracy, to demand a more open and communicative government. I support these goals and therefore would like to see the Party succeed in the long term. I would like to see them make more robust efforts to expand the size of the Senate on an ongoing basis to give a platform to more and varied voices rather than attempt to silence or relegate others. I would like to see them work with officeholders to make the functions of government more apparent and accessible to the citizen body rather than limit the President's ability to choose the right person for the job. I would like to see them pursue legislative measures that level the playing field by lifting us all up rather than cut some down. I want this party to succeed because their underlying goals, if taken at face value, will create a better region for us all to benefit from. They have thus far not lived up to that, in my humble view.
Will the FEP alter course in an effort to truly address the problems they see in the region? Do these proposals actually represent a more equitable status quo and the will of a majority of Europeians? Do some (wo)men just want to watch the world burn? That's for you to decide.