Messages

16

Tolkien & LOTR / Re: The Middle Earth General Election: THE ELECTION DEBATE

« on: April 16, 2015, 07:50:07 AM »

MACHO recognise MEAD's concerns regarding the teaching board. We agree that there is no way to avoid any large consultative assembly becoming political; but that is a failure of the nature of sentient species, not the policy. To endeavour to mitigate the risk, MACHO would ensure that all headteachers have an automatic place on the Board, with representatives of the teaching unions (which we imagine will form) included too. This wider body would then appoint a smaller leadership council to run the Board. We feel this would provide sufficient protection against domination by the political elite.

We also wish to reject the claim that we are not concerned with the problem of adult education - we merely wished to set out our vision for the future. Of course, widespread adult education will be required, and MACHO will ensure that basic skills courses are available for free in all population centres, from rural villages to the largest cities, by correspondence if necessary.

We are concerned that MEAD's policies will lead to differing educational standards across Middle-earth, consigning some areas to perpetual second-class status.

To the voter from Mirkwood: whilst we respect your right to hold such views, it is these very views that have held Middle-earth back for uncounted ages. We would plead with you to give rapprochement a chance, to create a more prosperous, fairer and more tolerant Middle-earth for all. Our Dwarven brethren have been invaluable allies through the years and, as shown by Gimli, they can be altogether admirable. Admittedly, some Dwarves are less sympathetic, but I challenge you to point to any race which does not have members of a more unpleasant disposition. We feel that by working and living together, the races of Middle-earth can finally achieve equality and live in peace. Is that not a goal worth striving for? We therefore urge you to give toleration a chance.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: The Middle Earth General Election: THE ELECTION DEBATE

« on: April 13, 2015, 08:46:15 PM »

In an attempt to get a debate going....

MACHO feel there has been an excessive focus on economic matters so far and that voters would prefer to hear about another area of policy. As such, we thought we would take this opportunity to lay out our education policy in more detail and invite the other parties to do the same:

• Free universal education to secondary level. School age will be decided on a species-appropriate basis, but all children will attend the same schools to promote racial harmony. It is recognised that some species may have specific educational requirements and these will of course be recognised and catered for. We would also encourage members of all species to enter the teaching profession by providing them with subsidised housing to reflect their valuable service to the state and their community.
• We would institute a tertiary education sector, with both academic degrees and more vocational qualifications being equally valued and open to all. We would encourage the long-existing apprenticeship tradition to continue, to ensure valuable skills are not lost from the workforce, and would provide grants for those entering university
• Teachers would be required to complete professional qualifications, including elements of classroom and on-the-job learning, to ensure all children have access to quality teaching
• The curriculum, examination content and structure, and overall education policy would be decided by a council of teachers and education experts, rather than being prey to political whims. The body would have a budget from which to fund all educational activities. This body would meet on an annual basis, with smaller groups meeting more frequently as required. Once made, the central government would be responsible for implementing any decisions and ensuring the education system remains harmonised across Middle-earth. The Teaching Council would, however, be responsible for meeting the cost of these initiatives from its budget, though the central government will have discretionary power to authorise additional funds if it is deemed necessary

Vote MACHO for a fairer, more inclusive Middle-earth!

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: The Middle Earth General Election: THE ELECTION DEBATE

« on: April 09, 2015, 05:24:12 PM »

As a party that believes in transparency, MACHO shall publicly declare all their choices here:

Leader (Elladan): Rhudaur and Eregion
Deputy Leader (Elrohir): The Iron Hills

Our other targets: The Riverlands, Central Rhovanion, Emnet and Entwash, Dunland and the Isen

Vote MACHO. Make the right choice for a fairer, more prosperous Middle-earth for everyone.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 08, 2015, 05:20:49 PM »

Dear Dunlander

We apologise for the delay in getting back to you - we merely wanted to formulate the best-possible answer to your question. You should vote MACHO because:

• We would ensure you are no longer marginalised by the Rohirrim, whom you call Forgoil, and would become equal citizens of the community of Middle-earth, with effective representation in government
• We would set up a caring state that would ensure effective education, healthcare, benefits, security and services for all communities, rather than leaving them to fend for themselves
• We would not impose development on you, but would leave you to choose your own path within the wider framework of a MACHO state
• We would help you open up new markets for your local industries and products, allowing you to develop and prosper

Vote MACHO for a brighter, equal future!

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 07, 2015, 05:17:18 PM »

To the WTA: We do not seek to totally exclude the nobility from government, but merely take issue with the WTA's belief that said government should reside exclusively with the said nobility. MACHO advocates a more inclusive political system.

To GAP: We welcome another party's commitment to the environment, though we do feel that carbon budget legislation may be a little premature - given Middle-earth's current lack of industry and, largely, science, this would seem excessively difficult and costly to set up in the short-term, though we applaud the principle.

To MEAD: We feel your pledges are laudable in their spirit and generally agree with them, but a few issues spring to mind:

• The Palantiri would be virtually impossible to use for all remaining beings in Middle-earth, save perhaps Galadriel and Elrond, as none now live who have the right to them and few have the mental strength. We think they should become museum exhibits or, at worst, rolled down Anduin into the Sea
  
• We feel that, as Death is the gift of Ilúvatar, the state should not in any way legislate to allow people to take their own lives before their appointed time. Equally, we condemn capital punishment, but we would sanction euthanasia, no matter how well-intentioned
• We also do not think police forces should be communally-recruited, due to the risk of forming ethnic militias, and would deal with such matters centrally

21

Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 06, 2015, 04:57:57 PM »

MACHO remain unconvinced about Shagrat's self-proclaimed mental fortitude. We are also concerned about his and the SSS's apparent enthusiasm for wanton violence and militarism. The last thing Middle-earth needs is to be plunged back into the maelstrom of war that has dogged it for millennia. We would also like to dissociate our RRF policy (an elite police unit) from the pervasive militarisation advocated by the SSS.

We concur with the draconic spokesman - what other policies do the SSS believe in and where will they channel their energies should the polls turn out to be an accurate reflection of their electoral fortunes?

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 05, 2015, 04:28:53 PM »

MACHO do not believe the Rapid Reaction Force should be exclusively Orcish Warg-riders. We welcome representatives of other species as riders; we merely anticipate that most will be Orcs due to their long-term association with the Wargs. We would also anticipate that other mounts will be used, leaving the field open for human or Elvish cavalry or Dwarvish pig/goat-riders.

Whilst of course the sight of hostile military units bearing down on you is a frightening event, we would like to think that the presence of a friendly military force will be seen as reassuring by the citizens of Middle-earth and give them comfort that the problem the RRF is responding to is being effectively and rapidly dealt with.

As the only Elvish-led party, MACHO would also like to emphatically condemn the claims of the SSS. Whilst Fëanor showed a disturbing lack of wisdom, the arrival of the Noldor in the First Age prevented far worse events befalling Middle-earth. Without the Elves, Morgoth would never have been vanquished; neither would Sauron. We would also like to point out that Sauron (Shagrat's former master, need it be said) attacked the Elves to gain the Rings of Power, not the other way round. We also suspect that had Shagrat been on hand when Isildur took the One Ring despite the urging of Elrond, he would have taken it for himself; at least, recorded instances of his character suggest this.

We also believe Shagrat's allegations about the Elves could equally be applied to the Orcs. MACHO do not propose to do this, as we are a progressive organisation seeking to heal the rifts of the past, not re-open them again and we feel this inflammatory rhetoric is in no way helpful and, worse, is downright dangerous. Middle-earth will never escape from its cycle of violence if people such as Shagrat and his adherents are in power.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 05, 2015, 09:45:28 AM »

In response to the WTA's defence of monarchy: it is true that the nobility have greater experience in statesmanship, but this has been exclusively in times of war, which they perpetuated for their own ends. We do not feel that they have any significantly-better experience of peacetime administration and governing than anyone else, chiefly because there has been very little peace for over 6 millennia of noble rule. We therefore reject their monarchic vision and propose that a transition to demoncracy can hardly be worse than the strife the nobility has imposed on the world for so long.

MACHO would also like to take issue with MEAD's grossly-unfair stereotyping of the Orcish citizens of Middle-earth. Whilst in the past, it is true that Warg-riders have generally been marauding heralds of woe, this is not an intrinsic facet of Orcish nature, but the result of domination by a being that represented evil incarnate. MACHO feels that MEAD should immediately issue an apology to all Orcs and retract its statement if it truly wishes to be considered a party representing the interests of all, as it so stridently claims.

Orcs employed by the state as a police force would, of course, be trained in citizen relations and their presence would soon become reassuring rather than worrying. The RRF would also include an airborne division (a perfect employment opportunity for the that other historically-vilified race, the Dragons) and a scout element, with Rhosgobel-Rabbit sleighs, which, as has been demonstrated, appear able to travel vast distances in no time at all. The RRF would become a highly-visible harbinger of integration and would prove invaluable in keeping all our citizens safe. We feel MEAD are being unnecessarily small-minded, blinkered by their localist agenda.

As regards Dragons and other minority races, as set out in our opening statement, MACHO's bicameral legislature would include an upper chamber where all races had equal representation, to ensure the many do not marginalise the few. Dragons would, of course, be included in this. We also feel that Dragons would be central to the banking system we aim to set up, with their expert knowledge of the value of assets and their propensity to hoard and guard it. We feel they would be excellent guarantors of the currency standard we would create, allowing their natural talents to be turned to less-destructive uses.
We agree with MEAD that the WTA's policies could lead to an unintentional balkanisation of Middle-earth, but also recognise the wisdom of the WTA in that not all citizens may immediately respond well to integration. We believe our bicameral central legislature with its mix of porportional and non-proportional representation will help greatly in fostering integration whilst avoiding segregation. On a more practical note, elected representatives will be made to swear a binding oath to faithfully represent all consitutents and to obey all laws, calling Eru, Manwë, Varda and Taniquetil in witness and calling down the Everlasting Darkness on them should they break it, for the length of their terms of office. We feel this would rapidly create trust among all races in their representatives, regardless of their specific species, given the bad things that happen to those who break such oaths.
However, we do not believe setting aside specific homelands for different races will work, as this will simply encourage isolation. We shall pass legislation respecting all races' equality and traditions and aim to raise cultural awareness, so that different races no longer fear each other. Needless to say, racially-motivated crimes will be viewed very dimly by the judicial system.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 04, 2015, 09:42:39 AM »

OOC: Quite. I've relayed our concerns to her. Don't think I can help on the voters front - can't think of anyone I know who you haven't already advertised this to who would be interested. Also, I feel we're being more graceful than "waddling". At the very least, we're boldly striding 

Back to the topic at hand:
We disagree with MEAD on this issue. We feel that tax assessors and collectors should be loyal to an independent central body, rather than reporting to local bodies where regulatory capture by local bigwigs would be greatly facilitated. This central body would then, of course, deal rapidly with any suggestions of impropriety, using the rapid reaction elite police force MACHO are proposing to set up. This would consist of Orc Warg riders, putting the valuable cultural skills of the Orcs to beneficial national use.

We would like to contend that coins are just as susceptible to forgery and abuse as paper money - it is far more difficult to clip a note, for example, and you only need a mould and some metal of vaguely the right colour and weight to start mass-producing your own forgeries.... For notes, you need sophisticated printing equipment, which we feel would be harder to acquire in Middle-earth.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 03, 2015, 11:15:36 PM »

MACHO feel that leaving all tax assessment up to local officials would leave the system too open to corruption and co-option by local elites, hence the need for some degree of regional/central oversight. We also feel that, seeing as we started the hustings bandwagon, we can hardly be accused of jumping on it. We understood the opening papers were to be a very short précis of our central aim, which, as stated, was to improve representation for marginalised groups. We did not wish to overcomplicate things at such an early stage.

As regards our proposed currency system, as stated, we would initially maintain the existing physical currency system before moving to encourage the development of a banking sector and the consequent introduction of paper money and credit facilities to enhance trade. We would, as part of this, also aim to move the whole of Middle-earth to a single currency. We propose that this currency would be managed by a central bank and be based on some sort of physical standard, which would be decided in advance by a commission of experts. Not knowing the exact rarity of different resources in different parts of Middle-earth, it is too difficult to determine this at this stage. We feel this system would provide greater long-term stability and economic growth than the fragmented patchwork of local arrangements advocated by MEAD.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 03, 2015, 04:32:14 PM »

MACHO emphatically reject MEAD's allegations concerning our tax system. Whilst the central government would set overall tax policies, we did not claim they would be responsible for collecting them. As stated, regional governments would have the power to vary tax rates within certain limits and, as such, would be responsible for collecting them. We would therefore not need a massive centralised apparatus of tax officials and would avoid the consequent economic drain.

We also reject MEAD's implication that the people of Middle-earth would be unable to move away from a physical money system towards a more representative one that would facilitate tax gathering. We feel this is a gross disservice to the collective intellect of Middle-earth's inhabitants. MACHO would advocate the modernisation of the currency system with the eventual aim of setting up an effective banking sector, including a central bank, to assist trade.

MACHO would also like to point out they first proposed left-wing policies and cannot help it if other groups saw the self-evident sense in this and rushed to the same end of the spectrum. Vote MACHO for the authentic centre-left alternative, not the thinly-disguised libertarianism of MEAD or the insidious conservatism of the WTA.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 03, 2015, 09:25:25 AM »

In response to the WTA:
If all we can hope for with monarchy is centuries of slow and steady decline, should we not endeavour to try another system that might lead to long-term prosperity for all citizens of Middle-earth, instead of protecting the interests of a narrow elite whilst myriads die in pointless wars?

Whilst we agree that education has certainly been historically limited in Middle-earth, we do not think this means only the nobility are equipped to rule. We do not feel that politics requires an advanced level of formal academic achievement - members of the pan-Endor mercantile class have certainly demonstrated sufficient nous in maintaining viable businesses throughout centuries of conflict. We believe the exploits of Master Samwise, a commoner-par-excellence, demonstrate that not belonging to the nobility is no barrier to political achievement or statesmanlike abilities.

We would agree with the WTA's critique of MEAD's policies, however.

MACHO would forge a middle path between the extreme unstable decentralisation of MEAD and the reactionary nobility-led centralisation of the WTA. We feel both approaches could lead to land grabs by and, resource concentration within, local and trans-local elites. We would have a strong central government to ensure policies such as defence, health, education and tax were harmonised, and to ensure equal rights and treatment for all citizens, regardless of which region they lived in. Concomitant to this, we would not introduce unregulated markets forces immediately, as we feel this would enable exploitation by the educated elite at the expense of the previously-oppressed majority. We would take a phased approach over the next decade or so, with the ultimate end-point of a mixed economy, where vital areas involving public goods, such as health and education, remained state-controlled, but other sectors, such as industry or agriculture became largely market-driven.
At the same time, we would ensure local governments would have a degree of autonomy in allocating their funding and would be able to vary national policies within defined limits; for example, taxes could be varied within a few percentage points of the centrally-defined level.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: Middle-earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 02, 2015, 06:20:53 PM »

MACHO would like to ask two questions:

Directed at MEAD: Are you proposing to devolve all powers to the regions? What will be kept at the centre? Surely, a united foreign and fiscal policy should be maintained to avoid the raising of private armies and internecine trade wars?

Directed at the WTA: We would disagree with the WTA's fundamental assertion that monarchy has been historically good for Middle-earth. Fëanor, the first High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth, is perhaps the greatest criminal in recorded history, his rash actions being ultimately responsible for the deaths of countless Noldor, Teleri, Men, Orcs, Dwarves, Trolls and other races. Whilst Númenor may have had a thousand years of sensible monarchy, it had at least as long, if not longer, of evil kings who oppressed the peoples of Middle-earth and ultimately turned to worshipping the Darkness. Isildur, one of the founding fathers of Gondor and Arnor, single-handedly created the conditions for the ongoing warfare of the Third Age, culminating in the War of the Ring, by not destroying the Ring when he had a chance. We should know - our Dad (who, despite being able to, never claimed the kingship of the Noldor or any other group or region) was there and told him to do the right thing. An institution responsible for these actions does not deserve preservation or special treatment in our opinion.

MAke a CHOice. Choose MACHO.

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: MiJuballe Earth General Election: Hustings Round!

« on: April 01, 2015, 05:29:04 PM »

So, I shall endeavour to kick this off by perhaps expanding on what MACHO will be fighting for:

Given the continual warfare for the last 6500-odd years in Middle-earth under the domination of the monarchical elites, MACHO believe that the hitherto-neglected fringe groups should be given the opportunity to finally form a government and govern in the interest of the common man/orc/Ent/elf/dwarf. As such, we propose to establish an overarching bicameral Middle-earth Parliament, with a lower chamber elected by proportional representation (most likely through STV) and an upper chamber where each race would be equally represented, with half the members directly elected by voters and half appointed by the President, who would fulfil a largely-ceremonial role, with most executive power belonging to the Prime Minister, chosen by the lower chamber. Terms for all members and the President and PM would be 5 years. Powers will be devolved to the regions, as we think they'll be able to provide better governance than a distant elite.

MACHO generally favour a Scandinavian-style social democracy, with a strong and progressive tax regime and an effective redistributive state to ensure those most able to pay do, and that neglected minorities receive some redress for their historical oppression. We would set up a free-at-the-point-of-use universal health service and institute a strong and fair package of benefits.

As a corollary to this and being led by a dynamic Elvish duo, MACHO are also strongly-concerned with the environment. We would re-forest the Brown Lands to create a pan-Middle-earth national remembrance forest to provide a leisure facility open to all and commemorate the dead of all races from the millennia of conflict. Significant environmental improvements would also be completed in Mordor. There would be a presumption against uncontrolled large-scale industrial development, but regions could choose to develop industries if they wished, and there would be central grants to ensure development fitted in with local styles and to minimise its environmental impacts.

We would also seek to reach out to our neighbours, such as Harad and Khand, to initiate peaceful relations and help develop long-distance trade, providing a welcome boost to hitherto-marginalised border populations around the edge of the map.

I think I'll stop at this point, before it gets too long, as I think that's the main policy bases covered. Don't want to get into excessive detail at this stage....

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Tolkien & LOTR / Re: The Middle Earth General Election! (Main Thread)

« on: March 25, 2015, 07:14:12 PM »

Just a bit. I think we'd have to conclude that Sauron was moving again if that happened. Or that the massive electoral fraud had already happened.