the_politics_department [Scoop!]

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====== The Politics Department ======

> News is the window to a country’s soul. Our job is to keep that window as clear as possible. 
//-Sienna Rathers, Politics Department Editor//\\

Are you looking for excitement? Daring? Races to publication? Breaking scandals? Or maybe you're a legal expert, able to explain the nuances of every move the city council makes? Either way, you'll fit right in at the New Glabe Gazette Politics Department. 

The Politics Department covers all of the governmental going-ons in New Glabe as well as wider Seldona. And that does mean //all// of them. Whether a new bill has been passed or the Transportation Secretary has rescued a cat from a tree, a Gazette representative will be there, making sure that the public is informed on the activities of their elected officials. 

The Department's Editor, Sienna Rathers, is an established part of the Gazette newsroom and has been here longer than most. Having risen through the ranks, she's proud of her position and the work she does. They're also a firm believer in journalistic neutrality -- in fact, for a politics editor, they seem to have surprisingly few political opinions of their own, and insist on making sure that //all// sides are covered equally by the Gazette. After all, the goal of the department should be an informed public, and surely that means giving them the whole spectrum of available views and information? Of course, some labeled opinion pieces will be allowed, but Ms. Rathers certainly won't be the one to write them.

===== Politics In Seldona =====
{{ :politics_page.jpg?400|}}

Seldona is very proud of its democratic history. Like many neighbouring countries, it was an absolute monarchy for much of its history, but Seldona led the way on expanding suffrage, and was the first in the region to guarantee universal suffrage. It now considers itself a “crowned republic” -- it still has a king, but it functions as a democratic republic. 

The parliament of Seldona is allocated by proportional representation. All citizens over the age of 18 can vote, and votes are made for a party, who each publish a list of potential MPs. The party leader who wins the plurality is appointed Prime Minister, and must appoint a cabinet which contains members of other parties who gained a significant number of votes. Although this system allows many small parties to gain a few seats, the Seldonan Parliament has traditionally been dominated by three major parties: the Crowns, a monarchist(ish) right wing party; the Wigs, a vaguely centrist party; and the Workers, the most left wing of the major parties and the one with the shortest history. Currently, the Wigs hold a tidy plurality and most of the power. 

Seldona’s republican spirit has rather flagged in recent decades: its upper house is still entirely made of hereditary peers, and its status as a “republic” is held together mostly by honor, norms, and a bit of bureaucratic red tape. Additionally, public faith in politicians has been shaken by a recent spate of insider trading scandals and, a few years ago, a damning report (from the Gazette's rival, //the New Glabe Lookout//) of the high donations from corporations received by some prospective MPs. Consequently, there has been a recent swell of popular support for election reform. The Campaign Finance Reform Act (requiring public disclosure of all donations, including retroactively to the last election, and limiting the total donation by any one individual) has been making slow headway (despite fierce opposition from MPs who call it "a limitation on free speech"). Time is starting to run out, as the Seldonan Parliament has a very strict rule that any bill not passed within 2 years must be scrapped and the process restarted.

===== Relevant NPCs (at the Gazette) =====

^ Name ^ Pronouns ^ Description ^
|Sienna Rathers|she/any|Longtime Head of the Politics Department. Insists on fair and equitable journalism.|
|Elis Sinclair|they/them|Controversial columnist for the Politics Department. Their opinions are spurious and they seem to do little in the way of actual research, yet they have such a strong base of readers that the paper couldn't possibly afford to fire them. Every other week they become obsessed with a new public figure, who becomes the target of either intense praise or scorn.|

===== Relevant NPCs (in the Wider World) =====

^ Name ^ Pronouns ^ Description ^
|Miranda Hamilton |she/her | Miranda is Seldona's Minister of Finance and is a leading member of the governing Wig party. Charming, capable and politically astute, she is predicted by many to be the next leader of her party.|
|Her Royal Highness the Princess of Ovind|she/her|Charlotte Ava Mercy Anne, Princess of Ovind, Duchess of Gleesheel, Keeper of the Three Lakes, Lady of Chylde, Most Honourable Grandmistress of the Order of the Waters of Minerva, heir apparent to the throne of Seldona. She has plenty of other titles, too, but this is a newspaper and space is at a premium.|