Basse-Georges

From Scandia

Republic of Basse-Georges

{{{otherflaglink}}}
Parent	Haromszek ( CHzS )
Founding Date	18 June 1471
Government  • Type  • Prime Minister	Parliamentary Republic Tomas Darongertice
Adjective	Basse-Georgian
Capital	Tistonaj
Administrative Divisions	districts (78), cities (14)
Largest City	Pannonszony (1.4 million)
Area  • Total  • % water	90,674 km² (35,009 sq mi) 1.1%
Population  • Total  • Growth Rate  • Density  • Rank in CHzS	10,091,400 0.51/1000 97.8/km² (253.4/sq mi) 2 / 25
GDP  • Total  • GDP/capita  • Growth Rate  • Rank in CHzS	HzSk 264,468,500,000 HzSk 29,808 + .32% 3 / 25
Time Zones	HCT (SMT -10)
Technology Codes  • scandianet TLD  • Trigraph  • Calling Code	.bg; .hz RBG +77

The Republic of Basse-Georges is one of the twenty-five nominally sovereign constituent territorial republics of the Confederation of Haromszeki States. It takes its name from the Loirisien Basse (lower, or lowest) Riviere Georges (more commonly rendered in an Almosi tongue Jurajreika), being located at the mouth of that major river. Second most populous of the territorial CHzS republics, with a strong market-based economy, it wields considerable clout within the Confederation.

While predecessor states include parts of up to four 1400s-era nations, of varying political type, the parliamentary democratic tradition in Basse-Georges is strong. Three main parties or coalitions usually contest elections, with the usual collection of dozens more minor ones. Basse-Georgians consider theirs a nation of laws and not men. That three Prime Ministers have been removed in legal scandals proves this... sort of.

B-G political theorists claim their parliamentary system deemphasizes personalities, since technically one votes for a party, not that party's candidate. Since no party contesting an office would dare hide whom they would place in the position, the arguement is as the local saying goes, un cougre clair (transparent tiger). The system does mean that individuals serve at the pleasure of their party. If someone deviates far enough from his party's platform, they can replace him at will. The balance for this is that the ousted politician can join or start a competing party.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Government 3 Economy 4 Legal monopolies 5 Geography 6 Military

Origins

After the Federal Republic of 1451 - 1455 broke up, three independent states centered on Basse-Georges' present main cities plus two smaller dependent entities joined in a temporary league. This marriage of convenience lasted until a workable constitution could be drafted -- nine years of effort. The Union de la Basse-Georges did not last even as long as the deliberations, thoroughly deadlocking in parliamentary impasse in 1469. A rewrite moderating the original UdlBG formal socialist setup attracted another small political unit, the old Chassemouron County. The ratification of that new constitution in 1471 is counted as the beginning of the current Republique de Basse-Georges, or Republiky PoreceJuraj depending on your language. Revised four times since, the document is still an excellent framework for a society that functions well.

Government

Basse-Georges' current Prime Minister is Tomas Darongertice. He heads both the legislature and the executive service. There is an independent judicial branch as well, headquartered in Pannonszony rather than in the B-G capital of Tistonaj.

The B-G constitution is close to the libertarian end of the scale (vs. authoritarian) in that it enumerates the government's powers rather than the citizen's rights. It states that all rights not explicitly infringed therein belong to the citizenry. Such wording as "has a responsibility to support and regulate commerce" has been ruled to mean "support the regular exercise of", not "restrict via a strict set of regulations". As the official monopolies have proved to be good for Basse-Georgian business outside of Basse-Georges, the practice of awarding them has repeatedly been ruled "support of commerce." The government shall foster honest dealing and fulfillment of fair contracts" has been the basis for the minor business regulations in force.

Economy

Basse-Georges has a mixed economy, with heavy industry, high-tech industry and services, trade, services, agriculture, raw materials, and aquaculture all significant Agriculture has proportionally declined in recent years as population growth has taken over land. Food productivity remains high, with perhaps an overeliance on chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Basse-Georges is a net importer of food, with neighbors Szombartathy and Uboci, and further-off Plochytc the major suppliers.

If just fisheries are considered, Basse-Georges is the second-largest Haromszeki producer, with only Szegelynorge harvesting more. Partly thanks to registering every floating object bigger than a wine-cork, the B-G civil fleet outnumbers those of nations ten times their size.

Legal monopolies

A characteristic of today's more libertarian/capitalist leaning is how the provision of certain products and services can be limited to one supplier upon payment of a large fee to the government. There are both up-front and yearly amounts required, yet the potential for profit is vast. To be fair, the potential for efficiency of scale is also vast.

Example monopolies are

• Custom Warehouse Consortium -- all commercial goods storage, with a few loopholes by size of business and physical connectedness of buildings
• Hz Rail Union -- all rail transport not on the private property of an industry - goods and passengers both
• COMuni -- telephone, telegraph, and wired internet - loophole is that cable broadcast of video and audio is not included, so cable provision of broadband internet is also not included
• Tufeld Dairy -- milk products, except those having less than 24% milk content by weight

Applicant companies have to be publicly traded, audited, and bonded. They have to be majority-Haromszeki -- to also be majority Basse-Georgian confers a bonus in competitive evaluations.

The fact that monopolies can subcontract, and that they often do so to pre-award independent companies, means there's a fair variety of product offerings.

Monopolies can be broken in case of misbehavior or nonperformance. Getting a break hearing can be difficult, as the Lawyers' Guild itself constitutes a monopoly, and can take payment from monopoly-holding firms. PetroBasse lost their production and distribution monopoly some ten years ago in spectacular scandals. Previous telecom provider Pannozitel likewise twenty years back lost its monopoly. In their case, new monopoly applications were before the Monopoly Board in days, and COMuni was in control of the wires within a month.

Geography

Basse-Georgian landforms are variations upon the theme "flat". The roughest hills in the republic "tower" some 350 meters. Coastal plain, river floodplain, and rolling plateau are the extent of the variety. As some of the longest-settled land of the Confederation, the Basse-Georges landcover is mostly urban or farmed. The small wooded patches are held as wildlife preserves, parks, or tree farms - none are real wilderness. Some river-bend swampland is the least tamed that B-G gets.

The Jurajrieka and its tributaries dominate the transport scene. Modern railways reach all the cities, but they only bridge the big river at three points. Ferries make for some more connectivity, but ships and barges move most of the Republic's freight. More than just local products, Jurajrieka shipping moves the output (and feeds the input) of five other Haromszeki republics. Once subject to regular seasonal flooding, the river valley now is partly tamed by vast dams, levees, and weirs. Still, at least once every year or three the combination of spring snowmelt and storms will overtop the banks and leave meters of water in riverside towns for a week or more.

Military

Basse-Georgian troops are organized in two branches - army and navy. Each has its own air component. There are no so-called marines -- anything in the way of a naval assault would be performed by regular Army units aboard Navy ships.

The various military forces of the Haromszeki States do not all coordinate nor cooperate. The B-G Navy does have joint operational arrangements with those of Szegelynorge, Beliatou, and Santosbourg. The B-G Army works closely with those of Szegelynorge, Szombartathy, Hrebenisc, and Tarej. With the rest of the CHz States, Basse-George has at least firm non-agression and non-interference pacts in place, excepting Ulovnigrad and Hatarvidek. Considering their distance and small size, those two pose no threat to Basse-Georges, nor would Basse-Georges have much reason for conflict with them. Outside the Haromszeks, the B-G Navy periodically participates in joint exercises with both Zîrkæ and Vetlanda.

Landlocked Uboci maintains a tiny Cisteuvian Navy, berthed at leased docks in Tistonaj. To maintain an independent stance, the two governments do not work their navies together at all.

The B-G Navy has a primary mission of commerce protection. In that role, there are a pair of small carrier groups, and a bevy of standardized frigates, which typically escort shipping in pairs. Gyszob's ModernVessel Shipyard specializes in submarine construction, most of which go to export. All the prototype units do serve under B-G flag, but do not cruise widely. Constantly in and out of Gyszob and Tistonaj harbor, they would make Basse-Georges a very dangerous target for any sort of naval attack.

Basse-Georgian forces are ranked highly and are kept well supplied. Service in the armed forces is a popular way to obtain advanced technical and managerial training. Ready reserve forces several times the size of the active-duty ones provide depth and experience.