Tropica

[Robert F. Kennedy]

Blackhall Palace places "high priority" over possible Tropican visit.

[jamescfm]

Labour and Co-operative Union win first outright majority in a generation
8 August 5427

Nikutabi, Tropica - In a historic general election result, the Labour and Co-operative Union have won an outright majority for the first time in a generation. Union leader Otikoro Watihana will become the country’s next prime minister when he is invited to form a government by the Kaitiaki in the coming days. Since the last general election, Watihana’s party has formed the official opposition to a diverse coalition government composed of the Tropica First Party, National Action, and Forward Tropica.

In a public speech as the results were becoming clear, Watihana described the election as “turning point” in modern Tropican history. Throughout the campaign, he has focused on Tropica’s rising wealth inequality and the government’s failure to prioritise climate change as a political issue. In contrast to previous Union leaders, Watihana has pledged to withdraw from the Luthorian Commonwealth. Criticising the free trade principles of the organisation, he has decried it as a “raw deal for the Tropican people”.

In the domestic sphere, he has promised a return to the economic principles that led to the creation of the Co-operative Union in 4827. For many years, Tropica adhered closely to the “Sekowan model” of economics based on workers co-operatives. Under the rule of the Socialist Party in the 52nd century, there was an increased emphasis on private industry in many areas of the economy. Governments since then have largely retained these economic policies. Watihana says that will change under his premiership.

[Zanz]

     Ending the "raw deal of 'free' trade", Union govt withdraws from Luthorian Commonwealth
               13 August 5427

Making good on a campaign promise widely believed to be responsible for the largest single-party electoral victory in a generation, the Labour and Co-operative Union administration has sent official notice to ambassadors of all signatory states of the Commonwealth of Luthorian Nations that on 31 December 5427 Tropica's affiliation with that body will cease.

Union Prime Minister Otikoro Watihana made withdrawal a central platform for his party after several prominent Tropican economists penned an op ed in Nikutabi Today outlining that the free trade stipulations of the Commonwealth contributed significantly to increased prices on various goods exported from Tropica to the more developed economies of the Commonwealth. The op ed, published on the 25th anniversary of Tropica's accession to the Commonwealth and one of NT's most read articles in 5425, argued that though some of Tropica's privatized businesses did benefit from this arrangement, Tropica's bedrock cooperatives struggled to compete with prices paid by Luthorian and Hutorian multinational corporations, contributing to an unprecedented number of cooperative failures in the first quarter of the 55th century. The article and its political backers noted that the Commonwealth's economic costs were not worth the benefits for the people of Tropica, which largely consisted of cultural and sporting affiliations (which exist outside of the framework of the Commonwealth) and in untaxed trade with Commonwealth nations. On the last point, Union politicians were quick to point out that Luthori does not impose tariffs on any nations, and Hutori imposes only reciprocal tariffs, meaning the two largest Commonwealth economies will still be largely accessible to the Tropican market.

The news has led to some instability in markets trading in Tropican futures and currency as further reforms in favor of cooperatives over private business seem likely in the coming months.

     Nikutabi Today is an independent local newspaper in the Tropican capital that covers news, culture, politics, economics and sport

[jamescfm]

Women’s Bonanza players to receive equal pay in world first
16 November 5430

Female players in the upcoming season of the Hundred Ball Bonanza will receive equal pay with their male counterparts. As a result of the change, the Bonanza will become the first franchise cricket league in the world to offer equal pay to both genders. The announcement follows a change to the structure of the Bonanza earlier this year. Contracted players and staff will now be entitled to part ownership of their franchises.

The debate surrounding gender equality in cricket has been ongoing for many years. When it was originally created almost seventeen years ago, the Bonanza made the novel decision to schedule men’s and women’s matches on the same day. Fans were able to watch both matches for the price of a single ticket. The policy has increased attendances at women’s matches but there is disagreement about the extent to which it has promoted the women’s game more generally.

Sports minister Palantina Loko put pressure on the governing body in July to achieve equal pay by the end of next year. When asked about the issue, she said it was “disappointing and frustrating” the cricket was behind other sports in terms of achieving equal pay. Captain of the Tropican men’s national team Ariki Hamutana offered his support for equal pay in the wake of the announcement. “Women don’t play shorter matches than men,” he told reporters, “and they certainly don’t train with any less intensity, why should they not receive equal renumeration?”

The Tropican Daily Dispatch is an independent daily newspaper that covers topics including politics, economics, culture and sport

[imperialpearl]

In a stunning victory marking their return to the Tropican political scene, the Tropican Socialist Party declared victory in the national “super-election” securing a super-majority in the Parliament, allowing it to govern without a coalition. The super-election saw the Socialist Party going up against numerous established parties including National Action, Forward Tropica and Co-operative Union for seats in the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Premierships. The Socialist Party, once an extremely popular political movement in Tropica had disappeared from the Tropican political scene following numerous internal squabbles surrounding the general direction of the party, noting the comments of the party’s social democrat faction who stated that the party should avoid the mistakes of other socialist parties throughout the world and remain firmly planted in preserving Tropica’s democratic traditions. John Wenham, a member of this social democratic faction, rose to power following the internal leadership election initiated following Hemi Te Kura’s resignation as party leader. Still licking its wounds from its electoral defeat at the hands of the Tropica First Party (TFP), Wenham reportedly led a “purge” of the party’s more radical elements, most notably the party’s revolutionary socialist faction. Wenham rejected the notion that he purged elements from the party, instead stating that members of the faction in question left the party, citing “differences.” The economy played a central role in the lead-up to the election, with numerous political analysts predicting that it could have potentially been the point which could have won or lost the election for the various parties vying for power. Against the backdrop of the nation’s unceremonious slide in broad economic performance, some economists have pointed to the inaction of both the Tawhiri and Tofiga Governments on matters of the economy. “We are still waiting for the government to do something, anything at least,” Ihiko Hariwana, an economist from the University of Tropica said. Throughout the electoral campaign, both Wenham and Treasurer-elect Dr Erepu Manuera have argued that there was a need to increase investment in the national economy. They argued that the supposed free market capitalism championed by the previous administrations had ultimately fallen short of bringing real, actionable benefits to the people of Tropica and hence there was a need to return to state capitalism/market socialism. “The government has a role to play in the national economy. The current performance of the economy proves that in the absence of the government playing said role, chaos reigns within Tropica,” Wenham explained.

Although the election had been fought on numerous issues facing the Tropican people including the economy and the nation’s place in the world, the election according to some analysts became a quasi-referendum on the nation’s entrance into the Luthorian Commonwealth. The previous administration, led by former Prime Minister and Leader of the TFP Leani Tofiga, initiated the process which would eventually introduce Tropica to the Luthorian Commonwealth arguing that “joining the Commonwealth will bring many benefits and opportunities for the country,” adding that the nation would have supposedly have access to the grouping’s resources and networks. Throughout the tenure of the ascension bill’s debate, Te Kura argued that the bill represented a major disregard for the centuries of struggle for independence endured by the Tropican people. “This bill, in all its structures represents the single most dangerous decision any government could make for Tropica. It is in itself a furthering of the imperialist and neo-colonialist agenda of Luthori,” Te Kura said in the statement in parliament which was subsequently withdrawn. Te Kura registered his disappointment in the Kaitiaki’s supposed support of the bill, stating that as the monarch, he should have been guided by the historical context surrounding why Tropica had avoided an alignment with the “Luthorian consensus” for centuries. On the issue, Prime Minister-elect Wenham has taken a more liberal stance, offering that Tropica conducts a complete review of the nation’s foreign arrangements with an eye on cutting loose those relationships which do not bring immediate benefit to the nation. He stated that although the Luthorian Commonwealth processed numerous inherent benefits, much of them had not materialised, pointing to the Luthori’s own inaction on many of its key initiatives announced at the formal commencement ceremony for the Commonwealth itself. Wenham noted that whilst Tropica must remain cognizant of the need to remain connected with the wider international economy, referencing the nation’s relative isolation in Temania, he stated that the nation must not surrender its hard-fought independence to the illusions of “group benefit” nor must it fall to the whispers/whims of “group think”. He proffered that the nation must, in recognition of its position, place itself ahead of others noting that “we’ve made it this far on our own.”

[GreekIdiot]

Whale Island
OAA launches Verite Registry; calls for states in Dovani, Temania and Vascania
June 5527
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