ProvidenceElections in LodamunLodamun has seen many elections, although this last one was mildly interesting and an analysis over Lodamese beliefs. Lodamun is renown to be a conservative nation, and as the counter reaction seen in the previous elections when the Ecofeudalist Anti-Natalist Peasants Party won majority of votes, over one third of electorate, setting a major victory for the right-wing in Lodamun after years of lead by LCP/PSEI. While in Lodamun both the right and the left mostly agree on environmentalism as well other bills like economic ones, the gap between the paganic and hosian fundamentalists, ultranationalists and antimodernists in the South and the democrats, socialists and progressives in the North still existed, and with that election of 4873 showed the division. While the term was mostly quiet and without surprising reforms, the Cabinet of Understanding collapsed quickly and run in minority and missing seats, alongside L2R helping EAPP at passing controversial bills that made relations with PSEI more cold and distant than ever. Protests were attempted but nothing huge materialized outside in Providence. The term was mostly characterized of debates over military reforms and return to a normal hierarchical army, aside controversial bills on banning cars, limiting freedom to elect mayors, attempts on minority rights and politicization of administrative positions by EAPP and their allies.
Everything would change in the elections of 4877. Everyone was hopeful but calm, awaiting the results, alongside a new political party, Quice Party, an ultranationalist far-right party. The results were conclusive: it was a blow to the right wing. Despite the Post-Social Ethicist-Idealist Party failure to win the elections and end up the last place in Lodamun, they had succeeded to maintain on Rapula and the Lodamese Democratic Progressives have won the elections, subsequently the regions Andalay and Golavia. This had lead to a progressive, leftist victory and a chance for PSEI-LDP-led government that would seek to remove EAPP's mess and bring the nation on the right path, as modern values in Lodamun have succeeded to live on. The Quice Party has succeeded to attract no significant amount of voters, while the EAPP got a blow to their hopes for power as their policies disappointed many Lodamese, leaving space for the LDP as favored party to run the nation and hold majority in Parliament. Prime Minister of LDP, Carson Larnus has yet to make comments on the victory or possibility of coalition with others, as the current situation is making any non-LDP coalition impossible to form due to disparity among smaller parties in the Presidium. PSEI has lost votes most probably mainly to lack of compromise, failed SC campaign and controversial stances on inheritance laws.
The election results although show us that Lodamun is heading away from the past and embracing at least for now, the modernity, one unique to the region, attached with strings with environmentalism, anti-materialism and anticapitalism. The people have clearly rejected right-wing ideals of both the Quices and Ecofeudalists in favor of a more modern but balanced and harmonious approach of LDP and PSEI. The Lodamese Truth, a non-governmental organization hired for exit polls have presented following
results, seats and the regions of Lodamun:
Ban on car lifted, what is next?Following the elections of 4877, Lodamun has started shifted left once again, Presidumite officials started working diligently over passing laws. One of the questions raised was the lift of ban on cars, which surprisingly has succeeded to pass, with a majority of parties voting in favor of it, despite EAPP's best attempts at stopping such reforms. The antimotorists have held some protests against this throughout the nation but numbers were small, under 30 000 and poorly organized. While the cars were banned for few years, Lodamese car industry was not completely crippled, although it struggles to keep up with environmental legislation and cheaper exports. Many expect PSEI to ban car industry as part of their radical environmental legislation. Alongside legalization of cars, attempts are being made at reforming the army, which as of now it's being prohibited by LDP and PSEI as reforms attempted in their view would hurt the Lodamese democracy and the spirit of soldiers. The LDP has proposed once again a reform of laws over water trying to make all water drinkable, failing sadly to pass Presidium. The inheritance regulations were abolished as well, despite PSEI protests, making them repropose the issue to be revised, alongside attempts at clearing politicized positions in the administration set by EAPP-L2R and alter laws regarding local elections, reaffirming right to vote mayors across nation. Further plans involve governmental projects, as well a disputed SC campaign and need to reform the army.
Many pundits have indicated that Lodamun will maintain it's heavily leftist nature, alongside strengthening minority rights and improving the democratic process. It is all up to LDP though to officially join PSEI in governing Lodamun toward prosperity. PSEI has stated that they will abstain from mean arguments more often than previous, alongside avoiding to do actions like quitting the cabinet or being uncompromising. The new Party congress also concluded an axe on philosophical and ethical arguments when pursuing far left politics rather than materialist class-oriented arguments as finalization of academic work.
Lodamese Nationalism rising, decades of unity sprawl as Lodamun's new younger generations reject revolutionAll these events, the elections, protests, laws and internal reforms are part of a greater historical trend for Lodamun as the youngest generations move even more away from the old revolutionary spirit brewed by LCP and their internal allies over span of decades, culminating with the forge of the Communes, a revolutionary territory of Lodamun, setting itself apart and distinctive in every way than the rest of Lodamun, wishing to spread revolution across and such. The past decades, especially a century ago were characterized by discontent, sharp contrasts between modernity and tradition, an era of strife and tensions, one encompassed in the short but horrific Lodamese Civil War that took place. An era cultivated by the cult of civil disobedience and resist from all sides involved, lowkey started by the EAPP's transitional government in the mountains, then fully accomplished by the NSU and anarchist/communist elements found in Lodamese society that succeeded to divide the right and the left further, and even cause multiple sections of the nation to revolt and almost came to a breaking point when Lodamese nation almost melt and disappeared as we know it, implicating not only internal forces and citizens volunteering for a revolution, but foreign governments, creating an international crisis that needed it's own talk in the World Congress. With help from Indralan and foreign diplomats, as well as a historical anarchist Congress held in Northern Andalay by
IAOL, it was concluded that terrorist tactics, open revolutionary war and uprising should be toned down or even replaced by peaceful revolution, civilized protest and strikes and peace with Lodamun, increased cooperation, establishment of a Constitution and clear delimitation of borders and gain of sovereignty. This came as first sign of return to order. Situation is still dense and fragile for Lodamun, especially with LCP having lack of cooperation with the Lodamese Nationalists in the Presidium. Then again, revolutionary elements conquer Lodamun with LCP establishing a Union of Free Socialist Republics that lasted two decades, in which from it's foundation it slowly corrupted, slowed progress and eventually riddled with non-communist parties as LCP came crashing down and finally disbanding, leaving an already failed socialist state follow the suit. Following that Lodamun was dominated by random rightist and centrist forces throughout the remaining decades, having a badly organized state and a bad economy as legacy of the UFSR mismanagement in the economy. The populace although disgruntled, was mostly peaceful, outside occasional strikes. Forward to the recent decades, the situation almost returned to years of Revolution under the new Libertarian Communist Party, however the party did not survived much, after the failure of second UFSR and an apparent victory against rightism, the leftist party suffered major hits that forced the intellectual elite, the new one, to switch to new doctrines, which they were already working on beforehand, however they had came up with an Ethical Communist political system crafted through epistemology and metaphysics and not economics or dialectical materialism as before. This, and with the victory of rightist parties marked a sharp end of a chance of return of Years of Revolution, being replaced Decades of Unity, as nationalism is rising more and more, not as necessary leftist element, but as a unitary civic element above all, secondly ethnic, as nationalists are more peaceful, prone to pacifism and cooperation among different sides, rather than street revolts, as marked by failed protests pursued by civil rights groups against latest insulting laws against democracy.
This sharp contrast with the last century may be related to the fact that people are not only tired, and often uninterested by pursuing protests or revolutions, but as well a trust in democracy has reemerged, coupled with an anticapitalist and antimaterialist philosophical and cultural spirit spread throughout nation that not only attacks the evils of modern capitalism and hedonism, but as well the lack of unity. The new Lodamese nationalist wave is not as much as violent or ethnic-based, especially in the urban areas, as much as civic and ecological entrenched, as noted by Yusef Rose in his works and not only over the idea of econationalism and relation between culture and nature. Lodamun sees a changing society, with younger generations less and less opened to revolt and more entrusting democracy, with elections of 4877 showing us that people have made the change through the ballot boxes and not revolutions, leading to democratic leftist parties take charge once again of the national politics in the Presidium, with the clear intention to repair the rightist wrongdoings. May the LCP fall and failure be the embodiment of people rejecting the old kind of doing politics, through force and popular might, all replaced by electoralism and parliamentarism. This decision of people is yet to be seen, will this strengthen democracy and national unity, or make people more prone to accepting degradation of political and national integrity. Time will tell only.
The United Communes to have it's end?Many foreigners would had not seen this coming, inside tho it was a ticking bomb, it was foreseen with ease by many new intellectuals and diplomats, especially the socialists part of the now defunct LCP. The United Communes had been historically a beacon of progress and hope for Lodamun, and although made of only two cities, it showed the world possibility for anarchism to work bringing capital in and succeeding to be globally recognized by many important entities. Then why this anarchist paradise came crumbling, after almost a century of development and growth brought these communes down? The answer lies in the cultural swift we talked earlier. The Communes although prosperous and well functioning Lodamese cities, were a sign of lack of unity ,a stain of the past, a living museum dating the Lodamese Civil War: simply put the Communes resembled a symbol of fractioned society, a division, a living open wound as Lodamun sought a new identity and peace in turbulent times in history. Following an economic recession, as well political collapse of UFSR that was for the most part unwanted, as well with return of pagan fundamentalists, Lodamese people were found more and more with the threat of collapse, as the nation has no unique culture or identity, thus it relies on the people's spirit to stay together, and this was acknowledged by many, including Lodamese philosophers members of PSEI. All this was spreading not only in the Northern coasts, but including in the Communes, where people became tired of revolutionary spirit and being separated from fellow Lodamese, trusting against electoralism, alongside the South, which also wishes through EAPP to reconciliate and put an end to this century-long division in Lodamese society. Although a full reunification in spiritual terms wont ever be feasible as gaps between modernity and tradition are still very big, as well party politics still are divided, the people, the Lodamese have chosen to stick together, to protest less for ideology and more for the national unity, as for example the United Communes kept being ravaged by strikes of workers wishing to reunite with Lodamun. This comes as an acceptance of democracy as sign of national unity and as of trust in the government as recent years showed a leftist culture reemerging despite rightist attempts to overcome it. Many protests were led in the Communes, and finally their demands were materialized as a national referendum in anarchist territories concluded Reunification with Lodamun with over 70% in favor of it. This does not mean the Andalayans have ceased in believing in leftist values, but their more willingly to cooperate with Providence regardless of policies.
As the referendum offers the reality of things that people want back, work is in the process to regain the Northern tip of Lodamun by reestablishing the Lodamese administration and police force there, a thing strange still to locals as Orea and St Martin have never seen proper police force, army or governmental administration from Providence in years. Reforms will be finished in following months, expected to fully integrate the Communes into Lodamun and cease the independence. After almost a century, the people want to return, followed by
a bill in the Presidium by PSEI, the former LCP that gave independence to Communes in the first place, to formalize the return of the Communes. It is yet to be seen how this will work, but the fact that the Communes are reuniting marks a cornerstone victory for the unitarians wishing to bring all Lodamese back closer in these dire times of economic troubles and of international uncertainty.
Lodamun sends new FOMAT entryLodamun decides to send another band to FOMAT, this time to the Ninth edition in Selucia. The new entry represents something new off the bat, something that is highly experimental and closely linked with the new post-modernist current in Lodamese urbanite environments. It is post-rock, a new genre that seeks to gain traction as an alternative to classical forms of rock and bring a fresh air to music with it's unique rhythms, focus on instrumental and calm ambiance. One of the bands representing this movement is Under the World, a prominent Lodamese band coming from urban Providence that has since it's inception garnered lot of fans and attention in the liberal media in the North. The songs have all succeeded, but especially a hit made 2 years ago, "I could see the Sun shining", a shooting sad song. The new song does not talk about a particular subject but let's the listener travel in his world of ideas and seek his own meaning into it, as part of an anti-classical manifesto and a post-modernist piece arguing against the popular epistemological beliefs in academic spaces in Lodamun. The song searches to spring in listeners all kind of feelings and a meditative atmosphere, as the main singer, Eric Zolan said: "A song without a meaning leaves those who listen to it to infer meaning to it, making all the beauty of doing it. We think that art should instigate to thinking and contemplation, rather give people precise and well defined traits and meaning." in a interview posted one month ago. The song is part of the album "Stars and Death"
The song "I could see the Sun shining" is posted on official website of the band, that can be downloaded and used for free with the permission of the site managers:
[Click the album photo above to be able to listen to the piece of melody]
Other interesting things to read:
New philosophical wave to begin?
Lodamun in the World Congress
NACTO and reform
Ezicism to spread even further