Reform Party HQ [NSG Senate]

[Angleter]

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The only official mainstream conservative party in the Senate

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The National Freedom Coalition

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Libertarians of Aurentina - Classical Monarchist - Reformists - National Centrists - Aurentine Liberals and Moderates

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What is the Reform Party?

The Reform Party of Aurentina is the true party of the mainstream Right. We are libertarian conservatives, who believe in a strong and cohesive nation comprised of free individuals with equal opportunities, where our traditions and institutions are valued rather than derided. We are Parliamentarians, who believe that power should be distributed among the many of the Senate, rather than the few of the executive branch, or the unaccountable bureaucratic masses. And we are populists, who believe in sharp contrasts and a strong ideology, and who view compromise and political power not as an end in itself, but as a means to an end - the society that we want to build in Aurentina.

As conservatives and libertarians, we agree on the fundamentals - low taxes, a simple and limited welfare system, choice in education and healthcare, and a break with the tired and unsuccessful status quo policies of the Left. But if we keep pretending we have nothing to do with each other, we will keep on getting that status quo. So if you're tired with right-wing politics as usual in Aurentina, and you want something that's conservative, but not too extreme; that's libertarian, but not too extreme; and that's prepared to stand up for the right-wing vision of society - then the Reform Party is for you.

The Reform Party - Desire the Right

Why Reform?

Fundamentally, there are three types of right-winger, each of which has its own party in the Senate as it stands, but all of whom Reform welcomes in moderation. We applaud the moderates for their Burkean conservatism, their care for the less well-off, and their rejection of the sort of extremism that can embarrass or even discredit the right-wing movement in general; but in Reform we are pro-market rather than pro-business, we are prepared to take a stand for our libertarian conservative values rather than ally with the Left, and we don't see 'idealism' as a bad word. We applaud the libertarians for their steadfastness, and their defence of both individual and market freedom; but in Reform we recognise the need for a state that enforces the rule of law, and we believe that the state should respect our traditions and actively work to build a cohesive society. And we applaud the traditionalist conservatives, also for their steadfastness, and furthermore for their defence of the idea of a cohesive, conservative society; but in Reform we reject protectionism and corporatism and embrace free trade and the free market, and we believe that individual freedom is necessary for a truly cohesive - not oppressive - society.

Simply put, imagine a triangle. At each corner is the centrists, the libertarians, and the traditionalist conservatives. In the middle is Reform.

What's going on in Reform?

• Jen Coren (Corenea) is the new party leader. Branko Aleksic (Macedonian Grand Empire) will continue as Deputy Leader.

Who's in Reform?

• Corenea - Leader
• Macedonian Grand Empire - Deputy Leader
• Angleter - Founder
• Sabara
• Lengleland
• Auralia
• Fransmany
• Chelta
• The Republic of Lanos - Ambassador to Progress Coalition
• The Union of the West
• The New United Britsh Empire
• Jaymall Land
• The Orson Empire
• Gibberan
• Commonwealth of Great Britain
• Bratislav
• The State of Czecho-Slovakia
• The Indiana Territory
• Jamessonia
• Calimera II
• Bleckonia
• National Empire
• Patistan
• Blahbania
• Nordengrund
• The United Regions
• Transoxthraxia
• Costa Fierro
• Luepola
• Marsisian
• The Sarian
• East Denmark
• Crown Island

A few things:

This is where party members can organise, discuss, and debate what we're doing and where we're going.
Non-members are welcome to find out about the party and negotiate/canvass with us here, but this is not the place for debates between parties.
Angleter will be temporary party leader until we have enough members to elect a permanent one.

If you want to join us, then simply post in this thread!

[Angleter]

Party Platform

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Economy & Finance

Reform are a pro-market, rather than a pro-business, party. We reject subsidies, corporate welfare, and bailouts. However, though we are more than happy to work with and have in our ranks laissez-faire opinions, the party is not quite laissez-faire, but rather ordoliberal - Reform believes that the market needs basic rules and regulations to keep it truly free and to allow it to achieve its full potential. Moreover, Reform is open to the idea of a microfinance-style scheme whereby ordinary Aurentinians underwrite loans to unemployed people wishing to start up a business.

In terms of fiscal policy, Reform is a fiscally conservative party. Though we understand that in tough economic times we may inevitably run small deficits, we reject the idea of sacrificing our taxpayers at the altar of 'Keynesian stimulus' - a government cannot spend its way out of a recession. It is imperative regardless that we run a modest budget surplus throughout the 'good times', and we are open to the possibility of using those surplusses to found a sovereign wealth fund. However, said fund would have to be firmly independent to ensure that it doesn't become a state subsidy machine.

Taxation & Welfare

Taxation has to be simple, transparent, and low. Reform believes in two bands of income tax and no more - the easiest thing to do in the world is for politicians to hammer out an ugly compromise that they can all tolerate, with several bands and a vast bureaucracy to work out who's paying what. For us it's simple - one income tax, two bands, and the upper band must be no higher than 35%. Sales tax should be zero on essentials and things that the government mandates you to buy, and flat on everything else. Corporate tax should be flat.

On welfare, Reform have two priorities - ensuring that our society doesn't leave people by the road to starve, and ensuring that work always pays, regardless of the wage. Therefore, we support a negative income tax, whereby individuals who earn under a certain threshold income don't pay tax, but instead receive a portion of the difference between their income and the threshold. This means that the more you earn in income, the more you earn overall - you don't lose money by going to work. Reform also supports help for the disabled to deal with their extra costs, and is open to the idea of some form of state pension.

Healthcare

Healthcare should be universal. A conservative society is a society where nobody dies unnecessarily for want of cash. However, we believe that patients should have the power to choose who provides their healthcare, and that properly harnessed market forces are best for our healthcare system. Therefore, Reform support a system of medical savings accounts - each person must apportion a certain minimum percentage of their income to their account until they have enough to meet expected future needs, and may easily transfer money to other family members. The government will provide a safety net for those who are unable to save enough to meet their needs.

To cover for those catastrophic events or illnesses which would blow a normal savings account out of the water, Reform envisage a system of catastrophic health insurance. Instead of normal private insurance where, since people get ill a lot, premiums are high and thus prohibitive for many, catastrophic insurance deals with catastrophic healthcare needs, which are rare - therefore premiums will be lower. The government should provide some form of safety net for the few unable to afford such insurance.

Education

Up to university level, education should be universal and free - but again, parents should have the right to choose how they want their children to be educated. Therefore, instead of directly funding schools, Reform believe the government should directly fund the child, and the parent may send their child to any school that accepts them. Private schools may charge extra, and the government should provide scholarships for exceptionally bright children. We will applaud, not stand in the way of, schools who institute selection on ability.

Reform reject centralising ideas such as the national curriculum, and believe that schools should be free to design and teach their own curriculum, within reason - inciting hatred will be a criminal offence as per normal, as will infringements on children's religious freedom, and schools' science curricula will be required to reject pseudoscience such as homeopathy, and give due prominence to widely-accepted scientific theories such as relativity and evolution.

Immigration & Culture

As a conservative movement, Reform believes that the government should seek to protect our national culture and traditions, and promote the idea of an integrated and cohesive society at every level. Therefore, we believe that our immigration policy should have a strong preference for those who already speak to some degree of ability a national language, that new immigrants should have compulsory and free language lessons and be introduced to Aurentina's rich culture, and that the government should work to ensure that immigrants do not club together in, or get forced into, 'ghettos'. The government should not spend exorbitantly on translations of government documents. That said, we understand the concern of immigrants coming to a new land, and so would support national networks for new immigrants from each country or region.

However, immigration is primarily an economic enterprise, and we believe that - properly limited and harnessed - it can be a great benefit to our nation. We support taking in predominantly immigrants who are either skilled, intent on setting up a new business, or in a field of work where we have a labour shortage. However, we believe that there has to be a realistic cap on total immigrant levels to ensure that our public services can cope.

Law & Order, Defence, and Foreign Policy

Reform's main priority is that the paramilitaries have to stop. If we want Aurentina to be a civil society with a flourishing political system, and not a basket-case where political power is determined by how many stormtroopers you've got, then the paramilitaries have to stop. We believe that prison can work, that tough sentences can act as a deterrent, but the party has no plans to legislate to institute a death penalty. However, Reform envisages a police service that, with the obvious exceptions (riot police, etc.), is a civil force that works with the public to prevent crime, rather than a gendarmerie-style force that gives the impression of being imposed on the public to 'keep them in check'. We need a civilised, not a militarised, society to be successful and free. The rule of law must be paramount, and sheriffs should be elected but non-partisan.

Naturally, Reform support basic civil rights such as freedom of speech (except for inciting inter-communal hatred and violence), freedom of assembly, voting rights, and so on. We support gun rights, pending background checks and assurances that privately-owned guns are stored under lock and key.

Reform supports a strong and well-equipped military for Aurentina, and we have no problem with us having a nuclear deterrent. However, we believe Aurentina should be primarily defensive in its military orientation, and that we should aim to be friendly and open to trade to all nations. However, we are most certainly not isolationists, and military intervention - though it should be kept to a minimum, and with as few boots on the ground as possible - may sometimes be necessary.

Energy and Environment

For Reform, the future is nuclear, and we would advocate the continued building of nuclear power plants in Aurentina. However, we recognise that moving away from fossil fuels is easier said than done, and so would advocate the implementation of carbon capture & storage so that we may enjoy a low-carbon, but economically strong, future. We also support renewables such as solar panels, tidal and hydroelectric power, and offshore wind farms - however, the construction of on-land wind farms should be subject to a local referendum to ensure our landscape is not spoiled. The provision of utilities such as electricity, gas, and water should be privatised.

The Constitution

Reform believe in a Parliamentary system of government, where the legislature is strong and the executive - be it monarchical or republican - weak. Ambitious Senators should also be able to pursue powerful Parliamentary committee positions, so that their career progression is not reliant on obedience to the government or the party whips. The Senate should have oversight over judicial, major bureaucratic, and to some extent ministerial appointments. Reform supports decentralisation in general, and believes that power must rest in as many hands as possible.

Values Issues

Reform supports freedom of religion and a state that is secular in practice. However, we will not stand for the cultural whitewashing espoused by some aggressive laicists on the Left. Reform recognises the cultural role of religion in our nation, and the importance it carries for many of the people of Aurentina. Though we are never going to legislate to enforce our own personal religious beliefs on Aurentina, and would oppose measures to do so, we are happy to accept religious education in schools and (within reason) faith schools, and we oppose efforts to 'cleanse' public institutions of references to and symbols of religion.

On the issue of abortion, Reform recognises that the political situation in Aurentina makes an outright ban on abortion impossible. However, we believe the extremely liberal provisions of the 'Bodily Sovereignty Act' need to go, and would instead advocate that abortion only be legal pending the approval of two doctors in roughly the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, with the obvious exception of medical emergencies. Reform opposes euthanasia, and believe that Aurentina as a society needs to value life as a whole, rather than just the quality of life.

The current legalisation of polygamy up to, it seems, infinity people is a joke. Such a nihilistic view of civil marriage is pointless, and Reform believe that civil polygamy should be strongly curtailed, if not banned completely. Provisions should also be made to ensure that no religious institution is ever forced to conduct or recognise marriages against its own religious definition of marriage, which would be a gross violation of freedom of religion. However, no religious institution should be banned from conducting marriages that are not recognised by the government as civil marriages (although under the current legislation, that is basically impossible).

[Angleter]

Party Organisation

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The Party

The name of this party is '(The) Reform Party of Aurentina', short forms: '(The) Reform Party' or 'Reform'.

About our Organisation

Reform aims to be a truly democratic, popular, 'bottom-up' party, so as to reflect its political ideology. Power rests ultimately in the hands of the Senators, not the leadership or any 'whips'. The leader advises the Senators how to vote, but does not tell them how to vote on pain of punishment.

Founder (Chairman)

Angleter is the founder of the party, which is a purely ceremonial role in and of itself. The chairman registers the party in the Senate, and shall be the same person as the founder until the founder is unable to carry out his duties, in which case the Senators of the party shall elect a new chairman. This election process shall be repeated if a later chairman becomes unable to carry out their duties.

Leader

The leader is the public face and spokesman of the Reform Party. They conduct negotiations with other parties, ensure harmonious relations within the party, oversee discussions within the party, advise the party how to vote on legislative proposals, and are expected to take the lead on promoting Reform's platform in the Senate. The chairman shall be temporary leader when the party is not an official party in the Senate, and when the party is for some reason between permanent leaders. A permanent leader is elected by a democratic vote of all the party's Senators, using the two-round run-off system.

The leader shall be subject to a review vote every six months. If more than one third of the Senators do not approve of the current leader continuing, a leadership election shall be held. There are no term limits on the leadership.

Deputy Leader

The Deputy Leader shall act as the Leader when the Leader is unavailable or when the office of Leader is vacant. The Deputy Leader shall also help the Leader carry out his duties, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that the party and its positions are maximally represented in the Senate Chamber. The Deputy Leader shall be nominated by the Leader and then democratically approved by the party's Senators, after a new Leader is elected, or every six months. The Deputy Leader's term is renewable once.

This proposal will also delete the line "The chairman shall be temporary leader when the party is not an official party in the Senate, and when the party is for some reason between permanent leaders" from the 'Leader' article.

Candidates

Official party candidates for executive offices shall be decided on by a democratic vote of all the party's Senators. If only one candidate position is up for vote, then the two-round runoff system shall be used. If more than one position is up for vote, then the first past the post system shall be used.

Senators

The party's Senators are members of the Senate who have joined the Reform Party. They elect the party's chairman, leader, and official candidates. The Senators review the leader. A simple majority of the party's Senators must approve of any change to the party's platform or organisation. However, no such vote shall take place until the party has reached official status within the Senate. No Senator shall be 'disciplined' or expelled from the party for voting against the leader's advice, though they may be expected to explain their vote and are encouraged to discuss the legislation at hand with the rest of the party. Senators are expected to vote on proposed legislation in the Senate and on internal party votes.

Senators may, however, be warned by the leader for, and only for, publicly denigrating the party as a whole or endorsing another party above Reform. The leader may also request the Senators to vote on expulsion of a previously-warned Senator who has reoffended - a simple majority of all Senators other than the leader and the accused is required for expulsion.

Our Stance on 'Whips'

The leader is entitled to appoint a member of the party to monitor, and report to the leader, how Senators are voting on proposed legislation. However, responsibility for advising and encouraging Senators to vote, and vote the way the leader advises, rests ultimately with the leader. As such, therefore, Reform has no 'whips'.

Reform do not force Senators to vote a certain way on proposed legislation. Instead, the leader may treat proposed legislation in one of two ways - a 'free vote' means that the party leadership has no official position on a piece of proposed legislation, and the party's Senators may vote freely either way. An 'advised vote' means that the party leadership has taken an official position, and advises all the party's Senators to vote that way - Senators who do not do so will likely be asked to explain their decision, but will not be punished by the party leadership.

[Angleter]

Party Positions On Things At Vote

CLICK HERE (Health Section B, 3rd Jan 2014)

Presidential Election (First Round) - FREE VOTE
Business Accountability Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Presidential Election (Run-off) - FREE VOTE
Salary, Allowances, and Pension of Senators Act - FREE VOTE
National Retirement and Pensions Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Appointment of FreeSoc as PM - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
National Security Act - FREE VOTE
Senatorial Limitation Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Limiting Legislation Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Anti-Slavery Act - ADVISED VOTE: AYE
Civil Treatment Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Sex Industry Regulation Act - FREE VOTE
Senatorial Limitation Act [Another One?] - FREE VOTE
Firearms Act - FREE VOTE
Ratification of North Atlantic Treaty - FREE VOTE
Internal Security Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Commonwealth Armed Forces Act - ADVISED VOTE: AYE
Restricting Capital Punishment Act - FREE VOTE
Judicial Act - FREE VOTE
Emergency Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Treason Act - FREE VOTE
Senatorial Major Incident Inquest - ADVISED VOTE: AYE
Limiting Legislation Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
Secular State Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY
International Law Act - ADVISED VOTE: AYE
Worker Empowerment Act - ADVISED VOTE: NAY

[Aquitayne]

Hey there! Loving the platform.

[Angleter]

Hi there! I'll sort out the (provisional) structure of the party tomorrow.

[Sabara]

This looks great!

[Angleter]

This looks great!

Would you like to join?

[Sabara]

This looks great!

Would you like to join?

Yes, very much so.

[Aden Protectorate]

I'd love to join!
(I was a member of PC but found there policies distasteful.)

[Angleter]

Welcome!

[The Realm of God]

I'm just watching this to see if it gets anywhere.

[Wolfmanne]

^

Well, I offer my endorsement to this party and I hope we can potential partners in the future. I really like this idea as well.

[Angleter]

Apologies that I haven't got round to doing the party structure today. I'll get round to it tomorrow evening, once this essay's out of the way. In the meantime, if any of us know any Senators who would be a good fit for Reform, then feel free to try and recruit them.

[Transoxthraxia]

I might join this if I find more time.

[Angleter]

I might join this if I find more time.

Only takes a moment to join! And you won't be called on to do anything particularly time-consuming if you don't want to (and that sort of thing would probably only kick in after we achieve official status anyway).

[Transoxthraxia]

I might join this if I find more time.

Only takes a moment to join! And you won't be called on to do anything particularly time-consuming if you don't want to (and that sort of thing would probably only kick in after we achieve official status anyway).

Ah. Two of my party's former members are in here...

[Angleter]

Just to say, I have voted AGAINST the 'Business Accountability Act' that's currently at vote in the Senate. My reasoning is that though workplace safety can be considered a noble goal, this proposal goes about it not through regulation, but by the deterrent of effectively imposing vast financial penalties (which would roughly be the same amount regardless of business size) on companies who can feasibly be partly blamed for the injury or death of a worker. Therefore, it unfairly punishes and burdens small businesses, and could be open to abuse.

However, I ought to reiterate that 'three-line whips' and party leaders stamping their will on the members is not how I envisage Reform doing things. Therefore, you are all perfectly free to abstain or vote in favour if you so wish.

[Angleter]

We now have organisation! Huzzah!

[Angleter]

Rather shameless bump. The Senate chamber seems to be discussing retirement age, so how about we do that?

I'd say we shouldn't support a (normal) retirement age of lower than 65, since it'd be unsustainable. Perhaps 67 or so, rising to 70 in the next decade? But what do y'all think?

[Aquitayne]

Rather shameless bump. The Senate chamber seems to be discussing retirement age, so how about we do that?

I'd say we shouldn't support a (normal) retirement age of lower than 65, since it'd be unsustainable. Perhaps 67 or so, rising to 70 in the next decade? But what do y'all think?

I think the retirement age should hover around 63 to 66, to give variation and allow unforeseen old-age events that might not allow them to work be penalized for it.

[Angleter]

Rather shameless bump. The Senate chamber seems to be discussing retirement age, so how about we do that?

I'd say we shouldn't support a (normal) retirement age of lower than 65, since it'd be unsustainable. Perhaps 67 or so, rising to 70 in the next decade? But what do y'all think?

I think the retirement age should hover around 63 to 66, to give variation and allow unforeseen old-age events that might not allow them to work be penalized for it.

True. Perhaps people in more physically exhausting lines of work could have a lower retirement age.

[Aden Protectorate]

If we have a Party Leader I would like to run for it.

[Angleter]

Of course. We'll elect a full-time leader once we reach the threshold to become an official party (since then the leader will actually have a role to play as leader of a sizeable party and chief negotiator with other parties). In the meantime, let's get recruiting! It's difficult to get to ten members, but I'm sure with enough effort we can manage it. Anyone y'all know of who might be interested, or independent Senators who are generally right-wing - invite them to join us.

[Angleter]

Two votes before the Senate right now. On the SAPSA, I've voted for, but it's basically a free vote - I can't see anything particularly offensive about it, but there's no reason to get excited about it either.

On the NRPA, I'm going to advise the party to vote AGAINST - it establishes a way-too-low retirement age of 62 (and 55 for physically demanding occupations), and funds the national pension through two special new taxes (on 'capital income' and 'income from work', which I'm fairly sure refers to capital gains and normal income). This is the sort of legislation that'll lead us straight down the road to a vast welfare bill and a hopelessly complex, expensive, and inefficient tax system.