[SUBMITTED] - Got Democracy?

[Nation of Quebec]

Been a little while since I've drafted an issue. This one is inspired by the Middle East protests and is meant for dictatorships and monarchies that continue to oppress their citizens. Feedback and constructive criticism are welcome as always.

Name: Got Democracy?

VALIDITY: Valid for all nations with outlawed to low levels of political freedoms with a national leader.

DESCRIPTION: As waves of pro-democracy protests continue in @@REGION@@, with many of them toppling long lasting regimes, experts say the protests could soon hit @@NAME@@. An emergency meeting had been called by @@LEADER@@ to discuss the issue.

OPTIONS:

[option]"We must crack down and crack down hard on any rebel who dares to betray our beloved nation," exclaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, head of the @@NAME@@ State Police, slamming his fist on the table. "We must use whatever force is necessary to prevent these protests from happening here. We need police officers on every street! We must continue to monitor the internet for any anti-government activity so we can shut them down before they begin. Justice will be swift! We shall strike enough fear into the hearts all dissenters to show them that @@LEADER@@ will never surrender and never give into the demands of these traitors!"
[effect]pro-democracy protesters are shot on sight by state police in order to keep the peace
[stats]political freedoms drop to zero, civil rights decrease drastically, funding for law and order increases, safety decreases, most avoided increases, crime decreases, corruption increases

[option]"Forgive me, sir, but that would only give these protesters more motivation to protest," counters @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Propaganda. "Some of their claims are worth looking into. If your majesty would care to do so, we could always give each family say a thousand @@CURRENCY@@s! You could really look into the demands for better housing, more jobs, and better working conditions. Throw them a bone and they'll gladly gnaw on it. All you need to do is give into some of their demands and they'll go about their business happy as clams. The people of @@NAME@@ love you. This is your chance to show that you love them."
[effect]@@NAME@@ has managed to avoid pro-democracy protests that have toppled dictators elsewhere in @@REGION@@
[stats]apathy decreases, corruption increases slightly

[option]"I'm afraid that's not good enough," whispers an adviser who has family protesting elsewhere in @@NAME@@. "The people are angry and are fed up with the system. They see you as a dusty old dictator with no place in the modern world. If you want to stop the protests you must give them exactly what they want. I dare not say this in front of the others, but the time for real democracy is now. Announce an end to your regime and let the people decide for themselves who they want ruling them. You could even run in these elections yourself!"
[effect]polling numbers indicate that @@LEADER@@ is currently in last place in @@NAME@@'s historic elections
[stats]political freedoms increase significantly, apathy decreases, funding for law and order decreases, most avoided decreases

[option]"Hold on there a minute," interrupts @@RANDOMNAME@@, one of your top aides. "Do you really think that the people will pick a suitable replacement for you? For all we know they'll elect someone who will turn @@NAME@@ into a theocracy or a hippie commune! How about we give them a democracy, but carefully screen any candidate who runs? We don't want any radical with a viewpoint running for office, do we? This gives the people what they want while ensuring only those with favorable beliefs can become candidates."
[effect]election sites were reported to be mostly empty on election day due to allegations that all candidates were puppets of @@LEADER@@
[stats]political freedoms increase slightly, apathy increases, corruption increases

[option]"I believe I have a situation that works best for everyone," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Commerce. "How about we allow these protests in @@NAME@@ but in a controlled environment? My friends in the furniture restoration industry can help the police set up the barricades. This would allow @@NAME@@'s finest to keep a close eye on the protesters to prevent them from turning the event into a riot. If any of them step out of line, then a riot squad will be close by to keep them in check. This way the people can still protest, the police will have an easier time dealing with them, and it benefits @@NAME@@'s economy!"
[effect]police carefully monitor protesters in the newly christened and barricaded Protest Square
[stats]political freedoms increase slightly, civil rights decrease, economy increases, furniture restoration industry increases, funding for law and order increases, corruption increases slightly, crime decreases slightly

[Panageadom]

I like it! It might nudge a bit close to existing issues, though. I've decided to delay some of my other plans and write a twin issue for this one, instead.

Been a little while since I've drafted an issue. This one is inspired by the Middle East protests and is meant for dictatorships and monarchies that continue to oppress their citizens. Feedback and constructive criticism are welcome as always.

Name: Got Democracy?

VALIDITY: Valid for all nations with outlawed to low levels of political freedoms with a national leader.

DESCRIPTION: As waves of pro-democracy protests continue in @@REGION@@, with many of them toppling long lasting regimes, experts say the protests could soon hit @@NAME@@. An emergency meeting had been called by @@LEADER@@ to discuss the issue.

OPTIONS:

"We must crack down and crack down hard on any traitor who dares to protest betray our beloved nation," exclaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, head of the @@NAME@@ State Policeas he slams slamming his fist on the table. "We must use whatever force is necessary to prevent these protests (insurrections?) from happening here. We need police officers on every street and we must continue to monitor the internet for any anti-government activity and shut them down before they begin (Can you rephrase this with less "and"s? It's reads a little bit like he has a goldfish memory or asthma). Justice will (Must?) be swiftand.We shall strike enough fear into the hearts all dissenters to show them that @@LEADER@@ will never surrender and never give into the demands of these traitors!"
[effect]pro-democracy protesters are shot on sight by state police in order to keep the peace
[stats]political freedoms drop to zero, civil rights decrease drastically, funding for law and order increases , law and order becomes more of a priority (These are the same thing, I swear?), safety decreases, most avoided increases Crime falls?

[option]"Forgive me, sir, but that would only give these protesters more motivation to protest," counters @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Propaganda. "Some of their claims are worth looking into. (Maybe a "brown nosing" comment here? e.g. "If your excellency would deign to do so..." Oh, I don't know, we could always give each family say a thousand @@CURRENCY@@s (!) and really look into the demands for better housing, more jobs, and better working conditions. Throw them a bone and they'll gladly gnaw on it. SeeAll you need to do is bribe them with some of their demands (although bribe is a suitably dictatorial term, the two phrases don't stand well together) and they'll forget all about their lack of freedoms (traditionally, dictatorships don't recognise that their people don't have freedoms) and go about their business happy as clams. The people of @@NAME@@ love you. This is your chance to show that you love them."
[effect]pro-democracy protests that have toppled dictators elsewhere in @@REGION@@ have swept past over@@NAME@@ due to @@LEADER@@'s new gifts to the people Cheeky extra clause there!
[stats]economy rises slightly No! This is special interest negotiation, rather than efficient market allocation., political freedoms decrease slightly Do they? You've caved to some popular demands., apathy decreases corruption rises slightly

[option]"I'm afraid that's not good enough," whispers your personal secretary who is also your sister Awkward. "The people are angry and are fed up with the system. They see you as a dusty old dictator with no place in the modern world. If you want to stop the protests you must give them exactly what they want. I dare not say this in front of the others, but the time for real democracy is now. Announce an end to your regime and let the people decide for themselves who they want ruling them. You could even run in these elections yourself!"
[effect]polling numbers indicate that @@LEADER@@ is currently in last place in @@NAME@@'s historic elections
[stats]political freedoms increase significantly, apathy decreases, funding for law and order decreases, most avoided decreases

When I wrote an issue on this, I added an option for a sham election. Could be relevant here.

[Lordieth]

An option for the furniture restoration industry would be nice, allowing barricading to continue and protests to continue but only cracking down on the violent protestors. Crime slightly decreases, civil rights decrease a lot, furniture restoration increases, economy decreases, police funding slightly increases. Adds a nice twist I feel.

[Nation of Quebec]

@Panageadom. Thanks for the suggestions. I've taken most of them into consideration in the revised draft. Hm, I think option two could go for more stats though. I've also added the sham election option.

@Lordieth. That's actually a good idea for an option. I've added it on.

[Panageadom]

A couple of suggestions:

In 1: Why does this'un increase corruption? Apart from the general argument about increasing state power, more to abuse, etc. etc. yadda yadda yadda.

In 2: Would change "lordship" to something else. I imagine Communist dictators wouldn't be called this, as, as I understand Marxist history, "lords" are even further back on the scale than "capitalists." What was Stalin called?

In 3: The personal monniker doesn't read very elegantly. And also, if that's true and you know it, why haven't they been arrested? Change it, methinks.

In 4: I like the effect idea, but it's phrased awkwardly. Try a rewrite.

But pretty much there!

[Nation of Quebec]

@Panageadom. Thanks for your suggestions. I've kept corruption as increasing for option one. This gives the state police power to shoot anybody who speaks out against the government, which naturally increases corruption. I changed lordship to majesty as this is an issue mostly for oppressive monarchies, theocracies, and dictatorships where the people have no political freedom. I've made small changes to the other parts you suggested and hope it reads better now.

[Darenjo]

Just a thought, #2 seems to be closest to the 'right' option here because it allows you to avoid protests without giving away any real freedoms. Also, I would like to point out that in Tunisia, Egypt, and even Saudi Arabia, that strategy did not succeed in snuffing out protests.

[Panageadom]

But it's worked elsewhere in the past.

(First - not very good - example that springs to mind is "Maximum" policy demanded by the Sans Cullottes in the French Revolution.)

[Nation of Quebec]

@Darenjo. Remember that this is NationStates. Issues aren't supposed to be a carbon copy of real life but rather a parody of real life issues. So they might not always give the result that you expect them to.