[Q&A] The Arthurian Federation - Questions & Answers

[The Arthurian Isles]

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My Friends, the peoples of the world,

The Arthurian Federation, its Cantons and its people have created for ourselves a reputation of reserve and coldness. Our history has made it so. But I can assure all who read this that Arthuria is so much more than the brooding land that we have been made out to be. This country and its citizens have so much to demonstrate to the wider world, if only we could communicate it to you.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I therefore inaugurate this page, wherein all questions will be answered. Anyone may inquire about all topics Arthurian, and in the interest of transparency and understanding we will strive to answer.

I encourage all to use this service as a way of strengthening the bonds of common understanding within this world.

Yours in friendship,

Federal Minister Runær Arnardotar.
On behalf of the Storting and the Arthurian People

[Pavonistade]

What is the status of LGBTQ rights in your country? (e.g. how many rights are protected in your society?)

[The Arthurian Isles]

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What is the status of LGBTQ rights in your country? (e.g. how many rights are protected in your society?)

The Arthurian Federation offers a very high level of rights, freedoms and opportunities to its LGBT+ community. Its society has traditionally been extremely tolerant, not so much out of a desire for inclusion than a general consensus that the private life matters not to others. This has manifested itself in a historically liberal outlook on many issues, including LGBT+ freedoms, and Arthuria has consequently been almost inadvertently at the forefront of promoting progress in its domestic attitudes and legislation.

More recently, the Federal Government and the cantonal governments have pursued more active policies in order to protect the rights and freedoms of their LGBT+ communities. Arthuria therefore boasts excellent constitutional and legal provisions for LGBT+ individuals and organisations, achieved largely through gender-neutral language and official recognition of the right to freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBT+ individuals and organisations in Arthuria do not face any serious discrimination, and even cases of minor discrimination are small in number (though taken seriously by the Logreglan - Arthuria's police forces).

Globally, private Arthurian organisations have pushed for progressive attitudes regarding LGBT+ freedoms, as demonstrated by the widely-used and well-regarded LGBT+ Freedom Survey of the Arturen Rejnbol Bund.

If you are interested in LGBT+ related topics in Arthuria, please explore the following links:

• On the Topic of Basic Rights (including details of laws concerning LGBT+ individuals and organisations)
• The LGBT+ Rights Survey (Arthuria's submission to Mewsland's continuation of the LGBT+ Freedom Survey)
• On the Topic of Same-Sex Marriage
• On the Topic of Studies in Human Dignity (regarding sex and gender education in Arthuria's schools)

[The Islands of Versilia]

"Why are you called the Arthurian Isles? Is your country at all related to the legend of King Arthur, king of the Britons?"
- Akeldama

[The Arthurian Isles]

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"Why are you called the Arthurian Isles? Is your country at all related to the legend of King Arthur, king of the Britons?"
- Akeldama

'The Arthurian Federation' traces its etymology to the simple form of 'Arthuria', which was bestowed upon the islands of the archipelago at its founding in 0 A.R. (910 AD). The name is an anglicisation of 'Arfur', which in Ancient Arthurian means 'Inheritance'. The islands were so named for the settlers who, after self-imposed exile from their homeland near modern-day Crata, spent up to a decade sailing the ocean in search of an undisturbed land to cultivate. Having fled from the violence of expanding tribes, the Arthurian people (also known as the Bjorngefæðing, or Bear-Born) were harried in every attempt they made to settle on new land. In 910 AD (the year 0 A.R. in the Arthurian Calendar) the Arthurian Isles were discovered by the settlers and, being uninhabited at the time, were claimed as their new homeland. The islands were believed to be the inheritance of the Bjorngefæðing, granted to them by God and nature. From the moment of its discovery, the new country became known as 'Arfur', despite no official proclamation.

'Arfur' was the Ancient Arthurian name for the islands, used by the natives from settlement in 910 AD until discovery by other Nocturnal nations, at which point the name was gradually anglicised to 'Arthur' and given the English suffix '-ia' to represent that the land was viewed as a unified political entity. It was only in the mid to late 19th century AD that Ancient Arthurian began to morph into modern Arthurian (thanks to the influence of the English language, which later became a coequal state language alongside Arthurian). From this point, the term 'Arfur' ceased to be used and instead became Artur, mimicking the commonly-used English variant of the name.

The country's official name has never been Arthuria (or Artur). Since its creation it has been known as the Arthurian Federation, combining the adjectival form of the country's name with the constitutional make-up which binds the sixteen cantons. In modern Arthurian, this is translated as 'Arturen Førensamstat' - the addition of the suffix '-en' to 'Artur' changes the name into its adjectival form. The official name of Arthuria in the native language is thus 'Arturen Førensamling' - the Arthurian Federation.

[Tyskylvania]

"What are the status of Vampyres in the Isles? If they don't exist there, any mythos surrounding them?"
- Gondelis Leoravan, hold guardsman.

[Crylante]

1. What is the status of the welfare state in the Arthurian Federation? Does one exist?

2. How is the government structured?

[The Arthurian Isles]

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"What are the status of Vampyres in the Isles? If they don't exist there, any mythos surrounding them?"
- Gondelis Leoravan, hold guardsman.

Vampires do not exist in the Arthurian Isles, nor are they a part of traditional Arthurian folklore.

However, since the arrival of foreign traders to Arthuria's shores in the 9th century A.R. (18th century AD), the concept of the vampire has entered into the country's fiction, appearing occasionally. It takes a different form from traditional notions of vampires; specifically, vampires are deemed to be the memories of the dead which haunt the dreams of individuals who wronged them. Thus when they awake, those affected by these 'vampires' are scared white, as though the blood has been drained from them.

Though the above interpretation has existed in Arthurian culture for over a century now, no Arthurians seriously believe in their existence. To most, vampires are the product of foreign film, television and literature, to be enjoyed but not feared.

1. What is the status of the welfare state in the Arthurian Federation? Does one exist?

The Arthurian welfare state is a combination of social insurance and a universal basic income.

Social insurance is underpinned by the Federal Social Insurance Plan - FSIP. The plan establishes three savings accounts into which it is mandatory for citizens to pay 15% of their wages; their employer matches that contribution, and thus Arthurians save up to 30% of their monthly wages in their FSIP accounts. There are three accounts in the FSIP system between which the 30% can be distributed: the Social Investment Account is used to fund life insurance, home buying, education or investment; the Retirement Investment Account is used to save for old-age and related requirements; and the Healthcare Investment Account pays for an individual's hospitalisation, outpatient services and other medical costs (including private insurance policies). FSIP extends beyond the three mandatory savings accounts. The Urgent Medical Investment Account is not mandatory, but is purchased by roughly 90% of the population because it is provided at subsidised rates of, on average, US$30 per year for a twenty year-old and US$300 per year for a seventy year-old. The UMIA can be paid for from any additional savings of one's 30% total contribution which they do not want to or cannot place in their healthcare account. Alternatively, one can contribute savings separately from that 30% requirement. The limits are set at US$50,000 per year and a total of US$200,000 over one's lifetime. The UMIA is generally capable of funding 90% of a person's hospital fees in a case of catastrophic illness, the remainder being covered by their mandatory healthcare account.

The majority of insurance classes are provided for by private entities or directly by employers as a form of benefit. They are regulated heavily by the government in order to ensure total coverage of the population and, importantly, when one's insurance is depleted the government provides the required funding. The etatist structure of the healthcare system ensures that the public sector performs a dominant role in healthcare provision but is still challenged by private providers. It follows the government's belief that freedom of choice is the determinant for quality; strong oversight, however, maintains the affordability of Arthuria's healthcare to both the patients and the government.

Universal basic income entails an unconditional payment made to every Arthurian citizen by the state, regardless of circumstances. It is administered by cantonal governments and part-funded by the Federal Government. It is an individual payment designed originally to replace all forms of benefit payment that preceded it. Initial figures demonstrated that savings on the previous system ran at 47.8%. At present, the annual rates are:

• 0-15 year olds: A20,835 (US$2500)
• 16-65 year olds: A33,335 (US$4000)
• 65-75 year olds: A29,165 (US$3500)
• 75+ year olds: A20,835 (US$2500)

2. How is the government structured?

The Arthurian Federation, unlike most other countries, operates five branches of government instead of the traditional three. Each branch, known as a ting, is connected to another through a parliamentary system designed to maintain a balance of powers. The Five Branches Principle was first developed during Arthuria's civil war by Steingrimur Magnussen, a prominent leader of the Liberal faction. The balancing nature of the principle was the Liberals' solution to federalisation; it allowed government to centralise over certain issue-areas while retaining the semi-sovereign status of the cantons. Three of the branches are those traditionally found in most modern countries: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The two additional branches are the meritocracy and the controller. The five branches are enumerated below:

Storting (The Federal Council), literally the Great Thing, is the executive branch of government. Comprised of members of the legislature it acts as the Federation's collective head of government. The Storting has competencies to enact the will of the Arthurian people, manifested either through representative parliamentary bodies or through the direct democratic Popular Initiative. Its members, the Federal Ministers, may also introduce bills to the legislature.

Alting (The Federal Parliament), literally the All Thing, is the legislative branch of government. It is bicameral, made up of two chambers. Folkting (The Federal Assembly), literally the People's Thing, is the first chamber of the Alting. The parliamentary body is formed from directly elected Folk based on proportional representation. The Folkting is able to introduce bills to the floor which, if passed, the Storting must enact. The Folkting may also vote in constructive no confidence motions against Federal Ministers. Its Folkmaður are subject to recall by their constituents and must abide by the results of Popular Initiatives. Landting (The Federal Diet), literally the Canton's Thing, is the second chamber of the Alting. The upper house is comprised of delegates sent by the governments of the sixteen cantons. These may be any people, but in practice usually the President-Logmaður and their deputy take up their canton's seats in the Landting. The number of delegates per canton is less proportional to their population, but the larger cantons do receive up to three more votes than the smaller cantons. The Landting cannot propose legislation to the Folkting, but can vote on certain issues in order to protect the competencies and powers of the cantons.

Dømting (The Federal Judiciary), literally the Court Thing, is the judicial branch of government. It is responsible for interpreting the law through a system of criminal, administrative, tax, labour and social courts. Though it does not use juries it has a reputation for free and fair trials which are publicly scrutinised. Judges are joined by lay-judges instead. The judges are appointed by their cantonal governments based on a number of procedures. These procedures, though different, have been accepted by all cantons so that judges can serve in courts throughout the country. The judiciary is independent of the rest of government only in the sense that its judges cannot be influenced by any other branches. The judiciary is, however, administrated by each canton's Ministry of Justice, overseen by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Vornting (The Federal Constitutional Court), literally the Guard Thing, is the controlling branch of government, It is responsible for ensuring that all government decisions, words and deeds are constitutionally valid. The Vornting is also known as the FGD, from the modern Arthurian Førensamstaten Grundlogen Døm which is a direct translation of the Federal Constitutional Court. It has the ability to strike down government actions or acts of the Alting, and in that sense is both more specialist and more interventionist than a traditional supreme court. The Federation does have a system of supreme courts within the judiciary, but the FGD stands apart from these institutions. It may sometimes be asked to judge on private matters and as such is linked with the Dømting. The FGD's judges are appointed by the Alting, and in this way the other branches of government are balanced with the Vornting.

Fortringting (The Federal Government), literally the Meritorious Thing, is the examination branch of government. Based on meritocratic principles, its competencies lie in selecting civil servants and government employees through a series of increasingly difficult examinations. It also runs the Federal Ministries under the instructions of the Federal Ministers. Federal civil servants must undergo tests dependant on the level of the job to which they are applying. This attempts to thwart the principle that people are promoted to the level above their competence. Kanslarting (The Federal Chancellery), literally the Chancellor Thing is the main government department responsible for overseeing Fortringting. The Kanslarting is headed by the Kanslar, the Federal Chancellor, who is a non-voting member of the Storting acting as the Chief of Staff to the Federal Ministers. In this way, Fortringting is intimately connected with all other branches of government.