Overview

Unlike the majority of the other Inner Sphere and periphery nations, the Britannic Coalition is a democracy. This decision was taken from the outset, to avoid repeating the many perceived mistakes permitted by the neo-feudal system, instigated by Ian Cameron during the Star League Era. None of the colonists had any wish to be at the mercy of some selfish or megalomaniacal Lord or Prince. The trials and tribulations of the Successor States had shown them only too clearly what could happen when you let one individual, or ruling family hold the reins of power.

The Coalition has a fairly straightforward political system, further simplified by the fact it is a relatively new state with a small population. Each world has a Planetary Assembly, with members elected from each town, city or colony. These typically meet once a month in the planetary capital. From the assembly, one member is nominated to serve as the planetary governor, representing their world at meetings of the State Assembly on Britannia. These are normally held every six months, unless any unusual circumstances, or emergencies merit additional meetings. The Regent, Prime Minister and Chiefs of Staff attend these sessions and the State Assembly then becomes the State Executive Committee.

From the State Assembly, one governor is elected to serve as the Regent. Elections are held every 5 years for Planetary Assembly and State Assembly members, as well as the office of Regent. However, they are staggered, to avoid excessive administrative and logistical burdens. The general political / administrative structure of the Coalition is as follows:

Regent

Prime Minister

State Executive Committee

State Assembly

Planetary Governor

Planetary Assembly

Mayor *

* Some flexibility in the structure is allowed, depending on a planet's degree of colonisation and infrastructure development

Office of the Regent & Prime Minister

While Regent William Sandringham was a member of the nobility on Terra, he has no special privileges because of this in his new capacity. Ultimately, he is an elected representative, like the rest of the government and can be replaced like any other official. While the Coalition is actually run on a day-to-day basis by the planetary governors and the State Assembly, the Regent is far from being an idle figurehead. He (or she) performs many important ambassadorial duties, forming and maintaining relationships with the governments of other Inner Sphere or Periphery states. They also have executive powers, which may be invoked in emergencies. These include changing legislation, authorising the use of military force and overturning SEC voting decisions, among others. However, thse powers should be exercised wisely, as abuse of them can lead to a swift removal from office...

The Prime Minister is chosen by the Regent from the Planetary Governors and acts as their deputy, aide and confidante in all matters of state. The Regent's powers are delegated to the PM if, for any reason, the head of state is unable to fulfil their duties. One of the PM's chief duties is to act as Chairperson at State Executive Committee meetings.

State Executive Committee (SEC)

The Regent, Prime Minister, Chiefs of Staff and the Planetary Governors make up the State Executive Committee, which is the Coalition's emergency governing body and meets only to discuss matters of the greatest importance. These include fundamental changes to legislation that will impact all citizens, alliances with other states, external threats / declarations of war, deployment of the BCAF for peaceful purposes (exercises, peacekeeping or humanitarian aid), or responding to disasters.

State Assembly

The twenty-one Planetary Governors form the State Assembly, which meets every 6 months to discuss issues affecting their worlds, development programmes, legal and military matters. Each world hosts these meetings on a rotating schedule. The Regent and PM may attend these meetings, either in person or via HPG link, but neither typically has any input, unless their views are requested. However, in cases where voting is tied, the Regent or PM, depending on availability and the potential implications of the issue, will cast the deciding vote.

Planetary Assembly & Governors

Each world has an elected Assembly consisting of representatives from each population centre of the planet. The size of each world's Assembly depends mainly on the geographic displacement of the planet's population. A world with a few large population centres will have fewer parliamentary members than a world with a large number of smaller communities. The Assembly is where the issues affecting the peoples of the world are debated and solutions sought.

Planetary Governors, besides being the appointed representatives for the population of each world at State Assembly and SEC meetings, also act as Head of House during Planetary Assembly sessions. Being a Governor is no easy task. They are essentially the lynchpin of the Coalition's political and administrative system. Not only do they have to tend to the needs of the people on their homeworlds and ensure requests are pushed through at State Assembly meetings...they also have to be capable of thinking strategically and responding to issues or threats that could have implications throughout the Coalition. Unsurprisingly, citizens take elections very seriously and much thought is given to ensure the best and brightest are selected for office.

Coalition Politics

At present, there are no political parties, as such, in the Coalition. For the most part, citizens are far too concerned with day-to-day life, defending, developing and expanding their fledgling state. For them, forming organisations with clever names and writing down charters or manifestos is for people without proper work to do. However, most do have strongly-held beliefs in how things should be done. They also try to keep up with events elsewhere in the Periphery and the Inner Sphere. Politics, together with current events (and the weather!) is always a hot topic of discussion among citizens, whether at work, at home or on holiday.

The harsh realities of life on the fringes of known space, with limited resources and infrastructure has instilled the frontier spirit in many of the Coalition's citizens. Most are happy to work hard for whatever rewards and luxuries they earn and expect minimal assistance from the state. However, the old adage that you can never please all of the people all of the time holds true here. A significant minority are decidedly unhappy with the sums of money being spent on the expansion of the military and argue it would be better spent on improving worlds which still have poor infrastructure. In the Planetary and State Assemblies, it is common for alliances of convenience to form from time to time, to push through (or block) proposed legislation or policies. While the Coalition may be an upstart newcomer on the fringes of the Inner Sphere, life is certainly never boring if you're a politician...