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Old 07-11-2020, 06:15 AM   #641
ericthered
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

I could see the "criminal government" as being an excuse to completely strip politicians of privacy.

I could see someone intentionally committing a crime to become eligible for office.
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Old 07-14-2020, 08:30 AM   #642
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

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There would probably also be certain types of crimes that would invalidate someone for public office automatically, much as how a fraud conviction prevents one from working in the financial sector. One possible advantage to only having convicts run for office - you're not so much putting people with a history of breaking the law in office, you're putting people with a history of getting caught in office, implying they might not be so skilled at avoiding detection (at least in theory, and until you get some mastermind who purposefully gets caught for a relatively minor crime so that he can run for office and be as corrupt as his sneaky little heart desires). I wonder if the political parties would basically be extensions of prison gangs (or vice versa). Such a setting would undoubtedly be... interesting.
Is having criminals that get caught such an obvious advantage when choosing a politician? The only reason I can see for openly using criminals is that they are reasonably good at the game.
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Old 07-14-2020, 08:29 PM   #643
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

I would not say that the majority of criminals who get caught are good criminals.
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Old 07-15-2020, 09:13 AM   #644
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I would not say that the majority of criminals who get caught are good criminals.
This was kind of my thought process - someone with a history of getting caught is someone who is demonstrably bad at concealing his/her crimes, meaning they may be easier to keep an eye on. Of course, someone with a history of sloppy crimes may well have poor impulse control, which isn't exactly ideal for someone in a position of power. As I said, such a setting would be... interesting.
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Old 07-15-2020, 10:19 AM   #645
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Speaking of that, if I recall the SOE and OSS used criminals as drill instructors-for obvious reasons. According to one yarn (possibly an urban legend as I got it from a collection of "entertaining true stories" rather than a history), one famed assassin got a pardon in return for bumping off a German VIP.
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Old 07-15-2020, 09:54 PM   #646
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

This is an idea based on the 'five good emperors'.

Imagine a monarchy where the monarch is chosen/appointed when the previous monarch adopts him legally as his offspring. This means the emperor/king/whatever can choose an heir rather than rolling the genetic dice.

It could be implemented two ways.

1. The monarch's kids and close kin are automatically excluded from selection. He might have a dozen kids and a dozen more nephews and nieces, but he can't adopt any of them as the new ruler. They might get a nice stipend, maybe some privileges, but they're O.U.T. of consideration as heir.

Of course this leaves a bunch of potential trouble sources. So version 2 would be that the monarch is expected to be childless, and his adopted heir is his only 'offspring'. If the tech/magic is up to it the monarch might be routinely sterilized.

Quite likely the choice of adoptee would not be purely at the monarch's discretion, probably several people or groups would have some kind of input, or at least a veto.
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Old 07-15-2020, 10:00 PM   #647
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

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If the tech/magic is up to it the monarch might be routinely sterilized.
Presumably you mean "painlessly" or "without other loss of function," because castration is either TL0 or TL1.
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Old 07-16-2020, 01:15 AM   #648
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

A real life version involves the eldest male child of the king's closest female relative.
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Old 07-16-2020, 10:36 AM   #649
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Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
This is an idea based on the 'five good emperors'.

Imagine a monarchy where the monarch is chosen/appointed when the previous monarch adopts him legally as his offspring. This means the emperor/king/whatever can choose an heir rather than rolling the genetic dice.

It could be implemented two ways.

1. The monarch's kids and close kin are automatically excluded from selection. He might have a dozen kids and a dozen more nephews and nieces, but he can't adopt any of them as the new ruler. They might get a nice stipend, maybe some privileges, but they're O.U.T. of consideration as heir.

Of course this leaves a bunch of potential trouble sources. So version 2 would be that the monarch is expected to be childless, and his adopted heir is his only 'offspring'. If the tech/magic is up to it the monarch might be routinely sterilized.

Quite likely the choice of adoptee would not be purely at the monarch's discretion, probably several people or groups would have some kind of input, or at least a veto.
They probably should get a stipend. One of the best ways to pay an emperor is to give security to his kin. Cheap at that price too. Giving them privileges and responsibilities beyond the ceremonial is more awkward but manageable.
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Old 07-18-2020, 10:41 PM   #650
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Presumably you mean "painlessly" or "without other loss of function," because castration is either TL0 or TL1.
Yeah, but combining that with serious monarchical power is likely to be problematic.
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