Darranack
02-05-2005, 00:20
Darranack City Post
Hundreds have been reported dead as armed anti-government protesters clash with police in the streets of Darranack City and elsewhere. Many high government officials have fled the capital, and reports indicate that those remaining only do so for security reasons.
The riots began soon after Prime Minister Hadvag Polinour declared a series of tax increases and wage reductions for government workers. Furious, thousands of angry protesters entered the streets, condemning the government and its policies. Thousands more have arrived by automobile and public transport since.
Apparently, some of the more militant protesters brought guns with them, something most citizens of Darranack own because of their duty as the “last line of defense” in the case of foreign invasion. It is unclear who began shooting first, but very quickly the battles have spread throughout the city. There are few places where the sound of gunfire cannot be heard.
The protesters are divided into two main groups, ideologically divergent but agreeing on their opposition to government policy. The first is the left-wing Socialist Workers’ Coalition of Darranack (SWCD), a group of workers desiring a return to what they call “socialism from below,” a system where socialist associations of workers would dominate the economy, instead of government bureaucracies. The second is the Capitalist Alliance (CA), a group seeking to end what it calls “endless government bureaucracy and inefficiency” and “unworkable socialist nonsense.”
Prime Minister Polinour has mobilized nearby military units, and seems prepared to order street-by-street fighting to restore order to the capital. Whether he is capable of this is uncertain; his whereabouts are unknown, but if the rioters learn where he is, if he is in the capital his death would be imminent. Several government institutions have already been damaged, and many major government officials are reported to be among the fatalities.
The unrest is not limited to Darranack City. In several other major cities riots are reported, though fortunately fatalities seem minimal elsewhere.
Some reports indicate that on the mostly-elven island of Colanin, elven separatists have begun their own protests, likely due to Polinour’s cutbacks in the government anti-discrimination programs. These reports have not been confirmed, however.
Some background
Most analysts agree that these protests are not merely due to the latest moves of the government, but to a large degree of frustration that has been building up over the last quarter-century. This frustration is largely due to the decline of Darranack’s vibrant worker’s movement, a decline that led to increased government spending and nationalization to make up for the losses in equality. The result was inefficiency, which the government tried to make up for by even higher spending.
Eventually, the government became too bloated to handle what was seen as necessary, and deficit spending grew out of control. The result was a series of measures to reduce government spending to balance the budget and reallocate money to areas deemed more important. This, along with increased taxes when decreasing spending wasn’t sufficient, has been the long-standing policy of the dominant Progressive Party.
For well over a century few have dared to challenge this party. Politically it has long been unstoppable, due to its – apparently former – massive popular support. But in recent years, especially in the two years since the election of Polinour, this has changed. The SWCD and CA have capitalized on popular dissatisfaction with a state of affairs, dissatisfaction due to wage reductions for government workers – some 95% of Darranack’s workforce, increases in inequality, and higher taxes.
Hundreds have been reported dead as armed anti-government protesters clash with police in the streets of Darranack City and elsewhere. Many high government officials have fled the capital, and reports indicate that those remaining only do so for security reasons.
The riots began soon after Prime Minister Hadvag Polinour declared a series of tax increases and wage reductions for government workers. Furious, thousands of angry protesters entered the streets, condemning the government and its policies. Thousands more have arrived by automobile and public transport since.
Apparently, some of the more militant protesters brought guns with them, something most citizens of Darranack own because of their duty as the “last line of defense” in the case of foreign invasion. It is unclear who began shooting first, but very quickly the battles have spread throughout the city. There are few places where the sound of gunfire cannot be heard.
The protesters are divided into two main groups, ideologically divergent but agreeing on their opposition to government policy. The first is the left-wing Socialist Workers’ Coalition of Darranack (SWCD), a group of workers desiring a return to what they call “socialism from below,” a system where socialist associations of workers would dominate the economy, instead of government bureaucracies. The second is the Capitalist Alliance (CA), a group seeking to end what it calls “endless government bureaucracy and inefficiency” and “unworkable socialist nonsense.”
Prime Minister Polinour has mobilized nearby military units, and seems prepared to order street-by-street fighting to restore order to the capital. Whether he is capable of this is uncertain; his whereabouts are unknown, but if the rioters learn where he is, if he is in the capital his death would be imminent. Several government institutions have already been damaged, and many major government officials are reported to be among the fatalities.
The unrest is not limited to Darranack City. In several other major cities riots are reported, though fortunately fatalities seem minimal elsewhere.
Some reports indicate that on the mostly-elven island of Colanin, elven separatists have begun their own protests, likely due to Polinour’s cutbacks in the government anti-discrimination programs. These reports have not been confirmed, however.
Some background
Most analysts agree that these protests are not merely due to the latest moves of the government, but to a large degree of frustration that has been building up over the last quarter-century. This frustration is largely due to the decline of Darranack’s vibrant worker’s movement, a decline that led to increased government spending and nationalization to make up for the losses in equality. The result was inefficiency, which the government tried to make up for by even higher spending.
Eventually, the government became too bloated to handle what was seen as necessary, and deficit spending grew out of control. The result was a series of measures to reduce government spending to balance the budget and reallocate money to areas deemed more important. This, along with increased taxes when decreasing spending wasn’t sufficient, has been the long-standing policy of the dominant Progressive Party.
For well over a century few have dared to challenge this party. Politically it has long been unstoppable, due to its – apparently former – massive popular support. But in recent years, especially in the two years since the election of Polinour, this has changed. The SWCD and CA have capitalized on popular dissatisfaction with a state of affairs, dissatisfaction due to wage reductions for government workers – some 95% of Darranack’s workforce, increases in inequality, and higher taxes.