NationStates Jolt Archive

On Cynapsian State Socialism
A Political Pamphlet by President-Kommissariat Maximillian Coltrane

Cynapsian State Socialism is an evolved combination of Marxist-Leninist principles, Anarcho-Communal ideals and both Direct and Representative Democratic systems. Cynapsian State Socialism was pioneered in 1953 by President-Kommissariat Ivan Peterson, the first leader of the United Socialist States and my predecessor. President-Kommissariat Peterson led Cynapsia from 1952 until 2007, when he was democratically removed from power after fifty five years, having won eleven elections and four referendum challenges previously. Cynapsian State Socialism (or CSS, as it will hereforth be referred to as) believes that the objective of the state is to be harnessed to the betterment of the people, and does this in several ways.

Firstly, democracy is essential, and the people have the right to elect representatives to a parliamentary body and a presidential office on a regular basis to carry out the governing of the country. In Cynapsia, for example, this pre-requisite is achieved through the Congress of Deputies and the Office of the President-Kommissariat and its Cabinet respectively. Elections are held every five years. However, the state also needs to be protected from intrusion by the former capitalist oppressors that once held power. To ensure this, the Vanguard Party is recognised as the only legitimate political party during the existence of the Cynapsian State Socialist system, with Congressional Deputies and the President-Kommissariat being members of the Vanguard Party. This allows the Vanguard Party to protect the state against corruption by the capitalists. However, to ensure that the Vanguard Party truly represents the people of the state in defending against capitalist intrusion, the system must allow for a method through which the Socialist State may be dissolved. In Cynapsia, this method is achieved through the Cynapsian Supreme Court which, among ensuring that legislation does not break the Basic Law, must initiate a referendum on the political monopoly of the Vanguard Party if appealed to by at least ten percent of the population. In Cynapsia, this is done through public access to internet, and petitions can be filed electronically on the website of the Cynapsian Supreme Court. If such a referendum is desired and then votes against the Vanguard Party, then the Socialist State is dissolved and free elections must be held within two months of the result. The Supreme Court can also call the snap election of a particular Congressional Deputy or President-Kommissariat if a minimum of ten percent of the population file such a request if they are dissatisfied with the work of that particular politician.

Cynapsian State Socialism believes that the State, in protecting and ensuring the betterment of the people, should control certain aspects of the economy. Basic utilities such as water, electricity, gas, healthcare and public transport are provided, for which the people pay a Service Tax to cover the cost of operation. In addition to this, construction of housing is controlled by the state and undertaken according to population growth statistics and utilising a National Family Database that records the number of people living as a family unit or registered as independent persons to calculate the amount of housing required.

The other sections owned by the state are armaments, infrastructure development and agriculture. Armaments and heavy industry, such as mining and forestry, are controlled to better serve the overall development of the state, and are planned according to a One Year Plan that serves to develop the economic strength of the country. Agricultural activity is undertaken on collective farms, which are planned and subsidised by the state to produce a certain amount of basic foodstuffs to ensure that two thousand calories per day per person are available. The actual manufacturing of foodstuffs and other edible products is left to private businesses which develop products on the principles of market supply and demand (as detailed in the next paragraph.) Each citizen is entitled to a ration card that allows them to purchase up to two thousand calories per person per day in total food, to ensure that enough food is available for all citizens.

Other aspects of the economy, namely consumer goods (including food production), are left to businesses outside of state control. However, to ensure that the businesses are developed according to the will of the people, each business is owned by its workers. These workers elect a hierarchy of managers who draw up business plans and strategies, which are then voted upon by the workers at a monthly general meeting. Profit-sharing also takes place, with each worker receiving a fair share of the overall total. This system allows the workers to be truly connected with their work, and gives them voting control over the use of profits, whether to share or to invest.

Cynapsian State Socialism believes in the harnessing of the State for the use of the people. It believes that, through manipulating some aspects of the market to the use of society, it can better ensure a higher quality of life for all citizens and an advancement in society in general.

This sounds horrid in the worst sense of the word. A one party state is no different than a dictatorship in fact it is worse, because it is the dictatorship of one unifying ideal which everyone must follow.

Why does one have to have a party to vote for. In a true participatory state, it is not necessary to vote for a specific party because everyone must vote. Even if you make most political parties there still is a universal goal of voting for something.

Once again this is a collectivist system, collectivism where there is no guarantee of any kind of accrual for individual interests fails completely. Pure collective farms in almost every sense are completely failures.

The other option if you want a collective type enterprise that works is the Cooperative Corporation-- A la Mondragon, a much more successful, more democratic model. There is also the cooperative based on shared ownership with stakes by the workers in the enterprise. Science Applications International is an example of this. These are both real world examples of collective democratic enterprises not based on coercion.

Mondragon:
http://www.mcc.es/ing/index.asp

SAIC:
http://www.saic.com/empown/

The idea of forcing people into state run cooperatives is a nightmare. The goal is more ownership by people directly involved in business, a true stakeholder society, not a giant government run mill.

Editorial

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please allow me to correct one or two elements of your statement.

Firstly, people are not 'forced' into state-run cooperatives, except in certain areas of economic activity where the state deems it to have a responsibility to provide on a mass scale to take advantage of the economies of scale that can be achieved in mass production of items. This is limited to certain public utilities, and to the Armaments, Agriculture and Heavy Industry sectors, where the State deems it neccesary to have a planned economic system to encourage economic growth to support the consumer goods sector.

The consumer goods sector, by comparison, is not state-run at all, but is in fact made up of private businesses manufacturing goods and services and selling them for a profit. The difference here is that the workers control the company, recieve equal amounts of profit sharing on top of a decent wage, elect managers and vote upon the business strategies these elected managers bring forward. This way, businesses react the way the workers wish them to, and efficiency is still maintained where workers vote too much to give themselves financial gain and consequently the costs of operation cause their business to go bankrupt. This system also prevents accumulation of capital in the hands of the few to prevent the rise of a new capitalist class, as each worker owns an equal share of the business in question.

As for the existence of the vanguard party (in Cynapsia this is known as the Socialist Vanguard Party), it exists to coordinate political policy and to protect the people from intrusion by the former capitalist classes back into government. It also takes account for the manner in which elements of the population, whilst having time to vote in elections, are often too busy taking care of their families, their employment, or are simply too lethargic to participate in direct democratic debate, hence the use of a republican system of representation in our country. We would also like to point out that the Socialist Vanguard Party can be removed from its monopoly via a democratic vote of only ten percent for a referendum, and a majority vote thereafter that would dissolve the United Socialist States.

The Cynapsian system does not believe political parties to be inherently evil - rather it seems them as yet another tool of the former capitalist system that can be harnessed by the state for the good of the people.

I thank you for your interest in this political document. Democratic debate is of course a staple of any healthy society, and I look forward thoroughly to a reply.

Sincerely,


Maximillian Coltrane.

*Communique Sent to Cynapsian Diplomatic Offices*

http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/images/NovSheild3.png
The Foreign Affairs Board (FABPACUN)

Dear Mr. Coltrane,

Even though this system is a system that is what many Novetans call Leninism, we respect your system and furthermore, we like the concept of the one-year plan. It seems more dynamic and more comprehensive than the five-year plan.

We actually like the concept so much, we are going to switch the five-year plan system that we were going to put in place in October with a one-year plan system. Hopefully, it will work out for us like it has done for you.

Sincerely,
Maurice Dumont
Chief Diplomat of the Foreign Affairs Board (FABPACUN)
Port-de-Révolution, Communal Union of Noveta

*Communique Sent to Cynapsian Diplomatic Offices*

http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/images/NovSheild3.png
The Foreign Affairs Board (FABPACUN)

Dear Mr. Coltrane,

Even though this system is a system that is what many Novetans call Leninism, we respect your system and furthermore, we like the concept of the one-year plan. It seems more dynamic and more comprehensive than the five-year plan.

We actually like the concept so much, we are going to switch the five-year plan system that we were going to put in place in October with a one-year plan system. Hopefully, it will work out for us like it has done for you.

Sincerely,
Maurice Dumont
Chief Diplomat of the Foreign Affairs Board (FABPACUN)
Port-de-Révolution, Communal Union of Noveta

From the Office of the President-Kommissariat

Dear Sir,

I thank you for your interest in our political system and the publication of my political pamphlet. Indeed, Cynapsian State Socialism mirrors Leninism in many respects, but differs upon one or two points - the best examples being a focus on worker's control of the consumer goods and services industry utilising elected managers and profit-sharing, and the democratic manner by which the monopoly of the Socialist Vanguard Party can be dissolved following a referendum by the people.

I am honoured that my political and economic writing has had an impact on the way in which the economic system of your nation is undertaken. I look forward to future relations between our two states.

Sincerely,

Maximillian Coltrane.

OOC: Bump

OOC: I assume those letters were SIC, if so, invite him to the SC ;)

The pamphlet didnt even need reading, just one look at the title, and the book was labelled with a big BANNED stamp and thrown into a safe with the other banned-in-Red-Tide books.

Official Government Communique

Patriot Publishers, a company within the the USSC, has announced that it is to being distributing the pamphlet "On Cynapsian State Socialism" on an international level, as part of an attempt to educate that international proletariat.

OOC: Bump