Post by Fewms on Feb 20, 2009 3:16:31 GMT
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page 6
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The Klatch Files
By Ambassador Asha ros Liadan
Since being appointed as the Morporkian ambassador to the kingdom of Djelibeybi, the differences between the Ankh-Morpork and Djelibeybi councils have become clearly apparent to me. Where the citizens of Djelibeybi have long since embraced communism, Ankh-Morpork remains a capitalist society. Every Morporkian citizen is free and equal. There are no restrictions on owning private properties in Ankh-Morpork, beyond your own bank accounts. Every shop in Ankh-Morpork may be leased by any citizen, with or without the approval of the council, and while it is noted that this does tend to drive prices up, the Morporkian economy is strong enough to support this. On occasion, there are mutterings from those who don't have about those who do, but in reality, those who have, have because they have money, and every man, troll, dwarf, goblin and gnome in Ankh-Morpork is free to realise their dreams and make their fortune, in no particular order.
A vastly different society exists on the other side of the Circle Sea. The Djelian council has control over commercial enterprises and property ownership, as is well known, but is it really that different? A Morporkian can rise to the pinnacle of society by merit of wealth, whereas a Djelian can do the same by merit of merit. Certainly, the rewards are quite different, being honoured as an Effendi or Sultan may not quite be the same as the first time you open the door to your shiny new mansion in Ankh, but for all the differences between the councils, there's really just one thing to do to reach the top. Work for it. Working for wealth or working for honour, it's working either way, and no matter the method, eventually, it pays off.
There has been talk from the Djelian magistrates of introducing diplomatic immunity to the ambassador positions. While this may seem like a good idea, the rules of the two player-run councils do not necessarily work well with it. Were the Djelian ambassador to have diplomatic immunity to the rules of the Ankh-Morpork council, as an example, anyone dealing with them separate from their duties as ambassador and expecting that rule 324 (obtaining goods, money or services by deception) would protect their financial interests, would be unable to seek recompense and the magistrates would only be able to expel the ambassador, essentially nullifying the laws of the council. Arguably, any ambassador would only be able to use their diplomatic immunity to circumvent the rules of the councils once, as it would invariably result in their dismissal. Cases are commonly closed with large fines intended to be used as compensation for the victims; a once-off immunity to punishment defeats the purpose of being able to offer compensation in the first place. Diplomatic immunity, then, is one idea of extending the ambassador's powers that is unlikely to find favour in the Ankh-Morpork council, or at least until a radically different group of magistrates are elected.
Another idea was to have the relevant embassy in each council come under the jurisdiction of the council of which the sovereign soil the embassy is built on. This is not an unfamiliar concept in Ankh-Morpork, as various areas of the city, specifically, guilds that are able to discipline transgressors themselves, already fall outside the council's jurisdiction. However, while it would be relatively easy to make this so, it does raise other difficulties, such as border crossings where perpetrators flee to their embassy to avoid punishment. Would playerkilling inside an embassy constitute an act of war? Ankh-Morpork already prosecutes anyone killing anyone in the council chambers while they are conducting official business. Would the same be true of a council-protected Morporkian embassy?
Such theories can be considered somewhat moot at present however, as while there is a Morporkian embassy in Djelibeybi, the Djelian embassy on Speedwell Street in Ankh is yet to be officially opened, making any legislation on this matter one sided for the moment. It was suggested using the a Klatchian restaurant in Ankh-Morpork as a makeshift embassy to address this, which only serves to further demonstrate the differences between the two councils. While there is precedent in Djelibeybi for the council to appropriate privately owned premises for the common good, this action flies in the face of the Morporkian spirit of free enterprise. The citizens of Ankh-Morpork, unlike those of Djelibeybi, would not let their council appropriate their restaurant, even if it was for the good of the council.
While it may be seen in the future that there is much more that can be done with the position of ambassador, it is still considered by many to be an idle position, one which has few responsibilities beyond acting as the point of contact between the two councils. It is likely, given the rate of change in the councils without outside influence, that the ambassador's positions won't be fully utilised in the near future, if at all. However, as more young citizens in both councils begin to turn their eyes towards international politics, the posibilities for the ambassador's position may yet become realities.
page 6
---
The Klatch Files
By Ambassador Asha ros Liadan
Since being appointed as the Morporkian ambassador to the kingdom of Djelibeybi, the differences between the Ankh-Morpork and Djelibeybi councils have become clearly apparent to me. Where the citizens of Djelibeybi have long since embraced communism, Ankh-Morpork remains a capitalist society. Every Morporkian citizen is free and equal. There are no restrictions on owning private properties in Ankh-Morpork, beyond your own bank accounts. Every shop in Ankh-Morpork may be leased by any citizen, with or without the approval of the council, and while it is noted that this does tend to drive prices up, the Morporkian economy is strong enough to support this. On occasion, there are mutterings from those who don't have about those who do, but in reality, those who have, have because they have money, and every man, troll, dwarf, goblin and gnome in Ankh-Morpork is free to realise their dreams and make their fortune, in no particular order.
A vastly different society exists on the other side of the Circle Sea. The Djelian council has control over commercial enterprises and property ownership, as is well known, but is it really that different? A Morporkian can rise to the pinnacle of society by merit of wealth, whereas a Djelian can do the same by merit of merit. Certainly, the rewards are quite different, being honoured as an Effendi or Sultan may not quite be the same as the first time you open the door to your shiny new mansion in Ankh, but for all the differences between the councils, there's really just one thing to do to reach the top. Work for it. Working for wealth or working for honour, it's working either way, and no matter the method, eventually, it pays off.
There has been talk from the Djelian magistrates of introducing diplomatic immunity to the ambassador positions. While this may seem like a good idea, the rules of the two player-run councils do not necessarily work well with it. Were the Djelian ambassador to have diplomatic immunity to the rules of the Ankh-Morpork council, as an example, anyone dealing with them separate from their duties as ambassador and expecting that rule 324 (obtaining goods, money or services by deception) would protect their financial interests, would be unable to seek recompense and the magistrates would only be able to expel the ambassador, essentially nullifying the laws of the council. Arguably, any ambassador would only be able to use their diplomatic immunity to circumvent the rules of the councils once, as it would invariably result in their dismissal. Cases are commonly closed with large fines intended to be used as compensation for the victims; a once-off immunity to punishment defeats the purpose of being able to offer compensation in the first place. Diplomatic immunity, then, is one idea of extending the ambassador's powers that is unlikely to find favour in the Ankh-Morpork council, or at least until a radically different group of magistrates are elected.
Another idea was to have the relevant embassy in each council come under the jurisdiction of the council of which the sovereign soil the embassy is built on. This is not an unfamiliar concept in Ankh-Morpork, as various areas of the city, specifically, guilds that are able to discipline transgressors themselves, already fall outside the council's jurisdiction. However, while it would be relatively easy to make this so, it does raise other difficulties, such as border crossings where perpetrators flee to their embassy to avoid punishment. Would playerkilling inside an embassy constitute an act of war? Ankh-Morpork already prosecutes anyone killing anyone in the council chambers while they are conducting official business. Would the same be true of a council-protected Morporkian embassy?
Such theories can be considered somewhat moot at present however, as while there is a Morporkian embassy in Djelibeybi, the Djelian embassy on Speedwell Street in Ankh is yet to be officially opened, making any legislation on this matter one sided for the moment. It was suggested using the a Klatchian restaurant in Ankh-Morpork as a makeshift embassy to address this, which only serves to further demonstrate the differences between the two councils. While there is precedent in Djelibeybi for the council to appropriate privately owned premises for the common good, this action flies in the face of the Morporkian spirit of free enterprise. The citizens of Ankh-Morpork, unlike those of Djelibeybi, would not let their council appropriate their restaurant, even if it was for the good of the council.
While it may be seen in the future that there is much more that can be done with the position of ambassador, it is still considered by many to be an idle position, one which has few responsibilities beyond acting as the point of contact between the two councils. It is likely, given the rate of change in the councils without outside influence, that the ambassador's positions won't be fully utilised in the near future, if at all. However, as more young citizens in both councils begin to turn their eyes towards international politics, the posibilities for the ambassador's position may yet become realities.