Democracy, while some view it as a trivial thing, others suffer from a major lack of it. Whether being a socialist government, or a liberal one, democracy is the only way to live.
I see all of the present representatives and it warms my heart. It warms me to know that there are so many groups out there that wish to initiate a change, that are willing to fight and struggle for what they deem right. I am also aware to the fact that some of the groups in here are targeting civilian shipments, while I am not fully agreeing with this tactic due to the civilian casualties in the progress I understand where it is derived from. Cutting your enemy supply line is necessary, one way or anther someone will have to get their hands dirty, and I can only ask you fellow revolutionners that you will avoiding harming civilians in the process, as much as possible. Its well within their rights to stay alive, they are civilians, if you find them in a breach of your view or laws give them a trail, where they would be able to defend themselves.
While the Council is a strong, based military organization we are also consisting of a large civilian population counting up to several millions. These millions are people whom chose freedom, chose to suffer under the Royal control no-more. Our only wish is to give the democratic laws to the rest of the Gallic citizens, and we are looking forward for you to liberate your nations, while keeping the sacred values of the democracy.
Democracy is a strong, well based governing body for simple reason: it has the power of the people in its nation driving it forward. The people are controlling it, if they are not pleased ' they can affect and change the inner and outer processes that are issued by their nation. But no, democracy is not a trivial thing at all. Democracy is a right that many governments out there have denied from its citizens. This is a brutal violation of each and every human basic right.
In the Gallic monarchy, people are being arrested randomly without giving an explanation why they were arrested, how long they will be imprisoned and even contact their families!
Each and every civilian has the right to have a representative in the government, representing him and his opinions and ideals! But the Gallic monarchy decided to cancel democracy at a whole, the only representative that is out there is the king and his dogs killing poor civilians for crossing some made-up law.
I say no-more! No more to the mindless slaughter of Gallic civilians, and the prevention of the royal mindless massacre in Sirius. The Royal army will fall, history tend to repeat itself. Now we have Champagne, but soon, people will ask for their freedom to be granted back! Having allies support in our war is important ' The Royal army is strong, advance and big, but there is no greater force than old brothers and sisters uniting again, against a common foe to bring back their freedom or to defend their own!
And with these words, I pass the place to the next representative to speak up, like a true democrat.
[color=#FFFFFF]Howard Taylor, a Professor of political science in a University of Planet Cambridge stood up. He didn't have any companions and he quietly moved to the stage. Aged 64, he was a retired Guild Member who decided to return back to his House and actively contribute to the younger generations. He was wearing an old costume while his Bretonian style was more than visible.
[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][color=#CCFFFF]Esteemed comrades and brothers and sisters. My name is Dr Howard Taylor and I will represent the Independent Miners Guild in this great Congress.
Everything started almost 170 years ago when a small group of ex BMM employees, disgusted from BMM's or better say corporate policies decided to work together under a new banner. Independence and socialism were the main values and they based on the newly discovered Tau-23 system. The following years thousands of disgruntled Rheinland miners from the Popular Revolution joined the IMG and about the same numbers from the Founders Day Revolt in Dublin.
Taking into account IMG's history one can easily assume that the Guild is a collection of Bretonian and Rheinland workers who decided to abandon the corporations that they are working for and follow their ideas and this happened heavily during revolutions. There are two questions however which generate from the above statement;
Why such revolutions happened only in these Houses and not in Liberty and Kusari since both of these houses have corporations which employ similar policies as well? The answer here is that Liberty with its intense capitalism uses the media to indirectly and continuously propagandize its citizens while Kusari throughout centuries manages to maintain a closed, quiet society whose civilization and ideas do not support revolutions the way the other 3 Houses envision them. The only exception is of course the small revolution in Colorado's shipyards which created the Xenos, a revolutionary but fragile group.
The second question is to wonder whether IMG's existence is unhealthy because it obstructs factions like Red Hessians or Mollys from recruiting even more disgruntled miners into their ranks. The Indepedent Miners Guild is not only the non-radical alternative, but since its origins it formulated a different platform and way of thinking. The IMG flourished in the underdeveloped Border Worlds when the rest of the Sirius considered it too dangerous. We embraced the future and our large expansion proves our success. Additionally, we have managed to maintain our beliefs all these years. We share the wealth with all our Guild Members, ensuring that a Guild Master has the same rights and payment with any other member while we democratically elect them to preserve our qualities and ideas, to be the first of our Movement.
Every day more and more people follow us and join the Guild. And when the time is right, we will release our power and bring the so much needed change to Sirius. Until then however, we will maintain our ideas and protect our independence from the Outcasts and their alien masters.
[font=System][color=#FFFFFF]Moments later Dr Taylor lowered his head to thank his comrades for listening him and humbly exited the stage.
Dear Comrades, old and new. My name is Elrica O'Connell and I represent the Independent Communist Miners' Guild.
I'd just like to start with a brief word of thanks, on behalf of the Independent Communist Miners' Guild and everyone else here, to Rot Front for making this all happen. I see many faces here today, all from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, so this conference really is a testament to them. Thank-you.
We are all here today because, despite our differences, we are drawn together by mutual struggles, shared hopes and like-minded aspirations. Many of which have been addressed in those informative preceding speeches. We all share one core and vital trait: a desire to reduce dependency on the current house governments. Or rather, to achieve independence from those who would dictate our rights. Be it the Red Hessians, seeking a voice within Rheinland; the Mollies, in Dublin; the Blood Dragons, in Kusari; Le Council, in Gallia; Hellfire, in Liberty; or even ourselves, from Gallic Royalist occupation; we all seek independence to dictate our own futures.
The sheer magnitude of house influence, however, extends much further than warmongering; it is also an economic issue. It's no secret that the houses of Sirius hold an overwhelmingly disproportionate amount of Sirius' economic wealth. It's also no secret that they control every main trade-route. Virtually every lane or jump-gate is either in their direct control or under the control of mega-corporations, corporations whom are buried deep within their pockets. They feed the beast while it scratches their belly.
In contrast, the border-worlds, are under-developed yet resource-rich havens. Havens which are torn apart by resultant proxy wars and starved from vital trade routes by their bigger "friendly" neighbours. Neighbours who instigate "war-time embargoes" against people they are supposedly at peace with. I would reference the Kusari ban on almost all exports to the Taus as one of the more ridiculous examples. Of course, there are always ways around the patrols... a matter I very much look forward to talking to some of you about later perhaps...
This does however leave each and every one of us with an uncomfortable truth: many border-world communities are completely at the mercy of current house governments. The house bourgeoisie, through its manipulation of central Sirius' markets and trade-routes, has pinned us into an exploitative arrangement. Essentially, be exploited or be destroyed. A proposal many worker communities would accept as a "lesser evil", in their pursuit of independence. A compromise in the face of blackmail.
That's why It is our humble opinion that we should be seeking mutual and fair inter-dependence amongst ourselves, not independence. Co-operation between border-worlds settlements, not mutual isolation. International democracy, not nationalism and xenophobia. Our freedoms are inextricably linked.
Therefore, we in the ICMG would like to extend our hand to anyone here: Supply convoys, Opening of trade-routes through lesser known space, Sharing of information, Opening of permanent diplomatic channels and whatever those brilliant minds are cooking up.
Conflicts such as the attempted Rheinland invasion of Omega-7, where many at this conference successfully stood together to oppose occupation.... not just in a military capacity, but economically as well... have shown us that co-operation can and will work.
All that remains now is the next step.
Thank-you all for your time. I'd like to pass the stage to the next speaker.
[color=#FFCC66]Dear friends, I am Annike Eckfeld,
Today I am here on behalf of the Landwirtrechtbewegung to tell you about our advantages in Stuttgart and the resulting effects.
Since 775 AS, when Rheinland started to sell our land to the highest bidder, Synth Foods, just to forcefully remove the farmers from there the movement went through many problems. But over the years and with the assistance of our Hessian and Unioner friends we were able to regain ground. Not only in Stuttgart itself, but also in the heads of the people all over Rheinland.
How did we manage this? Aimed attacks on our enemies, mildness towards those that could be able to help us, such as the civilians and some of the Police officers.
Even though we are not able to return to our farms yet, I can feel that we are close to a change.
What does this mean for all of us?
It is simple, if we, simple farmers, with simple methods can change things, each of us can do it. And soon we will have a better Sirius sector.
The most important thing when ill is to never lose heart.
[color=#000000]UPDATE: Day two of the Congress. The representative of the Sirius Coalition Revolutionary Army has arrived late, thus, in order to mantain the integrity of our plenary program, their speech will take place at the end, during the time reserved for our own closing speech.
The presence of the Lane Hackers at a summit that may appear to differ a lot from our stance may surprise you. But we belong here, and I will explain why.
Of all the nefarious forces in Sirius, there is one that we have to fight before anything else. Navies and governments are in comparison of this force, minor nuisances. The force I am referring to is omnipresent, yet seems above suspicion for most citizens. It is an insidious enemy, one that enslaves workers and turn them against their fellows. I am talking about Sirius' inter-house corporations.
The real source of Sirius' problems are corporations. Governments are wronged and misled by them, their hands tied by the veil of collusion they throw over politics and economy. Militaries find themselves unable to fulfill their primary duty, the protection of House inhabitants, because of lobbies and political pressures.
It is a well-known fact that our organization originates from former disgruntled Ageira Technologies employees, and thousands of people still live under the yoke of Interspace Commerce. Liberating them all will take time, but it is a necessary process for the emancipation of all peoples.
These corporations, unlike smaller enterprises, care little for their primary mission of serving their Houses. Not only do they exploit gullible men and women to achieve their self-centered objectives, but they also refuse to share the sum of their profits and reward their employees accordingly.
That is why, revolutionaries from all Houses of Sirius, we must fight them, overthrow them, and rebuild our own society.
<div align="right]~~This message was generated by SpeechBot.
A short man in a black military dress uniform with a silvery-white rank insignia and a number of medals steps up onto the stage.
Ladies an' gentlemen - members a' the Congress - it's good t' see all a' yew fine people sittin' here today. I am Fleet Marshal Adam Daniels, here t' represent the Hellfire Legion and the people a' Liberty.
Liberty is called Liberty for a reason, ladies an' gentlemen a' the Congress. Our nation is based on the ideals of freedom an' democracy. But Liberty's got a problem. See, many a' yew are struggling with nations where freedom isn't even acknowledged as an idea - but in Liberty, our problem is putting that into practice. Even a House based on freedom is still run by people, an' people are power-hungry. Liberty's got exactly that same problem. Over the past eight hundred years, Liberty's had one a' the most extensive military forces in Sirius. Now Liberty relies so much on that Navy for their security that they've forgotten that they're supposed to protect freedoms, too.
I know what you're about to say - Liberty has elected officials, right? That's true, but the Navy has the real power. The government can squabble all day long, but they generally end up choosin' the policy the Navy favors. The Navy makes up rules and laws on the spot, an' even the laws on the book give them incredible leeway t' do as they like. They've pulled blatant attacks on civilian convoys, an' quashed media reports on the matter. "Inconvenient" people - especially within their own ranks - tend to disappear. I was nearly one a' them. Still don't know why; wingmen shot me in the back an' left me for dead. Found out later it was on orders. I still don't know who didn' like me, but thanks to the Legion, here I am today.
Biggest problem is, most people don't even know about all this. Way it works, no one sees it happening unless it happens personally to them. The oppression's widespread, but cover stories an' government-supportive media make it not well-known. People affected by it often don't realize all the ways their rights are bein' infringed, 'cause they don't know what rights they have, an' assume the military just has the right t' walk all over them. Even people who do know assume it's just an isolated incident, an' was their own fault or a mistake in the system rather than systematic injustice.
Liberty's problem's the military, an' the military's all that needs fixin'. It won't help t' wipe out business in Liberty; breakin' the whole House's economy down isn't goin' t' fix the oppression, an' killin' off the innocent employees jus' tryin' to make a livin'll just turn them against us. An', a' course, any successful revolution must have the support of the people, so terrorizin' an' shootin' them is just counter-productive.
Lettin' another House military or organization that's jus' as bad or worse in won't fix the problem either. Many a' yew know the oppression a' Rheinland firsthand; we dun want that anymore than we want the oppression a' Liberty. Likewise, a communist government tellin' our people what they can and cannot do isn't any less oppressive than the current military regime. Same with a monarchy, even if it is supposed to be "democratic". We've had problems wit' all three a' those an' more in the past, an' they just make it harder to achieve freedom for the people a' Liberty.
Liberty's a good example a' what problems yew can expect t' face when yer revolutions succeed. The whole nation celebrates freedom, but after a while, yew have to keep an eye out an' stay vigilant against oppression. It's a slow creep, an' can easily slip right back jus' as bad as or worse than before, an' with the people not even realizin' and still celebratin' the freedoms they think they have. All the while, they love their "free" government so much they can't even see the flaws in it, an' don't hardly know how rise up against it again. They've been co-opted an' domesticated, and dun even know it. That's where Liberty stands today: she started on top of the mountain of freedom, but took it for granted an' fell off. Now, the Legion is workin' every day to push 'er back up that glorious hill. Thank yew.
I'm sure that our Lane Hacker partners would agree that the presence of the Rising Sons of Kusari in this congress may surprise you all even more, but an invitation is something we can hardly refuse, especially if it allows us to enlighten you about the current problem in Kusari, which doesn't differ at all from issues in other Houses like Rheinland or Liberty.
The existance of our movement began 500 years ago after the largest corporation of Kusari, Samura Heavy Industries, funded a coup plot against the rule of Hideyoshi, pushing our ancestors back to the safe haven that nowadays people know as 'Chugoku'. The Hideyoshi dynasty tried to keep a tight rein on the evergrowing Samura influence, until we witnessed how the money became the basis of the moral code of our nation. The Naval Forces became a private militia serving the corporation's interests as long as the money was put on the table, backstabbing their own brethren.
This wild corporate take-over has led to the current status of the House, a playground for Samura where the law-enforcement groups turn a blind eye on the actions of this Samura-funded group called Farmers Alliance, a group of self-called ultranationalist agricultural workers defending their interests against Synth Foods, but still harassing whatever poses to be a sign of competition for Samura within Kusari borders, call it GMG, IMG or even Kishiro. Needless to mention the uncountable times they have been spotted hauling Artifacts from the Edge Worlds to Kusari, giving you a hint about their deals with this group of barbarians known as Corsairs.
As long the Kusari population remain incognizant about this situation via media censorship enforced by Samura itself and the Hogosha, neither the democracy preached by Libertonians nor any other of imported forms of government like socialism will save our nation. We have been fighting for 500 years to reclaim the true rule and bring justice back to Kusari, and we will fight for another 500 if it's necessary under the banner of the Blood Dragons.
<div align="right]This is Dato Itagaki, from the Rising Sons of Kusari.
We have invited and continue to invite the other Socialist-Revolutionaries to share power with us.
[color=#000000]The time has come for our closing speech, but, as we have announced earlier, there are people who have yet to say a word, and this would be an appropriate time.
The Liberty Revolutionary Front, already mentioned in the opening speech, are committed to freeing Liberty from the 'rule' of the Navy who they believe are being manipulated by the Corporations through the Government by a series of bribes and blackmail.
Liberty, when many people say the name of our House they used to think 'Freedom'. But now, the first thought that comes to mind is 'Corporate Dictatorship'. One may ask why this is so, the answer to that is quite simple, the Government of Liberty is being manipulated by those old men sitting in Penthouses on Manhattan, corporate executives who live in the lap of luxury and only care about how to earn even more Credits, no matter what the cost is to those who work under him.
The Government of Liberty has been forced to dance to the tune of the Corporations because they had the Credits, as everyone knows Credits and how much one has is a symbol of power, when Liberty has it's elections the Corporations look at each platform and pick out who would benefit them the most and who would be the most easily influenced by the lure of their own greed, Powell is an example of such a man, his war with the House of Rheinland is directly influenced by the Corporations whose infinite greed has set their eyes upon it's neighbors, Rheinland, even a weakened one would pose a great opportunity to do business, especially once the war was over and both sides needed to rebuild, these Corporations come in once the dust settles and offers for a 'modest fee' to sell them the goods their people need, to refuse would be to allow the civilians suffer due to a lack of vital life-saving supplies.
It is not just the Liberty Corporations who is doing this, it's especially prevalent within the House of Rheinland whose brutal practices led to the formation of the Red Hessians, the LWB, the Bundschuh and the Unioners. Also Kusari is a prime example of this, Samura Industries, a Mega-Corporation bent on keeping a stranglehold upon it's own house is evidenced by what the Blood Dragon delegate has touched on, the formation of the so-called 'Hogosha' and 'Artisan Farmer's Alliance' who have created legal Pirate-Forces who prey upon anyone who is not of Kusari and take from the hands of Common Workers their very livelihood and dignity.
But as I look around here today I know that all is not lost, the Hellfire Legion battles a symptom of the corruption within our House, the Military who is indirectly under the sway of the Corporations through the Government, the Red Hessians who took a stand and is fighting for their own Freedoms and Rights, the Mollys Movement who had enough of the abuse by their corporate masters looked BMM in the eyes and told them 'We have had enough, get out.', the Blood Dragons even, trying to overthrow a Corporate Superpower that had suppressed their rights and murdered the one they swore to serve, all is not lost as long as people like yourselves still have the will and dedication to fight, to resist.
The Liberty Revolutionary Front is made up of many backgrounds, Political Idealists, Union Members, Tradesmen...All Libertonians, all striving for a better future in Liberty, without the Corporations, the Front's own roots are based in the so-called Democracy that Liberty is so proud of, the Liberty Worker's Party, banned through the Corporation's manipulations of the Democratic system and from it's ashes we arose to continue the struggle.
All I have to say in closing is this: Be Strong, Fight On and never Surrender your freedoms.
Thank you for your time.
"The People's Flag is deepest red. It shrouded oft our martyred dead."