When I saw this one, I was like "AAA! Balkanization!" at first, but after reading it, I figured it was more like going towards a federal or parliamentary government.
Option 1: Still seems a bit like balkanization to me (I know it won't actually happen that way in NS, other than through roleplay), but I'm going for this one, despite the risk.
Option 2: Business as usual I guess? Plus some downsizing.
Option 3: Authoritarian Dictatorship, no thank you. (Maybe this is considered more communist by you guys, but I don't want to go this way.)
Southern Kaeshar Demands Semi-Autonomy
The Issue
Politicians from a distant and obscure part of Kaeshar have been calling for the government to split Kaeshar into various semi-autonomous regions, each with an elected council to govern their designated area.
The Debate
"The government is too centralised," complains rural villager, Stan Fellow. "We get these big-city politicians making rulings that affect our way of life, when they have absolutely no idea what our way of life is! One of them even suggested that farmers should be banned from picking crops in case they disturbed the local wildlife! What we need are various councils to govern their own part of Kaeshar, giving us the chance to have our say on laws affecting our area. It'll bring politics to the people! Of course this will require the implementation of a council tax to fund it all, but if that's the cost of more political freedom, then so be it!"
"Councils? Are you mad?" gasps political commentator, Bharatendu Neumann. "Most of the politicians we already have earn very large sums each year - and you want to employ even more?! We must not listen to the whims of some dangerous separatist movement; next they'll be wanting independence! I suggest we keep the government in one place where we can keep an eye on it and stop creating more jobs for over-paid politicians. Heck, why not trim off the ones we don't need while we're at it and give some leeway to the taxpayers? Anyway, if we allowed places like West Kaeshar to make decisions for themselves, they would soon be introducing laws allowing them to marry their cousins or something - you know what they're like..."
"These people are obviously power-hungry lunatics," whispers Hack Patel, one of your innumerable advisors. "They're simply trying to loosen your grip on the nation! Let's just send anyone who opposes your absolute rule to the gallows and ban elections. We hardly need them when you always know what to do! There may be some protest, but we can just lower taxes and they'll be as happy as clams."
