Brodgar!

[Pacho]

Yeah, restricting voting to property owners seems like a good plan.

[Yolan]

ATTENTION ALL RESIDENTS OF BRODGAR:

As discussed in this thread yesterday, I now present to you a _draft_ (it is not law), of the basic 'constitution' of Brodgar. This is to be the foundation to which the lawspeaker and chief must adhere when making any executive or judicial decisions. It should also be taken as a guide for the proper conduct of all citizens.

WHAT I REQUIRE:

Please comment on this draft. Do you like the 'provisions' (oaths)? If you would like to see one changed, added, or removed, please say so. This is your chance to directly help shape the law of this city-to-be. Please post all comments here. In roughly one week, I shall post an amended version of the oaths here for a vote. If it receives majority vote, I will consider it passed into law. It shall be made into a Jpeg and put in the first post of this thread. Please do not comment if you are not a resident of Brodgar. Also note that this is only to be the _basic_ structure that guides future laws. Please no comments along the lines of 'be more specific. '

---=========THE OATHS==========---

(I) - ANY APPLICANT OF REPUTABLE CHARACTER MAY BECOME A RESIDENT

(II) - A RESIDENT MUST OWN IDENTIFIED LAND WITHIN THE CITY OR SURROUNDS BEFORE THEY RECEIVE THE FULL POLITICAL RIGHTS OF A CITIZEN

(III) - ALL CITIZENS OF BRODGAR ARE EQUAL IN THE EYES OF THE LAW

(IV) - NO CITIZEN CAN BE PUNISHED, LEAST THEY ARE FIRST FOUND GUILTY BY A COURT OF PEERS

(V) - ALL CITIZENS OF BRODGAR HAVE THE RIGHT TO INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY IN THEIR ACTIONS, SAVE WHEN SUCH ACTIONS RUN COUNTER TO THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE, OR THE SAFETY OF ANOTHER CITIZEN OR HEARTHLING

(VI) - ALL CITIZENS MAY POSSESS THEIR OWN PROPERTY WITHIN THE INFLUENCE OF THE CITY, BEYOND THEIR RESIDENCE, TO DISPOSE OF AS THEY WILL IT, PROVIDING THEY MAINTAIN ITS USE

(VII) - IT IS THE DUTY OF ALL CITIZENS TO VOTE ON SELECTING THE HOLDERS OF OFFICES OF STATE, AND TO PASS JUDGMENT IN A COURT WHEN CALLED TO DO SO

(VIII) - ANY CITIZEN MAY RUN FOR ANY OFFICE OF STATE

(IX) - THE HEAD OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH (CHIEFTAN) AND THE HEAD OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL BRANCH (LAWSPEAKER) ARE TO RESPECT THE OATHS IN ALL THEIR ACTIONS. EITHER MAY BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE BY MAJORITY VOTE IF IT CAN BE DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY HAVE OFFENDED THE OATHS.

(X) - ALL LAWS DRAFTED MAY ONLY BE ENACTED BY MAJORITY VOTE, AND ONLY IF THEY DO NOT CONTRADICT THE OATHS

[burgingham]

Just one small thing about the order you put the oaths in. Shouldn't be "All Citizens are equal..." the number one on your list?

[Etienne]

I don't think the order matters at all.


I have a few comments on the laws.

II: Just owning land doesn't seem a high enough requirement to me, as it is Odeyseuss might be considered a full citizen while I don't believe he/she has anything to do with our city.

VII: I really don't like mandatory voting, in my oppinion voting should be a right only. Not comming from a common law country I find jury duty/jury trial to be rather ridiculous, in a game it might work though but without it being mandatory.

IX: I don't like the idea of needing half the people to get someone who goes against the constitution removed, this would mean someone could, with only half the people behind him/her, do anything he/she wants, I believe constitutions exist to protect the minority as in a democratic society a majority doesn't need constitutional protection.


I'll make some suggestions how the constitution could be changed to avoid these "problems".

II: Require a residence (at present only log cabins would quallify) in the city or surrounding area. Though you don't seem to want to go too specific I would really like at least a rough idea of what would qualify as the city or its surroundings.

VII: Remove the entire article and either add who has voting rights and/or the right to be part of a jury as another part of the constitution (VIII) or, especially for the jury thing, arrange that with a regular law.

IX: Reduce to requirement for someone acting against the constitution to be removed.


I would also like to see the following.

A: The requirement for the constitution to be changed (I'd suggest a two thirds majority)

B: The ability for a court to remove any right a citizen has, including (at least certain) constitutional rights (especially passive suffrage and the right to be on a jury).

[Yolan]

@ Etienne: These sound like sensible proposals to me. Thank you.

I will hold of tinkering with the draft itself until about a week has passed, so we can see a bit of discussion.

Regarding keeping track of residency, which would be important if it is attached to voting rights, I have an idea.

Somebody, during the day, walks around the town taking screen shots. These images are joined together to create a super image of Brodgar and surrounds. We place this image in MapLib, with editing power granted to a few office holders.

We can then use this MapLib image (updated when necessary), to keep track of who is residing where. The enforcement of future laws regarding land ownership can then make use of this resource.

[Yolan]

By the way, who was it that build the enclosure just S of the docks, just n of Bullmax's farm? Only, theTrav and I want to turn it into the communal farm/seed storage. Is this OK with whoever built it? I understand if you would like some kind of compensation for all the effort you put in.

EDIT:

In other news, with the help of fellow Brodgarians, the southern edge of the city has been extended quite a lot! This new area is _residential_. Please, no farms. If you wish to live in Brodgar, here is the place to put your house. Between the old south wall, and the new south wall, I think we can fit a lot of houses, with each having a little bit of front/back lawn. The size of theTrav's house, for example, but maybe more rectangular.

This diagram is more for thickness than length. Imagine it extending much further westwards.

---------{}-------------
H H H | H H H
H H H | H H H
---------|-------------
H H H | H H H
H H H | H H H
---------{}-------------


Anyway guys, please don't place houses in the land around the community workshop, like one fellow did. By all means, make a compound there if you want to start up a business/workshop of some kind, but house land is now avaliable to the south.

IF YOU BUILD YOUR HOUSE HERE, DON"T FORGET:

1) A gate by your front door,
AND
2) A wall as well if you want a _little_ garden
AND
3) Claim your home! We have no village influence here, and regardless, we are fairly indiscriminate for now about who can be given the oath of allegiance (access to village influence area).

FARMS: I think this expansion marks the end of housing expansion for some time, and to the south in particular. If you want to have your own little farm, please feel free to make one that is attached to the outside of the wall. I ask that you show some restraint in regards to size. If you _seriously_ intend to start up a beer brewery, for example, then that is a good excuse to build a large farm plot. Especially if you intend to let other Brodgarians work for you. But if you just need somewhere to grow a few carrots, then for Jorbs sake keep it small.

[Jfloyd]

I want to know why I was removed from the city.

[sabinati]

did you press a then e, by any chance?

[Jfloyd]

I might have when I was trying to type.

[PhaedrothSP]

They should really not make leave village a hotkey thing, instead it should be like an option when you interact with the village idol or another authority object.