Blue Collar Republic (6.0)

The Republic of the Blue Collar Brigade is a unique amalgamation of various ideological, cultural and governmental practices. Although the nation places a heavy if not overwhelming focus on the working class, civil and social rights are still fairly unseen across the region. The working class in the BCR are seen as vital for the nation, and although these social policies and workers rights are minimally provided, it is seen as each civilians duty to work to their utmost best to provide for the nation they call home.

In general, life in the BCR is "better" than what it was previously. Indigenous Australians have been given full rights, and the freedom of speech, association and movement is maintained. The one caveat however is that none of these organisations, freedoms or cultural practices are allowed to take precedent over work. While officially no restrictions are given to religions, cultural practices or movement, these areas of life are second to work and provision of goods and services to the state.

## History

Formally the Republic of the Blue Collar Brigade, the BCR have roots that date back to before the Great Flood. The State of Queensland has always been a strong willed region, from the hardy Stockman of the Outback who work tirelessly to provide for the entire nation, to the soldiers and city folk of Brisbane. In the 19th and early 20th century, Australia introduced a slew of policies that majorly restricted the movements and rights of Indigenous Australians. While these were minimal, as they were, the 'White Australia Policy' further restricted these rights, as well as anyone of non-Caucasian or European descent.

In Queensland this came with mixed responses, as there was a notable divide in regards to racial rights between the City based population and the Outback population. In the country, Indigenous Australians were seen as vital members of a working group, being expert trackers and survivalists that helped many of businesses thrive. In the city, this sentiment was not shared and the populous was instead seen as a hated or feral group, as the propaganda and Federal government desired. There were however changes toward the better, within the civilian populous, during World War Two. During this time, General McArthur of the American Army had set up the headquarters for the entire pacific theatre in the city of Brisbane. This meant that a massive number of American troops became stationed in the city, and at the height of the occupation they made up over 25% of the entire population of Brisbane.

This occupation by American soldiers caused an extreme amount of controversy, as the racial divide in America was far greater than that of Australia. Firstly, Coloured Americans were segregated to the South Side of the river, however tensions quickly rose when the American soldiers began forcing the Indigenous Australians to the south side too. In some instances violence broke out and Australians were injured or killed by American soldiers trying to enforce their will. This not only built a sentiment of distrust between the Australian and Americans, but also built some semblance of support toward the Indigenous and coloured Australians, as they were fighting a local, common enemy. This sense of comradery continued to grow as the war continued, finally boiling over during the Battle of Brisbane.

In 1945 when the flood waters began to rise greatly, the controversy, anger and demands only grew stronger. Within weeks of the global catastrophe occurring the Federal government withdrew the military from the pacific theatre and declared itself "out" of active fighting. They proclaimed that peace and security would be maintained during this global crisis, yet, in the years to follow introduced policies, diplomatic actions and legislation that crippled and ultimately broke down the Australian state.

The first of these notable policies, both in regards to Australia as a whole and the history of the BCR, was the "Enforced Border Protection Act" - though, more commonly known as the "iron visa bill". This act saw the procurement and deployment of British Naval vessels to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the greater northern border of Australia as a whole. These vessels were instructed to stop any Indonesian, Guinea or SEA refugees from entering Australia via boat, as the flood waters saw a major influx of refugees attempting to enter Australia. To the government and their supporters this seemed like a fair and justified policy - it worked in Conjunction with the W.A.P and it helped to keep the nation free and 'pure'. To the working class of the nation who were suffering due to the flood, this act was seen as a waste of resources, manpower and effort. Civilians were dying and suffering and the government decided to focus it's efforts on keeping people out, rather than assisting those already here and bringing more workers in to help rebuild.

Although unrelated to the Refugee crisis, similar sentiments were shared in Queensland regarding the war with New Zealand. The founded "commonwealth of Australasia" gained ownership of the region via commonwealth authorities in England, however this sparked almost immediate civil war. Australians therefore began sailing east to fight with our allies who, only a year prior, had been fighting shoulder to shoulder as ANZACs. These angry sentiments continued to grow worse over time, until in November 22nd, 1951, Australian naval vessels began firing on civilian refugee ships. Known as the Lockhart massacre, this slaughter saw an estimated 27 civilian ships sunk over the course of 4 days, with an estimated death toll of 532 refugees. The backlash from this massacre arose primarily within the military, as non-officer servicemen in the navy began sharing the details to other branches of the military and civilians alike. While the Australian government officially denied the massacre, they nonetheless lost a great deal of support within the country and working class populations - those not so against refugees. For the BCR in particular this policy drove many supporters of the labor government in QLD to abandon the leading government, seeing their actions as aggressive and unnecessary. This indirectly allowed BCR to grow as the lack of government support within the region pushed many individuals to support organizations acting against the government they despise.

The true tipping point however for the BCR was the policy allowing the seizure of private property for the use as government owned land and businesses. While the policy itself was aimed at supporting Australians as a whole by taking from the larger communities and businesses and spreading their goods everywhere, it was rapidly turned into a chaotic piece of corrupt policy due to the ability for Government officials to simply seize land from political adversaries. Not only this but the land seizures meant that property owned by local farmers was suddenly being taken and operated by Government officials, causing mass Job losses and communal instability. In Longreach one such instance was met with stark defiance when the founder of the Blue Collar Brigade, Peter Newditch, refused the seizure of his property by the State Government. As a stockmen by trade, Newditch had several hundred Australians, both Caucasian and Indigenous, under his care. The immediate response of the State Government, knowing Newditch to be a leading figure in the BCR, was to use the local police forces to arrest and take care of both a rebellious land owner and a political threat. The State government however did not bank on the fact that the local police forces would support a member of their community who funded many of the towns structures over a random state official.

This defiance spread through the region garnering support in a multitude of Outback towns. State government officials and white-collar Australians would no longer be tolerated by the hard working Australians who fulfill the actual needs of the nation. As all corrupt states do, the military was eventually brought into the fray yet in an act of perhaps pure luck, the Brigaders managed to defeat the small military force outside ilfracombe, solidifying themselves as not only a political movement, but a strong military movement too.

## Who, what, when, where and why

The Blue Collar Republic, or BCR, is a nation founded with a fighting spirit. After the collapse of the world due to flooding, and the Australian federal Governments decent into anarchy, the civilians of Queensland were left fairly unprotected. There were few options for the survivors, die by themselves, suffer under the tyranny of the Federal remnant, or rise up and fight for ones land. Obviously, as proud Australians, we chose to fight! A small coalition of farmers, miners and hard working Australians rose up in defiance of the Federal remnant, declaring themselves independent and free from their control. Armed with only hunting rifles, small firearms and explosives from the Mt Isa Mines, the small fighting force managed to defend their homes against a well armed battalion of Australian Soldiers. This sparked revolution in Queensland, and within a few decades the entire region had been freed from the Federal Remnant and under the safety of the BCR.

Dedicated to ensuring that all men and women can survive in this new world, the BCR has a high focus on mateship and work. Private enterprises, businesses and individuals can only own as much land as they, or their employees, can work. Nothing goes to waste, and whatever excess we have is sold overseas or dispersed readily into the community. We've also learnt from our past mistakes, and have purposefully avoided religious service, with a strong promotion of secular identity for all individuals, including the indigenous population. Specifically this manifests itself through policies that state that Religious or cultural organisations and practices can operate freely, however the needs and duties to the community take precedence over any religious practice, site or building. For example religious buildings are not present in the state, but rather community buildings such as Schools, hospitals and in some cases even airports, contain minor areas used for religious practice when individuals have free time. In schools religious ceremonies might take place on weekends, whereas during the weekdays while schools are active the focus lies on teaching, or for Hospitals ministers trained in medicine may perform a sermon prior to surgery, or as part of an individuals treatment plan.

In the modern day a man known as Tony Dunkin has taken the position of 'Big Boss' of the nation, owner of a large area of land used for livestock and farming who's facilities employ almost 23 thousand individuals. Highly supportive of the state's goals Tony has brought in major reforms that have allowed for the establishment of various "normal" government policies while maintaining the heart and spirit of the BCR.

## Government

There is no formal "government" for the BCR. While we have a singular head of State, Tony Dunkin, he serves as the speaker for the joint council that works to overlook and maintain the nation. 'The Council' is a large body, with a varying number of individuals. To gain a seat on the council a person must meet the following criteria;

### Criteria for sitting on the leading Council

#### Major Employer

A major component of being a council member is having a group of people relying on you for work. As a major employer, classified as anyone with 10,000 employees in their business, you represent the needs of a large working class. This allows for government input as the needs of a businesses or facilities workers are paramount to it's success, therefore legislation that improves, assists, or affects their operation should include input of a representative of the workers.

#### Major "Union" Group

The primary position that most council members fall under is being the head of large unions/conjoining of businesses. While most individual businesses remain separate from one another, some join in a union to represent the needs of a larger community/sect of production. For example, The Stockman's Union represents hundreds of ranches, farms and cattle yards focused on the Cattle industry, everything from Beef and Milk to leather and glue. These Unions gain a seat of the council as they operate as the voice for an overarching industry, assisting in policy that will affect the industry. Often in circumstances where a union has more than 10 businesses or organisations they may gain an additional seat at the table, such that a better representation for the union might be made.

#### Major Land Owner

Queensland is a massive country, and as such there are often some businesses or industries that stretch over vast areas of land. As such, any Land Owner that controls more than 15 thousand square kilometers is offered a position on the council. The justification for this appointment is that the owner of such a large amount of land has a large control over the ecology of the region, thus their input is necessary for the ecological maintenance of the state. Not only this, but due to homesteading rights of the nation - that is, one can only own land that they, or their employees, can directly work - someone who is able to own and operate this large amount of land (such as for a mining company or cattle ranch) will have a major impact on the economy, therefore their input is required in providing fair policy for trade/commerce.

### The Council of Five

The upper leadership of the entire nation is made up of 5 individuals. Known as the council of five, these individuals are responsible for the passing of laws and the major decision making required for "governance". The members of this council draw from the various areas of government. An inner council member is chosen from amidst the largest employers across the nation, the largest land owners across the nation, and the most influential/sizeable union across the nation. These three individuals act as the civilian/economic side of the inner council, with the head of the military acting as the fourth member. The fifth member of the council is considered the "Big Boss", or the leader of the nation.

The process of entering into these roles is fairly straightforward and is readily changing, barring that of the military representative - as per usual, the highest ranking officer is given the role due to their responsibility in the military. For the land owners and employers, it is quite literally the top individual for both of these positions enters into the inner council, without a vote or any judicial methods. This is due to the fact that as large employers and land owners, their decisions and the decisions of the government intimately affect the lives of thousands of Australians, as well as the ecology of the region. For the union representative, there is a small degree of voting that occurs, however this is limited to within the union itself, and is dependent on the method of administration within that union. The top representative of the largest union, however they are brought into power, takes the role of the Inner union council member.

The role of big boss is a little different however. There is no official "term" for leadership, so a Big Boss will remain in power until they pass, or step down from their role. When this happens, the remaining council members vote within themselves to determine the next Big Boss. In the case of a tie, or every member of the council putting their name forward, the decision is passed to the larger council below them, with a vote for leadership occurring to determine the next Big Boss. It is important to note however that due to the length that a Big Boss can govern, this has never needed to happen, and is only an extreme case scenario - often the Big Boss will designate a member of the inner council to take charge after them, and the other members follow their decision.