Corrupt governments and politics stuff

[shamguy4]

I'm having trouble conveying a somewhat corrupt government.

In my galaxy I have many governments but I am trying to convey that there is this big umbrella government that small countries can join. By joining you get to be on the council and have a say about things. Being part of the big umbrella government also means you have more stability and resources, but the big umbrella government also can enforce certain laws.

The problem is that Im not sure thats realistic. I know the UN is made up of many countries but one country cannot control another country through the UN. Can it?

I guess if theres a meeting a few council members can vote on a law and force it on the other countries present? Can the umbrella government seize control of the military of one of the smaller governments?

Anyways I'm trying to convey that the umbrella government has grown very powerful and is becoming somewhat corrupt. When I say corrupt I mean like doing whatever is necessary to keep the power in the hands of the big umbrella government and away from the countries that have joined it. Not like openly corrupt. Sort of back handish.

Like if someone is getting in the way, he may go missing, tax money is going to the wrong places… Something with oil... I know oil is always somehow a big deal…lol
Im trying to come up with what corrupt things I can create without too much fire power.

Meaning circumstances have forced peoples hands to do bad things and it's hurting the citizens.
What are some ideas that fit this category? I don't know too much about how governments work and how they go corrupt…

Any ideas or references would be great.

 

[Nick B]

Sounds like Europe...

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Or federal USA

China long ago? Five Kingdoms?

 

[shamguy4]

Yes. But what are some basic ideas from this?

Here in USA we have Hilary Clinton who hid emails. We had prism which was spying on everyone.... We have tax money that goes to the wrong people or is collected from the wrong people.
But I need something more. I need fuel for thought to give power to a government that doesn't deserve it.

I suck at history but there must be some good stuff somewhere amongst conspiracies and scandals that might help.

 

[tinkerdan]

You could probably have anything you want to imagine.

Take for instance you could have some entity let's call it the central government. Then member states; we'll call, well: member states. Then you could have protectorates and any where else is outliers.

Members could have voting representatives and protectorates could also or they could just have lobbies. Lobbies works better for this example since it's best to have a vote as a member state even if you find out your vote might be a minority in the vast agglomerate. And it would be less advantageous to be a lobby that has to find support in the agglomerate.

Then there could be sanctions to states that deviate and by vote they could be reduced to protectorates. From there they could be sanctioned to an outlier and outliers could be subject to overthrow (no more protection.)

 

[shamguy4]

What's a protectorate?
As opposed to lobby?

I don't want to get too into the whole politics as I'm sure readers don't either.

My goal is there are some members of the council that represent some of the countries that have more strength in the council. Perhaps because the country is bigger...
These people somehow gain the upper hand in any issue and somehow this makes them corrupt as they cripple the smaller countries.

Ideas I had were that the large umbrella government is at war and while smaller country members need to use their military to protect their citizens, the umbrella government is forcing them to send their military for the bigger war. This allows some of the smaller countries to get crippled somehow.

Somehow at the end of the day I have one major baddy who gains control of the whole situation.

 

[shamguy4]

I want to go from umbrella government to a total government by somehow taking away power to the countries that joined this umbrella government and giving it over to the council members.

 

[shamguy4]

As I continue to post responses I think I'm getting a better idea of what I want and how I'm going to do it…
I guess writing out my problems is really helping me solve them

 

[tinkerdan]

A protectorate is a region controlled by another; which depending on the other might or might not have representation in the larger government structure. I was suggesting a lobby so they'd be dependent upon a member state to support their issues and concerns and put them further down the pecking order for involvement in the government.

 

[tinkerdan]

double post

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Perhaps Puerto Rico is sort of a USA Protectorate (The USA claims that they don't have colonies like Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, UK, Spain and Portugal had and in some cases technically still have).

Previous UK Protectorates. Not the same as British Colonies.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate#British_protectorates

c.f.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire

Once upon a time the sun literally didn't set on the British Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire

See Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire

and Imperialism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism

Before the USSR, the Czarist Russia was an Imperial Empire.

Other "Modern Era" Empires:

• French: Premier Empire, Second French Empire, and French colonial empire.
  
• The German Empire (1871–1918), another "heir to the Holy Roman Empire", arose in 1871.
• The Ashanti Empire (or Confederacy), also Asanteman (1701–1896), was a West African state of the Ashanti.
  
• The Sikh Empire (1799–1846) was established in the Punjab region of India.
• The Maratha Empire

 

[tinkerdan]

US has both territories and protectorates.
Below is one supposed list of protectorates; but I haven't verified the accuracy.
Northern Marianas
Palau
Guam
American Samoa
US Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico
Wake
Midway
Bikini Atoll, Baker, Howard
Below is a link to Wikipedia's list of territory and as you can see there is overlap which might be an issue of semantics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States

 

[WaylanderToo]

if you're after examples of corrupt government I suspect you could do a lot worse than look at any number of African countries or indeed some of the ex-Soviet replublics

 

[LittleStar]

If you wanted to show corruption, quick and easy, toucan have the whole galactic UN having a vote, and the umbrella government pressuring smaller nations into voting a certain way, withholding supplies, weapons, medicine or blocking certain trade on or off the planet.

You don't need to show too much to give the impression to the reader, unless it's a bigger part of the story.

 

[TitaniumTi]

The story-telling possibilities are endless.

Decision making:
Decisions may never go to the vote -- the strongest voice may prevail.

Each country might have one vote. Alternatively, votes might be allocated by population, wealth or land area. A corrupt government might increase its power by changing the method of vote allocation, or by playing one country off against another.

Control:
The union government may forbid or require trade, alliances etc in ways that are in the best interests of their faction. The corrupt central government may install its cronies at high levels in the government of member states.

Misdirection of resources:
The central government might levy troops and use them in its own interests while ignoring threats to the countries that provided the troops.

How might these actions affect your protagonist?
Your protagonist might return from fighting for the union and find that his home has been destroyed in a conflict that the union government is ignoring.

Your protagonist might be a national representative who is waylaid by servants of the corrupt politicians, in order to prevent him from voting.

The union government may forbid your protagonist from doing something (e.g. practising a form of magic, if this is your magical story) that is important to him and/or to his country.

 

[shamguy4]

Yes! Yes! This stuff is very good!
Thanks. I will be using a mixture of the stuff above.

My hope is not to bog down the readers with this information but to get a realistic sense that the umbrella government is abusing his power which leads to a revolution which is what I'm really aiming for.

I just don't like it when I read a story and they tell me someone or some government is bad but they don't explain why.

 

[EJ Heijnis]

I just don't like it when I read a story and they tell me someone or some government is bad but they don't explain why.

Corruption generally takes place behind the scenes (although I recall a hilarious story about a politician who failed to be chosen for some post and openly demanded a refund on his bribes Different cultures, different rules,) so any kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation of a democratic process or another nation's affairs, whether for national or personal gain (corporations can have a lot of political influence,) can showcase corruption. People can be convinced to vote one way or another for purely personal reasons.

I think any time you have people getting away with unacceptable behavior by abusing their authority would qualify. It can be small-scale extortion of individuals or small groups, or sustained covert actions against an unsuspecting nation. The limits of deviousness lie within your imagination.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

some government is bad but they don't explain why

It's the good ones in fiction (and maybe IRL) that are harder to believe (but explanations don't work well). Government involves politicians, civil servants, the privelidged and lawyers.

 

[Caledfwlch]

The European Union seems like a good starting point.

It is a "Government" that asserts certain controls and requirements over Member States, and hands out wealth and resources, but it has serious democratic issues, ie there is barely any democracy - the actual elected Members of the European Parliament have very little power, that is all in the Hands of people like the Commissioners.

The Commissioners are sort of unelected senior Civil Servants, often, perhaps even almost always with very little skills to perform the role, they are basically Reward positions given as a reward to failed Politicians from Member State National Parliaments, but where they "fell on their sword" to protect their Prime Minister/President embarressment over some issue, or just as often, they know exactly where the Party Leaders buried his Skeletons, and thus a lucrative position in the EU is forthcoming, in exactly the same way the the second Government Chamber of Great Britain is filled - the House of Lords apart from the hereditary Lords, who have the privilage of intefering with out democratic system because 600 years ago, their ancestor did some favour for the King, the rest are mainly again, failed politicians, and business people who have made large contributions to the ruling party.

So your "Federation" could perhaps operate along similar lines - as you seem to want it a bit darker, cut out the equivilent of the EU Parliament, and instead, Star Wars style have a ruling Senate, but one who's members are not voted in by the member Planetary populations, but are chosen by the ruling classes of those planets.

The British Crown Dependencies could perhaps also provide ideas. The Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey are not part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, they are as such sovereign states who share a Monarch with the UK, but the British Parliament can and does exert some limited control over them, handling stuff like foreign policy, defence, and certain taxes, but have no representation in the UK Parliament.

 

[mosaix]

Anyways I'm trying to convey that the umbrella government has grown very powerful and is becoming somewhat corrupt. When I say corrupt I mean like doing whatever is necessary to keep the power in the hands of the big umbrella government and away from the countries that have joined it. Not like openly corrupt. Sort of back handish.

Perhaps you could look to the recent FIFA scandal for some ideas. Not a government I know but a central organisation wielding power over satellite organisations with a view to maintaining power and influence.

Also, I always think a pointer to behind-the-scenes corruption is nepotism. Whenever I hear of positions of power being passed from father to son or close relatives being given lucrative jobs then I'm always suspicious.

Edit: Didn't realise the thread was so old and my contribution probably no longer of any use.