Communist People's Republic of Strathy

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Communist People’s Republic of Strathy
Flag
Motto: “Audaci Fortuna Favet” (“Fortune Favours the Audacious”)
Anthem: A Man's A Man (For A' That an' A' That)
File:Glasgow, Scotland
Official languagesEnglish, Scots English, Gàidhlig, Franglais
Demonym(s)Strathan
GovernmentCommunal Council of Representatives & Cabinet
• People’s Commissar
James H Whittle
LegislatureCommunal Council of Representatives
EstablishmentJuly 14th 2009
Population
• Census
7
CurrencyWhitsenmark
Time zoneUTC

Strathy, officially the Communist People's Republics of Strathy, was a small micronation centered in the south of Glasgow. It was originally founded on the 14th of July 2009, as The Holy Strathan Empire on the NationStates simulator –This day is celebrated as foundation day every year and is a national holiday. As time went on, Communist ideals spread through the government and in November 2009, The United Socialist States of Strathy was formed. In late 2010, Strathy was reformed again into the Communist People's Republic of Strathy. Strathy is currently ruled by its founder, James H Whittle, the People's Commissar. He was originally the Emperor, but as time went on, he has been elected time and time again.

History

The Rise of Strathy

On July 14, 2009, James Whittle, decided to create a nation using the NationStates simulator. Having created The Holy Strathan Empire, he sought only to have fun with it on the game. However, in November of that same year, he reformed Strathy to conform with his own Communist Ideals. As time went on The Holy Strathan Empire was reformed into The United Socialist States of Strathy. This sparked a new interest in Strathy, to make it bigger, and more than just a game.

The United Socialist States of Strathy

After the collapse of The Holy Strathan Empire in November 2009, Strathy was reformed into The USSS. Led by a figure known only as Doctor387, The Revolutionaries took down the Empire with a hope to establish an ideal communist state in its place. The civil war in Strathy lasted nearly two months and was officially over by the 10th January 2010. The new revolutionary government managed to establish a new Communal Council, that would be overseen by The Supreme Leader, Doctor387. Soon, Strathy became a large power, holding much responsibility in NationStates along with a certain amount of respect, if not fear. Strathy soon became a very totalitarian state, with the Government keeping a very strict eye on its people, through use of The SSCPU - Strathy's Seceret Police. However, the joy of revolution soon wore off, the people were unhappy with the Government and sought reform in Strathy. In late 2010, Strathy saw its second civil war, only a year after the first, led by former Emperor, James H Whittle. After another conflict the Communist People's Republic was founded.

The Communist People’s Republics

Shortly after The U.S.S.S. was reformed once more into the Communist People's Republic of Strathy (The C.P.R.S.) James H Whittle was re-elected into the new position of People's Commissar. By this time, Strathy had citizens outwith the simulator. Mr. Whittle even drew up a draft manifesto for the growing nation. At this point, Strathy started to flourish on the internet and it began to become more serious. It was around this point that Strathy began to grow more and more into the real world.

Sovereignty

During the month of May, 2011, The People's Commissar became more interested in full, sovereign micronationalism and began to read further into the subject. Inspired by the likes of Sealand and Molossia, he began to draw up a constitution, redraft the manifesto and began structuring a government. On top of this, a website was launched. Finally, on May 16, 2011, People's Commissar, James H Whittle, declared Strathy an independent and sovereign micronation.

The United Micronations and CIMS

The CIMS Insignia, designed for CIMS by JH Whittle

During Strathy's early days, it was decided to make friends on the international stage. This began with Strathy joining the U.M – a micronational version of the United Nations. During the initial period that Strathy was involved, Strathy showed that it was willing to get stuck in to the affairs of The U.M.. The People's Commissar was elected to represent Strathy at the U.M. and to act as an international ambassador. Since then, he has created treaties with many nations all over the world, most significantly, with The People's Republic of Podjistan. The U.M. has grown since Strathy joined and has helped Strathy to find her way into the mess of international relations.

More Recently The U.M. has been reformed into the Coalition of International Micro-States (C.I.M.S.). The organisation continues to grow and has around about 40 member states now. The People's Commissar currently holds the, somewhat unusual, role of Co General Secretary with Mr. Trystan Cline of Trystansburg.

The website is hoped to allow CIMS to reach out to micronations that might not necessarily have a basis on Facebook. It can be found here: [1]

Cyber Terrorist Attack

In late May 2011, a user, known only as “Tim” created an account on the website and proceeded to troll and flame the forums and deface the Art Gallery. The mess left by “Tim” was immense and took over an hour to clear. Messages of hate were left everywhere, messages targeted at Strathy, The People's Commissar and Micronationalists everywhere. The attack left the peaceful people of Strathy shocked and horrified, no-one would have seen something so spiteful and hate-filled coming. The People's Commissar, in a special meeting of the cabinet, ruled that the user “Tim” should be banned from the site and never allowed back. In furtherance to this, new security measures were enacted: A set of questions was added to the application process, and all new applicants had to be reviewed before being allowed onto the site. These measures have been in place ever since.

Geography

Strathy is located in Southern Glasgow, near Barrhead. It has claimed only a small area of land in this region, along with a small Island in The Orkney Isles.

A Map of Strathy's Territories in Relation to Scotland

Capital City

The Capital of Strathy consists of 3 main buildings in a small patch of land: Commissariat House (Serving as the main government building and residence of most citizens), Capital House (Serving mainly as storage and as an industry building) and Woodlands House wich serves as the HQ for all embassies in Strathy.

All these buildings are located in Commissariat Gardens, a patch of land used by the People of Strathy for recreational and farming purposes.

Brockburn Province

Main Article : Brockburn Province

The Brockburn Province is a large area of land, officially owned by Glasgow City Council, that borders the Eastern side of the capital. The land is currently claimed by The Strathan Government.

Isle of Fara

Main Article : Isle of Fara

The Isle of Fara is located in the Orkney Isles off of Scotland's North Coast. The Island is a small, flat island, approximately 3 km from north to south and 1-1.5 km from east to west. It is officially the proporty of Her Majesty's Government of The United Kingdom, however, it is uninhabbitted and has been completely unused since World War 2. The Island served as an anti-aircraft base during WWII and had accommodation for all personnel on the island, some of which still remains today. When looking closely at the island, it is also possible to see the outline of the old railway that used to run around the Island.

Strathy has currently sent no one to the island, but Fara is seen as the most viable place to inhabbit if Strathy ever secedes from The UK (or Scotland, depending on who holds the correct authority at the time).

A Map of Fara can be found here

Government

The Government in Strathy tends to be more of a hypotheitical exercise, due to the small population, with the bulk of the work being undertaken by The People's Commissar, however, the Strathan Government System was put in place none-the-less. It is designed to be as fair and equally representative system as possible.

In Strathy, Government in divided into three sections:

The Council of Representatives

-The first is The Council of Representatives, also known as “The Council”.

The Council of Representatives is the national legislature of The Strathan Government. It is made up of members of The Republic Councils, elected by the people of their communes to represent them at the national level. These people have generally been in politics for a number of years, most of them having started off in local communal councils and worked their way through the system.  The Council meets regularly in the capital city to discuss important matters of the state as a whole, as well as to vote on bills being proposed and to debate those proposals. It is the duty of each member of the council to take the concerns of their communes' people to the national council as well as those of their respective republics too.  Members of the council serve terms of five years, and are voted in by their communes during the Council Elections, held two weeks after the National Elections, during which the Commissars are elected into their offices. This ensures that The People's Commissar and Vice-People's Commissar do not hold seats on the council. There is no term limit for Council members, they may choose to run for reelection any number of times.

It is important to remember that all members are elected as independent candidates as Strathy has no political parties, not even a Communist party. The reasoning behind this is that no single set of ideas or policies should rule the government at anyone time and that any Strathan citizen should be able to run for a position in government without having to affiliate themselves with any single political ideology.

The Commissariat

The Commissariat is the executive branch of The Strathan Government. It comprises a council of Commissars, each the head of one of Strathy's government departments, such as transport, health, education, housing, labour, etc. The Commissariat meets regularly to discuss the important matters of the departments in Commissariat House. All of these meetings are held with The People's Commissar and Vice People's Commissar.

The Commissariat is made up of The Commissars. Each commissar is a member of the department they run, before being elected they will have worked within their department, in most cases for many years. The people of each department elect their Commissar to represent their views in Government during the national elections. The only exceptions are The PC and V-PC

The Commissariat is an entirely separate entity to The Council of Representatives. The Commissars are not members of The council, nor can a council member be a commissar at the same time as holding a seat in the council. Commissars are also elected in only by the members of their respective departments.

The People's Commissariat

The People's Commissariat of The C.P.R.S. is the collective Head of Government and Head of State of the nation. It is made up of The People's Commissar and Vice-People's Commissar, who are elected by the people of Strathy in the National Election.

The People's Commissariat is tasked with two main duties; heading the government and being head of state. Both members sit in on meetings of The Council of Communal Representatives and act as speakers, chairing the meetings. On top of this they also head up meetings of The Cabinet, addressing issues to do with particular government departments. Every bill passed by The Strathan Government is bears the signatures of both The PC and The V-PC.

They are also tasked with the role of representing the nation on the world stage, signing treaties, hosting and attending state visits and so on. They are the face and voice of The Strathan People.

They both sit in on Council meetings and Cabinet meetings and deliver information between the two. They are elected every five years by a public vote.

Local Government

The Local government consists of Communal Councillors. Each commune's representative in The Communal Council of Representatives acts as the Councillor for that Commune. He is then in charge of running that commune, choosing what issues to deal with and also making sure that the Commune's voice is heard in The council. Generally, Councillors like to choose staff to help with their commune's affairs. However, due to the small size of the communes, this is generally not needed.

Military

The Uniforms of The Strathan Guards Regiment

At present, Strathy only has a small Army. The Strathan Army comprises 2 full time soldiers and the governments ability to conscript citizens in times of need.

The People's Commissar is the Commander in Chief of the Army and one of the full time soldiers. His brother is the other member and is in command of the 3rd SG Infantry Battalion.

We possess very few weapons and most of them are fairly old and out dated. There are a couple of spears and mêlée weapons and some old water guns. The old catapult which was used to defend the capital was scrapped soon after the declaration of independence as it was too old and damaged to maintain.

The Strathan Guards Regiment

The Strathan Guards Regiment is currently Strathy's only Regiment of the armed forces. It comprises 1 Battalion of foot soldiers, The 3rd Battalion, Strathan Guards, Infantry and 2 Armoured Battalions, 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Strathan Guards, the latter being a reserve division formed by conscription when needed. Currently, Strathy has no tanks and as such, the two armoured battalions are currently functioning as infantry.

The Regiment dates back to May 2010, during the time of The USSS. Given its size, its roles are mainly ceremonial. This said, The Strathan Guards also act as Strathy's police force.

Foreign Exchanges

The People's Commissar was, until very recently, a member of The CCF in Britain. He trained with British troops and even went on exercises with them. During this time he has learned various tactics and skills which he hopes to transfer to The Strathan Army.

Modernisation

At present, the Strathan Army is very out dated, with old and dilapidated weaponry. Over the next year, the People's Commissar aims to begin introducing paintball guns into the Strathan Military to replace the current mêlée and water based weapons. In addition to this, it is hoped that new uniforms and other equipment can be introduced, to replace the older versions of the British CS 95.

Foreign Relations

Foreign Relations

Strathy maintains that only through unity and co-operation, can any micronation hope ever to achieve its goals. With this at the fore-front of Strathy's diplomatic policy, The Strathan Department for Foreign Relations has made relationships with many other micronations, with varying degrees of formality.

Formal Relationships and Treaties

Nation/Organisation Flag Nation/Organisation Name Treaty Type Foreign Signatory Date Signed Additional Notes
Podjistanflag.jpeg Podjistan Treaty of Mutual Co-operation Comrade General Papa Podjov 24 June 2011 N/A
CMP.jpeg CMP Treaty of Mutual Co-Operation Politburo Member David T.S. Phin 13 September 2011 CMP is an International Communist Party/Movement
1Drapeau_3.png‎ Republic of Padrhom Treaty of Mutual Recognition G.P.I.P M. Michel Vichat 19–26 April 2012 First treaty to be hand signed by both parties.
Caladoniaflag.png Republic of Caladonia Treaty of Mutual Recognition President 1 May N/A
CIMS.png Coalition of International Micro-States Treaty Organisation N/A 1 June 2011 Strathy Recognises the Sovereignty of all Member States

Informal Ties and Frienships

Strathy holds many informal ties and frienships with other micronations without formalising them via treaties. Among the nations that Strathy holds friendly relationships with are The Principality of Inesia, The Republic of Öokko and The Republic of Molossia.

Demographics and Infastructure

Population

At the moment, Strathy has only 8 citizens, 7 humans and one dog. Currently citizenship is open to all who wish it. A form is filled out and on completion of the form, a questionnaire is sent to the applicant. Membership of the website and Citizens are different, for example, you can be a site member but not a citizen, and vice-versa. Whilst Strathy is very willing to allow new people to apply for citizenship, due to territorial constraints, Strathy is not allowing for new residents at this time.

Economy and Currency

Strathy's Economy is incredibly diverse. Strathy relies on Self Sufficiency in some food markets, growing its own vegetables and fruit, as well as farming hens for their eggs. Strathy also relies on outside income, brining in money from various sectors in Scotland. The People's Commissar's parents are employed as teachers in Scotland, and bring in money for the nation. This money is used to bring in valuable resources such as food and other necessities. Strathy's main industry is agriculture, with nearly all citizens being involved in agriculture in some way or antoher.

The Strathan currency is called The Whitsenmark and is generally abbreviated to WM. It's value is based on 1 WM per litre of petrol from our local supermarket. At present 1 WM = £1.37.

Culture

Strathy likes to see itself as a nation of culture. Recently, the organisation, Culture Strathy, has been set up to oversee the development of culture in Strathy. Every single citizen of Strathy partakes in many of the expressive arts, including, speech and drama, music, art, screen play and writing. 90% of Strathans play a musical instrument and sing and both the People's Commissar and his two sisters are know for their artistic abilities. Both of the People's Commissar's Parents are accomplished musicians and keen writers. His brother takes part in drama and plays and his youngest sister has made countless cartoon movies and has a popular YouTube channel. An integral part of Strathy's culture is its people. The people of Strathy are generally very well mannered and keen to befriend new people. This inviting atmosphere, combined with Strathy's love of sport and the expressive arts makes it a culture hub in the micronational world.

Sport

The Strathan government tries hard to promote sport within the nation. The Strathan Sporting Association oversee all sports in Strathy and decide the national teams. There are many different sports in Strathy, the most prominent are running and Curling, with 33% of the population running regularly and with 75% of the population being avid curlers. The People's Commissar is Skip of the Strathan Curling team, and his father, Captain of the running team. In the summer, there are also small scale football, tennis and cricket competitions. Strathy has recently recognised Planking as an official sport and is organising and nationwide Planking league. At present the two best Plankers in Strathy are Ginger Whittle and The People's Commissar, although Jura, the family dog, is getting better.

Science and Technology

The Strathan Government is very keen to keep its citizens on then very forefront of Scientific Advancements. This can be quite difficult considering the relatively small size and young population of Strathy. Never-the-less, The Strathan Government has recently introduced a government department for scientific research. This is currently headed up by ‘Ginger’ Whittle, The Commissar for Scientific Research and Development.

The Strathan Space Agency

Strathy's keenest Interests are in outer-space, exploring the cosmos and attempting to gain a better understanding of the origins of our universe. Currently, Strathy has its own Telescope and various pieces of computer software for studying and analysing the night sky. Whilst Strathy has no official Observatory, Strathy's space agency continues to find new and interesting points in the sky. It is hoped that some day soon, Strathy will be able to send a rocket into space. This may be far off, but it is something that we are aiming for.

The Strathan Solar Calendar

Recently, Strathy implemented a new calendar. The Strathan Solar Calendar begins on March 21, The Vernal Equinox. It is believed that such a Calendar ties in more closely with the Earth's rotation about our sun, Sol.

The Calendar can be found on the Documents section of our website.

Media

At present, Strathy has its own website, which is being used to broadcast news and other things of importance. However, it is hoped that Strathy will soon open up its own Twitter account to help with the current Facebook account and get Strathy noticed more. The Strathan Government recently commissioned the creation of The Strathan Broadcasting Network. This also included the creation of a 'Videos' page on the website and a YouTube channel. The SBN offers government broadcasts and information programmes along with Entertainment and News. The most recent addition is SBN's latest sit-com. Based on ‘Hitler Rant Parodies’, “East Fronters” tells about a parodied and very dysfunctional life lived in the Fuhrerbunker.