Lewisham Democratic Republic

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Lewisham Democratic Republic
Ludwigsheim Demokratische Republik


Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: "Truth will Prevail"
Anthem: The Internationale

Lewisham, Lewisham Democratic Republic
Capital
and largest city
Lee Green
Official languagesEnglish, German
Demonym(s)Lewishami
GovernmentFederal Socialist State
• President
Alex Ulbricht
• Chairman
Matt Co
• Vice-President
Oliver Honecker
LegislaturePeople's Chamber
Establishment29th September 2011
Population
• Census
12
CurrencyUSLSSR Ruble, Nemkhav Mark
Time zoneUTC
Preceded by
USLSSR
This nation is the successor of the USLSSR

The Lewisham Democratic Republic (German: Ludwigsheim Demokratische Republik), also known as the LDR or Lewisham DR, was a semi-autonomous region within the USLSSR. It was given its semi-independence on the 29th of September 2011 by the Supreme Soviet of the USLSSR, this degree of independence came about after a split within the CPUSLSSR over whether or not it should be kept under direct control of the government or given total independence after minor mummers of an independence movement.

On the 30th of September 2011 Matt Colls was installed as the Chairman of the region, effectively giving him total control over the region until elections were held. He was chosen over the other candidates, namely Oliver Honecker, due to his desire to keep the region as part of the USLSSR as opposed to pushing for greater devolution and eventual independence.

However after the USLSSR's entry into the Nemkhav Federation the LDR took over as the sucessor state to the USLSSR, after the collapse of the USLSSR, with most government figures transfering over to the LDR as a result. Currently Lewisham holds the status of a state within Nemkhavia and is active within Federation level government, with Lewisham's leader serving as Prime Minister of the Nemkhav Federation.

Etymology

The LDR's name stems from the British name for the area in which it is situated, the name Lewisham finds its roots in ancient Saxon records where it is called Levesham, which means 'the house among the meadows'. The other constituent part of the LDR's name (Democratic Republic) is in reference to the planned democratic government that is expected to take over within "a year or two", according to a statement made by the CPUSLSSR a day prior to the establishment of the region's semi-autonomy. However it is now unknown, since the entry into Nemkhavia, when or if these elections will take place as Alex Ulbricht has assumed control over the former semi-autonomus province.

History

Soviet Rule

The LDR was a federated state within the borders of the Leestani Soviet Socialist Republic on and during the 8th July 2010, however on the 9th July the LSSR was absorbed into the USLSSR as a result the LDR came under the direct control of the Soviet government, a move opposed by many of the population, and lost its status as a republic. During the first 15 months of Soviet control very little in the way of nationalistic feeling was noted, however during the 16th month of Soviet rule (September 2011) a small independence movement, c. Eight, began a series of political motions directly to both the President and the Vice-President of the USLSSR. On the 26th September the upper echelons of the CPUSLSSR held an emergency meeting, only the third ever called both others were during the London riots, to discuss the situation in what was referred to by Krenz as “The Rebel Province”. The conclusion of these meetings was that although the calls for independence were legitimate, the USLSSR could not afford to lose such an important region yet if no concessions were made it could lead to political instability that could blight the entire country, so, a compromise of creating a semi-autonomous province was decided upon. A Pro-Soviet leader, Matt Co, was installed as the Chairman due to his “unionistic tendencies” and the province began to function as a semi-independent state, with restrictions such as the inability to raise an armed force placed upon it by the Central Government of the USLSSR.

President Ulbricht and Chairman Co on a visit to the UK

Semi-Autonomy

Since the 29th September 2011 the LDR had been de facto been operating as an independent state, there had been until the entry into Nemkhavia no intervention by the USLSSR be it political or otherwise. Chairman Co was praised by the Soviet leadership for “keeping a tight ship” and “having the situation under control”, however it had been noted by political analysts in both the LDR and the USLSSR that this may be due to a “honey-moon period” that had taken hold due after the gain in autonomy. It was expected that Co would call elections in the near future, ahead of the planned Soviet timetable for democratic elections, yet it is unknown if any entity other than the Socialist Front (the Party which was installed by the USLSSR) would put up a candidate in the elections, which would have seen Co win by default. There had been calls for an official declaration of independence to be delivered to the Soviet Government and the world as a whole, but there, at the time, was no official word on the subject from any government minister but it is thought that this could have take place down the line, if Co were to have been removed from power but this was unlikely due to the outright support he received from the USLSSR, the Federal Police Force and the fear of a retaliation like that experienced by the Czechs, during the Prague Spring, at the hands of the USSR.

Nemkhav Era

On the 20th of November 2011 the LDR succeded the USLSSR as a republic within the Nemkhav Federation and took over all the USLSSR's previous powers as a republic within the federation. The LDR is the birthplace of the Socialist Unity Party of Lewisham and the party is the current local ruling party and is part of the Democratic Revolutionary Front on a Federal level, which is a coalition of Socialist parties across the Nemkhav Federation.

Government and Politics

Lewisham is a Federal Socialist Republic which is largely dominated by Trotskyist and Marxist political ideas and policy. In the Soviet era the CPUSLSSR dominated the political structures, occupying all high level positions. After being granted Semi-Autonomy this feature continued, with Chairman Co, a Soviet puppet, being made leader. However in recent times the local Socialist Unity Party runs the state, although, like the CPUSLSSR which preceded it, it is still a hard-line Communist Party, but it is agreed that it has far more legitimacy than the CPUSLSSR did due to it being native to the region and the majority of the population accepts the authority of the SUP.

Socialist Unity Party

The Socialist Unity Party is the dominant political organisation in Lewisham, holding all government positions. The Party follows the ideas of Marxism-Leninism, alongside Trotskyism, as the basis of its policy. The Party itself has a rigid structure which affords almost complete power to the Politburo, which is made up of the Party's President, Chairman and Chief Political Officer and due to the grip the party holds over Lewishami politics the Politburo has a decisive say on affairs in the country; however the People's Chamber (Volkskammer) does have the power to overrule the Politburo if it can muster a 2/3 majority on any given issue.

People's Chamber

The People's Chamber, or Volkskammer in German, is the unicameral legislative body in Lewisham. The way in which the electoral process is conducted for the Chamber means that the SUP will always have at least 45% of the seats prior to any votes being cast. This assures the domination of the SUP over Lewishami politics, but has proven since the nation’s beginnings to bring constant stable government to the country. No other electoral party, aside from the CPUSLSSR during the Soviet era, has ever won a seat with the Chamber, however 3 independents have served as members but made little impact upon proceedings during their respective terms. The Chamber can overturn any decision made by the SUP's Politburo by voting with a 2/3 majority against any decision taken, however this has never taken place and would prove to be a potential breaking point for the power of the Politburo if this were to take place.

Military Revolutionary Committee

The Military Revolutionary Committee, or MRC for short, is the governmental organ which is tasked with the furtherment of the Communistical Revolution in Lewisham. It is made up of three members, those being the serving President of the day, the General Secretary of the day and the highest ranking officer in the military, the Comrade General, however the positions which hold a place in the MRC can be changed by a motion in the People's Chamber. In its current capacity it has shared control of the National People's Army, alongside the serving President, and is authorised to use the military to defend the Revolution, however what defines a threat to the Revolution has not been made clear and is stated to be a flaw in the MRC, giving it the potential ability to seize control of the country's political structure in the name of defending the Revolution.

Climate

Climate data for Leestan, Republic of Leestan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 57.2
(14.0)
60.8
(16.0)
69.8
(21.0)
80.4
(26.9)
87.8
(31.0)
95
(35.0)
95.9
(35.5)
100.2
(37.9)
86
(30.0)
83.8
(28.8)
66.2
(19.0)
59
(15.0)
100.2
(37.9)
Average high °F (°C) 46.6
(8.1)
47.1
(8.4)
52.5
(11.4)
57.6
(14.2)
64.2
(17.9)
70
(21.1)
74.3
(23.5)
73.8
(23.2)
67.8
(19.9)
60.1
(15.6)
52.2
(11.2)
46.9
(8.3)
59.4
(15.2)
Average low °F (°C) 36.1
(2.3)
35.8
(2.1)
39
(3.9)
41.9
(5.5)
47.7
(8.7)
53.1
(11.7)
57
(13.9)
56.7
(13.7)
52.5
(11.4)
47.1
(8.4)
40.8
(4.9)
36.9
(2.7)
45.3
(7.4)
Record low °F (°C) 14
(-10)
16
(-9)
18
(-8)
28
(-2)
30
(-1)
41
(5.0)
44.6
(7.0)
42.8
(6.0)
37.4
(3.0)
25
(-4)
23
(-5)
19
(-7)
14
(−10)
Source: n/a

Lewisham has a temperate oceanic climate, similar the areas of the United Kingdom which surround it, mainly London, the British capital city. Winters are generally chilly to cold with frost usually occurring in much of 4 Republics that make up the LDR. Snow usually occurs about 4 or 5 times a year mostly during the months of December through to February. Temperatures during winter rarely fall below −4 °C (24.8 °F) or rise above 14 °C (57.2 °F). During the winter of 2010, Lewisham experienced its lowest temperature on record (−10 °C(14 °F)) alongside the heaviest snowfall seen for almost two decades, it caused several days of national celebration due to the inability for travel and therefore the time was spent by many in the company of friends and family. Normally summers are warm and sometimes they can be particularly hot, the heat being boosted by the urban heat island effect from the centre of the British capital, London, however the summer's average is 24 °C.

Administrative Regions

Within the LDR, during the pre-Nemkhav era, there are 4 Republics and one Joint Administrative Region (shared with the USLSSR). The 4 Republics each were designed to run their own local governments, but due to lack of population they were mainly controlled directly by the Federal Government. The Joint Administrative Region houses both the Soviet and Lewishami Capitals, although the LDR’s seat of government resides in the Republic of Sebrecna. The LDR shared borders with 3 other nations (2 Micro and one Macro): the USLSSR, the Kingdom of Zealandia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Little has changed since the end of the USLSSR in terms of borders aside from the Joint Administrative Region falling under control of the LDR in its entirety. However the seat of government has not returned to the capital and still remains within the Rep. Sebrenca.

States

Internal and external borders of the LDR during its time as part of the USLSSR, with the former Zealandian province shown
Flag Name Population Support for the Socialist Unity Party of Lewisham
Republic of Sebrenca 4 75%
Republic of Leestan 5 90%
Republic of Manhiem 2 50%
Republic of Upham 1 100%

Law and order

The Federal Police Force, or FPF for short, was the only armed force within the LDR due to the terms imposed by the USLSSR when it afforded the region greater freedoms. The FPF never made a single arrest within the borders and only had 2 personnel, who were poorly trained and due to this complaints were made by citizens, calling them "an ineffective force that does nothing to protect our community from trouble makers.", these claims were refuted by Chairman Colls who told USLSSR Public Media at the time that "the police force are doing the best job they can with the limited resources they can be afforded, if the people are so worried about crime I suggest they work together to stop it".

After the end of Soviet rule in the LDR a local police force (still named the FPF) was created, as per the terms of the nation's entry into Nemkhavia, this police service, as with the Soviet era police force, has made no arrests since its inception and appears to do little in the way of crime fighting, posibly due to the lack of crime in the area.

Military

The Lewisham Democratic Republic has its own armed forces, known as the NPA/NVA (National People's Army/Nationale Volksarmee) which contains 2 branches, those being the Border Guards and the Ground Forces. The NPA remains under the command of the LDR's Government but it is a defensive force and is not put into use unless the Republic is directly attacked by a foreign power. It also can be easily transferred to direct control of the Nemkhav government in the event of the Federation coming under attack.

The military has not been able to rely upon a stream of conscripts, unlike in Soviet times where all males were required to serve, in some form, in the armed forces. The end of conscription caused a large drop in manpower available to the military, it has often campaigned for a return to a more limited system of conscription, based around a random draft lottery, which it claims will enable it to complete its set tasks with more ease.

Sport

Association football is the only major sport that is followed by the population of Lewisham. The fan base of the sport mainly follow teams from the English Premier league due to the lack of a national league system, and currently no clubs are in operation giving the prospect of a league system little hope. However Lewisham does have a national Association football team; the Lewisham National Football Team currently participates in the virtual football league within the microwikisphere, although it is hoped that they will be able to play actual matches and attended a World or European championships. The National Association football team is view as the successor to the National Football Team of the USLSSR, due to the states former association with the defunct nation.