Arcadia

The Kingdom of Arcadia
Flag
Capital	Highever
Largest	Starkport
Official languages	English
Recognised national languages	Old Arcadian
Demonym(s)	Arcadian
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Alexander II
• Lord High Steward	The Right Honourable David Sinclair
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House of Lords
• Lower house	House of Commons
Area
•	1,854,268.25 km2 (715,936.97 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	66,800,000 (mid 2012)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Total	$2,300,000,000,000
• Per capita	$35,000
Currency	Arcadian Pound Sterling (APS)
Date format	dd.mmm.yyyy
Driving side	left

THe Kingdom of Arcadia is...

Government and Politics

National Government

The Crown

The Crown, being the official embodiment of the reigning monarch, is the highest authority within the Kingdom of Arcadia; a constitutional principle which was recently re-asserted by Alexander II, and legally speaking it is from the Crown that all other governmental authority descends. Theoretically speaking, the Crown is the final authority on any matter within the Kingdom’s sovereignty, a theory which was most recently put to the test in 2015 when Alexander II suspended Parliamentary Privlege in order to investigate and prosecute corrupt Members of Parliament. Practically speaking, within the current constitutional framework, the Crown Typically delegates much of the day-to-day running of the Kingdom to the High Council, a body of senior Royal, Government and Civil Service officials, over which the Crown presides. However, the Crown has unquestioned authority over the composition of the High Council, and approval of the Lord High Steward, the Kingdom’s head of government, and the Crown cannot be forced to appoint anyone to the High Council against’s its will.

As a result, the Crown is able to assert significant influence over the High Council, and as such, the Crown generally speaking, however the Crown seeks to govern in co-operation with the High Council rather than overtly exercising the Crown’s legal authority; indeed doing so is generally a last resort and only employed when essential. Moreover, the Crown is typically expected to avoid party-political matters, and indeed is largely content to leave purely domestic matters to elected representatives, instead focusing on matters of diplomacy and nationals security. Never the less, the Crown does have the power to introduce legislation for consideration to the Parliament, and to veto any legislation passed by the Parliament, and possessed the power to grant amnesty and commute punishments, amongst other regularly used powers.

The High Council

The Arcadian High Council, being the joining of the executive power and legal authority of the Crown with the legislative powers of the Parliament, is the main body through which the Kingdom is governed. The High Council represents the unified will of the Kingdom, and it is through the High Council that the most important decisions are made and actions taken. Although the Crown can rule by Royal Decree, this is a rarely used power that effectively backs up the Crown’s influence and de facto authority, and the majority of executive actions are carried out by ‘the High Council in the Name of the King’, which includes the King and his political counterparts. The High Council is, therefore, when considered against other systems, a combination of a privy council, cabinet and national security council, and is intended to allow rapid, unified and effective decision making in a crisis and broad consensus at all times. The High Council is presided over by the reigning Monarch, or in his absence the Lord High Steward, and although it exercising executive power the body is intended to be non-political, which is enforced by the Monarch, and for that reason contains members of the Official Opposition to ensure unity during crisis. As such, by convention, the vast majority of domestic, party-political matters are legislative in nature and approved by the High Council, and the Crown, as a matter of course; indeed the non-political appointees are expected to support the Government during votes on legislation.

The High Council consists of the following members:

• The Monarch
• The Lord High Steward
• The Leader of the Opposition
• The Lord Chief Justice
• The Lord High Marshal/The Lord High Admiral
• The Lord Constable
• The Secretary of State for Home Affairs
• The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• The Secretary of State for Defence
• The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
• The Secretary of State for International Trade
• The Secretary of State for Justice
• The Secretary of State for Education
• The Secretary of State for the Interior

Parliament

The Parliament of the Kingdom of Arcadia is a bicameral body that holds the majority of legislative power within the Kingdom, and is principally responsible for legislating for domestic affairs. Until recently (Alexander II’s reassumption of Royal Authority) the Parliament also held de facto executive power, even if the Crown remained the de jure executive, however under the current constitutional framework the Parliament’s main concern is domestic legislation. Consisting of the House of Lords, which contains all of the members of the nobility of the Kingdom and highly experienced life peers, and the House of Commons, which contains elected Members of Parliament, both houses hold the power of veto over the other, and the Crown has the power of veto over both, and may introduce legislation for consideration.

As the representatives of the people, the House of Commons holds the right to introduce finance bills, and support of these finance bills in the Commons are a pre-requisite for the Government of the Day (which holds the right to appoint (with the Crown’s consent) the Lord High Steward, Secretaries and Ministers of State, and other members of the High Council, although the Leader of the Official Opposition also sits on the High Council. Conversely, the House of Lords has the power to block finance bills, and has sufficient sway over regional affairs, given that the individual members of the nobility serve as regional governors and county administrators.

Military

The Royal Arcadian Military (RAM), also known in legislation as the Armed Forces of the Crown, is the armed forces of the Kingdom of Arcadia, consisting of the three service branches (Navy, Army and Air Force) and responsible for the defence of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and in supporting the Kingdom’s foreign policy.

The Royal Arcadian Navy

Main article: Royal Arcadian Navy

The Royal Arcadian Navy is the oldest service branch within the RAM, officially raised by the Crown in 1514 to protect the expanding Arcadian trade fleet, and has played a vital role in protecting Arcadia’s property in the centuries since. The Royal Arcadian Marines, a sub-branch of the Navy, served as the principle ground forces available to the Crown until the formation of a standing Royal Army in 1564, and have since gained a reputation for professionalism and controlled aggression. The Royal Arcadian Navy, having suffered under successive budget cuts brought about by political corruption, has a large but ageing fleet, and has launched upon an extensive modernisation programme under the reign of Alexander II, with debates still raging within the Admiralty over the size and composition of the future fleet even as the first ships began construction and began to enter service.

The Royal Arcadian Navy currently consist of three fleets;

• Home Fleet
• Northern Fleet
• TBC Fleet

The Royal Army

Main article: Royal Army

The Royal Army is the second-oldest service branch within the RAM, being formed in 1564 to consolidate all military ground forces under the command of the Crown (save for yeomanry and Ducal Guards maintained by the Dukes for some time), and is responsible for protecting the territorial integrity of the Kingdom. The modern Royal Army is a well-trained, well-equipped and well-motivated fighting force, and was by far the most effective and capable branch of the military during the decades of political corruption which devastated the resource-intensive Navy and Air Force.

The Royal Arcadian Air Force

Main article: Royal Arcadian Air Force

The Royal Arcadian Air Force is the youngest service branch within the RAM, being forced in 1916 to protect the airspace of the Kingdom and to provide support for ground and naval forces. The Royal Arcadian Air Force, whilst developing a well-deserved reputation for producing well-trained pilots, has suffered consistently over its existence from a lack of funding (due in no small part to political corruption) and has only recently begun to reverse this trend under extensive military modernisation ordered by Alexander II.

The RAAF has seven principle commands, through which it executes its missions:

• Fighter Command
• Strike Command
• Bomber Command
• Transport Command
• Support Command
• Coastal Command
• Drone Command

Main article: Belfrasian Navy