List of political groups in Talahara
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Political groups in the Talaharan Commune are voluntary organizations that play an important role in political organization. Variously called associations, groups, movements, but most commonly as salons; political groups have no official status in the Commune. However, in practice, political groups organize the campaigns of preferred or associated candidates, including the completion of petitions and the production and distribution of campaign materials. There are two broad types of political groups: civic salons which are independent groups borne out of civic organization; and industrial salons which originate in industrial organization and industrial democracy.
There are several dozen political groups which are active among the 1,250 Local Legislative Councils and the 50 Superior Legislative Councils in Talahara. There are only seven different groups with representation at the Supreme Legislative Council. Only four salons have representation at the Executive Council Council.
Political axis
While many liberal and monarchical nations predominantly define their political axes on a left-right scale, the Talaharan Commune's political groups are more commonly defined by anarchist or statist leanings. While occasionally referred to as an up-down scale by foreign analysts, the anarchist/statist distinction is more commonly used within Talahara, though the latter is occasionally considered pejorative.
Anarchism is a political position that calls for the abolition of unnecessary or unjust hierarchies and an emphasis on local, community organization. In Talahara, anarchists advocate for the retention of political power at the level of Local Legislative Councils, and against the devolution of power to higher-level councils. Radical anarchist positions include the abolition of the central organization of education, healthcare, and infrastructure. More moderate positions may simply include greater checks and balances on representatives and executive authority. Anarchism is equally identified with civic republicans who desire greater empowerment of local government authorities and industrial unions that seek greater autonomy from all levels of government.
Statism is a political position that calls for more political unity within Talahara and more authority for central bodies of government. At the extreme end, statists would see the Commune's government inverted into a truly unitary entity, with the central government devolving power down to local communities rather than the inverse. Other radical statist objectives include economic central planning. Moderate statist beliefs hold that communities should be readier to cooperate and delegate authority to higher legislative councils, also holding that more interconnected societies are less insular. Moderate statists advocate for centralizing services and infrastructure, including healthcare and education, while retaining the current political structure of the commune. As the label is occasionally considered pejorative, common euphemisms include unity, community, or centre.
In many instances, statist control is associated with an emphasis on industrial democracy and the power of unions. Seemingly paradoxically, some statists advocate for the centralization of a narrow band of powers in a federal government, while abolishing other government services entirely, relying on industrial unions to provide civic services. Advocates of these politics are often referred to as anarcho-industrialists or anarcho-statists.