Ultrarepublicanism
Ultrarepublicanism (Breheimian: Ultrarepublikanisme) refers to an ideology developed in Breheim during the early 19th century, looking to the Republican Revolution for inspiration. Breheimian Ultrarepublicanism refers to a worldview of a world torn between the forces of the people, and various tyrants who would usurp the power and livelyhood of the people. Monarchs, authoritarian 'republican' rulers, one-party states, tribal societies and so on are considered more or less the same, but monarchs are considered particularly vile. Ultrarepublicans oppose monarchy in any form imaginable, and often refer to any system that allows one individual undue power to be 'monarchic' in nature. The ideal of ultrarepublicans is a direct democracy, where people hold the final say in executive, legislative and judicial matters.
History
Ultrarepublicanism originated as a pejorative term for supporters of Arne Torsteinsøn by the government of Johannes Sjøfarer in the aftermath of the Republican Revolution in Breheim, but was soon appropriated by the republican opposition during Sjøfarer's authoritarian presidential regime. Ultrarepublicanism organized within parties such as the historical Democratic Party of Breheim, and by some is considered a predecessor to Breheimian Socialism, although modern Ultrarepublicans dispute this. Ultrarepublicanism remained somewhat popular in Breheim throughout the 19th century, particularly among the working class and intellectuals.
Ideology and Political Positions
The world-view of Ultrarepublicans imply a view of human society as a conflict between the forces of the popular will and the people, against the forces of tyranny, autocracy and oligarchy. It is not deterministic in nature, and believes that for popular democracy to remain, it must be safeguarded vigilantly by dedicated revolutionary democrats and republicans. Monarchy is considered the ultimate evil, making the entire state apparatus and the subjects of the king the de facto slaves of the royal family. Slavery and serfdom are considered similarly vile by Ultrarepublicans, and wage slavery is considered on par with the former by Left-Ultrarepublicans.
Ultrarepublicans differ in views on how to continue the 'rule by popular will' (or True Democracy), but many believe a system of total direct democracy is necessary to maintain the rule of the people over that of tyrants, dictators and monarchs (considered one and the same by Ultrarepublicans). Others believe some system of separation of powers is necessary, but radical Ultrarepublicans consider this type of Ultrarepublicanism to be 'tyranny apologists'. The only just treatment for tyrants, slavers and monarchists, according to Ultrarepublicans, is death. Mercy is considered to be incompatible with justice, and overall the ideology has strong traces of 'an eye for an eye'.
Economically, the Ultrarepublicans are divided. Most Ultrarepublicans consider themselves neither socialist nor capitalist, considering both to have authoritarian tendencies that suppress popular will and authority. Ultrarepublicans in Breheim are usually divided into Left-Ultrarepublicans and Right-Ultrarepublicans, with the former supporting a strong state providing essential services and state direction of the economy, as long as said state is democratic in nature. Right-Ultrarepublicans believe that the state itself is inherently authoritarian, if necessary in some form, and should thus be limited and always subjected to the will of the people, in order to avoid a tyranny by bureaucracy. Both Left- and Right-Ultrarepublicans vary further in terms of 'extremism', with communist and anarcho-capitalist views existing within Ultrarepublicanism as minority views. Overall, however, Ultrarepublicanism is economically centrist.
In terms of civil rights, there are also divisions within the Ultrarepublican movement. These are generally grouped into Community-Ultrarepublicans and the Individualist-Ultrarepublicans. The former believe that society, expressed by massive popular will, should be able to restrict the freedoms of individual citizenry. The latter believes that certain rights are inaliable, and even massive popular will should not restrict an individual's freedom. Most Ultrarepublicans fall in between these two categories, believing that some freedoms are natural and should be possessed regardless of popular will (such as suffrage, speech and assembly) while others should be subjected to popular will and direct democracy.
Strength
Within the Republic of Breheim, Ultrarepublicans can be found in most political movements in some degree, but in the modern time are concentrated within the Republican Party of Breheim. While a minority within the RPB, Ultrarepublicanism as a whole is considered to be growing in Breheim, both within the traditional left and the traditional right-wing electorates. While the hey-day of Ultrarepublicanism was the First Breheimian Republic (the Free-Democracy of Storøy-Vestøy, although the term did not exist at the time), optimistic Ultrarepublicans believe that the time of Ultrarepublicanism will return once more in the country.
In Modern Breheim
As of 2014, a total of eight MPs consider themselves Ultrarepublicans. These are:
- Anders Lund (RPB), National Assembly
- Ingvar Dal (SWP), National Assembly
- Lina Hoby (EADL), People's Assembly
- Harald Nilsen (ARSF), People's Assembly
- Trude Johansdottir (SPCS), People's Assembly
- Bent Forneby (RPB), Storfylke Assembly
- Jon Østersjø (RPB), Storfylke Assembly
- Karl Klåstad (ARSF, Storfylke Assembly
Anders Lund is considered the 'parliamentary voice' of Ultrarepublicanism, and is the most prominent Ultrarepublican in modern Breheimian Politics. In early 2014, he proposed a bill to initiate 'immediate nuclear strikes' against capitals of nearby monarchies (gaining only 10 votes out of 730 votes in the Breheimian Parliaments). When it became clear the bill would fail, Lund threw a filibuster in the National Assembly for a solid fifteen hours, railing against 'semi-republicans', monarchists and others, as well as discussing the weather, ancient Breheimian archeology, sporting scores, his home life, the deal with airline food, detailed reviews of his favored beers, recounting the popular children's book 'Anna og Bjønnen' Anna and the Bear and performing a short interpretative dance expressing his disapproval among other things. Lund's filibuster remains the longest in modern Breheimian history, and one part in particular was broadcast nationwide:
"It is the sacred duty of all freeborn men and women to continue the struggle against tyranny and monarchy, as such it is our duty to launch immediate strikes against all monarchist slave-realms using our newly gained strategic capabilities. While casualties may be high among the oppressed peoples of those slave-realms, the eradication of monarchy would liberate untold millions from tyranny and enslavement. The establishment of nationhood, sovereignty and freedom, the eradication of slavery and dark age tyranny, is a grand enough prize to justify the deaths of millions, not counting the slavers, nobles and royals who would perish who are, after all, not people. You who oppose this bill call yourself Republicans, yet you dare not take it to its ultimate conclusion? You are nothing by apologists for tyranny and slavery! You are the people who would bar your doors when the Republic calls, instead of fighting the monarchist! Have you been bought? Have you been bribed by foreign kings? Fuck you! Qualms about collateral damage and war are the qualms of the weak, the idiotic and the corrupt! Long live the Republic! Long live Democracy! Long live the People!"
Greater Pony Herd
Within the Greater Pony Herd, the Citizens' Party describes itself as radically Ultrarepublican. The party and the former political forces that have merged into it were the driving force behind the 1879 Revolution and much of its radical revolutionary republican drive. The party still proclaims Ultrarepublicanism as the core part of its ideology to this day, fiercely opposing all forms of instituted inequality such as slavery and monarchy. However, its brand of Ultrarepublicanism was not entirely inspired by Breheim; though the party has later praised Arne Torsteinsøn and the Breheimian Revolution and called them sources of inspiration, the original ideological drive most likely could not and was not influenced by Breheimian Ultrarepublicanism and was an independent branch of thought taking root from Herdite traditions of democratic local self-rule and scorn for the autocratic Alphist government of the 19th-20th centuries.
Lemon Party, Liberty Party, Social Union parties include officially Ultrarepublican blocks within them. The Social Union is de-facto an Ultrarepublican party but has not proclaimed it a part of its official ideological platform until Bound Anarchy's leadership when in 2014 she declared the party to be officially Ultrarepublican.
The Prench Republic, a subherd with a rich history of radical republicanism, declares itself an Ultrarepublican region. Since GPH law and constitution prohibits proclaiming an official ideology even on a regional level, it is not codified, but it is recognized as uncodified convention.