runsforcelery wrote:I think a lot of people are hitting around the target without quite hitting the bull's-eye.
The Star Empire of Manticore consists of legally coequal federal units. At this time, there are only two such units: the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Talbott Quadrant. Both of those units have effectively complete local autonomy, but both are completely subject to the Star Empire of Manticore in the spheres specifically reserved to the "central government."
You may, if you wish, think of this as being something akin to the pre-Civil War US, in that specific powers are granted to the Imperial Government whereas all other legal matters are left up to the federal units. So, for example, the Star Kingdom and the Talbott Quadrant could enact different minimum-wage-equivalent legislation. They could adopt different regulations on child labor, and on environmental matters. They could not declare war, they could not negotiate political treaties with another sovereign star nation, they could not enact limiting legislation on interstellar trade, and they could not enact any legislation which contravened the provisions of the Imperial Constitution, including (especially) its limitations on imperial taxation and franchise qualification and the human rights provisions.
So the Talbott Quadrant will elect a Parliament which will sit in Spindle. That Parliament will be empowered to pass legislation initiated by citizens of the Quadrant dealing with anything not specifically prohibited to its jurisdiction by the Imperial Constitution. Any of its laws or regulations which (pretty much by definition) are going to have interstellar implications (that is, they will be promulgated to deal with the needs and desires of multiple star systems) will be subject to judicial challenge from outside the Quadrant's own judiciary only if it is their constitutionality under the Imperial Constitution which is in question.
The Imperial Parliament powers/responsibilities will include: the defense of the Star Empire; the diplomatic relations and foreign policy of the Star Empire; the passage of the Imperial budget; the issuance of the Imperial currency; the regulation of interstellar trade, both external (with other star nations) and internal (between member star systems of the Star Empire); the decision to annex/admit any future star systems to the Star Empire; and the enactment and enforcement of whatever Empire-level laws and regulations as may be required to discharge its responsibilities under the Imperial Constitution. This last point, obviously, would also cover apportionment of seats in the Imperial Parliament.
We're talking about a very complex edifice, a collection of institutions at both the imperial and the local level, so I'm not going to try to nail it down a whole lot more clearly than that at this point. As an example of how this would work, however, let's look at the Royal Manticoran Navy.
Because the Imperial Constitution places the burden of imperial defense on the Imperial Government (i.e., the Imperial Parliament), the existing SKM's Admiralty will find itself reporting to the imperial government (once everything is up and running) and not to the government of the Old Star Kingdom. Decisions about the navy — personnel, numbers of ships, deployment policies, etc. — will be made at the imperial level, in response to the imperial cabinet, and the Imperial Parliament will enact the necessary naval budget each year. The naval budget will be combined with all of the other Imperial Parliament's expenses into the Imperial Budget, and the Imperial Parliament will determine what portion of the total budget each unit of the Star Empire is responsible for. That is, if the Old Star Kingdom represents 75% of the total IGP (Imperial Gross Product), then the Old Star Kingdom will be responsible for funding 75% of the imperial budget. Precisely how the Old Star Kingdom goes about raising those revenues is an internal matter for the Old Star Kingdom to arrange as it chooses, with the understanding that any citizen who does not pay imperial taxes does not have the imperial franchise.
It's important to note here that the Imperial Constitution's provisions for the structure of the government — that is, of the cabinet, the cabinet's function, and the cabinet's relationship with the Crown — is a very closely based on that of the original Star Kingdom of Manticore. What this means is that Elizabeth will be no more of a figurehead on the imperial level than she has been in the SKM. She will be both head of state and head of government, and Dame Estelle, as her representative in the Talbott Quadrant, is effectively the "President" of the Quadrant. The Quadrant's PM is the most powerful politician in the Quadrant as the leader of the majority in the Talbott Quadrant Parliament; he is not the Quadrant's "head of state," even on the local level, however. While it is his responsibility and the prerogative to administer and govern the Quadrant in all those areas in which the Quadrant has local autonomy, and while Dame Estelle (or her successor) cannot overrule him or his Parliament in those matters of local autonomy, he is secondary to Elizabeth's representative in any matter which moves beyond that local autonomy and into the area of the Quadrant's collective legal relationship with the Imperial Government. Legislation governing matters of local autonomy can become law without the Crown Governor's signature; legislation enacted in accordance with decisions of the Imperial Parliament in respect to those areas relegated to its authority cannot become law without the Crown Governor's signature.
Do not try to find a close terrestrial parallel/model for what is being described here. There are bits and pieces of DNA from several historical systems included in the Star Empire's Constitution, but the Constitution itself is unique to Manticore's experience and needs.
Aww, now you've gone and spoil all my fun, Sir!!!
But seriously, those are the kind of details I was looking for when I started this thread - it's fascinating stuff. While I love all the tech and military/spook action as much as the next fan, it's the sociological and political aspects of the Honorverse I really thrive on - oh, and the interpersonal relationships, of course!
Thank you.
