Politics

More has emerged in my Belt Wars story today about the political situation in the Belt. Dissatisfaction on the part of some of the smaller groups about being lorded over by the big two. At the same time, the big boys have seen this coming and have been building up “security forces” in secret. Question of course is... just who are the bad guys, the diplomats, or the secret security forces? Haven't decided... yet. I've also given the big guys a major leg up technology wise with their fancy new drive system. (Just backstory right now, but it'll seep through so the readers find out about it in the story soon enough.) So, I'm thinking that means I'll have to balance the scales a little... maybe a new weapons or armour/shields technology. I hadn't wanted to introduce forcefields as such to the belt wars universe, not until much later on at least, so maybe a weapon or targeting system of some sort. It'll have to wait till much later in the story either way.

At the same time, in sunny Tasmania, more about the political situation since the recent election has finally emerged. Of the 25 seats in parliament, ten each are now held by each of the two major parties, while the other 5 are in the hands of the new kid on the block. No one party has anywhere near enough to form government in it's own right, and the views held by each of the parties are too divergent for there to be any thought of formal coalition. So... the party that was in power, is staying... with the consent of the other two, both of whom has more or less agreed to at least not let the state grind to a halt through the inability to get any legislation through. There is talk (or at least one person has said it would be a good idea) to give a ministerial cabinet position to the leader of the smaller party as incentive to play ball. Seems the houses of parliament here in Tassie are even more like a school-yard than in the other states (or federal) with the popular/rich kids in one corner, the sporting types in another, and the geeks in the library tucked out of the way. So, as I see it, the sports guys have made a somewhat shaky truce with the geeks because they've both agreed the rich kids are too brainless/spineless to govern their way out of a wet paper bag. The geeks have agreed to help the sports guys do their homework and the sports guys have agreed not to beat the geeks up... for now.