Do political parties exist in the world of STAR TREK?
- Thread starter dswynne1
- Start date
I think the Federation itself can be considered a political party.
In my head canon, they're a foot note in history and don't exist anymore.Maybe the flat Earthers will be organised by then.
Probably, and also 'within' the idyllic Federation. The Essentialists from Let he who is without Sin would be an example. Yes, that would be a fringe political group willing to employ terrorism to reach its ends, but it shows that not everyone in the Federation thinks the same way. And if such fringe political groups exists, why wouldn't larger factions using more legal means, or even full blown parties exist?
In the novelverse at least, yes there are political forces with agendas vying for control in the UFP.
The recent IDW Year Five comic suggest that there are, one more conservative than the other.
Exactly.
Simple answer is "Yes."
I don't see why people would not find similar thinking people and pursue their own goals as part of an ongoing development of the Federation.
But no actual political parties, a point that gets brought up a lot, usually with a comment or joke about political parties being "a terrible idea." Though they never explain how a democracy can work without any political parties, but then that's par for the course in Star Trek, present an impractical idea without explaining how it works.
In real life, there are a handful of countries without political parties. There is indeed a concept of "non-partisan democracy." Perhaps the Federation would require candidates for certain offices to be independent. But since things in Trek can't be too different from what its primary viewing audience is used to, we can probably assume that there are indeed political parties in the Federation (ETA: except in the novelverse as already mentioned).
So then the important question is... how does campaign finance work in a moneyless economy?
Kor
So then the important question is... how does campaign finance work in a moneyless economy?
Kor
How does the Federation work?
Very well, thank you for asking.
Ask me no questions; I tell you no lies.
I was thinking about that. I wonder if maybe most parties are actually limited to one planet (or maybe one species) . For actual Federation-wide parties, it's hard to think of there being a left-right economic divide in a post-scarcity economy, so perhaps the real division is Federal vs. Planet power, or maybe how militaristic Starfleet should be.
I think we should outlaw Political Parties.
Make Politicians have to think and vote independently and individually on each specific law / regulation / ordinance / etc.
Not turning off your brain and blindly following Political Party dogma. Or have Lobbyists write or edit your laws / regulations. Every Piece of Legislation / Regulation / Law should have to be written by a politician themselves, no leaving it to outsiders to write.
Same with analysis of it and editing.
Have real discussions, analysis, and think about the repercussions along with PRO(s) / CON(s) of every rule or legislation that they make.
Make Politicians have to think and vote independently and individually on each specific law / regulation / ordinance / etc.
Not turning off your brain and blindly following Political Party dogma. Or have Lobbyists write or edit your laws / regulations. Every Piece of Legislation / Regulation / Law should have to be written by a politician themselves, no leaving it to outsiders to write.
Same with analysis of it and editing.
Have real discussions, analysis, and think about the repercussions along with PRO(s) / CON(s) of every rule or legislation that they make.
I think you can have that and parties. It's harder but worth it.
This saved me a lot of typing.
In Picard, I think Federation Worlds threatening to pull out if they continued to aid the Romulans after the attack on Mars shows where the real political divide is.
In DS9, Joseph Sisko seems to be someone who's very much Anti-War. And President Jaresh-Inyo was a President who preferred a more dove-ish approach when it came to the Dominion. By the seventh season of DS9, he's a former President, so the mood of the Federation at the time must've been majority pro-war.
Admiral Kristen Clancy plans to build a forcefield around Federation space, and she's gonna make the Romulan Star Empire pay for it.
I would image there are parties at the planetary and even regional level that might form larger blocs or coalitions that function at whatever level the federation works at. OTOH if the Federation is really just a United Nations of space with delegates sent from member worlds, then it is hard to see parties operating at the level of the UFP itself, anymore than we pave parties in the UN now.
What happens if the UFP is closer to the USA and EU where Planets are just glorified "Planet-States" for purposes of territory and Member Species are similar to EU's Member States, but are renamed to "Member Race/Species".
But instead of a Bi-Cameral Legislature, you have a Tri-Cameral Legislature instead?
What benefit does that have?
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