Would You Like Earth To Join A Federation?

[Temis the Vorta]

There has to be some kind of taxes or other kinds of support (if not money) from member worlds for Starfleet. Otherwise why doesn't everyone just kick back and say "let the stupid hew-mons handle it." Hmm, waitaminute...

What about a benign military fascist regime?

The Dominion is accepting membership applications!

Now that would be a fun plotline. Forget the shootin' war, let's have the Feds and Doms actually in ideological competition for expansion. The Dominion offers a lot of benefits - total protection from outsiders and no domestic interference as long as the population behaves. A very pro-business ethos, too! No Dominion member world needs to send their people as cannon-fodder, since the Doms grow their own. The Feds would be hard pressed to counter that offer.

 

[Mr_Closet]

The original question sounds like a preamble for the UK Conservative Party's feeble effort at stimulating public interest in a referendum on the new EU "constitutional treaty" thing.

I'm in favour of big government a long way away from me, not medium sized nanny state government that pokes a CCTV camera into my bedroom window and records my phone calls in the name of "security". Light years is definately a long way away.

But that wouldn't be my only reason for being in support of joining an interstellar Federation. Starting out at the bottom of the heap, we can expect to have no influence at all, but we can expect support, subsidy, technology transfer, travel opportunites, access to markets and trade... all of which combine to accelerate our development on an almost logarithmic scale. Consider the last 100 years of technological development that we've managed to cook up here, on earth, all on our own. Look how far we've come in such a short time. Imagine how far we could go with the impetus and resources that being a paid up member of a galactic club founded on the principle of enlightened mutual self-interest could take us!

 

[Mr_Closet]

I consider myself politically British and European in the same breath and find no contradiction between the two. I am only culturally English. I recognise no such thing as English politics, or even Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish unless it's in the context of the Union, because that forms the over-riding framework through which all business is conducted in all three nations (plus one principality) that constitute the United Kingdom.

How is this comment relevant to the topic?

All laws are British laws. One rule for all. That is the single most fundamental binding factor because it (theoretically) ensures equality across all boundaries.

Joining a pan-national (or rather, pan-stellar) club would provide that benefit on a planetary scale. In order to get the goodies, you must meet a minimum standard of human rights (or shall we say sentient rights?), a minimum standard of sentient liberties and strive to provide a minimum standard of quality of life and access to education for all sentients on/within/around your particular ball of mud, rock, gas or liquid. When the EU expanded eastward, criteria were placed on the new member states that they had to meet to gain entry. Argue all you like about whether that actually worked - if it failed, it didn't fail because the principle was flawed, but rather that the execution was lacking.

There's also the benefit of oversight and consensus. No one member can do something drastic to his population without achieving a consensus amongst his peers. I want to euthanase all my 60 year old citizens, but hang on, the European Court of Human rights won't let me, and the European Parliament is in uproar with only one or two other members supporting me, and their own populations are complaining about that, as well. So, damn, I can't just do what I want and oppress my people whenever I feel like it. If there's one rule for all, than either everyone dies at 60, or no one. A tension exists, with no one state able to deviate too far from the defined path without it's fellows pulling it back onto the straight and narrow.

The only question that remains would be whether you agree with the direction in which that path is heading.

 

[HRHTheKING]

I'd prefer to have a Terran Empire than a Federation.

We see, we want, we conquer, we take.

 

[Skywalker]

Sure. We'll just spread all over the place, breed like rabbits, and eventually take over (or at least become a majority race) just like how we did in Andromeda's Systems Commonwealth.

 

[Frodo Lives]

I've always wondered why everyone assumes that when humans become part of the interstellar community that we a) Will breed faster and more numerously than any other species in the universe, and b) Will adapt and invent new technology faster than anyone else. Seriously, how big is our ego?

I'm sure that's pretty much the only thing we'll be able to corner the market on - having the biggest egos in the universe.

 

[starburst]

I doubt we would be let in, alot of people would spread out hell bent on spreading their version of the 'truth' just like they have done many a time on this planet.

That or the reverse will happen where loads of different races will want to save us with their own idea of the 'truth'

(by 'truth' Im not judging anyones beliefs just the opinion that their will be those on this planet and others who wont be happy untill everyone thinks the way we do)

Id prefer it to be more like the EU is currently than what happened with the US where each 'State' has control over most aspects of their own affairs.

Also its obvious that each Fed race kept its own ships just allowing Starfleet to conduct alot of their military ops (could be a bad thing)

 

[HRHTheKING]

Best way for a Federation to operate would be to establish a few basic principles. So members must be democratic and have certain rights like free speech and free assembly and so forth.

After that was agreed, each planet or star system would basically have autonomy over their own affairs.

The Federation council would only have jurisdiction in four main areas:

1- Matters relating to dealing with disputes between two or more members.

2- Matters relating to issues with non-Federation planets and star systems.

3- Matters relating to territory within the Federation that had not been claimed by members.

4- Matters affecting the alliance as a whole.

The members would cooperate through a commonly agreed framework in areas such as scientific development, trade links, economic interaction, defence etc...Each area would have a seperate operating treaty which defines clearly what the purpose and function is of the institution or organisation being established as an arm of the Federation.

 

[Furlong]

Thinking about it, I'd have to wonder why this massive interstellar alliance would want to have us join up. We stand to gain a lot, but they stand to gain nothing, so I'd be initially suspicious of that. I'd suspect the motives, wondering if maybe they want to use us as cannon fodder or something.

That being said, if it was like the Federation, then I say sign me up!

 

[Eternality]

I for one would welcome our new alien overlords.

 

[watermelony2k]

This is assuming that the Federation would let us join

 

[Blueicus]

Well, considering that we don't even qualify for membership in Star Trek's Federation, I would say we don't even have much of a choice.

 

[Apogeal Alpha01]

If the nonhumans will convert to the true God of the universe! We must remain SOVEREIGN! Otherwise, our GOD WILL NOT permit it!

 

[Moocey]

Fuck no.

 

[Sci]

HRHTheKING said:
The members would cooperate through a commonly agreed framework in areas such as scientific development, trade links, economic interaction, defence etc...Each area would have a seperate operating treaty which defines clearly what the purpose and function is of the institution or organisation being established as an arm of the Federation.

That would never work. The bureaucracy and red tape would become prohibitive if you have to have a separate treaty for every action undertaken by the executive branch of the federal government. Plus, treaties are agreements between sovereign states; by joining this Federation, members would give up their sovereignty. It'd be like having a "treaty" between Ohio and Michigan, or Bavaria and Brandenburg.

Furlong said:
Thinking about it, I'd have to wonder why this massive interstellar alliance would want to have us join up. We stand to gain a lot, but they stand to gain nothing, so I'd be initially suspicious of that. I'd suspect the motives, wondering if maybe they want to use us as cannon fodder or something.

Altruism? A desire to peacefully and consentually unify all the sentient societies of the galaxy under a common constitutional liberal democratic government? They really want to have sex with us and the customs line would get shorter?

 

[rotorbotor]

Fire said:
Just imagine for a moment that we develop warp drive and set off out into the stars and explore strange new worlds and new life and new civilisations and we come across an Organisation called the the United Alliance of Planets , they offer Earth membership but we must conform to their laws and we hand power over to their 'council' with our planet sending a representative, also if we wanna travel on starships we must join their Starfleet. Would you like Earth to join? or would you prefer to go it alone like the Klingons/Romulans and Cardassians in Trek?

Obviously in this scenario Earth isnt a founding world and we are the outsiders being offered membership.
Would we as a people really give up our sovereignty to an organisation like this?

We are becoming part of the American Federation.

America is taking us over through globalisation and their mega corporations who use bribes,blackmail and murder to further their aims.

They are enforcing their brutal capitalist policies on every one to profit at our expense.

This repulsive American federation is rotten and corrupt to the core as every single one of their congressman accepts donations from BIG BUSINESS to pass laws in favouer
of BIG BUSINESS.

They have used the 9/11 incident to pass draconian laws and subvert individual human rights.

This is not the Star Trek Federation but the Blake's 7 Federation.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Anyone else hear the violins?

 

[starburst]

Anyone else thinking thats just politics of most places...lol

 

[JD]

Ummmm, yeah.

 

[Elder Knight]

I don't even like the United States in the United Nations.