Ok, I have alternative proposals. They may be adjusted further depending on what level of support that
@durin says they have to get them into a state where they could pass.
[X] Defences: Strengthened Compromise Plan
- Use Governor-General Aelfric's plan as a basis, using the requirements for ground and orbital defences as well as PDF numbers.
-- The PDF number requirement is altered to account for the minimum 1% constitutional requirement. The number of regiments must be the greater of the base requirement and the 1% requirement.
- A colony must have at least ten Defence Monitors and a Helheim Pattern Defence Cruiser when founded, with another ten Defence Monitors and a Helheim Pattern Defence Cruiser every forty years.
- Add a militia requirement. Within 35 years of founding the colony must establish a civilian militia composed of at least 50% of the adult civilian population. The must receive a minimum of four hours of weekly training and the colony must maintain enough Impaler Carbines and body armor to equip all of them.
Arguments:
1. First, it should be noted that these are minimums. Given the level of economic power in the Imperial Trust, it is likely that many colonies will be equipped above the minimum level to start with. A colonizer wishing to go beyond the minimums should easily be able to do so, and can do so according to their preferred military methodologies.
2. It is essential to have some defence vessels stationed in a colonized system to start with, as piracy is likely to become a problem eventually. Orbital defences have no reach beyond the planet they are orbiting, so will not be able to counter commerce raiding.
3. Adding a militia ensures that each world has a very large additional force to call upon in emergencies, ensuring they are better able to hunker down in the event of larger invasions that require them to wait for reinforcements, and that an enemy attempting to take a city will experience far more resistance than they would expect. It also provides a pool of recruits for PDF expansions that have additional experience.
4. The constitutional minimum of 1% of the population needing to be PDF should be enforced, especially considering that colonial populations are likely to grow quickly with all the healthcare STCs available. Point to Avernus's rapid population growth as an example, and then point out that most colonies won't be Death Worlds on top of that.
[X] Middle Ground Protections
- Each colony shall be required to give no more than half of its tax income to the colonizer, a number that cannot exceed twelve and a half percent of its total income.
- Within a decade of the colony forming it shall have a local government made up entirely of people living on the colony. -After fifty years, 50% of the local government officials must be native born or have 25 years of residency. After seventy-five years 66% of the local government officials must be native born or have 35 years of residency. After one hundred years 75% of the local government officials must be native born or have 50 years of residency, and the colonial government will be subject to an Inquisitorial audit to ensure that the colonizer has not attempted to set up a puppet government.
- The local government should have the right to present petitions to the High Council and that the High Council shall have the right to intervene in any colony with a two thirds vote.
Arguments:
1. The preferences regarding the taxation numbers is split evenly. Meeting in the middle seems sensible.
2. Allowing for a residency length requirement prevents competent, experienced officials from being released from their duties to fill a quota of local births that is somewhat arbitrary. But in order to meet the spirit of the original proposals, an Inquisitorial audit should be performed to ensure that the spirit of the law is being followed in good faith - it is after all one of the intended functions of the Inquisition to root out corruption.
3. On the subject of the High Council interfering in a colony, point out that it will be a significant action, and should only take place under egregious circumstances. To minimize hostility from the colonizer, it would be better to require a significant portion of the Imperial Trust to take such a controversial step. Lesser issues can likely be resolved through discussion and politicking without the need for intervention.
EDIT - Worked out a new version where residency can allow one to maintain a position, but the Inquisitorial audit will ensure no shenanigans are going on.
Propose two additional protections to be voted on:
[X] Additional Protection 1: After fifty years, at least 75% of the PDF being recruited from that point should be from the local population.
Argument: This will prevent military domination by the colonizer as the colony grows closer to independence by them simply importing troops to fulfill the military requirements.
[X] Additional Protection 2: After twenty years, a basic level of universal education must be available to the population. At fifty years, some level of higher education must be made available. The Low Council will spend some time over the next ten years working with the educational institutions of the Imperial Trust to establish a few proposals for the minimum curriculum, which will be voted upon by the High Council in ten years.
Arguments:
1. Maintaining ignorance in a population is a common tool of oppression, and thus a path that encourages corruption by the Abomination. By ensuring that education is established early, we ensure that colonies do not fall into the habits of the old Imperium and prevent such corruption.
2. Ensuring a level education also means the colonies will be more productive in general, which is beneficial to both the colonizer and the colony.
