by Thinkpiece

Abstract: An analysis on the effectiveness of governance in the immediate aftermath of the First Tarot Crisis. This paper argues that the strong focus on judicial proceedings and the informal nature of many of the democratic processes proved highly effective at dealing with short-term problems, but allowed fundamental issues to arise in the longer term. The author argues that this was likely due to overcompensation in response to the previous abuses of power seen in Spindle.

Despite the prospect of unity and reconciliation in the aftermath of the events at the Pit and in the Magnum Opus, problems immediately arose as to how Spindle should move forward. Perhaps one of the most indicative events of the scale of the disagreement are accounts of the final Brainstorm, which consisted of considerable argument over questions such as ‘how should the economy work?’, ‘should there be an economy?’, ‘who should have power?’, ‘should an interim system of government be held to the same standard as a permanent one?’ and so on. For reasons that should be obvious to any reader, these questions went mostly unanswered.

It is, perhaps, rather incredible that some sense of stability was achieved. Though prospects seemed dim – with some eyewitnesses reporting that one Muse wished to become a god-like being overseeing all of Spindle – the level of cooperation and coordination shown was nothing short of extraordinary. Much of this can be put down to pragmatic Muses taking the helm, guiding more hubristic personalities towards specific positions within a controlled environment such as the Dream Vanguard. Though not perfect, it did secure peace for quite some time.

Bet Wimpole and Joseph Caesar displayed foresight in reforming the legal system – giving it some sense of legitimacy and authority that had been lacking since the downfall of the Academy of Thought. Considered somewhat old-fashioned by many Muses at the time, particularly down to its ‘punishment fitting the crime’ philosophy, the transparency of the process and its focus on anti-corruption proved both popular and justifiable in the political environment.

In the face of the significant problems to come, a highly judicial focus in governance proved an effective cultural weapon against those who would threaten Spindle in future events – even after Bet Wimpole and Joseph Caesar’s personal influences had waned. The aversion of a second merging of the worlds by Porphyrius Noise – an event that occurred significantly later – was only averted by Joseph Caesar’s personal efforts to keep tabs on those most likely to contravene laws, which proved vital once those laws came under threat.

The Dream Vanguard, even from its conception, was viewed warily. The Anti-Corruption League – a personal initiative by Joseph Caesar – was a successful venture in this regard. This was particularly effective in combination with the Wardens, established by Prince Archibald Richmond Rutherford du Octavio the Third: an effective internal police force which extended the arm of the law into practical action. Learning from the mistakes of the Academy, it was not so focused on Censorship and controlling information so much as ensuring that all Muses followed the laws laid down as part of a democratic process. Such efforts proved vital in the years to come.

The actions of Jack and Finn Der were also important in encouraging a culture of democratic expectations. Though the direct democracy advocated by Jack was not fully rolled out, both Jack and Finn Der placed an emphasis on all Muses having a say in how Spindle was governed – giving some pushback against the strong focus on the judiciary. The establishment of an ethics committee was not sufficient to provide fully effect governance in its own right, though it successfully held back some early excesses by the Dream Vanguard – and even on occasion the strict legal system. Such weaknesses would become more evident later.

Other positive developments occurred at the same time:

Lorem Ipsum’s Creative Commons, which all Muses were automatically enrolled into, was another safeguard against illegitimate control of information and governance. Though its existence was established to prevent harmful Muses from acting in ways which may threaten others, the precedent set by its existence also served to promote transparency and understanding between Muses who may otherwise have felt intimidated into criminal acts due to the unpredictability of Pure Inspiration and the Academy in the past.

Despite the legalistic angle that many Muses took, several Muses aided the democratic process in less direct ways. The most obvious of these was Morta Bord’s Hall of Opinion. Though initially viewed with a wary eye, it proved a popular venue for Muse debate, and allowed ordinary Muses to draw attention to issues as and when they arose in a public and widely viewable platform. Concerns over Censorship, though not unfounded, turned out to be greater than anticipated – with most Muses not having a compulsion to Censor those that they disagreed with.

Victoria Hugh-Beaumont and Retconnor both pioneered TEAR (Tragedy Enacted Amicably and Responsibly), which was created as an advisory board for the protection of vulnerable Impressions. Working with the Creative Commons, Victoria in particular toiled tirelessly on several cases where TEAR had judged that the relevant Impressions were at risk of being exposed to traumatic experiences during a tragedy. Such cultural shifts had previously been completely unknown.

As such, it can be seen that numerous attempts were made at generating a truly democratic society with strong laws in place to protect it. The question of why further issues arose, then, is therefore not trivial.

The paper continues…