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Q1. Freedom of Movement
To what extent can any member of your population move
to any part of your planet (or between systems); without reference to
any form of authority (i.e. Customs, Police, or other authorities)? :
All citizens of the Conglomerate have complete freedom of movement without hinderance, unless they are subject to legal restraint, for example in respect of debt or breach of contract proceedings.
Q2. Freedom of Action
Are there any portions of your population precluded
from particular jobs or activities (i.e. Women, Blacks, ex-cons, etc)?
Only those unsuitable to carry out the job or task are excluded. Obviously, this means that some groups exclude themselves from key roles on health or genetic suitability grounds. Bankrupts have serious restrictions, and those convicted of Breach of Contract often have some restrictions on movement and activities.
Q3. Freedom of Expression
If an individual or group were extremely critical of your
Government's actions or policies, to the extent that it might affect your
popularity, what steps would you take?
The Government is exceptionally sensitive to public opinion and especially the views of dissident groups. Focus group and demographic study is a fundamental part of Government activity. If the Government's popularity suffers as a result of dissident claims or criticism, then the Government is failing to do its job properly. If it were not possible to deal with the concerns, or counter the criciism in some public way, the Government might have to be Re-structured.
Q4. Control of Media
To what degree could you prevent the publication or transmission
of information to the general public that you regard as detrimental either
to your government, or to the welfare of the people?
Any publication that is factually wrong, or libellous would be pursued through the legal system. In some cases, breach of security might amount to Breach of Contract - but again the existing legal system can restrict. In general, otherwise, there are no limits to transmission of uncomfortable information.
Q5. Direct Control of Media
Are there any parts of the media that you have no direct
editorial control over?
Most of the media is unregulated (other than within the normal legal issues of libel and Breach of Contract). The Government publishes some information, but in general this isn't very much.
Q6. Severity of punishment
| a. Breach of Contract | This is a very serious crime (possibly the most serious) in the Conglomerate, which relies on a complex pattern of contract to tie its society together. Breach of Contract can lead to confiscation of all assets, imprisonment, indentured servitude and exile. |
| a. Mass murderers? | Psychological reprogramming. Loss of some civil rights (limitation of the sorts of contracts the individual can enter in to). |
| b. Rapists? | Psychological reprogramming. Loss of some civil rights (limitation of the sorts of contracts the individual can enter in to). |
| c. Great Train Robbers? | This is a very serious crime. It amounts to Breach of Contact (see above) |
| d. Traitors? | This is a very serious crime. It amounts to Breach of Contact (see above) |
| e. Petty theft? | This is a very serious crime. It amounts to Breach of Contact (see above) |
| f. Assault? | This is a very serious crime. It amounts to Breach of Contact (see above) |
| g. Indecent Exposure? | Psychological reprogramming. Loss of some civil rights (limitation of the sorts of contracts the individual can enter in to). |
| h. Illegal parking? | This is a very serious crime. It amounts to Breach of Contact (see above) |
| i. Illegal drug abuse? | There are no illegal drugs in Conglomerate. |
Q7. Right of appeal
How would a defendant charged with one of the above crimes
appeal against their sentence, and to whom?
The enforcement of crimes is ultimately by locally contracted Regulators. These are answerable to the Centauri Office of the Regulator, which has a special Appeals Section.
If this fails to satisfy, it is possible to appeal to the Democratic Board, either through the Corporate Representative Board or Citizen Representative Board, as appropriate.
Q8. Police powers
a. Privacy and civil rights: is there anywhere that your police cannot go, and if there are limits, what are they?
The Regulators may only invade privacy if they have good cause. Searches are subject to the provisions of Regulator Contracts, and may require approval from a higher authority (such a local Planetary Democratic Borad).
b. Police powers v. civil rights: under what circumstances may the police arrest and detain?
The Regulators have very wide powers or arrest and detention in respect of Breach of Contract. However, they may only detain for very short periods of time - they usually have quite strict performance targets for processing suspects.
c. Complaints procedure: to whom are the police accountable, and by what means may the general public complain or object to their activities?
The police are accountable to the Office of the Regulator, and ultimately to local or regional Democratic Boards. In the event of a Contract Regulator company failing to meet its targets, it will lose the contract.
Q9. Open Government
What sort of Government activities are kept secret from
the general public?
Military deployments in time of war, ongoing covert investigations into major criminality, that sort of thing.
Other than that all Government activities are audited and reported publically.
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