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Statement of Principles / FAQ

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Statement of Principles / FAQ Empty Statement of Principles / FAQ

Post  GoopyPants Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:50 pm

One thing I'd suggest is that we work up a statement of principles, one of those mission statement things. Seems to always be a knee-jerk reaction to the word "communism" and to the idea of a communist party, so if we have a clear agreed-upon message to allay some of those fears, that might help those not in the party understand where we are coming from.

Please note that these are just my thoughts on where we are and where we should go. No one person is the party, and while we may not all have the same ideals, we should be able to come up with a framework as a basis. So feel free to disagree, make suggestions, poke holes in this, or tell me I'm wrong about something.

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The BCP and You

The Belgian Communist Party (BCP) is a party for the people by the people. We stand for open and fair governance of our beloved eBelgium for the benefit of the highest number of citizens.

Principles:

1. Government should be fair, honest, and open.
Accounts, decisions, and actions by the congress, the government, and the BCP should be subject to review. No citizen should feel that others are receiving hidden privileges or compensation. Important governmental decisions should be discussed and debated in an open forum before implementation, and decisions that affect the people should be decided upon by the people, either directly or by their chosen representatives.

2. Governance should be by the people for the people.
The citizens of eBelgium are the reason there is an eBelgium. Governance by decree or fiat is unacceptable. Congress is chosen by the populace and should work and vote for the benefit of the majority. The government is also appointed by the people, and should also work for the benefit of the majority.

3. All activity, government, economic, and military should be voluntary.
Asking the people for something and accepting that they may as individuals or as a group reject the request is a core concept of the BCP. While the BCP may ask for certain actions, individual self interest should be recognized, even when it conflicts with the greater good. Loyalty is earned, not enforced by oaths or penalties.

4. Those who contribute to the greater good should be recognized, which is its own reward.
Selfless actions should be praised, but no member of the BCP should demand or take differing compensation that is unavailable to the populace. Secret payments, kick-backs, salaries, compensation, all of these are anathema to fair and open government.

5. The workers should benefit from the means of production.
While a free consumer market is the best way to establish prices through the intersection of supply and demand, it should be the workers who profit from their labor, not those privileged few who own the factories.

------

FAQ

1. Hey! Aren't commies all about the violent overthrow of government and the establishment of a world wide communist regime? And aren't you guys just wanna-be totalitarian dictators like all other commies?

No. The BCP is a collective of like minded individuals who seek a better future for eBelgium and ourselves through populist economic and political change. We work within the system to improve the system for the betterment of all eBelgians, not a ruling cadre.

2. Do I have to be a member of the party to gain any benefits that party members have?

No, except for some party political activities. Membership in the BCP is open to all. Party membership allows participation in selecting the party president and running as an official party candidate for congress and the presidency, but is not required to benefit from the economic programs [that will be] sponsored by the BCP.

3. But commies are all about commissars, political indoctrination, and hate for some groups!

No, not the BCP. We strive to be as inclusive as possible, and respect the individual views of members and non-members. Civility and open discorse are our goals. While we don't ask (or expect, and find somewhat silly) any sort of role-play behavior, all RL prejudices and intolerance are not tolerated by the BCP.
[I put this one in here because I'm tired of seeing nonsense borderline hate-speech on the eBelgian forums and I'm disgusted by it. People making wisecracks about genocide, mocking those of other races and orientations, and such behavior is something I don't think the party should tolerate at all]

4. Why should I join you guys? There are several other parties and they have cool names!

The BCP is for and about you! Rather than a select few of the elite that rule by decree, we strive to have everyone participate at a level they are comfortable with. Joining another party, unless you are part of their clique, will have little to no benefit: They only want you as a pawn for their advancement, their profit, and their ambition. They won't help you or listen to you unless it is for their benefit. We want you to enjoy eRepublic, grow as a player and an ePerson, and have fun!

5. How can I help?

Join the party and participate! Maybe you know some RL friends who might want to play, folks in other countries who would be happy with a new life in eBelgium, or maybe you want to be active on these forums or the official eBelgium forums. Above all, respect the views of others and have fun!

6. I disagree with a certain position that the party or a party member has. They should change their mind, how do I make them?

We ask all BCP members to follow their conscience. If that doesn't agree with an "official" BCP position or goal, we respect and accept that. The BCP is a collective of individuals... we work for a common goal and will of course have differences of opinions, but we recognize that and it is part of our strength!

7. Why is everything in English! My English is poor, can I still participate?

Sure, but you need at least a workable fluency. The "official" language of the BCP (and of eBelgium) is English, but it doesn't have to be your native language as long as you can understand forum posts and issues being discussed. Automated translation tools are available such as google translate, but be aware that some discussions may not translate well. Also, if you are a native English speaker, please be aware that many other members of the BCP and of eBelgium often use strange gramar and spelling. And try to avoid the use of idioms, those are very often lost in translation or don't work cross culturally.
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Post  Monsieur Guillontine Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:11 pm

Goopy, this is beautiful! Some things I want to revise/add to the Principles. Smile

1+2. Governance should be by the people for the people.
The citizens of eBelgium are the reason there is an eBelgium. Governance by decree or fiat is unacceptable. Congress is chosen by the populace and should work and vote for the benefit of the majority. The government is also appointed by the people, and should also work for the benefit of the majority. Accounts, decisions, and actions by the congress, the government, and the BCP should be subject to review. No citizen should feel that others are receiving hidden privileges or compensation. Important governmental decisions should be discussed and debated in an open forum before implementation, and decisions that affect the people should be decided upon by the people, either directly or by their chosen representatives.

3. All government, economic, and military activity should be voluntary.
A core concept of the Belgian Communist Party is that even when individuals or a group of individuals reject a request, the party accepts that it is the people's own choice to do so. The Belgian Communist Party understands that although working for the common good will result in endless prosperity for the nation of eBelgium, the Belgian Communist Party would like to stress that it is still the citizen who makes the decision. In addition, it is important to know that loyalty is earned and not to be enforced by oaths or penalties.

5. Competition must be abolished and replaced with association.
The costs of production of labor consist of precisely the quantity of means of subsistence necessary to enable the worker to continue working, and to prevent the working class from dying out. The worker will therefore get no more for his labor than is necessary for this purpose; the price of labor, or the wage, will, in other words, be the lowest, the minimum, required for the maintenance of life. However, competition in eBelgium is soaring, resulting in only the strongest business owners to profit, whereas the weaker smaller players are left to spiral downward into debt. Therefore, the Belgian Communist Party believes that in order to resolve this crisis, industry and all branches of production should be taken out of the hands of mutually competing individuals, and instead be turned into state-sponsored companies in which they are operated by society as a whole – that is, for the common account, according to a common plan, and with the participation of all members of society.


Last edited by Monsieur Guillontine on Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:02 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post  GoopyPants Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:46 am

for #5, are we advocating that in an ideal BCP run eBlegium there should be no privately owned companies that employ workers?

Not sure we should go that far as a goal, and I think that's what scares people... making where they work and what they get non-voluntary (thou shall only work in certain factories for a certain wage). It also completely turns all company owners against the BCP directly from the start, as they see no winning position, i.e. their investment in their expensive factory would be worthless and they can't make any profits if the BCP succeeds.

What would be ideal, and I think we all agree, is that a worker's work unit (WU, their daily work in someone else's factory) should be tradable for food and/or weapons in some rational and fair way (since eBel doesn't have the same bonuses for food as it does for weapons), so every worker gets a daily dividend from all other workers who worked that day. This would be somewhat similar to what the BAF does. Whether this is country wide or just within a co-op system is a point of debate.

One problem is, as you pointed out, that WU goods distribution is a logistical nightmare and has far too much record-keeping. Supplies get delayed, they never seem fair, and there is much teeth-gnashing.

My thought for a workable system would be that workers use their WU in commune-friendly companies and get the maximum wage, as in the commune owner doesn't take any profit or loss when they sell the goods. The wage is in BEF (rather than trying to send/donate goods), and the worker can spend their salary how they please on food, weapons, gold, or whatever (and the open market carries all the goods produced). The mechanics could be just paying the highest possible wage up front (which would also attract non BCP workers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing), or paying a fair market wage with weekly profit sharing (which would be all of the profit to the worker, and a fair market wage would not drive the capitalists insane). Much less paperwork that way, doing everything in BEF up front, rather than with goods. Everyone ends up paying more taxes though (income tax, loss of VAT when the goods are sold).

another issue... how hammy should we be with the communist rhetoric? Maybe in "serious" documents it should be tone neutral, and in proclamations way over the top? Just afraid that one too many "glorious revolution!"s and "capitalist imperialists!" will make the BCP a stock comedy routine rather than a serious movement Very Happy
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Post  Monsieur Guillontine Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:09 am

GoopyPants wrote:for #5, are we advocating that in an ideal BCP run eBlegium there should be no privately owned companies that employ workers?

Not sure we should go that far as a goal, and I think that's what scares people... making where they work and what they get non-voluntary (thou shall only work in certain factories for a certain wage). It also completely turns all company owners against the BCP directly from the start, as they see no winning position, i.e. their investment in their expensive factory would be worthless and they can't make any profits if the BCP succeeds.

What would be ideal, and I think we all agree, is that a worker's work unit (WU, their daily work in someone else's factory) should be tradable for food and/or weapons in some rational and fair way (since eBel doesn't have the same bonuses for food as it does for weapons), so every worker gets a daily dividend from all other workers who worked that day. This would be somewhat similar to what the BAF does. Whether this is country wide or just within a co-op system is a point of debate.

One problem is, as you pointed out, that WU goods distribution is a logistical nightmare and has far too much record-keeping. Supplies get delayed, they never seem fair, and there is much teeth-gnashing.

My thought for a workable system would be that workers use their WU in commune-friendly companies and get the maximum wage, as in the commune owner doesn't take any profit or loss when they sell the goods. The wage is in BEF (rather than trying to send/donate goods), and the worker can spend their salary how they please on food, weapons, gold, or whatever (and the open market carries all the goods produced). The mechanics could be just paying the highest possible wage up front (which would also attract non BCP workers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing), or paying a fair market wage with weekly profit sharing (which would be all of the profit to the worker, and a fair market wage would not drive the capitalists insane). Much less paperwork that way, doing everything in BEF up front, rather than with goods. Everyone ends up paying more taxes though (income tax, loss of VAT when the goods are sold).

another issue... how hammy should we be with the communist rhetoric? Maybe in "serious" documents it should be tone neutral, and in proclamations way over the top? Just afraid that one too many "glorious revolution!"s and "capitalist imperialists!" will make the BCP a stock comedy routine rather than a serious movement Very Happy

Hm... well for #5 maybe I should re-word it a bit. But still, I think it's best that we advocate state-sponsored companies but perhaps there will still be an option for private company owners, BUT our long-term goal is to achieve that. Yes, we might get some negative feedback, but I think that is one of the main points of the party because well, that's what makes our party different. I'm not saying that people HAVE to get rid of it, perhaps just encourage them to work together. So maybe I should reword it. Razz

However, I don't quite understand what your idea for the commune system is when you talk about highest wage upfront? Can you clarify or restate it? I don't really fully understand. As for the whole communist document things, it's okay if we make it super-communist sounding Smile That's what makes the party different, and I know other people don't think it's a joke because they know me very well, haha. It's just a tone that makes it more interesting to read I guess, because if we just make it neutral, it might be a bit of a bore. Smile


Last edited by Monsieur Guillontine on Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:02 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post  GoopyPants Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:58 am

OK, example using fake math. Or maths.

A Q5 raws company in exampleville makes 200 widgets.

200 Widgets would sell for 150 BEF (net, after taxes, in the pocket of the seller) on the open market.

Most company owners would pay a wage of say 100BEF, and pocket the 50 BEF as profit. With free market wage wars, they might get up to say 120 or something, but there really isn't that much wage price competition between the big players.

What I mean by fair wage up front is that the owner of the q5 company pays a wage of 150 (worker logs in, works, and gets 150 salary) and then the company owner deals with the selling. With market fluctuations the system wont be perfect, but should be relatively close and differences can be made up day to day with salary changes.
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Post  Monsieur Guillontine Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:51 pm

GoopyPants wrote:OK, example using fake math. Or maths.

A Q5 raws company in exampleville makes 200 widgets.

200 Widgets would sell for 150 BEF (net, after taxes, in the pocket of the seller) on the open market.

Most company owners would pay a wage of say 100BEF, and pocket the 50 BEF as profit. With free market wage wars, they might get up to say 120 or something, but there really isn't that much wage price competition between the big players.

What I mean by fair wage up front is that the owner of the q5 company pays a wage of 150 (worker logs in, works, and gets 150 salary) and then the company owner deals with the selling. With market fluctuations the system wont be perfect, but should be relatively close and differences can be made up day to day with salary changes.

But aren't we going to pay them with food supplies, not money? I think that would defeat the purpose of the commune if we just pay them normal wages like other companies, even if it is up front. Razz


Last edited by Monsieur Guillontine on Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:03 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post  GoopyPants Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:44 pm

Right, but paying them in food or weapons is a logistical nightmare. You have to trade supplies from owners of a raw company to an owner of a finished goods company, then transfer the finished goods to the worker. You have to coordinate who works where, and make sure all the finished goods companies have enough raw inputs.

and you have to keep track of who is requesting what type of goods, then manually send them all out.

paying them in BEF, they just spend however they like for whatever goods they want.
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Post  Monsieur Guillontine Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:51 pm

GoopyPants wrote:Right, but paying them in food or weapons is a logistical nightmare. You have to trade supplies from owners of a raw company to an owner of a finished goods company, then transfer the finished goods to the worker. You have to coordinate who works where, and make sure all the finished goods companies have enough raw inputs.

and you have to keep track of who is requesting what type of goods, then manually send them all out.

paying them in BEF, they just spend however they like for whatever goods they want.

Well yeah, it might be a nightmare, but if we were to just give them BEF, that would defeat the purpose of a commune. Instead, I think we can still give out food, it would just be that the owner of the raws would be the same owner of the food producing company. Because if you think about it, it wouldn't make sense to just give out money... then that'd be the same as if we made a company! If need be, I will have no problem managing the 2 companies. Because you have to remember that there are not that many people who will do the communes right away. Once we are able to expand it, different members can own the companies so that we distribute the workload.
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