UMF - Goverment
The Bureaucracy
A small bureaucracy that provides legal and administrative support assists each department. These career civil servants have a poor reputation within the UMF, and are known derogatorily as "leeches." This prejudice stems back to the corruption of the Lyonnesse League, though most citizens today recognize that they are a necessary evil. The civil service is divided into distinct groups that support each secretariat. There is surprisingly little overlap of function, each relying on the others' specialties. This is not to say that relationships between departments are always good: a number of clashes result from overlapping responsibilities, such as between the Infrastructure and Economic Development departments, leading to considerable back room diplomacy.
The principals that govern The Caucus - money, favors and blackmail - are equally true in the civil service, with corporate lobbies and interest groups seeking to advance their causes. In many regards, the non-elected nature of the bureaucracy leads to a more brutal style of politics; they do not need to worry about reelection and are less concerned about public relations (though no Mercantile citizen ever completely ignores his image). Furthermore, the civil service's promotion structure, again following the corporate model, prompts bitter internal struggles. Despite this, the bureaucracy runs well, with competition between departments and working groups driving each to excel. As elsewhere in Mercantile life, results are the key. Provided the work i s done promptly and efficiently, few care about the processes. The converse is also true - failure i s frowned upon and severely punished - and forms the basis of much of the internal politics.
City Goverments
The document that sets down the laws of the United Mercantile Federation, the UMF Charter, grants each city-state the right to maintain its own tradition of government. This results in a wide range of governments: a monarchy in Ashington, a matriarchal oligarchy in Swanscombe and a self-perpetuating socialist bureaucracy in Zagreb. The one requirement is that production and distribution systems be fully integrated with the UMF and obey Mercantile laws. Beyond that, each city is given free reign to govern itself, supported by federal economic or military aid if needed. Indeed, the UMF is barred from interfering in internal city-state matters, though it may take action if the city-state's actions threaten the political or economic stability of the Federation. For example, the UMF did not interfere in the revolutions that occurred in Ashington in TN 1797 and 1814, except to make it clear secession from the UMF would not be tolerated.
The Shadow Goverment
While The Caucus rules the United Mercantile Federation, it is corporate interests who elect the secretaries, steer the process and have the power to destroy hopes of reelection. They manipulate the government to suit their needs and it is a brave secretary or Caucus who opposes them. Publicly each corporation wields its own influence through sponsorship of elections and via lobby groups. It is also widely accepted that, though obliged to forgo any non-governmental corporate interests, many secretaries maintain close links to sponsoring corporations and serve as advocates for their interests. Less well known is that the Federation's largest companies form a shadow government, called the Corporate Council. The principle role of the Council is benign - to provide a forum in which inter-corporate disputes can be mediated - but it also serves a darker purpose. It is the Council that determines much of the UMFs fiscal policy and steers relationships with its neighbors, wielding considerable influence in both the Caucus and the bureaucracy. Much of the Council's efforts go towards ensuring a common purpose for Mercantile corporations, minimizing internal conflicts by laying down clear guidelines for areas of trade, pricing and so forth. They also work to deter foreign interests from gaining a major hold in the UMF or its foreign markets, using pressure on The Caucus to influence the CNCS.
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