Factbook of the Queendom of Gynocracy

Overview:

The Queendom of Gynocracy is a colossal, safe nation, ruled by Her Magnificence Queen Linda with an iron fist, and renowned for its frequent executions, public floggings, public punishments, compulsory military service and compulsory public nudity. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 8.384 billion Gynocracyians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The relatively small, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Linda City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 19.2%.

The frighteningly efficient Gynocracyian economy, worth a remarkable 2,856 trillion fems a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Soda Sales, and Automobile Manufacturing. Black market activity is rampant. Average income is an amazing 340,725 fems, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 1,101,184 per year while the poor average 79,672, a ratio of 13.8 to 1.

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History:

Gynocracy was founded as a colony of refugees who had escaped from persecution under the mother of the present leader of the nation, Sara (now officially canonized as Saint Sara the Invincible). She led her group of people, around 75% of them female, to safety and established a new state, becoming Queen Sara the Magnificent. Later this grew in power and when she died her eldest daughter Linda took over and declared the state to be a hereditary monarchy with succession to the throne vested in her or her female descendants in perpetuity. (Until that declaration the monarchy had not been explicitly based on the hereditary principle).

Geography and general statistics:

Capital - Linda City
Population| 12,000,000,000+
Government| Hereditary absolute monarchy
Monarch - Her Magnificence Queen Linda the Magnificent
Prime Minister - Carol Brathwaite
Legislature - Two-chamber Parliament, National Assembly and the House of Ladies
National Religion - Sacred Church of Queen Linda the Magnificent
Official Languages - Romanes, English
Currency - fem
National Anthem - I Am Woman
Gross Domestic Product| $522.9 trillion+
UN Classification - Queendom
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Culture:

Gynocracy is fairly traditional in terms of the culture it encourages. Because of the preponderance of Roma and Sinti in the population (75% of the inhabitants are Romany gypsies) there is enormous emphasis placed on Romany music, poetry, dancing and similar activities. Folk music, folk art and folk poetry in general are also encouraged.

Music is widely enjoyed as is poetry.

The literacy rate is basic as education, particularly for boys, is not of a very high standard. Girls, particularly those who go to private schools, are much more widely literate. Only girls are allowed to go on from school to study at university.
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Politics:

Political parties are allowed and there are three main ones, the Gynocrats, the Feminist Alliance and the Vixens. Until the last General Election the Gynocrats had always formed the sole governing party and always obtained a majority of the popular vote and seats in the Assembly. Then the last election resulted in a hung Assembly with the Gynocrats on 35%, the Feminist Alliance on 28% and the Vixens on 27%. Queen Linda approached the leaders of the three main parties and asked them to try and form a government of national unity but this proved impossible. As a result an uneasy coalition government was formed between the Gynocrats and the Feminist Alliance where both sides have been trying, and so far failing, to agree on a minimum set of reforms.

Elections are held every three years on the basis of universal suffrage for all females over the age of 12. Males are not allowed to vote or to stand for public office.

The constitution lays down that Gynocracy is and will remain in perpetuity a hereditary monarchy vested in Queen Linda and her successors. Succession to the throne is only through the female line and males are barred from the succession. Male royal children are not even allowed to call themselves or be called 'Royal Highness' as that title is strictly reserved for female members of the royal family.
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Government and Constitution:

The Constitution of the Queendom of Gynocracy

Article 1: Religion

The national religion of the people of Gynocracy is and shall be in perpetuity the Church of Her Magnificence the Sacred Queen Linda. No other religion shall be regarded as the religion of the people. Other belief systems may be permitted to follow their faith in private but they shall be subject to a tax as penalty for non-belief. In addition, they will be required to attend services at churches worshipping Queen Linda every Monday and shall be fined for failure to attend. Any attempt by those of other faiths to deny or blaspheme against the religion of the Church of Her Magnificence the Sacred Queen Linda shall be regarded as an act of blasphemy and punished by burning alive at the stake.

Article 2 : Monarchy

The head of state of the nation of Gynocracy shall be Her Magnificence Queen Linda the Magnificent and her heirs in solemn perpetuity.

She has the power to make laws, to veto laws, declare war and make treaties with other nations solely of her own decision.

If she wishes it so, her power in law is absolute and untrammelled by any restrictions on her legal authority.

The Queen has the sole power to coin money; declare war; make rules concerning captures on both land and water; to regulate the standing armies of the monarchy; to raise and maintain and be the Supreme Commander of all military forces of the nation; to use all necessary military forces to suppress insurrection and rebellion or to keep the peace; to defend the nation from its enemies and if necessary to instruct her military to make war upon other nations; to establish and maintain a police force for the preservation of law and order and the prevention of crime. Every member of the Armed Forces must swear an oath of personal loyalty to the Queen and any disobedience to that oath is an act of treason and will be punished with a mandatory death sentence. The same oath of personal loyalty to the Queen must also be sworn by every member of the police forces and any disobedience to that oath is an act of treason punished with a mandatory death sentence.

Succession to the throne of Gynocracy is vested exclusively in the female heirs of Her Magnificence Queen Linda the Magnificent. Males are expressly banned from the succession or even using the title of 'Royal Highness' which is exclusively reserved for the female members of the royal family.

Article 3: Either the Queen alone or the Parliament of Gynocracy shall decide what constitutes legitimate freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadcasting or other forms of media. Anything that is considered to violate the legitimate bounds of free speech shall be declared unlawful and the offenders shall be punished.

Article 4: Either the Queen alone or the Parliament of Gynocracy shall decide on what constitutes a peaceful assembly. In the event of an assembly being considered either not to have peaceful intentions or if conflict arises once it is assembled or if in the opinion of the police it is no longer a peaceful assembly the police or, if necessary, the military, shall have full powers to disperse it summarily.

Article 5: The people have a right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, It is for the Queen, her Ministers, her military, her police forces or her intelligence services to decide on what constitutes an unreasonable search and national security shall always override any other considerations. The Queen or those empowered to act on her behalf may, either in the event of a publicly declared national emergency or in the case where a threat to national security is suspected, issue warrants without probable cause or unsupported by oath and affirmation, and without the need to describe the place to be searched or the persons or things to be seized.

Article 6: Any person held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime may be detained without trial or charge for up to six months for a felony offence and up to a year in cases of treason or sedition. For misdemeanours they may be held without trial for up to three months before being charged or brought to trial.

Article 7: Any person brought to trial for a criminal offence shall be compelled by law to testify even as a witness against themselves. It is absolutely forbidden for them to refuse to testify even if by doing so they incriminate themselves.

Article 8: The standards of evidence and proceedings of trials are different for citizens, subjects and outsiders. Citizens are entitled by right to trial by jury and the services of a lawyer; subjects may only be granted trial by jury or the services of a lawyer at the discretion of the judge or magistrate; outsiders - those who are neither citizens nor subjects of Gynocracy but simply foreigners visiting or trading or otherwise temporarily resident in Gynocracy - are treated on the same basis as subjects but will be able to call on the services of their nation's consular officials to assist them.

Article 9: If a defendant who is a citizen is found not guilty, that is the end of the matter and they cannot be tried again for the same offence. If a subject who is a citizen is found not guilty, they may be tried as often as the authorities think necessary. Outsiders may also be retried in the event of an acquittal.

Article 10: In all criminal prosecutions, the citizen shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against them; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in their favour, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for their defence.

Subjects enjoy no such rights; judges or magistrates may try them without a jury; they have no right to legal counsel; they need not be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against them until they appear in court; witnesses against them may remain anonymous or simply give written or videotaped statements to the court; subjects have no right to cross-examine the witnesses against them; they may summon witnesses on their behalf but the court may rule the testimony of such witnesses inadmissible evidence.

Article 11: When a citizen is put on trial, hearsay, circumstancial evidence and unsupported testimony against them will not be permitted but will be struck out as inadmissible evidence. When a subject is on trial, hearsay, circumstancial evidence and unsupported testimony against him is permitted and may be entered into the record and used as a proper basis for his trial and, if convicted, punishment.

Article 12: In any legal dispute between a female and a male, the woman's word will always be taken unless the man is able to produce at least four male witnesses (or two female ones) to support his testimony.

Article 13: Citizenship of Gynocracy is expressly reserved for females. No male may ever be or become a citizen and males will, throughout the term of their natural life, deemed in law to enjoy the status of subject rather than citizen.

Article 14: Every citizen (i.e., female) over the age of 12 is permitted by law to bear arms and every citizen (i.e., female) over the age of 4 is permitted by law to receive instruction in the use of weapons. No subject (i.e., male) may be permitted to bear arms at any time.

Article 15: Capital punishment may be imposed for the following crimes: treason; murder; espionage; sabotage; blasphemy; paedophilia; rape; domestic violence and sexual harassment.

Executions may be carried out by any of the following methods: hanging (short drop method), electric chair, firing squad (for crimes committed by the military or police), burning alive at the stake (for blasphemy) and crucifixion (for treason).

Article 16: Corporal punishment may be imposed either as a sole punishment or as a part of a punishment for any criminal offence.

Article 17: Imprisonment for any term up to the end of an offender's natural life may be imposed by a magistrate for a period of up to five years and by a judge and jury without any limitation on the period of incarceration. In the case of citizens, all punishments are for a maximum sentence whereas in the case of subjects each punishment imposed by a court is a minimum sentence which will be reviewed by a Parole Board as the expiry of the original sentence duration approaches. If the Parole Board decides that it is appropriate the convicted subject may be required to serve a further term of his original sentence so it is possible for his original sentence to be doubled. This process may be continued indefinitely depending on the review process and the findings of the Parole Board.

Article 18: Imprisonment shall normally include within it, either as part of the punishment or as part of the process of rehabilitation for offenders who will be released, at least an element of hard labour.

Article 19: Eligibility for parole is at the sole discretion of the Parole Board. This shall consist of five members who must always be female and whose decision is final and cannot be appealed against.

Article 20: If a defendant is found not guilty, it is open to the prosecution to appeal against that verdict and to seek a retrial of the defendant subject to the agreement of the judge.

Article 21: It is open to the prosecutor to appeal against the sentence imposed upon a convicted defendant if she believes it to be too lenient.

Article 22: It is not open to the defendant to appeal against either their conviction or the sentence imposed upon them.

Article 23: If it is considered necessary by the arresting authorities, civil or military, for an arrested suspect to be subjected to extreme interrogation to compel them to tell the truth about their activities or associates, such extreme interrogation measures shall be deemed entirely legal.

Article 24: Titles of nobility - titles of nobility may be granted, withheld or removed at the sole discretion of the Queen. Such titles shall include Princess (restricted to female members of the Royal family), Duchess, Marchioness, Countess, Baroness, Dame Baronet, Dame Female (equivalent to the male Knight Bachelor), Right Honourable and Honourable. Below that a number of lesser orders, not being regarded as conferring the status of nobility, may be bestowed by the Queen upon those of Her citizens whom she deems worthy of them. These are, in order of precedence, the Order of Magnificence, the Order of Distinction, the Order of Excellence and the Order of Merit.

Article 25: Parliament

There shall be a two-chamber Parliament made up of a National Assembly of 400 members and a House of Ladies of 200 members. The Assembly shall be directly elected by proportional representation while the members of the House of Ladies are directly nominated by the Queen. She may dissolve the Assembly at any time she chooses, suspend it indefinitely if she so wishes and may override any legislation it passes if she does not agree with it. Members of the House of Ladies hold their positions at the sole discretion of the Queen and may be removed from office at any time if she so wishes.

The Assembly is elected every three years and every female over the age of 12 may cast their vote. Males are expressly debarred from exercising the franchise or from standing for public office. So too are convicted female felons or females undergoing psychiatric treatment.

Parliament has the power to raise taxes (although that power is also vested within the Queen herself who if she so wishes may at any time impose, amend or withdraw taxes), to introduce legislation necessary for the more efficient functioning of the nation and to propose emergency measures in time of crisis.

Article 26 The Executive Branch of Government

There shall be a Prime Minister directly responsible to the Queen and whom she may appoint or dismiss at any time if she so wishes. The Prime Minister will normally expect to be able to command majority support within the Parliament but in times of emergency, which times shall be determined solely by the Queen though if she wishes she may take advice from her Prime Minister or other counsellers she chooses to consult, the Queen may appoint a Prime Minister who does not possess the confidence of Parliament or dismiss one who has such confidence. As in all matters of state, the decision of the Queen is final and her authority is absolute.

The Prime Minister has the power to choose her Cabinet and junior Ministers though as in all matters of state, the Queen has the right to impose her own choices or to veto those proposed by the Prime Minister.

The functions of the Prime Minister are to maintain domestic order, to enforce the laws, to trade or conclude treaties with foreign nations subject to the approval of the Queen, to introduce legislation for Parliamentary approval, to preside over Cabinet meetings, to draft legislation for Parliamentary approval and to be in day-to-day charge of the nation's affairs on behalf of the Queen.

Article 27 - Government of the Regions of Gynocracy

Gynocracy, though a unitary state, is divided into regions. Each region shall have a Governor directly appointed by the Queen and responsible solely to her. She may dismiss or suspend the Governor at any time and replace her with a new one at her sole discretion. The Governor of each region has, if she so chooses, the right to veto any legislation passed by the Regional Assemblies.

Article 27 - Regional Assemblies

There shall be regional assemblies responsible for governing the various provinces within Gynocracy. They shall have no power to infringe upon the role of central government but have powers to raise revenue through local income and sales taxes, to enforce law and order within their areas and pass legislation applicable purely to their own region. The Assemblies shall be made up of two chambers, a Regional Assembly directly elected by all females over the age of 12 resident within the area and a House of Ladies whose members are nominated by the Governor of each region.

Article 28 - Metropolitan Authorities

Each of the various cities within Gynocracy has its own Mayor, directly appointed by the Queen and with similar powers to those of the Governors of Regions. The cities will also have a Metropolitan Assembly directly elected by all females over the age of 12 resident within the city and a House of Ladies whose members are nominated by the Mayor.

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Legislation and legal system:

The legal system is based on a three-tier system of justice with a Supreme Court in the capital, Linda City, presided over by five judges who rule on matters of constitutional law and on individual cases brought before them. Beneath the Supreme Court are the ordinary courts with the Crown Court dealing with criminal cases and the Civil Courts dealing with civil ones. Crown Court cases are normally presided over by a single judge and the same is true of the Civil Courts. The lowest tier of justice is the Magistrate's Court where minor offences - both civil and criminal - are dealt with. All cases, criminal and civil, are first heard before a Magistrate's Court where there are normally three Magistrates presiding. If the verdict of that court is appealed then the case is referred to the Crown or Civil Courts. If even their verdict is appealed then the case goes to the Supreme court for a final decision.

Judges and magistrates are always female and men are barred from entering the legal profession. Lawyers too are always female and there are different rules applying to male and female defendants in the courts of law. Women, whether bringing a case or defending one, are always entitled to the services of a lawyer free of charge. For men the provision of a lawyer is at the discretion of the magistrate or judge presiding over the case.

Standards of evidence required to convict a defendant are also drastically different in respect of male and females who are on trial. A female defendant is presumed innocent until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; a male defendant is presumed guilty unless proved innocent beyond even an unreasonable doubt. Hearsay and circumstancial evidence is admissible against a male defendant but not a female one and, in one of the aspects of the criminal law that is most bitterly resented by men, the unsupported word of a male against a female is not enough. He must be able to produce either four other males or, preferably, two females to testify on his behalf in order for his testimony to be 'admissible' in court. By contrast, the unsupported word of a female against a male is almost always enough to secure a conviction.

There are also some 'gender specific' crimes for which women incur no penalty but for which men are always punished. The most bitterly resented are adultery, which is a crime for men but not women and homosexuality, which is illegal for men while lesbianism is legal. Other crimes which while not technically 'gender specific' in practice almost always are include sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence,

The legal procedures of Gynocracy have attracted much international criticism and are one of the key stumbling blocks in the attempts by the new coalition government to achieve reform of the legal system. Essentially the Feminist Alliance believes that they discriminate against men and should be equalized. The Gynocrats believe that some minor changes may be necessary but that the system on the whole works well. The opposition Vixens want to make the existing legal system far more in favour of women than it is at present and to remove the existing protections in law for men.

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Religion:

The national religion is the Sacred Church of Queen Linda the Magnificent. She is worshipped as a Living Goddess and her mother Saint Sara the Invincible is the most important saint in the church's calendar. Her daughters are also worshipped as Living Goddesses and, like their mother the Queen, are considered infallible and inerrant.

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Military:

The Queendom of Gynocracy has formidable military forces at its command. All come under the umbrella of the National Defence Forces and every woman in Gynocracy has to serve in the Defence Forces for a year. There is also of course a regular and professional military of permanent soldiers, sailors, and airwomen. The National Defence Forces are divided into the Army, Navy and Air Force, beneath them being a Militia. Other defence forces include the elite Royal Guards.

Gynocracy has an extensive array of weapons and military equipment. Its air force has fighters, bombers, transport planes and helicopters; its navy has submarines, battleships and aircraft carriers; and its army is equipped with tanks, heavy artillery, machine-guns, rifles, revolvers, howitzers, rocket launchers, missiles, land mines and grenades.

Gynocracy also possesses nuclear weapons, a range of chemical and biological weapons and scalar weapons. It is a formidable military force that has waged a number of successful wars of conquest. The nation has never suffered military defeat.

Only women are eligible to serve in the military with men forbidden to join the National Defence Forces or the Militia. In the same way every civilian woman is trained in the use of weapons and has an automatic right to bear arms while men are forbidden either to bear arms or to receive training in the use of weapons.
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Economy

The economy of Gynocracy is complex. The land is entirely owned by the Queen but she leases or rents land to nobles, companies or private citizens. Only women may be leaseholders or rent out property though men are allowed to be tenants of female-owned rental property.

Unemployment is low partly because of the thriving economy and partly also because of the government-funded direction of labour schemes. Inflation is also low because the money supply, interest rates, rents and prices are rigidly controlled by the government.Income tax is charged at a flat rate of 17.5%.

The labour force is made up of all able-bodied people over the age of 16. Certain key industries are either entirely or largely occupied by female workers. Banking, insurance, hotels, tourism, coal mining, firefighting, police and military are entirely owned, run and staffed by women with men either being explicitly forbidden to participate in them (as in the case of banking, insurance, the police and military) or discouraged by the preference of the female bosses to employ women rather than men (as in the case of mining, tourism, firefighting and heavy construction, where some men are employed but only in tiny numbers).