Empire: Difference between revisions

All [[Senators]] and the [[Emperor]] can ‘sit’ in the [[Senate]], but it is rare that all participate at the same time. The [[Chancellor]] is a Senator with additional powers, and he or she runs any debates in the Senate. They are appointed by the Emperor. It is otherwise structurally flat by law, but in practice has power blocks within it, led by the more important/powerful Senators. Not all Senators are equal. There are regular votes on issues of the day, and the Senator’s voting power is the total number of Citizens (in turn represented by Clients, and blocks of Clients by Patrons) they currently represent. They are influenced by their most powerful Patrons – who in turn are not all equal, and Patrons may move their block to another Senator at a whim, particularly if they feel their current Senator is not representing the views of their Clients. Senators can lose Patrons quickly if their actions are unpopular, but bear in mind a Senator sets tax rates and healthcare for all those that support them, so can effectively bribe Patrons to ally themselves with them. The most powerful Senators can have a hundred or more times the voting power than others, and a Senate majority can be just a few of the major Senators, but honour requires that the views of all Senators are listened to politely. Before voting against them.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Historically it used to always physically sit in the Senate House on Capitol (Achenar 6d). It is near to the [[Imperial Palace]]. Technically it still does sit there, but in practice most Senators ‘sit’ virtually by remote projection – though by tradition there are a number of events (like the accession of a new Emperor, and on ‘Empire Day’ (January 2nd) where it is considered ‘proper and polite’ to attend physically, where a party atmosphere descends on Capitol as the entourages of each Senator arrive in their finery.</p>