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Barclay A.A. Stanley
Posts: 249
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 1:26 pm
Constituency: Macclesfield
XP: 0
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Discord username: @BarclayCalhoun#5933

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Post by Barclay A.A. Stanley »

To sign in, you must create a character. You may do so by using our Character Creation System, detailed below.
Politics UK 2001: Character Creation

The character creation system is devised to help players come up with realistic, competitive biographies. It is recommended that players use this system to create their characters as it will help lead to a smooth application process and can lead to more XP being awarded upon sign-in.

Every player will have 100 points to spend.

Biographical Details
Name: Character names must be realistic. None of you represent the Official Monster Raving Loony Party so there can be no “Tuppence G. Spotnik” or what have you.

Gender: I’m sorry, but there are only males and females in Parliament in 2001. Even so, females were still rather rare, though becoming more commonplace.
Male: 0 Points
Female: 15 Points (10 for Labour)
Sexuality: The walls of human sexuality are still fortified, but there are some cracks beginning to appear. The presence of a homosexual Member of Parliament is, even in 2001, a rather rare occurrence and, as such, it will cost you a lot to be an openly gay MP. Back in the closet, dear.
Straight, married with < 3 children: 0 Points
Straight, married with > 3 children: 5 Points
Straight, unmarried, no children: 5 Points
Straight, unmarried, with children: 15 Points
Straight, divorced, with or without children: 5 Points
Closeted Homosexual, married: 10 Points
Closeted Homosexual, unmarried: 15 Points
Openly Homosexual: 50 Points
Age When First Elected: Most Members of Parliament are older, that is a fact. While it is true that in ‘97, Labour ushered in a new crop of young and hungry parliamentarians, the fact remains that the average age at Westminster is significantly above the national average.
Under 35: 20 Points
35 to 45: 10 Points
45 to 70: 0 Points
70 to 80: 10 Points
Over 80: 20 Points
Constituency: Choose a constituency that is held by your chosen party here.

Party: Labour or Conservative -- unless you want to be a Liberal Democrat, and then you must apply.

Faction: Which inner-party group do you belong to?
Labour

Blairites: The heirs to Blair, these are the Labour MPs most closely tied to the leadership and ideology of Tony Blair, the current Prime Minister. Ideologically, Blairites identify with the “Third Way” made popular by Bob Hawke and Bill Clinton, focusing on strong public services, pro-business stances and strong support for education and a tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime approach. They are currently the most powerful faction in the party due to Blair’s position, but with the dire election results producing a much smaller majority than expected, and Brown baying for Blair’s blood from the backbench, they could soon lose it all.

Brownites: Although it could be argued that the primary difference between Blairites and Brownites is which horse they are backing for Prime Minister, there are a number of differences between them. The supporters of the sacked Shadow Chancellor tend to be more left wing, and Scottish, than their Blairite counterparts, with a sceptical view on market reforms like tuition fees and foundation hospitals, and a warmer view on state intervention and trade unions. Although Brown is back on the backbenches, his faction still wields powerful influence in a deeply divided government

Socialist Campaign Group: The hard left of the party have been on the retreat during the Blair years. With their honorary leader Tony Benn now retired from Parliament and the right wing party modernisers firmly in control, it looks as if the hardline socialists have lost most, if not all, of their influence in the party. But, with the government re-elected with a much smaller majority and the cracks in the New Labour spin machine beginning to show, will the SCG be able to shift Labour on to a harder left route?

Conservative

Tory Reform Group: The “old wets” of the party, who suffered defeat in 1997 when their candidate Ken Clarke lost the leadership election to Thatcherite William Hague. A firmly “One Nation” group of Conservatives, believing in a paternalistic state, a social security safety net and strong civil liberties, as well as being the home of Europhillic Tories. Despite the strong showing in the election for a Thatcherite agenda of low tax and socially conservative agenda. There is also a new batch of first-term, young MPs who fit loosely into the TRG who have taken to calling themselves the Notting Hill Set; they are remarkable in that they have a focus on "modern issues" like environmentalism, work-life balance and foreign intervention. This group is small, but increasingly influential.

No Turning Back Group: The broad Thatcherite wing of the party, committed to defending the legacy of the Iron Lady and continuing the spirit of her leadership. The current leader, William Hague, comes from this wing of the party and Thatcher still holds strong support amongst the grassroots of the party, dedicated to free market, low tax ideals. However, with the country moving more to the centre under a Labour government and in the face of a comfortable Labour majority, will they be able to resist the growing calls for modernisation?

Monday Club: Still technically tied to the party, the Conservative Monday Club remains the “guardian of the Tory conscience,” as Harold Wilson once put it. They represent the furthest right of the party, with hardline stances on crime, immigration (including the repatriation of ethnic minorities) and foreign affairs, representing the arch-Eurosceptics of the party. They have a strong and vocal level of support within many Conservative Associations, although now increasingly seen as a bit of an embarrassment to the party at large for their views, they have been sidelined and marginalised within the parliamentary party, with many liberal Tory MPs arguing for the party to formally sever their links with the organisation, but with racial tensions in modern Britain, rising crime, and a serious disconnect between the London (l)iberal establishment and the rest of the country, many of the public are increasingly sympathetic to reactionary views, so can they begin to gain a foothold once more?

Liberal Democrats

Beveridge Group: A newly set up, centre-left grouping within the Liberal Democrats, the Beveridge Group was created to oppose a “rightwards drift” in the Liberal Democrats with the promotion of economic liberals to the Lib Dem frontbench. They see themselves in the vein of two great Liberal thinkers of the 20th Century, John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge, advocating for a social liberal future, with scepticism to the market liberal approach favoured by some in the party. If they had to pick a coalition partner, they would likely choose Labour.

Liberal Reform/Orange Bookers: Headed by a prominent cabal of MPs and MEPs, including David Laws, these MPs seek to move the Liberal Democrats to being a more economically liberal party and towards the liberal right of the political spectrum. They advocate for the concepts of choice and competition to be the foundation of Liberal policy, from healthcare to local government, from crime to the EU. In many ways, despite the proud Liberal tradition of opposing the Tories, they may actually be more natural partners in a coalition

Religion:
Church of England / Church of Scotland: 0 Points
Roman Catholic: 3 Points
Nonconformist Protestant: 5 Points
Orthodox: 5 Points
Jewish: 5 Points
Atheist: 10 Points [5 for Labour]
Muslim: 10 Points
Non-Abrahamic Faith: 15 Points
Education: Where did your character attend school and what did he study? More detail is, as always, better.
Left School Before 16: 30 Points [20 for Labour]
Left School At 16: 25 Points [10 for Labour]
Completed Sixth Form: 15 Points [5 for Labour]
Attended a State School: 0 Points
Attended a Grammar School: 5 Points [7 for Labour]
Attended a Public School: 7 Points [15 for Labour]
University:
Bachelor’s Degree: 0 Points
Master’s Degree: 5 Points
Doctorate: 10 Points

To hold an Oxbridge degree, spend an additional 5 points.

Degrees must be purchased sequentially: to hold a Doctorate, you must also purchase a Master’s.
Family History: What stock do you come from?
Upper Class: 10 Points [0 for Conservative, 20 for Labour]
Middle Class: 0 Points
Working Class: 10 Points [0 for Labour, 20 for Conservative]


Child of Immigrants: 5 Points [10 for Conservative]
First Generation Immigrant: 10 Points [20 for Conservative]

Son/Daughter of a Peer: 30 Points [15 for Conservative]
Famous Relation: 5 Points
Career Information
Select from these overarching career paths and then you can purchase additional details about your career in your chosen field.

Civil Service and Party Political Work
It is not specifically uncommon for MPs to have spent some time working in the civil service, though it is expected that they will do something else before they jump into party politics. Likewise, Staffers usually go on to work in the public sector before they jump into elected office. As such, anyone who selects to work as a Party Staffer or Civil Servant will be expected to have some other line of work between leaving work and being elected.
The Civil Service
Entry-Level: 5 Points
Mid-Level: 10 Points
High-Level: 20 Points

Party Staffer
Entry-Level: 5 Points
Mid-Level: 10 Points
High-Level: 20 Points
Health and Human Services
Call the midwife! Or the nurse! Or the doctor! Call someone! You worked in some aspect of health, human services or otherwise, you hero.
Nurse
Entry-Level: 5 Points [15 Points for men]
Mid-Level: 10 Points [20 Points for men]
High-Level: 20 Points [50 Points for men]

Doctor
Entry-Level: 15 Points
Mid-Level: 25 Points
High-Level: 35 Points

Social Worker
Entry-Level: 5 Points [15 for Conservative]
Mid-Level: 10 Points [20 for Conservative
High-Level: 20 Points [30 for Conservative]

Police Service
Entry-Level: 10 Points [5 for Conservative]
Mid-Level: 15 Points [10 for Conservative]
High-Level: 25 Points [15 for Conservative]

Fire Service
Entry-Level: 5 Points
Mid-Level: 10 Points
High-Level: 20 Points
Education and Academia
Teacher
State School: 15 Points [10 for Labour]
Grammar School: 20 Points [30 for Labour, 10 for Conservative]
Public School: 30 Points [50 for Labour]

To have worked with disadvantaged children, spend an extra 15 points [5 for Labour].
To have had a gifted pupil go on and be a massive success in their field and credit you for much of their success, spend an additional 20 points.

Administration
State School: 15 Points [10 for Labour]
Grammar School: 20 Points [25 for Labour, 10 for Conservative]
Public School: 25 Points [35 for Labour]

To become an administrator, you must have 10 years’ experience as a teacher at the same level. So to be a Grammar School administrator, you must also have been a Grammar School teacher.

Professor
Entry-Level: 10 Points
Mid-Level: 15 Points
Oxbridge: 25 Points [30 for Labour]

Professors must also hold Doctorates. Oxbridge professors should hold an Oxbridge degree.

Public Intellectual 5 Points

Public Intellectuals are people who have gone from academia (as professors for at least 5 years) to a career in media. You can become a public intellectual by spending 5 points in addition to the points you’ve spent on being a professor. The higher the level of Professor job you’ve had, the more effective your time as a public intellectual will be.

To have produced a groundbreaking piece of work, either in academia proper or as a public intellectual, spend an additional 10 points.
Military and Foreign Service
Military Service
Entry-Level: 10 Points [20 for Women]
Mid-Level: 15 Points [30 for Women]
High-Level: 25 Points [Not available for women]

To have earned an award for military service, spend an extra 10 points. You cannot win the Victoria Cross.


Foreign Service
Entry-Level: 20 Points
Mid-Level: 30 Points
High-Level: 45 Points
Media and Arts
Print Journalist
Entry Level: 5 Points
Mid-Level: 10 Points
High-Level: 20 Points

To have uncovered a major story, spend an additional 5 points
To have a nationally-syndicated column, spend an additional 10 points

Radio Host
Entry-Level: 10 Points
Mid-Level: 15 Points
High-Level: 25 Points

To have a nationally-syndicated radio show, spend an additional 10 points

Television Host
Entry-Level: 15 Points
Mid-Level: 25 Points
High-Level: 35 Points

To be a regular panelist on national TV shows, spend an additional 10 Points

Media Consultancy
Entry-Level: 10 Points
Mid-Level: 15 Points
High-Level: 20 Points

Media consultants are expected to have at least 10 years’ experience in the level and field for which they are consulting.

Artist
Entry-Level: 10 Points
Mid-Level: 15 Points
High-Level: 25 Points

To have won an award in the arts world, spend an additional 10 points.
Labour
Labourer
Entry-Level: 10 Points [5 for Labour]
Mid-Level: 15 Points [7 for Labour]
High-Level: 20 Points [10 for Labour]

Union Official
Entry-Level: 10 Points [25 for Conservative, 5 for Labour]
Mid-Level: 30 Points [7 for Labour]
High-Level: 35 Points [10 for Labour]

Union officials are expected to have at least 5 years’ experience in the Labour field. It is not required that the level of Labour and the level of union official correspond (you could, for example, be a high-level union official and have only worked in entry-level labour).

Management
Entry-Level: 10 Points [25 for Labour]
Mid-Level: 20 Points [35 for Labour]
High-Level: 30 Points [40 for Labour]
Legal Professional
Solicitor/Barrister
Entry-Level: 10 Points
Mid-Level: 15 Points
High-Level: 25 Points

To be on the Court of Queen’s Bench, spend an additional 10 points.
To have won a high profile case, spend an additional 5 points.

Judge
Entry-Level: 10 Points
Mid-Level: 15 Points
High-Level: 25 Points

To be a judge, you must have 15 years’ experience as a solicitor/barrister at the same level.
Other
Obviously, this list is far from exhaustive. To have a different career path, contact an admin for a points total.
Parliamentary and Political Experience

MP Election: 2 points per term (first term is free).

Front Bench Experience:
Undersecretary: 1 Point Per Year
Minister: 2 Points Per Year
Secretary of State (Non-Great Office): 5 Points + 1 Point Per Year
Secretary of State (Great Office): 15 Points + 3 Points Per Year

Note that when you assume the frontbench experience, you assume what happened in that office during that time. This is a double-edged sword and the things which happened can count for you or against you. It is all fair game.

To have sponsored major legislation, spend 5 points.
To have made a widely-publicized speech on a particular topic, spend 3 points.
To have crossed the floor, spend 20 points.
To have rebelled over major legislation, spend 20 points.
To have played Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, C*nt, spend 150 points and don’t come back.

The A-Team reserve the right to restrict cabinet experience in certain posts, at certain times.
Local Politics
Councillor: 5 Points + 1 per year
Mayor of a small town: 5 Points + 1 point per year
Mayor of a medium sized city: 7 points + 1 point per term
Mayor of a Large City: 10 Points + 3 points per term

Cannot be mayor of London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, or Belfast.
To serve as mayor, you must have served as a councillor for 4 or more years.
Other Elected Office
To serve in some other elected office, contact the admins and they will give you a points total to add.
Once you have come up with the character you want to play, you can create a new thread in this forum and put your character's biography (either in the point form of the Character Creation System, or in a longer, more detailed, written format). Once this is done, a member of the A-Team will come along to approve your biography or recommend some changes to make it more acceptable.

This round, PolUK is making biographies more important than ever. Not only is the experience you claim in the biography going to be counted for (or, possibly) against you, but XP will be awarded to players based on their biography's quality and content. This means that your character's background will be fundamental in determining your starting Backbench Support, and will provide you with the launching pad for your in-game career. That is why, this time around, your biography is not just a ticket to play the game, but a fundamental aspect of your playing the game. We recommend that you take your time with biography creation, and really develop a character who is suitable to meet your goals for the round.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact a member of the A-Team for advice and clarification.
Lt. Col. Sir Barclay A.A. Stanley, Rtd., KBE
Member of Parliament for Macclesfield

Armed with nothing but a pint of gin, Sir Barclay went to battle against the forces of Communism, Socialism, and Liberalism.
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