//------------------------------// // Political Science // Story: Rise of the Fluffy Ponies // by Monsieur Bleu //------------------------------// ~*~ Rise of the Fluffy Ponies Monsieur Bleu Chapter 2 Political Science ~*~ Excerpts from An Introduction to Equestrian Politics, 4th Edition Authors Lilly Bloomingshoots, PhD University of Canterlot Bolt Airtips, PhD Cloudsdale Institute of Technology Big Horn Stampede, JD, PhD The University of the Southwest, Appleloosa The Co-Principality of Equestria is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy… The House of Commons is the paramount repository of political power in Equestria. The Commons has the full legislative powers and T.H. Government* requires its confidence. … The House is made up of 600 MPs, of whom 300 are elected to represent single member constituencies and are elected in a first-past-the-post system; the other 300 are elected by party list. … … Because of the hybrid electoral system, there are many political parties represented in Parliament, at the time of publishing for this edition there were sixteen political parties that had seats in the House of Commons, however, the four largest parties control 90% of the seats. These four parties, by large, enjoy institutionalized status—every prime minister in the last 150 years has been a member of one of them. … Current Make up of House of Commons: (Government Coalition in bold) (party name – left-right scale/ideology seats) Big four Equestrian Conservative Party – centre-right/conservative 215 Social Democratic Party – centre-left/socialist 188 Liberal Union – centre-right/liberal* 92 Equestrian Democratic Movement – centre/liberal 52 Other parties Green Party – centre-left/environmentalist 15 Communist Party of Equestria – left/socialist* 10 Conservative Union Party – right/conservative 6 Magicalist Party – centre/magicalist 5 Sky and Pirate Party – centre-right/liberal 4 Peace and Friendship Party – centre/internationalist 4 Farmers’ Party – Left/agrarian 3 Lunar Restoration Front – left/nocturnalist 2 Buffalo Land Rights Concern – left/buffalo advocacy 1 Pegasus Cause – centre-right/separatist 1 Earth Pony Liberation Front – left/separatist 1 Mad Raving Loony Party – na/? 1 Current tribal/ethnic breakdown of the House of Commons (600 MPs) Earth Ponies 342 Pegasi 120 Unicorns 73 Crystal Ponies 13 Thestrals (Bat Ponies) 10 Buffalos 9 Donkeys 8 Zebras 7 Griffons 6 Mules 5 Fluffy Ponies 5 Sea Ponies 2 Giraffes 1 Drakes (Dragons) 1 Cows 1 Minotaurs 1 Changelings 1 … The House of Lords, often mocked as merely the purview of the Unicorn aristocracy, is much weaker than the Commons—its powers are limited to amending or delaying bills and, in some instances, acting as the Court of Session. T.H. Government is not answerable to the Lords. … … The House of Lords is a mostly hereditary body with the majority of its peers holding their seats on account of hailing from noble families; the remaining members are life peers appointed as an honorific and prominent religious leaders. There is no set number of peers, and there is no formal party affiliation in the House. Current tribal/ethnic breakdown of the House of Lords (852 Peers) Unicorns 716 Pegasi 61 Earth Ponies 46 Crystal Ponies 9 Thestrals (Bat Ponies) 8 Alicorns 6* Sea Ponies 2 Drakes (Dragons) 2 Zebras 1 Giraffes 1 *All non-sovereign Alicorns are entitled to membership in the House of Lords, but, by custom, Alicorns abstain during votes—save constitutional crises. ~*~ The Lords’ Tea Room was technically not for members of the lower house to enjoy, as the Commons’ tea room was off limits to the lords and ladies of the realm, but for this an exception was allowed. Cuddle was, as per fluffy tradition, slurping tea—it seemed as if he was willing to make this plenty uncomfortable for his host. Her Grace acted as if it did not bother her, indeed, maybe it, in fact, didn’t, but that's irrelevant now, as a show of will necessary to— “So um… Sir Ppplsfls… um…” “Quite alight Your Grace—simply address by my fist name. I know how hard certain foreign words can be to pronounce.” “I wouldn’t say foreign, um… just not my native tongue.” “I stand corrected,” he smiled at her, slurping his tea. She paused; in her aura she picked up the elegant tea glass and sipped it. The pink of the room, mimicking the Lords’ chamber, melded as expected with a dainty tea set. She had always felt awkward in politics—having this thrust upon her was not in the cards—her brother was to inherit their father’s seat—but that was interrupted by her apotheosis. She had been placed in the awkward— “As I said before,” he resumed, “I think that the current state of affairs is only getting more and more abysmal—with the stagnation of worker income it is unlikely that we can maintain our economic station—the lack of strong consumer base—“ “All fine and well… Cuddle… but what do you seek to accomplish policy wise—to redress these grievances there is not much in the state—“ “Your Grace I understand that—I am not asking that you corral the peers or Their Highnesses—rather I would like you to prevent their corralling.” “And that would…?” “Lords still have a degree of influence on our politics and I do not need them putting a hold—“ “So you have managed to get the—“ “No… working on it but not yet. Opposition or not… I think that being cooperative with the prime minister on these matters would be… productive.” “And you are worried that the Lords might intervene in this proactive crossbench legislating?” “Yes.” She allowed herself to relax some; sipped her tea again. She sighed, “My Honourable Friend—you know how much the gentry hates me, you may wish to consider—“ “I think that you have more friends than you know.” “And this is purview to you how?” “Because, I have more friends than you know.” She nodded, extended her hoof. “No,” he said softly, “fluffy traditions dictate.” He embraced her in a full hug. She nuzzled into his fur—no words could describe… ~*~ Excerpt from The Fluffleloid By ƥetrarch Translation and comments by Sliding Ink, PhD —O ghast here on the whims of wind; say to thee o’er lord by thine past love. Willing go into the dark, carried by— strains of aroma, wisps of sound, o—my beloved. I stand by thine womb and comfort thee. What perils doth this land bestow— Death for better want and these: guide her, guide our child. The Fluffleloid is considered to be the tribal epic of the fluffy ponies. It is an epic poem that tells the story of a stallion who goes into the afterlife and searches for the souls of his wife and daughter who both died during childbirth. ƥetrarch was the first fluffy court poet who wrote in the vernacular of the Fluffy language, as opposed to Equestrian which was considered the scholarly language at that time. His writings served as the model for the modern fluffy language.