They're actually one Party, or functionally one Party, because they know that'll let them stay in power? Sort of like a smaller scale version of the war in Nineteen Eighty Four.
edited 25th Mar '11 3:35:22 PM by Yej
How about two parties that hate each other and alternate between being in power, and whichever one is in power persecutes the other, but tehy're really Not So Different... or different at all aside from name and logos?
At first I didn't realize I needed all this stuff...Write the society that the U.S.A. would have if the Democrats and Republicans were both right about the other side.
Fresh-eyed movie blogHmm, would a prolonged string of riots between the voters of the two parties result in the government having to establish more heavy police presence on a daily basis?
Because no one is going to run for office if the moment they step out the door they see a horde of angry citizens and find themselves missing everything from the chin down.
Huh. I know a guy in Real Life who came up with almost the exact same type of society, minus the two-party part, as the background for a screenplay. This world wouldn't happen to have a retrofuturistic, Forties-like aesthetic, would it?
Anyway, riots and unrest would more likely cause both parties to try to take power by force rather than work together. If they both felt threatened enough by some foreign power/sci-fi threat/mutant underclass/whatever, though, they might be afraid of weakening themselves through internercine struggle, but at the same time paranoid about subversive elements. That way they might be willing to try to get along, at least as long as they feel threatened by third parties.
Maybe I didn't state it more clearly.
The riots aren't citizen against the state. It is citizens of one party lynching on the citizens of the other party.
Both parties conclude that this is unacceptable and proceed with much greater police presence nationwide in order to curb the animosity of the populace.
Sounds good?
But the indefinitely long string of riots (most of them armed riots) is also a good reason too right?
BTW this country in which these two parties rule are part of a Grey-and-Gray Morality world.
"The riots aren't citizen against the state. It is citizens of one party lynching on the citizens of the other party.
Both parties conclude that this is unacceptable and proceed with much greater police presence nationwide in order to curb the animosity of the populace.
Sounds good? "
I understood you the first time. I'm just saying that if I were trying to guide my party to absolute power, and there were riots between my supporters and my opponents' supporters, there's no way I'd go "well, that must mean we need to work together". That would indicate to me that I have enough popular support to make a bid for control of the nation and exterminate my enemies, and that they have the means to do the same, so I'd better hurry up and kill them before they get a chance to kill me.
If there was an outside threat, or like Native Jovian said, a majority of the population that wants both me and my opponent gone, then I might be willing to work with the other party, if only because the civil war/purge to destroy them would weaken me enough that my party would be destroyed by the outside threat/oppressed masses.
Well it is a majority of the population that supports either of the two parties.
But yeah neither would dare attempt to oust the other. No more matter how loud the respective mob calls for the death of the other.
Especially since the country of origin of the MegaCorps are pressuring their home country's government for retribution.
SPOILERS: There won't be another war for a while. The police state rebuilds and the executives of the MegaCorps get away with their atrocities.
edited 29th Mar '11 2:49:24 PM by Worlder
Now that we got the origins. Sort of.
Now here is something that's totally odd. By this time you know that is country is gonna be an odd one.
Dissent is permitted to a vague extent. Sometimes one can write an entire 300 page book criticizing both parties and the government structure itself, sell it nationwide and get away with it. However, one bad phone-tap conversation can lead to jailtime and redtape up the wazoo (the all are innocent until proven guilty...in a real trial).
Also, the populace is armed to the teeth. Ample supply of commercially available guns and ammunition, and adult education courses on guerrilla warfare (and how to properly display the decapitated heads of enemies) taught at state funded schools.
Yet, most of them don't feel any need to rise up. Any band of "freedom fighters" will promptly have their brains blow out... by the bystanders.
Yeah, odd place to live. Also the citizens either have horns and/or oversized canines.

Yes, that does pose some odd issues because most police states are controlled by a single political party. The some dictatorship tropes need to be subverted here but not sure which ones.
Ok the thing is that this is a parliamentary republic that was formed out of the remains of a constitutional monarchy that was weaken by a short-lived civil war and destroyed by the work of foreign corporations.
One party is led by a former prince whom lead a failed rebellion (the aforementioned civil war) against his brother, the emperor, as part of a plan to force the the nation to adopt some form of popular rule to end various domestic issues. So yes it this party is kinda the Fantasy Counterpart Culture to a Communist Party.
The other party is composed of the former nobility. They were loyal to the late emperor, but absolutely despised his brother for having played a part in the downfall of the old empire. While they longed for the days of a monarchy, they know that it won't come back so they formed this rival party to secure whatever political influence they still have.
Of course, now that you know about the backgrounds of the parties. Just what would make them agree on really harsh punishments and law enforcement tactics for various felonies, including speaking out against the state?