Democracy 3 United Kingdom (Second Term)

This after-action report covers the second term of my play through as the United Kingdom in Positech Games turn-based political strategy simulation game Democracy 3. After winning reelection largely based on the policies implemented and answers to several curveball questions thrown in my direction, I begin the fifth year in office with a Budget Surplus of £26.91 Bn and a National Debt of £451.98 Bn, along with 46 Political Capital points available to spend.

Let’s see how I do in the second term given the unknown challenges the nation and my administration will face.

Year Five, Quarter One

The Community Policing policy interacts with several components, having a negative impact on Racial Tension, Violent Crime, Crime, and Alcohol Abuse, and having a positive impact on the Liberal faction. A Red Line is not always bad, and a Green Line is not always good: these things are relative to the Policy and its effect on the root cause.

So by increasing Community Policing I negatively impact (make better) the blue Statistics outlined in red, such as Violent Crime, as well as the red Situation of Alcohol Abuse.

The policy starts with a default Cost of £2.04 Bn/Quarter and is classified as “High”, so decide to maximize it to a Cost of £2.96 Bn/Quarter.

I receive notification that a new threat has emerged (replacing that posed earlier in my first term by the Patriot faction). This time around it is the Capitalist faction, which to me seems somewhat arbitrary as I am running a Budget Surplus and slashing the National Debt.

At the close of the first quarter I am asked to appoint a new United Nations Ambassador, and I choose to appoint Stella Young (the patriotic nationalist selection) as opposed to the more liberal choice. The Polls Report section indicates that I am currently enjoying a rating of 74% which would mean a crushing defeat for the opposition party if the election were held today.

Year Five, Quarter Two

Although I am running a Budget Surplus each month and reducing the National Debt, I decide to spend some of my current popularity to further slash into the budget, this time focusing on Rail Subsidies which are costing £14.48 Bn/Quarter.

The measure is popular with only 25% of the voters so I decide to cancel the policy outright at a cost of 18 Political Capital.

At the close of the second quarter I receive a report that a fishing boat has been sunk due to a pirate action as a result of the poor condition of the nation’s naval force (the Military Spending budget was slashed all the way down to just £10 Bn/Quarter at the outset of my first term).

My popularity with the voters has taken a decent punch in the gut, having been reduced to 57% (which would be a guaranteed election victory so I am not worried about it).

Year Five, Quarter Three

Although I am not concerned enough with the events being caused by the weakened military enough to increase spending in that area of the Budget, I decide to implement the National Service policy which costs a whopping 50 Political Capital to enact.

The policy starts with a default Cost of £2.47 Bn/Quarter and is classified as “6 Months Service”, so I decide to decrease it to £910.44 Mn/Quarter at the “Basic Training” designation.

I receive notification that the threat from the Patriotic faction is back again, however I am not too alarmed as the National Service policy just implemented is popular with that group and should help reduce the possibility of assassination.

At the close of the third quarter I receive notification that the nation’s credit rating has been upgraded to AAA status due in large part to my absolutely masterful ability of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Year Five, Quarter Four

I do nothing during the fourth quarter and at the close I am notified that one of my Cabinet Ministers is bent out of shape and needs to “talk” with me.

Year End Summary

During my fifth year in office I was able to reduce the National Debt from (£451.98) Bn to (£339.97) Bn and have the credit rating maximized at AAA status. However the threat posed by the Patriot faction is still on the radar of the Intelligence Services.

• Y5Q1/INC £279.21 Bn/EXP (£252.30) Bn/SUR £26.91 Bn/DBT (£451.98) Bn/VOTE 70.05%
• Y5Q2/INC £279.71 Bn/EXP (£237.00) Bn/SUR £42.71 Bn/DBT (£425.07) Bn/VOTE 73.95%
• Y5Q3/INC £280.94 Bn/EXP (£236.07) Bn/SUR £44.86 Bn/DBT (£382.36) Bn/VOTE 57.10%
• Y5Q4/INC £282.41 Bn/EXP (£235.76) Bn/SUR £46.65 Bn/DBT (£339.97) Bn/VOTE 60.55%

Year/Quarter/Income/(Expenditure)/Deficit (or Surplus)/Debt/Voting Intentions

Year Six, Quarter One

At the start of the second year of my second term in office, I decide to deal for the first time with my cabinet, in particular the disgruntled Welfare Minister who I fire at the cost of one Political Capital point.

That minister was sympathetic to the Patriot and Capitalist factions, however there is not an exact match out there in the pool of available replacements. I select Vanessa Coleman as the the new minister (her Loyalty rating is very good and Welfare is at the top of her three most desired jobs, although the sympathies lie with the Youth and Capitalist factions).

To be honest there is so much other stuff going on behind the scenes I never really worry about these sort of things which is why I pretty much completely ignored the Cabinet Ministers during my first term in office.

Looking to further increase revenue to the government, I decide to implement the Mansion Tax policy which is popular with approximately half of the voters. This policy takes two quarters to implement and has the potential to bring in anywhere from £2.13 Bn to £17.07 Bn depending on how aggressive I decide to be with it.

The policy starts with a default Cost of £152.76 Mn/Quarter and is classified as “Medium”, so I decide to decrease it to £151.15 Mn/Quarter at the “Low” designation which can bring in £7.00 Bn in tax revenue.

Later on if need be I can completely eliminate this tax and be seen as a free market champion. The voters are that stupid that they suffer from enough short term quarter-to-quarter memory to realize that I am the one responsible for implementing the policy in the first place.

At the close of the first quarter I receive notification that one of our embassies has been attacked and as a result my popularity with the voters tanks to 42%. During the turn I noticed that I had a pending decision to make on the "Ban Fox Hunting" question, and I decided to leave it alone. The Patriot faction is still plotting for my demise (the one notification received from the threat posed by the Capitalist faction has not yet reappeared).

Year Six, Quarter Two

During the quarter I am out golfing and do nothing (a quite familiar event for us Americans). At the close of the second quarter I am presented with the “Religious Symbols in Schools” question, one of those wicked curveballs that the game throws your way now and again. Although there is text to describe the practical realities of the measure, there are no projections (that I am aware of) as to how this will actually impact the constituency, so I decide to reject the ban.

Year Six, Quarter Three

The ongoing "Brain Drain" Situation has several components influencing it. This situation is where the best and the brightest entrepreneurs leave the country to make money elsewhere due to the current tax system.

The Luxury Goods Tax policy that was implemented back in Year Three, Quarter Three has been bringing in approximately £5 Bn/Quarter at a ghastly 50% rate. In order to address the “Brain Drain” Situation and appear as a tax cutter to the dumb masses I decide to cancel the policy outright at the cost of 8 Political Capital.

At the close of the third quarter I am presented with the “Corporate Manslaughter Bill” question which I promptly decide to block the ridiculous law. In the Budget Section of the report I am encouraged to consider cutting taxes due to the current Surplus. The Intelligence Services is still reporting the threat from the Patriot faction however I am alive and ticking.

Year Six, Quarter Four

The Intelligence Briefing details information as to the current threat assessment, however some of the groups on the bottom are not exactly obvious as to the faction they emanate from, such as the “Battenburg Group”.

I do nothing during the fourth quarter and at the close I am notified of another “Media Backlash!” event, and that my popularity with the voters is at an abysmal 37%. Previously I thought that this was fatal to reelection, however I have won several other elections in different countries with as little as 28% of the vote (due to 47% of the voters staying home).

The Intelligence Services notify me of the return of the threat from the Capitalist faction so perhaps the “Battenburg Group” is one of their splinter cells.

Year End Summary

During my sixth year in office I was able to reduce the National Debt from (£339.97) Bn to (£73.85) Bn and continue the AAA credit rating that the country is enjoying, yet I have two factions gunning for me. I need to lie off of the golf course during this next year and focus on pandering to the voters so I am reelected (and not assassinated).

• Y6Q1/INC £299.80 Bn/EXP (£234.93) Bn/SUR £64.87 Bn/DBT (£293.31) Bn/VOTE 65.15%
• Y6Q2/INC £312.10 Bn/EXP (£240.01) Bn/SUR £72.09 Bn/DBT (£221.60) Bn/VOTE 42.45%
• Y6Q3/INC £314.08 Bn/EXP (£238.42) Bn/SUR £75.66 Bn/DBT (£149.51) Bn/VOTE 49.65%
• Y6Q4/INC £320.35 Bn/EXP (£236.93) Bn/SUR £83.42 Bn/DBT (£73.85) Bn/VOTE 48.40%

Year/Quarter/Income/(Expenditure)/Deficit (or Surplus)/Debt/Voting Intentions

Year Seven, Quarter One

At the start of the seventh year of my second term in office, I take a look at some of the data the game has to offer. In this example the graph plots out the rise in Income (tax revenue to the government), the resurgence of the Global Economy, the maintenance of Expenditures, and the resulting plummet of Debt.

For the first time in my administration the National Debt has been completely eradicated and I currently have a Reserve of £9.57 Bn.

All of this is moot if I am assassinated (two groups hate my guts) or defeated in the upcoming election (I currently only have a 37.15% rating in Voting Intentions).

The Free School Meals policy from the Public Services area is wildly popular with the voters and comes with a maximum cost of £1.47 Bn. With a Budget Surplus this is another no-brainer decision.

I decide to implement the policy with the default settings of £1.22 Bn/Quarter and is classified as “Medium”.

At the close of the first quarter I am presented with the “GM Food Proposal” question which I decide to ban the sale of such products, and “The Patriot Army” is still a threat to my virtual existence.

Year Seven, Quarter Two

Health is impacted by a multitude of components and has several related policies that can be enacted or modified to sway the positive or negative aspects of the Statistics, which has further influence on the various objects that are all interrelated.

The Food Standards Agency policy has a positive effect on the Health Statistic and Liberal faction, but has a negative impact on the Farmers faction. Liberals outweigh the Farmers (the grey band in their bubble is larger than the band for the Farmers signifying significantly more voters are Liberal than the amount that identify with the Farmers).

Farmers always get screwed, everywhere.

The policy is currently implemented at a cost of £219.11 Mn/Quarter and is classified as “Medium”, so I decide to maximize it to a Cost of £297.96 Mn/Quarter and 2 Political Capital.

At the close of the second quarter I am presented with the “Euthanasia” question which I decide to leave the current law unchanged.

Year Seven, Quarter Three

The Legal Aid policy that is already implemented is one of those rare decisions that has a positive impact in every other object that it interacts with.

The policy is currently implemented at a cost of £911.93 Mn/Quarter and is classified as “Medium”, so I decide to increase it to a “High” designation at a Cost of £1.24 Bn/Quarter and 7 Political Capital.

At the close of the third quarter I am notified that another oil tanker has been captured by pirates, the last time this occurred was in quarter four of the third year.

Year Seven, Quarter Four

The Income Tax policy has a direct impact on several Statistics and political faction groups, as well as feeding the current “Brain Drain” Situation. Having eradicated the National Debt it is time to turn my attention back to this repressive money grab.

Regardless of what your philosophy is on taxes, and to a larger extent the role of government in seizing the property of private citizens (for whatever reason), please continue to note that I am simply playing a game to win it.

The current policy is set at 50% which is bringing in approximately £191.95 Bn/Quarter revenue to the government. I decide to drop the rate to 45% which will adjust the revenue downward to £174.31 Bn/Quarter at a cost of 7 Political Capital.

At the end of the fourth quarter I am presented with the “Nuclear Test Ban Treaty” question which I elect to sign the treaty.

Year End Summary

During my seventh year in office I was able to eradicate the National Debt and turn it into a National Reserve of £279.55 Bn.

The "Patriotic Army" still wants me dead however.

• Y7Q1/INC £319.41 Bn/EXP (£235.41) Bn/SUR £84.00 Bn/RES £9.57 Bn/VOTE 37.15%
• Y7Q2/INC £326.72 Bn/EXP (£235.61) Bn/SUR £91.11 Bn/RES £92.35 Bn/VOTE 47.45%
• Y7Q3/INC £330.67 Bn/EXP (£234.57) Bn/SUR £96.10 Bn/RES £183.45 Bn/VOTE 53.15%
• Y7Q4/INC £330.94 Bn/EXP (£233.73) Bn/SUR £97.21 Bn/RES £279.55 Bn/VOTE 45.05%

Year/Quarter/Income/(Expenditure)/Deficit (or Surplus)/Debt/Voting Intentions

Year Eight, Quarter One

At the start of the final year of my second term in office, I decide to terminate another Cabinet Minister whose loyalty has come into question.

Finding a suitable replacement is becoming somewhat tougher as the best candidate for Foreign Affairs Minister is Kimberly Clark who has it at the bottom of her desired jobs list.

With the election coming up at the end of this year, I turn my attention to the voter data and note that the Socialist faction makes up the largest portion of the voters at 80.6% (one voter can belong to multiple factions which is why the percentages are way over 100% with the obvious exception of the Everyone faction).

One of the strongest Happiness Influence indicators for this group is the State Health Service policy.

The policy is currently implemented at a cost of £40.46 Bn/Quarter and is classified as “Some Prevention”, so I decide to maximize it to a “Excellent Health” designation at a Cost of £53.24 Bn/Quarter and 18 Political Capital.

At the end of the first quarter I am thrown another major curveball as the “Positive Discrimination” question comes up, which I soundly reject due to its patent absurdity.

Year Eight, Quarter Two

I have another Cabinet Minister going rogue on me, but here I decide to do nothing.

With three quarters (three turns) remaining I take a look at the political landscape: there are seven active Situations (the red circles) and I have the Capitalist, Patriot, Middle Income, Trade Union, and Wealthy factions hating me (as noted previously one citizen can belong to more than just one faction).

The tree huggers love me.

The Clean Fuel Subsidy policy from the Transport section is one that is significantly popular with the voters and has what I regard as an overall insignificant cost.

I decide to enact the policy with the default settings of a cost of £612.44 Mn/Quarter which is classified as “Medium”.

At the end of the second quarter I am notified that one of our islands has been invaded. This could have hardly come at a worse time (perhaps the last quarter before the election). It reduces the outlook of everyone by 0.28%, but more importantly jolts the Patriot faction at 0.55% and increases their membership by 0.17%.

And these are the very people that are plotting my assassination.

Year Eight, Quarter Three

The Homelessness Situation is a complex problem that only has three policy options that directly address it, State Housing, Property Tax, and Unemployment Benefit.

The Unemployment Benefit policy touches upon three Statistics (the blue circles) and three factions, one of which (the Capitalist) already hate me.

However the policy is extremely popular with the voters in general, and I decide to increase it from a funding of £5.98 Bn/Quarter which is classified as “Low” to £10.01 Bn/Quarter and a designation of “Medium” at a cost of 14 Political Capital.

In full-on pandering mode, I turn to the Biofuel Subsidies policy from the Transport section. This is a very popular policy that will cost a nominal amount in my opinion (nothing like spending the people’s money to get reelected).

I decide to go with the default settings of a cost of £976.48 Mn/Quarter which is classified as “Medium”. The policy will take two quarters to enact so it should be done by the election.

The Maternity Leave policy from the Economy section is basically a freebie as it has no cost other than an overall impact to Productivity.

Three quarters pay sounds good to me…I am a political whore.

At the end of the third quarter I am notified that the Welfare Minister has resigned and the Patriot faction still wants my head on a platter.

Year Eight, Quarter Four

There are no candidates interested in the welfare slot that are loyal to me, so I hire Victor Williams as his sympathies with Ethnic Minorities may have some synergy with the duties of the position.

With one quarter left before the election and over ½ trillion in revenue Reserves, the majority of the people hate me (note the red slider for Everyone).

The Marriage Tax Allowance from the Tax section is very popular with the voters and with my virtual political life on the line I move to enact it.

I decide to go with the default settings of a cost of £3.28 Bn/Quarter which is classified as “Advantageous”.

At the end of the fourth quarter I am notified that the Asthma Epidemic Situation has ended, and I am presented the “Torture Deportation” question which I decide to retain the suspect.

Year End Summary

During my eight years in office I was able to achieve a National Reserve of £574.60 Bn, as well as dodge several threats from both the Patriot and Capitalist factions while watching my support drop from a peak of 73.95% to 42.60% (which is still a winnable position depending on turnout regardless of what the text states about being below 50%).

• Y8Q1/INC £288.21 Bn/EXP (£231.79) Bn/SUR £56.42 Bn/RES £376.76 Bn/VOTE 54.75%
• Y8Q2/INC £307.40 Bn/EXP (£237.24) Bn/SUR £70.16 Bn/RES £433.18 Bn/VOTE 54.80%
• Y8Q3/INC £313.12 Bn/EXP (£240.27) Bn/SUR £72.85 Bn/RES £502.73 Bn/VOTE 41.15%
• Y8Q4/INC £317.22 Bn/EXP (£252.76) Bn/SUR £64.47 Bn/RES £574.60 Bn/VOTE 42.60%

Year/Quarter/Income/(Expenditure)/Deficit (or Surplus)/Debt/Voting Intentions

The Election

While 41% of the vote is not really a mandate, I did defeat the opposition party as over 21 million voters (35%) stayed away from the polls.

Bulletproof.

Post Mortem

I changed up the sequencing of some of the images to make more sense in the logical flow of the post and the actual action during game play.

Please check back for the Third and Final Term!!