British Parliament

The Nobles Chamber consists of landed lords and ladies who represent the backbone economic power of Breland. Each noble primarily derives their income from taxing natural resource extraction in their demesne - farming, mining, logging. In terms of formal land rights, all land belongs to the Crown, meaning that legally the King can grant or take away land as he pleases. Functionally, the nobles have plenty of ways of expressing their displeasure through formal and informal channels, so any monarch who goes too far may face the collective wrath of the nobility, especially in cases where the ruler is taking away land.

Fortunately for player characters, the Last War opened up significant quantities of territory for the taking. Entire towns were abandoned either due to the residents dying or simply fleeing to the urban centers for a better life. Noble lines died off when eligible heirs were slain in combat. This has led to the regrowth of some of the old Brelish forests and left castles vacant. Players who serve the crown well may find themselves granted a piece of land to call their own, with all the benefits and troubles that brings. In particular, Boranel abolished proxy voting during a spat with the Nobles Chamber in 972, meaning that player characters who are interested in playing politics will be dragged into Wroat to participate.

Source: Politics of Breland

The Commons Chamber is divided into districts, each containing 3 members. A district typically consists of a few small villages or an individual town. Members are elected en masse in 2 year terms, with the top three vote-getters in each district becoming representatives. The Speaker is chosen by majority ballot at the beginning of each term, although a new speaker can be found if a vote of no confidence successfully passes to remove the speakership.

Historically, the Nobles Chamber has retained more power than the Commons Chamber, partially due to the corruptibility of the Commons Chamber. While all Brelish citizens 16 and older can vote, and many enthusiastically do, there are few mechanisms for them to understand and hold their representatives accountable. The Last War provided plenty of opportunities for journalistic growth, but editors quickly learned that readers cared less about what was true than what was sensational and easy to follow. Reformers within the journalism community have been pressuring House Sivis to create some form of accreditation, but the gnomes appear to be uninterested.

Source: Politics of Breland

The primary and growing divide in Parliament today is the split between royalists and parliamentarians. While many might think it’s the upper chamber that is dominated by royalists and the lower by parliamentarians, the reverse is true. The nobles of Breland are in a better position to advance demands and secure even more political power for themselves, rather than handing it off to the King. By contrast, the Commons Chamber senses its own weakness and many hope for more time to enact anti-corruption reforms before unbalancing the trifecta of the crown and the two chambers of parliament

Another major split in Parliament is between those who do and don’t believe in Warforged rights. While the national consensus in Breland has solidly shifted towards giving Warforged rights, how far that should go remains an active point of debate. Nativists point to language referring to “native-born Brelish”, arguing that the lack of a proper birth for Warforged means they do not deserve the full range of legal rights and pivileges ordinary citizens receive. Warforged rights activists point both to the service and dedication with which Warforged fought for Breland and to the increasing quantities of evidence that Warforged have souls. Some shades of gray exist here, with some believing that warforged deserve partial rights recognition.

The issue of Droaam remains a sticky subject in the Brelish parliament. While most of Parliament sees the secession of Droaam as illegitimate, what to do about it is a hard question. Militants argue that, with the war no longer requiring active engagement of Breland’s armies to the north and east, Breland should take care of the monstrous question and wipe them out. Diplomacists argue not only that it would be a foolish waste of resources, but that this misses out on a potential opportunity both economically and militarily. Many point to the success of House Tharashk’s “Dragonne’s Roar” in military engagements for the value of such a powerful ally, even if it does mean swallowing their pride. Militants turn this around as proof of the threat.

The final major argument in Parliament is what to do with the Cyran refugee crisis. While parliament has worked with Boranel to manage the displacement of Brelish citizens by the War, the creation of New Cyre was a unilateral action by Boranel. Supporters point to the plight of the Cyrans and the reality that nobody else would take them up. The Opposition has many reasons, most of which aren't about a meanness or coldness towards the the Cyrans, but a principled stand against executive overreach. On an even more real basis, the land granted to New Cyre was of little value, so it’s hard to argue Boranel took much of anything away. As such, legislation involving New Cyre tends to be less about removing the Cyrans and more about asserting Parliament’s authority - much to Prince Oargev’s chagrin.

Source: Politics of Breland