Gallente voter blocs

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Please note: The article you are about to read is about the Voter Bloc, for specific infos like the State of the "Voter Bloc in YC 110" look here.

In the Federation, the habit of dividing the population up into broad blocs of voters is an old one in Gallente political circles, and five groups in particular have risen to distinction.

Hawks

Most prevalent among the Jin-Mei and Mannar populations (though naturally well represented among military personnel across the Federation), this is the ever-present fraction of those who advocate a militaristic stance. Maintaining this position requires an uncommon mindset―the largest group among the hawks are the pureblooded patriots who believe passionately in the greatness of the Federation (and the need to spread its influence as far and wide as possible). This political leaning often brings together retired generals and entertainment moguls, since the spread of cultural influence is clearly a valuable weapon.

After the loss of Caldari Prime to State invasion in 110, the hawks called for a measured consideration of the situation, with an eye to the subsequent deployment of as much military force as is necessary to push the Caldari back and, following that, undertake a sustainable counter-attack.

Former President Foiritan was never a friend to the hawks, tending to find much more in common with Blaque, when he was still in the Senate before his resignation in April 112.


Doves

Comprised mostly of Intaki and common among artists of all stripes, this group opposes military action in all but the most clearly defensive cases, although they're less averse to spreading Gallente beliefs through "cultural warfare." The recent history of the Gallente has made protesting against military action something of a challenge (there having been very little to protest), but the dove mindset has shown remarkable resilience over the years and still represents a relevant percentage of the population. This group's popularity may in part be attributed to the considerable effort expended over many years by the movement's proponents to define a consistent and coherent position without lapsing into irrelevant extremism.

They were appalled by the unprovoked Caldari assault into Luminaire in YC.110, but were equally appalled by calls among their fellow Gallente for unrestrained retaliation. Most acknowledge the need to reclaim Luminaire, where Caldari Prime remains a bubble of highly-militarized State territory, although with the caveat that any action should be managed as peacefully as possible. Fringe members of this group actually sympathize with the Caldari position rather more than is politically fashionable.

The doves always accorded well with Foiritan during his Presidency, although they never fully trusted him.


Vultures

One of the more predictable blocs, made up of military contractors and financial despots; Jin-Mei and ethnic Gallenteans; and others from all walks of life, right down to individual shop workers. This group will pounce on any opportunity to turn current events to their own advantage, usually without considering the true ramifications or the cost to others. If there's money to be made or power to be gained through a particular course of action, they'll lean hard on anyone they can pressure until they get their way. Unsurprisingly, they're by far the most effective lobbying community in the Federation.

When the State invaded Luminaire in 110, most of the vultures found the prospect of a full-blown war the most exciting thing that's happened in the last fifty years, and they began to figure out exactly what needed to be done to extract maximum returns from the situation. This is the group that is pushing hardest for the most extreme options; indeed, some are advocating simply piling the entire Navy into Luminaire and damn the consequences.


Magpies

The magpies are easily the largest and most fickle group in Gallente politics. Though comprised of people from just about every profession and walk of life in the Federation, they are united by their short attention spans, a superficial understanding of politics, and the ability to become suffused with theatrical outrage at the drop of a hat. Typically they form a huge mass of fragmented interest groups, dissolving and reforming in a seemingly random manner as old causes become stale and boring and new ones sprout. The strongest force in Gallente politics occurs when a critical mass of these sybarites unite behind a particular cause, at which point support rapidly snowballs and they become nigh-unstoppable. This, thankfully, is a rare occurrence.


Ostriches

These are likely the second largest bloc, encompassing a disproportionate number of ethnic Gallenteans, low-paid workers, and high-flying success stories. They have no real interest in politics or events on the federal stage. They're either happy enough with their lot or too busy to care, but the end result is the same. As many a politician has found out to her considerable cost, however, they cannot simply be ignored― a fair number of them vote, if only because they feel they ought to, although typically they just vote for whomever they've actually heard of (or failing that, the one with the most interesting name). Woe betide any would-be leader who actually manages to get their attention by interfering with their lives; a number of aspiring statesmen have destroyed a rival merely by insinuating to the right people that the rival is planning to reduce worker protections, clamp down on wild parties, or just interfere unnecessarily with peoples' lives.

This group's interest in the current war with the Caldari State extends only to muttering over headlines or having expansively irrelevant arguments about it, and most individuals in this group couldn't even tell you the current President's name―which is likely seen as a good thing by all concerned.


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