OU Internal Factions

From: "Beth Fulton" <beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au>

> Beth - who wonders how many NZ gamers rile at the thought of an OU

If you look at the unofficial GZG pedia, you'll see that there are two major
political groups in the OU, the Wets and the Drys.

The Wets are basically the huge agribusiness interests of the Pacific, led by
NZ (usually). Their powerbase are the fish farms and undersea mining camps
that support a large proportion of the Earth's population.

The Drys are the genetic and grav engineers and financial services groups
based in Oz, mixed with the large influx of SE Asian groups and organisations
that fled the expanding IC, and quite a few unreconstructed USAians who
couldn't stand the return of the Redcoats to Columbia's Sacred Soil (though
the latter tend to be behind some of the larger
oceanic agricultural organisations - I'll see if I can find the URL for
the
Conservative US Ocean state that's in the Carribean - Republic of
Oceania? It has an interesting Constitution...).

Depending on the exact year, the President of the OU could be Maori, Pakeha,
Polynesian, Koori, Thai, Ocker or Yank. Then there's the "special
relationship" with the IAS, and the strong influence of the Japanese
industrialists, whose total dependence on OU resources

G'day Alan,

> ...the OU itself isn't dominated by Aussies...

Not knowing enough US history I can't tell if you're joking, but I was.
Derek's version of the OU is heavy on Aussies but doesn't see it as Aussies
in space - just thought I's clear that up ;)

Beth

> Beth - who wonders how many NZ gamers rile at the thought of an OU

I'm not worried. :-)