Prologue
The year is 2257 and the world is governed by a global regime. Sydney is no longer known as Sydney, Australia. Sydney Metropolis is now simply regarded as location -64+30 in the grid, the epicentre of economic and financial activity for the south-eastern quadrant of the globe. A city unto itself, without the added complication of belonging to a nation state. All distinctions between countries have long since disappeared, lost to the gradual implementation of the global regime. After intense lobbying by multi-national corporations to create a more favourable environment for global economic growth, the system of law and order by which countries maintained their sovereignty over the people was ultimately transferred to a separate international governing body. The global regime was given irrevocable authority to rule on behalf of all people in the world and upon being granted such power, so began the demise of the nation state. Countries began to allocate greater powers to the global regime, allowing it to expand evermore in jurisdiction. In due course, the global regime was granted with the power to exercise all the functions of a nation state, both domestically and internationally. As the world began more and more to trade as an integrated whole, so the divisions between countries broke down until eventually, the concept of a nation became largely irrelevant.
After the establishment of the global regime the international corporations stepped up their lobbying of the global government. Corporations themselves began to run for seats on parliament and over time, progressively ousted the political parties from their seats. Fewer than 10 international companies came to dominate government, as eventually the people chose to elect representatives from companies rather than political parties to form government. The citizens of the world became the shareholders of these corporations, voting not only for the economic viability of the corporations, but also ostensibly for the future of all people. Elections continue to be held by the global regime every four years. However, the process is more about an examination of the ruling corporation’s profit and loss statements than a platform for issues faced by the people.
Corporations jostle with each other for votes based on which one is more successful and can turnover a greater profit. It stood to reason that what was good for the company was good for the people of the world. The most successful company dominates politics until a risky venture triggers a downturn that forces it to regroup, or another company initiates a hostile takeover of one its subsidiaries. The cycle of power from one company to another continues, until eventually only five companies are left jostling for control of the global regime. Democracy remains, but it is hanging by a thread.
