Avalon, thinly settled, needs little government except for global issues like ecology and defense. Governmental functions dwindle further under Ythrian influence. Elected offices look merely managerial and are not strongly contested. Thus, anti-Ythrianizationists like Vickery can muster support.
While the Terran Empire acts and while the Khruaths approve a home guard and broad discretion for the Admiralty, Parliament still debates... Daniel Holm suggests the legal formula that the defense initiatives are actions taken under choth law. When Vickery objects that:
"'The choths have no government...'" (p. 493)
- he is shocked to learn that the High Wyvan had threatened to call Oherran against three choths that had refused to support the latest defense measures.
Civil war has only just been averted.
See also Avalonian Conference.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think the difference is also because Ythrians are carnivorous by nature while humans are omnivores. I've wondered if carnivorous intelligent races might be able to come to a decision more quickly than omnivores. Races like mankind can find it all too easy to argue, debate, dither, waffle, equivocate, indulge in short sighted intrigues, etc.
Sean
Sean,
That is it. And that is how large Khruaths can make life or death decisions so quickly.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Being able to come to a decision quickly is not without its own risks however! Sometimes a hastily arrived at decision IS the wrong one, after all. Niven's carnivorous Kzinti would seem to be an example of how a race can act decisively and still make mistakes. The often frustrating human tendency to wrangle and debate can at least prevent some bad decisions from being made due to haste.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Here's an amusing bit from Section 8 of Anderson's "Delenda Est" on how omnivores make decisions as contrasted, possibly, to carnivores: "Study groups had to determine the exact moment and circumstances of the change. The wrangling over methods went on interminably. Everard glared out of the window, into the prehuman night, and wondered if the sabretooths weren't doing a better job after all than their simian successors."
Sean
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