Icarus Front
The Icarus Front boasts of being the oldest human political organization in existence. Originally founded amid political turmoil in the late 21st century, the Icarus Front stood in opposition to efforts to technologically change the human condition, the so-called transformative technologies. Having attained its goals, it lay dormant until revived, centuries later, to safeguard those same goals. Once the alpha and omega of human politics, Icarus has fallen from its lofty position, but is still by far the most popular political party in Sol's wealthy core and maintains powerful connections with the Solar military-industrial complex. Icarus' opposition labels it regressive and sometimes even authoritarian, but its supporters know it for its focus on public welfare, support for corporate regulation, and emphasis on domestic security.
Contents
History
Icarus is as old as all but the oldest of human colonies, but its modern incarnation is the youngest of the three major parties. Icarus was originally founded in reaction to a number of high-profile technological disasters in the late 21st century, beating out the technophilic Shoulders of Giants to become the most powerful pan-national political organization in the world, spearheading the formation of SolGov, codifying the Five Points, and setting the foundation for modern life. The party disintegrated shortly after its supremacy was confirmed, as sub-factions feuded over issues not part of Icarus's extremely narrow focus (notably, corporate malfeasance, expansionism and colonization, and representation in the Colonial Assembly for large states).
Icarus was reborn after The Shadow Coalition and The Sol Economic Organization began taking large numbers of Assembly seats and state governments. It currently exists as a centralized coalition opposing recent changes to the technological status-quo, especially the legalization of resurrective cloning, cosmetic gene mods, and advanced drone intelligence. Other issues of importance are social welfare and foreign relations, with regional Icarus governments spending a good deal on education, public health, and welfare, and promoting an isolationist foreign policy.
Almach War and the Skathari Incursion
The Icarus Front's loss of the majority paved the way for the succession of the Almach Association, which openly embraced many of the technologies the Icarus Front sought to ban. Hawks in Icarus aligned with those in the SEO to demand Almachi compliance to Solar technological policy, leading directly to the Almach War against the wishes of the ruling Shadow Coalition government. Far Kingdoms intervention prevented Sol from attaining its political goals in the region, and the existence of a large openly-transgressive state on Sol's borders greatly weakened support for the Icarus Front, especially in the Golden Crescent and Sagittarius Heights, by providing a counterargument to Icarus alarmism.
The Skathari Incursion proved even more devastating for Icarus. Slow response times from the SCG Fleet and the heavy Core Worlds bias of those responses were pinned squarely on Icarus incompetence, with the Outer Bowl in particular turning almost entirely away from their previously strong support of the party. Formerly transgressive technologies have become commonplace in many parts of SolGov, and in the newly independent Five Arrows. Icarus leadership is presently attempting to retool the party's platform to be more responsive to modern issues, de-emphasizing its previous technological conservatism and emphasizing the need for a strong central government and robust public services. The party still sees strong support among its historical stronghold in the Core Worlds, though many of its poorer supporters have been poached by the GAP's promises of independence and unrestricted growth.
Modern Times
Who Supports Them?
- People from humanity's core worlds-- Sol, Tau Ceti, and the like
- People who have been hurt by corporate malfeasance, the Almach Association, and technological experimentation
- Police, military, and government workers
Party Structure
Icarus is a coalition like the The Shadow Coalition, but maintains a much tighter top-down platforming than the loose allegiance of the Shadow Coalition. Since its rebirth, its founding parties have decayed in importance compared to the central bureaucracy, allowing Icarus to have more solid stances on many minor issues and winning over voters from the indecisive Shadow Coalition. Historically, the Icarus Front was organized under a heavily modified Marxist party structure. While most of these influences have faded, it retains the office of the General Secretary, who is elected internally from within party members and usually does not hold government office.
The Icarus Front runs on donations, largely from wealthy individuals and charitable institutions. A considerable amount of these donations go to the salary of their infamous memeticists, experts in the manipulation of public opinion recruited from the most prestigious universities in SolGov. These memeticists maintained technological conservativism's hold on the public opinion for five hundred years, and continue to be a massively influential public face and propaganda organ for the organization.
