Caritist Social Union: Difference between revisions

|secretary_general  = [[Ignatiur Aliptekon]]

|leader1_title      = Caucus Chair

|merger            = Christian Democrats<br>Distributist Labour Union<br>Humanist caucus

The '''Caritist Social Union''' is a caucus of political parties and independent politicians in the [[Kiravian Stanora]] united by {{wp|Distributism|distributist}} and {{wp|Christian democracy|Christian-democratic}} ideals. The Caritists are the currently the second-largest caucus in the Stanora, and are the leading party in opposition to the ruling [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance]].

The Caritist Social Union claims a platform based on {{wp|distributist}} and {{wp|Christian democratic}} thought, with influences from {{wp|ordoliberal economics}}, and the {{wp|Christian left}} on certain issues and within certain factions. In its contemporary position, the CSU acts mainly to represent the concerns many Kiravians have about the {{wp|economic liberal}} agenda pursued by the [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance]]. It advocates a more expressly humanistic approach to economic policy, broadly characterised by more widespread ownership of productive property and housing, decentralisation, class collaboration, a preponderance of small and medium enterprises, a communitarian approach to social welfare and public services, and "more humane" labour laws. Some CSU members endorse the {{wp|social market economy}} as the best policy framework for Kiravia, while others call for an economic structure closer to classical distributism. Minority factions within the caucus prefer approaches reminiscent of the {{wp|Third Way}} or social democracy.

Inspired by Christian ethics (particularly {{wp|Catholic social teaching}}), the CSU holds strong positions on bioethics and on life issues. While all of the major caucuses in Kiravian politics can be considered socially conservative by modern Western standards, the CSU is more keen on upholding public morality through legislation than either the SRA or KFA. It supports the abolition of capital punishment for "ordinary domestic crimes in cases where life imprisonment would not endanger the public", strict regulations on in vitro fertilisation.

The CSU platform on foreign policy is seen as a moderate one, but differs from those of the other caucuses on a number of points. Though seen as less militaristic than the SRA and CNC, it is supportive of multilateral military undertakings and humanitarian operations within the framework of {{wp|just war theory}}. In geopolitics, the preponderance of devout Urceopolitan Catholics in the caucus' leadership has led the CSU to support stronger ties with [[Levantia]] and have a rather favourable attitude toward Levantian continental integration, while having a colder stance with regards to Imperial Catholic Heku and the prospect of integration with the Protestant and heterodox nations of [[Crona]]. As such, it has consistently voted to prioritise the Federacy's participation in and financial contributions to the [[KATI]] over its involvement with the [[CUDA]] and [[CKOCA]]. While not categorically opposed to free trade agreements, the caucus advocates a cautious approach to them, and has pushed for the Federacy to be more selective about which economies it allows free trade with.  

The CSU embraces a heterogeneous variety of parties and supporters, which have come to constitute distinct ideological tendencies within the caucus. Largest and most influential among these are the '''Institutional Caritists''' and the '''

The Caritist movement and the CSU itself are strongly associated with Roman Catholicism, and the caucus enjoys strong support from members of the [[Coscivian Catholic Church]], [[Marcevangelista Catholic Church]] and independent Catholic movements. Although Catholics make up only a minority of CSU voters and Delegates, they are overrepresented in leadership positions and state-level party jobs. Especially on the state level, the CSU's firmest strongholds are in areas with large Catholic communities, such as the Farravonian [[Rosary Belt]], Medinesia, [[Andrēdan|Andrēdan's]] County Parr, and Manētuva Island in [[Sydona Isles|Sydona]].

As the second-largest caucus in the Federal Stanora, the CSU draws on a large popular support base, embracing many sectors of Kiravian society. Demographics with particularly strong CSU voting patterns include the urban working class, [[Peninsular Coscivians]], [[Deep South Coscivians]], Ardóniem and Buryóniem Coscivians, Kastrovem Coscivians, Lusem Coscivians, Roman Catholics (excepting Traditionalists, who lean more towards the [[Caucus of Justice|CoR]]), Síkutem and Southern Peninsular Coscivians, Woolzi-Kiravians, Serradem and Aboriginal tribes practising Catholicism, enfranchised colonial natives, Éilpanem of the St. Margaret Islands, monoreligious Ruricans, middle-class families in micropolitan and semi-rural areas, Methodists, high-church Lutherans, and members of small non-Coscivian religious minorities.

The CSU performs well among farmers with small to medium landholdings, especially the ''sirētur'' class of investor-farmers in the Mid-Oceanic states. Larger landowners are more likely to favour Caucus of Justice affiliated parties. In some CSU parties are competitive among tenant farmers, landless agricultural labourers, and poorer landowning farmers in the inland states, but these tend to vote for a wider range of parties, including the Social Credit Party, smaller agrarian parties affiliated with the KFA, and Kisosocialist parties.

The CSU collects the largest share of the non-Coscivian vote, a fact attributed to its positive stance towards colonial natives and the economic lower classes that non-Coscivians in Kiravia are concentrated in, as well as its stronger universalistic ethos drawing on Christian and humanistic principles. This contrasts with the wholesale Coscivian nationalism of the [[Coscivian National Congress|CNC]], softer civilisational rhetoric of the SRA, and the Caucus of Justice's dedication to ethnosocial, regional, tribal, and Coscivian identities. It also performs best with female voters.