“Because the Invisible Hand occasionally needs a nudge.”
The Economic Policy Council serves as His Majesty’s most trusted advisory body on the formation, adjustment, and long-term vision of the realm’s economic affairs. Where ministers manage accounts and the Exchequer balances budgets, the Council advises on the why, how, and when—seeking harmony between royal ideals, marketplace realities, and the occasional surprise caused by turnip surpluses.
It is a deliberative council of quiet gravitas, often seated around large oak tables surrounded by scrolls, ledgers, and economists who have not agreed with each other since the early reign of King Edmund.
🧭 Core Functions
📊 Strategic Economic Planning
Develops long-range economic models and fiscal scenarios. Uses a combination of trend data, national philosophy, and the collective wisdom of experts (or failing that, strong tea and trial by spreadsheet).
🧠 Advisory Role to the Crown
Provides confidential recommendations to His Majesty regarding taxes, public investment, trade direction, and emergency fiscal measures. Frequently asked to explain “quantitative easing” in plain terms. Rarely succeeds.
💬 Policy Monitoring & Adjustments
Assesses the success or peculiar consequences of existing economic policy. Recommends adjustments in light of economic outcomes, unforeseen crises, or what the Chancellor calls “peculiar budgetary weather.”
🤝 Coordination Across Ministries
Liaises with the Exchequer, Ministry of Trade, Guild Council, and Royal Auditor to harmonize financial goals and avoid what it politely calls “cross-purposed budgetary exuberance.”
🎩 Members of the Council
- Sir Reginald Smythe-Burnham, Chairman
Former professor of Applied Mercantile Logic. Known for once balancing a 20-year forecast using only chalk and a sense of impending doom. - Baroness Maeline of Glasham, Trade Philosopher
Invented the phrase “meaningful prosperity.” Possibly still defining it. - Professor Alwyn Reed, D.Ec., Statistician-at-Large
Hasn’t smiled since the 3rd Revaluation of the Shiel. Inventor of the “Reed Index,” which tracks inflation, weather, and public sighs. - Lady Tessa Wrenford, Civic Advocate
A voice for the working class and common sense. Often the only one in the room who reads the appendices.
🗂️ Typical Reports Include:
- “Projections for Agricultural Growth in Low Rainfall Years (with Notes on Root Vegetables)”
- “Fiscal Reflections: Why We Mustn’t Panic”
- “The Cost of Bread and the Price of Peace”
- “Third Quarter Report on the Price of Quills, Ink, and National Mood”
“It is the burden of the wise to advise the Crown… and the delight of the Crown to occasionally do the opposite.”
— Sir Reginald Smythe-Burnham, over port and pessimism