Inequality and Incest in the Game of Thrones Committee

It is a time of great uncertainty in the kingdom of Westeros. With King Robert in critical condition after a hunting accident, representatives of the great Houses of the Realm have convened in a special emergency session of the Small Council to maintain the stability of the kingdom.

In the morning session of the Council, the discussion focused on the internal troubles of the kingdom, with particular emphasis on addressing the unrest among the people of Westeros. Representatives identified two root causes of the popular revolt: the drastic economic inequality between the noble families and the peasant masses, and the dissatisfaction of the deeply religious people with the rumoured sexual misdeeds of the ruling classes.

Council members clashed over the relative importance of addressing the socioeconomic issues of the realm over the rumoured sexual scandals plaguing the nobility. Ser Alliser Thorne of the Night’s Watch spoke of the importance of addressing the rumours. “Rumours don’t go away just because we want them to,” he said. Thorne was later the subject of his own sexual scandal, as Tyrion Lannister accused him of making weekly visits to a brothel, a rumour which Throne opted to neither confirm nor deny.

In an attempt to address the scandalous rumours surrounding the nobility, the Council opted to have every member publicly confess their personal sins to the other members. Most notably, Queen Cersei Lannister denied the rumour that her son, Joffrey Baratheon, is not the legitimate heir to throne because he was the product of an incestous relationship with her brother, Jaime Lannister. “I have enough dignity to have slept with only the king himself,” Cersei said.

Members of the Council then proposed a series of programs to stabilize the realm by addressing socio-economic inequality. The Faith suggested an apprenticeship program incentivized by a tax credit in order to increase social mobility. House Tyrell proposed to lead a charitable program to provide food, clothing, and medical care for Westeros’ poor. Taking a harder line, Renly Baratheon, Ser Barristan Selmy, and Eddard Stark proposed to restore law and order to Westeros by deploying more members of the City Watch, and reforming the justice system.

Several members drew attention to some of the other unresolved issues they believe the Council still needs to face. Renly Baratheon drew attention to the Crown’s substantial debt of 6 million gold dragons. Alliser Thorne reminded the Council of the external threats facing Westeros from the white walkers beyond the Wall, and from Daenerys Targaryen over the sea. Thorne warned the Council to “turn our eyes to the Wall, and turn our eyes to the sea.” How the Council plans to respond to these threats remains to be seen.