Executive Committee

The seal of the Executive Committee and, by extension, the emblem of Wellington Wells

The Executive Committee is the official government of Wellington Wells and the ultimate authority of the city, they're also a major antagonists in the game, in terms of the story.

The Committee operates in the Parade District, holding conference meetings at the Wellington Wells Broadcast Tower. The Executive Committee's authority is absolute and all city officials (including influential ones like General Robert Byng and Dr. Anton Verloc) are subordinate to the authority of, and report to the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee is in charge of all domestic affairs of the city, including both public welfare and public happiness, commanding the Police Force and upholding city-wide security and safety, directing the Council Workers and the healthcare system, and maintaining the production of Joy and the food supply, among other things.

The seal of the Executive Committee is also the emblem for Wellington Wells and is omnipresent throughout the city, reflecting the Executive Committee's all-encompassing role in Wellsian society and culture.

Overview

The Executive Committee, according to the "How to be Happy" guide, states there's no end to their good deeds. Among other things:

• They ensure there's a stable food supply
• They redact newspapers so the citizens don't inadvertently see unpleasantness
• They fund Joy research
• They encourage technological innovations
• They establish new holidays
• They train doctors and further medical research
• They build new playgrounds
• They verify the prize results of Simon Says

These claims are true, but how well they're carried out in practice varies widely.

History

When the German Empire successfully invaded and occupied the British Isles in 1943-1947, the original government of Wellington Wells was dissolved.

The Executive Committee was installed into power to maintain order and administer the city and the surrounding territories. In addition to that, once in power, the Executive Committee was tasked by Colonel Von Stauffenberg to implement the "Authority" program, in which all children in Wellington Wells who were under the age of 13 years of age were registered to be sent on a train to Germany for unknown purposes.

When the Germans left and the occupation ended, the Executive Committee was left in charge. However, there was soon trouble brewing in the city, as rumors began to circulate that the children were never going to return, leading to social unrest. Additionally, the knowledge of the fact that they themselves surrendered their own children made the citizens severely distraught and guilt-ridden, leading to suicides and further unrest.

On the 12th of June, 1950, a Breeder Riot began due to a couple civillians getting miserably reminded of what they did to their children during The Very Bad Thing, three presumably pregnant women were murdered during the event.

In order to maintain order and stability and to stop the suicides, The Executive Committee, with the support of General Byng, commissioned Harry Haworth to develop a pharmaceutical drug to keep the population from remembering their awful past, keeping them happy. The research eventually resulted in the creation of Joy, and mass-production of the drug would begin in 1953. Soon, the entire population was high on the drug, allowing the city to rebuild and redevelop itself. The Garden District, however, was never rebuilt and was instead left in ruin.

However, Joy was not a perfect solution, as problems soon began to appear when the extreme drug use forced Haworth Labs to start using substitute materials for manufacturing Joy due to the growing shortage of supplies. Because defective Joy caused Wellies to become sick and become Downers, effectively causing them to become unable to take Joy, more and more Wastrels would end up getting chased into the Garden District, or die on the streets.

Eventually, the Executive Committee began requesting Downer Detectors, TV Spankers, and Headmistresses to be installed throughout the city to effectively get rid of Downers, as well as getting Joy Doctors and Peepers to patrol the streets.

Current situation

Despite its large degree of influence, the Executive Committee turns out to be just as dysfunctional as the rest of the city, due to its members all being high on Joy and therefore unable to carry out their duties.

There are several hints throughout the game that Wellington Well's food production has come to a halt completely due to the Garden District falling into disrepair and food imports have stopped due to Britannia Bridge closing, and no one outside of Wellington Wells seemingly wants to trade with them. The Executive Committee was previously in charge of food production and imports but the heavy Joy use has hobbled them to point where they are unable to carry out this task.

The Committee sent a letter to Dr. Faraday regarding their requests to make an upgraded version of the current Happy Face Mask, outfitted with microfilament wires routed through the eye cavity into the optic nerve and from there into the pleasure center of the brain. It's purpose is to utilize a mild electric current to stimulate the pleasure center to artificially trigger the release of the appropriate hormones, inducing happiness in the recipient, permanently. Though Faraday refused to create it.

Known Staff

• Colonel Von Stauffenberg (former head)
• Gwendolen Fairfax, Cecily Cardew (receptionists)
• Stanley Baldwin
• Beatrice Dalrymple
• Hugh Dalton
• Samuel Hoare
• Beatrice Sackville
• Camilla Trueblood

Trivia

• The woman on the emblem is unknown.
  • The lady bears a striking resemblance to the old suspicion icon that was used for some time before it was replaced by a simplified face, in which the woman in question would change position depending on if the player was/wasn't suspicious, or if they were acting inappropriately.
• The motto under the emblem reads "In Posterum Cum Gaudio", which translates roughly from Latin as "Into The Future With Joy".
• The How to be Happy: Guide Book, exclusive to the time capsule, is said to have been published by the Executive Committee to ensure "Public Happiness".

Gallery