The Speaker's Desk

Errors are part and parcel of learning about how to do the job. I'm sure that everyone is glad that you have been transparent about them.

I can announce today the beginning of the Regional Assembly Digests Scheme, a project that intends to increase gameside awareness of RA business and encourage gameside players to apply for citizenship. This is a project which I already discussed in my election campaign.

These ‘Regional Assembly Digests’ have in fact existed in the past (they can be viewed here). However, they were seemingly discontinued in August 2018. I will be taking inspiration from these digests in my new incarnation of them; they will contain the current Speaker and Deputy Speakers, business of the RA (unless it’s in the Private Halls) new citizens and residents, citizens and residents who have lost their status, statistics on citizenship numbers, and an encouragement to join the citizenry.

The Delegate has agreed to helping me distribute these publications with their Comms Officer status. I hope to release the first one today or tomorrow; eventually I wish to release them weekly. As well as this, I am intrigued in collaborating with the Ministry of Communications to include a Citizens Stats Report in TNS. However, this is a scheme I have yet to discuss with the MoC.

On a totally unrelated note, the Modern Gameplay Compact document (which can be viewed here) has been updated to include the recently passed amendments and with the updated signatories list.

AraFuttio
Speaker of the Regional Assembly

Hello! I am here to confirm the appointment of @Cloud as Deputy Speaker. I recognise this appointment may raise some eyebrows as I have pledged multiple times to hold back on midterm Deputy appointment, however the problem is never having ‘too many Deputies’, it is having too many Deputies who are inactive. I am sure Cloud will not fit the latter, and will grace the Speaker’s Office with their wealth of experience and knowledge, and I am sure that they will be a massive help going into the future.

Cloud, please take your oath promptly.

AraFuttio
Speaker of the Regional Assembly

As many of you are aware, the NationStates site has suffered a significant outage. This is an actual emergency under TNP law. Per Section 8.5 of the Legal Code, no citizenship removals will take place during this period. Citizenship checks will also not take place after service is restored for the amount of time the site has been down. We hope to have an update from NS Admins soon on an ETA. The TNP admin team are working on broadcasting updates to the region.

AraFuttio
Speaker of the Regional Assembly

I knew that law was going to be useful. Thanks for the update, Ara!

Following Delegate Kaschovia's appointment of me as Minister of Home Affairs, I hereby resign as Deputy Speaker. Thank you Speaker @AraFuttio and everyone else, I definitely enjoyed my time here and it's been a pleasure working with all of you.

It has been the greatest honour to serve you this term as Speaker of one of the greatest legislatures in NationStates. I have enjoyed (pretty much) every minute of the challenging and interesting work involved in the job.

This term we have achieved my primary target: a level of consistency in all activities in the Speaker’s Office. My Deps and I have been able to keep the fundamental work of the Office going with few hiccups. We have also introduced the Regional Assembly Digests, which I hope will continue into the future.

I wish to thank my Deps @St George, @Sil Dorsett, @Picairn, @Skaraborg and @Cloud. You have all been fantastic for many reasons; I couldn’t have done it without you.

It may be me next term or it may be Cloud or Noscar, and if it is either of them, I wish them the best of luck and hope they can continue the brilliant work that happens in the Office.

Signing off,
AraFuttio
Speaker of the Regional Assembly

Thank you all for electing me for a second time to serve as Speaker! I’d also like to thank outgoing Speaker @AraFuttio for his service and for allowing me to return to the office under his wing. You have done a fantastic job over the last four months! I’d also like to thank Deputy Speakers @Sil Dorsett, @St George, @Skaraborg, and @Picairn for their contributions to this office. Congratulations to @Simone and @Chipoli on their respective victories as well! I look forward to a wonderful term.

Now, let’s get straight to business. I am reappointing @Sil Dorsett and @St George as well as appointing @Noscar as Deputy Speakers. I am pleased to see new faces who are enthusiastic about serving in this office. Please take your oaths. There's one more I want to have in the office, but until their confirmation I'll be holding off their appointment temporarily. And as always, I am open to deputy positions. Just DM me!

On the topic of the guides, former Speaker Skaraborg worked on one for Citizenship Status Check. It is pretty much as good as complete, and all it needs now is proofreading and double-checking to ensure accuracy and reliability. The next guides I plan to work on are related to citizenship applications, such as a guide for an application that failed the admin check and one for a failed Vice Delegate's check.

A new edition of the Regional Assembly Digest is in the works and will be published within a day or two. That edition will cover a period from 10 April to 12 May.

An audit will also be conducted to ensure that data within the registry is accurate and up-to-date.

Any questions? Feel free to ask!

~Cloud
Speaker of the Regional Assembly

Quick Deputy appointment
Real quickly, I appoint @Caius as a Deputy Speaker. He reached out to me earlier, and I am pleased to welcome him back to the office! Please go take your oath

Cloud:

An audit will also be conducted to ensure that data within the registry is accurate and up-to-date.

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As I was conducting said audit, I found the following discrepancies in the residents group/sheet:

I am pleased to say however that not a single discrepancy was found in the citizens sheet! This is wonderful and is a reflection of Ara's successful term as Speaker.

Another audit will be conducted next month.

Congrats Cloud! ^-^

Once again, congratulations.

Cloud:

There's one more I want to have in the office, but until their confirmation I'll be holding off their appointment temporarily.

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They’ve gotten back to me just now, and so I hereby appoint @Matzerati as Deputy Speaker. Please take your oath

Congratulations on Speaker Cloud!

Deputy Appointment
Are you glad to see me again?

I hereby appoint @Star Winter as Deputy Speaker. I'm glad to see more new faces express interest in the office, and I'm confident that his activity in the executive can also carry over here. Please take your oath

Mr Speaker,

In relation to the guide on processing citizenship applications, is it intended that this will be amended to reflect the current process following failed assessments in step 5 and, in particular, to remove reference to appeals following failed administrative assessment and replace it with reference to re-assessment by the Vice Delegate (or rejection for those not subject to re-assessment))?

Zyvetskistaahn:

Mr Speaker,

In relation to the guide on processing citizenship applications, is it intended that this will be amended to reflect the current process following failed assessments in step 5 and, in particular, to remove reference to appeals following failed administrative assessment and replace it with reference to re-assessment by the Vice Delegate (or rejection for those not subject to re-assessment))?

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Hello, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I had not thought about this, and I will be bringing this up to the Speaker’s Office soon. I’m sure we’ll be able to amend it quickly.

Zyvetskistaahn:

Mr Speaker,

In relation to the guide on processing citizenship applications, is it intended that this will be amended to reflect the current process following failed assessments in step 5 and, in particular, to remove reference to appeals following failed administrative assessment and replace it with reference to re-assessment by the Vice Delegate (or rejection for those not subject to re-assessment))?

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Following a discussion in the office, it has been amended.

Mr Speaker, may I ask if the resident affected by the late removal of their citizenship due to error has been given notice of the nature of the error made in their case?

Zyvetskistaahn:

Mr Speaker, may I ask if the resident affected by the late removal of their citizenship due to error has been given notice of the nature of the error made in their case?

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They have not, no. They will be informed promptly.