Here it is. I know it is a tad on the long side, but to be fair, this is shorter than the other stuff I have written. Your thoughts are welcome, especially because I have this sinking feeling that this article has a tendency to meander and may be unsure of what its point is. It may have been better in theory than in practice, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that.
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For the first time in a long time, The North Pacific has a new Speaker of the Regional Assembly, yours truly. Our beloved Zyvetskistaahn has at long last achieved his dream of unshackling himself from the Speaker’s desk, though he has traded those shackles for those of the Deputy Speaker’s office. Elections are times of change and opportunity. This is the most of both the Speaker’s office has had in a while, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The Regional Assembly has seen some of its busiest days as of late, and the Speaker’s office is working to catch up. Top on everyone’s mind these days are reforms to both the citizenship process as well as judicial procedure. In addition to the regular bills altering a small handful of words in the legal code or bill of rights, the Regional Assembly has seen an increase in proposals proposing changes to approving citizens, evidentiary procedure, even judicial sentencing.
It is remarkable, then, that even with this clear desire for broad and varied change in the region, the effort is still deliberate and incremental. There is a process in place and even the most excitable or inspired member of the Regional Assembly adapts to the speed of our legislative process, even if they have to learn as they go. In the previous term the Regional Assembly grappled with the proper handling of evidence and how restrictive to be regarding incoming citizens, but they also played a part in changing the course of NationStates history by reversing course on the World Assembly Accord on campaign Spam and supporting the Coalition Against the Ideology of Nazism. Both of these were supported by delegates past and present, but it was the RA who determined their fate.
Indeed, this past term saw a rare delegate veto, which triggered an override vote (albeit an unsuccessful one). In all cases the citizens respected the outcome and were careful to conduct the votes and debates as carefully and deferentially as possible. Some of these disagreements touched on sensitive subject matter, and at times seemed to hinge on very minute or nitpicky details. And yet, the RA is still standing and the work continues, no matter how many times the same proposal finds new life in another debate thread.
In TNP, the citizens decide their own fate and the rules that bind them. The debates over citizenship and judicial procedure are not abstract principles or something that only affects the nations who come after them, they impact their own fate in future potential court cases, their place in the greater NS world. The RA is an important, if too often unsung, aspect of life in TNP, one that more nations should learn about and use to their benefit. This term may be the one where that aspiration starts to find life. Suffice to say, the Speaker’s office has a lot on its plate in the upcoming term. Facilitating the everyday process of self-governance is tough work at times but it is the lifeblood of democratic regions like TNP.
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For the first time in a long time, The North Pacific has a new Speaker of the Regional Assembly, yours truly. Our beloved Zyvetskistaahn has at long last achieved his dream of unshackling himself from the Speaker’s desk, though he has traded those shackles for those of the Deputy Speaker’s office. Elections are times of change and opportunity. This is the most of both the Speaker’s office has had in a while, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The Regional Assembly has seen some of its busiest days as of late, and the Speaker’s office is working to catch up. Top on everyone’s mind these days are reforms to both the citizenship process as well as judicial procedure. In addition to the regular bills altering a small handful of words in the legal code or bill of rights, the Regional Assembly has seen an increase in proposals proposing changes to approving citizens, evidentiary procedure, even judicial sentencing.
It is remarkable, then, that even with this clear desire for broad and varied change in the region, the effort is still deliberate and incremental. There is a process in place and even the most excitable or inspired member of the Regional Assembly adapts to the speed of our legislative process, even if they have to learn as they go. In the previous term the Regional Assembly grappled with the proper handling of evidence and how restrictive to be regarding incoming citizens, but they also played a part in changing the course of NationStates history by reversing course on the World Assembly Accord on campaign Spam and supporting the Coalition Against the Ideology of Nazism. Both of these were supported by delegates past and present, but it was the RA who determined their fate.
Indeed, this past term saw a rare delegate veto, which triggered an override vote (albeit an unsuccessful one). In all cases the citizens respected the outcome and were careful to conduct the votes and debates as carefully and deferentially as possible. Some of these disagreements touched on sensitive subject matter, and at times seemed to hinge on very minute or nitpicky details. And yet, the RA is still standing and the work continues, no matter how many times the same proposal finds new life in another debate thread.
In TNP, the citizens decide their own fate and the rules that bind them. The debates over citizenship and judicial procedure are not abstract principles or something that only affects the nations who come after them, they impact their own fate in future potential court cases, their place in the greater NS world. The RA is an important, if too often unsung, aspect of life in TNP, one that more nations should learn about and use to their benefit. This term may be the one where that aspiration starts to find life. Suffice to say, the Speaker’s office has a lot on its plate in the upcoming term. Facilitating the everyday process of self-governance is tough work at times but it is the lifeblood of democratic regions like TNP.
