There is a lot to like in your platform, and clearly have the credibility to deliver on it. However I think there are a number of strong candidates in this election for the Delegacy and am currently undecided who to vote for (I know I need to make up my mind shortly!) As such, whilst I know it is late in the day, I do have a few questions for you.
Firstly; in foreign affairs you speak of leading a more assertive TNP, but provide little detail on what this could look like and how you might implement it. I'd be particularly interested in more detail in how you see TNP with you as Delegate engage in general diplomacy with allies, competitors or other regions and what your measures of success or effect for a more active and assertive TNP would be?
Secondly; what is the NS accomplishment (so far!) of which you are most proud? And how has this accomplishment made you a better candidate for the Delegacy?
Finally; of your platform what is the single thing which is most important for you to achieve if you are elected?
Thank you for saying so.
1)TNP is only just starting to break out of a reflexive habit of not getting involved on the world stage. We haven't made much use of our thread on the Gameplay forum and have chosen not to engage with the other players more generally, even outside of major events like the recent news regarding the NPO. It isn't always a pleasant experience, and we have been burned in the past, but that is no reason to retreat into ourselves. We have the opportunity to speak with authority on issues we care about, and offer our viewpoint in a marketplace of ideas that right now is largely devoid of a perspective we might subscribe to. I will consider our efforts in this are to be a success simply when people stop remarking with surprise when we
do speak up. I want the world to know what TNP thinks in general and I want them to be interested in what we have to say when it isn't a scandal or juicy gossip that captures everyone's attention.
I do want to remark that being more assertive does not mean taking control of the conversation, or pushing everyone around so we get our way on something, or taking a bold stand ahead of the pack for the sake of being the loudest. When we get involved in events, we will do so always keeping in mind what is best for protecting our interests and our community, and in the pursuit of the things we value (democracy, the right of regions to decide their own futures, the ability of players in this game to participate without being maligned because they are not part of GCRs, to name but a few). But I don't want us to check out of events as a default position. Even if we say little or almost nothing at all, I want us to say
something so that we stop giving off an impression that we are above it all, or opting out of participating in this game with the rest of our NS community. This doesn't always have to come in the form of a big official statement or announcement, either. If we are conversing in the game and mingling with the community, we should be able to do this through normal interaction and dialogue in many cases.
2)I have to say I still remain proud to this day that only two weeks after joining TNP, I was made Minister of World Assembly Affairs. This really sharpened my interest and skill at navigating the WA, which is crucial to my work as Delegate and the success of this region. Our role in the WA is a source of pride for this community and I have invested the most time and work in executive government in this area. It also showed me from first-hand experience that we should sometimes take a leap of faith and bring in unknown talent that may be eager and capable. Like many ministries we had many rote tasks to do, but they were tasks that were performed best while maximizing participation and involvement of bigger parts of our community. That easily applies to every ministry and requires a great deal of experimentation and innovation, which is precisely what this region needs right now as everything in the wider game state starts to shift faster and more unpredictably. We were a sleepy ministry and we woke up and became a juggernaut. It was my mission to take that experience and apply it to all of TNP the last time I was Delegate, and I think we saw exactly that in multiple areas of the government's portfolio. Today we need that again, while maintaining all the ground we already gained in the last year. For me, all of that started with Plemby inviting me to join his cabinet, and what I learned that first term continues to be crucial to my own personal development and a template for the continued development of TNP.
3)It's hard for me to nail down one thing, because I really do try to strive for synergy with my plans. The plans for Home Affairs enhance our work in Culture and Defense, and those projects help fortify our work in FA and WA, and so on. Many of these achievements are either nebulous, or they are specific but by themselves not significant enough to stand above the rest. Considering I have highlighted broadly important areas that I want to continue to be important in the months ahead, I think I would have to say, I really want our University enhancement to happen of all the specifics I listed. If nothing else happened, or came together, I would at least hope that we could succeed in our roleplay expansion in the University and our collaboration with TWP in getting the NS history at the very least started in our own university. If we managed to produce content we would have a base from which to build in the future, and that could bear fruit for months into future terms which could enhance Culture and help our relations with other regions. I wanted TNP to produce something tangible that it could share with the rest of NS and I believe the planned projects for the University can help us get our hand around something concrete that other players wold find useful in a similar way that WALL provides the same opportunity for authors. I mentioned them in this answer over my WALL sponsorship program, because it already exists and would be further developed, whereas we're starting much closer to scratch with the University projects. Laying the foundation is sometimes the hardest part so if nothing else, I would a least like that to be done so that future TNPers can keep it going.
