Robespierre for Vice Delegate

Robespierre

Robespierre

The MacMilitant
Pronouns
He/him
TNP Nation
Francois Isidore
Discord
themacmilitant
Robespierre for Vice-Delegate
Competent. Creative. Capable.​


Experience & Standing:

Over the course of the past eight months, I have had both the honor and the privilege of serving this great region dutifully in capacities such as Minister of Defense, Minister of Home Affairs, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Deputy Minister of Communications, Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs, Election Commissioner, Forum Mentor, and Senior World Assembly Consultant. In addition to being your most recent member of the Executive Council tasked with the military affairs of the North Pacific, I’ve also been fortunate enough to be an active participant in the Executive Staffs of various government ministries.

Among my numerous dedications, I am the North Pacific’s current ambassador to our longtime cherished allies in Stargate; and am a decorated serviceman within the halls of the North Pacific Army’s barracks. In my nearly six year long career on-site, I’ve amassed a wealth of knowledge in regards to how endorsements behave, how they can be constructively directed, and how we can better harness the power of our region’s domestic World Assembly population.

In the spirit of providing talented newcomers with the opportunity to demonstrate their willingness to contribute to our community, I decided to defer my posting as the North Pacific’s ambassador to Forest unto another young member of this region and I’ve done similar things in the Ministry of Home Affairs and with my Deputy Ministers in Defense. With these actions, I have upheld the proud tradition of North Pacificans past to make way for new blood and place my faith in the abilities of those who come after me. This election season, I respectfully call upon you, the voting public, to do the same distinguishment unto me and allow me to prove to you why I’d make for a competent, creative, and capable Vice-Delegate of the North Pacific.



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First and foremost, a candidate’s ability to perform standard tasks at a high level for such high an office should be assessed before anything else. At no point during this campaign will I request that you support my candidacy based upon the promises I can make to you; nor will I ask you to lend me your backing solely due to the words I may speak. Instead, I’d like to showcase what my bid for office has to offer the people of this region in a way that establishes reasonable and achievable goals without running the risk of overpromising. That being said, I have always prided myself on maintaining extreme levels of activity and exceptional levels of consistency. Rest assured, rather it's in the midst of January's cold winds or on the sunny days of May where spring has sprung, I will be an upstanding member of our community and will be accessible to the citizenry at all times.

With regard to security checks, I will be performing them twice a day at the bare minimum. It is my view that the process of applying for citizenship in the North Pacific should always be a welcoming experience for newcomers to our region. Traditionally, the Vice-Delegate was provided a much more narrow timespan to perform their security check then what they’ve been allotted with today. But as per the passage of the Vice-Delegate Check Efficiency Bill that was proposed by Sil Dorsett in late August of this year, the timespan for these checks to occur has widened considerably from three days to seven days. Nonetheless, timeliness remains a crucial factor in whether or not a curious new nation decides to become more involved with our community. Having said that, I will always endeavor to approach this aspect of the Vice-Delegate’s duties in a way that gives due diligence to the actual check being performed because I don't believe that there must inherently be a trade-off between timely turnaround times and the authenticity as well as the thoroughness of the checks themselves.

As for the rest of the responsibilities under my purview, if elected, you can expect me to be just as proactive as I always have been - if not more so. I intend to begin working for the betterment of our regional security from day one stepping foot into the Security Council and I will do so tirelessly until my last day as your Vice-Delegate come 11 May 2020. By supporting me, you are supporting a candidate who will organize and execute coordinated efforts to improve regional security, World Assembly retention rates, Security Councilor interactions with the game-side interface, and harness the full potential of our Cards Guild with the second season of NationStates cards serving as the catalyst to do so.

For more information about my ambitions and goals, I'd encourage you to propose questions to me in this very thread. I'm more than happy to provide specifics, and hopefully, my answers will put some of the more elusive milestones mentioned by past campaigns in perspective for how we can gradually work towards achieving a stronger, even more, stable region. Next up...



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In late October, there was a bit of a controversy surrounding the Security Council's rejection of Xentherida's application to join the esteemed body. Amidst the debate, we were told that the Security Council was working on (or that a couple of its members had been working on) procedural changes that would help prevent future friction from occurring. As someone who's taken up a prominent role in numerous governments around the NationStates world, both user-created and game-created, I can attest to just how important self-reflection of political bodies can be; but I also now how it can prove itself to be difficult at times.

I truly believe that it is the responsibility of the citizenry to remind government of its commitments to them lest we forget, and when a citizen is looking for an explanation on why something was done it's paramount that we're able to explain ourselves in a way that doesn't jeopardize regional security, respects the comments of individuals, yet still provides adequate reasoning to the inquirer. Easier said than done, but this is a challenge that I welcome and it's something that I'll be tackling within the first month of my term if elected. I maintain the positioning that discussions can happen in private, with secrecy, but the decision resulting from said discussion should be made public and that decision should be accompanied by reasoning that's acceptable for public viewing.

No other democratic institution in our region is given such widespread authority to take serious actions without justifying the why, what, and how of the situation. That is something that I believe can be corrected, and if elected as your next Vice-Delegate then I will do my best to collaborate with my colleagues in a way that takes the steps towards restoring the trust the Regional Assembly has in the protectors of our region.

Lack of visibility can lead to a lack of trust in the event of a catastrophe, and a community that is not unified and inclusive is a community that cannot reasonably be expected to stick together should the Delegate go rouge. To help remedy that, I'd like to invest some of my focus into bridging the gap between various sectors of our community using the means available to me - because regional security doesn't stop simply at endorsements. Currently, there are a couple of members o the Security Council who I think would be prime focal points for events which will encourage Security Councilors to interact with their region-mates directly. To enhance these efforts, I'd love to get working with the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Culture, and the Guildmaster to see this endeavor through over the course of the next four months. But I need not over-rely on executive involvement, because this is something that we could be doing in the near future with contributions from a handful of members.



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A quick reading of the World Assembly Development Program's dispatch (located here) will tell you that the Security Council is comprised of trusted members of the North Pacific with high endorsement counts and high regional influence levels. The insight that these players bring to the table is invaluable, and their experience is built up by years of hard work and service to our community in varying facets of North Pacifican life. At the same time, it's important to remember that they're still government officials and that they're still accountable to the Regional Assembly. I feel as if without the presence of an increased level of transparency, the Regional Assembly is becoming less and less able to oversee the affairs of our region and that can be a big cause of concern.

At the same time, I am aware that the private section of the Security Council's forum is set up the way it is for a reason because it houses a crucial workroom for Councilors to safely exchange sensitive information and get their point across in a controlled environment. As Vice-Delegate, you have to be able to use your discretion and be mindful of the ramification of your actions. I will do this, and I will weigh the pros and cons of the decisions I make. Just like with the previous section of my campaign, it's fair to say that accountability and transparency go hand and hand because honesty is the most important part of transparency.

Speaking of honesty, let's talk about it: Clause 9 of the Bill of Rights states that "Each Nation in The North Pacific is guaranteed the organization and operation of the governmental authorities of the region on fundamental principles of democracy, accountability, and transparency". My campaign embodies these three things in their essence, but I'll also offer the following qualification for when information shouldn't be publicly disclosed: The implication when Security Councilors post is that nobody is going to quote them on their comments and use said comments against them. This implication needs to be respected, and I think that the Security Council operates better if the Vice-Delegate encourages that diversity of thought in the controlled environment I mentioned earlier. This isn't me walking my beliefs about transparency and accountability back either, but more so it's me addressing the reality of the situation and saying that a large majority of Security Council threads are probably not suitable to be publicly released. For the ones that are? I'll work with other Security Councilors for the first few weeks of the upcoming term to release whatever is possible for the benefit of the public's awareness.

Suffice to say, it'll be a challenge to balance what can and should be said versus what cannot and shouldn't be said. "For security reasons" cannot be a blanket pass for any information the government doesn't want to disseminate, but it can be an applicable reason. If elected Vice-Delegate, I'm prepared to tackle this challenge and seek out a way most agreeable for all parties. Ask me more about how I'll do this below - this isn't a rosy picture.



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I mentioned my own personal activity above, but I think it's appropriate for me to talk briefly about what I foresee happening with other responsibilities should I be elected. Through everything I've said in this campaign, I understand that these are things that will not happen overnight. It'll take constant planning and compromise to get things done, but I know full and well what I'm getting myself into and I wouldn't be standing for election if I hadn't seriously considered this campaign for months on end.

In truth, it really is about being able to adapt. Things won't always go my or the Security Council's way: Maybe we can't widen the gap between the lowest endorsed SCer and the next non-SC nation ( << That's actually something I am looking to accomplish, by the way). Maybe we have a bad week, and maybe our endorsements dwindle during a seven day period. That's not indicative of failure, but rather it's a chance to improve and incorporate methods with some variety to them. I did this in the North Pacific Army when selecting operation types to run, and while the Vice-Delegacy will not be that simple I think the principle is cross-applicable.

Endorsement counts are not linear, so they won't go up or go down at a consistent rate. That's why there must be other measurables for what a successful term looks like, and endorsement counts can always be improved with persistence once you get up into the upper echelons. As Vice-Delegate, I'll routinely request that SCers boost their endorsements given, encouraging that they conduct telegram campaigns, sending endorsement alert telegrams on their behalf. These are all standard things, and if a problem arises I'll be sure to explore other options available to me so we can get the job done.



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Lastly, I would like to speak briefly about something rather important to me specifically. That is... what it would look like if I am to be elected a first-time Vice-Delegate of the North Pacific. I've always been of the opinion that regardless of whatever capacity we may serve in we are always learning, and that applies to every candidate who has ever graced the ballot.

When chairing the Security Council, it is of the utmost importance that I respect the standings of its members who have come before me and volunteered their time, energy, and effort before I did. These are players more seasoned than I, they are established in the community than I am, and because the Vice-Delegate’s situation is very different then the situation of any other official it's fair to say that I need to be adaptive and flexible in the role. I have to be willing to hear others out, and I need to be aware of how I’m on equal footing with other Security Councilors, with the only difference being that it just so happens I have a job title that enables me to preside over the Council itself.

A couple years ago, when Siwale first ran for Vice-Delegate against the incumbent, Kasch, he said that there is no "correct way" to do things and I think he really hit the nail right on the head. I have to be able to seize this opportunity with an open mind, and when doing so it's crucial that I look to them for guidance and assistance instead of simply asserting myself over them. It’s more than okay for Security Councilors to disagree with one another and to disagree with me. In fact, that's the beauty of the system! But we're all on the same team at the end of the day, and that's team TNP, so I submit my bid for office in the hopes that I can be who the people want me to be. I know what I want to be, and I know that where I've chosen to run is where I feel I can serve the region most fulfilling.



With that said, I close out this length campaign and turn the floor over to you, the voting public, for questions. Thank you for your time, and I wish everyone the best of luck this season!

Yours,

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Campaign Endorsed by:

@Deropia, former Vice-Delegate
@Vivanco, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Graphic Design Credits to @Prydania
^^^ A BIG thank you!!​
 
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You've mentioned all of your previous positions. Can you please list what you have accomplished in each position? Be specific please. :)
 
ACR of Deerfenland:
What makes you different from everyone else, Robes?
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There are a number of things that separate me from everyone else, but I think the most notable difference is probably the approach I take to holding public office and my demeanor. For me, I've always been someone who's ambitious and who likes to capitalize upon the opportunities presented to me. You can read more about me as a player in the interview I did with Krevt on the Spotlight segment of the North Star this past October, but I'll spare you the redirection and list off a couple of intangibles that I hold: For one, I hold a very diverse set of skills and feel comfortable assisting others in almost every way that could be asked of me.

For the Vice-Delegacy, you want someone who's a generalist and who does well under pressure, because in the event that the Delegate is absent, resigns, or is recalled then they're the person who'll be taking up the executive branch for the remainder of that term. With me, you're getting someone with a very extensive track record in nearly all of the regions I've been to over the years. Despite being a "newer" North Pacifican, I don't see that as anything but an advantage because it enriches me with a fresh perspective and a drive to improve in any way that I am able. I'm different than others because I'm able to take my knowledge and apply it in a way that yields preferable results.

Secondly, another thing that separates me from the rest is the way for which I've chosen to get my message across. Notice how my responses are longer, take more time to produce, and are more thought out. That's because I'm always thinking and it's my desire to articulate clearly upon what I'm thinking so as to paint a more vivid picture for what I have in mind if my campaign is to be successful. Unlike past campaigns we've seen, I'm not promising voters the world. Certain campaign pledges are unrealistic, and I'm not interested in falling short of my goals. That's why if I have an idea for something I'd like to see implemented I mention it and then prompt others for questions that allow me to explain a course of action. It's interactive, and by breaking down lofty targets into smaller, more manageable progressions we can eliminate the potential for a false promise or falling short. I'm different because I don't only focus on my strengths and weakness, but I also think about how detailing my plans can fit into a bigger picture and can provide an explanation when asked.

Praetor:
You've mentioned all of your previous positions. Can you please list what you have accomplished in each position? Be specific, please. :)
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Sure thing! I'll begin with what all was accomplished under my leadership this past term as the Minister of Defense, but I'll be sure to cover each of the positions I mentioned as well.

Firstly, as recorded in the State of the Region address given by Delegate McMasterdonia in his administration's end of term report, the North Pacific Army has conducted forty-one operations in the past four months. Among these undertakings, I'd like to highlight the liberation of the East Pacific as being a prime example of my skills with organization and getting the job done under pressure. Not only did I secure the presence of multiple militaries from across the world to partake in this concentrated effort, irrespective of their alignment, but I also lead the operation itself during major update and was on the ground to call the trigger. It was a very successful mission and it ended up being the proverbial nail in the coffin to Fedele's tyrannical reign as Delegate. This event in gameplay really reinforced the appreciation I had for regional security, and without the invaluable assistance of my Generals Staff and Deputy Ministers of Defense, we wouldn't have been able to take such an appropriate response as quickly as we were able to, so the credit is shared between them and me for that.

Other notable happenings this past term include the World Cleanup campaign we did with our allies from the Rejected Realms, the South Pacific, and the Republic of Europeia, the invasion of North Ustaynga which occurred on the twenty-third of November, the two liberations of Stargate which were executed on the fifth of November and twenty-third of December respectively, as well as the joint seizure of Warzone Australia with our friends from Lazarus. In each of these instances, I either gave the orders that lead to the mobilization of the Ministry, organized the information needed to produce reports, did work in the background to select targets and delegate them to officers, coordinated joint military support with foreign commanders or was on the ground leading operations myself. I'm very proud of what the North Pacific Army's personnel were able to accomplish during my term at the helm, and while I take some of the credit for being an instrumental piece to the puzzle in all of these cases I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude for their service. You can read more about every operation conducted under my leadership in the Defense Section of the forums, and hopefully, by the time my term officially ends on the length of January, we'll have snuck in one or two more operations for the final count.
I took over for Marcus Antonius as Minister of Home Affairs following his untimely resignation a mere month into El Fiji Grande's term as Delegate of the North Pacific, and right away I began working to make up for lost time in the absence of my predecessor. It was here that I continued to supply the Executive Staff with recruitment scripts regularly, and even launched an extensive program called Project Provide with the goal of educating newcomers about the functions of various government ministries. While I will admit that I haven't revisited Project Provide in some time, I can truthfully say the initiative itself is not dead and the spark it kindled has not been extinguished. In fact, I'd actually like to work on increasing newcomers' knowledge of the World Assembly Development Program, the procedures of the Security Council, and help them learn more about why their one endorsement matters. For more on that, ask me about my plans for the education of individual nations, but the gist is that I did a lot of mentorship in this role and really looked toward preparing someone to take over the role amidst my shift to Defense.
This was one of my very first positions I found myself in when I first came to the North Pacific, and as you can expect it was the prequel to my eventual rise into the Executive Council later in the El Fiji Grande's term as Delegate. Here, I did a lot of entry-level work for Marcus Antonius and was the Ministry's most active official when its Minister was traveling and on leave of absence. For the brief time, I was able, I learned from my predecessor and began growing familiar with what was needed to make it here in the North Pacific. I called upon my strong work ethic to help me stand out from the other Deputy Ministers of the time, and I always did my best to breath life into a Ministry so integral to our domestic policy. At that time, you could have found me following up on roll call posts, contributing to the re-writing of certain scripted telegrams, and essentially doing whatever was asked of me. It was a good starting point for me, and I'm thankful for the opportunity it provided me even if Deputy Ministers aren't usually the ones to make groundbreaking accomplishments.
In conjunction with being a Deputy Minister of Marcus Antonius in Home Affairs, I was also one of two Deputy Ministers of Pallaith in the Ministry of Communications. Here, I really took on a considerable workload, as it was the Minister's style of delegating tasks that really enabled me to showcase my abilities and prove to all I could be a workhorse in government. Here, I prepared monthly reports for the Minister to give and formatted all the information I'd gathered in a way that gave a comprehensive report to the public. I also assisted in the expansion and revival of the Points & Ranking system which I then kept track of for the next four months. Nowadays, I'm no longer a Deputy Minister but I still have a place on the Senior Editing Team and regularly write for the North Star publication.
This deputy ministership was the longest one I held by virtue of the new Delegate, McMasterdonia, allowing me to retain my standing under the guidance of Minister TlomzKrano. When I was first brought on, I was taught how to make postings for the region to discuss resolutions approaching and occasionally wrote the information for voters on proposals I had sufficient knowledge about. Since then, I've been taught more about our fellow WALL regions, the function of our bloc, how to send our IFVs via dispatch, RMB posting, and telegram on the Northern Light account, and am presently a Senior World Assembly Consultant who specializes in the happenings of the Security Council and providing insight as needed. Though I'm no longer a Deputy Minister, I still maintain an active presence in the Ministry and its Senior Diplomat-equivalent body for World Assembly Affairs.
As an Election Commissioner, I have either managed or assisted in the supervision of the only two elections that have occurred since my appointment by the Delegate and subsequent confirmation by the Regional Assembly. During Eluvatar's term as Chief Election Commissioner, I worked with him to supervise the September 2019 General Election and would later become his successor as Chief Election Commissioner on the fifteenth of October. When supervising, I constantly kept watch on the candidacy declaration thread to update its opening post in light of the acceptance, declination, or invalidation of nominations; and checked over the voting spreadsheet to authenticate the results and ensure that each citizen's voice was properly heard and accounted for.

I also sent out a mass forum PM to all eligible voters during the voting period of that election, and I'd do the same when I myself was Chief Election Commissioner for the November 2019 Judicial Election and supervised alongside then-Commissioner Owenstacey. In all my time on the Commission, I have never once taken up a seat without actively volunteering to supervise whenever scheduled. For obvious reasons, I cannot do the same this time around. But if the Delegate deems fit to re-appoint me once my current term expires on the thirteenth of January then I'll be happy to reassume duties in the spirit of service.

This is... everything I can remember doing up until this point. Hopefully, it answers your question and provides a detailed overview of my accomplishments and involvements.

Syrixia:
You've got my support!
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Your support is greatly appreciated, Syrixia. Thank you very much! :)
 
Very well written responses thus far, and excellent campaign. It is safe to say I am in your corner.
 
Do you believe that the Vice Delegate should take an active role in educating nations about the WADP, how regional security works and why their endorsement matters?
 
Robespierre:
As for the rest of the responsibilities under my purview, if elected, you can expect me to be just as proactive as I always have been - if not more so. I intend to begin working for the betterment of our regional security from day one stepping foot into the Security Council and I will do so tirelessly until my last day as your Vice-Delegate come 11 May 2020. By supporting me, you are supporting a candidate who will organize and execute coordinated efforts to improve regional security, World Assembly retention rates, Security Councilor interactions with the game-side interface, and harness the full potential of our Cards Guild with the second season of NationStates cards serving as the catalyst to do so.

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Lack of visibility can lead to a lack of trust in the event of a catastrophe, and a community that is not unified and inclusive is a community that cannot reasonably be expected to stick together should the Delegate go rouge. To help remedy that, I'd like to invest some of my focus into bridging the gap between various sectors of our community using the means available to me - because regional security doesn't stop simply at endorsements. Currently, there are a couple of members o the Security Council who I think would be prime focal points for events which will encourage Security Councilors to interact with their region-mates directly. To enhance these efforts, I'd love to get working with the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Culture, and the Guildmaster to see this endeavor through over the course of the next four months. But I need not over-rely on executive involvement, because this is something that we could be doing in the near future with contributions from a handful of members.
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Can you offer specifics on the events that you would like to run?

Additionally, how are you going to improve World Assembly retention rates?
 
Deropia:
Do you believe that the Vice Delegate should take an active role in educating nations about the WADP, how regional security works and why their endorsement matters?
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Yes, I do believe that the Vice-Delegate should take an active role in educating nations about the WADP, regional security, and the like. During my time in the Ministry of Home Affairs, both as its Minister and as a Deputy Minister under Marcus Antonius, I always found the mentorship of individual nations to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my job; because to me, it wasn’t a job. By increasing the awareness of newcomers and presenting them with a plethora of opportunities as to where they could become involved, I felt as if I was empowering the next generation North Pacificans in a way that would inspire them to shape our region to be stronger and more unified in the future. To me, that kind of one-on-one interaction was especially gratifying and it’s something that I’d love to replicate through the eyes of the Vice-Delegacy if elected.

My thinking on this is that if you’re able to build a working relationship with someone and connect with that person from a very early stage, then you may very well end up being the reason why that person chooses to stick around and participate in the many activities we have going on here in the North Pacific. In a region as large and influential as ours, it really is the “little things” that end up mattering the most, and I believe that when we take the time to be patient with one another that’s when we can truly begin to do amazing things and help improve each other’s experience of a common interest that we all share. Automation works well for getting a blanket message across and is preferable in large doses.

By no means am I suggesting that we abandoned automation, but what I am suggesting is that the Vice-Delegate invests more focus into the mentorship and education of individual nations. For Vice-Delegate, you want someone who is personable and will serve as a communication point for nations. I am someone who has the time, the patience, the drive, and will put forth the effort to ensure that we have more knowledgeable nations entering our community.

Praetor:
Can you offer specifics on the events that you would like to run?
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Most definitely! You know, candidates of the past have regularly advocated for the Security Council to play more of a role game-side in order to increase their clout in the case of an emergency. In truth, there's nothing wrong with that suggestion. but when confronted with the when, where, and how of things people seem a lot less confident to take the project on. I'm not going to shy away: We never did get the week-long Security Council event that the Ministry of Culture and the Vice-Delegate were said to be working on, and I imagine that the event was postponed repeatedly due to scheduling conflicts. You can't run that type of thing during a delegacy transition, or anywhere near one for that matter because then you run the risk of a participating Security Councilor accidentally overtaking the elected Delegate in endorsements.

At the beginning of the last term, a lot of resources had to be directed to the delegacy transition that we had ongoing and so it serves to reason why these plans never made it to fruition. In light of that, while I can't base my entire planned course of action assuming that McMasterdonia is re-elected as Delegate of the North Pacific, I can say that his re-election would expedite the process considerably and I think it'd provide for the perfect opportunity to get this idea off of the ground during the first month of my term.

If elected, I plan to speak with r3n about how we can capitalize upon the release of season two of NationStates cards in a way that encourages some of our more avid cards players to become keepers and promotes being a Keeper to players who are new to or may only be interested in the card games. NationStates is a diverse place where we have gameplayers, roleplayers, issues players, cards players, and people all over the spectrum in relation to how they enjoy their time playing. When I mentioned being inclusive and fostering a unified community, this is precisely why. I want to be able to encourage people to do what they're already doing and enjoying, but then link it back to our regional security incentives.

I’d like to work on boosting the endorsements of individual Security Councilors without putting them in the WFE (historically, that doesn’t work and isn’t good for a couple of reasons), and I’d also like to organize an event where we collaborate with another game-created region such as the East Pacific or the South Pacific in a race-style event to see who can get their Delegates/Security Councilors/CRS members/Viziers higher in endorsements over an allotted time span. Reminiscent of the "TNP for #1" event, with the difference being we already have first place in the world firmly in hand.

Praetor:
Additionally, how are you going to improve World Assembly retention rates?
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I think that hosting an event where Security Councilors interact directly with our community game-side could be an inventive idea, and it'd work with what I mentioned in my answer above about getting them out into the open and more visible to everyone. While I understand that some Security Councilors aren't the most talkative, I do know of some members who would serve as great catalysts for this initiative and upon further ironing of an idea we could really get something worthwhile going, I think. It's a team effort, but my school of thought is that you boost World Assembly retention by giving them more and more reasons to keep their membership nation in the North Pacific. We have the cards lottery, which works well for that, and we have the WADP awards.

I'd like to see if we can incorporate RMBers into the fray and get them to become Keepers because a lot of them are regularly present on the game-side end of things and I think tapping into that demographic would be something we could attempt
 
Very well written responses and great plans. This campaign for VD so far has my support. My only question is why are you running despite not sitting on the Security Council? It’s not unprecedented for non-SC members to run for VD (such as myself, Malphe, Dero, Brend, you, etc.) but sitting on the council is a great plus for being VD. Especially as VD, you responsible is to chair the council.
 
Robespierre:
If elected, I plan to speak with r3n about how we can capitalize upon the release of season two of NationStates cards in a way that encourages some of our more avid cards players to become keepers and promotes being a Keeper to players who are new to or may only be interested in the card games. NationStates is a diverse place where we have gameplayers, roleplayers, issues players, cards players, and people all over the spectrum in relation to how they enjoy their time playing. When I mentioned being inclusive and fostering a unified community, this is precisely why. I want to be able to encourage people to do what they're already doing and enjoying, but then link it back to our regional security incentives.
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Are TNP card players currently not Keepers?

Do you have any ideas for utilizing cards further in the WADP other than speaking to r3n?
 
Dinoium:
Very well written responses and great plans. This campaign for VD so far has my support. My only question is why are you running despite not sitting on the Security Council? It’s not unprecedented for non-SC members to run for VD (such as myself, Malphe, Dero, Brend, you, etc.) but sitting on the council is a great plus for being VD. Especially as VD, you responsible is to chair the council.
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That is correct: It would be my responsibility to chair the Security Council if elected, and that’s a responsibility that I feel comfortable with having despite not being a member of the Security Council beforehand. As for why I haven’t made a move to apply for the Security Council, it has a lot to do with where the bulk of my service has been over the past few months. Unfortunately, I have but only one World Assembly membership to give to my region. I’ve been studying up on history and have a working knowledge of Security Council procedure. As Minister of Defense, I’ve needed to be mobile with my WA status for the purposes of going above and beyond in my duties and being on the frontlines alongside my troops. In that regard, I feel as though I have a lot to be proud of and as if I’ve made good use of my time when being mobile. Should my campaign be successful, I won’t have my mobility anymore but I will still be an active presence in the force. I plan on leading missions and triggering hits while I’m Vice-Delegate, so that I can serve my region in two different ways simultaneously without necessarily needing to be WA mobile. So I don’t see elected office as anything that would tie me down or hinder me in any way.

Praetor:
Are TNP card players currently not Keepers?

Do you have any ideas for utilizing cards further in the WADP other than speaking to r3n?
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Regardless of whether or not some cards players are choosing to become Keepers of the North, my plan focuses more on broadening the base of cards players altogether and then seamlessly transitioning them into the World Assembly Development Program. In the status quo, some cards players become Keepers to take advantage of the cards lottery program. Since the founding of the Cards Guild we’ve branched our past just offering this to Keepers, but at the same time I’d still like to use the means available to us to direct a boost in endorsements.
 
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New blood, a fresh breeze of new air to refresh The North Pacific! I like that!
Although you face a tough opponent, I will say this: You have my endorsement!
 
Vivanco:
New blood, a fresh breeze of new air to refresh The North Pacific! I like that!
Although you face a tough opponent, I will say this: You have my endorsement!
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Thank you for your support! I hope that I can be the breath of fresh air that you’re looking for
 
You are currently serving as MoD. Assuming you take the Vice Delegacy, how will you plan out the transition to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible?
 
Angshire:
You are currently serving as MoD. Assuming you take the Vice Delegacy, how will you plan out the transition to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible?
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My Deputy Ministers of Defense can attests to this, but I’ve always made it a priority to mentor them one-on-one and pass on some things I know about leading a military to them in the hopes that one day when their time comes they’ll be prepared to take my place. In theory, that’s what deputy ministership is supposed to prepare people for: to eventually step into the shoes of the Minister who preceded them and use what they were taught to effectively make that transition as easy on everyone as possible. During my term as Minister of Defense, I’ve been able to have to work closely with Trondstorm and Koopa each, and I’m very confident in their abilities to succeed me if I’m elected Vice-Delegate and the Delegate calls upon them to replace me. Koopa was a Deputy Minister for Bobberino when I was still in the Officer Corps, and has served a term since then with me. With that background, he’s been around the North Pacific Army long enough to have earned the rank of Major off of his own merits (though he’s a Colonel right now by virtue of being DMoD) and I know he’d do the Ministry proudly in my absence.

With Trondstorm, you always know what you’re getting; and what you’re getting is excellence. I have high praise for Trond because he’s helped me immensely over the past four months and been a joy to have by my side. He too has grown as a player considerably and I wish him the best in the opportunities that await him. If I were to be elected Vice-Delegate, I can definitely see him taking my place and serving at the pleasure of the Delegate. He’d do a great job in the role, I’m sure, and I’d be happy to spend some time working with the new Minister of Defense, whomever they may be, in an unofficial capacity to ensure that matters carry over nicely.

Aside from my deputies, we have very capable officers and seasoned Generals who would undoubtably be great choices for my replacement. Darcania is one that comes to mind, as he has been a huge to help to me during my tenure. QuietDad too, Zazumo, Malphe... they’ve really all played their roles expertly and the talent surrounding me has just been exceptionally astounding. I have faith in nearly everyone to lead our proud organization, and it’s important to consider that I wouldn’t necessarily be gone altogether because I still plan on serving as an officer
 
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Robes, The VD often promotes WA Endos as a way to strengthen the region. Very little mention is given to citizenship outside of citizenship checks. Do you think that the VD should be concerned with Citizenship retention?
 
Dreadton:
Robes, The VD often promotes WA Endos as a way to strengthen the region. Very little mention is given to citizenship outside of citizenship checks. Do you think that the VD should be concerned with Citizenship retention?
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In your currently ongoing campaign for Speaker of the Regional Assembly, you mentioned how citizenship retention is a very good indicator of regional health. I completely agree with you, and I think that the Vice-Delegate should definitely pay attention to what's happening with the citizens who pass all three checks after they're granted citizenship. In my mind, that falls under the category of the Vice-Delegate watching the region and making sure there's no cause for concern.

At the same time, it's important that I don't lose sight of the task at hand. Whether we have a region of ninety citizens or a region of seventy citizens, I still am tasked with the security of the region and the protection of our members. That's speaking hypothetically of course, because we have many more citizens than that. But do I think that Vice-Delegate candidates should be concerned with it? Absolutely, I do. Referring back to what I said originally in my platform: endorsements aren't everything. I would be interested to see whether or not this presents an opportunity to make the reports the Vice-Delegate puts out on a weekly basis more elaborate, as we could explore the viability of recordings stats such as citizenship retention and whether or not are new citizens are WA members or not.

I hate to ask a question when answering a question, but do you feel as though this would be a stat of interest to some people? It's always good to get feedback, and if I'm elected I'll always be open to suggestions for how we can improve things
 
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Robespierre:
Regardless of whether or not some cards players are choosing to become Keepers of the North, my plan focuses more on broadening the base of cards players altogether and then seamlessly transitioning them into the World Assembly Development Program. In the status quo, some cards players become Keepers to take advantage of the cards lottery program. Since the founding of the Cards Guild we’ve branched our past just offering this to Keepers, but at the same time I’d still like to use the means available to us to direct a boost in endorsements.
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Do you have any specific ideas or are just willing to participate in brainstorming, refining, and executing ideas?
 
Praetor:
Do you have any specific ideas or are just willing to participate in brainstorming, refining, and executing ideas?
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Specifically, for the cross-regional event that I’d like to do with either the East Pacific or the South Pacific (or both!) that revolves around a race-like competition to endorse SCers faster than they endorse their Viziers/CRS members, I’d like to offer season two cards as an added incentive for newcomers who become Keepers and participate in that event. Furthermore, I could coordinate this effort with the Ministry of Home Affairs and/or the Ministry of Culture to reward people who end up making this event possible. Aside from that, for the WADP itself I’d like to see certain Keepers who endotart frequently be given a higher chance at certain stakes. I think it rewards persistence, and that’s definitely something that nations will need once they past endorsement counts of 500+. The more you work at it, if you’re tarting every day and endorsing everyone in the region, you should have increased odds as an incentive to continue doing so.

Those are off the top of my head as I’ve been thinking since your earlier question. But past that, it’s a willingness to participate, brainstorm, refine, execute, and hopefully pioneer more ideas once I see the WADP through the eyes of its manager

(Note: My other ideas for cards are not specific to the Vice-Delegacy and as such I haven’t mentioned them here in the interests of staying on topic. Usually, Vice-Delegates are given access to the Executive Council. I’d be happy to suggest my ideas for the executive to act on, but unless they involve the WADP, the Security Council, or endocrossing I’m keeping them out of my answers)
 
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Thank you for your answers.

Your opponent has brought up a cards-related idea. What are your thoughts on their idea?

If a Security Councillor comes across information that a citizen may be working to undermine TNP's government, how should they act? Who should be told? Does respecting someone's innocence until proven guilty come into play with limiting the spread of the information to other government officials?

How important is honesty for members of the Security Council?

What is the biggest way that a Vice Delegate seeking to undermine TNP can abuse their position? How do we address that?

What should be the top four values of the Security Council?
 
Praetor:
Your opponent has brought up a cards-related idea. What are your thoughts on their idea?
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They’re solid, and I’m glad that after four months in the role my opponent was able to see things through a different lens and come to the table with more ideas for cards then they had in September. Cards are exciting to me, and I especially like the idea of rewarding involvement and contributions with increased odds

Praetor:
If a Security Councillor comes across information that a citizen may be working to undermine TNP's government, how should they act? Who should be told? Does respecting someone's innocence until proven guilty come into play with limiting the spread of the information to other government officials?
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Respecting someone’s innocence until proven guilty does come into play when limiting the spread of information to other government officials, yes, we should never extralegally assume someone’s guilt without proceeding down the proper channels. We are region with due process, the rule of law, and specific procedure that protects the rights of citizens. The Security Council has no right to infringe upon that presumption of innocence, and until they’re proven guilty in the Court of law we have to respect that to some degree.

If a Security Councilor comes across information that a citizen may we working to undermine our democratic institutions then the first person they should alert is the chair of the Security Council: the Vice-Delegate. They should act in a manner that is becoming of their integrity, and for the time being it need only be discussed amongst Security Councilors or with the Attorney General’s Office so as to begin proceeding down the proper channels for an indictment. If this happens, the head of the Security Branch needs to know how to say calm and contain the situation. I can do that

Praetor:
How important is honesty for members of the Security Council?
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Honesty is extremely important for members of the Security Council, and in my opinion it’s the most important part of transparency. If the citizenry can’t trust their Council members to be honest with them then how can they trust them to protect to the community to the best of their ability by using their judgement? To me, honesty is a testament of character. We want people of high character on our Security Council, and that means said Security Councilors should hold the principle of honesty in high regard. It’s a two way street, and I think that by committing to honesty it makes the relationship between citizen and Councilor a lot stronger and instills the trust of the public in the integrity of that member

Praetor:
What is the biggest way that a Vice Delegate seeking to undermine TNP can abuse their position? How do we address that?
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The biggest way, that I can think of, for a sitting Vice-Delegate to abuse their power in a way that would undermine the North Pacific would be if they were to deliberately pass known security risks into the region for their own personal gain and/or amusement. An example being, let’s say that a known Security risk applies for citizenship and the Speaker (reluctantly) passes their check because they have a nation in the region and have taken their pledge. Then, the administration team also passes their check (again, reluctantly) because they’re not proxying and everything checks out with their IP address. Then, let’s say that both parties (the administration team and the Speaker’s Office) fully expect the Vice-Delegate to reject an applicant whom they know is dangerous and poses a threat. Finally, the Vice-Delegate goes to perform their security check and the troublesome applicant... passes.

Against the advice of the Security Council, the Vice-Delegate passes the risky applicant and subjects themselves to heavy scrutiny. Sure, the Regional Assembly could initiate procedure for a recall of the Vice-Delegate, but that doesn’t exactly account for the troublesome individual that they just passed into citizenship. For the sake of this hypothetical, let’s say there is an ulterior motive and that the individual who was passed (a known security risk) is someone who is knowledgeable about couping a region. Perhaps the Vice-Delegate was in communication with that person all along and they’re looking to leverage their skill set to benefit themselves and because they’re next in line for the Delegacy that’s a prime opportunity for the passed individual to assist them in a takeover.

It’s highly unlikely that this scenario would play out in modern times, but in the case that it did it would be most unfortunate and would be seen as a clear betrayal of the faith the people had in the Vice-Delegate’s judgement. In the past, I know it’s been debated that the Security Council’s recommendation should be final and that the Vice-Delegate shouldn’t be able to pass an applicant without consultation or against the rest of the Council’s wishes. I think that if the members of the Council recommend against the passage of an applicant’s security check, then their word is a necessary balance of power and the Vice-Delegate should respect that. I’d even say putting it into procedure wouldn’t be a bad idea, because the Vice-Delegate could be held more accountable that way and not just to the Regional Assembly, but also to their colleagues.

Praetor:
What should be the top four values of the Security Council?
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Loyalty, integrity, accountability, and respect
 
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What has been the most difficult aspect of serving as Minister of Defence? Will you be able to take any lessons from that difficulty into your role as Vice Delegate?

Do you view the Vice Delegacy as a stepping stone to the Delegacy? Why/Why not?

If a Security Councillor openly lies to the regional assembly about the internal activity of another Security Councillor or any other matter before the Regional Assembly, such as feigning approval of an SC applicant when in reality they were strongly against that applicant in private, would you consider it your duty to inform the regional assembly that they were being deceived and lied to by that Security Councillor? Why or why not?

Would you remove any of the current Security Council for inactivity if it was up to you to decide who should serve on the body?
 
mcmasterdonia:
What has been the most difficult aspect of serving as Minister of Defence? Will you be able to take any lessons from that difficulty into your role as Vice Delegate?
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There wasn’t anything that I found to be particularly difficult about serving as Minister of Defense, or at least there isn’t anything that comes to mind immediately as being a hurdle I had to overcome. Given my background, I felt very comfortable taking on the role and because I was already on the Executive Council from the previous term there wasn’t really many adjustments that had to be made with the arrival of a new Delegate.

If there’s one thing that I can take with me to the Vice-Delegacy as a lesson, it’s that I should never allow myself to be discouraged by things that are out of my control. For around the first few weeks of my term as Minister of Defense I was in a phrase of constant transition: First it was the homeland, then it was abroad, then back to the homeland, and I felt as if my ideas for certain operations were being pushed to the side. It was actually you, McM, as well as Fiji and Ghost, who helped me develop that sense of resiliency and for that I thank you.

Because of that experience, I now feel comfortable walking into the Office of the Vice-Delegacy knowing full and well that there will be challenges and there will be obstacles. I may even feel as though my agenda is being thrown off course or that I’m getting side-tracked with other things that come up. To avoid this, I can look to what I learned in the Ministry of Defense and take a deep breath long enough to realize that it’s okay for things to not go according to plan. That’s actually why I included adaptivity in my platform - to remind myself of a time where I felt as if my ideas were being pushed down and forgotten about. Turns out, that wasn’t the case. What I’ve learned is that I can be flexible, compromise, and still end up getting done everything I want to accomplish at the same time. For a Vice-Delegate, that’s an important skill

mcmasterdonia:
Do you view the Vice Delegacy as a stepping stone to the Delegacy? Why/Why not?
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Although it is true that a select number of past Vice-Delegates went on to pursue the Delegacy later in their careers, this absolutely does not make the Vice-Delegacy a stepping stone of any kind.

If it weren’t for the position’s standing as next in line after the Delegate, then it’d probably be more appropriate to address the title differently as a “Chief of Regional Security” or the “Presiding Officer of the Security Council”. In practice, that’s what it functions as and I believe it was said best by past candidates over the years when they made the observation that the Vice-Delegate is not the “Deputy Delegate”. They’re two very different jobs with a similar name. They’re loosely related, and a Vice-Delegate can still have an extremely successful term without needing to be present in the executive branch. So no, I don’t think of it as a stepping stone at all. It’s a very honorable position of service, and it doesn’t deserve to be cast in the shadow of a Delegate when the two roles are both integral parts to our stability

mcmasterdonia:
If a Security Councillor openly lies to the regional assembly about the internal activity of another Security Councillor or any other matter before the Regional Assembly, such as feigning approval of an SC applicant when in reality they were strongly against that applicant in private, would you consider it your duty to inform the regional assembly that they were being deceived and lied to by that Security Councillor? Why or why not?
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I mentioned this in the thread’s original post, but I’ll re-iterate here too: I think that discussions themselves are to remain private, because that way Security Councilors are able to get their thoughts and ideas out in a way that’s unfiltered, honest, and free from censorship. In a controlled environment, like in the private sections of the Security Council’s forum, members are provided with a workspace to share insight with one another and pass along sensitive information. That should never be something that’s left to chance and discussions that are held in private should stay private out of respect for the people who were participants in said discussions.

That as it may be, I am also a fan of providing the public explanations for actions taken. Public disclosure doesn’t have to entail an array of logs with direct quotes being presented from their sources, but what it should do is summarize some key points of emphasis (without saying who said what or made what comments) and give a resolve of why. Anywhere in government, you should be expected to explain the decisions you’re making and if you can’t explain them then you shouldn’t be making them. The status quo leaves a lot to be desired in that aspect, but I think that we could make a lot of progress in a short time if we all commit to being honest with one another.

Deception and lying shouldn’t be tolerated, as it’s unbecoming of such a trusted official in our community. I mentioned weighing the pros and cons of the action before I take said action, because I don’t believe in being rash and impulsive when handling things of such a serious nature. In principle, I would consider it my duty to the people as they deserve transparency so long as it doesn’t endanger the region. I offered a qualifying statement that basically said I wouldn’t want to disrespect a Security Council or undermine them, so I actually don’t believe calling them out in front of the entire RA is appropriate. Rather, I could see me having a conversation privately with them and then requesting that they retract the untruthful statement. If they decline to do so, the situation would progress from there and I’d use my judgement to make a call.

mcmasterdonia:
Would you remove any of the current Security Council for inactivity if it was up to you to decide who should serve on the body?
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At this time, I would not remove any of the current members of the Security Council if it were up to me who served on the body.

While it may appear that some Security Councilors are more active and involved than others, I’d be hesitant to judge a book by its cover and wouldn’t pursue removal unless I were to to be put in a position where there was no other choice and something had to give. I will say, however, that the most recent weekly report produced by the Vice-Delegate was not reassuring and to see some of the last days that members logged in was a bit worrying. There’s no need to resort to calling specific members out, but I know that it was something others besides myself noticed and it’s something that regretfully must be addressed sooner rather than later.

As Vice-Delegate, these are conversations I’d have with the members directly and it’d be done in a private setting where being open about situations from real life is appropriate and we could come to an agreement about what’s expected. Each member is different, and to have a fully functional body there’s room to approach things differently depending on the specifics
 
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Robespierre:
If a Security Councilor comes across information that a citizen may we working to undermine our democratic institutions then the first person they should alert is the chair of the Security Council: the Vice-Delegate. They should act in a manner that is becoming of their integrity, and for the time being it need only be discussed amongst Security Councilors or with the Attorney General’s Office so as to begin proceeding down the proper channels for an indictment. If this happens, the head of the Security Branch needs to know how to say calm and contain the situation. I can do that
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Should the Delegate be informed?

It’s highly unlikely that this scenario would play out in modern times, but in the case that it did it would be most unfortunate and would be seen as a clear betrayal of the faith the people had in the Vice-Delegate’s judgement. In the past, I know it’s been debated that the Security Council’s recommendation should be final and that the Vice-Delegate shouldn’t be able to pass an applicant without consultation or against the rest of the Council’s wishes. I think that if the members of the Council recommend against the passage of an applicant’s security check, then their word is a necessary balance of power and the Vice-Delegate should respect that. I’d even say putting it into procedure wouldn’t be a bad idea, because the Vice-Delegate could be held more accountable that way and not just to the Regional Assembly, but also to their colleagues.
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Will you be putting it into procedure if you are elected?
 
Yuno:
Vice Delegate sounds fun; hope you have fun with it.
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Thank you, Yuno, that’s very kind of you. I hope I have fun with it too!

Praetor:
Should the Delegate be informed?
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I’d say no, at that point, because discussion needs to be had in the Security Council to assess the severity the potential threat posses to the region at large. We want to make sure that the evidence provided is authentic, can be cited, and is passed along through proper channels. In my mind, the proper channel is through the Office of the Attorney General to be taken up in an indictment. The Court determines a person’s innocence or guilt. In no way is that something that the executive or the security branch try people over.


Praetor:
Will you be putting it into procedure if you are elected?
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Yes. It’d be one of my first actions in office, and I’d work with other Security Councilors to make sure that everyone is on the same page and knows why we’re making that move
 
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Robespierre:
I’d say no, at that point, because discussion needs to be had in the Security Council to assess the severity the potential threat posses to the region at large. We want to make sure that the evidence provided is authentic, can be cited, and is passed along through proper channels. In my mind, the proper channel is through the Office of the Attorney General to be taken up in an indictment. The Court determines a person’s innocence or guilt. In no way is that something that the executive or the security branch try people over.
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Should the Security Council contact the individual at all to get their side of the story?

Yes. It’d be one of my first actions in office, and I’d work with other Security Councilors to make sure that everyone is on the same page and knows why we’re making that move
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Glad to hear it.

Should the Security Council be made subject to FOI?
 
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Robespierre:
Thank you, Yuno, that’s very kind of you. I hope I have fun with it too!

I’d say no, at that point, because discussion needs to be had in the Security Council to assess the severity the potential threat posses to the region at large. We want to make sure that the evidence provided is authentic, can be cited, and is passed along through proper channels. In my mind, the proper channel is through the Office of the Attorney General to be taken up in an indictment. The Court determines a person’s innocence or guilt. In no way is that something that the executive or the security branch try people over.


Yes. It’d be one of my first actions in office, and I’d work with other Security Councilors to make sure that everyone is on the same page and knows why we’re making that move
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It is problematic to me that you would not inform the Delegate. The Delegate needs to be informed on issues that effect regional security. It’s not solely the responsibility of the SC. Secondly the Delegate will usually have extensive foreign relationships that may be relevant in verifying information received and determining the threat level.

Thirdly, the delegate could decide to appoint that person to cabinet or give them a role where they could further undermine security.

Why should the Delegate not be informed pending investigation?

Would you therefore undertake SC discussions behind the Delegates back? Would you not extend an invitation to the Delegate to participate in private SC discussions?
 
Praetor:
Should the Security Council contact the individual at all to get their side of the story?
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After we’ve done work from our side, gathered evidence, looked into statements from our informants, validated or debunked the evidence presented to us, and were prepared to take it through the proper channel then I don’t think that hearing the citizen’s side of the story would do too much harm.

Just like with informing the Delegate, a lot of things have to happen before we do this and I wouldn’t contact the citizen to hear their side of the story without hearing the rest of the Security Council’s thoughts on the proposition before doing so. There are two sides to every story, and the other side might fill in some blanks that the first side heard omitted.

Alternatively, if you were to become aware that you were under investigation and you knew that your conscience was guilty then you’d presumably make a move to cover your tracks and that could impede upon the investigation. I don’t want to let the citizen know they’re being investigated so that they have a chance to form alibis. Once again, we’re not the Court and they’re not guilty until proven so.

If we hear their side of the story, provided the Security Council thinks this would be best, and something is still not adding up then we can use the avenues available to us and take it down the route of a fair trial. If they’re truly innocent then they’ll be able to prove it there, but it’s not up to us to be the jury, the judge, nor the executioner

Praetor:
Should the Security Council be made subject to FOI?
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Information that, upon being made public, would jeopardize any ongoing military or intelligence operations; or jeopardize the security of units and agents participating in them, or be harmful to the diplomatic interests, military interests, or security of The North Pacific is considered by classified information by legal definition. As such, I reference this section of our legal code which states that: “34. Notwithstanding any process for publication, any information which meets the criteria to be classified will not be released.

... So, my original thought was that the two conflict heavily. Requests can be denied of course. If denied, I’d still want to give a reason of why but the reasoning would look a lot like the “For security reasons” phrase only this time that’d could be taken as all there is to it without much speculation. I’m not sure how much use it’d have there if what was requested kept on being classified, but I do think it opens up the Security Council to being more in tune with the citizenry and in the instance that something requested can be released then I see that as a net-positive

(Upon further review and examination, I decided to change this answer. Hence the edits the post indicates)

mcmasterdonia:
It is problematic to me that you would not inform the Delegate. The Delegate needs to be informed on issues that effect regional security. It’s not solely the responsibility of the SC. Secondly the Delegate will usually have extensive foreign relationships that may be relevant in verifying information received and determining the threat level.
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I concur. The Delegate does need to be informed on issues that affect regional security, and as I mentioned in my platform, it’s a team effort that the Security Council may share with others at times. If a Delegate has foreign relationships hat could be leveraged to help the investigation run its course in smoother fashion, than that’s something for Security Councilors to consider. My answer and its reasoning will be elaborated upon below, but this seems to suggest I would never involve the Delegate in any event and that is false. There are lots of factors at play, and of course there are exceptions when this’d be needed

mcmasterdonia:
Thirdly, the delegate could decide to appoint that person to cabinet or give them a role where they could further undermine security.
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This is a possibility, yes. A grim one, but possible. I like looking at things from all angles possible to foresee the effects of various contingencies as best I can, and so when answering the last question I considered the possibility that the Delegate may intentionally appoint this person to satisfy their own political ego or to further their personal agenda.

If I inform a Delegate as the Security Council goes into the situation blindly then I could be inadvertently sending off a warning signal to the potential security risk. That’d be doing a service to no one, and if that were to be the case then I wouldn’t be a part of the solution in that effort.

While I would like to think that a Delegate would never do that, it is something that could happen in a practical sense as well as a theoretical sense. As Vice-Delegate, I may one day have to confront a rogue Delegate and while I’d never insinuate that either of the two candidates running for Delegate currently would ever do something like this, I have to approach my job irrespective of who sits in the Delegate’s seat.

I must always hold the best interests of the region at heart, and it would not be in our citizenry’s best interest for me to send a warning signal if on the off-chance the Delegate and this potential security risk were to be in contact with one another. Hopefully that explains my answer more

mcmasterdonia:
Why should the Delegate not be informed pending investigation?
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In my original answer, you’ll notice that I specified a timing for not informing the Delegate. “At that point”, meaning that there are a few things that need to be done before the Delegate is informed. This is not to imply that I would completely leave the Delegate in the dark, as I do believe that frequent and honest communications between the Delegate and the Vice-Delegate can be executed in good faith and would satisfy a number of needs.

Firstly, I mention the containment of sensitive information because upon such a revelation there really isn’t a lot of room to get careless. Undermining the government is a serious offense, and before I invite the Delegate to sit in on discussion I would want the consent of my colleagues to do so.

This gives the Security Council ample time to raise any concerns they may have during the discussions that would take place, and it’d give us more time to observe the presumption of innocence while still working to get down to the bottom of the situation and find out what actually happen. Once it’s been agreed upon by the Council, I’d be happy to inform the Delegate and make that a part of the line of communication. To answer your question, the Delegate should be be informed of the pending investigation. But the start of said investigation isn’t the place for that, I don’t think. Not without the blessing of the Security branch’s members and not without looking over some things first.

Coming to the Delegate with a more detailed overview of the situation will make them more knowledgeable about the threat itself as opposed to going to them at the start of an investigation when we know nothing.

mcmasterdonia:
Would you therefore undertake SC discussions behind the Delegates back? Would you not extend an invitation to the Delegate to participate in private SC discussions?
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No, I would not undertake discussions of this magnitude behind the Delegate’s back. Going through progressions and following procedure is paramount to a successful investigation. In my answer, I explained why that is and my thinking on it, but I would extend an invitation for the Delegate to participate in private SC discussions provided that the other members participating in that conversation were comfortable with it and did their due diligence on the matter
 
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Robes, I think that you are exactly what TNP needs in their Vice Delegate. You have my endorsement and will have my support when the polls open.
 
Deropia:
Robes, I think that you are exactly what TNP needs in their Vice Delegate. You have my endorsement and will have my support when the polls open.
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I appreciate your confidence in me and am glad that I’ll enjoying your support during the voting period. Thank you very much, Dero!
 
Concrete Slab:
I really enjoyed reading your campaign! It's safe to say you have my vote! :D
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Thank you! I know it was more on the longer side for a campaign, but I wanted it to be as detailed as I could make it while still formatting it to make it easier on the eyes. Whether or not I achieved that is subject to the person reading, but I appreciate your support!
 
My understanding is that the Council has been working to introduce a disclosure regime for some time, will you work to ensure that such a regime is introduced in the next term?

At the moment, the Council's Rules presently protect the comments of members and former members from disclosure in a like manner. Part of the rationale that has regularly been put forward for the near absolute secrecy that characterises the Council's business is the need to prevent members from being negatively impacted by the need to express forthright views, but if a member of the Council were to be recalled or convicted of a crime with the sanction of removal from office, should their comments merit the same protection from such as a member who left the Council in good standing?
 
Zyvetskistaahn:
My understanding is that the Council has been working to introduce a disclosure regime for some time, will you work to ensure that such a regime is introduced in the next term?
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Yes, I will work to ensure that such a regime is introduced next term. The best way to go about this would be put it to a formal vote, but for some of the older threads especially I’m sure we could work on public disclosure and finding a happy medium in regards to new threads that may one day be suitable for disclosure.

Zyvetskistaahn:
At the moment, the Council's Rules presently protect the comments of members and former members from disclosure in a like manner. Part of the rationale that has regularly been put forward for the near absolute secrecy that characterises the Council's business is the need to prevent members from being negatively impacted by the need to express forthright views, but if a member of the Council were to be recalled or convicted of a crime with the sanction of removal from office, should their comments merit the same protection from such as a member who left the Council in good standing?
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Hindsight is always 20/20, but even with hindsight we shouldn’t be disregarding the protections afforded to our Security Councilors because when they acted in the capacity they acted in to make those comments they were still members of the Security Branch. Past SCer or otherwise, I believe that their comments should still be protected because the rational holds up while they were in office and that should influence their career after they’ve left office
 
As VD, explain in as much detail as you'd like on how you would coup. Then, explain how you would prevent this from happening.

The Vice Delegate has it's own separate tasks from the Delegate. If ever you were to become Acting Delegate due to whatever reason, would you prioritize your own duties as VD or the duties of Acting Delegate?

How involved will you be with the Executive Council? Usually, the Delegate is the one that manages them, and gives them tasks. Will you also do this, as VD? Sort of like a deputy Delegate, if you will? Can you give specifics?

Say that you disagree with your Delegate about the appointment of an Executive Councilor. What will you do?

We are all human, and as such are subject to forces beyond our control. Do you have a contingency plan if you were ever to disappear (like how Deropia disappeared) to ensure that TNP can maintain itself until a new VD is elected?
 
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