Prydania For Delegate

Prydania

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Prydania
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Greetings TNP. I know many of you are surprised to see me here, running for the Delegacy. I know I am! I’ve said a lot about my desire to stick to RP, and not get involved in government. I meant that when I said it, and I tell you all that to make it clear. I have rethought that position and am running for the Delegacy because I honestly believe I am capable, and I honestly believe I have a platform that will do this region some good.

First, I’d like to address the obvious weakness of my campaign. I’ve never served in an elected position. My tenure in TNP’s government has been a short stint on the staff of the Ministry of WA Affairs, a term as Deputy Speaker to Wonderess, and almost a year as Minister of Culture under Ghost, Fiji, and McM’s Delegacies. I have spent a good deal of time in support roles, but I have never run for office in TNP. This is very much uncharted waters for me should I be elected. That being said I believe that I have the experience in government necessary to make an honest go of it, and I intend to do just that.

I would like to lay out my vision for TNP before I get into specifics. I believe in community. I’ve served as a RP mod since 2018, and have served as Lead RP Mod since late 2019. While moderation and government are two separate spheres,? I wish to apply lessons learned from one to the other. RP moderation is, after all, an exercise in community management. We are all going through rough times at the moment, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues on across the world. For many of us, o? Our options for socialization are limited. It’s in times like these that online communities such as ours are very important. TNP is home to a lot of people, be they game players or role players.

As Lead RP Mod, I have worked to create a stronger sense of community in the RP community to help our community members in these difficult times. We’ve relaxed restrictions on streaming video games, and have held streaming events of various shows and movies to give people in our community an outlet to ease the stress of social isolation in the real world.

I wish to do something like that as Delegate. To use the vast resources our region has to foster a sense of TNP community to make this hard time for us all just a bit more manageable.
We have a TNP Games Discord server. We’ve hosted events there before and there is no reason we cannot do that again. We are capable of streaming video games, movies, and tv shows on any of our assorted Discord servers, and I plan on pushing the government under my Delegacy to hold social events in these spaces on as regular a basis as possible to foster a stronger sense of community for each and every one of us.
We live in a world where online communities have increased socialization tools at their disposal. Programs like Discord provide us tools that we never had via instant messaging software and IRC chatrooms when I was starting out in NS many years ago. I want to use these tools to strengthen just what TNP means as a place, as a group.

Let's talk about the Delegacy beyond just community though. What can I promise you, the citizenry of TNP? I can promise you a measured approach.
My time as a RP mod has given me ample experience at diffusing conflict in an online space. I believe there is merit in compromise. I believe there is merit in reaching out and finding out how we can build bridges, even when the gap between two conflicting parties may seem too wide.

I can also promise you transparency. I can promise you integrity.
Some of you may have noticed my vocal dislike of petty politics in the past. I stand by that, I truly do. I see no point to backroom dealing. I see no good coming from obscuring the truth from people who wish to know what their government is doing for them. I don't desire to lie or to cheat or to otherwise act in a two-faced manner. Those who know me? You know me. For those who have yet to meet me? I am excited for the opportunity. And either way? I won't blow smoke, I won't play fast and loose with the truth. What you see and hear from me is what you will get. If I mess up? I'll own it. If I succeed? Well those who know me know I am embarrassingly uncomfortable with praise. A success to me means a few moments of relief before going onto the next checkbox on the list.
I am running for public office, yes, but I am very much not interested in playing politics. I'll always be upfront and honest about what I believe, and what my intentions are on any given matter. I hope that, for many people, this thread can serve as a means to hear what I have to say, and what I plan to do if elected.

My plans for the Delegacy go beyond that, however. Here’s a look into what you can expect from me in a term as Delegate.


We experienced an attempted attack on our sovereignty last term at the hands of the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators. The CCD’s attempt didn’t get far, and McMasterdonia’s response was just about perfect. Should The North Pacific face any similar attempt or assault on our sovereignty, I would follow a similar response - reporting on the activities to the Regional Assembly and enacting a response that utilizes all aspects of our defence network including the Army, our diplomatic partners, and our WA vote.

With that being said, the CCD and other assorted fascist-leaning regions continue to make noise on the GP world stage. TNP has always stood against fascism and I would ensure that the NPA hounds these malcontents wherever they try to pop up.

There was a contingent of people, who, upon hearing that the CCD attempted to coup TNP, remarked “it’s a Pacific, who cares?” These sorts of people tend to assume we’re a monolithic block. That we are not a community. As such they have little regard for our sovereignty. I fully intended to unapologetically defend our sovereignty, and bash those who would so easily disregard it at every turn.

In addition, I will continue to support efforts by the NPA Leadership to ensure that our military is well trained and well resourced in undertaking its operations. The NPA will work in tandem with the Gameside Advocates and the Ministry of Home Affairs in order to proactively recruit new members of the NPA.

I find Radio to be an amazing ministry. There has been some talk of merging it back into communications. While I am not opposed to that,? I would ideally like to keep it separate. I am a podcaster myself in my free time, and I find the work Radio does to be quite good. Its potential is still untapped, however. I would have three main goals with Radio.
  • More RP-centric content. Radio has done spotlights on Eras, Strangereal, and Inaius roleplay and I would like to see more of that. I want to see RPers highlighted, giving non-RPing members of our community a chance to get to know those who primarily exist in the RP sphere of things.
  • More GP -player highlights. TNP is one community regardless of if you are a RPer or GPer. I believe it’s important to use Radio as a means to introduce GPers to our more prolific RP members, and I believe the reverse is true as well. So many GPers go unknown in RP circles, and I think the Ministry running spotlights on prolific GPers would do a lot to inform others as to their contributions to our community.
  • More content that isn’t NS or TNP related. Strange, I know, but I feel as if the Radio Ministry offers us a unique opportunity to hold shows focused on anything from literature to movies to video games. We all have hobbies and lives outside of TNP and NS, and I feel like it would be cool if we provided some entertainment content that wasn’t focused exclusively on this game.

TNP is able to do a lot through WALL and I believe we should be an enthusiastic partner within that organization. I also believe that we have the opportunity to leverage our endorsement count in the WA to uphold our values as a region in that body.

My plans for the WA Ministry are relatively simple, but straightforward. We will reconnect with our WALL partners. We as a region tend to fall into the comfortable trap of looking inwards even when we have the best of intentions. A government under my watch will work to ensure we are always engaging with our partners in WALL. We will aggressively pursue WA policy that we believe in, that reflects the values of our region. I would also ask the Minister of WA Affairs to continue our outreach efforts on the NationStates forum, bringing proposal authors to TNP to respond to comments from our residents, and also posting our IFV in each relevant proposal thread on those forums.

I am supportive of efforts to grow the number of gifted proposal authors in The North Pacific. The Heroes of the North program was slow to start but presents a real opportunity to grow our authors and recognise the hard work of our citizens. I hope to see this further develop into the new term.

The Ministry will also work closely with the Ministry of Defence and will therefore target resolutions and approval Delegates that are approving resolutions that are not in our interest to go to a vote. This is a relatively new area of NS military gameplay, in which our region has become a prominent leader.

Finally, there is an opportunity here for The North Pacific to once again serve as an interregional leader by hosting another World Assembly Symposium. The last event was a huge success and I believe it would be in our interest for it to be an annual event.

Home Affairs represents an overlooked yet vital component of TNP’s government. It allows the government to hear from TNPers and allows TNPers to know the government is active and always reaching out. Our Gameside Advocates continue the work to ensure that there’s an active presence on the RMB maintaining the peace.

Under my Delegacy Home Affairs will be run well, run like clockwork, and will be vital in ensuring RMB and forum users become acquainted with each other. Just as GP and RP represent two sides to the same community? So too is the RMB and forum. Home Affairs is essential to bridging these divides.

Home Affairs takes on a lot of key projects including internal recruitment, forum mentorship, surveys/censuses, and the updating of The North Pacific handbook. It is a Ministry that often works very hard but silently. As Delegate, I will work closely with the Minister to ensure that they are properly supported with interested and engaged staff to make sure we continue to hit all of these key areas.

I discussed what my plans were for the NPA regarding our aggressive reaffirmation of sovereignty. That’s the message to those that would challenge us. To me Foreign Affairs represents the other side of the coin. TNP has allies we can rely on. Allies we have deep ties with. I want to strengthen those ties.

Some members of TNP have a tendency to look purely inward. We are a victim of our own success in that way. We have a stable government and a system of secure checks and balances that ensures an orderly democratic transition of authority from elected official to elected official. This stability, and our size, means it’s very easy to pay the rest of NS no mind. I understand that, and it’s an easy and comfortable trap to fall into.

The North Pacific is a world leader in all aspects of the game. We have been reasserting ourselves as that figure in recent times, uniting regions against fascism, forcefully advocating against poor proposals in the World Assembly, and taking on a leadership role in fighting the coup against The East Pacific and in hosting interregional events. It is in our interest for this to continue. Some in our community call upon us to reject this role, to reject NSGP, or to reject the wider world. I firmly believe that it is our duty as a world leader in everything we do, for us to reach across the world and make new connections, strengthen old ones, and to be a pragmatic and assertive voice when needed.

My vision is to reconnect with our long-time allies from across the spectrum of NS. We need to be a visible and active presence on the NS world stage. Our allies need to know they can count on us and that we will march hand in hand with them in the name of our shared ideals. Likewise, we also need to be sure that we can rely upon our allies - that even with changes to NationStates, that these alliances are still serving our mutual values and interests.

As I have stated previously, I have been Minister of Culture for close to a year. As such my vision for Culture hasn’t changed much. A number of fresh initiatives meant that the Roleplay Reel was not able to be put out for a fourth time, the first miss of all my terms as Minister. I would instruct the Ministry of Culture to redouble its efforts in making the Roleplay Reel a regular publication once more.

Additionally we are involved in other cultural events, such as the Pacific Con that I believe the Ministry should continue to support once I have left that office. These events take a substantial amount of work to deliver. I am always thankful for the dedication of the Culture staff and for the involvement of other members of the executive. As Delegate, I would make sure that I am supporting the organisation of these regional events in order to make sure they are a success.

Culture under my watch would also be proactive in organizing events for our various RP communities, building off of our successful World Cup events in both Eras and Strangereal last summer.

Finally, Culture will also work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to update our regional handbook to better reflect the roleplay communities that we have. This will not only be a creative endeavour for our roleplayers, but will also make advertising our roleplay community easier in future.

The Cards Guild under @r3naissanc3r and @Praetor has been working wonderfully since it was established. I have no plans to radically alter how it functions, but there are a few things I want to touch on. I plan on encouraging the GAs to assist with promoting the Cards Guild to new TNPers and will make sure the Cards Guild is mentioned in the welcoming and API telegrams. Both of these initiatives should continue to aid the Cards Guild's growth.

Communications will play a supporting role to Culture in publishing the Roleplay Reel. Beyond that though? Communications’ focus will be regular TNS and TNL publication in line with the grand tradition of the Ministry. Communications’ mandate is in the name; people need to hear from the government. TNS and TNL provide this. Under my watch Comms will be active enough that, hopefully, you all get sick and tired of finding their publications in your NS telegram inboxes!

That’s my vision for TNP. A proactive, engaging government that promotes all aspects of this community, and one that uses the tools at our disposal to make that community something truly special in these difficult times. We are a NS region, but we’re also more. And I believe we should strive to be as active and engaging as we can be on all fronts.

Thank you for your time, and thank you for your consideration.

-Prydania


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Great to see a campaign up early. I have a couple of questions for you.

1) What do you think about the World Factbook Project - do you intend to continue this if elected?

2) Do you have any plans for The North Pacific Cards Guild? What about the University?

3) You mention in the radio section that you would allow non-NS content to be published. Would you impose any limits upon this?
 
I am really interested in the Radio too, and would suggest, if you become Delegate that you would take advantage of Regional Telegrams to telegram people to watch or listen to the Podcasts. Just a suggestion since it's a free resource.

also good luck

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1) What do you think about the World Factbook Project - do you intend to continue this if elected?
Yes, absolutely. I think it's a great idea and will enjoy my full support if elected.

2) Do you have any plans for The North Pacific Cards Guild? What about the University?
The Cards Guild has been run expertly by @r3naissanc3r and @Praetor , and they would continue to run it for as long as they desired under my Delegacy. As for the University? I have some experience with that :lol: My first full term as Minister of Culture saw the University become the centre of a controversy over what could and couldn't be presented by the government. The decision was reached by myself as Minister of Culture and Fiji as the then-Delegate to make the university private. This would allow the University to continue to promote a number of non-NS related topics without it seeming like the government was sponsoring that content.
Later, when the dust from that controversy was settled, the University was brought back under TNP's government as its own independent entity. In both cases the University's ability to stand as a home for a variety of lectures and topics- including those unrelated to TNP or NS, was given utmost consideration.
My plans for the University, if elected, would be to ensure that it continues to be a place where topics of all kinds are allowed to be presented in the name of furthering knowledge. Academic freedom, if you will.

3) You mention in the radio section that you would allow non-NS content to be published. Would you impose any limits upon this?
So this goes back to the above controversy. The NBS had a show that centred around real world religion, and it upset many as this could be seen as TNP promoting said religion. The lessons learnt from that were very much on my mind while I was writing my platform, seeing as the Ministry of Culture was dragged into that at the time.
I would work with the Ministry of Radio to develop just what would be allowed and what wouldn't be. Off the top of my head? I see no need for religious- themed programming, even if it is presented in an educational manner. My vision instead includes a number of literary and pop culture topics. I know for a fact that a few people have spoken about a sort of movie podcast through the NBS, and that's the sort of stuff I'd look to pursue. Not the deepest content, but fun content none the less.
I would be open to allowing content on more academic matters, but it would have to be handled delicately within the Ministry of Radio. In short? I don't believe that Radio should be used to promote any show that seems to push for a particular real world view on matters such as politics or religion.
 
I am really interested in the Radio too, and would suggest, if you become Delegate that you would take advantage of Regional Telegrams to telegram people to watch or listen to the Podcasts. Just a suggestion since it's a free resource.
Absolutely. We'd consider any and everything needed to spread the reach of what is done in Radio.

also good luck
Thank you. You as well :)
 
I'm very excited to see this campaign!

Quick question: In your campaign section about Communications, you mention an effort to publish the Roleplay Reel, TNS, and TNL. What changes - if any - would you make to these publications to improve them? Moreover, the last few terms have seen some difficulty in getting TNL published. What would your administration do to get the Ministry back on track?
 
Quick question: In your campaign section about Communications, you mention an effort to publish the Roleplay Reel, TNS, and TNL. What changes - if any - would you make to these publications to improve them? Moreover, the last few terms have seen some difficulty in getting TNL published. What would your administration do to get the Ministry back on track?
The Roleplay Reel-and its predecessor the Eras Magazine- is a concept I've become very familiar with as Minister of Culture. And it's amazing to see just how much work goes into it. I remember my first full term as Minister of Culture. I said, hopefully, that we could do two in one term! I quickly realized how untenable that was under the current system of publication.
Some have called for an abandonment of the layout system, where articles are imposed onto magazine-esque pages. That a pure text version would be more efficient. That's something I would instruct the Ministry of Culture to look into, but I would also want to keep some of the presentation. We need to find a middle ground between all text and a bit of showmanship. Maybe closer to the text side of things, but ideally with a degree of flourish.
Ultimately? I want the Roleplay Reel to look as good as possible while also being something that will can be published regularly once a term.

TNS and TNL publications are a different sort of issue. I think they are great format-wise and have no desire to change anything. That being said...they represent something that will be an element of my Delegacy if elected. It's going to be about me recognizing I don't know everything and listening to advisors and Ministers who know what needs to be done. In this sense? I would be proactive in selecting a Minister who has experience with TNS and TNL and finding others with that experience to ask just what needs to be done to get things up and running on a regular basis. I admit- I've never worked on The North Star or The Northern Lights before. So I would make sure that those who are tasked with their publications either have past experience with them or at the very least possess the needed skill sets and have access to those that do have experience.

There's much to be said about creating a "Roundtable," and I very much want to do that. Again, I'm very much a newbie to this arena and if elected? I'll ensure people who know what needs doing in areas I am a novice in have a strong voice at that table.
 
Prydania, it is nice to see you running for the delegacy! I took a look at your platform, specifically the WA section, and have a handful of question that I would like to see some answers on. Thank you!
TNP is able to do a lot through WALL and I believe we should be an enthusiastic partner within that organization. I also believe that we have the opportunity to leverage our endorsement count in the WA to uphold our values as a region in that body.

Leverage our delegate count how? This is framed as something we currently are not doing and I would like to know exactly how you intend to do this.
My plans for the WA Ministry are relatively simple, but straightforward. We will reconnect with our WALL partners. We as a region tend to fall into the comfortable trap of looking inwards even when we have the best of intentions. A government under my watch will work to ensure we are always engaging with our partners in WALL. We will aggressively pursue WA policy that we believe in, that reflects the values of our region.

Reconnect with WALL Partners? It is your view that we have disconnected with them in some capacity? You are not in the WALL Discord, how did you come to this conclusion?

In your view, what are the values of our region? Both in GA and in SC?
I would also ask the Minister of WA Affairs to continue our outreach efforts on the NationStates forum, bringing proposal authors to TNP to respond to comments from our residents, and also posting our IFV in each relevant proposal thread on those forums.

This is standard and I support this. Do you intend to take any new approaches to actually getting people to use the forums for the WA? This has been an issue in the past for drafting internally.
I am supportive of efforts to grow the number of gifted proposal authors in The North Pacific. The Heroes of the North program was slow to start but presents a real opportunity to grow our authors and recognise the hard work of our citizens. I hope to see this further develop into the new term.

How do you intend to fix the slow start for Heroes of the North?
The Ministry will also work closely with the Ministry of Defence and will therefore target resolutions and approval Delegates that are approving resolutions that are not in our interest to go to a vote. This is a relatively new area of NS military gameplay, in which our region has become a prominent leader.

This is quite the bold policy plank. Prior to Repeal Reproductive Freedoms, The North Pacific had not engaged in such an activity unless there were connections with the proposal and fascists. How broadly do you intend to expand the use of the NPA for WA purposes?
Finally, there is an opportunity here for The North Pacific to once again serve as an interregional leader by hosting another World Assembly Symposium. The last event was a huge success and I believe it would be in our interest for it to be an annual event.

I support this completely.

I look forward to your answers.
 
What do you want for defense other than defending against coups (which iirc we haven’t had in a decade)? I notice you mentioned approval raiding. Anything else (e.g. tech, leadership, focuses)?

What do you think about expanding WALL? I notice your FA policy is to make as many friends as possible. There are certain big delegacies who would love or consider the possibility of joining, so the question does become what the underlying purpose of WALL is, and how we should restrict members based on that. What unites WALL?

How do you sever newspapers and mediums such as foreign updates and press releases?

I’m interested in specifics. Who are you interested in reaching out to for FA?

How will you supply HA with members? It seems like it relies mainly on itself since it recruits for the region.

What ideas do you have for new non-roleplay events? You don’t need to justify or hash out any of them. I’d just like to see that you’re thinking about it.

Do you know who would be on your cabinet yet? I think it would be interesting (but not necessary) to see who you’re thinking about. But again, I just want to know that you thought about it at all.

Thanks!
 
Leverage our delegate count how? This is framed as something we currently are not doing and I would like to know exactly how you intend to do this.
When I say "leverage our endorsement count" I mean to say that I believe in a bit of hardball. Our Delegate wields the biggest vote in the WA and I believe that whoever is Delegate ought to not be afraid of using that as leverage when dealing with WA matters with other regions. It's all too easy to fall into the trap of going "ok, the vote on the forum is this, I'll cast the vote" and leave it at that. Let's get active, let's see if we can use the sheer number of votes we have to see how we can further our aims.

That is not to say that I intend to override the forum vote or anything like that, but rather, that given our influence in the World Assembly. We can utilise that significant vote to proactively advocate for TNP's interests in the World Assembly - whether that is blocking particular proposals, getting edits to proposals from authors, or bringing authors here to engage with our voter base directly. We are an influential voice in the WA and as Delegate, I will always do my best to amplify this voice and maximise our gains from our engagement in the WA.

Reconnect with WALL Partners? It is your view that we have disconnected with them in some capacity? You are not in the WALL Discord, how did you come to this conclusion?
Have we completely disconnected from our partners in WALL? No, no we haven't. Yet stuff like the slow start for the Heroes of the North Pacific tend to show that it's easy for us to take a laissez-faire approach. I want us to not just be a good partner to our WALL friends, I want us to be as active and engaging within WALL. We haven't fully disconnected from them, but we sometimes struggle to keep up with them. You don't have to be in WALL's server to see that we haven't been doing much with Balder, IDU, or Europe. We have relationships these days that exist because of WALL, when WALL should be an extension of those relationships and alliances. The more we engage with our WALL allies the stronger our relationship with all of them becomes.

This has been stepped up in the past two terms, where we have seen WALL vote on supporting or opposing a great deal more proposals than in previous terms. I would intend to continue this and make sure that we are utilising WALL to support proposals authored by TNPers. Secondly, I think we have missed opportunities to coordinate our stomp for or against particular proposals - the recent stomp against Repeal Reproductive Freedoms as soon as it went to a vote by Europeia, Europe and TNP was excellent. I would love to see more of this.

Not only that, but we have other shared interests with our WALL partners beyond simply World Assembly matters. The North Pacific, Europeia and Balder in particular have previously worked together militarily and in cultural events as well as on our diplomatic outreach in response to major world events - such as the coup of the East Pacific, and the Lazarus coup of a few years ago. We can reactivate that engagement to make sure we are getting as much meaning as possible out of our WALL partners.

Do you intend to take any new approaches to actually getting people to use the forums for the WA? This has been an issue in the past for drafting internally.
This is basic community management stuff, in my opinion. Our policy back in the Culture Ministry for the Lennarts was to hold the votes on the NS TNP page but the nominations and acceptance speeches on the forum. Now this served two purposes. Firstly, it split things pretty evenly between RMB and forum users. Beyond that though? It served the purpose of directing people to the forums. You're bound to get a number of people sticking around on the forums any time you direct a wave of people to it for a function. In Culture it was the belief that RMBers who signed up to nominate Lennart candidates or accept awards they won might just stick around.

This is, functionally, the same sort of thing. We need to direct people here. Build the community on one hand, and also build our internal drafting process on the other. Gameside Advocates might be useful in accomplishing this. It used to be that GAs on the RMB would direct attempted RMB RP to the forums, as forums were the only recognized form of RP in TNP at the time. This changed of course, and we now have a vibrant RMB RP community. The GA methodology, however, worked for a long time. And I believe we need to bring it back, with a shifted focus. Let's get GAs looking for people who can be redirected here, particularly for WA proposals and other such ideas where they will get more feedback from the forum.

Secondly, we should be on the look out for TNP authors who are drafting proposals on the NationStates forums. We should encourage them to post their drafts in the WALL subforum so that we can facilitate an early debate/conversation with our WALL partners, in order to hopefully gain support for their proposal.
Recently we have seen many new nations participating in the WA voting threads. This is really good to see, but it still represents a small part of our total number of WA nations. I would work with the GA's and the Minister of WA to make sure voting threads are presented to the RMB and promoted in-game.

How do you intend to fix the slow start for Heroes of the North?
The above would be one way. Another? Simple promotion and advertisement. We have a very large region, we just need to let people know these opportunities exist. I myself am proof this concept works. I had no interest in pursing an elected office but in time, talking to people got me to see that maybe I had something to offer.
We also need to be realistic about how quickly we can get all of these proposals done. I would be in favour of narrowing the focus to one or two proposals at a time and growing it from there. The WA Minister also needs to be supported in their routine work, so that they have time to promote these special projects and coordinate them. This is a new way of doing things for TNP and I think it will take some time for people to get comfortable to contribute extensively.

It is also an opportunity to bring new people into the World Assembly Ministry. For instance, if we are going to Commend Gladio II, there would likely be quite a few passionate members of the NPA who would want to be involved in that and who would know what to include. The same applies to roleplayer candidates or to longer term members of TNP. We can use the Heroes of the North program to bring more passionate voices into the WA Ministry.

Ultimately, I feel that if we narrow the focus, keep our expectations realistic, and work through the proposal drafts methodically, I am confident we can pass a good number of proposals next term that recognise the work of TNPers. Hopefully bringing more people into the WA Ministry at the same time.

This is quite the bold policy plank. Prior to Repeal Reproductive Freedoms, The North Pacific had not engaged in such an activity unless there were connections with the proposal and fascists. How broadly do you intend to expand the use of the NPA for WA purposes?
As you can see from my platform? I fully intend to use this strategy to undermine fascists in the WA at every turn. Let us look beyond that though. Can we use this strategy in other areas? Well I think we can, but it would have to be carefully considered. Fascist targeting is obviously a go, but anything beyond that would require careful consultation between myself, the WA Affairs Minister, and their Deputies. Not to mention the NPA leadership. I wish I could be more clear, but my answer is basically "yes on targeting fascists, and a case by case basis on anything else." This is still a new tactic and we're very much in the feeling out stage.

The WA Ministry will also have a good idea of what proposals we can push out of the queue through traditional counter campaigns. But my view is that we should be prepared and willing to utilise the NPA in that way if the times call for it. As we have seen recently, it takes considerable effort to coordinate these operations over a number of updates. It should be a tool in the toolbox that we are willing to use when necessary.

Basically? You can bet your butt the option to deploy the NPA in this matter would be on the table targeting fascists, and it will be remain a viable tool to be considered in other cases, to be discussed on a case by case basis.
 
What do you want for defense other than defending against coups (which iirc we haven’t had in a decade)? I notice you mentioned approval raiding. Anything else (e.g. tech, leadership, focuses)?
Ultimately I believe the NPA is a tool. A tool that we should use to further our interests, whatever the case may be. I have no ideological or moral preference for raider or defending and believe the NPA can and should be used in whatever manner it needs to be used in to benefit TNP. All of what you mentioned will be on the table, but I want to stress that it will not be engaged in haphazardly or even liberally. We need to not be afraid to use the NPA, but we also shouldn't just swing the stick at every issue. It needs to remain a viable option of many viable options.

What do you think about expanding WALL? I notice your FA policy is to make as many friends as possible. There are certain big delegacies who would love or consider the possibility of joining, so the question does become what the underlying purpose of WALL is, and how we should restrict members based on that. What unites WALL?
Absolutely. There are ill-informed people out there who feel WALL is a boogeyman or some short of shadow government. Some might even refer to it as the "WA Elite" ;)
Expanding WALL and bringing on board regions we share common goals and values with not only expands WALL's influence, not only expands our connection of friends and allies, but also highlights WALL and shows others that it's not this bad thing they need to fear or rally against.
I am hesitant to promise too much though. Yes, I want TNP to play an engaging role in WALL but we are but one part of it. I would push hard for expanded membership, but ultimately? I would respect the collective decision of WALL leadership.

I’m interested in specifics. Who are you interested in reaching out to for FA?
As I said above, Balder, the IDU, and Europe are allies, very important allies, that I feel are just defined by WALL membership these days. It's all well and good to work with them there, but it never hurts to ring the doorbell and have a metaphorical talk about the weather.

What ideas do you have for new non-roleplay events? You don’t need to justify or hash out any of them. I’d just like to see that you’re thinking about it.
The Games server needs to be used again. We've got adventure games, stuff that's simple but addicting like hangman, venues for virtual card games...and we can use Discord's streaming function to stream let's plays.

Additionally we can use the VC streaming function on the main TNP Discord server to promote movie and tv show nights, anime nights, etc... as I said, we lacked these venues and tools way back in 2006 when I started up in NS. We were reliant on the trio of AOL/Yahoo/MSN Instant Messenger and IRC to stay connected outside of the regional forums and NS site. These days? We can gather upwards of fifty people in a VC on Discord and have a Lord of the Rings marathon. It's not a bad idea to push our online community given the state of the world and the enforced social distancing going on. Let's give some people who may be cooped up and forcibly isolated something more than political debate in the Real Life channel :D

Do you know who would be on your cabinet yet? I think it would be interesting (but not necessary) to see who you’re thinking about. But again, I just want to know that you thought about it at all.
So I have given it some thought. Please keep in mind these are merely some ideas I've had, that could change depending on a number of factors (like if they even want the job :P )

Defence- I would like Trondstorm to stay on. Using the NPA to influence WA proposals is new territory for us all, and I'd want an experienced hand on deck.
Radio- Dreadton has done a fantastic job.
WA Affairs- Cosmosplosion. I want an energetic and engaged WA Affairs Ministry and I think he'd inject some much needed chutzpah.
Home Affairs- Praetor, Nimarya, or Bobberino. They have experience there and know what needs doing.
Foreign Affairs- Ghost or Tlmoz. They each understand the importance of TNP being an engaging actor on the world stage.
Culture- Syrixia. He's been my Deputy for a while now and has shown an impressive ability to make things happen when it seems like things have slowed to a crawl. Should he decline then I have a ton of faith in my other Deputy, Highton. Highton's skills at organizing events such as the TNP World Cups of 2019 were second to none.
Communications- El Fiji Grande, Artemis, Dinoium, Bobberino, or Plemb would all make excellent choices with tons of experience in the Ministry. Pierce and Haven have been impressive newcomers. I'm unsure if heading a Ministry is a good idea at this stage, but they'd make excellent Deputies for whoever ended up filling the chair.
 
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Those answers are quite in-depth. I appreciate that a lot and find the answers quite satisfying. Thank you
You are most welcome. Thank you for the questions.

With the departure of COE, what would your plans be for Democracy Day?
Oh that is a tough one. I worked extensively on Democracy Day as Minister of Culture and I have to say, COE was a G-ddamn legend when it came to making that work. I have thought about this, and I have to admit, it's daunting.
To not just plan all of what he planned, but to administer the fundraising side and see to mailing out the rewards? He really took that on his back. If @Crushing Our Enemies is listening? I salute him. It was an honour to get to see what he did.

The problem with replacing him is that everything he did was, well, it was a lot. And it wasn't free. And often wasn't cheap. Assuming we can find someone who can do what he did? It would need to be someone who we can reasonably count on, on a year to year basis. I don't see that as likely, I'm afraid. He was a rare guy, and finding someone else who could make it all work like he did? It'll be hard.
I hate to say it, but I did say I'd be straight with you all, we may have to rethink Democracy Day with his absence. What it becomes- be it a massive celebration on Discord or something else all together- would have have to be determined.
 
I am going to ask some general questions of all candidates.

1) What is an example of a character strength of yours that you believe will make a difference to you as Delegate?

2) What is your greatest flaw? How would you manage this as Delegate?

3) Are there any current alliances/pacts held by The North Pacific that you believe are no longer relevant and should be repealed?

4) Do you intend to regularly post on the regional message board if you are elected?

5) If you could secure an alliance with another region that we are not currently allied to, who would you choose and why?
 
What's your favourite breed of deer, also what's your favourite colour, and let's not forget about your favourite breed of cat - but oh what's your favourit- *is pulled away from the stage by a hooked walking stick*
 
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What's your favourite breed of deer, also what's your favourite colour...
Red Deer! Also red.

1) What is an example of a character strength of yours that you believe will make a difference to you as Delegate?
I feel like I'm an honest and open sort. When I say I believe in transparency? I mean it.

2) What is your greatest flaw? How would you manage this as Delegate?
My greatest flaw as it would relate to being Delegate? I suffer from clinical anxiety, which results in me feeling overwhelmed at times. I would deal with that building a trusted team of cabinet Ministers, advisors, and friends who can I rely on to help me through those moments.

3) Are there any current alliances/pacts held by The North Pacific that you believe are no longer relevant and should be repealed?
EDIT- I've thought about it.
Taijitu. The region is basically inactive and there's no point in maintaining the alliance.

4) Do you intend to regularly post on the regional message board if you are elected?
Yes. I also intend to post more regularly on the main TNP Discord :P
I admit I've been very RP and forum centric, but I want to be a Delegate for all of TNP, not just the forum or RP side of things. People should feel like they have access to the Delegate across all sub-communities and platforms. So I would most certainly be more active on both the RMB and the primary TNP GP Discord.

5) If you could secure an alliance with another region that we are not currently allied to, who would you choose and why?
CCD so I could trick them into accepting more of our invisible scripts.

Honest answer? Forest. I think there's a good deal of overlap between our shared goals on the world stage.
 
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Hey Pry. Sorry if this is too general a question. If elected, you'd be one of the most prominent RPers to become Delegate. It's been my observation that RPers have been warry of participating in government in general. In what ways would you promote citizenship and government/military involvement in the RP community, on the Forums and RMB alike? And, vice versa, how would you promote the RP community?
 
Hey Pry. Sorry if this is too general a question. If elected, you'd be one of the most prominent RPers to become Delegate. It's been my observation that RPers have been warry of participating in government in general. In what ways would you promote citizenship and government/military involvement in the RP community, on the Forums and RMB alike? And, vice versa, how would you promote the RP community?
I think more RPers need to understand that, whether they are active in the government or not, they have a vested interest in being a citizen. There have been times I have not felt inclined to be involved in government, but I have kept my TNP citizenship because I wanted the right to make voice heard, as a RPer, in the Regional Assembly if I felt I needed to.
At the same time? Many RPers genuinely don't find the TNP government engaging. It's not ignorance on their part, it's just a genuine disinterest. I don't want to force anyone into anything they won't enjoy. At the same time? I feel it's important that members of the RP community maintain citizenship so they always have a voice on the occasion they need to speak up for their interests within TNP. I would be active in promoting this across forum and RMB RP communities.

As for promoting the RP Community? I intend to continue pursuing RP events with other regions, continuing publication of the Roleplay Reel magazine, and hosting a number of RP shows on the NBS. These events will hopefully promote RP within TNP, as well as promote our RP communities beyond TNP. TNP has one of, if not the, best RP scenes in NS and I feel like it gets overlooked because we're a feeder. I want people to know how good we can be :D
 
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Pry, you know I have been wanting your candidacy to be a reality for a while now, and I am overjoyed to see it come to be. Not only are you thoughtful, a good administrator as your work in the RP ring has shown, and truly working towards the good in everything you put your efforts in, but you are a good deer. There will be no question about your character and dedication nor about your capacity to manage and lead this region. You have my full support.
 
THOU HAST MY SWORD DEER LEADER
Pry, you know I have been wanting your candidacy to be a reality for a while now, and I am overjoyed to see it come to be. Not only are you thoughtful, a good administrator as your work in the RP ring has shown, and truly working towards the good in everything you put your efforts in, but you are a good deer. There will be no question about your character and dedication nor about your capacity to manage and lead this region. You have my full support.
Thank you both :)

All good answers. You've got my support
And thank you as well. I'm glad I could answer your questions!
 
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Prepare to be grilled..

Good luck!

Who is our closest ally and why?

Which of our previous delegates would you say you emulate most?
 
Good luck!
Thank you!

Who is our closest ally and why?
Hmm...that's tough. Broadly I think all of our allies bring something unique to the table, but our closest? I would have to say TEP. We're both feeders, we work together a good deal, and we have a pretty reliable and solid line of communication. I know from my experience as a RP Mod that TEP has always been forthcoming with information we needed to hear.

Which of our previous delegates would you say you emulate most?
I've served under two (well technically three, but I was only MoC for the last week of Ghost's last term) who each had different styles I respect. El Fiji Grande ran a pretty well-run ship that afforded us a lot of leeway in the Ministries.
That being said? My answer is McM. His style of leadership, proactively getting on top of things that demand it, is something I'm going to have emulate to see the platform I've laid out through.
 
For a while, Foreign Affairs has really struggled in terms of applications and has a high turnover, often because activity within the ministry varies throughout the term. What would you look to do to combat this and ensure that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has an active ambassador corps?
 
For a while, Foreign Affairs has really struggled in terms of applications and has a high turnover, often because activity within the ministry varies throughout the term. What would you look to do to combat this and ensure that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has an active ambassador corps?
It's a top-down problem. We need a Foreign Minister who is engaged, and who can rally the troops, so to say. I have a vision for the FAM and I intend to find a Minister who will see that through. Including getting an ambassador corps on board and ready to work.
 
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In what circumstances would you instruct the NPA to launch raids to prevent GA legislation from getting to quorum?
 
You mentioned you would like to see more RP centric shows. When the ministry reached out to role play members this term, the ministry was brushed off. What would you do to help the ministry get the role play community on board with the shows?

The Ministry of Radio already offers the TNPU the opportunity to host shows on the Regional YouTube. Are you looking for Radio to conduct the non-NS shows independently from the University?

What are your plans for TNPU and The Gameside Advocates?
 
We will reconnect with our WALL partners. We as a region tend to fall into the comfortable trap of looking inwards even when we have the best of intentions. A government under my watch will work to ensure we are always engaging with our partners in WALL.
How often will you call for unified WALL stomps and would you have specific criteria for doing so?

The Ministry will also work closely with the Ministry of Defence and will therefore target resolutions and approval Delegates that are approving resolutions that are not in our interest to go to a vote. This is a relatively new area of NS military gameplay, in which our region has become a prominent leader.
In the event that there are multiple proposals in queue, how would you ensure the bumping of delegates from one proposal and now the other? How would you determine what is and is not in the interests of TNP?
 
Thanks for your answers Pry.

Just to comment further upon your responses, in your opinion, in regards to foreign policy how should the NPA be used to shape it? Are there any militaries you'd like to see the NPA work with more?

What military experience do you have NS wise?
 
How involved with the Executive Council would you like the Vice Delegate to be? Would you expect to be allowed access to the Security Council Chambers if elected as Delegate?
 
In what circumstances would you instruct the NPA to launch raids to prevent GA legislation from getting to quorum?
I would, as I said above, order the NPA to conduct such activities to hound fascists/neo-Nazis/white supremacists/whatever they call themselves these days.
I wish I had a more comprehensive list of instances where such a tactic would be deployed but this is uncharted territory for all of us. Everything else would be done on a case by case basis after careful consultation with the Minister of WA Affairs, their deputies, and NPA leadership.

What is your view of the non-aggression pact signed between the NPO and TSP?

They have a history with each other. I don't think it's something that's particularly concerning.

You mentioned you would like to see more RP centric shows. When the ministry reached out to role play members this term, the ministry was brushed off. What would you do to help the ministry get the role play community on board with the shows?
I played a role in getting the first RP NBS shows off the ground (including coordinating guests from the UK, New Zealand, and East Coast of the US on an hour's notice :P ), and as you can see? I believe in this concept deeply.
What would I do to get the RP Community on board this go-around? Well I think we need to start small and work up to bigger topics. So back in late 2019? We had the Lennarts in Culture and one of the finalists for Newcomer of the Year was @North Timistania, who is a RPer. Tim had the support of RPers, as he was a prolific member of the Eras RP community. Many people in GP, however, didn't even know who he was. So we need to start small. We need to focus on RP profiles. Shows dedicated to individual RPers, their RP nations, and what they enjoy about RP.
These sorts of shows not only address the above problem of giving non-RP circles in TNP a chance to get to know prolific RPers, but they're also easy to cultivate. "Who wants to be interviewed?" is, functionally, an easier show to arrange than a roundtable of multiple guests. Once you have enough of these profile interviews done? Well at that point the Ministry should hopefully have an idea of broader trends to build future shows around. Shows centred around specific RPs. Shows centred on RP alliances. That sort of thing.
It all begins with laying that first brick though, which should be individual profiles. It sets the foundation for what is to come, and as I said? They're far easier to set up in terms of wrangling individuals.

The Ministry of Radio already offers the TNPU the opportunity to host shows on the Regional YouTube. Are you looking for Radio to conduct the non-NS shows independently from the University?
Yes. When I mention non-NS shows I'm talking about shows that focus on subjects such as literature, tv shows, movies, maybe even sports once things return to a level of normalcy in the real world. We did have a successful Fantasy Football league last NFL season after all, and had plans for a Fantasy Baseball season before the COVID-19 outbreak shut down all sporting events.
In short? I think there's room for the NBS to expand into the world of pop culture broadcasting.

What are your plans for TNPU and The Gameside Advocates?
As stated above? I believe the University is best when it's granted free reign to host lectures on a wide variety of topics independent of government interference. Academic freedom and all of that. I believe the best thing I, or any other potential Delegate, can do is to step aside and let the University conduct its own affairs.

As for Gameside Advocates? On a RP front we need to start using them to direct new people who just post structureless RP on the RMB to either Strangereal RMB RP or Eras Forum RP. Beyond that I think GAs should be structured the same way we structure RP moderation. We try to get a mod team that stretches across multiple timezones so there is ideally always at least one person on who can deal with potential issues. We need GAs who have a similar spread.

How often will you call for unified WALL stomps and would you have specific criteria for doing so?
I'd call on WALL stomps to defeat fascist proposals. Beyond that, it would be a case by case basis.

In the event that there are multiple proposals in queue, how would you ensure the bumping of delegates from one proposal and now the other? How would you determine what is and is not in the interests of TNP?
Well I have my own beliefs and opinions, certainly. Anyone who knows me knows what I'm passionate about, what I believe in. With that said, I'm not running to be Dictator of TNP, I'm running to be Delegate. When the Delegate of TNP casts their vote in the WA they cast a vote that reflects the consensus of TNP. I think this is one, among multiple, points of data to consider what is and isn't in the interests of TNP.
Others would be...
  • Does this proposal celebrate or run counter to the values we as a region hold dear?
  • Does this proposal Commend or Condemn those people who have acted against TNP in the past?
  • Does this proposal Commend or Condemn those people who have been allies of TNP or are even TNPers themselves?
Thanks for your answers Pry.
You're most welcome.

Just to comment further upon your responses, in your opinion, in regards to foreign policy how should the NPA be used to shape it? Are there any militaries you'd like to see the NPA work with more?
As I said, the NPA needs to be a viable tool among multiple viable tools. I admit it's a balancing act, but it needs to be known that we will not be afraid to deploy the NPA, but trusted enough to know we're not trigger happy warmongers.
As for other militaries... our WALL partners are all treatied allies. Using the military to influence WA ques is still very new, but we should consider working very closely with our WALL friends in that way in the future.

What military experience do you have NS wise?
Not much, save for a few stints in the Taijitu Army WAY back in the day. Which is why my first choice for Minister of Defence, if elected, would be Trondstorm. I think he's done a good job in the role, and he's someone with experience in the field who I know I could rely on for sound military advice. Trust me, I'm not someone who basks in their ignorance. I'd very much value the input of people with more experience than I.

How involved with the Executive Council would you like the Vice Delegate to be?
It's my opinion that the Vice Delegate position is probably among the most intricate and multifaceted jobs in TNP. While the input of the Vice Delegate would be valued? I would want them to only contribute what they can to the Executive Council. I would much prefer they focus on the Security Council and their duties related to that body. That's where the lion's share of their attention and efforts are needed.

Would you expect to be allowed access to the Security Council Chambers if elected as Delegate?
I don't see why I would have access. Separation of powers, jurisdiction, and responsibility and all of that jazz. It wouldn't be what I was elected to oversee. I would make myself available to the Vice Delegate though, and work with them in whatever manner they needed me.
 
  • Does this proposal celebrate or run counter to the values we as a region hold dear?
  • Does this proposal Commend or Condemn those people who have acted against TNP in the past?
  • Does this proposal Commend or Condemn those people who have been allies of TNP or are even TNPers themselves?

I'd like a clarification on this. In the case that the answer to one of these questions is not favorable, does that mean you would be against the proposal? In other words, are you using any individual question here to separate proposals into Against and Not Against boxes?

Or, are you considering proposals with a variety of factors, and those are just examples? In this case, some of these factors may not be ones that we agree with, but you would be weighing it with other factors. This is much more abstract than the other interpretation.
 
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I'd like a clarification on this. In the case that the answer to one of these questions is not favorable, does that mean you would be against the proposal? In other words, are you using any individual question here to separate proposals into Against and Not Against boxes?

Or, are you considering proposals with a variety of factors, and those are just examples? In this case, some of these factors may not be ones that we agree with, but you would be weighing it with other factors. This is much more abstract than the other interpretation.
The latter. It could be viewed as abstract, but I see it as measured. As I said, using the NPA to target WA proposals written by fascists or fascist supporters (the differences are academic) would be a given. Everything else would be on a case by case basis as per discussions had with the Minister of WA Affairs, their deputies, the NPA leadership, and the Executive Council as a whole. The points I mentioned are certainly guidelines to refer to in such discussions would I would most certainly weigh other factors.
 
I really appreciate the depth of your interest in NBS. If elected Delegate, to what extent would you continue to be available to host and participate in RP-centric NBS shows? Given that the stated focus of your campaign is community, how will you improve listenership of NBS? What did you think of the written show summaries from the first Ministry of Radio term?
 
I really appreciate the depth of your interest in NBS. If elected Delegate, to what extent would you continue to be available to host and participate in RP-centric NBS shows?
I would make myself available to participate in RP-centric NBS shows as much as I possibly could.

Given that the stated focus of your campaign is community, how will you improve listenership of NBS?
Well as I said elsewhere? I want to emphasize the online space we have as a community for a variety of events and I think the NBS can slot right in with that. We need engaging shows, well-advertised shows, and we to make an event out them.
This is admittedly hard as the very structure of NBS recordings mandates that only a few people have voice permissions in VC, but I feel like audience engagement via text is a good way to get people to turn up. In short? We need to make tuning into a NBS recording in VC an event. The first step is treating it like one.

Once we have the show recorded and posted? Well we need to make sure that's promoted via pings on Discord and Dispatches on NS.

What did you think of the written show summaries from the first Ministry of Radio term?
I thought they were great.
 
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