Polaris Articles

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Hello all!

This thread is for the posting of Polaris Articles for the convenience of authors as well as for keeping our forums tidy. Only Ministry leadership will be able to post here (since only articles will go here). If you have questions, hop on over to the Minister's Desk. Thanks!

This month was extremely active in the World Assembly with several resolutions, some quite contentious, passing in both chambers.

Repeal: “Freedom of Assembly”

This proposal was proposed by Wymondham to repeal a long-time resolution on the books (GA #27-passed in December 2008!). The North Pacific stood against this repeal effort, largely due to concerns about specific wording in the repeal. Wymondham’s resolution was, however, supported by the community-at-large and passed 58%-42% on February 5. This would not be the first thing that Wymondham worked on this month-an active month from an impressive first-time author.

Commend King HEM

On the same day that Repeal: “Freedom of Assembly” passed the General Assembly floor, a proposal passed the Security Council: “Commend King HEM”. The irony here lies in Wymondham’s co-author Maowi getting her month started with passing this proposal. Similar to Repeal: “Freedom of Assembly”, this proposal was quite contentious, with the newly formed Partnership for Sovereignty issuing a statement against it. Despite this, the proposal still passed 77%-23% on February 5.

Commend Northern Borland

Initially intended to be something of a joke proposal and a tongue-in-cheek commendation of the nominee by Honeydewistania, this proposal raised trying questions about pure stats commendations and condemnations that are still being discussed in the Security Council. The vote on this proposal went back-and-forth several times between passing and failing during the several days it was on the voting floor, something reflected in the even-split in TNP’s vote. The proposal’s back-and-forth status was largely due to the influence of 10000 Islands Delegate HumanSanity, whose vote changed several times. This vote passed extremely narrowly 51.2%-48.8% on February 10 giving Honeydew his 6th Security Council Resolution authorship.

Right to Assemble

The second time that the fundamental right to assembly was discussed in the Security Council and the intended partner to the repeal earlier this month, this was the second time that a proposal by the team of Maowi and Wymondham was discussed in February. This proposal capped off a busy month for both authors. As suggested by the title, this resolution codified a right to assembly.

However, this proposal was not without controversy as an effort by Greater Cesnica was introduced at the same time and both proposals made the formal queue. While the original proposal was not as controversial as the repeal effort earlier this month, this proposal passed easily 79%-21% on February 13 giving Maowi her 6th General Assembly Resolution authored.

Commend 1 very fast endotarter

This resolution dealt with the commendation of a figure well-known to many in The North and abroad, 1 very fast endotarter, also known as r3n. While the exploits of his long and illustrious second stint on the game are well-established elsewhere, it is worth noting that this proposal raised the ire of several in the defender community. Some figures in the defending community were reluctant to support the measure, or even outright opposed it, due to r3n’s association with independent militaries for whom the vast majority of activities are raiding in the NPA and the Europeian Republican Navy. Ultimately though, TNP author Noahs Second Country saw his proposal prevail, with TNP’s backing of course, and earned his 4th Security Council Resolution authored, and first of this month, 78%-22% on Valentine’s Day (February 14).

Right to Secure Digital Communication

A new face to many in The North, Greater Cesnica has long been accused of badge-hunting in his exploits in the General Assembly largely due to the large volume of proposals he creates and readily submits. Though some may intentionally vote against his proposals, even ones which deal with such a vital issue as ensuring digital communications are secure, his proposals often pass-such was the case with this one. While mired in questions of what constitutes a badge hunt and even if the term should apply to eager authors who pump out quality proposals, Cesnica saw this proposal passed with an emphatic 85%-15% margin on February 17-giving him his 3rd General Assembly resolution authored.


Liberate The Embassy

Perhaps the biggest topic in gameplay, the one which has led the most people to sound off recently has not been the R/D Presidential election-themed tag raids going on in Lily, Grey Wardens Warden Matthew’s trips to fast-food restaurants after the movies, but rather the invasion of The Embassy and the subsequent closure of over 3,600 embassies. Arousing debate among nearly every force that participated in the invasion, defenders seized on the moment and sprang into action with 10000 Islands Delegate HumanSanity submitting and passing a liberation, stopping raiding forces from holding the region for a potential refound. This proposal passed on February 18 by a 70%-30% margin marking an auspicious Security Council debut from the 10000 Islands Delegate.

Whistleblower Protection Act

Yet another proposal that quietly aroused conflicting feelings among many, this proposal dealt with questions of how to protect those exposing illegal activities. Though the proposal itself remained relatively uncontroversial to many, Europe delegate Imperium Anglorum issued a statement announcing that he could not back the legislation due to deficiencies he saw in the legislation. However, the opposition of that region and The East Pacific during the waning days in which Libertanny held the delegacy did not imperil final passage, it made passage by 78%-22% rather than a larger margin. Passage ensured that The North Pacific’s own Boston Castle earned passage of his 2nd General Assembly Resolution.

Repeal: “Commend Northern Borland”

As mentioned earlier in our roundup of this month’s action in The World Assembly, stats-based commendations and condemnations are still a hot topic of discussion in the wider world of the Security Council. Commend Northern Borland was always a contentious resolution, having passed by an extremely narrow margin when it first came to the floor, and opponents seized on this. While pointing out flaws in the resolution, including its use of tongue-in-cheek sarcastic or ironic language, this Repeal made the case to repeal the Commend and it was, indeed, repealed. This proposal passed on February 22 by a 59%-41% margin without the North’s support. It gave The North Pacific’s Noahs Second Country a 2nd Security Council resolution passed this month, coming 8 days after the passage of Commend 1 very fast endotarter, and his 5th overall.
Supporting People With Disabilities

Occasionally, a proposal will genuinely come to be considered quite “feel good”, this one qualifies under that category. Codifying the rights of the disabled into World Assembly law and “reaffirming the right to not be discriminated against on the grounds of disability”, this proposal passed easily-83%-17%. This proposal, authored by Free Las Pinas marked a promising debut for the author in the General Assembly and his resolution, passing on February 25, received the overwhelming support of the North.

Condemn Lily

One of the most infamous independent militaries of the last few years-Lily has no shortage of detractors and admirers. With their rainbow-colored tags on regional WFEs and the sheer number of operations they undertake, it is clear that at some point, regardless of their affiliation, they would be on the receiving end of a condemnation. One such attempt to condemn Lily came to the floor on February 22 and while it showed condemn worthy things, it did not tell the whole story or prove convincing enough for the North, or the wider World Assembly community, to approve it. This proposal failed by a 78%-22% margin on February 26.

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On January 26, 2021, the Court of The North Pacific ruled that any NPA policy or operation permitting practices forbidden by clauses 32-33 of section 7.6 of the Legal Code (ejecting natives, imposing a password, and modifying the embassy list) is illegal. This means that any operation where North Pacific Army forces are present and such actions occur, even if they are not supported by or performed by the NPA, would be banned by law.

The request for review that triggered the ruling, which can be found here, argued that the North Pacific Army has been circumventing this policy since at least 2017, especially during joint holds with other militaries. A very common practice with these militaries is to close all embassies of the target region and open one with the occupying regions or a region symbolic of their armies. (Indeed, TNP is one of the few regions that does not engage in this practice.) Because changing the embassy list is banned as per clauses 32-33 of section 7.6 of the Legal Code, the R4R argued that the NPA participating in raids where such actions occur is illegal. The court agreed.

The ruling was quickly met with contention from TNPers. Many attacked the decision as highly restrictive on the NPA. Others did not agree that simply participating in such raids violated the law. The opinion among many was that the ruling was correct, and the law was overly restrictive, and action needed to be taken to rectify it.

Two Regional Assembly bills quickly emerged to attempt to solve this legal dilemma. The first, the “NPA Flexibility Act,” proposed by Peeps have moved the NPA back to the status quo before the ruling. The second, the “NPA Doctrine Simplification Act”, found at attempted to solve the problem by simply removing the bans on some actions, most notably the modification of a region’s embassy list. The second was met with some controversy from citizens who did not support removing restrictions on the NPA.

BMWSurfer, who filed the r4r, gave his perspective on the matter. BMWSurfer said, “I personally dislike the closure of most embassies (with exception for fascists, of course) and I do believe its[sic] a practice we should avoid. However, I believe the people of TNP can decide how they feel about embassy closures, and should bring legislation forward to reflect their desires.” 9003 was also asked for a perspective, and commented, “The outcome is exactly what I would expect from it and hoped our court would decide. A literal reading of the law there is no wiggle room with what the law says currently. Emphasis on what the law says currently. If we want to stay relevant in the R/D world we need [to change] the law to allow for more freedom within the NPA. The perfect NPA is one that is well respected in the defender and raider [spheres]. The current laws force us to shy away from [a lot] of ops that could make us far more relevant.” Whatever happens, it’s certain that this dilemma sparked discussion, and potential changes, to NPA doctrine.

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April was quite busy for the general assembly, passing 6 resolutions and one failing to pass. Let’s take a look!

Freedom of Association
A new right was born in the World Assembly by the passing of Freedom of Association, guaranteeing the right to be with any association unless the organization is involved in criminal activity. This resolution was written by our Deputy WA minister Boston Castle, who has written the Security Council section of the WA Digest. The resolution was passed 72.1% to 27.9%

Repeal: Voting Equality for Freed Inmates
Tinhampton wrote this repeal on the grounds of paving the way for more comprehensive voting laws, as the resolution would strike down all voting restrictions just because they had been in prison once. This repeal crawled through the world assembly 61.3% to 38.7%.

Reducing Microplastics
This resolution was written to deal with plastic pollution, addressing the health risks posed by microplastics. The proposal set out ways to eliminate plastic pollution through eliminating sources upstream. The resolution breezed through the GA 88.2% to 11.8%.

Repeal: Digital Network Defense
This repeal from Saint Tomas and the Northern Ice Islands sets out a privacy based defense of the rights of a nation’s citizens in a short and concise repeal, relying on other resolutions to support its case. While The North Pacfic was against the repeal, it moved through the GA 81.3% to 18.7%.

Long Term Storage of Produced Waste
This resolution provided regulation for safe storage for dangerous waste, providing safety regulations for the health and safety of WA citizens. This proposal attempted to make a blanket mandate for all businesses, and encouraged member states to subsidise the efforts. With such a plan largely seen as unfeasible, the resolution was heavily opposed, being defeated 84.6% to 15.4%.

Repeal: On Abortion
An interesting repeal in the GA in April was GA #128, on abortion, on the grounds of too little protection and too much restrictions on access to reproductive care, passing 87.1% to 12.9%

Citizenship and Birth Act
The last GA resolution in April was a bid to make sure no child is stateless, and provides an avenue for minors in member states to obtain citizenship . This resolution passed 84.8% to 15.2%.

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Unfortunately, April was not as active as March was in the Security Council with only four proposals of note being voted on in the month. Let’s take a look at the month that was in the less frantically active chamber of the World Assembly.

Commend Marrabuk
This proposal commended the long time Delegate of the East Pacific Marrabuk for their efforts to restore the East to its former glory and modernize the Department of Foreign Affairs of the East as well as his successful efforts to restore the democratically elected government of the region following the Fedele coup. Relatively uncontroversial, though with some gtumblings about whether or not the author was actually worthy, it passed 75.6% to 24.4% on April 8. This was the first resolution authored by Thaecian Tagus Andusre and represented another successful co-authorship for Europeian WA stalwart Maowi.

Commend Honeydewistania
This proposal commended World Assembly author, fascist fighter, and regional community leader (as well as prominent TNPer) Honeydewistania, perhaps better known to our readership as Whatermelons. Previous efforts to commend this nominee had failed, but this was wildly successful on its second/third attempt. While some in TNP, who either via personal distaste for the nominee or simple rejection of all SC measures, voted against, this passed by a resounding 82.2% to 17.8% on April 13. This was the first resolution authored by Mariner Trench Mariner of Roleplay Calamari Lands, an auspicious start by a promising new author.

Commend Kelssek
This proposal commended sports roleplayer, UN and WA author, and TEP community leader, Kelssek. A vestige of the ancient past, the crowning achievements of Kelssek are their involvement with the early World Assembly as well as their efforts expounded in sports roleplay, such as their various triumphs and hosting of various world championships. Some forumside expressed their discontent with such an RP heavy commendation, arguing it would be better served focusing on the nominee more holistically, instead of focusing on their roleplay, but this proposal passed with an emphatic 88%-12% margin on April 20. This was the first resolution authored by Sonnel World Assembly Delegate Drawkland and marked another successful co-authorship for the North Pacific’s very own elected Delegate Francois Isidore.

Liberate The New Inquisition
Another very notable Security Council resolution this month was the controversial return of SC favorite Lenlyvit, perhaps better known as Kuriko. The long-time former 10000 Islands Delegate had “retired” from the game earlier in the year, taking a hiatus especially after the end of their term as Delegate last year. However, this proposal was immensely controversial from the start, with many accusing Lenlyvit of abusing their standing in order to target a region which has long since ceased to be an international menace. This proposal did not make the voting floor.

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On May 12, The North Pacific’s May General Elections wrapped up, with the region having witnessed one of the closest Delegate contests in history. Robespierre (Francois Isidore) was elected Delegate in a nail-biter race against Nimarya, while Cretox State was overwhelmingly re-elected Vice Delegate and East Isles was elected Speaker by large margins.

Robespierre was the first person to announce their candidacy for Delegate, soon after candidacy declarations opened on May 1. This was followed by the incumbent Delegate McMasterdonia announcing their intentions not to run for re-election, and Nimarya accepting a nomination made by McMasterdonia.

Robespierre was serving as Speaker at the time of the election, having been elected to that role in January. He previously had served as Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Defense, and was elected Vice Delegate in January 2020, though he resigned just over halfway into the term, without having reached the required second-most WA endorsements in the region.

Robespierre’s campaign, titled “Robespierre for Rejuvenation: A Delegacy,” was posted early, citing a desire to have a government that “gets people inspired again” and the many promises made in the January election that did not come to fruition as their reasons to run for Delegate.

Key planks of the campaign included weekly press briefings, boosting applications for the Executive Staff through targeted recruitment efforts by the Ministry of Home Affairs, a focus on developing authors for the new Polaris news program in the Ministry of Communications, and a full audit into the Ministry of Cards, which has fallen into inactivity. On the Foreign Affairs front, the campaign included promises to update the existing World Factbook project, expand the content variety of the Ministry of Radio, and foster talent in the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs by providing more support for prospective authors.

Nimarya last served as Minister of Defense under outgoing Delegate McMasterdonia, having made the move after two terms as Minister of Home Affairs. Her campaign focused on the need to revitalize struggling ministries by providing better training and resources for staff and thus cultivate new talent.

Nimarya’s specific campaign goals included a revitalization of the mentorship program within the Ministry of Home Affairs; a return to basics for the Ministry of Cards by restarting its original programs and increasing card farming; increasing resources for writers and encouraging creative writing to add variety in the Ministry of Communications; promoting and increasing visibility for broadcasts by the Ministry of Radio; publishing comprehensive manuals for the North Pacific Army; providing guides and training, including history lessons, for Ministry of World Assembly Affairs staff; and creating more opportunities for Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff to observe and participate in foreign affairs discussions.

Both campaigns shared several similar elements, such as a focus on casual games for the Ministry of Culture and plans for more engagement with WALL, albeit in different ways. Robespierre proposed an initiative for WALL staffers to discuss one passed resolution per week, while Nimarya proposed an IFV (Information For Voters) writing process that could take into account input from WALL.

As voting began, it soon became clear that the election would be close, as the two candidates traded leads throughout the voting period, never leading by more than a few votes at any given time. Outgoing Delegate McMasterdonia, for his part, endorsed Nimarya. However, in the final few days of voting, Robespierre began gradually pulling ahead, ultimately winning with 59 votes to Nimarya’s 53, while joke candidate 2 and 2 is Fish received 3 votes.

The contest for the other two positions at stake in this election were not nearly as close, with Cretox State easily winning re-election as Vice Delegate, 86-28, against Rom, a General in the North Pacific Army and former Minister of Defensce. Cretox promised to continue the projects started in their first term such as Vice Delegate Mentoring and the Security Council Handbook, as well as to explore new ideas such as the Vice Delegate’s Staff and improvements to World Assembly Development Program (WADP) infrastructure and community engagement.

East Isles, who was a Deputy Speaker in the previous term, won election as Speaker, promising to continue the Speaker’s Office’s efficient Speaker checks and monthly audits. They won with 67 votes against 29 votes for The Democratic Kingdom Of Skaraborg, a prominent player on the RMB, who ran a joke campaign.

After the conclusion of the election, Robespierre announced their Executive Council as follows:

Minister of Cards: 9003
Minister of Communications: Fregerson (PotatoFarmers)
Minister of Culture: Prydania
Minister of Defense: Westinor
Minister of Foreign Affairs: St George (MadJack)
Minister of Home Affairs: New Celoveniortan
Minister of Radio: The Cascadian Bioregion
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Cretox State

Advisors to the Delegate: Pallaith, El Fiji Grande

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New Celoveniortan: Hello, Robespierre. How are you today?
Robespierre: Hey there! I’m doing decently. Bit of a rainy day, but otherwise okay. I like the rain! How about you?
New Celoveniortan: I am doing very well, thank you very much.
Robespierre: Of course
New Celoveniortan: I have some questions for you today, would you mind giving me some of your time?
Robespierre: Not at all. Ask away!
New Celoveniortan: Thank you. First things first. I perceive you as a very enthusiastic person and friendly, but I'm curious: how would you describe yourself?
Robespierre: Hmmm, that’s a very good question. I’m glad that you lead off with it. I think that some would find me to be a bit more serious than most. In-character, that’s true, but what I don’t think many people realize is that I also have a more relaxed, casual side to me as well. If you hang out in VCs often in the Agora or if you speak with me in DMs, you’re likely to find that I’m not near as stiff as some believe. I like my sports, I like my computer hardware nerd talk, and I like politics too. I do try to be friendly though, so I’m glad that you perceive me as such. That must mean that I’m doing a good job with how I present myself, I suppose. I’d describe myself as someone who’s extremely active in-character, very particular about things out-of-character, and as someone who’s all-around ambitious. That probably sums me up to those who are unfamiliar. But I’m always up for a chat so, if you’re reading this, come talk to me and find out what I’m like for yourself :stuck_out_tongue:
New Celoveniortan: I'm sure people will see you as very friendly! You said you are all-around ambitious, is it one of the reasons why you decided to run for Delegate? If so, are there any others?
Robespierre: Well, whenever you’re considering running for such a high public office as this, there’s bound to be a multitude of things that factor into your decision to do so
I think that my ambition did play a part in that, naturally, but I wouldn’t have ran if I didn’t think that I’d be able to make things better for everyone regardless of where they choose to spend their time in our community. That’s really what my Delegacy campaign was all about: trying new things with the added bonus of a fresh perspective, bringing new energy to our executive government, and doing so with a calculated approach that combines well thought out plans and viewpoints with a strong desire to succeed. I also think that we’ve been too reliant on past Delegates during previous administrations. Namely McM, but also others.
I want to show people that it’s okay for the new generation of North Pacificans — the new blood, as I call it — to take the reins so that some of the more experienced regional stalwarts can take a break and pursue other interests. That was definitely a motivating factor for me when it came to my decision to seek the Delegacy, but it surely helped to see the engagement that my campaign was getting and to get a feel for just how many people believe in me and my vision. But yes. To answer your question, I’d say that this is not a job for the unambitious. You almost have to be a self-critic, be a self-motivator, and have clearly set goals to effectively run an administration because, at the end of the day, the buck stops with you when you’re the Delegate.
New Celoveniortan: I see that is a very interesting point of viewing the Office. Talking about your campaign, how confident were you while running for the position?
Robespierre: I was very confident, actually. I knew going into it that I’d have to work for it if I wanted to have a chance at winning and I’m very familiar with the election cycle grind, if you will. I’d planned on running regardless of who my opponents were and I’d spent a considerable amount of time formulating my ideas and things of that nature before I’d even launched my campaign thread and put my thoughts out there. If you’re running a serious campaign then that’s what you have to do. You have to come prepared, bring your A-game, and be willing to put yourself and your ideas out there in front of others who will likely critique you on them. I will say, however, that I didn’t plan on the election being as hard fought as it was and I don’t think that many others did either. It’s a very gratifying win for me, having the margin of victory that I did. I’m a fan of close elections in general, especially the more exciting and high profile ones. Suffice to say, this one was a fun one for me.
New Celoveniortan: I see. Indeed it was a very close one. According to the Greitbart May 2021 General Election Coverage, there was a time that your rival had a majority of 53% over you. During this time, was your strong confidence ever eroded? Also, the Election Commission posted the results where we can see that only 6 votes were the difference between victory and defeat. You said it was a very gratifying win for you, but how else did you feel?

Robespierre: I felt a sense of pride, mostly. It’s nice because you never declare your candidacy with the intention of losing (and if you do, well... then you shouldn’t be running in my opinion in my opinion). My confidence was never really eroded per se, but there were times where I felt either super upbeat and optimistic about things or really pessimistic and kind of beat down on myself a bit. I think it’s mostly just being bipolar. That’s the best thing that I can compare it to, really. When you’re ahead in the vote count, you feel as if everything is going your way and you’re ready to take that next step in your campaign en route to victory. When you’re down in the count, it can sometimes be discouraging. But that’s the nature of the beast, so to speak, and I realized that early on when I ran against Artemis/Oracle for the Vice Delegacy in early-2020. Vote counts change on a dime. They fluctuate. Stay confident, stay within yourself, and you’ll be fine. My rule of thumb has always been this: If your ideas are good and your approach is worthwhile, then people will see that irrespective of who you’re running up against. If you’re confident in what you’re putting out there then that’s a solid ground for you to stand on all throughout the voting period.
New Celoveniortan: Those are very nice words, I think anyone would appreciate them. And yes, a coin has two sides. Which gets me to ask you: If you had lost to Nimarya, how would you have felt and what would you have done?
Robespierre: Another good question. For one reason or another, I don’t think that I’d have gone back to the Speaker’s Office had I lost. It wouldn’t have made sense given the timing — for me to go from being the Speaker to being a Deputy Speaker again — so no matter how pleased I was to see East Isles elected, I doubt that I’d have returned to the legislative branch following my hypothetical loss. On the other hand, I don’t honestly think that I’d have been offered a cabinet-level position and I had no illusions of being approached for one either. It’s more likely that I would have continued on with my work in the Executive Staff, possibly been a Deputy Minister in a few Ministries again, and would have continued to endotart in the meantime. As for how I would have felt... disappointed would’ve been the best way to put it, I’d say. As I’m sure most anyone would be.
New Celoveniortan: Interesting. Snap back to reality, how does it feel to be in the Delegacy?
Robespierre: You’d be surprised to find out that this isn’t a question I’ve been asked all that much, save for a couple people here and there who’ve been curious. The learning curve hasn’t been too steep, which has been good. I didn’t expect it to be but there’s always that settling in process whenever one administration changes to another. It’s definitely a bit of an adjustment just in terms of the dynamic that the Delegacy brings. People will message you and ask for your sign-off on things, people will ask for permissions, get your thoughts, seek you out, and so on. And again, that all comes with the territory. I think the moment will hit me more once I’ve taken the in-game seat of WA Delegate, but it’s definitely been an exciting time for me and I’ve been enjoying it so far. Seeing your nation atop the region’s page is an honor that not many have been able to receive, in the grand scheme of things. I’m very proud to be recognized as the leader of this community for the time being.
New Celoveniortan: Wonderful! You said you are still learning. About how much time do you need to invest in the position?
Robespierre: That’s actually something that I’m still determining at this stage. A few players in our TNP RP community who participate in the Eras map are saying that I should join since I’m often interested by their roleplays. My response was that once I determined what the time commitment of being Delegate looks like, I’d then decide if I could reasonably commit time to RPing too. I haven’t yet reached that number or range, but I’d say that the position requires as much or as little time as is needed to be the kind of Delegate that you want to be.
Since I want to be more hands-on, that’ll likely require a more substantial time commitment and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d imagine it’s different for everyone though
New Celoveniortan: Enlightening, thank you. Moving to your Cabinet, why did you choose your current Ministers, and what do you see in them?
Robespierre: Ah yes! Now this is a better version of the “Who would you want in your cabinet?” question that gets asked to every Delegate candidate under the sun It’s worth noting that when forming my cabinet I did have to make some compromises here and there due to scheduling difficulties given that some of my first choices weren’t available. Even so, I’m very satisfied with the team that I ended up with and it may end up working out better than my original plans, so I’m thankful for that.
In no particular order: In Radio, I saw Casc as someone who was a great facilitator of activity. His presence in the Ministry was very on-brand with the new blood presentation of my administration, so he was a natural fit since I’d already witnessed him being a manager of sorts and making sure that NBS content was being uploaded on the regular. In Culture, I’d originally had MadJack/St George penciled in for the position. That was soon changed for the aforementioned scheduling reasons, but I maintain the opinion that he was undoubtedly one of the more productive Ministers from last term and is indisputably a great mind for Culture. I ended up moving MJ over to Foreign Affairs, where I place my full faith in him and know he’ll serve us well there. So I ended up seeking out Prydania — a former Delegate and someone who had lead the Ministry of Culture for over a year previously. In my mind, Pry and MJ are some of the best that our region has to offer. So it was a no-brainer for me to have both of them on board when I had the chance to, which is why I gave them the Culture and FA portfolios respectively. For Home Affairs, you [New Celo] were someone who I’d seen working diligently as a Deputy Minister last term and I saw the potential for you to grow into the role of the Minister of Home Affairs. The idea of going from a regular staffer, to a Deputy Minister, to the Minister is a perfect exemplification of how hard work does go a long way and gets noticed in this region. I wanted to show people that I was willing to develop new talent in the executive in the same way that I’ve done in other areas. For the next generation of TNPers to step up, we need that to be happening as often as possible so it was a great fit. In Communications, I felt that Freg deserved a full term to expand on their ideas and explore what was possible for their Ministry. They were sort of thrown into things last term and I think that May have affected them in the short-term. I wanted to see what Comms had there by re-appointing him and give him a chance to run the Ministry like he wants to run it with my guidance and direction in mind. For Defense, Westinor was my first choice. It was simple. They were doing great work coming up through the ranks and had already shown themselves to be an excellent tactful mind. Who wouldn’t want that? So I made the offer and it’s paid off so far. And finally, we round out the cabinet with Cards and WA Affairs: Due to legal restrictions, I couldn’t appoint Boston Castle as my Minister of World Assembly Affairs. Indeed, he was whom I had penciled in for the position and I don’t mind making that known. But what I did do is make the move to appoint Cretox as a Minister, which may seem unconventional given how he’s also our Vice Delegate. Cretox did well as WAA’s Minister prior to becoming Vice Delegate and he was a standout during the term he served too. I’m quite satisfied with the choice I made, and Cretox has been very willing to take on the added responsibilities without any noticeable drawbacks, so that’s been nice. And for Cards, I wanted someone who could help develop and nurture our infrastructure. 9003 is already recognized as a leader in the wider Cards community of NationStates and our region is already one of the leading regions in that aspect of things as well. He helps create the necessary infrastructure with his scripting ability.. As a result, I was happy to give him another shot as a Minister because I believe he is much better suited to the Ministry of Cards than he is to Defense.
Sorry for the long answers, but I hope that helps paint the picture a bit better
New Celoveniortan: No worries, but I'd like to ask about your choice for Lead Gameside Advocate as well.
Robespierre: Sure!
Rocketdog was a pleasant surprise in the role last term and I personally think that he did well in moderating the RMB and providing service during a crucial part of the day in which not many in the West are online. I liked what he brought to the table and wanted to see it continue, so I offered a re-appointment and he took me up on that.
New Celoveniortan: Do you think there might be any complications with your government in the future?
Robespierre: None that I can foresee, no. If there are then they of course will be dealt with.
New Celoveniortan: I see some of that confidence there. Government aside, are you planning something major for TNP, like an event or something?
Robespierre: You know, it’s easy to make grand promises and commit to doing events or hosting fun festivals with friends from all around the NationStates world, but it’s another thing entirely to have those events be something worthwhile and amount to a successful happening. I’m of the opinion that we should be hosting events because we want to host them, not because we need to check off a box or fulfill a campaign promise. When we do festivals for the sake of checking off that box, they’re less meaningful — the way I see it. Events can be good but it’s better when they’re of importance or are unique. We have to make them something special or interactive if we’re going to do them. You can’t always run something for the sake of running something, so any events I have planned will either be for regional celebration days or will incorporate some level of interactivity in them.
New Celoveniortan: I look forward to Democracy Day on July 7th in that case.
Is there anything else you would like to add before the conclusion of the interview?
Robespierre: Hmm… Well, if there was one message that I’d give to everyone reading, it’d be this: I may be the Delegate now but I’m still a North Pacifican just the same as everyone else. Much like the way I served the region while in the Speakership, public accountability and service are important to me. So don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to me, even just casually. I’m here for you guys and I’m here for this community. So never get caught up in thinking that I’m too important to worry about the “little people” or that I don’t have the time for certain things, because this is your guy’s region much in the same way that it’s mine and that’s the truth of the matter.
New Celoveniortan: Okay, okay. Last, but not least: What is your favorite thing, what do you enjoy the most in the world?
Robespierre: This is a tough one. You really aren’t taking it easy on me for the final question, are you? I’d say... I enjoy laughing. I’ve always liked humour, comedy, and anything that gets people to laugh, joke around, and have fun. If you’re living life and things aren’t going your way, then at the very least, you can always find something to laugh about, even if it’s at your own expense. Hopefully, that doesn’t sound too corny, but yeah. Laughter is very enjoyable to me as I always like getting a good joke in or two and being entertained.
New Celoveniortan: Thank you for your time, Robespierre. I'm sure everyone will enjoy this read. Until next time!
Robespierre: Yes! Glad to do this!

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As might be expected as many younger players have more time on their hands with the end of the school year in most of the Northern Hemisphere, the World Assembly has had a busy, busy last few months. While the torrid pace of writing looks to hit another level next month with the announcement that Declarations would soon be on the way in the Security Council (a move which will be discussed in our next issue), both chambers maintained a consistently strong level of activity. As a further note, this month’s WA Digest will cover significant developments from both May and June in both bodies.

Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data
While submitted in April, this proposal went to the floor, and achieved its ultimate outcome in the month of May. As one of the first efforts by Daarwyrth, this proposal sought to ensure that the most personal of a sapient being’s attributes, its genetic makeup, was not abused by other authorities, be they governmental or businesses. The North Pacific’s own IFV called it “a confusing jumble” without very clear provisions. Thus, the vote on this proposal failed by 54% - 23% For to 77% Against on May 3.

Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands
Arguably the most sensitive, and arguably the most controversial proposal considered in either chamber in May or June, this proposal sought to do exactly what the title said, protect native, wild prairies and grasslands. However, this proposal fell short in a variety of ways, namely that it prevented development efforts while recommending that nations restore wild habitats to their original state. Authored by Big Boyz, this proposal passed 64.5% to 35.5% on May 7, cementing this author’s first authorship badge.

Protecting Convicted Voters
The first of many proposals submitted by Tinhampton over the course of the last two months, this proposal was arguably controversial. “Protecting Convicted Voters” was a defense of the right to vote of inmates and of protecting their right to have a free say in the political process. While well-intentioned, Tinhampton and co-author CoraSpia, who was the target of OOC sniping while this was at vote, saw this lose 41.9% to 58.1% on May 11.

Repeal: “Fair Treatment of Prisoners”
A necessary addition to this month’s Digest, even in a busy month in the GA, is this proposal by the North Pacific’s own Deputy Minister of WA Affairs Greater Cesnica. Cesnica targeted this resolution with the goal of eventually replacing it, even though Cesnica authored the original. However, this proposal was marked illegal before it went to vote.

Freedom of Dress
If “Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands” wasn’t the most controversial proposal in the last two months, Tinhampton’s “Freedom of Dress” was. Many derided Tinhampton’s targeting of this issue citing its lack of importance on the international stage. Thus it was defeated 28.6% to 71.4% on May 15.

Repeal: “Protected Working Leave”
A second foray into the General Assembly by Daarwyrth in this period, this proposal very quickly encountered difficulty due to its sniping on the language used in the targeted resolution, GA #527. As such, this proposal did not attract the support of the North Pacific, but came closer to passing in this period than others, only failing 37.1% to 62.9% at vote on May 19.

Safety and Integrity in Conflict Journalism
This proposal sought to, among other things, ensure that journalists working in war zones or in especially dangerous situations were allowed to do their jobs with a minimal amount of interference, thus guaranteeing freedom of the press and integrity of journalistic practices. While the North Pacific only tepidly supported this resolution by Refuge Isle, this proposal passed 66.9% to 33.1% on May 23 marking Refuge Isle’s third General Assembly resolution passed.

Protecting Imprisoned Youths
This resolution was controversial in ways that were imperceptible to the average voter as this resolution went through several different drafts and accusations of rushing to vote before it hit the floor. However, the goal of this one was noble enough: ensure that children who are incarcerated are treated fairly and have access to social services while behind bars. It passed with a resounding 83.6% to 16.4% margin on May 27. It was also the first resolution passed for the North Pacific WA Ministry’s very own Jedinsto.

Repeal: “Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands”
As mentioned above, the original was quite, quite controversial. This allowed an author who wished to to get in and tackle a repeal quite easily which is just what Daarwyrth did. Targeting the restrictive nature of many of the original’s mandates, the repeal of GA #553 passed overwhelmingly 89% to 11% on May 31, giving Daarwyrth their first official General Assembly Resolution authored.

Corporal Punishment Ban
This proposal, also authored by Tinhampton, has a very simple goal: to end the practice of corporal punishment in schools and otherwise unless said act was done in self-defence. While well-intentioned, again, this proposal very quickly encountered controversy, namely allegations of badge-hunting given the flurry of resolutions proposed by Tinhampton during the month. She saw yet another proposal go down to defeat, 42.4% to 57.6% on June 4.

Fairness In Elections
The second attempt to protect the right to vote of inmates was no more successful than the first and the team of Tinhampton and CoraSpia learned that to their chagrin. The same charges and same accusations of badgehunting were once again flung around and this vote was no less successful, failing on June 8.

Prohibition of Unwarranted Digital Surveillance
This resolution had a very simple goal: protecting the right to digital privacy, doing so by disallowing states to surveil their citizens in an extrajudicial manner. While some took issue with some of the language of the resolution, it ultimately proved popular enough to pass. It did so 81.8% to 18.2% on June 12, giving Greater Cesnica their 5th General Assembly Resolution authored.

Repeal: “Toxic Heavy Metals Act”
Going back to the start of the covered period, the General Assembly had continually had an item on the floor at vote. For two glorious days in mid June, this was not the case. Prior to this resolution, ardent GA watchers got to breathe a sigh of relief and relax just a bit. However, this resolution soon followed and repealed GA #371 for a variety of defects, though mostly for its overly broad mandates and lack of definitions. It passed by a stonking 92.2% to 7.8% margin on June 18, giving Jedinsto his second General Assembly Resolution.

End Conversion Therapy
This resolution had a very simple goal, end the heinous practice of conversion therapy in WA member states-specifically forced conversion therapy. While some pointed out that GA #435, which did the same thing, was on the books, this second attempt at ending conversion therapy was no less successful and passed 75.5% to 24.5% on June 26, giving Tinhampton her 3rd General Assembly Resolution authored.

Convention on Guest Workers
This resolution also was very simple in its goal: protect the rights and wellbeing of workers temporarily performing jobs in nations other than their own. While this encountered some opposition, notably from The East Pacific and the URA, who both thought that there were loopholes and/or that the resolution did not go far enough in protecting the rights of guest workers and in spite of a competing draft by Tinhampton and others, this proposal passed with a 70.8% to 29.2% margin. This was the North Pacific WA Ministry’s Deputy Minister, Boston Castle’s 4th General Assembly Resolution, and the first on his main and oldest nation, Hulldom.

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We move on to the Security Council, which saw 6 proposals reaching the voting floor.

Commend Ellenburg
In early May, the Security Council proposed this fine resolution which sought to commend URA founder and former Conch Kingdom Delegate Free Azell (better known, and commended here, as Ellenburg) for their exploits in creating the URA, for engaging in massively successful region-building and regional government efforts, and for their capabilities in the World Assembly. This passed easily 90.4% to 9.6% and is author Honeydewistania’s 7th Security Council Resolution passed.

Condemn Quebecshire
This joke proposal sought to condemn League founder and military leader Quebecshire for a variety of joking reasons. While this proposal made quorum, and eventually to vote, it was a foregone conclusion that this proposal, submitted by Varanius puppet A Melted Instant Pot Lid would fail. Even after an early scare that it would pass, it did not, and failed 30.4% to 69.6% on May 11.

Commend Deadeye Jack
Many thought that this commendation was overdue and given the reception it received, it is hard to disagree with that assumption. “Commend Deadeye Jack” sought to commend Deadeye Jack for their many exploits in NS through the years such as their leadership in European Union, their incredible contributions to R/D gameplay as a member of the Order of the Grey Wardens, and through their contributions to the Rejected Realms. Co-authored by Frenchy II and Inquista, this proposal’s passed by a huge margin - 88.5% to 11.5%. It brought HumanSanity his 2nd passed Security Council Resolution.

Commend Altmoras
This proposal also sought to commend a prominent defender for their assistance to the causes of defending in R/D gameplay over the years, including in the Order of the Grey Wardens. Furthermore, the resolution also sought to shed light on Altmoras’ other actions, such as their continued leadership in Hell and their leadership before, during, and in the aftermath of the 2017 coup in Lazarus. Encountering little opposition on the way through, this resolution passed on May 24 by 90.1% to 9.9% giving a win to the North Pacific’s own Minister of Defense Westinor and giving budding author and “fenda” The Python their first Security Council Resolution passed.

Repeal: Condemn the Pacific
The last resolution of note in the Security Council in May and June was inarguably the most controversial. The return of long-time SC stalwart Cormactopia Prime to the game shocked many, as did their immediate targeting of SC #268. Regardless, this proposal found immediate, if tepid and somewhat leary support, in the Security Council chambers and in TNP. It passed resoundingly though, following the trend from the last two months, by a 76.1% to 23.9% margin on May 29 giving Fauxia a co-authorship and Cormac his first Security Council Resolution passed since his return and third on that nation.

Commend HumanSanity
This proposal aroused controversy in the North Pacific in particular due to HS’ severing of relations with the North during his term as Delegate of 10000 Islands for what many thought were unfair or unjust reasons. This proposal, however, commended HumanSanity’s long tenure of service to the 10000 Islands and their former region Renegade Islands Alliance (itself an SC Commendee). Encountering little functional opposition outside the North, Commend HumanSanity passed 80.6% to 19.4% giving the South Pacific’s Minister of Media Moonfungus their first Security Council Resolution passed and granting Tinhampton yet another co-authorship.

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The months of July brought us another Judicial election and this time all three justice positions were up for election. This election was different from previous judicial elections due to the size of the field, with it being the largest in recent history, containing 12 candidates. The citizens that ran in this election were: Comfed, Dar Es Saalam, Dreadton, Greater Ale Permars, Lady Raven Wing, Lord Lore, Pallaith, Peeps, Scottlanda, SCP Foundation, Vivanco, and Yalkan.

Comfed
Comfed ran their campaign off the back of successfully defending their client in a case before the Court in recent months. However, apart from this, Comfed offered very little in terms of promises for the term and did not engage with any of the questions put to them by citizens. This meant that Comfed was not elected to any of the justice positions available.

Dar Es Saalam
Dar Es Saalam produced no campaign for this election, and so had very little success in the election.

Dreadton
Dreadton is a candidate that had a lot of experience in the Court having been part of a number of decisions, both as Justice and as a lawyer. This experience is important for Dreadton because it really sets them apart from the other candidates in this large field. As well as playing on their experience, Dreadton proposed a way of looking to the future and increasing the understanding of TNP’s Courts with the creation of a Legal program to allow people to learn about TNPs laws in a more structured way, which would allow people to be in a better position to both work in and run the Courts in the future. Dreadton offered a really strong campaign which resulted in him being the second Justice elected.

Greater Ale Permars
Greater Ale Permars (GAP) came into this election running for their first elected office within TNP. Despite being one of the more inexperienced in the race, GAP proposed a large campaign with a number of promises ranging from introducing Officers of the Court to mandatory judicial review of Regional Assembly bills. GAP got a good amount of attention to their campaign and received a number of questions that they answered well. However, this attention did not translate into votes and GAP was not elected this term.

Lady Raven Wing
Lady Raven Wing, a former Justice, also sought to return to the Court in this open election. Basing their campaign on past performance, Lady Raven Wing went into this election hoping that their past record was enough to get people to vote them into office. When it came time to vote, Lady Raven Wing was part of the closest result of this election, the third justice position where they lost out to Lord Lore by a single vote, meaning that they were unsuccessful in this election.

Lord Lore
Lord Lore, also a former Justice, ran a similar campaign to Lady Raven Wing, basing it on his past experience within the Court as well as this question he answered from citizens. Both Lord Lore and Lady Raven Wing got similar engagement with their campaigns and as a result were split in the voting by the narrowest of margins. However, Lord Lore was ultimately successful and became the third Justice on the Court for this term.

Pallaith
Pallaith was running for re-election as Justice after having spent the last term in the Court. He was running to continue the work that he had been doing to bring the Court’s issues to the front of citizens' minds and reform the Court in a way to make it more productive for the people, based on the thoughts that he put forward to the Regional Assembly during the last term. Pallaith really engaged with the questions put to him by citizens and got a lot of attention from people. As a result, Pallaith was the first justice to be elected in this cycle.

Peeps
Peeps ran a straightforward campaign, he offered no fancy promises and just wanted to focus on maintaining a professional, timely, and focused court. While Peeps did stay on top of any questions asked by citizens, he didn’t get much attention to his campaign and as a result was unsuccessful in this election.

Scottlanda
Scottlanda produced a campaign that did not offer a lot about why they were running for Justice or what they would do if they were elected. Although they did get some attention from citizens, Scottlanda didn’t really offer anything of note and therefore was not elected.

SCP Foundation
SCP Foundation also produced no campaign for this election, which meant that they had very little success in voting.

Vivanco
Vivanco was one of the most experienced candidates in this race because of being a former Justice. Vivanco ran his campaign around remaining active and ensuring that he was able to maintain his role for the entirety of the term. However, Vivanco received little engagement with his campaign and was not able to get the votes to be elected this term.

Yalkan
Yalkan didn’t propose much of a campaign for this election and just allowed people to ask them questions that they did answer. However, without an actual campaign Yalkan was going to struggle to get much traction, and as a result was not successful in being elected Justice.

Therefore, after a very competitive election where the last seat on the Court was decided by 1 vote, the three people elected this term were Pallaith, Dreadton, and Lord Lore. Since the result of the election, it has also been announced that Pallaith would be serving as Chief Justice this term.

The people have spoken, the votes have been counted, the counts started, stopped, and restarted again and the kraken has been released… and TNP’s September 2021 general elections have been concluded. Here’s a rundown:

Delegate Election
The Delegate election saw Minister of Foreign Affairs MadJack defeat former Vice Delegate Dreadton, along with MTDemocracy and Comfed. With Comfed running a humorous campaign and MTDemocracy a newcomer to the region, it was a straight fight between MadJack and Dreadton.

Both major candidates ran on campaigns focussed around engaging the region and ensuring that admin-induced changes to the region could and would be countered with better and more effective outreach, along with renewed and reformed Ministries. MadJack also focused on reviewing the state of tech tools in the region, pursuing a more proactive foreign policy, and tackling over-reliance on a few staffers in the ministries. Dreadton campaigned on doing more to promote the region in-game to a wider audience.

Somehow avoiding the self-sabotage that has been a feature of his previous delegate campaigns, MadJack won the election on the first count, with 57% of the vote.

Vice Delegate Election
In the Vice Delegate race, three candidates ran, Sir Kasto, Lord Dominator and Blue Wolf II. Since Blue Wolf II did not post a campaign, the campaigns by the remaining two were quite similar, maintaining the WADP, the security checks on citizens and the maintaining endorsements, core responsibilities of a Vice Delegate. Both were also committed to welcoming and mentoring new citizens.

Sir Kasto had an additional focus on community relations, leading in trying to engage the Security Council with the larger gameside community, where it had been lacking in previous terms. In the platform, Sir Kasto advocated for a constant engagement that “will allow better communication and endotarting as they will recognize us.” With Sir Kasto additional focus on community relations and his experience as Deputy Minister in multiple ministries in the previous term, was elected convincingly with 62.07% of the vote.

Speaker Election
The remarkable happened in the Speaker's election, perennial candidate RON (re-open nominations) was elected with a landslide 77% of the vote. This occurred after the sole candidate Venicea pulled out of the election after a controversy erupted over their claims of tech issues.

In the re-run election (RON graciously stepped aside), 5 candidates stood - Deputy Speaker Bobberino, former Minister of Communications Fregerson, leader of the TNP Socialist Party Nubt II, former Speaker and Vice Delegate Oracle, and Gameside Advocate and Deputy Speaker Skaraborg.

Fregerson, who had run a campaign for RON prior to Venicea withdrawing from the race, was an early favourite, though when Oracle entered the race the smart money moved to backing the TNP veteran, who did indeed win the contest, defeating Skaraborg in the 4th round of voting.