Robespierre for Rejuvenation: A Delegacy

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Robespierre

The MacMilitant
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TNP Nation
Francois Isidore
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A Delegacy

Greetings, all:

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Robespierre, and today I am delighted to announce my candidacy for Delegate of The North Pacific.

To begin, I'd like to start off by providing you all with a summary of my experience in regional governance and share a bit about why I believe myself to be qualified to be our region's next young leader.

As I mentioned in my campaign for Speaker this past January, General Election cycles are a time of great excitement for our democracy, as new leaders step forward and present not only themselves but their ideas for the benefit and betterment of our community.

From my early days in this region as a Deputy Minister in the ministries of Home Affairs, Communications, and World Assembly Affairs under Ministers @Marcus Antonius, @Pallaith, and @TlomzKrano, respectively, to my ascension within the executive as Minister of Home Affairs under Delegate @El Fiji Grande and later as Minister of Defense under @mcmasterdonia; those of you who know me will already know what my journey has been on route to get to where I am today.

To those of you who are unfamiliar, I can say that it wasn’t always easy. From serving you all as Vice Delegate in early 2020, to changing course and learning about the Speaker’s Office under the tutelage of @St George during the eight months that I served as a Deputy Speaker, to finally reaching the rank of General in the North Pacific Army; I’ve had many successes and some failures along the way, and to say that this will be my greatest ambition yet would be an understatement. Even so, it’s one that I can’t help but feel called to, as I've watched in recent months and have had the chance to observe our government from a perspective that not many before me have been fortunate enough to see.

As I declare my election bid, I aim to prove why I deserve your support and advocate for how I can provide you with the highest level of service. Below, you’ll find detailed accounts of my plans and objectives for each area of government as we venture into this new term. Should you have any questions, please feel free to post them below and I'll respond to them to the best of my ability.

For now, though, I present you with a vision - my vision - for the future of this region. I hope that you'll enjoy it!


My Vision


Understandably, some of you may be wondering why I've decided to forego seeking a second term as Speaker of the Regional Assembly despite having a successful tenure in the Office as both a Deputy Speaker in the past and as the Speaker in the present. Well, to that, I say this:

The reason why I’m running is quite simple: I want to oversee an executive government that gets people inspired again. One that is full of energy, one that brings new, more innovative ideas to the table, and one that truly pushes The North Pacific forward into the future as opposed to merely sufficing for a four-month term.

Recently, I've felt that many of the things that were promised to us back in January never ended up coming to fruition for one reason or another and that we could reasonably do more as the next generation of TNP leaders to step up to the plate and go to bat for this region's future. For that reason, I intend to answer the call and carry the North Pacifican banner forward in the face of the oncoming challenges that we may very well be confronted by and make an honest effort at resolving some of the issues that have plagued us for many months by this point.

That is why I'm here and that is why I'm asking for your support this election season. If nothing else, I ask that you see your vote for me as an investment in my ideas for the future. I'll be sure to work tirelessly to make things better for all of us, as I believe that now is the time to step outside of our comfort zone and push the envelope forward with action.


General Administration


Executive Staff Management

In recent weeks, applications to join the Executive Staff have been processed with a turnaround time of between one to two days.

This is ideal, as I would personally prefer all applications to be processed within 48 hours of an interested citizen applying, with 72 hours being the maximum amount of time that I'd be accepting of.

With this in mind, I’d like to commend both @Westinor and @Sir Kasto for their efforts in this regard, as they both have been doing an excellent job of welcoming people into our ministries and have shown the type of urgency that should be shown when handling these applications.

In spite of that, however, I'm afraid that we've been seeing a decrease in the volume of applications being posted and this is a problem. Under my administration, both Ministers and Deputy Ministers will be authorized to enter staffers into the master sheet upon acceptance and Ministers will be regularly expected to facilitate activity within their designated channels on the TNP executive Discord server.

What my overarching goal for this area is for this area would be for the executive server to become a hotbed of activity in our government, which is currently not the case (since most things are discussed at the top in channels that few can see). Over the course of each section, I'll explain how there's plenty to do to make this possible. So stay tuned!

Gameside Advocacy

I've been pleased with the work that @Rocketdog has been doing since they were appointed as Lead Gameside Advocate and I'm glad to see advocates from varying backgrounds and interests being appointed to better round out the team as a whole. Names that come to mind include @Illusia, @Guilleana, and @Nessuno for GAs who can be relied upon to consistently interact with the RMB, and so I'd like to thank them for their work thus far, in addition to others.

In the future though, I'd like to see the AMA segments make a return to the RMB with appropriate spacing between them so as to no burnout and have them lose their lustre.

Naturally, the Gameside Advocates will assist me in moderating the regional message board and welcoming new nations to the region, but they'll also be responsible for promoting the activities of my government and for guaranteeing that our programs are afforded the maximum amount of exposure in the public eye.

I'll likely be asking most GAs to return to their roles but I'm always more than happy to see who else is on the horizon and is looking to contribute, so don't be afraid to reach out if interested!

Weekly Press Briefings

Next up: Let's talk transparency, shall we?

Transparency, to me anyway, is all about letting the citizenry know what exactly it is that their government is doing for them. As for how I've contributed to furthering transparency in the past, I direct you to my statements in the Speaker's Desk surrounding the "Statistics on Citizenship" recordkeeping sheet and the reports that I did for Communications when I was a Deputy Minister. But, since I can't very well do that in the executive (for obvious reasons), one way that we can disseminate information to the public in an organized fashion is through weekly press briefings.

For those wondering, I will not be employing a Press Secretary to do this on my behalf if I am elected. Rather, giving press briefings on a weekly basis is a responsibility that, in my view, is best assumed directly by the Office of the Delegate, as it's the Delegate's duty to inform the citizenry and residents of the executive's progress.

In fact, as far as I'm concerned, forward progress should be being made every week and enough should be happening within each ministry to warrant a weekly briefing. Communication between the executive and the citizenry should be occurring regularly, and information straight from the source about what's been done, what's being done, and what will be done is an integral piece of the puzzle when it comes to holding the executive branch accountable to its mandate and giving us a roadmap for how the term will play out week-by-week.

It is my hope that by providing these briefings, it'll be a nice change of pace from the standard monthly reports that Ministers will still be expected to put out and will make information easier to digest since it won't be as concentrated into one giant report at the midterm or end-of-term mark.


Updating of Various Dispatches

Lastly ... To some, this may seem like more of a simple housekeeping item than a campaign item, and you'd be right for thinking that. Nonetheless, maintaining our on-site resources and infrastructure is of the utmost importance, and if elected as Delegate I'll be sure to keep everything nice and tidy and, more importantly, up-to-date. Here's a list of our dispatches and their associated issues:


By correcting these issues and fixing some of our less-than-well maintained dispatches, we can ensure that only accurate and relevant information is being referenced to anyone who may end up reading them.


Internal Ministries


Now, onto the meat of my platform!

In alphabetical order...

TL;DR The Ministry of Cards' production has been a bit lacking lately. Let's fix that! We've got the resources, we've got the expertise, and, with a calculated approach, we can really get the ball rolling again and bring out some exciting new ideas in time for season 3 of cards! My agenda items include a full ministerial audit, two new programs that'll hopefully introduce some much-needed innovation to the ministry, and a few improvements for how points can be awarded for tasks completion.

A Full Ministerial Audit

From the moment that I take my oath of office, the Ministry of Cards will be undergoing a full internal audit to determine what programs are still running, what difficulties have been incurred when trying to get these programs to function again in the past, and what new plans can be set into motion with the resources that we have available to us.

At the time of this writing, applications to join The North Pacific Cards Guild have not been processed since the 24th of March, with six applicants presently awaiting either acceptance or denial.

Perhaps even more troubling, this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened (see: 7 February until 22 February): Where applications processing was put on the backburner, no monthly pull event was scheduled for April 2021, and where several of our cards programs lay dormant and/or defunct.

While I understand RL time constraints and other obligations outside of NS, there is simply no excuse for these prolonged periods of delay and hesitancy to occur repeatedly. One of the biggest problems in the ministry at the moment is that very few people know what's running and what's stagnated (see here for confusion). Under my leadership, the Ministry of Cards will be treated with particular interest, strong attention to detail, and with a refusal to have it play second fiddle to any other cards programs emerging elsewhere on-site.

Building Up Infrastructure

As a way of pioneering new innovations in the cards aspect of NationStates, I propose that we begin planning for the implementation of the following two programs:
  • Cards Outreach Program: A more unorthodox program, cards outreach in this sense deals with the loaning of legendaries to others for the purpose of hosting pull events with them and would involve us partnering with others to give them increased access to copies of low-owner cards that The Northern Light owns (e.g. S1 Rubyna and S1 Sionis Prioratus) in exchange for collateral.

    Collateral would take the form of a card (or cards) with a similar market value (MV) to the one loaned, and while trustworthy partners such as TEAPOT or the TRR Cards Leauge may have their collateral waived, most applicants would need to formally apply for a card that we have copies of to be loaned to them and have their request be approved by the Minister.

    What this means is that applicants would be subject to a background check upon applying for a card loan from TNL and their trustworthiness would be gauged at the discretion of the Minister and Senior Cards Leadership. Doing this would open many additional avenues for interregional diplomacy to take place and would allow us to assert ourselves further as a leader in the cards community.

  • Deck Development Program: This program would revolve around the idea that those who choose to anchor and build their deck's value in The North Pacific ought to be rewarded more cards on a monthly basis. As for how this can be set up, I'd work with Senior Cards Leadership to evaluate the logistics of giving such collectors increased odds in cards-based lotteries, as well as finding new ways to incentivize deck building for members of the Cards Guild.

Updating of Card Rewards Tasks

Finally, if I am so lucky as to be elected as your next Delegate, time and effort will be spent during the first month of the term adjusting some of our cards rewards for tasks performed in the Executive Staff.

Currently, many of the tasks listed don't directly relate to what their corresponding ministry actually does. Host, win, or participate in a social deduction game for Culture? We haven't had any of those in the last four months. Write an article for the RolePlay Reel? That's a publication that's no longer being produced.

I'm sure that you see where I'm going with this, but sadly many of our rewardable tasks haven't been updated since the time that they were first being established. From TNS article writing in Comms, to "substantive contributions to IFV drafting" in WA Affairs, I'll be sure to update these tasks proactively as needed and will regularly remind the Minister of Cards to send rewards out so that the work of staffers is being properly incentivized.

TL;DR The name of the game this term, for Communications at least, is refocus and refuel. We should refocus on our flagship publication, The Northern Lights (TNL), and we should refuel our desire to produce high-quality content on a consistent basis with added direction from ministry leadership. That will include outsourcing TNL articles to interested contributers from abroad, placing a real emphasis on Polaris, and making sure that there is a vetting system in place for articles before they're released.

Light the Way for the Northern Light!

It's been talked about before but hasn't seemed to stick. The return of a release schedule for new issues of The Northern Lights is an all-too-elusive wishlist item for Delegates past hasn't seen much success in recent terms. To correct this, I'll encourage the Minister of Communications to refocus on our premier publication and outsource many of its articles to foreign authors who can capture the interest of readers while most of our domestic writers work on Polaris.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that TNL can only be filled with articles written by those abroad, but I would like us to do some outreach in this regard and find players who can contribute something fresh, new, and exciting to each issue. I think that an issue about each region's development index has potential, but it needs to be filled will more organic content as opposed to the cookiecutter-like structure that is "Find all these things about this many regions and check off boxes on the list."


Elimination of Repeating Work

One thing that I continuously see the Ministry of Communications getting bogged down by is repeating work. In the not-so-distant past, staffers were given very little direction from ministry leadership when writing their assigned segments beyond the vague "Please have your drafts in by this date" guideline and the occasional "Hey, where is your article?" message in their DMs. If we want to commit to the timely release of articles, then we must eliminate this.

In order to do so, middleman writing needs to be cut out entirely. Why have a staffer write about the Delegate's midterm report when you can simply publish the report itself with the Delegate's original writing intact and all? When Ministers release their monthly reports, those reports should be used, and interested writers should be assigned to write for the Polaris publication (of which we've unfortunately only produced two articles for in the past four months despite there being a supposed emphasis placed on it, see: here and here).

Too often, writers are assigned to topics that they may or may not have any background knowledge about (e.g. a non-NPAer writing the NPA Bulletin segment or someone from WA Affairs writing about a Culture event). Such knowledge is crucial when filling in the blanks for readers, but our tendency to follow through with repeating work inevitably means that our articles lack these fills. The good news is, with the discontinuation of The North Star (TNS), we now have a lot more flexibility in terms of when things can be reported on. I think that this is a step in the right direction, but it's not without its faults at present.

Much like with TNL, ministry leadership needs to set hard deadlines on articles and work closely with writers to meet those deadlines. Under my leadership, the Ministry of Communications will start down the path of recovery and reaffirm its mission to provide readers with quality content that's engaging and interesting to read.

Communications Frenzy

Lastly, I've been toying around with the idea of Communications putting on a symposium-style event in collaboration with Culture that would centre around journalism in NationStates and how it's evolved over the years. Ideally, each region/newspaper/radio show invited would have something different to contribute to the event. Lectures would be given, insights would be gained, and we'd tackle questions such as "What work goes into ensuring the quality of releases?" and "What makes an issue fun to read/enjoyable?," as well as "How has the rise in Radio’s popularity has affected text-based publications?"

This is probably a long way off (think the third month or so into the term), but I did want to mention it here to gauge interest. This would be yet another way in which we could demonstrate ourselves to be interregional leaders in a new space and I think that it'd go along nicely with a refocused TNL.

Next up, stay tuned to hear about my plans for Culture!

TL;DR The main focus for the Ministry of Culture going into this term will be on community building and developing The North Pacific as a community rather than just as a region through activities and events. This will include the continuation of weekly Theme Thursdays, a Delegate's Flag (and pre-title!) event at the start of the term, weekend game nights of the social deduction variety, Democracy Day festivities later on this month, and our annual Delegate Delirium competition come September (which we were sadly unable to host last year).

A Delegate's Flag Event

What better way to kick off the new term than with a bit of gameside engagement? As Delegate, it would be imperative that I maintain a presence on both the forums and the RMB, proactively take part in welcoming new nations to both the region and the regional Discord server, and generally make myself as available as possible for whoever needs me and/or might want to speak with me.

Tentatively, the start date for this event would be on Saturday, 15 May 2021, and would last for a period of one week up until the 22nd of May (with a possible extension till Tuesday, 25 May 2021 for submissions if need be). During this time, residents and citizens alike would be asked to design a flag for the Delegate to fly with an opportunity for them to choose a corresponding pre-title to go along with their flag entry, should they choose to provide one.

From then on, nations would be asked to vote in a series of polls to decide which flag the Delegate will fly on their nation (I foresee voting lasting for a period of 24-48 hours after the week-long submission period wraps up, so think 24th/25th/26th of May for me having a new, community-approved flag if all goes according to plan).

Putting on an event like this early in the term would do well to stimulate interest in the Ministry of Culture's upcoming activities and would be a fun little reminder that our community members gameside have just as much a say in the direction that our region goes as us forum frequenters do.

Weekend Game Nights

Speaking of fun little reminders, the last term saw the creation of The North Pacific Gaming Union group on Steam!

Originally pitched to @Bobberino by me before it was brought to the Ministry of Culture's leadership for approval, joining our regional Steam group is a great way to connect with your fellow TNPers off-site and away from NS. Intended as a way of encouraging our members to interact with one another as a community rather than just as NS players, I envision such a group demanding very little upfront investment and possibly yielding very positive results in the way of scheduling multiplayer with increased ease, enabling gamers to stream more, and even help attract players from Steam to our community off-site (Discord and forums) over time.

To do this, we'll need to focus on building up some infrastructure for the group. Including, but not limited to: Writing up rules for the group (consistent with regular TNP moderation policies), pinning a welcoming post to its home page, deciding which games we can begin playing together as a group, etc.

On the social deduction front, games such as Secret Hitler, skribble.io, Mafia, Werewolves, and even shudders Among Us are all still viable options. As the Ministry that's commonly associated with being responsible for TNP's "general fun times," I'd like to see Culture host these kinds of game nights each weekend when our community's members are most likely to be available.

Spontaneous Activities

Not everything that Culture does can be planned, and so naturally some spontaneous activities will also come into play throughout the term. For this reason, I'm looking for a Minister who has the creative energy to use their imagination when coming up with new things for the ministry to do and I'm looking for staffers who are willing to engage with the community outside of planned events.

This can be anything from "Hey, does anyone want to watch a stream of x movie or game?" to "Let's listen to some music in VC!" Honestly, what's important is that we spend time together as a community and that we're able to see activity come about as a result of activities that are planned on the fly.

(Note: I'll have more details about the Ministry's planned festivities for celebration days and memorial days such as Manumission Day and Delegate's Day, as well as the Delegate Delerium competition, as we get closer to the actual dates of those days. At the moment, however, I'm happy to confirm that the Delegate Delirium competition will commence this year and weekly Theme Thursdays will continue.)

TL;DR This term, we're really going to hammer down hard on policy objectives and what our desired outcomes are for the Ministry of Home Affairs and its day-to-day operation. What that will require is for us to rethink the way that we send out lists and refuse to be content with our current recruiting regimen. With a dedicated team, we can and will achieve this! If you like the sound of a "work smarter, not harder" approach to telegram-sending, as well as the often overlooked and underappreciated work that our HA Ministry does, then you'll like what I have in store for us going forward!

As you may have noticed, earlier in my campaign (specifically under the "General Administration" section) I said that the task of issuing weekly press briefings is a responsibility that's best assumed by the Office of the Delegate. That rings true here, especially in this part of my platform, but what it also does is free up the Ministry's time to devote to a wealth of other business.

List Optimization

Simply put, it is not enough to generate lists haphazardly for the sake of doing so. Indeed, there is a tangible benefit to having the Ministry of Home Affairs complete these lists and, if elected, I would instruct my Minister to continue on with this as a standard practice. However, they're not currently being leveraged to their full potential and allow me to explain why:

Often bloated, the benefit to completing lists lies in our ability to conduct targeted advertising for a wide variety of things that we may wish to promote. As a situational recruitment tool, lists work wonderfully, since previously completed lists can be used to build upon future lists (e.g. "Issues Answerers for Citizenship" followed by "Citizens for Executive Staff" and so on, which creates a compound effect that is a logical progression from the first list and one that makes sense when performed chronologically). In the status quo, this is not what's being done.

Take the Ministry's most recent report as an example: Two lists were completed during the month of March, according to Minister @Owenstacey. The first list, which was reportedly a "WA Voters for Ministry and Endotarting" list, has next to nothing to do with the second list for that month, which was "Issues Answerers for Cards Guild." Reiterating, it's all well and good for us to have updated telegram templates for when it comes time to send out our messages (and I'm supportive of that initiative!), but when lists are being sent out spontaneously and for no explicit reason, we run the risk of ceding any advantage that we may have had no matter how well-intentioned.

As a solution, there need be clear objectives associated with each list that's being sent out and a conscious effort to execute them cyclically must be committed. In order to best achieve this, I would separate the lists that Home Affairs typically generates into the following two categories:

  1. Backbone: These are lists that, when generated, are completed in a set progression and will be used in tandem with the WADP and its recruitment function. Promotional campaigns will be run for each ministry in a pre-determined order and lists will often work in collaboration with what the Vice Delegate is sending out (as it relates to WA matters).

  2. Conditional: These are lists that, when requested by an authorized authority (which will be anyone on the Executive Council), are generated for a specific purpose and to fulfil a certain need. (I.e. the Minister of Communications requesting a list that seeks to advertise a new issue of the Northern Lights or Polaris to potential readers).
In addition to this, staffers would also be expected to report nations who blocking HA's telegrams to ministry leadership and these nations would be excluded from future lists. By doing so, the sheer volume of nations per list will decrease, making claiming rows more manageable for our volunteers, and the telegrams that we send out will be more effective as a result (considering that the only people who'd be receiving them would be those who don't already have them blocked, ensuring that the message itself was successfully sent and that we're not wasting our time sending to nations who won't be receiving).

Promotional Campaigns

Finally, Home Affairs will also be expected to run promotional campaigns outside of the two aforementioned categories. Whereas "situational" lists, as they'll be called, are meant to help promote specific happenings, these promotional campaigns would run as more general messages to residents. Rather that be a simple "Join the Ministry of Culture!" message or a "Write for the Ministry of Communications!" message like what was seen earlier this year back in February, it's important that we don't allow our status as a game-created region to breed complacency within us in regards to our recruiting efforts.


External Ministries


In alphabetical order...

TL;DR Defense has done good work this past term and the results on the battlefield have been abundantly clear. It's definitely been one of the strong points of the current administration and I've liked seeing the many different types of operations that are being undertaken. Going forward, a focus will be put on training troops upon their enlistment and running slower, lower stakes operations meant specifically for newcomers to develop confidence in their updating skills.
Since joining the North Pacific Army in May of 2019, I’ve long been a strong advocate for a strong updating force that retains versatility in the many types of operations that we can embark on.

Emphasis on Training Operations

Although much less glamorous than large-scale joint operations or swift fash-bashes, training operations are an invaluable part of teaching new recruits how to participate in the Ministry of Defense's activities. This term, we'll work to strike a balance between fast-paced, high stakes missions for experienced members and slower-paced, low stakes operations for some of our newer members.

It's imperative that the NPA focuses on internal development within the organization. With the NPA Bulletin segment being moved from TNS to Polaris, there will still be ample opportunity to sell the successes of our beloved regional military to those who may wish to enlist and I look forward to doing just that.

TL;DR Foreign Affairs will focus on keeping the World Factbook Project updated with entries that reflect current events from around the NationStates world. We'll also establish a formal selection procedure for deciding our representative to IRC and will work to promote the usage of the recently-created IRC Discord server.

Updating the World Factbook Project

This one's fairly self-explanatory, so I won't waste too much of your time hashing it out.

A dispatch needs to be created to preserve information about past embassies that have since closed and need archived, but closed embassies should no longer be prominently featured on the front page of entries. Going forward, ambassadors will be expected to keep their entries for the WF project updated with current information and will report to ministry leadership about the changes that our embassy regions are going through. This will replace ambassadorial reports for staffers who are assigned to regions and the WF project will become a living, breathing report in itself - just as it was intended as.

Establishing a Selection Procedure (IRC Representation)

Pertinent to Section 3, clause (a) of the Basic Structure of the Inter-Regional Chat (IRC), our region has the option of specifying its own internal procedure to decide how our representative will be selected.

(a) All member regions with over 25 endorsements on their World Assembly Delegate shall have a seat on the Board of Representatives and may appoint a Representative to the same pursuant to their own procedures.

If elected, I'd like to set a precedent for our IRC representation selection procedure and I'd like to vest that power in the Regional Assembly so as to hold the executive in check.

Currently, our representative is McMasterdonia and I don't foresee this changing. Regardless, it's important that establish an actual procedure for such a time when McM no longer wishes to serve as our representative there. So that will be something that I look to cement via the use of a Delegate Directive.

TL;DR My outlook for Radio is all about expanding the NBS' content web and helping the Ministry move away from standard interview shows. If you like variety in programming, want to see objectives from other sections of this campaign be supported through the medium of radio, and are willing to try something different, then these campaign items ought to get you excited! (Hint: Can you tell that I'm excited? :D)

I strongly believe in the Ministry of Radio's potential for greatness and I want to help it be successful if I'm so lucky as to be elected.

For that to happen, Radio's work needs to be prominently featured on both the WFE and in region-wide telegrams. When I say "prominently featured" that means updating the WFE when a new broadcast is released and making sure that residents are aware of our channel on YouTube. I'm more than willing to make myself available for monthly fireside chats with the Minister of Radio or another designated host, and I'd like to see NBS offer an array of different show types to better cater to the listening preferences of our members.

Here are some ideas:

Initiative Advertising

I'm a big fan of integrated government (ministries working to build on one another's efforts) and, as a means of better supporting my agenda for Home Affairs, I'd like for Radio to produce a series of short, 2-to-3 minute advertisement videos for various regional initiatives.

These videos should be expository and should cast all of what our region has to offer in a positive light. Off the top of my head, some advertisements that could easily be produced include a "Become a Keeper of the North!" video, a "Join the Executive Staff!" video, and a "Join our Steam group!" video.

As a loose blueprint for this, check out what the channel has already done to advertise joining the North Pacific Army!

New(s) Shows & New Series

In an effort to diversify the Ministry of Radio's well of content, here are some ideas for shows that I'd like to see hosted that don't follow the traditional interview format:
  • Trader Spotlights: Inspired in part by the RP Spotlight segments, trader spotlights would be shows that feature a semi-consistent host with a varying cast of different collectors and cards players from around the NationStates world. Traders would be invited onto NBS programming to take us through their collections, share stories about their time in the cards community, discuss how they obtained certain cards and what the method to their madness is, as well as give advice to new traders and those interested in becoming involved with cards.

  • Card Farming Tutorials: Yes, yes. I very well could have put this under the Cards portion of my platform, but I would be remiss if I didn't include it here instead. When I mentioned the potential for cards-centric content on NBS back in early March, one thing that I wanted to see produced was a series of tutorials aimed at card farmers to better assist them in setting up scripts, organizing their puppets, and deciding what amount of puppets is right for them when looking to farm.

    This could be a great way of educating potential farmers and encouraging them to stay with us, which would undoubtedly serve to benefit the Cards Guild, the Ministry of Cards, and our cards-specific publication(s). (Monthly Snapshot, anyone?)

  • Debate Shows: Often considered to be somewhat of a lost art in today's discussions, debate can be a great outlet for citizens who want to express themselves in a more authentic and composed manner. What's on your mind? A new legislative motion in the RA? The NPA's latest triumph on the battlefield? The Executive Council's chosen approach to x situation? Debate shows, putting one participant against another for a civilized exchange, can be a great way of empowering our members and giving them a platform to share their thoughts.

  • RP Read-Alongs: An idea that was suggested by @Yamantau Em in late March, RP read-along shows would be an excellent way of allowing the recurring RP Spotlight segment to branch out from the standard interview format. Doing so would also leverage already-existing content (the RP posts themselves) for the listening pleasure of NBS audiences and provide gameplayers and others who don't typically pay much to the roleplay section of our forum with an opportunity to truly appreciate the time and effort that some of our community’s members have put into honing their craft.

The way I see it: Our region’s roleplaying community plays host to many talented writers, worldbuilders, and storytellers who deserve to have their works read aloud and enjoyed. It would also be a great way for aspiring roleplayers (such as myself) to get a grasp on the lore and history of Eras before making a commitment to join. Under my leadership, I’ll ensure that roleplayers from both the Eras and Strangereal settings are represented properly and supported by our executive government. I want to be a Delegate that's there for everyone, regardless of what part of the community they choose to engage with.

This is just another way that the Ministry of Radio can achieve that, so I'm more than happy to explore the possibilities with those interested in scheduling a show.

TL;DR We will expand the reach of our Ministry of World Assembly Affairs by continuing to release IFVs, beginning a new initiative to discuss GA proposals with our allies in WALL, adjusting our internal policies to suit a more pragmatic approach, and by leveraging the Delegate's vote count to vote early and often on proposals that reach the floor.

The "Talkin' to a' WALL" Initiative

Get it? :P Yeah, well... mild humour aside, this is an initiative that would seek to address our allies in WALL and get us communicating with them on a more frequent and fluid basis.

Each week, staffers would be asked to nominate one General Assembly resolution from out of a catalogue of over 550 passed resolutions for the purposes of discussing it, identifying angles for improvement, weighing its merits, and ultimately working to better the quality of writing overall within the World Assembly's more senior chamber. Doing so would come with the added bonus of exposing new staffers to the insights of senior, more seasoned personalities within WALL and would help give inexperienced authors a formal framework for learning about past legislation and brainstorming possible repeals (should it be found that repeals are necessary).

Some Tweaks & Fine Tuning

On the other side of the coin, what the Ministry today needs is some fine-tuning to make sure that things are being handled with care and consideration.

What that means is revising the Accelerator Program in such a way that feedback on an idea can be garnered from a wider base of players (such as from within WALL) and changing the current WA voting policy to allow for all citizens to have a say in how the Delegate votes on proposals.

One problem that I've been able to identify with the Ministry's Mentorship program is that we're not doing enough to help new authors get their works passed.

If an aspiring SC author wishes to write an RP-centric C&C, then pair them with someone who's written an RP-centric C&C before. If an aspiring GA author wishes to write a resolution that deals with the furtherment of democracy or advancement of civil rights, have them be paired with someone who's knowledgeable on the subject for one-on-one support.

Basically, what I'm saying is: Domestic authorship needs to be supported in an optimal way. Senior WA Consultants should be more than willing to act as the first line of mentors when one is needed.

Timely Voting

... and finally, on the topic of stacking and stomping during votes, here you can see my voting record and the promptness with which I cast my vote:

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5/3/2021, 11:01:34 PM CDT: Kayestha voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands".
5/3/2021, 11:00:23 PM CDT: Hulldom voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands".
5/3/2021, 11:00:13 PM CDT: Big Boyz voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands".
5/3/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Protecting Native Prairies and Grasslands".


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4/25/2021, 11:00:22 PM CDT: The Pontic State voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Citizenship And Birth Act".
4/25/2021, 11:00:13 PM CDT: Refuge Isle voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Citizenship And Birth Act".
4/25/2021, 11:00:07 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Citizenship And Birth Act".
4/25/2021, 11:00:06 PM CDT: Wischland voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Citizenship And Birth Act".

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4/21/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Zukchiva voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "On Abortion"".
4/21/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Outer Sparta voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "On Abortion"".
4/21/2021, 11:00:07 PM CDT: Imperium Anglorum voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "On Abortion"".
4/21/2021, 11:00:07 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "On Abortion"".

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4/16/2021, 11:00:29 PM CDT: Sylestone voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Kelssek".
4/16/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: East Isles voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Kelssek".
4/16/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Boston Castle voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Kelssek".
4/16/2021, 11:00:06 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Kelssek".

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4/13/2021, 11:00:22 PM CDT: Greater Polish-Lithuanian Reich voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Freedom Of Association".
4/13/2021, 11:00:10 PM CDT: Boston Castle voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Freedom Of Association".
4/13/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Freedom Of Association".

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4/5/2021, 11:00:10 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Reducing Microplastics".
4/5/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: Valentian Elysium voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Reducing Microplastics".
4/5/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Scalizagasti voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Reducing Microplastics".
4/5/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Wischland voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Reducing Microplastics".

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4/4/2021, 11:00:14 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Marrabuk".
4/4/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Andusrean Army voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Marrabuk".
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5/3/2021, 11:01:55 PM CDT: Kayestha voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Ellenburg".
5/3/2021, 11:01:48 PM CDT: Prov voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Ellenburg".
5/3/2021, 11:00:23 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Ellenburg".
5/3/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: Hulldom voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Commend Ellenburg".

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4/29/2021, 11:01:11 PM CDT: Paradeavenlisian States voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data".
4/29/2021, 11:01:02 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data".
4/29/2021, 11:00:57 PM CDT: The Champions League voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data".
4/29/2021, 11:00:54 PM CDT: Nordliches Stadt voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data".

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4/9/2021, 11:00:11 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Voting Equality for Freed Inmates"".
4/9/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: Tinhampton voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Voting Equality for Freed Inmates"".
4/9/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: Wischland voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Voting Equality for Freed Inmates"".

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4/1/2021, 11:00:09 PM CDT: Francois Isidore voted against the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Digital Network Defense"".
4/1/2021, 11:00:08 PM CDT: Saint Tomas and the Northern Ice Islands voted for the World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Digital Network Defense"".


Miscellaneous


... and there you have it: My plans for the future! If you've made it this far, then I appreciate your time and hope that you'll consider me for Delegate once voting opens. I know that many of you weren't expecting this from me, but I hope that you've been pleasantly surprised by what I believe to be a comprehensive vision that features many specific, common-sense plans for improvement.

Since this is my first-ever time running for Delegate, I've gone ahead and taken the liberty of answering some questions that I know are frequently asked whenever someone runs for such high public office. To view them, click on the spoiler below to where you'll find some of my answers to common questions. But, if you have a more specific question that you'd like to ask, please don't hesitate to post below.

And remember: Now is the time for us to rise to the occasion.

Let's get started!

What does the "Robespierre for Rejuvenation" slogan mean to you and how is it significant?

That's an excellent question, and it's one that I spent a considerable amount of time exploring prior to launching my campaign.

If I had to sum up my platform in a few words or even a sentence, then I'd say something along the lines of: "New blood, new generation, the old way of doing things over," and I think that rejuvenation really speaks to that as far as a fitting theme for my candidacy goes.

If you look up the definition of rejuvenate, it'll say: "give new energy or vigour to; revitalize," with a secondary definition of [to] “restore a youthful appearance to.” Because what do I want to do? I want to give new energy to the executive branch, and my campaign is all about futureproofing our administration via the "new faces in new places" mantra. I think that we could always do well to adapt, be proactive, and be willing to step outside our comfort zone when and if there's an advantage in doing so.

Sometimes a different perspective or a different take on things is not only needed but is desirable. I definitely think that now is one of those times and so I chose rejuvenation because I feel like that'll what'll suit our region's needs the best.

Will you be appointing a Chief of Staff?

No, I will not be appointing a Chief of Staff. Most everyone who I believe to be competent and capable enough to assume a position of leadership will already be appointed as a Minister, so I find that there's no need to staff a position whose role is undefined and who I'd have no use for.

Suppose your plan was to coup The North Pacific. How would you go about executing that plan?

Simple answer: I wouldn't.

Frankly, my time would be better spent in an attempt to get legally elected rather than on trying to coup the region if I wanted to be Delegate (which I do, hence me running). I'm of the opinion that in this modern era, couping TNP is virtually impossible and would be a futile effort for anyone foolish enough to attempt it.

Not only do you betray an entire community when you coup, but you often lose out on friendships and have difficulty finding a new home once you're deposed. To me, that's just not worth it, especially when I know that one Security Councilor having border control authority would be all it would take to banject a would-be couper.

What region(s) do you think TNP should have a closer relationship with?

Strictly speaking about closer relationships and not alliances (since I wouldn't be willing to form those lightly), I could definitely see us getting closer to regions such as the UDS, Forest, and Spiritus. Now, what exactly those "closer relationships" would look like is up for speculation, but generally speaking, I wouldn't mind branching out and getting in contact with other regions for the purposes of the Communications Frenzy event (Think TRR, Lazarus, etc.) and the outsourcing of TNL articles that I mentioned earlier.

Otherwise, we could always get closer to our partners in WALL (Europe, Europeia, etc.) through the initiative that I proposed at the beginning of my campaign's section on WA Affairs. But beyond those regions, I'd have to see about how things line up once I'm in the chair :P

Will you be allowing the Vice Delegate to sit in on the Executive Council?

Absolutely. I think that doing so would be a great showing of good faith and would carry the benefit of them being able to share their own unique perspective on things in the executive. I'd gladly welcome the Vice Delegate and would even invite them to regularly chime in on discussions, should they wish to do so, since it's incredibly important for them to be familiar with the state of affairs in our region.

What does your availability look like over the next four months? How active can you reasonably be to achieve all of what you want to?

I will continue to be extremely active over the course of the next four months. Whether you message me at 4AM or 4PM, I'm likely to be around and I'll have an abundance of time to dedicate to my duties as your Delegate. I live in the midwestern United States, which operates off of central daylight time (CST), or GMT-5. This means that I have an advantageous timezone for WA votes, as proposals come to vote for me at 11AM and 11PM.

As for how I'll be able to reasonably achieve all of what I want to, I think that boils down to me having a strong work ethic, a fancy for an orderly approach, and a strong desire to succeed. As I said earlier, my press briefings will make for a roadmap to the success of the administration, and campaign items will constantly be referenced and reevaluated as we progress through the term.


Want to help promote this campaign? Consider adding one of these to your forum signature!

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A BIG thank you to the Astor Family for their excellent graphics work!​
 
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From skimming through it, this seems like a solid platform ~ couple questions though.

So in your blurb about defense you noted that you wanted to do more 'slow ops'. What do you exactly mean by that (larger switch times, less amount of targets on average in our ops) and how viable do you think doing this style of operations would be in modern r/d where libcord is consistently bring over a dozen capable chasers on an average update. My concern is that what the NPA is doing at the moment seems to be working for the most part in terms of us getting wins and it isn't overly complicated for a newer soldier to get the hang of either, and doing more of this could potentially create a loss in soldier morale.

I'm also wondering what exactly you are referring to in the Cards section ~ in fact just the cards outreach program in general, and the loaning cards out for pull events part specifically. This does not seem to be necessary since most of the card orgs that you would view as "trustworthy" already have access to these rare legendary cards that they would want to do a pull event for making this kinda not needed in my opinion. Outside of that, solid enough campaign though :)
 
In typical Robes fashion, you seem to have everything figured out and covered. I like a person with goals and solid plans to meet them, so you got my support.
 
Standard question that you seem to have missed on your FAQ: Who would be your Ministers?
Also, can you expound more about your plans for Defense? Specifically.... everything? Anything? It's been vague from what I've read, other than "more ops".
 
What is one current weakness you see in each department and how would you address said issue?
 
Really liking the plans on Radio!
As for Questions…
1. What’s your stance on RMB regulation, should there be harsher rules or looser rules?
and 2. Will other tutorials appear alongside the card farming tutorials as there was plans to do a tutorial on raiding and defending that will most likely not appear before the election ends
 
Very good platform
Thank you! I appreciate you saying so, Kaston

From skimming through it, this seems like a solid platform ~ couple questions though.

So in your blurb about defense you noted that you wanted to do more 'slow ops'. What do you exactly mean by that (larger switch times, less amount of targets on average in our ops) and how viable do you think doing this style of operations would be in modern r/d where libcord is consistently bring over a dozen capable chasers on an average update. My concern is that what the NPA is doing at the moment seems to be working for the most part in terms of us getting wins and it isn't overly complicated for a newer soldier to get the hang of either, and doing more of this could potentially create a loss in soldier morale.

I'm also wondering what exactly you are referring to in the Cards section ~ in fact just the cards outreach program in general, and the loaning cards out for pull events part specifically. This does not seem to be necessary since most of the card orgs that you would view as "trustworthy" already have access to these rare legendary cards that they would want to do a pull event for making this kinda not needed in my opinion. Outside of that, solid enough campaign though :)
Heya Rom! Thanks for the questions

In relation to your first inquiry regarding the NPA, I definitely agree with you when you say that what the ministry is doing at the moment seems to be working.

When I spoke about "slower, low-stakes ops," what I was referring to didn't have so much to do with the number of targets or even the amount of seconds between switches as it did with operations that we host in our server that are specifically dedicated to helping new recruits learn the ropes of updating when they first enlist.

Training ops require more patience, more explanation, and more one-on-one time to get certain concepts down pat. I think that one of Defense's problems today is that we're always happy to go on faster, large-scale ops and sometimes leave new recruits to either tag along or stay put.

In it of itself, I see no issue with the types of ops that we've been doing and I'm pleased that it's been netting us victories on the battlefield. That will continue, but it's equally important that we train soldiers in an environment that doesn't make them feel as though they're being thrown into the fire almost immediately from the moment they enlist.

I think that we can do both, and with an investment into recruitment and formalized training, we can use this term as a launching pad for the next generation of Officers to lead the Ministry forward. I'm confident of that

Secondly, as for your question about the cards outreach program, I'd say that it's not just for the larger programs like the TRR Cards League or TEAPOT.

I only mention those by name because those are the entities that I'm most familiar with and would have the best chance of illustrating my thinking to others. Over in TSP, and even in some UCRs, cards programs are still in their infancy and this program would be a great opportunity for us to reach out and lend them our support.

Let's also not forget that individuals could also make loan requests under this model and background checks would be more applicable to individuals when they apply. Really though, it isn't meant to be the main focus of the Ministry but is more so meant as a creative way for us to open up previously unexplored avenues for diplomacy and interregional cooperation to take place.

In typical Robes fashion, you seem to have everything figured out and covered. I like a person with goals and solid plans to meet them, so you got my support.
I'm glad that I can be your person then! Thank you for your support!

Standard question that you seem to have missed on your FAQ: Who would be your Ministers?
Also, can you expound more about your plans for Defense? Specifically.... everything? Anything? It's been vague from what I've read, other than "more ops".
Hey Bluie! I'll answer the cabinet question after I've had some sleep, but I figured I'd go ahead and elaborate more on my plans for Defense right now.

You see: When I was last Minister of Defense, one way that we incorporated aspects of fun into updating was to break up the monotony of tag raid after tag raid after tag raid with a wide variety of ops such as detags, stealth hits, joint ops, and domestically-led invasions and liberations. Luckily, this term, we haven't encountered that issue and so there isn't as much of a need for change in regards to the types of missions that we conduct.

This term, I'd like to see us make more use of the Hall of Honour by inducting longtime members such as Gladio, QuietDad, and McMasterdonia, as well as start a thread in the Defense subforum where inductions and the achievements of inductees can be recorded and preserved for all to see. (Gotta keep Malphe company somehow :P )

I also think that we should update the Military Signup thread to exclude mentions of the auxiliary since that's no longer a part of how the NPA is structured.

Beyond that, I'm really just looking for a well-trained updating force that's active, versatile, and capable of servicing our interests in whatever it is that we do. Since McM has declined his nominations and won't be seeking re-election, I imagine that the NPA will be a huge help in making the upcoming transition go as smoothly as possible.

What is one current weakness you see in each department and how would you address said issue?
This is a great question, Sarah. Allow me to answer it in no particular order:

Home Affairs: Home Affairs has the problem of not using lists to their full advantage and having a small group of players do everything in the ministry.

It needs volunteers, it needs a break from stagnation. My platform will give it that by showing staffers how their work can actively make a difference in our recruiting efforts and how the ministry can become a functional promotional tool for all other ministries and government initatives.

Foreign Affairs: I think that Foreign Affairs lacks someone who can truly take up the mantle at some point in the future should past Ministers not wish to continue in or return to the role. We keep going to the well of Senior Diplomats, former Deputy Ministers, and back again.

I'd really like to see someone step up and show themselves to be able to handle our interregional relations with a measured approach and a reliable presence. Right now, we're still searching for that, as FA can be a difficult area to master.

Communications: Undoubtedly, the biggest weakness in Communications comes from a lack of follow-through to fully commit to regular Polaris releases and from a general lack of direction. Strong ministry leadership is sorely lacking and concrete due dates with regular progress checks need to be established.

I understand that you can't force people to write articles and that things come up, but we have to remind people that signing up to write an article is a commitment that can't very well be defaulted on. As a means of correcting this, I'll have our staffers prioritize the release of information and news coverage while it's still timely and relevant (so as to really take advantage of the flexibility that Polaris allows for).

Defense: Similar to what I'll say about WA Affairs, Defense has the issue of a few core Officers doing all of the work while a predictable number of people continue to show up for updates on a consistent basis.

The way that you address this is by devoting time to training up new members, recruiting new enlistees into the ministry in the first place, and by selling the NPA successes to those who might be interested with advertisements and news coverage that emphasizes the camaraderie and social aspect of the organization.

World Assembly Affairs: In WA Affairs, some more recent IFVs have been sent out a little late and most of the actual IFV writing has been done by one or two people.

I think that there's a bit of a staffing issue in the ministry, but not a staffing issue in the traditional sense. Rather, we have an abundance of staffers who don't actively contribute and those who do contribute are left to complete all of the work by themselves.

While it's great that we have people who are willing to do this, I'd like to see more people do more things if they're going to continue to be staffers. This is addressed by giving people more reasons to talk, more things to do, and by lowering the bar of entry for people to get involved and pass resolutions of their own (or repeal some if that's what they wish to do).

Culture: Culture now has a great foundation coming off of a term that saw it return to prominence in the region. I think that Culture will need all of the creative energy that it can get as we approach a couple of celebration days and memorial days this term, so I think what it really needs is staff who are enthusiastic about what it is that they are doing.

Radio: In Radio, I think that we've developed an overdependence on the standard interview format for shows. From the RP Spotlight series, to Call to Serve interviews, to Town Hall meetings, I think that listeners would appreciate being able to enjoy a wider variety of content that doesn't follow the same ebbs and flows as nearly all of our other broadcasts do.

Most of what I said in the Radio section of my campaign addresses this, but the way you correct that is by introducing new series and new show types to the lineup and give people a reason to get excited about producing content that differs from the norm that we've established.

My agenda aims to do that.

Cards: Cards has a unique issue that's not so easily resolved. The absence of r3n has really affected the way that some of our cards programs run and it's quite clear to most anyone looking in that communication is lacking.

What I mean by that is, there seems to be confusion even from amongst cards staffers about which programs are still running, which ones have been discontinued, what's needed to get now-defunct programs running again, and so on.

My plans to audit the ministry and build up its infrastructure will aim to restore a sense of cohesiveness to things, and I even have a solution in mind for how cards that would usually need to be manually gifted can be gifted without taking up too much of McM's time controlling TNL.

Solid plans for the Ministry of Radio. *stamp of approval*
Thank you for your stamp, Fiji. That means a lot :)

Really liking the plans on Radio!
As for Questions…
1. What’s your stance on RMB regulation, should there be harsher rules or looser rules?
and 2. Will other tutorials appear alongside the card farming tutorials as there was plans to do a tutorial on raiding and defending that will most likely not appear before the election ends
Thanks for the questions, Casc. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed reading about my plans for Radio!

In response to your first question as it relates to RMB regulation, I think that the current RMB guidelines do a sufficient job of giving onsite authorities a proper ground to stand on when issuing warnings to posters and determining what needs suppression and what doesn't.

As far as basic rules and regulations go, I'm not seeing any glaring issues with how the RMB has been moderated in recent times, so I can't say that I'd necessarily prefer one style of rules over another when I don't know what exactly a "harsher" (or conversely, "looser") set of rules would look like. I will say, however, that I'm glad that we have regional officers who are dedicated to keeping the RMB clean via the use of their communications authority on-site. If elected, I'll continue to support the Gameside Advocates in enforcing our rules and making sure that such a pleasant experience is safeguarded for everyone to the best of my ability.

As a general principle, I believe that everyone who visits our RMB should be able to have a safe, fun experience talking to their fellow region-mates. Some unsavoury nations seek to disrupt that with spam, vulgarities, and other unpleasantries, but that comes with the territory when a region has as active an RMB as we do. All the same, I'm happy to hear any suggestions that you may have for improvements in this area, should you have any :)

As for your second question, I can definitely see other tutorials appearing alongside the ones for card farming, but the card farming tutorials will be produced first so as to keep continuity with what I said above. We've been fortunate enough to have plenty of staffers who, when asked, are willing to record broadcasts and I can even see myself taking an active role in the making of these tutorials if need be to ensure that these resources become available for viewing on NBS.

So, in a word or a few: Yes. Yes, they will.

Who are the Astor family?
Although I'm unfamiliar with everyone who bears the name "Astor," I can say with certainty that Aelitia (formerly from TEP), Fujai, and Bran Astor were the ones who designed my campaign logo and matching supporters badges.

I was originally going to have Imki from Lazarus work on my graphics for me since I'm terrible at anything art-related, but she ended up not being able to for RL reasons. So, she put me in contact with the rest of the Astors (who have a passion for creating these types of things) and they all wished to be credited together since they often work collaboratively on things.
 
Hey Robes, a very nice and well thought out platform here!

I must say, I agree with many of the things pointed out here. Especially about the ministry I was asked to take over over the past month. Some of these pointers are things that probably I wouldn't have thought of, and I must say, I love it.

With regards to the decline in number of applications, as well as the sluggish activity levels that we have been seeing on the regional front, could you possibly elaborate on some possible ideas you may have to improve it? I think this is an important area that should be looked into, based on whatever I have seen thus far. I haven't been involved in many ministries, so I can't speak for everyone, but I notice some ministries tend to fall victim to lack of manpower more than others. Some ministries tend to receive more applications than others, as you may have already noticed. Even for the more active ministries, generally there are only that many people involved in them. And these people are the ones driving activity across multiple ministries. So how would you look into getting more citizens to be involved in executive as a whole?
 
I am somewhat concerned by how little you mention TNP Roleplay in your Culture section. Will a Robespierre delegacy seek to cut back on the Ministry of Culture's RP-related programs in order to focus on the programs proposed, or will Culture continue as is with these new programs simply being introduced as part of its lineup of tasks to do?
 
Hey Robes, a very nice and well thought out platform here!

I must say, I agree with many of the things pointed out here. Especially about the ministry I was asked to take over over the past month. Some of these pointers are things that probably I wouldn't have thought of, and I must say, I love it.

With regards to the decline in number of applications, as well as the sluggish activity levels that we have been seeing on the regional front, could you possibly elaborate on some possible ideas you may have to improve it? I think this is an important area that should be looked into, based on whatever I have seen thus far. I haven't been involved in many ministries, so I can't speak for everyone, but I notice some ministries tend to fall victim to lack of manpower more than others. Some ministries tend to receive more applications than others, as you may have already noticed. Even for the more active ministries, generally there are only that many people involved in them. And these people are the ones driving activity across multiple ministries. So how would you look into getting more citizens to be involved in executive as a whole?
Thank you for your question, Freg

In my mind, it all starts with recruitment. Massive investments need to be made into Home Affairs with the goal of turning it into a functional recruitment tool for the executive and there needs to be more visibility for the government gameside.

That visibility can take shape in the form of regular WFE updates (which were few and far between this past term), pinned dispatches, promotional campaigns ran by the GAs on the RMB., and by creating short 2-3 minute expository videos like I mentioned in the Radio section of my campaign.

Not only do people need to see that their government is doing things for their benefit, but there needs to be energy around everything that we do. The kind of energy that invites people to come join us, the kind that makes joining the Executive Staff a no-hassle affair with timely applications processing and responses from Ministers/Deputy Ministers.

What we really need to see for the executive staff tp get back on track is for people to get excited about the future, and I hope that my ideas as outlined herein this campaign will go towards accomplishing that (inspiring and exciting people).

What are three things that you believe Mcm and Tlomz did well as Delegates?
Clarifying question: Are you wanting three things that each Delegate did well during their respective terms as a Delegate or are you wanting a combined list of three things between them?

I just want to make sure that my answer will address your question squarely, so please do let me know :)

I am somewhat concerned by how little you mention TNP Roleplay in your Culture section. Will a Robespierre delegacy seek to cut back on the Ministry of Culture's RP-related programs in order to focus on the programs proposed, or will Culture continue as is with these new programs simply being introduced as part of its lineup of tasks to do?
Hey there, Syr

I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that I do not intend to cut back on the Ministry of Culture's RP-related programs if I am elected to the delegacy. Quite the opposite, really, as other sections of my campaign do mention the RP community (Namely in the Radio portion of my platform) and I will continue to invite RPers to contribute and will generate regular content showcases for them no matter what other tasks are introduced.

The RP community has my support and I look forward to proudly representing all North Pacificans, rather they be roleplayers, gameplayers, cards players, or otherwise.

I fricking love your campaign badges and images :P

That's it, will probably ask questions later.
I look forward to those questions, and thank you for the compliment!
 
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R u awake now
Yes

Standard question that you seem to have missed on your FAQ: Who would be your Ministers?
Thank you for waiting

My Ministers would include people who share the same drive and enthusiasm for the future of TNP that I do. At this time, I'm currently in the process of reaching out to those who I may wish to offer positions if I'm elected, so I'm unwilling to name names at the moment since I'm unsure of what everybody's availability looks like.

I am able to offer you a list of who my top choices would be irrespective of that, however. If you'd prefer that
 
You know, answering a question about “how would you go about couping“ with “I wouldn’t“ isn’t a good answer >_>

Support otherwise, probably (your campaign is impressive and such)
 
Re: Defense, isn't the Hall of Honor for ex-soldiers? Gladio and QuietDad are currently active Generals, is there a need for them to become Honored Soldiers?

Re: Ministers, I'd like a list of people that you'd like to have in the positions.
 
1. Do you think TNP plays a role in keeping players involved in the game?
2. How can TNP improve the health of the game overall?
 
What are your plans for Home Affairs mentoring?
Hey, Rocketdog! Thanks for the question!

There are a couple of ideas that can be explored here, including using mentors as a sort of extension to the Welcome Wagon and calling it the welcoming committee or to have mentors take on groups of mentees at a time.

Presently though, I'm not seeing much of a demand for mentorship as the last post in the "Request a Mentor!" thread was from 21 March.

I would need time to speak with the mentors themselves and get their thoughts on what does work, what doesn't work, and how we can better improve the process of mentorship. Admittedly, I have experience in this area but its experience from 2019. If you have any suggestions for HA mentorship, I'd love to hear them!

You know, answering a question about “how would you go about couping“ with “I wouldn’t“ isn’t a good answer >_>

Support otherwise, probably (your campaign is impressive and such)
It may not be the most exciting or thought-provoking answer, but it's the honest answer.

I'm happy to hear that you find my campaign to be impressive. Thank you for the support! :D

Re: Defense, isn't the Hall of Honor for ex-soldiers? Gladio and QuietDad are currently active Generals, is there a need for them to become Honored Soldiers?
No. Judging by the first clause of Section X that outlines the Hall of Honour's purpose, I'd say it can be for anyone.

1. The Hall of Honour shall commemorate individuals who have had a significant impact on the North Pacific Army.

Both Gladio and QuietDad fit the bill when it comes to individuals who have has a significant impact on the NPA, wouldn't you agree?

Re: Ministers, I'd like a list of people that you'd like to have in the positions.
Sure thing. I can certainly provide that:

Home Affairs: Peeps or New Celoveniortan
Foreign Affairs: Pallaith/Ghost or Praetor
Communications: Electrum or BMWSurfer
Defense: Westinor or Rom
World Assembly Affairs: Boston Castle or Westinor
Culture: St George/MadJack or Sarah
Radio: Cascadia or Em
Cards: 9003 or Praetor

Keeping it semi-realistic ^^ Hope that answers your question
 
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Robespierre, you have displayed an immense desire in your wish to get the Ministry of Cards back on track. My inactivity has unfortunately severely regulated any sort of meaningful development during the latter stages of this term, but know that if you wish for any sort of aid regarding the addressing of its current issues then I will be fully willing to provide my support. You are one of the most dedicated people in the region and I wish to help (however that may be) in making your workload regarding the addressing of r3n's absence as light as possible.

Your greatest resources are likely to also be @9003 and @Sven (and of course @Praetor as well, even if he's currently in FA). They are all dedicated and experienced cards users even to this date, and should be more than willing to lend their advice and/or aid should you ever require it.

Good luck Robes. Thanks for everything you've done already, and I'll be sure to vote for you!
 
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What is your policy for appointing or handling cronies, toadies, flunkies, loons, goons, and poltroons?
 
1. Do you think TNP plays a role in keeping players involved in the game?
2. How can TNP improve the health of the game overall?
Thanks for the questions, Dreadton

I think that we absolutely do play a role in keeping players involved in the game, as many come for the ability to create their own nation, get tired of answering issues soon thereafter, and end up staying for the social aspect of things.

We surely offer many opportunities for people who are looking to connect with others and spend time in a community that values them, which is why I think that interacting with one another outside of NS is so important. The game, on-site anyway, only goes so far. Meanwhile, there are a plethora of things for people to get involved with off-site, and that's just another area in which TNP shines.

Additionally, we can improve the health of the game overall by engaging in interregional cooperation and connecting with the wider NS world in meaningful ways.

From making our voice heard in gameplay, to provide others with a service (like we do with the worldwide endorsement tool that's available for anyone's use), to hosting festivals and other events like symposiums that bring in players from all different backgrounds.

We improve the health of the game when we show ourselves to be social and friendly, but also strong and assertive when the situation calls for it.

Robespierre, you have displayed an immense desire in your wish to get the Ministry of Cards back on track. My inactivity has unfortunately severely regulated any sort of meaningful development during the latter stages of this term, but know that if you wish for any sort of aid regarding the addressing of its current issues then I will be fully willing to provide my support. You are one of the most dedicated people in the region and I wish to help (however that may be) in making your workload regarding the addressing of r3n's absence as light as possible.

Your greatest resources are likely to also be @9003 and @Sven (and of course @Praetor as well, even if he's currently in FA). They are all dedicated and experienced cards users even to this date, and should be more than willing to lend their advice and/or aid should you ever require it.

Good luck Robes. Thanks for everything you've done already, and I'll be sure to vote for you!
Thank you for your support, DGES! I'm proud to have earned your confidence

Indeed, I do have an immense desire to get the Ministry of Cards back on track. I'll be glad to work with Sven, 9003, yourself, and others to achieve this, as I believe that even despite recent inactivity the Senior Cards Leadership team are a wealth of knowledge that I'd do well to pick the brains of.

Your assistance will be appreciated.

What is your policy for appointing or handling cronies, toadies, flunkies, loons, goons, and poltroons?
I won't be appointing any "cronies," since I'd rather people be appointed in relation to their merits, but I find the words "toadies" and "flunkies" to be a bit interesting given the context of your question :P

Regardless, my policy is that loons and goons are cool, but everyone else is meh

Disappointing, I know
 
Random questions that I am curious to hear you talk about:

Do you think that the responsibility of breeding new blood should fall on the delegate, or the ministers themselves?

What are your views about TNP's relations with the NS community in general?

In your opinion, what do you think is the weakness of TNP in its current state?

Do you think that TNP is doing enough to reach out to the different variety of NS players? Referring to the different player groups such as: the RPers, the Issue writers, the Issue Answerers, the WA writers, the Card players, and the GPers.
 
Do you own a dog?
Hey there, Syr

I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that I do not intend to cut back on the Ministry of Culture's RP-related programs if I am elected to the delegacy. Quite the opposite, really, as other sections of my campaign do mention the RP community (Namely in the Radio portion of my platform) and I will continue to invite RPers to contribute and will generate regular content showcases for them no matter what other tasks are introduced.

The RP community has my support and I look forward to proudly representing all North Pacificans, rather they be roleplayers, gameplayers, cards players, or otherwise.
As a note, the Ministry of Culture has no RP-related programs, outside of updating the RP dispatch and planning events with RP regions/groups like the RP Symposium.
 
Do you think that the responsibility of breeding new blood should fall on the delegate, or the ministers themselves?
Both. As Delegate, it'd be my responsibility to ensure that my administration is providing the region with the highest level of service possible and that includes working with my Ministers to develop talent within the Executive Staff.

They should always be on the lookout for potential up-and-comers, but I also see it as my responsibility too since I'd be the one who has the final say on matters directly relating to the staff itself. I want to cultivate and develop talent from within, similar to how MJ and I have done previously in the Speaker's Office.

I think that this can be worked towards, but proactive recruitment is a big part of the equation.
What are your views about TNP's relations with the NS community in general?
We sometimes have a tendency to focus inward and feel as if happenings within the NS community don't really affect us all that much because of how much of a global leader we are in so many different fields. I think that these are both a real shame, as the wider NS community has much to offer us if we allow them to.

Going back to what I said in response to one of Dreadton's questions, being friendly and social while also strong and assertive would be my preferred attitude when it comes to our relations. Being willing to step outside our sphere(s), engage in diplomacy with others, and connecting with them in meaningful ways are all things that I'm in favour of.

In your opinion, what do you think is the weakness of TNP in its current state?
I think that our biggest weakness is stagnation. A lack of innovation, a lack of clear direction in some ministries, and a general sense that maybe we're just coasting along and going through the motions in the current state of affairs.

Given that, I'm more than happy to be a disruptor of this, since I think that we can really do more to get people excited about this region's future. That's what I'm here for and that's why I've been so gung ho about bringing new ideas to the table with the intention of freshening things up.

Do you think that TNP is doing enough to reach out to the different variety of NS players? Referring to the different player groups such as: the RPers, the Issue writers, the Issue Answerers, the WA writers, the Card players, and the GPers.
By no means are we doing a "bad" job of it, but we could certainly be doing more.

One thing that immediately comes to for one way that we can better reach out to some NS players mind is the timely processing of applications to join the Cards Guild. When applications aren't being processed or being paid attention to, we lose one type of player right there in almost sole part due to our inaction.

Our RP community is phenomenal and I know that they do well to function independently of the government. TNP is great for gameplayers, since many like the idea of being able to make an impact on what they perceive as being the grandest stage.

Regardless of what type of player you are, TNP has something for everyone and we should definitely do more to showcase that better.

Do you own a dog?
I do! She's a fourteen-year-old Pomeranian-Chiuahah mix named Mia Bella

Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of her on my phone that aren't blurry in some places, so I wasn't able to add her to our Pet Parade for when the Nationstates Grand Exhibition was happening :(

Will you appoint any advisors?
I've thought about this for a while now and here's the conclusion that I've come to:

Considering that advisors to the Delegate are exempt from constitutional restrictions on holding multiple government offices for purposes of their appointment, I think it'd be fine to formally appoint an advisor because then the citizenry would know who exactly is in the executive's ear and who may have a say in conversations that carry weight.

It's just another way of promoting transparency since I'd rather be upfront with people and be clear about who I'm appointing to advise me than leave the citizenry that I hope to serve in the dark about who I'm putting stock in for giving opinions.

If you'd like, I can name someone who I have in mind for this role (Should it interest you)

I like those plans for Radio!
Happy to hear that, Vivanco! Hopefully, we can get to work on these ideas in the near future
 
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If you'd like, I can name someone who I have in mind for this role (Should it interest you)
Sure.

Also, pretend that you're a power-mad lunatic out for revenge against all those who have slighted you. How would you abuse the power of the Delegacy to destabilize the region?
 
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Three for each, please.
For Tlomz, I think that he did an excellent job of getting rid of the declassification backlog that had been accumulating for several terms prior to when he was Delegate (1).

By releasing redacted versions of logs and finally complying with the law, he helped lessen the strain on future administrations and rectified past failures by the executive to comply. I also think that he does a good job of interacting with others off-site through his constant presence in the #real-life channel on Discord (2) and I think that his creation of (or at least his announcement of) the Ministry of Cards really helped with cohesion and making sure that the cards community was represented well by giving it the same consideration that other areas are given via its designation as a ministry (3).

For McM, I think that his term in late 2019 was a prime example of how a hands-on approach can benefit an administration (1). As someone who's been elected as Delegate more than anyone else, McM shows consistent leadership and has an ability to listen, understand, and identify problems in a way that few others can (2).

I think that he's been a stalwart of our community who always means well, is a public servant to everyone, and who, when at his best, brings his A-game no matter where he's found himself during a term (3). I admire that.

Ghost is someone who I've always found to be an insightful and helpful individual. If he's unwilling to leave the Court prematurely (which I wouldn't expect him to) then I'd be happy to appoint him as an advisor.

He's someone who's been in the role of the Delegate before - three times over, in fact - and I've always known him to be a wealth of knowledge and a guiding hand. In my opinion, he'd make for a wonderful and trusted advisor.

Also, pretend that you're a power-mad lunatic out for revenge against all those who have slighted you. How would you abuse the power of the Delegacy to destabilize the region?
Hmm... Is this a variant of the "How would you coup the region?" question that I sense? Yeah, a nice way around it... :P

If we're going strictly by the scenario that you've provided, then I'm intentionally out to slight them.

Since I'm a power-mad lunatic in this instance, I'd limit their opportunities within government by denying my Ministers the ability to appoint them as their deputies. Why? Because by limiting their options of where to serve, I can also chip away at the perception that these people are qualified to serve in any capacity at all.

I'd subtly cast doubt on their abilities, appoint arguably underqualified executive officers to my cabinet out of their personal loyalty to me rather than out of their merits, and I'd abuse my power in such a way that the only people capable of getting to the top and making meaningful changes would be me and other cronies loyal to me.

If I could get a puppet or accomplice elected as Speaker, then more power to me. By having a strong pull in the legislature, I could ram things through the Regional Assembly under the guise of Delegate empowerment for the safety and security of the region, or out of convenience.

Then, once I'm finally about to be recalled for my misconduct, I'd have my Speaker use their powers to end debate on my recall motion to buy myself more time.

During that time, I'd enact purges on everyone who I believe slighted me, didn't respect me, or didn't show loyalty to me. By this point, the Security Council would be mobilizing against me, but that's okay because I'd have been watching them, studying their tendencies, and formulating plans for how to cling to power for as long as possible for two months plus by that point. Doing all of this would mean that I go rouge and that violate my oath of office, but by removing dissenters, casting doubt on their competency and potential., and preventing them from amassing too much of their own influence, I could enrich myself with immense power for a short amount of time - thus fulfilling my goal as a power-mad lunatic with no limits.

(Note: I know that I would be defeated but I wouldn't care. If my foremost goals were to destabilize the region and get revenge on people, then I wouldn't care for how long I'm able to do so.)
 
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Do you have any specific plans for the Memorial Days coming up next term? I know you mentioned them generally in your platform.
 
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If Bob has 4 apples and Sue has 4 oranges. How much is a turnip in North Bradenbrook?
 
Do you have any specific plans for the Memorial Days coming up next term? I know you mentioned them generally in your platform.
Actually yes, I'm glad that you asked this question!

For Manumission Day, which is the next closest celebration day that'll happen during my term if elected, we celebrate the return of democracy to The North Pacific and the end of Pixiedance's tyranny over the region.

What better way to celebrate our region, its values, and democracy than for us to do a collaborative writing exercise as a region? This is an idea that I came up with a few days ago where I will start off a thread with a prompt such as "In a world where democracy is but a daydream..." and each poster thereafter adds one sentence to the story.

By the end, we'll have a picture of all our own of what TNP without our cherished democratic spirit looks like, and we'll be called upon to remember and observe what the celebration truly commemorates similar to how @Prydania did in this thread last year.

For Democracy Day, which takes place on the seventh of July, I'd like to see us continue doing the Kickstarter that we have had in past years.

It takes a lot of planning, time, and effort to do that, which is why I'm planning to speak with COE and Asta/SillyString early on in the term to gain a better grasp on how they feel about it. If it's determined that they're unable to do it, then we'll need to find someone else who's committed to keeping this tradition alive - which may prove difficult.

It'll require a lot of coordination, but if it's possible I'd really like to see us offer TNP-themed merchandise to our community members again this year. I think that it's a very cool and unique thing that, to my knowledge, only we do, and so I'd like for us to continue doing it each year.

(Note: The current Delegate, McM, may have already talked this over with the relevant people. If I have the pleasure of serving as your Delegate, I'll confer with him early on to see what's already been discussed for it. If nothing's been talked about as of yet, then I'm willing to invest substantial planning into it for during the month leading up to July.)

If Bob has 4 apples and Sue has 4 oranges. How much is a turnip in North Bradenbrook?
16 because there are two of them (Bob and Sue) and 2(4 + 4) = 8 + 8 = 16.

A turnip cost the same as sixteen parsnips.
 
Do you have any plans for spammers/trollers/flamers in the TNP regional message boards?
Good to see a new face getting involved so soon and asking questions of candidates already :)

Unfortunately, there are disgruntled nations who often spam, double post, get people riled up with their antics, or otherwise seek to disrupt the flow of conversation on our RMB.

Despite this, as Delegate, I can only use my border controls authority in ways that are acceptable under Section 7.3 of the Legal Code on Onsite Authority, seen here:

Section 7.3: Onsite Authority
11. Violators of NationStates rules, or residents banned offsite by forum administration, may be subject to summary ejection or banning.
12. Residents banned on the basis of forum bans imposed by forum administration may not be banned for longer than the length of the ban imposed by forum administration.
13. Nations recruiting for other regions may be subject to summary ejection or banning.
14. Nations for which the Court has issued an indictment permitting it may be ejected or banned.
15. Nations that have been so sentenced by the Court will be ejected or banned.
16. The official performing an ejection or ban will promptly inform the region and Government.
17. The Serving Delegate may regulate the Regional Message Board as they see fit.
18. Such regulations may not prohibit speech which is in the context of TNP politics.
19. All actions of the WA Delegate, the Serving Delegate, or of their appointed Regional Officers related to this section will be subject to judicial review.

In addition to that, I also have to be mindful of what the Bill of Rights says when going about RMB regulation:

8. The regional power of ejection and banning may not be granted or exercised, nor forum bans imposed, unless expressly authorized pursuant to the Constitution or the Legal Code. Any ejected or banned nation is entitled to prompt judicial review of the matter.

Trolls and spammers can be dealt with via the use of the communications authority on-site (I.e. post suppressions) and, if needed, GHRs for NS moderation to get involved.

My plan is to enforce our laws and RMB guidelines fairly and equally to all who may violate them and to use my BC/communications authority properly.

Hope this helps answer your question!
 
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Please pardon the double post, but I've added two entries into the World Assembly Affairs section of my campaign under the spoilers "My Stacks" and "My Stomps" for the latest resolutions at vote in both the GA and the SC. You can view those now, if you're interested :D
 
It takes 90 runners 750 minutes to finish a marathon. How long would it take 60 runners to finish the marathon?
 
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