Skaraborg for Speaker - Continuing the Great Work

[Skaraborg]

Hello!

I am Skaraborg and might not be the most familiar face you’ve seen here in The North Pacific. I usually hang around the rmb, I’d say that is my natural habitat, and served as Gameside Advocate for two terms now. I also served last term as a deputy speaker. Last election I ran for speaker and lost to East Isles. My campaign was woeful and something I just want to forget as I do not stand behind a lot of what I said and especially answered when I replied to your questions. I am very thankful for East isles giving me the opportunity to work as a deputy since I believe I have gained a lot of experience during the previous term. Something I lacked when I ran last term. The last term’s deputy speakers were a really good group of nations that worked well and helped each other when help was needed. Main issue of the term was an issue we had with rmb and forum checks always showing up as indeterminate however the issue was resolved and the deputies were informed that they inserted links the wrong way into the spreadsheet. I wouldn’t however blame the deputies on this but rather miscommunication because this problem must have existed before our term since I was taught to insert checks the wrong way at the start of the term. That has been changed since and the checks work fine now. Otherwise I think it was a solid term. East Isles definitely performed well as a Speaker and I don’t think too much needs changing.

Deputy Speakers and Citizenship
The most important thing next term will probably be that all deputies feel that they are part of the team and that all deputies do checks on the day they’re assigned as often as possible. I think last term became a bit of a one man show with Venicea doing a lot of the work and taking responsibility when someone was unable to do checks. I think it’s great to see nations so passionate about doing their job but I don’t necessarily think it was the best for the team. I would rather see the workforce more evenly distributed during my term as Speaker.

Activity will also be important. If deputies are not active or do not do their job properly enough I will replace them with new nations that are willing to become deputies. Of course someone might have irl issues (or away on holidays etc.) and not be able to stay active during a time period. As long as I am informed that shouldn’t be a way to get removed. However if a nation doesn't do checks 2-3 weeks in a row without communicating I’ll probably try to find a replacement. I’ll always contact the nation before to try and find a solution and find out why they haven’t been doing checks. I think it’s important to have a dialogue with my deputies and not just suddenly replace someone but so that no day falls behind, I want my deputies to be active. I do not hope we come to the point of removing a deputy, I seek to sign 6-7 deputies that I believe will be active, but I think it’s important that there also are requirements that you must try and stay active without putting too much pressure on the deputies.

It will also be important to teach the deputies how to manage the citizen registry. I am interested in recording a tutorial so that miscommunications don’t happen because the deputies can always go back and watch the tutorial, or ask me questions of course, if they feel unsure. That will hopefully prevent future issues with the sheet. Otherwise I don’t see any problems with how we handle citizenship and don’t think any improvements are necessarily needed.

Regional Assembly
I really believe that Venicea would have done a great job as Speaker as I agreed with a lot of ideas they brought up. That’s mainly the reason I didn’t run for Speaker until now. I particularly agreed with the idea of the Speaker review poll. I believe they are important feedback for the Speaker and Deputy Speakers. I would also like to see the creation of a bulletin board (maybe will change the name) for the Regional Assembly where the Speaker can post messages listing what is currently at debate and at vote. It’ll be a way to give everyone access to an oversight of what is currently going on in the Regional Assembly and what has been at vote/debate.

Last time I ran for Speaker I mentioned one thing particularly:
1. Make the speaker’s role more familiar to the people on the rmb.

I think the gameside nations who aren’t in discord are quite separated. I believe that the Speaker and the deputies should get involved more on the rmb, introduce nations to the job Speaker and introduce people to the Regional Assembly and how it operates and. I believe a good amount of people, especially on the rmb, have bad knowledge of the speaker’s role, the Regional Assembly and who the speaker and deputies are. A way to test that is of course with the Speaker’s performance review and I would also like to send out telegrams to all our citizens when there is legislative voting going on in the Regional Assembly to get more people involved in the legislative body of the government. I am also keen to send out telegrams through Home Affairs to introduce new nations to the Regional Assembly.

I do believe that I am the best candidate for Speaker because during my term as deputy I’ve gained a lot of experience with handling citizenship checks, I am very familiar with the laws of TNP, I can promise activity and I will be able to just start immediately from where last term ended whilst the other candidates might need time to adapt to their role as Speaker and become familiar with how the role as Speaker works and how to manage the resident/citizenship sheet. I appreciate you reading my campaign and I’m willing to answer any questions you may have. Have a lovely day!

Your favourite hamster,
Skaraborg

 

[Skaraborg]

Also credit to @Sir Kasto for creating campaign banner.

 

[Yuno]

GOD LUCK SKADABORG WITH YOUR TNP ELECTION FOR TNP SPEAKER!!!!

 

[Skaraborg]

GOD LUCK SKADABORG WITH YOUR TNP ELECTION FOR TNP SPEAKER!!!!

Thank you

Better luck spelling my name next time though!

 

[Holy Marcus Empire]

Full support!

 

[Simone]

Maybe you should consider adding even more deputies or propose to simplify processes?

 

[Skaraborg]

Maybe you should consider adding even more deputies or propose to simplify processes?

I don’t think adding more deputies will be good. 6-7 deputies means that all deputies will get one day to do checks every week whilst adding more doesn’t really make sense to me because too many deputies would mean that there would be very little things for everyone to do. I don’t really understand what you mean by “simplifying processes”. Could you please elaborate what you mean.

 

[Pallaith]

You say it wasn't good for the team to have one deputy do most of the work. But doesn't the team have some say in that? Couldn't you have stepped up more and done checks or other speaker work just as easily as Venicea? Now you would need to step up and do that, or would the deputies take care of that? Are you aware that some people might feel you haven't demonstrated a willingness or ability to really take things up a notch? I will give you this: major improvement from the last campaign, and it is obvious time in the office as a deputy helped you improve and gave you the knowledge of the work. But do you have the work ethic and commitment that Venicea demonstrated?

 

[Skaraborg]

You say it wasn't good for the team to have one deputy do most of the work. But doesn't the team have some say in that?

We were aware that Venicea did a lot of checks and Sir Kasto highlighted that in a message where he vowed to all deputies to take more responsibility with checks somewhere during midterm. I expected my fellow deputies to do their checks if they didn’t say something whilst Venicea didn't. I tend to do my checks late in the evenings and one of the first weeks when it was my day to do checks, Venicea had already done them. There had been no attempt to communicate with me before they did them so I had to explain when, during the day, I do my checks. I wrote to Venicea about it and they haven't touched my day unless I have written in the Speaker's office that I am unable to do checks. A good amount of time I think Venicea acted by doing checks themselves instead of trying to communicate with the deputy who did checks that day. They also granted a lot of nations citizenship if nations had completed all three checks which I can understand and it was also something they wanted all deputies to do in their campaign for speaker. They were also very quick to respond which meant that if someone couldn't do checks they were always first to reply and say "I can do them".

The team should have a say in all matters regarding the Speaker's office. What I have given you is my view on this matter but if the rest of the team thinks it's fine then I am willing to rethink. But I think the backup should always be the first one to do checks if someone is unable, something that didn't happen last term. I hope that will also even out the workforce since I don't think the Speaker's office got the best reputation last term as a lot of the work was being done by only one deputy.

Couldn't you have stepped up more and done checks or other speaker work just as easily as Venicea? Now you would need to step up and do that, or would the deputies take care of that?

Yes, I could've. I should've. I will. I know I had the capability to have done more last term than I did. However I found it rather difficult since Venicea did a lot of the work and in my eyes I think there weren't that many job opportunities that appeared for the rest of us. They stepped up so early whilst I was still adjusting to the role as deputy. I am also very shy on NS. If I get opportunities I gladly accept them but I find myself uncomfortable speaking to those opportunities. I think I lacked a bit of courage last term. Becoming Speaker would definitely mean that I have to step up and to step up is of course something I want to do. If I wouldn't have the motivation to step up and do my best I wouldn't have run for this office a second time.

Are you aware that some people might feel you haven't demonstrated a willingness or ability to really take things up a notch?

I am sure I have shown a willingness to take things up a notch, I have run for Speaker before and through that I have entered completely new territory. The interest and willingness I have shown to serve as Speaker is in my opinion good enough to prove that I am willing to step up. I know that I will have to showcase my ability to take things up a notch too. Somewhere I've done just that this term is mentoring in TNP Home Affairs. I have really stepped up in that Ministry and showed great dedication in helping new nations around the forums and introducing them to The North Pacific. I hope the example also shows that I have the ability to step up as well. I am aware that people might feel the way you explained but whether I am elected Speaker or continue as Deputy your feedback definitely has given me the understanding that no matter the role I need to step up. By becoming Speaker I know I will automatically step up, take more responsibility and naturally become a leader however if I am not elected but given the opportunity to continue as Deputy there might be a risk that next term would continue like the last one, wouldn’t you have said something about my performance. I am aware that there might be people thinking so and I hope I can prove them different.

But do you have the work ethic and commitment that Venicea demonstrated?

I supported Venicea in their campaign and it saddened me to see them leave so abrupt. I didn't run first because I thought Venicea was the best candidate for the role as Speaker. With them gone, I definitely see myself as the best option of the candidates. To compare myself to Venicea is difficult since in my opinion they were the best candidate for Speaker. However if elected I will be striving to be the best possible Speaker and give it my best shot. Knowing myself, I think I can exceed Venicea's work ethic and commitment as long as I give 100% effort to this job. Thanks for your questions Pallaith, they have been good feedback for me too about my performance as Deputy. You are welcome to ask more questions.

 

[Pallaith]

Skaraborg, thanks for addressing my questions. I hope you didn’t feel too attacked with them, I was trying to point out a potential weakness given past experience. The Speaker’s office, especially in recent terms, often has a bunch of deputies, and their performance is never identical. I do appreciate a greater understanding of why scheduling worked the way it did while you were Speaker, and I am sure you will step up your game if elected. I never meant to suggest you couldn’t or were coasting on Venicea’s success.

Something has changed since I asked those questions. The race now has two more candidates, a former multi-term deputy speaker and a former Speaker. I agree Venicea was the best to step up in the first part of the election, and I know you decided against pursuing the office because of that. I hope you don’t decide to drop out now because of your new competition, but at the same time I am curious what you make of them, and what you believe would help your potential term as Speaker stand out from theirs and be the reason their experience should be overlooked in favor of your own. You laid out a case for yourself already, but you have more info now so I wanted to give you a chance to make your pitch knowing who the other choices are.

 

[Gorundu]

I think the gameside nations who aren’t in discord are quite separated. I believe that the Speaker and the deputies should get involved more on the rmb, introduce nations to the job Speaker and introduce people to the Regional Assembly and how it operates and. I believe a good amount of people, especially on the rmb, have bad knowledge of the speaker’s role, the Regional Assembly and who the speaker and deputies are. A way to test that is of course with the Speaker’s performance review and I would also like to send out telegrams to all our citizens when there is legislative voting going on in the Regional Assembly to get more people involved in the legislative body of the government. I am also keen to send out telegrams through Home Affairs to introduce new nations to the Regional Assembly.

This part of your platform got me thinking a bit because I don't remember any Speaker campaign in recent times that put the gameside as a focus. I suppose what I want to ask is, why do you believe gameside outreach is the way to go? I agree that many nations that are largely present gameside have little knowledge of the Regional Assembly or the Speaker, but do you believe introducing them to the Regional Assembly would get them more interested? The business of the Regional Assembly is quite dry and sporadic in nature, and the reality is there's not much in our laws that need changing. Additionally, it has been a philosophy for the Speaker's office since Madjack's term to focus on performing the fundamental duties of the office well rather than any broader initiatives. Do you consider this part of your platform to be a reversal of that philosophy?

 

[Skaraborg]

I do appreciate a greater understanding of why scheduling worked the way it did while you were Speaker

I am not entirely sure what you mean but if you're wondering how scheduling worked this term then everyone got one day except Sir Kasto who got two when Dreadton left. Back ups were the past experienced deputies Sir Kasto and Peeps and our speaker East Isles. No one really followed the backup schedule last term which gave us new deputies a chance of course to help if needed, but Venicea was always quick to respond and help out though.

Something has changed since I asked those questions. The race now has two more candidates, a former multi-term deputy speaker and a former Speaker. I agree Venicea was the best to step up in the first part of the election, and I know you decided against pursuing the office because of that. I hope you don’t decide to drop out now because of your new competition, but at the same time I am curious what you make of them, and what you believe would help your potential term as Speaker stand out from theirs and be the reason their experience should be overlooked in favor of your own. You laid out a case for yourself already, but you have more info now so I wanted to give you a chance to make your pitch knowing who the other choices are.

Only a big irl issue would make me drop out at this point. I never give in without a fight. I will definitely be the underdog against the new candidates Oracle and Bobberino. Both of them have made pretty simple campaigns and they both seem satisfied with the work we did last term. I admire both of their past work as Speaker and deputy Speaker and know that both of them are capable of becoming Speaker and settling down without any problems. However I think I've given you a detailed plan of how I want next term to operate and whilst I've set up a few goals, I think all of them are goals that should quite comfortably be achieved during the term too. I have, in my opinion, great and thought through plans for this office that will hopefully improve an already well-functioning speaker's office.

This part of your platform got me thinking a bit because I don't remember any Speaker campaign in recent times that put the gameside as a focus. I suppose what I want to ask is, why do you believe gameside outreach is the way to go?

I think it's important to advertise the Regional Assembly and its Speaker's role to the rmb as well. The RA and Speaker’s Office are very forum and discord based with very little connections to the gameside part of NS. I think it's important to reach out to the gameside nations of TNP and advertise the role as Speaker and deputy a bit like we introduce nations to the executive staff. I hope that will be a way to get more gameside nations involved in TNP through the legislative body. Also once in a while we do have important debates and votes such as the Reject Fascism Bill. The voting wasn't advertised a single time to our gameside nations. I definitely think there's room for improvement there.

I agree that many nations that are largely present gameside have little knowledge of the Regional Assembly or the Speaker, but do you believe introducing them to the Regional Assembly would get them more interested?

A big portion of the idea of reaching out to the gameside nations is to get them interested in the legislative body of TNP and find nations that are interested in serving as deputies or get involved in other ways. I can't confirm it will work but I am very confident we'll find interested nations.

The business of the Regional Assembly is quite dry and sporadic in nature, and the reality is there's not much in our laws that need changing. Additionally, it has been a philosophy for the Speaker's office since Madjack's term to focus on performing the fundamental duties of the office well rather than any broader initiatives. Do you consider this part of your platform to be a reversal of that philosophy?

I think the Speaker's office should be more flexible and take on new initiatives and ideas. I do agree that the fundamental issues should always come first and be our main focus. However if time and space appears in the Speaker's office then I think we should take on the initiatives I've listed or other ideas we might get during the term. I don't think they are too big projects either, rather things we could do by the side of performing the main duties. The main duties should of course come first, but I think we'll be able to complete these ideas too. I wouldn't say my platform is going to reverse the philosophy and my intention is not either to reverse that philosophy because I will always value the classic Speaker tasks the most important and not get carried away or obsessed with having to create projects or force myself to bring new ideas to the office to stand out.