(07-06-2018, 04:44 PM)Tsunamy Wrote: In regard to the above, how do you square the fact of "voting early" with the fact that you might very well be going against the region's wishes?

I don't really think I would be. While I'm definitely interested in gaining regional opinion, and will speak about it a bit more in the next part of my answer, it's been pretty consistently proven throughout NS that individual WA nations largely will just vote for whatever option is already winning in the WA vote. The TSP regional breakdown, if untouched by any outreach, would follow that just like any other large region's individual WA breakdown. Waiting a significant period of time before voting would result in simply voting for whatever option is ultimately leading at the time, because the majority of regional WA's would already be voting for that option, having been driven to it by the early vote stacking of the more WA-involved GCR regions and High-Endorsement UCR regions. This would result in TSP ending up following the pack, rather than leading it, and I'd really like to continue on the groundwork that's been laid down in regards to us leading the pack. TSP is now strong enough to lead rather than simply follow others. Our WA count is high, we have strong alliances, and I emphatically believe that now is the time to really solidify our position as a leader in NS.
 

(07-06-2018, 04:44 PM)Tsunamy Wrote: Moreover, if you intend to lead rather than follow the majority of the region, what types of WA proposals are you going to support? Would you be willing to provide a list? While I think this is an interesting proposal, it's rather different than most delegates in TSP has handled it and actually has ramifications to change in-game nations and (as such) we need to get a little more pointed in what "TSP" will be supporting.

While I consider myself an expert on the SC, holding x4 authorship badges and having been put in charge of maintaining the Passed Resolutions thread in the SC Forum, and am pretty read up on the General Assembly, I certainly don't want to be a one-man show dictating our WA direction. In regards to the Security Council, as that is ultimately the one more tied to our GP-based Endeavors, I would look to communicate with the Cabinet regarding preferences for voting direction. Much of the SC has become politicized by Gameplay, and I would thus look to use that voting to drive our overall Foreign Affairs and Military Affairs agenda. In past terms, we've already engaged in early vote-stacking on a number of SC proposals, so this wouldn't be too far from the already-established norm for that body. Regarding the General Assembly, it's far more split by political ideology rather than GP factionalism, so the situation becomes more complicated.
Ultimately, for the GA, I would similarly consult with the Cabinet to see if there are any plans to coordinate with like-minded allies or anything else of that sort. In addition, something I would really like to create that would be an early term priority would be a sort of WA Advisory Council. We have a lot of people passionate about the World Assembly, and I would look to get them all together so we can work more closely on figuring out the direction to take for proposals. As proposals usually linger at least a day or two in the queue before going to vote, there would be time to both discuss and draft opinions and set an overall voting strategy. In addition, I plan to regularly engage with the RMB about WA proposals and votes, to see people's opinions on them and hear what our more WA-interested individuals think. I believe that such a body would also really effectively mesh with Vietnam's S.W.A.N program for TSP WA Development, an initiative I'm really passionate about promoting and pursuing.

I don't think I can come up with a list of proposals I'd support per se, as I believe proposals should be judged case-by-case on their individual merits. However, I think my main driving code on proposal quality is based on how well it's written, if it's targeting an actually deserving nominee (in the case of the SC), and if it's not filled with exploitable loopholes (in the case of the GA). We unfortunately play in a time where you can effectively get any proposal to vote if you spend enough stamps, so high-quality proposals are a big desire of mine. However, one thing I can assure is that I would not make the vote my own personal soapbox. I strongly believe that by keeping close consultation with the Cabinet and with this Advisory Council, we will be able to devise the most optimal direction to lodge our vote in, and that this will ultimately be a team effort.

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Thanks so much for the questions, Tsu! I thought they were really important ones to ask, and I was seriously thankful for the opportunity to be able to think further on that subject, and for the opportunity to further flesh out and describe my ideas and plans in relations to our WA direction.