There are uncontested elections because there is no one here that wants to run for those positions. Let’s just be honest about it. No matter how good a job any Minister has done in the past there has almost always been some kind of contest. Let’s just tell the truth, TSP has stagnated, there aren’t enough newcomers getting involved in the region. You can try and deny that by pointing to one or two newcomers that have really gotten involved in the region, but overall we aren’t attractive enough for people to get involved. Either people are moving to other regions or are just leaving altogether.
2014 was our golden year. We had Cabinet’s that kept pushing the region along with strong Delegates who were very active and culturally engaged. We were mainly a cultural region, but we still had a good enough political side and an alright military. We could appeal to all and always be a fun place to be.
Then we went through a period of negativity and toxicity. I contributed to that toxicity and I fucking hate myself for it. I struggle to read almost all of my old comments without feeling embarrassed or guilty. Most of our older members started to give up on the region then I feel. The negativity affected them and they didn’t feel like getting involved as they used to. That was when our newcomers suffered as they failed to receive proper guidance and so at that point few could reach their true capacity.
Hile’s coup affected things, most likely for the better as at least for a short time we had some real activity. Since then apart from the odd promising newcomer, the region has stagnated. We aren’t anywhere near the activity we once were and I can’t see things improving the way we are going.
Moving yet more and more power to the RMB is not helping things. When we look back at when we were most active we had a strong and active forum as well as an active RMB. The forums were where you could have more serious conversation, and duller thing like planning, legislating, serious discussions and things like that. The RMB was a place to have quick funny conversations and play some silly RMB games like hangman, or make jokes, or draw pictures using icons. They balanced each other out.
For TSP to grow again, it won’t be easy. It will require all of us. For starters we have to accept that we have stagnated and that we are in a worst place today than we were 2-3 years ago. There is no point in denying that fact otherwise we will stay like this.
Second we need to decide what kind of region we are. The most active regions focus on one area in particular. Some cultural, others politics. Some are very specific and focus on roleplaying for example or might focus on UK political systems. To decide that I’d say we’d need a regional survey and ask detailed questions and see what kind of region we should focus on being - at least in the short term. Once we have secured our base then we can start to branch out into other areas.
Then once we find out what kind of region we want to be, we need to focus on it like hell. Concentrating almost all our efforts on that part. We need to make the region attractive for newcomers and then the region will start to grow again.
TSP is in such a place that we can only go up. Right now it’s going to be really hard to get started but we can do it. We’ve done it before and we can do it again. This is just my view. No doubt there will be those who disagree and maybe some who agree. But we do need to have a discussion about our future, we need to recognise our problems and start to fix them. We must stop moving the blame like we are right now. Instead of blaming parties for our problems we need to recognise that we as a whole have caused them. We must see the real problems that the region is facing right now and not small issues like parties because if we don’t I can’t see much more of a future for TSP.
Europeian Ambassador to The South Pacific
Former Local Council Member
Former Minister of Regional Affairs
Former High Court Justice
