ELECTION COVERAGE
FEBRUARY 2022 CABINET ELECTION DEBATE SERIES

Senior Editor James Halpert sat down with all candidates running in the February 2022 Cabinet Election to know more about their qualifications, intended policies, and their visions for the coming term.

• Prime Minister
  
  
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
  
  
• Minister of Culture
  

PRIME MINISTER

Opening Remarks

[HumanSanity] Hi all. I'll keep it simple: I'm HumanSanity, I'm your Prime Minister, I'm running for re-election because I think we've had an excellent term and I'd like to stay your Prime Minister. Across the board, we've been experiencing huge growth: Discord activity is increased and consistent, SPSF participation is skyrocketing, we have refined our FA agreements, Media has continued to publish on schedule but still has work to do in terms of quality, Engagement has started an outreach program that will pay inevitable dividends, we have an actual Culture Calendar that people use, and despite three different OWL Directors in my term we finally have developed a workable and streamlined OWL procedure that can be more easily implemented. There's still a lot of work to do in every Ministry -- especially in the area of staff integration -- but I'm ready for the challenge

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Sure! I'll be brief because I need to go get a COVID test shortly.

Hi, I'm WS, I'm running for PM because I want to see a competitive race and I'm here to offer a slightly different flavor of leadership. I would characterize my approach to leadership and specifically the PM's office as that of the ultimate hype man. i lead by giving those around me the tools and direction they need to succeed and making sure everything runs like one well-oiled machine. Despite some struggles with turnover and personnel in my first term as PM, we got a number of long-term projects out the door and set up several other projects which were brought home wonderfully by HS' administration. My biggest goal in this term is to see the same happen, especially in the area of foreign policy.

I'm back, I'm ready, and I'm looking forward to a great election.

The region has experienced 4 months under HumanSanity's leadership. How do you think the South Pacific is now compared to 4 months ago, and what opportunities for improvement should be looked at moving forward?

[HumanSanity] We're better off than we were 4 months ago. In every Ministry, with the possible exception of Media, we've experienced growth and moved ourselves forward as I explained earlier.

The problems we're facing now are how to continue those gains. We need to do more work -- in every single Ministry -- on staff member outreach and integration. We often think of Integration as a whole-of-region issue, i.e. "bring new people into the region", and not as a task-by-task issue, which is the other layer. When new people join the Culture staff, we need to reach out, then follow up, then follow up again to make sure they get set up with tasks that interest them, and be willing to adjust our ongoing plans to help cultivate the interest of eager new staff members. In the past, new staff have wilted on the vine, which is part of why our staffs are so slow right now. Changing that to create a more sustainable base for Ministry growth is priority #1 for my term

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] I will be honest, HS has been every bit the fantastic leader I expected them to be. There has been tremendous progress, especially when it comes to accountability to the people. Despite being their opponent, I have no real criticism of their term or leadership. What I’d like to see more of mainly has to do with specific issues relating to global politics and issues that have arisen recently. That’s stuff that can mostly be compartmentalized into specific ministries, but as a whole I’m very happy with the place TSP is in. The issues relating to some of the domestic ministries (looking at you, Media) are mostly out of the control of anyone here - with the possible exception of the Ministry of Culture. I have some concerns about the Ministry of Culture basically just being the "Ministry of Events" and I'd like to see us think a little more dynamically about what we consider "Culture." Otherwise I'm very happy that TSP has thrived in my time off.

You each seem to have diverging opinions on the role that the Prime Minister (PM) should play within the Cabinet. What role should the PM play, and why is that the case?

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Yeah, I was pretty clear about this in my campaign and it also played out to great success in my term as PM. I am the ultimate hype man. I generally don't try to take center stage, but rather I try to be the glue that keeps this together and gets things out the door. The unified applications was a prime example of this - there were a lot of moving parts between the individual ministries, LegComm, and admin, and I was the person in the middle making sure everyone had what they needed in the form. I basically only appear on the center stage when it's needed. I've found that works best for me and I enjoy giving those who work under me wide authority to pursue the projects they feel are most important.

[HumanSanity] In contrast to W&S, I think the Prime Minister should act like the head of government of the region and direct the Cabinet. Without someone to actively steer and manage the ship, Ministers often can get side tracked, not work together to fit the big picture of regional growth, focus on quantity rather than quality, and things can slip through the cracks and communication get sticky. When you elect me as Prime Minister, you're giving me your trust to deliver on what needs to happen for the region, and I'll be willing to step up, give the directive, follow up with people, etc. to make it happen.

W&S' prior term saw both the strengths and weaknesses of that model of more collaboratively leadership. Sure, W&S was able to steer through the Unified Applications form, but we also saw problems like OWL reform go unresolved for months, Engagement simply grow frustrated or stall out under two different Ministers in one term, or the way conflicting signals coming from the Cabinet allowed political chaos in the Assembly. My term has been devoid of such issues, and that's due to top-down leadership.

There has been some discussion in both campaigns about ensuring that the Ministry of Culture (MoC) does not stick to simply running small-scale events. Would you say the MoC has a role in using events and activities to highlight and promote the unique culture of the region?

[HumanSanity] Yes.

How? I think Culture needs to diversify beyond "here's skribbl", "here's tetris". Those things are good for generating activity but ultimately re-serve the same narrow subset of South Pacificans over and over again, and are inevitably restricted due to time zones. Writing and art contests, role playing, puzzles, forum games, etc. - moreover, longer-term events - can help pique interest more. I wasn't as forceful about this with MoC this past term as I should have been, in part due to recognizing and accepting the gain we had from the previous term's MoC in some areas. Next term, I'll be more hands on with the Minister of Culture, and while my experience in TSP has largely been external, I have the experience in previous regions to back up a strong Culture push: that's been my bread and butter on NS for years.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Yeah, I'm not interested in just seeing the MoC being the "ministry of events" - and it'd be a major priority to take a hard look at diversifying the view of what we consider "culture." I likewise have a lot of experience in various cultural areas - I spent a total of three terms running 10ki's lottery in my time there in addition to running 10ki University for a couple of years. I spearheaded the revival of the Defender Awards in 2017. "Culture" is not just about a game day here and there - it's about our image and the type of atmosphere that players enjoy once they're here. I'm totally in agreement with HS on this one.

Some things that I really enjoyed while in 10ki were conversations on various topics of interest. I led a German language group and there was a lively chess club, as well as a gaming thread that was quite active. That's something we could explore in addition ot the ideas HS mentioned.

Belschaft, the sole candidate for Minister of Culture, is running on a platform of abolishing the ministry. What do you think of this, and how would you work with Belschaft if they were elected?

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] I would not. I've been very up front as to my opposition to the MoM's abolition without a clear path forward. As Belschaft has not presented a plan for the continuation of the various publication's under the MoM's roof, I do not intend to honor or support any plan to abolish the Ministry of Media.

My prerequisite for working with such a destructive and subversive campaign is a continuation plan. I see it as nothing more than glorified trolling and stirring the pot. There are few things that irritate me more. Maybe unwarranted or false accusations.

[HumanSanity] Look, if Belschaft is elected as Minister of Media, I think that's a pretty clear demonstration we should let things stall for a term.

"But HS, that's in contrast to your platform of telling Ministers what to do!"

Yes, but there's a difference between forcing a Minister to do the exact opposite of the platform they were elected to fulfill and asking them to prioritize A over B or trying to have a consistent message about X. If Belschaft wins, it's pretty clear people don't want a Ministry of Media for the next 4 months, and that's a shame but that's what people want. Not to mention, time and energy for other members of the executive (especially the PM) is limited, so the idea of me simply going through and acting as de facto Minister of Media to get around Belschaft's having shut the Ministry down is simply not feasible.

Now, I will say. I'm not voting for Belschaft, and if there's no other candidate I'll be voting to Re-open Nominations. I would encourage basically anyone with a shred of interest to run at this point. I do think Media in TSP can work, I think we have to change some things from how we've been doing them in the past, and I explained (in brief) how and why in my campaign. Media should drive activity and refocus energy on our regional democracy, rather than simply reflect it.

What role do you see for the South Pacific as a defender region moving forward, and for the Partnership for Sovereignty within the region's foreign policy?

[HumanSanity] I see the role of the South Pacific as being one of defending's foremost political, military, and cultural powers. Unlike other defender military powers, we have a wealth of history to our region, standing and powerful treaties, a robust and long-time democracy, and a fully structured government capable of delivering on a variety of fronts and delivering in synergy. The past several terms for the SPSF - under Moon's leadership as well as mine and W&S - have been about harnessing those political/cultural elements to serve the military aspects of defending as well.

As for the Partnership for Sovereignty, I am interested to see the bloc take on a greater cultural role in defending. Right now, we've restricted ourselves to solely WA recommendations, and that's fine and good, but I think we could do more for integration and communication across defender regions and creating a genuine meeting point for our broader strengths as regions to come together.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] In the last year we’ve really started to realize the potential of a feeder as a defender region. We’ve seen the SPSF’s updater numbers grow exponentially from a year ago when I first took the reins as MoD and was essentially solo-carrying the org to now regular being in the top 2 or 3 in updater turnout among all defender orgs. Regarding the PfS, my general dislike of the WA is well known, but I acknowledge the function the PfS serves in representing defender interests within the WA. That said, I do think it is somewhat myopic in its focus on WA recommendations and not being a bridge toward defending as a cultural phenomenon rather than just a military stance. Defending should be pervasive; it should dominate the airwaves and drown out opposition. I view defending as a moral good and something where every opportunity should be seized, because the alternative is inherently undesirable.

Thanks to the leadership of the last three Ministers especially (two of whom are present in this debate), TSP and the SPSF have become one of the most robust and "complete" defender organizations in the game. There's a lot we can do to further that, but we're headed in the right direction.

There have been claims that the Cabinet has used low quality SPIT in official state functions. How would you respond to these claims?

[HumanSanity] Fake news.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] If so, it wasn't the case in my administration. I take my liquor seriously.

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[HumanSanity] Cake

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Pumpkin pie > apple pie > cake > other kinds of pie

[HumanSanity] W&S has good taste within the category of pie.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] :catnod:

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[HumanSanity] W&S, you've said repeatedly that you are a soldier and not a politician. Yet, you're running for Prime Minister, a thoroughly political role. In your previous term, this gap in focus and experience showed. If elected, how will you adjust to rise to the political demands of being Prime Minister - both externally and internally?

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Well, you can't really stand up without falling. My first term at the helm had some fantastic highs as well as some fantastic lows. That is to be expected of anyone new to the "top job" - there are going to be growing pains. Now that I know what works and what doesn't, I expect to be more comfortable calling the shots, even if I prefer a style of leadership that doesn't have me as the face of everything.

My question of you is somewhat related - I was a little confused about your discussion of leadership. while I was PM, I had the impression that most of the Cabinet-level issues and turnover was due to pressures from outside the Cabinet and in one case an issue completely out of the Cabinet's control. Where in my term do you feel that leading from the top would have led to a better outcome?

[HumanSanity] I think leading from the top, as Prime Minister, means stepping up to take control of the Cabinet's public message to the international community and to the Assembly.

Your Cabinet, which I was very much a part of, was subjected to a lot of poking and prodding by the Assembly, and this created a somewhat hostile attitude between the Cabinet and some members of the Assembly.

As frustrating as that at times was for the Cabinet, the Assembly has every right and remit to criticize the Cabinet's job performance, and the role of the Prime Minister is to respond to those issues effectively (pre-emptively if possible), cut off or limit possible further avenues for criticism while maintaining a consistent and strong position, and "shield" Cabinet ministers from taking blows themselves so they can stay focused on their work. In your term, I feel that didn't happen, I think public pressure from the Assembly ended up with inconsistent and poorly coordinated haphazard responses, which made political problems worse rather than being handled with ease. A large part of this is due to the fundamental philosophical disagreement we have about the role of the PM: the PM can only coordinate a public response to potential issues if the PM's philosophy is to step up and lead.

By comparison, in my Cabinet we've had no major political issues with the Assembly, in large part due to proactive and pre-emptive handling of potential problems and firm but clear public handling of issues. I think this was due to my willingness to step up and exhibit whole-of-government leadership.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] See, I think that’s a little disingenuous, not because the Assembly doesn’t have the right to criticize, but because (at least form what I saw) the type of criticism that we had was not the type that a “well-coordinated response”, whatever that means, would solve. I would also add that your administration has not been subjected to such criticism even from the outset;  so it’s really not fair or helpful to compare these things.

I also didn’t have the benefit of years of leadership experience during that term - it was literally my first in such a position. What we did well, we did REALLY well, and I acknowledge there were a couple of things where my inexperience showed. Fortunately, I now have that experience to look back on and improve on.

I definitely made some novice mistakes in the area of communication, and I don’t intend to repeat those, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to characterize it as being a necessary consequence of my leadership or methods.

Contrarily, I think the top-down model is subject to the same type of “old-guard” syndrome that TSP is often critiqued globally for. That’s something I dislike, but I think it’s a legitimate criticism of TSP generally.

Closing Remarks

[HumanSanity] I think my record as PM speaks for itself. We accomplished a lot, there's more to accomplish, my platform lays out the goals for what I want to accomplish.

The biggest distinction in this campaign is what style of leadership you want the Prime Minister to utilize. Do you want a PM that is on top of things before they happen, pre-emptively addressing issues, and willing to give clear direction to the Cabinet to prevent issues before they arise? Or do you want someone who lets the Ministers run the show, which can at times be good for growth and motivation, but often results in chaos and lack of coordination? There's a huge philosophical difference in these campaigns, and my hope is that the Assembly will place its trust in both the idea of a strong Prime Minister and in my personal experience and record.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] So. I agree that this is a fundamental question of leadership. I am the type of leader who leads from within - except now I have the benefit of a term behind me knowing exactly where and how to deploy that. Leadership comes from communication, it comes from a team, and it comes from elevating those around you to where they need to be in order to succeed. Both in TSP and IRL that has made me uniquely suited to solving large-scale problems and actually getting projects out the door. We have too much right now that’s been left sitting in back rooms or as merely a theoretical - I’m here to make sure we make those things a reality and likewise I think my record speaks for itself in that department. I look forward to any questions you might have and I hope I’ll earn your vote for Prime Minister.

Go to Top

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Opening Remarks

[Sandaoguo] I don't have a big opening spiel. You should just read my campaign if you haven't yet. ? The questions and debates are what we're all here for!

[Roavin] Ohai, fellow South Pacificans! I don't have a big opening statement either, except to say that I look forward to this debate with such an esteemed opponent.

You are both seasoned executive officials, having served multiple times in the Cabinet, and having had key roles in forming today's regional foreign policy. Why do you believe you are particularly qualified to be Minister of Foreign Affairs (MoFA over your opponent?

[Roavin] It would be much easier to state my own qualifications for the role, but to compare them to Glen is difficult — it's not without reason that I have always had him serve as an advisor for me in FA matters dating back to 2017 when I was Prime Minister. One specific item that I can note is that I place much more emphasis and importance on our ambassadors (see my essay on The modern South Pacifican Ambassador here -> https://tspforums.xyz/thread-9905.html), because it is these ambassadors that, with proper nurturing, will become the next generation of awesome diplomats and FA Ministers.

[Sandaoguo] We're both highly qualified and when it comes to substance there isn't a lot of space between us. There's a reason why we've worked hand-in-hand for a long time. There's rarely been a time when Roavin has been PM or MoFA where I wasn't there advising him and vice-versa. One area where we do diverge, I think, is that I'm less inclined to keeping things secret and under wraps. Whereas Roavin's default is to keep a treaty negotiation top secret until the final wording is ready to present to an Assembly vote, I think it's okay and probably beneficial to let the region know it's the works. At this point in our foreign policy strategy, there's little reason why people can't know the general outlines of who we're talking with and what we're talking about.

Roavin expressed a hope in their previous campaign that they would be facing an ambassador as opposing candidate, a hope that did not materialise. Do you believe that is simply a case of luck of the draw, or is there something more that should be done to develop talent among the ambassador service?

[Sandaoguo] I'm not really sure how well the ambassador corps is working, I honestly haven't paid much attention to it. I can't speak to whether or not Roavin and our Prime Minister included ambassadors in treaty negotiations this term, either. From my perspective, the ambassador corps is centered around gathering knowledge about an assigned region. That's kind of represented in the focus on updating wiki pages.

To me, the best way to "develop talent" is to have discussions and debates about foreign policy. That's something our region lacks as a whole. Our Media ministry doesn't write engaging content that encourages debate. Our FA ministry doesn't really allow room to debate, because it's unusual for foreign policy issues to be brought to the Assembly without a pre-determined outcome in mind (either a written treaty or a policy that's already locked-in). The knowledge-gathering model of an ambassador is good for some people. But discussing/debating/arguing about FA is probably the better way for us to get new FA ministers in the long run.

[Roavin] I think it's a bit of both! Some people are more drawn to the role than others, but there is certainly more to be done to develop that talent. Better onboarding and guides (as mentioned in my campaign) are still open work items that will not only make ministerial processes easier, but also help to give confidence to prospective Minister candidates, but that's just one piece of the puzzle.

The other piece is, as Glen correctly states, is the discussion and debate surrounding FA matters. In my first MoFA term, we successfully established a bazaar in the ambassador's halls discussing GP matters and such, but that culture unfortunately atrophied in the term between, and while it has gotten better again, it hasn't yet returned in a way I'd like it to. That's absolutely something I want to keep pushing.

We did include ministry staffers in every diplomatic engagement this term, something I will continue doing as it has been, in my estimation, a successful model.

Given recent changes to the region's alliance network, for example the dissolution of the treaty with Conch Kingdom and the signing of an agreement with Balder, how would you articulate your vision for the foreign policy of the region moving forward and the image that it should project?

[Roavin] TSP should, and I argue has, put forward the image of being democratic, defender, and defenders of democracy (in that order). This image also serves as a guiding principle that informs us on how specifically to move forward. At this time, that includes strengthening defender ties where reasonable, be it through bilateral, multilateral, or even informal means, but keeping the olive branch open for others that work and deal with us in good faith and with mutual interest.

[Sandaoguo] The broad strokes of my foreign policy strategy is doubling down on the sure things, and not getting distracted by everything else. We need to deepen the links with our current allies, namely those through the Partnership for Sovereignty. Whether that takes the form of a second military-focused alliance, or more bilateral ones is more up in the air. I do think, though, if there's some new multilateral alliance in the works, we need to make sure it's not competing with PfS, that we're not putting that on the backburner or abandoning it like a grown puppy.

And that's something we need to talk to the Assembly about, because it could represent a major shift in our overall long-term strategy. I don't know anything at all about this teased possible multilateral alliance, but my first instinct is to question how big of a tent we're talking and if that's really in our best strategic interests.

Balder, TNP, CK... these are all distractions. It's okay to work on these things, they need some level of attention. But we need to maintain perspective and focus. TNP's statement wasn't world-shattering. Balder is a curio, it's fun to think about, but it's not central by any measure.

I do agree with Roavin broadly about the importance of democracy and defenderism. We need to be thought leaders on defending. I think we've been tending to follow more than lead, and that includes ceding leadership on things like quorum raiding. It's usually a fear of annoying or angering anybody, which is something I really battled with previous administrations over. If something is just right to do because of our values and our beliefs about defenderism, then we should do it regardless of the short-term costs... because there are likely long-term benefits in holding the line.

How central is the Partnership for Sovereignty to your view of the region's foreign policy, and which steps should be taken to further that view?

[Sandaoguo] It's absolutely central, as much as can be. It would be a mistake if we shifted on that. The PfS is a ready-made framework and network for defender leadership. That doesn't necessarily mean everything must happen under the PfS banner. It's more that PfS is the central alliance we should be drawing from. It's the core. But I think, yeah, it's been neglected. There is hesitancy in PfS shifting to a military focus, though that could just mean a separate treaty for military cooperation. We just need to make sure PfS doesn't die, but instead evolves.

[Roavin] How important a well-oiled WA bloc can be is something that can hardly be understated; we only have to look at WALL in prior years to see it in action. PfS can and in several ways already does exceed what WALL offered during its prime, giving us and our interests a gigantic head start in the Security Council and elsewhere. This becomes even more important when F/S is implemented into the game — by the very nature of the change, our own WA influence will eventually atrophy to just over half of what it is now, and thus our presence as a major voice within PfS becomes even more important.

But in my ideal world, PfS isn't just a "WA thing", but rather a brand which offers a WA block but also a multilateral alliance network for domestic, military, and interregional political matters. If that pipe dream can be achieved through PfS is to be seen (so far the tendency is, unfortunately, that it's not), but the tenets of that vision can still be achieved through other means so long as they don't compete with, but rather complement, what PfS does and stands for.

Recently the North Pacific announced that, while remaining formally Independent, they would focus mostly on defending and working with defender partners. How do you believe the South Pacific should respond to this, if at all?

[Roavin] TNP's alignment shift is not outright defender and very much a manifestation of changing foreign policy interests rather than necessarily a conviction (as it is in our case). So, there will still be times when we are rather at odds, but those will become quite rare under their new policy, and instead we will find ourselves with even more commonalities than we have had in the past 10 years of our alliance.

So, our response should be to greet them and their efforts with open arms, without being unduly overbearing on a valued decade-long partner. A collaborative event with the North Pacific Army and the South Pacific Special Forces is already in the works, and the 10-year anniversary of the Aurora Alliance will certainly include festivities in the summer.

[Sandaoguo] The announcement was overhyped and I think the initial gut response by some in the Cabinet speaks to being a bit too reactive or short term, or I guess.. not skeptical enough? If you read the statement, it's not an adoption of defender ideals or values. The statement is TNP's Delegate saying, "We've ended relationships with so many raiders, our only real option now is to work more with defenders." And the reason TNP-raider relations have so many burnt bridges isn't exactly because of defender values causing issues.

I don't see the TSP-TNP relationship as changed in either direction as a response. The main cleavages still exist. TNP doubled down on quorum raiding. And the long-term problem with TNP that I've argued about before is that their alignment basically changes each election. If what we saw was their legislature adopting defender values as a matter of law, that would be a diplomatic/cultural reset for the game right now. As a Delegate statement? Well, we don't really know what the policy will be with the next Delegate. The same thing was the case early on in TSP's road to becoming defender.

So, I still remain skeptical of the relationship. TNP has to prove itself, and we've given the benefit of the doubt so much already. I don't really have much more benefit in me to give, and I've made that obvious in Assembly and Discord debates. Their quorum raiding policy is a massive roadblock still. While that's their official policy, TNP-defender relations are entirely dependent on TNP not following that policy, because TSP and our allies are all treaty-bound (and, I would hope, values-bound) to actively oppose quorum raids.

A question submitted by HumanSanity:
"Both of you allude to PfS having a military dimension. How, when, where, and under what conditions should defender militaries of PfS (which work together extensively in the status quo!) deploy as PfS and under PfS' banner?"

[Sandaoguo] We should try to convince signatories to evolve PfS into a WA and military alliance. But if that's not workable, then we can hopefully negotiate a separate-but-related PfS military alliance. I think this group of regions is really our best shot, because our other options are with groups that a) we diverge from in important ways in demeanor, commitment to ideology, etc. or b) they will simply suffocate us and command the alliance. PfS's currently signatories are mostly regions that have a history of working together militarily as equals.

[Roavin] I don't think it's strictly needed to have troops deploy as PfS, since I wouldn't see PfS as a military in its own right but rather an association of militaries working together, with PfS as an organization providing logistical support and engagement.

What would you say about a possible bill that would limit the importation of North Pacific Rum in favour of bolstering the production of SPIT?

[Roavin] Having experienced the deliciousness of SPIT irl, I'm in favor of any efforts that boost SPIT in favor of other alcoholic beverages. Sorry, TNP, as good as it is, your basic rum just doesn't cut it.

[Sandaoguo] As a card-carrying dirty neolib, I think tariffs are inefficient and usually backfire. It'll just raise the price of SPIT overall, which is bad for the people. I would support, though, a bill saying you can only it SPIT if it's made with genuine South Pacifican Rum. Otherwise, it's just an Iced Tea Beverage.

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Sandaoguo] Pie, always and forever. Obviously.

[Roavin] Pie, always and forever. Obviously.

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Roavin] Glen, you mentioned earlier that the Ministry of Media doesn't write engaging FA-relevant content. Given our staff of ambassadors and a feed of information from the metaverse, what do you think the FA ministry can do that could help the Media ministry do better in that regard?

[Sandaoguo] I think that ties back into a tendency to be more secretive than necessary within FA itself. I'm not going to say leak things, but like... authorize more things for disclosure. Is it really necessary that every treaty negotiation be classified until the final product is in front of legislatures? Not really, no. I'd probably argue it's never necessary. If people know what's currently happening, they can speculate and debate and argue. But what's the point of doing that after the fact, y'know? People are always way more engaged in foreign policy debates that center around something concrete, instead of just abstract think pieces on defenderism or whatever.

[Roavin] (Fair, though I should note that I have done some of that, most notably with the Balder NAP, and that was inspired by your last MoFA term!)

[Sandaoguo] My question to you is that you mentioned military-via-PfS should be more "an association of militaries working together" with the institutional aspect being "providing logistical support and engagement." Do you think lack of a central image could hurt defender recruitment? I'm thinking back to the FRA and the UDL, and how their success was largely because the liberations and defenses were FRA defenses and UDL liberations.

[Roavin] Recently, we've seen record after record in terms of liberator numbers being smashed, and most of that came from the individual militaries massively canvassing in their own spaces. Given that success, I rather see that as the primary way to get the raw body count needed for liberations these days. This also brings in benefits for defenses, since some nonnegligible percentage of first-time liberators brought in through these canvassing efforts will end up becoming active participants in their home militaries' other efforts (and we've seen that in action with SPSF).

That being said, I don't see that as mutually exclusive. PfS can still offer a central image and can make collective statements reporting on big victories and listing constituent militaries, and that might bring in others that are so inclined. Defending is at its best when it's big-tent.

Closing Remarks

[Sandaoguo] I hope this debate has been useful and enlightening ? I know that there isn't a ton of space between me and Roavin. But we do differ on things and bring different approaches and mindsets to FA. If there are any other questions, or something I've said that you'd like expanded on, please ask in the campaign thread!

[Roavin] Thank you Glen for the debate, and thank you SPINN for hosting. I think it's safe to say that whoever wins, the other will be involved in the ministry as well. If you're unsure which flavor is right for you, please do ask me all questions you have; answering them is not only my favorite part of election season, but also a sign of a healthy democracy.

Go to Top

MINISTER OF CULTURE

Opening Remarks

[Murelia] Hello everyone, good to see you tune in to this debate. In my term as Minister of Culture, I will do my best to have turned the ministry to an active ministry with regular activities for people from all regions at the end of my term. These activities will range from regular, varied and well organized games to interregional events which will make the South Pacific known to a wider public. I will do my best to increase the number of MoC staff, and make sure that new staff knows when and how to participate in the ministry, since I believe this might be unclear for them at times.

[Eshialand] Hello all, it's nice to have you here. In Doge Land's term as Minister of Culture, I saw a lot of things done right, and a lot of things that could be improved upon. I absolutely adored the Culture Calendar being filled out with more weekly activities, but I noticed that, as of late, these activities haven't seen as much participation as they had in the past. This was part of my reasoning for running for this position.

In my term, I intend to both bolster our existing activities and create more opportunities to get South Pacificans involved in community events, both in TSP and alongside other regions.

If elected, this would be your first time in the Cabinet. Why do you believe you are particularly qualified to be Minister of Culture (MoC)?

[Eshialand] While my tenure in the MoC may be brief, I'm quite used to running events and activities outside of NationStates. Alongside that, I'm quite good at identifying problems and figuring out how to solve them, as well as knowing what people want and what they may not know they want.

I may not be the most qualified candidate in terms of TSP government activity, but despite that, I'm more than capable of handling the job.

[Murelia] While not that similair, I think my earlier term as Local Councillor helped understanding our regional government better. I also think having helped in the two events that I was invited to in the seven months that I have been in the ministry has helped me understand better how interregional events work, as well as how they have to be prepared.

Given the office for which you are running, how would you describe the culture of the South Pacific, and what would you do to promote and highlight that culture?

[Murelia] Of course I am biased for this being my own region, but I believe that the South Pacific is active and welcoming. I believe this can be shown well by hosting interregional events with other regions.

[Eshialand] The thing that's always struck me about TSP is how friendly the people are. Whether you've just hopped into the RMB for the first time or you're a regular messing around in a Discord VC, TSP's community is quite unlike anything else. To promote this welcoming community, we should focus on holding more, larger events, to bring TSP together. Not only that, but I agree that we can showcase our community to the world by working with the MoFA on more inter-regional events.

You both suggest in your campaigns that the Events Calendar has an awareness and/or participation issue. What role do you see for the Events Calendar, if any, within your vision for regional cultural development?

[Eshialand] I've always been a big supporter of elevating the status of the Events Calendar in TSP. From what I've noticed, activity in our weekly events dipped when we stopped being able to use everyone pings here in the Discord, what with the new Reaction Roles system. However, there are things we can do to help with that. The esteemed incumbent, MoC Doge Land, experimented with letting people know about our events on the RMB; I would go with a different approach.

First, we should make sure people know about the Games and Events ping role. Looking at the reactions, only 33 people have the role, and I can imagine that a lot of new users simply don't notice it when they join. While increasing awareness of the role, perhaps through reminding people about it when the monthly Culture Calendar is released, is one way of boosting activity, there's another as well.

Last Skribbl.io Tuesday saw near-record engagement! In a game that normally only sees 2 or 3 people in it, we were able to have 6 or 7 concurrently! As it turns out, Nakari had been talking about the game in lampshade-bar and gotten people who had been reading that chat to join in. This sort of informal promotion was exactly the sort of thing we needed, no pings required. Getting people to talk about the games can improve and has improved engagement.

[Murelia] To increase activity, I would like to make games available to more time zones by seeing if there is a different time possible for when the games can be hosted. I would also like to announce the events at the start of the day so people know about the event beforehand and not when it is already starting. Lastly, I would like to post the culture calendar in announcements when no more edits are made.

Murelia mentions in their campaign a desire to engage with the roleplay community, while Eshialand does not mention it at all. What role do you think the MoC should play vis-à-vis the roleplay community?

[Murelia] While roleplay is a big part of MoC, finding a good way to incorporate the roleplay community with MoC is quite hard. Like I mentioned in my campaign, I believe the best way to achieve this is by announcing events in their Discord group, not only for them to participate, but also to help in the event. I believe roleplayers can have good ideas on how to improve events, and I also believe they might get interested in joining the ministry when they help in events. Altogether, I believe more roleplayers in MoC would benefit the ministry.

[Eshialand] I'm going to be very real with everyone here; I didn't mention RP in my campaign because I am not a part of TSP's roleplay community. While I love roleplaying as a whole, I haven't integrated with TSP's RP.

Part of this problem, at least for me, has been this separation, this disconnect between the main TSP Community and the Roleplay community. As I can imagine you're all aware, each Ministry used to have their own separate Discord server; these got merged, and people felt more connected to our ministries as a result. The TSP RP server never got merged, and it feels like its own separate planet.

I'm not saying that a merge is necessary. Absolutely not. However, it does have to be said that the RP community is its own separate beast compared to the one that can be found here on TSP's larger, more centralized server. We need to keep roleplayers' interests in mind; I myself am a roleplayer at heart (though I'm not in TSP's RP, I am involved in NS Forum RP), and I, as MoC, will work to make sure that TSP RP stays vibrant and welcomed.

How well do you think the ministry has been doing in terms of recruiting and retaining talent, and what would you do in that respect if elected?

[Eshialand] Honestly, I feel like the Ministry could be doing a bit better at retaining talent. The Ministry of Culture has (although I don't have the exact number at hand) around 25 members as of right now, but the Ministry's channels really don't feel like 25 people working in a GCR Cabinet Ministry. They feel a lot more desolate than that, and that's a sign that we could be doing a lot better at retaining talent.

When I started out in the Ministry the first time (this would be around... May? June? I don't remember the exact date), I felt like there wasn't much for me to do. I felt like a small fish in a big pond, a small voice that didn't have an important opinion. The second time I joined, MoC Doge Land gave me the opportunity to start working with the ministry almost from Day 1; it was a small project, just hosting Skribbl.io Tuesday every week, but it made me feel important.

With more events and larger events, such as those I have campaigned for, we will need more people running them. Giving newer members of the Ministry the opportunity to help out will help them feel more welcome in the MoC, and hopefully have them stick around and stay active. Also, we can give newer members a voice, a say in what goes on. A little bit of listening can go a long way, and hearing every voice in the Ministry really does matter when our job is to engage everyone here and get them involved in the region.

[Murelia] I believe we let a lot of chances for recruitment slip. I think that every time there is an event or game, it would be a good idea to tell people to join MoC if they want to help with hosting or creating these events in the announcement for the event or game, so interested people know where to look. And like I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, I would also like to do this with the roleplay community of the South Pacific. That aside, I would like to work with the Prime Minister to see if more ways can be found to increase our number of staff members. Overall, I will do my best to encourage more people join the Ministry of Culture.

We know that the Ministry of Culture is responsible for maintaining the Regional History Museum. How would you respond to concerns that the museum might be underfunded and that its lampshade collection is poorly kept?

[Murelia] That is scandalous, there should be more funds put into dusting off and maintaining our lampshades.

[Eshialand] We'll just have to tax the rich! The 1% have more than enough money to fund the Museum for years to come!

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Murelia] I must admit that the idea of some pies has interested me, but apple pie is disgusting so I prefer cake.

[Eshialand] A good cake is better than a bad pie and a good pie is better than a bad cake. If it's good, it's good.

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Eshialand] My question for Murelia: in the declarations thread, you received a nomination for Cabinet... but that was for the Ministry of Media, not Culture. What, if anything, made you choose Culture over Media?

[Murelia] Since the Ministry of Media takes a lot of time which I usually do not have. I won't resign yet though, since I am still thinking about the idea of staying. If I did have the time to stay though, I would still prefer the Ministry of Culture. I enjoyed helping in organizing events and hosting games in them, so the idea of creating new events interests me most about the ministry.

I have a question for you as well. Do you have any ideas for new events or games?

[Eshialand] In my campaign thread, I mentioned that one idea I had was for regional movie nights. Similar to XKI and TRR, we could have someone (unfortunately, it can't be me) stream movies into a Discord VC for our region to watch together. I've seen how people have responded to it in those regions, as well as in inter-regional events such as Harry Potter and the Festival of Friends, and I think it could go really well here, providing a bit of variety in our otherwise very game-centric events.

As for other ideas, I would, as MoC, love to solicit ideas from the Ministry as to what we could do. As I've said before, the Ministry of Culture is all about keeping people connected and entertained, so it would be wise to listen to our members as to what would entertain them and the region as a whole.

Closing Remarks

[Murelia] Thank you SPINN for hosting this debate, and Eshialand for participating. I hope that you like the plans and ideas I have presented, and I really hope to use them in the case that I am elected. I can't wait until the election happens, and when it does, I hope to see your vote, whether it would be for me or for Eshialand.

[Eshialand] Many thanks to SPINN for making this debate possible, and to Murelia for being such a great opponent in this campaign. I know it may have taken me a lot longer than it should've to type out these textwalls, but I have a lot of things to say, and, if I'm elected, those will translate into a lot of things I can do for the region. No matter what, I hope all legislators exercise their right to vote in this election, and that the best candidate, whether that be me or Murelia, wins.

Go to Top

---

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is not affiliated with the Government of the South Pacific, and any opinions expressed in its publications are those of its authors or the individuals quoted in them unless otherwise stated.

(This post was last modified: 02-06-2022, 09:52 PM by South Pacific Independent News Network.)

Reply

ELECTION COVERAGE
FEBRUARY 2022 CABINET ELECTION DEBATE SERIES

Senior Editor James Halpert sat down with all candidates running in the February 2022 Cabinet Election to know more about their qualifications, intended policies, and their visions for the coming term.

• Minister of Engagement
  
  
• Minister of Media
  
  
• Minister of Defence
  

MINISTER OF ENGAGEMENT

Opening Remarks

[Jebediah] Not much to say other than what's already in my campaign - although I will add that I have added a bit of stuff since I posted it, mostly a TLDR.
also hi! I'm Jeb!

[Purple Hyacinth] Hi everyone! I'm committed to continuing to focus on sustainability within the Ministry. If you want more details than that, go look at my campaign :p

You are either relatively new to the Cabinet or, if elected, you'd be entirely new to it. Why do you believe you are particularly qualified to be Minister of Engagement (MoE)?

[Jebediah] I haven't been the minister of it before, but I have led the direct predecessor to the Ministry, the Department of Integration, which held all the projects of the current Ministry minus graphics. I think that I am pretty qualified to the job because of that - the only new parts will be handling the more public position through reports and such.

[Purple Hyacinth] I have been MoE for two months now, which has given me some experience. While I may not have achieved everything I was hoping for, I was still able to effectively manage and push out several tasks and projects throughout the term. I was also an active member of MoE during the few months after its initial creation, so I'm familiar with how the Ministry functions. I've also had experience with managing things from when I was Chair and managed the projects that my Deputy Chairs were in charge of.

The MoE seems to have a role in various activities such as promoting regional initiatives, collecting cards, drafting dispatches, and building a wiki. If you had to explain it to a newcomer, how would you describe the role and importance of the MoE within the region?

[Purple Hyacinth] The MoE sort of has a few mandates that are separate but sometimes overlap: it's responsible for maintaining informational infrastructure such as dispatches and the wiki, getting new players involved in the region, maintaining scripted infrastructure like SWAN, and helping to promote other parts of government like helping the Delegate gain endorsements. In short, the MoE sort of works in the background to help keep the various gears of the region well-oiled.

[Jebediah] I've always considered the MoE as an extremely important public service organisation - to the Ministries and to people within TSP at large. Graphics, writing, wiki, and recruitment and promotions are all things that we are doing for others to so they can focus on their unique jobs while leaving the stuff we specialise in to us, whether that be graphics through our group of artists or displaying information in the wiki and dispatch projects. This is why I'm focusing on collaborating with other ministries and making an easy foundation for editors to get into the wiki, among other things.

Recently the 'Dispatch Team' transitioned into a 'Writing Team'. What active role do you see for it within the coming term, if any, aside from writing for other government offices when needed?

[Jebediah] My priorities with the writing team would be to focus on writing or editing government messages, such as the recent delegate nations not endorsing post. The idea is that others in the government can offload some of their more tedious writing tasks to us - in order words, a public service for all parts of the government. Whenever that's not possible, I'd focus on looking over the dispatch project and seeing if we can simplify and condense it slightly (or just make it easier to navigate and read) and then if that's done write for the wiki.

[Purple Hyacinth] I mentioned in my campaign a couple of things I'd like to do that fall under the writing team: 1) working with Penguin on a new welcome telegram, and 2) reworking the welcome dispatches to make them more accessible for newcomers. Both of these projects would require significant collaboration, but if done well, could really help with retainment of new nations.

One of the ministry's responsibilities is overseeing citizen recruitment and integration. How would you assess the effectiveness of existing welcome guides and the management of the unified application form in ensuring that citizens get involved in the region?

[Purple Hyacinth] Primarily I would ask MoE staff to give input on those areas to see what can get fixed. If possible, they should be as concise as possible and engaging, giving just enough information that someone new can get an idea of what's going on and get interested. I don't think that a survey of a larger population would be particularly useful because we need specific feedback. I may approach some newer players who've gotten involved in our region and ask them to give detailed feedback, which would be useful because they are still almost new players.

[Jebediah] Past simply making sure the welcome guide is condensed and up to date, I want to advertise potential posts and things to do more directly - for example through advertisements and infographics made by the graphics team and/or directly promoting the things each ministry has done rather than its goals. Both of these are much more eye catchy than what we have currently, and I think that's a good thing. Other than that personal idea of mine, I will make sure to involve other ministries and their staff members in deciding how they want to best advertise themselves to members.

What role do you see for the ministry in terms of promoting citizen involvement in other ministries and government institutions? If any, what results would you hope to see by the end of the coming term?

[Jebediah] I think that's mostly what I stated in the previous question, but as for the latter part, I want to make sure that each ministry and government institution has a clearly accessible (preferably as little clicks away from the WFE, and also shown in a condensed form in TGs every now and again) advertisement for itself detailing their successes, their activities, and what they want out of potential applicants. Whether or not citizens can get involved without needing to join the ministry/institution is up to them, but I do encourage it for some activities.

Activities that don't require someone to stay in the team for a long time, that is

[Purple Hyacinth] I think that the MoE should be involved in promoting other ministries, especially when integrating new players. Currently, this promotion is happening in the outreach program, where we advertise the unified application form to new players, in an attempt to get them to apply for legislatorship or a ministry. With my planned expansion of the outreach program to include gameside, I hope that the MoE is able to get at least a few of the people we contact to apply for a ministry or legislatorship.

Recently there have been complaints from newly accepted legislators who did not receive their complimentary lampshades. What steps, if any, would you take to address these incidents?

[Purple Hyacinth] What an outlandish claim! The great region of TSP would never fail to provide basic human needs such as a lampshade. TSP has so many lampshades to offer to people that I even have my stash of... uh... quite a few!! Don't ask how I got them ?

[Jebediah] This is clearly an attempt at insurance fraud by these greedy monsters. The lampshade program cannot fail - it's preposterous to think otherwise!
[meanwhile, at the office]: dave goddamn it we need to be less obvious with the embezzlement

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Purple Hyacinth] Ice cream > pie > cake

[Jebediah] CAEK FOREVER! (disclaimer: I am not a spy from those other GCRs.)

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Purple Hyacinth] How much work and what kind of work will be done by other staffers versus being done by you?

[Jebediah] I do think that as minister I am responsible for guiding the general direction of the other staff, but at the same time I only want to ensure that two things are done:
- Each project has a stable foundation for new people to join and contribute and know what to do (one of my reasons for focusing on the wiki on my campaign is it doesn't have this in the campaign)
- Requests from other ministries are being met.
Other than these two, the staff of each department and project can really do as they wish, as long as they're actually working on something. Once each department is stable and meeting those requirements, I will help out with each project as they need it.
I am opposed to completely leaving everything to the department, because that way projects can sometimes tend to get off focus and/or miss important parts.
As a corollary to this, however, I am perfectly willing to go along with anything the PM requires, even if that means I have to go off what I'd like to do. We are a service, and we need to ensure that we are fulfilling what the government requires of us.

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Jebediah] Inside W&S's PM campaign, they mention you by name and say that they hope to work with you later. Do you support the policies of that PM candidate and how they want to run the cabinet?

[Purple Hyacinth] Yes, I do support WS's policies (and HS's policies too, for that matter). I've seen them be a competent PM before, and while WS's and HS's philosophies on the role of the PM is different, ultimately I don't have a strong preference. I would be happy to work with either, as they are both great PMs.

[Jebediah] I'd agree with that - I'd be happy to work under either, though I think from the way we've presented our campaigns that we each lean towards opposite PMs. That's just my opinion though.

Closing Remarks

[Purple Hyacinth] I don't really have much to say. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this debate, and if you have any questions about my platform, please feel free to ask me!

[Jebediah] I'd like to thank Hyacinth for this excellent debate - I've personally greatly enjoyed it. I'd also like to thank everyone who takes the time to read all of this, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about my platform in discord or in the forum campaign.

Go to Top

MINISTER OF MEDIA

Opening Remarks

[Wizard Ferret] I commented in my campaign on the relative inactivity of TRT and NST which have, I think it’s fair to say, been the bastions of NS interregional news for at least the past couple years. In my opinion this presents the perfect opportunity for TSJ under the Ministry of Media to become the premier publication in NS. I recognize and appreciate that the Ministry can only be successful with a dedicated person at the helm and I’ll go so far as to agree with Belschaft and Glen’s comments that without that person the Ministry doesn’t really need to exist. However I believe I can be that person for the Ministry and take advantage of the gap in NS publication currently presented.

[Belschaft] Hello everyone. I think - in a possible moment of narcissism - that I am a candidate who needs no introduction. I've been around in TSP for long enough that you all know that I say what I mean and do what I say. When the Ministry of Media was created I was one of a number of people who thought it was a mistake, and I believe the last twelve months have proven me correct. The Ministries of Engagement, Culture, Defence and Foreign Affairs all serve clear and useful purposes. They all do things which only the government can and should do. This is not true for the Ministry of Media. It serves no useful purpose, does nothing which individual players can't do better, and most of the time barely does anything at all. The experiment has gone on too long already. We should end it and abolish the Ministry of Media. If you vote for me I'll do just that.

If elected you would either be entirely new to the Cabinet or this would be your first time in it in nearly a decade. Why do you believe you are particularly qualified to be Minister of Media or, more generally, to serve in the Cabinet?

[Belschaft] I think my qualifications for serving in Cabinet are clear - I've previously served in practically every single job our government has and did most of them well. It's been a long time since I've been in the Cabinet itself, but I serve in the judiciary currently and have for the last few years. However, I don't really think my qualifications really matter as I have no desire to be part of the Cabinet. My sole objective here is to improve the region in one single and specific way and then go back to my armchair.

[Wizard Ferret] It has always been my opinion since joining NS in 2019 that “qualifications” for positions in government are slightly over emphasized. Positions like PM, MoFA or MoD it certainly applies, these positions require much more in depth knowledge of the political landscape and technical gameplay than others. When it comes to a role like the MoM there aren’t these kind of barriers. Roles like this should be predicated on ability to be active, to do the job you were elected to do. With that in mind I don’t think my lack of cabinet experience in TSP is an issue as I'm confident in my ability to be active and achieve the goals I've stated in my campaign. Besides that, while I haven't served in TSP I have served in the cabinet of our allied region UDS as well as Delegate there, so the responsibility inherent to the position won't be entirely new to me.

Belschaft is running on abolishing the ministry, and Wizard Ferret is running on developing it. In a succinct manner, how would you make a case to the average voter on why your position is the most convenient for the region?

[Wizard Ferret] I think this actually ties nicely into the point I raised in my introductory comment, that NS' typical interregional news sources are at a downswing. If NST especially was publishing to the levels of say 2020 maybe I would not be so confident in pushing for the continued existence of the Ministry. However absent competitors for the role it is my understanding the Ministry was created to fill, the Ministry can potentially provide great benefit to the region. As a GCR more eyes than normal are on us to begin with, but with an active TSJ filling the space as the premier news publication I think the region can benefit from that extra attention. Even if that doesnt materialize my plans to incorporate content geared toward not typically included sections of TSP such as the onsite community and the roleplay will benefit the region by bringing us all into the one community we are instead of the separate ones NS regions have the tendency to become.

[Belschaft] I wouldn't necessarily say that my position is more convenient, but I think it's more realistic and more honest. We've had a revolving door of Ministers of Media, each one of whom has made very similar promises but every single time we have seen similar failures. The problems of the Ministry of Media are structural and fundamental, and no change of leadership will fix them. Running a news service in NS is incredibly time consuming, requires a fairly specific skill set, and most importantly a huge amount of passion and dedication. If there was someone in TSP who met the criteria then they would have already started their own news service instead of waiting for an election.

Guess what? They did just that. We're being interviewed by them.

You cannot elect your way to a viable news service. We should stop pretending we can and accept reality.

While acknowledging that anyone can produce the content that they wish, what kind of content (e.g. factual articles, interviews, opinion columns, panel discussions, etc.) would you most like to see the region, be it through a state-owned or private initiative, produce?

[Belschaft] I've always found analysis and opinion pieces to be the most interesting kind of news content in NS. You can find out what is happening in the game at large and in TSP by reading the forums, but that won't tell you what people think. Interviews can also be good for the same reason, but quite often end up being bland and inoffensive puff-pieces. You need a journalist who is prepared to ask real questions on serious subjects, not softball inquiries about whether or not people prefer cake or pie.

[Wizard Ferret] The most important part of any NS community is the activity and engagement of it. Given that almost everything a government does should be dedicated to encouraging both. I know the question was about general preference of types of content but in the context of the MoM the focus should on generating that which engages the community. Both in debate for the active player base we have and involvement for those groups currently on the outside. In a roundabout way coming to the answer of the question this means the region, whether the MoM survives this election or through private publication, would be best served by a combination of news reporting (mainly for those not involved that can increase interest) and opinion work (to engage debate in region).

What steps should be taken, either by the ministry or by private individuals, to promote a journalistic culture in the region? Would you take any such steps, either as minister or as a private citizen?

[Wizard Ferret] Promoting a journalistic culture is no doubt difficult, after all I don't believe that you can really inspire someone to write about NS unless they enjoy writing already. Increasing content contributions is really about finding those people, not transforming people not naturally disposed to it into writers. That said the best way to do so is to ensure the routine release of content that does what I mentioned above, convinces the unengaged to involve themselves and sparks debate amongst the engaged. If content that does that is published with enough frequency I believe you'll find more independent journalistic impulses in region as a way of engaging in that fostered debate.

[Belschaft] So, I'm not sure if this is allowed but I'd like to turn that question back around on you James. As the only person here who's run a successful news service - my time as SPINN Editor wasn't very effective - you know better than anyone else in TSP what is required to make a success of journalism in NS and what the regional government could do to promote a more effective journalistic culture.

You're certainly doing the job far more effectively than any Minister of Media ever has.

I'm sure that could be argued both ways, since SPINN has had a certain degree of struggle in producing content outside election season.

[Belschaft] True, but the content it does produce is always of a high quality - a much higher quality of journalism we've seen in TSP than any time other than when Kris was Minister of Regional Affairs.

I think the fact that what you do most is what you do best - elections coverage -  is proof of the importance of passion in NS journalism.

You do that so well because you have a real passion for it and don't see it as a job.

I'd also argue it's telling that our regions most successful journalist has no desire to be Minister of Media. I think you know that it would simply get in the way of you being able to do what you are passionate about.

There have long been claims that the Ministry of Media Building contains Vault 263, which allegedly has, among other things, a highly damning investigative report on lampshade and SPIT smuggling mafias. If elected, would you commit to releasing the contents of Vault 263?

[Belschaft] Give me one second, let me spin the wheel of subversion before I answer.



I think it's essential that we get to the bottom of these claims, and I'd encourage every SPIT loving nation in TSP to send Telegrams to the Delegate until they launch an investigation.

[Wizard Ferret] I want to assure everyone I'm confident a government ministry would never hide content that would put the government at risk and anyone who says otherwise hates democracy

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Wizard Ferret] As you become more mature you realize the answer is most certainly pie

[Belschaft] I am in the minority of TSP who prefers cake.

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Wizard Ferret] One of the main points you have for the abolishment of the ministry is that individuals are able to release their own content whenever they want. They are currently able to do so now, yet there hasn’t to my knowledge been any such releases. If the Ministry did not exist it would seem TSP would have no as our debate moderator put it “journalistic culture”. The question then is why do you think there is no independent content releases currently? And would the region not be worse off without the releases (minimal as they may be) that the Ministry provides by virtue of its Charter mission?

I apologize its two questions

[Belschaft] To be quite frank the content produced over the last four months by the Ministry of Media has been infrequent and poor quality. It's the kind of thing you get when people see journalism as a chore to do or a box to tick, rather than something they are really passionate about. I don't think it added any real value to the region and we wouldn't have been any worse off without it.

As to why - other than SPINN - there is little journalism or news content being produced in TSP, the reason for that is simple; there is only one player in the region currently with the passion for it. It's a small and niche part of NS and we're lucky to have someone who finds joy in it.

So, as you asked two questions I'll also ask two questions.

[Wizard Ferret] Fair enough

[Belschaft] My first is this; if our objective here is to generate interesting and engaging news content wouldn't the time you've spent running for Minister of Media and writing all 2,500 words of your campaign been better spent doing that? Nothing is stopping you or any other player from writing an opinion piece or interviewing another player whenever you want.

And my second, connected, question is the same one I've asked every other candidate for this office; why is it that you've only developed an interest and desire to run a newspaper when there was a Cabinet post going? Nothing stopped you before but prior to a few days ago you'd never shown any interest or desire in this part of NS.

[Wizard Ferret] First: Campaigns are probably the most interesting thing that happens on NS, most of the current news coverage as you and our moderator pointed out is centred on them. Therefore I think my campaign, while not officially released news coverage contributes to generating interest and engagement in the region. After all at the very least this debate results from it. What draws me to the MoM is not the pure production of news content but increasing activity in the region through the content released, I think the campaign does that.

Second: I returned to NS in the middle of January and since my previous time in NS was spent in the UDS I took the two weeks to familiarize myself with a new region and get involved with SPSF. The interest in a newspaper also predates the cabinet election as I've spent my off time writing a long analysis piece for the UDS comparing the region between my time in it before and what I've seen since, I hope the UDS newspaper I wrote it for will release it shortly as I bbcoded it before sending it in. I know the question links to comments about how the MoM is used as a resume bullet point more than anything and I hope the campaign effort and some of the responses dispels that notion at least partially.

Closing Remarks

[Belschaft] I'd like to thank both yourself and Wizard Ferret for your time this evening, and wish them the best of luck when the polls open. I sincerely hope that I don't find myself in this same place in another four months debating yet another would-be-MoM who is insisting that this time it will be different.

[Wizard Ferret] Of course I'd like to thank SPINN and Belschaft for the debate. I'll also add I definitely appreciate the measured reasoning that motivates Belschaft's campaign to abolish the MoM. I won't concede that I think the MoM should be abolished but I definitely agree the case can be made and its been made well.

Go to Top

MINISTER OF DEFENCE

Opening Remarks

[Moon] Nope, don't got much to say here. I believe that I've laid out what I wish to achieve in my campaign in a clear and concise manner and would encourage everyone to read it ^_^

You are running unopposed for Minister of Defence (MoD). What would you say to any voters that might be considering voting to re-open nominations?

[Moon] I think my work over the previous two months speaks for itself here. While there are areas I believe I can improve upon (i.e Tidal Force, public perception et al.), I plan to focus on those areas more (as I've said so and laid out an outline of what I plan to do regarding those in my campaign) and continue to lead the SPSF through this era of unprecedented successes we're experiencing as one of the leading militaries in NationStates.

In a similar line, you are running unopposed despite the rise in participation within the Special Forces. What do you think could be done to ensure that future elections are more competitive?

[Moon] I think it's more of the timing that's an issue rather than any possible apathy to lead the SPSF. The SPSF experienced a bit of an exodus in terms of active updaters/officers and we kinda fell inactive for a while, despite managing to pull impressive numbers for liberations and other major operations on a consistent basis. But we've overcame that and we now have some really exciting talent in our ranks, including Domais, Pronoun, Wizard Ferret, Venatrix and more. It's just that most of them have started R/D recently and don't have enough experience to lead the SPSF right now. I hold no doubt that we're definitely going to have more people contesting for the MoD election in the near future, just that this election happens to be a bit of a special case.

You mention in your campaign a desire to continue building the Tidal Force. What steps would you take to increase its numbers and ensure that its members remain motivated and ready to participate when called to action?

[Moon] I actually answered that regarding the first part here https://tspforums.xyz/thread-10201-post-...#pid227158

Regarding actually retaining those members, we've thrown around the idea of bringing back Tidal Force as a off-update force that does detags, supports and drive-bys on a regular basis to keep them engaged and motivated for any major operations that we need them for behind the scenes. While I've expressed my skepticism for a previous model of this idea due to how infeasible it might be due to the current landscape of R/D and how I believe that it copies another org, it's something that we might pursue further to retain people's interest in Tidal Force.

Recently the Special Forces held some wargames with the Grey Wardens, in keeping with a promise from your previous campaign. What lessons have your learned from that experience both for their intrinsic experience value and as a template for future events?

[Moon] I think the best lesson I've personally learned that HumanSanity is a nerd and should never be entrusted to come up with names ?

On a much more serious note, I think the wargames with TGW was a pretty educational experience for everyone involved. It allowed some of our officers in training to run liberation simulations as to prepare them for the real thing, helped to shake the rust of some of our senior officers' skillset (I personally learned some new stuffs about triggering that I didn't know before), gave our updaters a chance to hone their abilities in a relaxing environment and bonded with a military organization that we've worked with very closely over the last six years.

It also helped to impart some really valuable lessons about event planning and management, including improvising things and the old "prepare for something to go wrong, because it will go wrong". Its effects can be hardly overstated and it has provided a nice base to work with allied militaries for future wargames (including anoter one that's going to be announced soon ? )

The Partnership for Sovereignty (PfS) was cited by both candidates for Minister of Foreign Affairs as a key aspect of the region's foreign policy. What future do you see for joint operations under a more formalised PfS banner?

[Moon] Hot take, but I don't actually see a future of joint operations under the PfS banner, not without alienating some of its foundational members.

The PfS is, at its core, a political alliance born out of a desire to have an unified defender presence in the Security Council so that its interests can be represented more successfully. It comes at the backdrop of years of of raider/imperialist dominance in it, and has been moderately successful in doing things over its short existence. To push this to an actual cooperative military where our militaries' sovereignty is going to challenged is not something that I'm comfortable with, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in it. While the SPSF is a defender military, it exists to serve TSP and its interests at the end of the day; and we as a region have collectively decided that our interests align that of defender values. However, we still do things with our allies, many of which are the prominent independent regions, and I fear that including ourself in a PfS military banner will hinder that ability to serve our region's interests as we see fit.

I'm much more comfortable with the current Libcord structure we have right now, a cooperative space where defenders from everywhere can come together and work to conduct defensive operations. There's a reason why it has succeeded for so long and that's because the model there simply works better than any hypothetical PfS joint military model will.

There have been reports that MREs containing pie were distributed during the operations in China and A Liberal Haven. How would you respond to those reports?

[Moon] I blame the pie lovers and their subversive agenda to get us addicted to pie, when it's abundantly clear that our future lies with the glorious cake.

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Moon] Cake all the way.

Closing Remarks

[Moon] None. Thank you for hosting this interview ^_^

Go to Top

---

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is not affiliated with the Government of the South Pacific, and any opinions expressed in its publications are those of its authors or the individuals quoted in them unless otherwise stated.

Reply