| S1E4 - Foreign Policy, A Blank Canvas, MoRA, Pre-Election Guesses |
Real Time is a weekly panel discussion that gathers prominent participants from the South Pacific and addresses the latest events in the region. This week we are joined by citizens who will discuss our foreign policy, the A Blank Canvas occupation, progress with MoRA and who will run in the upcoming election.
Kringle: Greetings everyone, and welcome to Real Time! A successful occupation by our military, the confirmation of a new general, the attempted recall of the Minister of the Army, and the conclusion of a festival with the North Pacific. It has been quite a week for our region, and today we will be discussing all of that. But first, let me introduce our very special panel. He is a former Chief Justice and the current Chair of the Assembly, please welcome Farengeto! Farengeto: Hello everybody, glad to be here! Kringle: He is a former Minister of Regional Affairs, current Minister of the Army and Real Time regular, please welcome ProfessorHenn! ProfessorHenn: Aloe aloe! Kringle: He is a former Vice President, former Secretary of Intelligence, former Chair of the Assembly, longstanding forum administrator and the current Delegate of the South Pacific, please welcome Tsunamy! Tsunamy: o/ Kringle: He is the current Deputy Minister of Regional Affairs for Cultural Development and prospective candidate for Vice Delegate, please welcome Bonaugure! Bonaugure: waves Kringle: He is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the current Minister of Regional Affairs, please welcome Feirmont! Feirmont: Hiya! Kringle: He is a former Chair of the Assembly, forum administrator and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, please welcome Sandaoguo! Glen-Rhodes: yo Kringle: And last but not least, he is a former Minister of Regional Affairs, two-term Vice Delegate and prospective candidate for Vice Delegate in the July elections, please welcome Arbiter08. Arbiter08: Glad to be here! Kringle: Alright then, let’s get right to it. I want to start by discussing the course of our foreign policy this term. Glen, you are our current MoFA. Could you give us a bit of an overview on what your goals were, and where you would like to see TSP go in the near future? Glen-Rhodes: Do you have something to say, first?  Kringle: Well yes. While results are not yet public, the recent government survey shows that the region is a bit disappointed with a lack of updates and activity in our foreign ministry. Your campaign promised a greater emphasis on cultural regions, but we seem to have failed at that. Is this because of the summer, or do we need to change course? Glen-Rhodes: My goals this past term were to get TSP involved in things it hasn't really been involved in before. I wanted to see some inter-regional roleplaying and more involvement in the World Assembly. Unfortunately, the decline in activity across NS made it difficult this term to get the ball rolling. There's also the element that I was working quite a bit and kept getting sick.  ProfessorHenn: Well, I think it's no secret about my thoughts for Foreign Policy. Tsunamy: Refresh us. ProfessorHenn: I feel that a totally Independent course is the best for the South Pacific, given that our military is Independent and that multiple members of TSP feel the same way I do. Only problem is the way by which it should be accomplished, where I stand separate. Kringle: We were Independent until September 2014, Henn. We renounced that label for a good reason, even if some have forgotten what that was. Glen-Rhodes: I think it's largely because of the summer. Activity always declines in NS during the summer. People go on vacation and, counter-intuitively, don't have as much time for NS. ProfessorHenn: GR, for me, it's the opposite. I go on vacation, and have more time for NS. Tsunamy: I think part of the FA issue was certainly the last elections. And the length to which that got drawn out. But, there's also been a lot that has been going on behind the scenes which really can't publicly discussed, such as a submit GR and I attended host by one of the allies. Kringle: True. Glen-Rhodes: Those elections were exhausting. Our FA isn't ideological. It's not big-I Independent, because that is a rather rigid club-based identification. You lead the military, so you are capable of engaging in an Independence-based military policy, which is what you want to see. An "Independent" foreign affairs agenda isn't something people are going to see with me, neither is a Raider or Defender agenda. Kringle: I think the problem with an "Independent" foreign policy is that it comes with expectations as to how we must behave, which is why we renounced the label. ProfessorHenn: The problem is the "Big-I small-i" thing which led to the removal of the Big I label. Kringle: If we are non-aligned but have independently, then that is fine. Nobody can criticise us for not being something we officially aren't. ProfessorHenn: I don't understand it, and I don't understand why other nations must paint us in a bad picture if we use a label that they use. Glen-Rhodes: What you want to see is the kind of big-I Independence, where our allies were backing us into corners because we weren't acting like them. At least, that is what using "Independence" conveys. Kringle: Precisely. ProfessorHenn: Then we must form our own version of Independence. Kringle: Which is what we have been doing. Tsunamy: Honestly guys, I don't think rehashing this debate is going to get us anywhere ProfessorHenn: Then we have been on a good path. Kringle: We don't need to call it "Independence". Glen-Rhodes: That's so true, Tsu. Kringle: Agreed. ProfessorHenn: Kringle: TSPence? Glen-Rhodes: One thing I'd like to point out is this term saw no big FA problems or scandals.  Kringle: Thankfully. Tsunamy: And I think we all have the same goal in mind. We're just arguing over semantics. I'd like to point out that we haven't really had any disagreements with FA this term. Kringle: Though I would've liked to see a bit more of contact between MoFA and MoRA, especially since we've been planning festivals with other regions. Tsunamy: It's been a much better and friendlier working situation. ProfessorHenn: And the gap of MoFA and SPSF. Glen-Rhodes: tsu: I think we see things differently, and Henn likely has different ideas about who we should ally with and what we should do as an i/Independent region. But yeah, it's a better debate for the elections! Arbiter08: Increased coordination between the various ministries is definitely something we should work towards. Tsunamy: But no. It's not like we think we need one side or the other, GR. We all agree we should be independent and do what's best for TSP. Bonaugure: I see no issues regarding the FA being neutral and the SPSF being independent. ProfessorHenn: The good thing with different views is the ability to see multiple perspectives. Tsunamy: Exactly. Glen-Rhodes: Kringle, yes, that's something I want to see, as well. Arbiter has been my point-man on festivals, given he has more experience in that than I do. Additionally, my idea for inter-regional roleplays relies on non-MoFA people getting the ball rolling. Kringle: I actually had an interesting idea for a roleplayed festival, I'll make sure to discuss it with you and Feir. Moving on the another topic, though. I'd like to discuss the A Blank Canvas occupation. Feirmont: I'd love to hear about it! Kringle: At the peak of the occupation, the delegate had twenty endorsements, one third of which were SPSF troops. I have been around for two years and I don’t remember us having carried out an operation this size, let alone a successful one. Is this the beginning of a new era for the Special Forces? Tsunamy: I think Henn can best answer that, but overall the size of the SPSF has been impressive. Feirmont: It's certainly grown in the last few months Arbiter08: The Special Forces has had more soldiers now then I can ever recall. We're carrying out operations and constantly discussing new ones. If this isn't a turning point for it I don't know what would be. Kringle: I think this is the beginning of a turning point. Since Henn is not standing for re-election, the real test will be whether the next MoA can keep that momentum. Tsunamy: Speculation: Anyone know who IS running for MoA? Kringle: I expect Resentine to go for it. Though if Arbiter wasn't going for VD, I would say he is the superior option. Glen-Rhodes: One thing I would like to see the next MoA do is be more vigilant about reporting. I know plenty of missions have been done this summer, but the only op report the SPSF has published is for A Blank Canvas. Publicity can aid in their recruitment efforts. Kringle: Yes, reporting has been the main issue with the still unpublished term review. Speaking of that, any thoughts on the RP focus of the report? I found it quite refreshing, and helpful for the fledging SPSF brand. Glen-Rhodes: I, personally, would like to see someone who's also skilled in defensive ops run for MoA. I think if the SPSF can get its soldiers good at time-sensitive ops in a more combative environment that defending provides, that would be impressive. (Cue fenda scum comments. ) It's a well-written report! I like the RP element, but I also appreciate the TL;DR at the bottom haha.Arbiter08: It was quite fun to write it! You can expect more of them in the future, regardless of the outcome of the next elections. Feirmont: It's a very nice read. Interesting and excellent way to really boost SPSF visibility. [At this point Tsunamy excused himself, due to real life commitments] Kringle: I also wonder if there have been any changes in mission planning or recruitment, now that Resentine is in and Wolf is out. Henn? ProfessorHenn: Currently, not many changes have been proposed. I intend to discuss recruitment with Arbiter [who should be a Deputy] and Resentine, among other things, next time they are all on IRC. And the ABC occupation is definitely a show of how well the SPSF has been brought back. I can't take credit for it all, however. Kringle: I want move on to another topic that we did not originally plan, but I think it's relevant. The role of the Ministry of Regional Affairs throughout this term. Recently we've held a very successful festival with the North Pacific, we are planning another festival for next week, and we've seen a revival of our media department. Feirmont: All the credit for the media department goes to you Kringle. ProfessorHenn: #TheNauticalPacific Kringle: Back when I first joined TSP, the Ministry was basically dead, and didn't have any staff at all. How well is MoRA doing nowadays, and what should it be doing to keep that upwards trend? ProfessorHenn: My belief is reform. Kringle: How so? Feirmont: I disagree. ProfessorHenn: We've made a system that works. Bonaugure: Change can come in good ways. If we didn't believe in reforms, the MoRA wouldn't be as active as it is now. ProfessorHenn: The Fellowship Programme. Introduced when I was a little duckling and the MoRA, we've now gotten to the point where we can reform it and change it for the better. Kringle: What kind of reform do you have in mind? ProfessorHenn: A new system for newcomers to get involved. Make huge, originally outlandish goals, and discover a way to change the current system to get to that point. And also, as a support Ministry for the others, given it's massive role in our internal society. Kringle: At the risk of being a bit over the top, I think we couldn't have had success in other areas, the SPSF for instance, had MoRA not taken off months before that. ProfessorHenn: Exactly. The MoRA is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the world. Feirmont: The Fellowship Programme simply needs an update. The MoFA application still promoting Ambassador position. Kringle: That is up to each minister to update, really. Feirmont: The Fellowship Programme simply needs an update. It's seriously outdated with the MoFA application still promoting the Ambassador choice. I always saw it as an easy way for newcomers to express their interest, and the respective ministries to take them under their wings. Bonaugure: We believe in supporting the other ministries without taking away their freedom of choice Kringle: Aside from the Fellowship Programme, though, what kind of projects should MoRA start focusing on? Cultural festivals? Media? Something else? Feirmont: The integration aspect. ProfessorHenn: Curious word to use, how so? Feirmont: Really showing off the various nations in TSP both off and on the forums. ProfessorHenn: So advertisement? Kringle: Actually, you might have a point, Feirmont. Integration has been abandoned for a couple of months now. Feirmont: Resident Spotlights, Factbook Spotlights. Kringle: And we had some interesting projects. Spotlights, handbooks, encyclopaedias. Feirmont: Not so much advertisement as really showing what one Nation can do. Bonaugure: The handbook can prove useful to newcomers once it's ready. ProfessorHenn: The Historical Project. Kringle: Yes, also the Historical Project. Feirmont: We've come a long way in the Historical Project; we just need to publish the results already found. Kringle: Right. Well, let's move on to our final topic, and probably the one most relevant to our immediate future. The July elections. Who will run? Who has the most chances of winning? Who will suffer a catastrophic defeat? ProfessorHenn: *Meaningful Cough* Kringle: With which position should we start? Arbiter08: Why not the big seat? ProfessorHenn: No secret there. Feirmont: Darned Meaningful Cough xD Kringle: Delegate: ProfessorHenn vs Mystery Person. Farengeto: This is what I was waiting for. Which position shall we start with? Kringle: Curiously enough, I think everyone in this panel already knows the identity of Mystery Person, even if we have informally agreed to let them reveal themselves in their own time. Arbiter08: Ah, my good buddy Mystery Person. We've had a lot of fun preparing our campaign for the delegate seat. Glen-Rhodes: I don't see any indication that Tsu and Sam won't run for re-election. And given that Arbiter has been courted for VP, this will probably be a 3-way race. (Although I would rather Arbiter run for MoFA -_-) Farengeto: It'll be an interesting race, even if only Henn and our mysterious friend runs. Kringle: I don't remember seeing a third term delegate since the abolition of Brave Toaster. It would certainly be interesting. ProfessorHenn: Well, it would be a close race to win, most likely. Farengeto: Henn's campaign will be particularly interesting, given the hit to his reputation amidst recent controversy. Bonaugure: Quite the havoc... Glen-Rhodes: I'm not sure if Tsu and Sam have a good chance at winning. I think most of the current Cabinet could be punished for the decline in activity, though some may survive re-election. ProfessorHenn: As tsu said, I need to do a lot of effective convincing. Kringle: I think some will forgive Henn and only focus on his actual campaign, but some won't. It'll be interesting to see how those influence the result. Farengeto: Definitely. *Bonaugure nods* ProfessorHenn: Plenty have said that my actions have influenced their vote. Glen-Rhodes: I'm kind of out of the loop, since I was gone for a few weeks on my deathbed. But could this election be non-competitive for every position but Del/VD? Arbiter08: The recall attempt will most definitely be brought up during the elections. ProfessorHenn: Possibly. Unless Unibot runs for CoA. I personally don't think he will. Glen-Rhodes: Unibot is on a hiatus from NS it seems. Kringle: Yes, since he stood down from TRR. Bonaugure: There are plenty of people who wouldn't forgive someone for making a mistake even in they'd have admitted it. As if they never committed a mistake in their lives. Farengeto: I hate to suggest it won't be competitive with CoA but there's a real possibility I'll be on my own here. Feirmont: CoA: Farengeto for re-election. Maybe TAC? ProfessorHenn: He's good as Chief Justice Bonaugure: Indeed. ProfessorHenn: I don't see him standing down from there. Kringle: I really hope TAC doesn't go for CoA. Not because he wouldn't be good, but because of the special election we'd then have. Glen-Rhodes: I don't see anybody running against the incumbent for CoA. Farengeto: It's been a slow term for me due to work but I plan to get things moving when I have time this fall. Arbiter08: I'd like to see TAC in the cabinet. Maybe not this election, but at some point. Feirmont: What about MoRA? ProfessorHenn: Well Feir, you would make an excellent Minister again. Glen-Rhodes: MoRA has just finished a successful festival, so even if somebody does run against the incumbent, I don't see them winning. Kringle: Feir has been a good Minister. I'm quite pleased to see a relative newcomer do so well. Farengeto: I can see Punchwood going for it. He has had interesting relation with the current ministry, to put it mildly. Glen-Rhodes: Punchwood might also run for MoFA again. Kringle: Punchwood...I'll just say there is a reason why Punchwood was expelled from MoRA. Arbiter08: I get the feeling that we'll be having a few newcomers running, as that's seems to be becoming the norm for MoRA. ProfessorHenn: Well, he's on a hiatus for now. Feirmont: Mildly. Kringle: MoFA? ProfessorHenn: Glen, again. Farengeto: I have no idea on this one. Feirmont: Glen probably for re-election. ProfessorHenn: I bet my phone on it. Farengeto: Lots of people hate Glen but he has no clear opponent. Kringle: If Glen wins, he'd be on his way to second longest serving MoFA. Glen-Rhodes: I would like to run again, yes, as I hope the boost in activity as school starts will let me actually achieve the things I want to do. Luckily for us, there isn't an influx of outsiders rushing in, so the MoFA election should be less dramatic. I don't believe I'll be running unchallenged, though. Henn has been recruiting somebody to run against me, I hear. Kringle: Wasn't that Arbiter or Mystery Person? Bonaugure: Actually not, Glen-Rhodes. Feirmont: I hope each position runs at least a 1v1 election. ProfessorHenn: Mystery Person was the original target. Feirmont: I'd love to see many campaigns and new ideas popping out of them. Arbiter08: I don't want to see any one-horse races either. Farengeto: MoFA will probably have someone, it just remains to be seen who. ProfessorHenn: Nonetheless, I can see Awe as a viable candidate. Glen-Rhodes: Is Awe around? Kringle: I think he is. At least he is relatively active in RP. Arbiter08: He's been posting in the RP section fairly often. Bonaugure: Our MoFA will need somebody who can stay neutral and active. ProfessorHenn: Someone who can keep TSP's interests at heart. Glen-Rhodes: I'm not sure a "neutral" MoFA is what TSP needs. Kringle: As always, the eternal problem is agreeing on what those interests are. ProfessorHenn: How so? Glen-Rhodes: In the day and age where MoFAs no longer spend 90% of their time writing and pushing out monthly updates, MoFAs are expected to do more with allies and things like that. Neutrality there could simply mean stagnation. I do plan on offering a vision for what I think TSP's central FA philosophy should be. Bonaugure: Glen-Rhodes: I don't mean neutral as status quo Glen-Rhodes: Our largest problem in this area is that TSP doesn't stand for anything. I want us to stand for *something*. ProfessorHenn: My rages. Feirmont: Stand for Lampshades? [At this point, Sandaoguo excused himself due to real life commitments] Bonaugure: I meant it as anybody who wouldn't let themselves being dominated by any factions. But for the sake of the development of a thriving cultural exchange among regions. Arbiter08: I think that culture is one of our region's strong suits. I mean, just take a look around. One of our most active threads is the Lampshade Bar and Grill. That says something about our region. Farengeto: Did we cover MoA? Arbiter08: We covered MoA earlier. Kringle: Let's talk briefly about MoA, though. Will Resentine be the only contender? ProfessorHenn: Probably. Arbiter08: I'd like to see a few other soldiers step up to the plate. Farengeto: I could see someone like Darkstrait trying too. ProfessorHenn: No, he lost twice. Feirmont: What about Hammerstar? ProfessorHenn: Eh. Arbiter08: You beat me to it Feir I'd like to see Hammerstar run.ProfessorHenn: Darkstrait doesn't make update, doesn't contribute his WA, does nothing for the SPSF. Arbiter08: Is he even in the SPSF right now? and didn't you ban him from the IRC Channel? ProfessorHenn: He isn't, and I did. However, I would love to see him contribute a bit to the SPSF. Farengeto: Doesn't mean they can't try to run. Arbiter08: I think you may have scared him off for good Henn. I don't know if Darkstrait would even want to come back. ProfessorHenn: Well, it was a mistake at the time then. I acted spur of the moment. Kringle: I actually would like to see Hammerstar run. ProfessorHenn: Hammerstar. . . Kringle: Well, I think we've covered all our topics now. Thanks a lot to this excellent panel. It has been a real pleasure and we'll see you next week with another edition of Real Time. This log was edited for ortography and clarity in the flow of the conversation. While some words have slightly different spelling and some interventions have been placed in different order, the core content of the conversation has not been altered. An original copy of the discussion may be provided upon request. Former Delegate of the South Pacific
Posts outside High Court venues should be taken as those of any other legislator. I do not participate in the regional server, but I am happy to talk through instant messaging or on the forum. Legal Resources: THE MATT-DUCK Law Archive | Mavenu Diplomatic Archive | Rules of the High Court | Case Submission System | Online Rulings Consultation System
I will state on the outset that I will not be contesting any position in the August electoral cycle, but I will be running for the cycle in December. At this point in time, I'm still considering what position to run for.
I'm sure someone will step up to the plate and make a run at MoFA.
I'd like to see all of the positions be contested. It makes things more exciting that way. If I remember correctly from the last set of elections we didn't hold Special Elections for Court after the Cabinet elections.
I won't be running in the upcoming elections. I intend to finish my term as Chief Justice. In the Assembly, I stated that I was against "jumping ship" mid-term. Doing so would be very hypocritical of me.
(07-10-2015, 02:30 AM)Hileville Wrote: If I remember correctly from the last set of elections we didn't hold Special Elections for Court after the Cabinet elections. We did. Tomb ran unopposed in June. The Current roster is: Me You Apad Tomb
Tomb lost his citizenship due to inactivity a few days ago. A special election will take place today.
Former Delegate of the South Pacific
Posts outside High Court venues should be taken as those of any other legislator. I do not participate in the regional server, but I am happy to talk through instant messaging or on the forum. Legal Resources: THE MATT-DUCK Law Archive | Mavenu Diplomatic Archive | Rules of the High Court | Case Submission System | Online Rulings Consultation System
I should have been more specific. I meant after Aram took the position of Chair. There is a difference of 15 days from the start of the Cabinet term to the start of the Judicial term.
I'm not running for MoA again. Why not? Because I've seen what Henn has done and I think that Resentine is in a better position to further that.
This doesn't mean that I don't intend to seek a position in this election, however.
Darkstrait :ninja:
Former Justice, Former Local Councilor, Roleplayer, Former SPSF Deputy for Recruitment, Politically Active Citizen, Ex-Spammer Supreme, and Resident Geek "Hats is very fashion this year."
I hope we get decent turnout for elections - both in races and in voting.
Sent from my LG-D500 using Tapatalk
"...if you're normal, the crowd will accept you. But if you're deranged, the crowd will make you their leader." - Christopher Titus
Deranged in NS since 2011 One and ONLY minion of LadyRebels The OUTRAGEOUS CRAZY other half of LadyElysium
I agree with what others have said, I don't like seeing people run unopposed. Hopefully it won't happen again. For one of the largest regions in the game, it shouldn't ever happen, but probably will.
Good luck to all those running for elections. Skimmed the earlier stuff really, but you mentioned results of the recent survey - wasn't that only started a few days ago? Surprised you have gone through these responses already, as I hadn't got around to filling it out yet (had forgotten to be honest). |
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