If we'd go again
All the way from the start
I would try to change
The things that killed our love
Pride has built a wall, so strong
That I can't get through
Is there really no chance
To start once again?

Ah shit, here we go again…

This campaign is going to be short and sweet. Unlike my opponent, I am not really one for essays or elaborate speeches or anything of the sort. I’m here to give the Assembly a choice, but at the same time to go beyond the “token opposition” and be a legitimate opposition to HumanSanity. While they’ve been an excellent PM and I’d be over the moon should they be elected, I believe the Assembly deserves a competitive election between two highly qualified and respected public servants.

My qualifications speak for themselves: I’ve been involved in TSP in some form since 2017, and was an ambassador from 10000 Islands before that. I’ve been elected to three terms as Minister of Defense/Military Affairs, one term as Prime Minister, and have been confirmed twice by the Assembly in the past year, each time with overwhelming majorities to serve in positions of trust: first as a member of the Legislator Committee, then as a member of the SPSF General Corps.

I am going to contrast my campaign to my opponent’s mainly by the following: I subscribe to the mindset of the Prime Minister’s job being managerial in nature, and their chief function being the glue that keeps the Cabinet together and ensures things get out the door. As PM I gave wide authority to the individual ministers to do their projects, and I thrived in the position of the manager who brought the cabinet together, put out fires, and coordinated inter-ministry tasks. This method is much of what allowed the first steps to OWL reform and got the unified applications, which had languished for several terms, out the door. Accountability, punctuality, and bridging gaps in communication are my strong suits and this role suits my leadership style. A frequent comment that was applied to my administration was that it felt like some individual ministers were more the “leaders” of the cabinet than I was. I do not see this as a negative thing. That means my model worked as intended and gave the ministers the platform they needed to succeed.

Still, there are a few things I’d like to see:

• I’ll start with foreign policy. There is a LOT of ongoing stuff that has sort of festered behind closed doors for several months, and if I’m back in Cabinet I will take an active role in making sure this stuff finally gets out the door. This is a major priority of mine because I feel there is a lot of defending-related stuff we can do to capitalize on the momentum that defenders have across the globe right now. I applaud MoFA Roavin in the steps the Ministry has taken to reevaluate many of our current alliances and seek new friends and allies in places previously thought impossible.
  
• Militarily, much the same applies. SPSF updater numbers, especially for large liberations, are the highest they have literally ever been, but we can push them even higher with this and other initiatives. I’d like to see us revisit the Tidal Force and find a way to keep it moving when there aren’t regular missions. This is a potentially great source of additional emergency updaters. Not to mention it might help some gamesiders get onto Discord, which is always a plus.
  
• The Ministry of Culture has a lot of room for growth. I like HS’ use of the word “ambition.” But I would add that I sort of struggle with the idea of the Ministry of Culture as the “Ministry of Events.” That feels extremely one-dimensional. Culture is more than just a new festival every week or Tetris every x day… It’s about driving activity once someone shows up here. I could write a whole thesis on this and I actually might at some point in order to put my ideas on paper. But I would like to see some creative reexamination or expansion of the role of the MoC outside of just the “Ministry of Events.”
  
• The Ministry of Media will not be abolished. If this means I have to dedicate myself to organizing, writing, and publishing TSJ, I will do so. Every ounce of obstructionism I can muster will go into preventing this should a certain candidate be elected.
  
• Purple Hyacinth has done an absolutely fantastic job as Minister of Engagement, especially in the realm of outreach and setting up a program that has the potential to transform the MoE from a technical job to that of the public face of the region to new players to the region. As PM I’d work closely with the minister and work on being more visible than I have been previously to help the outreach program along. That’s a big part of the ministry’s future for sure.
  
• OWL needs a better discussion platform. Period. The Discord threads are a step in the right direction, but it seems like there’s still a lot of unnecessary busy work involved. I am quite apathetic to the WA generally (to the point of openly criticizing the PfS on several occasions while I was PM for its lack of ambition), but if we’re gonna have a voice in the WA it needs to be much bigger.
  

That was too long. I don’t like writing long speeches. My eyes don’t work so good. To my future cabinet: Please don’t textwall me. I literally cannot read it.

Anyway, I look forward to a spirited debate and a great election. I will be happy to answer any questions you have and I hope I'll earn your vote.

Peace, love, and defending,
WS

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
I am currently a General of the SPSF and member of the Legislator Committee. I am also an administrator in Founderless, though the region currently lies mostly dormant. I am a citizen of the Rejected Realms, and I also maintain some presence in 10000 Islands and the Order of the Grey Wardens, though I am not an official member of either. I do have past affiliations with both organizations dating back to 2013 and 2017, respectively.

 
Witchcraft and Sorcery

---

Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Formerly many things in other regions. Defender. Ideologue. he/they.

Reply

I’ll start with foreign policy. There is a LOT of ongoing stuff that has sort of festered behind closed doors for several months, and if I’m back in Cabinet I will take an active role in making sure this stuff finally gets out the door.

That's what I like to hear.

4× Cabinet minister /// 1× OWL director /// CRS member /// SPSF

My History

Reply

Hi, how do you intend to encourage more people to participate in OWL and its activities?

Signed
BlockBuster2K43

Find out more about me here!

Reply

Hey! Sorry for the wait.

I’ll be honest, the WA is probably my weakest area of political knowledge, mostly because I’m rather skeptical toward some aspects of it and see it as mostly self-congratulatory without serving the needs of the public. That said, I think that if we’re going to invest in our WA infrastructure there needs to be more weight behind it. That includes:

- using the MoM to promote our WA stances
- Encouraging OWL staff members and others who have interest in the WA to actually debate things instead of just dropping their vote and leaving. This is a big one. The discord threads were good but they seem to have just transported the same issue we had with the RMB.
- Open to suggestions as well. Like I said I’ve never been a huge fan of the WA so it’s hard for me to stay informed.

 
Witchcraft and Sorcery

---

Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Formerly many things in other regions. Defender. Ideologue. he/they.

Reply