Post by Helvurium on Dec 16, 2018 21:33:27 GMT
Normally some address like this would start with a repeated message about my time within this region, the roles I’ve served, etc, but I feel like we’re all close enough that we can move beyond that for a time.
It is no secret that I have had various issues with the region and how things have gone here. These issues have sometimes tested me and my commitment to this region and have often left me feeling as if there's very little I could do to make this region into what I, and many others, want it to be. The Versutian Federation should be a region of tolerance, but that comes with a heavy price. Should we then tolerate those that are consistently intolerant in their political views? I have consistently answered this with no. I haven’t been tolerant of those that come here to provoke people with their reprehensible beliefs. They get kicked, even if that is what they want out of their engagement in this region. I welcome disagreement on this front, but I am completely convinced that this is the right track for the region. We shouldn’t welcome homophobes, racists, fascists, and general bigots.
Unfortunately, those trollish bigots are the least of our problems as a region. TVF has been consistently plagued with one major issue. That issue being the tepid mood of our government and those that serve within it. We have people that run as jokes, people that run just to run, people that run because they feel like they ‘deserve’ the job, and people that run because they feel they have a duty to even when they may not want the job at hand. This is no shock. Many people in TVF, including myself, have treated government officials with contempt. I would like to take a moment to apologise for my role in this, and I promise that going forward, I will make sure to keep my behaviour in check.
However, correcting for our region’s past mistakes will take effort from all of us. Government officials face a very high pressure in TVF. This is a pressure that doesn’t exist in many other regions and one that causes the talent we have to feel they can’t run or feel like they are better off running in a different region that is less aggressive with criticism. Solving this won’t happen overnight, and might not happen in a few months. That isn’t the point, though, the point is that we should try and rectify this.
Our region also has a major drag when it comes to World Assembly involvement. Many members of government refuse to move their WA nation to this region, with some having a good reason and others not having a good reason. This issue goes beyond the scope of government, however, and consistently penetrates the ordinary member of TVF. This is potentially one of the most dangerous issues for TVF, and one which weakens our security, our influence, and makes us seem lazy to our friends.
By this point you might be thinking to yourselves that this is all well and good, but what does it mean? What will I do about it? I’m not too sure. I’ve wrestled with these issues for a while internally and have broad issues but no specific policy solutions. I’m unsure if that is just a reflection of me or a reflection of these issues and the scale of them. I want to know about the issues that you all feel that this region faces, and the direction that you want this region to go in.
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Now, I’ll discuss what I will try to do while I continue to serve as Delegate of this region.
Immigration
I will continue using stamps to recruit for our region. This will build on the past two months of stamp recruiting that I have been doing, totalling up to around 15,000 recruitment stamps sent. Once I’m back with my desktop PC I will also be looking into setting up a more robust and consistent form of API recruitment, working with the Ministry of Immigration to make sure our recruitment telegram is effective, unique, and represents what our region is and should be.
Domestic Affairs
I want to work with the Ministry of Domestic Affairs to reinforce our fight towards more tolerant viewpoints being represented in this region. This will be done while continuing to crack down on trolls that come to the region in some effort to cause political issues. I also want to see the Ministry of Domestic Affairs become more of an example to the region as a whole, advocating for the minister to be a member of the World Assembly, active in the latest R&D news, etc. This is important in changing our region’s culture when it comes to the World Assembly.
I hope that current, and future, members of this ministry understand the importance of the World Assembly to their office, to my office, and to this region as a whole. Our WA participation impacts our status in the ILC, how secure we are as a region, and how influential we can be in the World Assembly. These are all immensely important for us to be taken seriously as a region.
Foreign Affairs
I want to work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in a way which accurately reflects our region on the foreign stage, and in a way which raises our interregional profile. This means being a better and more active representative to the ILC. This is important because those in the ILC are our closest allies, and the regions we are connected with the most. Strengthening our relations with them is important to securing themselves and making us a serious contender in our region of NationStates.
Generally
I want to bring back my telegrams that discuss world assembly votes, votes in parliament, and information about elections. They were important in ensuring that the community was engaged and completely understood what they were voting for, when, and why. I also want to look into the idea of a World Assembly channel which allows a more developed discussion on the votes at hand, for those that are interested. These are things which will also help change the culture of apathy when it comes to the World Assembly in our region. This could even be done through the use of this subforum, allowing a more detailed discussion and bringing some activity to our forums.
I want to help set an example of being an active member of the roleplay, of our legislature, of the ILC, the world assembly, and all other facets of regional involvement. Examples are important because they give us a base of what to expect from each other, and from certain specific members of this community.
Once again, I want to give you all a chance to talk about your concerns with this region and how to fix them in this thread. I hope that you all take the time to present your issues, ideas, and what else we can do in our region.
It is no secret that I have had various issues with the region and how things have gone here. These issues have sometimes tested me and my commitment to this region and have often left me feeling as if there's very little I could do to make this region into what I, and many others, want it to be. The Versutian Federation should be a region of tolerance, but that comes with a heavy price. Should we then tolerate those that are consistently intolerant in their political views? I have consistently answered this with no. I haven’t been tolerant of those that come here to provoke people with their reprehensible beliefs. They get kicked, even if that is what they want out of their engagement in this region. I welcome disagreement on this front, but I am completely convinced that this is the right track for the region. We shouldn’t welcome homophobes, racists, fascists, and general bigots.
Unfortunately, those trollish bigots are the least of our problems as a region. TVF has been consistently plagued with one major issue. That issue being the tepid mood of our government and those that serve within it. We have people that run as jokes, people that run just to run, people that run because they feel like they ‘deserve’ the job, and people that run because they feel they have a duty to even when they may not want the job at hand. This is no shock. Many people in TVF, including myself, have treated government officials with contempt. I would like to take a moment to apologise for my role in this, and I promise that going forward, I will make sure to keep my behaviour in check.
However, correcting for our region’s past mistakes will take effort from all of us. Government officials face a very high pressure in TVF. This is a pressure that doesn’t exist in many other regions and one that causes the talent we have to feel they can’t run or feel like they are better off running in a different region that is less aggressive with criticism. Solving this won’t happen overnight, and might not happen in a few months. That isn’t the point, though, the point is that we should try and rectify this.
Our region also has a major drag when it comes to World Assembly involvement. Many members of government refuse to move their WA nation to this region, with some having a good reason and others not having a good reason. This issue goes beyond the scope of government, however, and consistently penetrates the ordinary member of TVF. This is potentially one of the most dangerous issues for TVF, and one which weakens our security, our influence, and makes us seem lazy to our friends.
By this point you might be thinking to yourselves that this is all well and good, but what does it mean? What will I do about it? I’m not too sure. I’ve wrestled with these issues for a while internally and have broad issues but no specific policy solutions. I’m unsure if that is just a reflection of me or a reflection of these issues and the scale of them. I want to know about the issues that you all feel that this region faces, and the direction that you want this region to go in.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Now, I’ll discuss what I will try to do while I continue to serve as Delegate of this region.
Immigration
I will continue using stamps to recruit for our region. This will build on the past two months of stamp recruiting that I have been doing, totalling up to around 15,000 recruitment stamps sent. Once I’m back with my desktop PC I will also be looking into setting up a more robust and consistent form of API recruitment, working with the Ministry of Immigration to make sure our recruitment telegram is effective, unique, and represents what our region is and should be.
Domestic Affairs
I want to work with the Ministry of Domestic Affairs to reinforce our fight towards more tolerant viewpoints being represented in this region. This will be done while continuing to crack down on trolls that come to the region in some effort to cause political issues. I also want to see the Ministry of Domestic Affairs become more of an example to the region as a whole, advocating for the minister to be a member of the World Assembly, active in the latest R&D news, etc. This is important in changing our region’s culture when it comes to the World Assembly.
I hope that current, and future, members of this ministry understand the importance of the World Assembly to their office, to my office, and to this region as a whole. Our WA participation impacts our status in the ILC, how secure we are as a region, and how influential we can be in the World Assembly. These are all immensely important for us to be taken seriously as a region.
Foreign Affairs
I want to work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in a way which accurately reflects our region on the foreign stage, and in a way which raises our interregional profile. This means being a better and more active representative to the ILC. This is important because those in the ILC are our closest allies, and the regions we are connected with the most. Strengthening our relations with them is important to securing themselves and making us a serious contender in our region of NationStates.
Generally
I want to bring back my telegrams that discuss world assembly votes, votes in parliament, and information about elections. They were important in ensuring that the community was engaged and completely understood what they were voting for, when, and why. I also want to look into the idea of a World Assembly channel which allows a more developed discussion on the votes at hand, for those that are interested. These are things which will also help change the culture of apathy when it comes to the World Assembly in our region. This could even be done through the use of this subforum, allowing a more detailed discussion and bringing some activity to our forums.
I want to help set an example of being an active member of the roleplay, of our legislature, of the ILC, the world assembly, and all other facets of regional involvement. Examples are important because they give us a base of what to expect from each other, and from certain specific members of this community.
Once again, I want to give you all a chance to talk about your concerns with this region and how to fix them in this thread. I hope that you all take the time to present your issues, ideas, and what else we can do in our region.