HumanSanity for Prime Minister: Make no little plans, but take the time to finish them

Election Central
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“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir [South Pacifican’s] blood” –Daniel Burnham (1846-1912), definitely talking about the South Pacific and not about anything else

I am running for re-election as Prime Minister. When a Prime Minister runs for re-election, they are running on both a vision and a track record, and running with a belief that what they’ve done so far means that the citizens should give them another bite at the apple to continue their work. I believe that I’ve earned another three months.

I will admit that the term we just finished fell short of my expectations for myself, there were definitely setbacks and ebbs and flows. Ultimately, the buck stops with me for all of this. But I also think the right plans are in motion and that we have the right pieces in place to continue working on them.

Accomplishments from the past 3 months

In the past term, we tackled some difficult problems with aplomb.

@DivineOwl redid the procedures, schedule, and standards for The South Seas Gazette and delivered a publication we can be proud of not once but twice.

@Heliseum set a stellar course for our Activity Triggers project. Most of the writing is done and early testing of the RMB component of this has already happened and full time deployment is forthcoming. Other parts of the project are still under development, but we have the project plan in place at this point. Heli also revamped the way that we release monthly recuiting updates into a system that will be more sustainable and consistent in the future.

We’ve replaced the old Pollmaster/RMB Mayor system with a new initiative: the Ministry of Culture actually producing polls. Not all of our polls have been perfect, but overall the quality and level of cross-platform engagement has been higher than before.

@Shots and I have launched the new Question of the Day initiative to give greater structure and foster activity on the RMB – as well as helping primarily Discord or forum-focused members feel confident in engaging on the actual game NationStates.

@Utopia finalized and launched the new Senior Ensign rank, giving us a way to recognize the past contributions of older members and encourage growth for newer ones without fully starting Officer training. He’s also kept running smaller cultural initiatives to bolster group identity and community.

@Raven continues to run a tight ship around regular posting of OWL votes and Dispatches, and we’re starting to see the first of a new round of TSP WA authors launch their proposals on the NS WA forums for feedback.

And, finally, @Welly has done a tremendous job in the realm of Foreign Affairs, addressing controversies as they have arisen as well as moving our key alliance The Aegis Accords forwards with the recent Amendments and the introduction of Starlight as its newest member. The flurry of recent activity around Aegis is something I would hope to build on in a subsequent term.

Where we would go from here

Cabinet-wide

  • In my first campaign, I ran on the promise to bring back bi-weekly Cabinet updates. Overall, I did not deliver on this promise, and while I can point to a few reasons, the responsibility for that ultimately rests with me. However, acknowledging some of the difficulties, in my second term I would decrease this to a monthly update and incorporate some of the feedback we received about making the Updates more action-oriented.
  • I will continue my promise of being active on all platforms of the South Pacific and encouraging (more like requiring) my Cabinet to do the same. Having Cabinet members who frequent the RMB has made the region closer together and brought a greater sense that we have one government for the entire region.
  • Resuscitate the initiative to expand the @Upvote Squad on Discord. We started this somewhat with an earlier mass ping, but I will continue/redouble efforts on this initiative if re-elected.

Integration

  • We will continue work on the Activity Triggers project. We’ve launched the RMB bot, the next priority is automatic telegramming or queueing of outreach based on some of our identified triggers.
  • We have the infrastructure we need established for recruitment and integration. Now, it’s about continuing to encourage people to use that infrastructure to drive activity.
  • Dispatch and welcome materials rework. I feel like most administrations say this is something they are going to do, but maybe now that we’re at the point where some of these other pieces are taken care of we can actually devote some attention to this.

Culture

  • I’m going to say again something that didn’t happen last term. We need to bring back small events. Getting rid of the Culture Calendar means we’re no longer saying we’re going to host events that we don’t end up hosting, but now we need to actually start setting that promise and follow through on it. I know there are ideas circulating (Welly’s eternally promised Rings of Power watch through, Ethan’s D&D that will come to fruition soon, etc.) but I think we can come up with new ideas and, by starting to have a habit of running smaller events centered around player interests, more people will bring their ideas forward.
  • Maintaining the things we built. Question of the Day is a not insignificant initiative in terms of upkeep. We have the tools to do it but we still need to build the team and scheduling/habit around it–this next term will be a test of making sure that works. (And, by the way, contact @xshotss if you want to be involved in the Ministry of Culture!)

Foreign Affairs

  • I am extremely proud of all of the progress we’ve made in foreign affairs this term. Passing the amendments to the Aegis Accords took a lot of negotiation, communication, and deal packaging (much of which started in Utopia’s administration), but now leaves that alliance in a stronger overall position. Additionally, the admission of Starlight to Aegis will provide a burst of activity, purpose, and shows the Alliance is responsive to changes in the landscape and the emergence of new defender powers. We will need to build on these efforts by identifying shared ideological and political commitments, giving Aegis a greater sense of unity and purpose than “we’re all defenders”.
  • At the start of the term, Welly made some changes to the Ambassador Corps—namely requiring 3 months of citizenship due to having too many ambassador applicants relative to the number of spots available. This upcoming term, we need to think about long-term leadership in this department, including how to engage Ambassadors so they learn more about broader foreign affairs and we start to have a better pool of potential future Minister of Foreign Affairs nominees.

Defense

  • There are no raiders, so the Ministry of Defense has not been the most active. I would like to resuscitate my goal from the start of the term around rebuilding the Tidal Force, so that it’s ready when we need it and we can properly leverage the advantages we have as a feeder.
  • In general, we need to continue the course here. Periodic internal culture activities/events keep people invested. When new members come along, make sure they’re welcomed and trained properly so they have the chance to become steady contributors, even if the things they can contribute to are a bit lacking.

OWL

  • I would not make any changes here. The team is doing well at getting votes out the door, recommendations posted, and we have drafts on the WA floor from members of the staff that will hopefully go to vote in the upcoming term.

Concluding thoughts

I am asking for a second term so that we can build the culture around some of the changes implemented in my first term and continue building towards some of the yet-unfinished plans in the second term. This will take time, energy, and buy-in from all TSPers, but I think we have a good group of people who share a common vision of a more active, vibrant, and action-oriented TSP who will be able to make this happen.

Conflict of Interest

I am currently Prime Minister of the South Pacific and Senior Ensign/Captain Emeritus of the South Pacific Special Forces. I am also a TSP Senior Moderator. I am formerly a variety of other Cabinet roles in TSP, Citizenship Committee and Council on Regional Security member, NationStates Game Moderator, Delegate and other roles in 10000 Islands, and Chief Executive and other roles of the Renegade Islands Alliance. I have considered TSP my only NationStates home since 2021.

Calendar Reminder

I am out of the country right now and am without my computer or lots of time for NationStates until I return - which will be on October 19. I wrote this campaign before I left and posted on declaration day. Please ask questions, but I’m unlikely to respond until I return.

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Are you planning anything for the 100th cabinet order which is fast approaching?

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Haha, I am not planning on anything specific for the 100th Cabinet Order!

It’s actually interesting, Cabinet Orders are more of a convention than a legal requirement in TSP—they started a few years ago as a way of documenting Cabinet-originated actions, but we’ve kept the convention even as we transitioned to a PM-led system.

Maybe whoever gets appointed as RO in the 100th Cabinet Order will get a special #100 in their RO slot title. We’ll see!

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Hopefully you had an awesome trip!

I did have a question for you specifically as well as one broad question I am going to ask all those running.

During your previous term, we saw some issues with cabinet members having to be moved around, in and out. While that is obviously not your fault given the situations, we have seen some overlap between Cabinet members and deputy cabinet members (ex: MoI and Deputy MoC).

Do you see this being an issue, or potentially causing delays to your agenda if you are given a next term? If so, is this something you hope to resolve, or are you confident that the current workloads are manageable? (personally, I think the teams are doing fine, but a question I had regardless)

Secondly, the broad question for all candidates I will be asking:

Do you have anything specifically in mind to identify and involve new members in the happenings of TSP, including getting them involved in more behind the scenes work (like culture, integration, FA)? (ex: you all have allowed me to run a D&D night) I imagine plenty of others may want to get involved or have ideas, but may be overwhelmed or unsure of how to get involved.

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Just a few questions for you!

  1. You said the last term fell short of your expectations. What do you see as the biggest shortfall, and what would you do differently in a second term?
  2. The Activity Triggers project has made progress, but some parts are still under development. What’s the next concrete milestone, and how will you measure whether the project is bringing new or returning members into the region?
  3. You want to develop a stronger pool of future Foreign Affairs leaders. What opportunities or training would help Ambassadors prepare for greater responsibility?
  4. You plan to replace biweekly Cabinet updates with monthly, more action-oriented updates. What would those updates include, and how will citizens be able to tell whether the government is following through?
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It definitely is disruptive to the agenda when changes have to be made to the Cabinet, but changes are also inevitable. Real life and motivation shifts crop up unexpectedly for everyone sometimes, so it’s a lot more about how you manage those shifts than whether they happen. As Prime Minister this term, my two biggest regrets are not managing some FA work more proactively during Welly’s extended leave of absence and also not making a change in the Minister of Culture role earlier—those were both hard judgement calls to make and with the benefit of hindsight I would have moved on both of them earlier, but I do think I ultimately got to the right results on them and I think my experience with the role means I will be able to make those calls better next time around.

In terms of the overlap between Deputies and Cabinet Members: I think the work is still getting done in the current term but that when designing a Cabinet from the start I likely would not have set things up with intent for this to happen. For example, Shots being both MoC and DMoFA isn’t a design decision I would make from the start of the Cabinet, but it was the right call to minimize disruption for FA matters once he was appointed MoC as well as to give Shots more opportunity to learn about FA through his role as DMoFA. At the same time, this is an example of the work still getting done, as there are no crises in the ambassador corps and Shots is also a highly effective Minister of Culture at the moment.

In the new term, there would definitely be some movement in the Cabinet and its portfolios. I won’t say exactly what, since if elected I would need to talk to possible nominees and relevant stakeholders before making any decisions, but I think expecting an HS re-election to also mean I put forth the exact same slate of nominees in the same configuration would be misguided.

Beyond programmatic region-wide initiatives, I think the other thing I can do is be a friendly face and proactive in reaching out to new members and encouraging their input/suggestions. For example, during this term, when someone has expressed interest in a specific Ministry or doing a certain activity, I’ve generally made them a member of that Ministry automatically and also reached out to them one-on-one to help them get involved and execute their ideas. Your D&D night is, at this point, the most successful of these but there have been other ideas floated as well where I’ve tried to encourage new members to execute them.

I think the biggest shortfall was our failure to move projects forward at good pace—particularly domestically. The Activity Triggers project has a robust framework at this point and is mostly limited by developer time, which is not something the PM can control (as much as they might wish!). Question of the Day was launched (finally!) but took far too long, due to failures on my end to “unblock” the blockers on that project.

In a second term, I would prioritize removing blocks on key initiatives that are stuck—namely, “what is the barrier to deploying X part of Activity Triggers” or “what infrastructure do we need in order to move forward with Question of the Day”, etc. These are the kinds of questions that help us get to the next stage of projects and are also areas where PM intervention could be critical.

I want to highlight an area where this did not happen: @DivineOwl’s management of TSSG. They took clear direction from me about what my goals were for the paper, identified a plan to get there, and have executed it on a consistent basis. My hope is the notes and procedures they have written can help us make that process sustainable, regardless of if they are personally available to execute on it.

The next concrete milestone will be deployment and full live operation of the RMB Bot component that @xshotss built.

In terms of measurement—and I say this as someone’s who’s real-life job is in data analytics and evaluation—but precise evaluation and measurement is often the enemy of progress. We can define certain objectives (e.g. “more nations”, “more WA nations”, “more WA nations endorsing the Delegate”, etc.) but generally over-tracking metrics results in under-delivering on new initiatives, especially since the development capacity for different metrics/evaluation tools would likely come from the same talent pool as the development of the other triggers in the Activity Triggers system. Not to mention that there will be so many confounding variables in any analysis that prevent us from isolating the impact of any one intervention.

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t ever ask the question “is this working” or look at engagements/interactions with our outreach initiatives, but overthinking “how will we measure this is working” will only lead to us failing to actually develop the next tool.

I would turn #mofa-ambassadors-hall into a space to actually discuss Gameplay events so that ambassadors can be encouraged to be informed consumers of public FA information, discuss new developments together, and develop their perspective on FA strategy and planning. Ultimately, having these conversations is the best way to “train” the next generation of FA minds.

The key information in monthly government updates would be:

  • Key deliveries from the government in the past month
  • “Action steps” for citizens who want to be involved with government projects (e.g. Integration is looking for someone to work on X, Culture is running Y event, etc.)
  • Goals for deliverables to be completed in the upcoming month
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