The Prime Minister candidates (@Pronoun, @Erstavik, and @UnitedDisneyStates) took part in a live, text-based election debate on January 19th. Didn’t catch the debate live? The full transcript (lightly edited for clarity) is included below.
Debate Transcript - Part 1 of 2
lordnwahs
mic test
Pronoun
Alive and kicking!
Erstavik
I am here and ready to rumble! 
lordnwahs
Let us wait a minute for UnitedDisneyStates
Erstavik
I was having some trouble gaining access to the conference hall channel. Maybe UnitedDisneyStates is having the same issue?
lordnwahs
UDS has the correct masking as far as I can tell
but they aren’t online
nevermind - let’s get started first - UDS is free to join in at any time
Welcome to the January 2025 Prime Minister election debate!
We’re coming to you live from the Conference Hall right here in Lampshade District at the heart of the South Pacific. I’m lordnwahs, and I’ll be the moderator of today’s debate for the Prime Minister election. Today’s debate will consist of three sections: we’ll begin with questions for all three of the candidates, followed by questions for individual candidates, and finally we’ll open the floor up for candidates to ask questions of each other. (I definitely did not steal this format from the last PM debate over a year ago - wonder who moderated that)
Let us welcome our three candidates - @pronoun, @Erstavik and @UnitedDisneyStates!
Pronoun
Excited to be here 
Erstavik
Me too!
lordnwahs
Candidates, to help maintain the flow of discussion, please clearly mark the end of your answers so that I know when to move on to the next candidate, and please try to answer questions within 3 minutes.
We shall start with opening statements, which will be determined by RNG:
[links to coconut-grove]
Pronoun, you have the floor
Pronoun
Thank you, Nwahs. Thank you, too, to Erstavik and United Disney States for joining me today. And most of all, thank you to everyone in the audience right now or reading the transcript later.
We talk a lot in our region about ‘getting involved’ — but why? To me, engaging in our community matters for more than just replacing the community members who’ve retired or fulfilling an electoral mandate to find new blood. The South Pacific is a community where I’ve forged friendships, developed skills, and gained experience. I like to think that we’re always looking for folks to get involved because that experience means something, that it holds value. I want to bring the value of that experience to the office of Prime Minister.
Unlike my opponents, I had a slow start as a citizen. I remember, in my early years, whiling away my hours in the Hall of Spam. I didn’t really want to be King of the Hill (okay, I kind of did), but most of all, I remember what it’s like to feel doubts about whether I was smart enough to be welcomed as a citizen or capable enough to not embarrass myself as a legislator. I remember why it took me seven years — between the times I ceased to exist — to first run for office. Those, too, are the experiences I would bring as Prime Minister. I believe in a government that works as well for the tortoise as it does the hare.
To me, that requires more than a laundry list of goals or projects or legislation. It requires getting down to brass tacks. For as long as we’ve had the position, Prime Ministers have faced the question of not just what they want to do in office, but how they’d lead their Cabinet to do it. That’s why, in my campaign, I sought to lay out not just my ideas for the executive, but also the specific structures — collaborative Cabinet updates, regional job board — that would help the executive function smoothly. I want to do more than to promise what I would do, because the Prime Minister should be a leader too. That’s what I aspire to be.
lordnwahs
Thank you Pronoun. Erstavik, you now have the floor.
Erstavik
First of all I’d like to thank lordnwahs for hosting and moderating this debate. I would also like to thank my opponents for being here and congratulate them on their campaigns.
I think that my campaign presents a bit of a break from the status quo, and I’m not saying that as an attack on my opponents, because I think they’ve been doing some outstanding work and I hold both of them in very high regard. I say that because as someone, who hasn’t previously been involved in regional government, I’m coming into this with some fresh and new ideas. I love TSP, and I want to keep this region great, but I also want to revitalize it. I want to bridge the gap between the gameside and the forum. I want more nations to be involved in government. I want to help advance newcomers to positions of power through a cursus honorum. I want to revitalize TSP culture with a regional newspaper. I want to increase our presence and influence in the WA. I want to restart the ambassador program. And last but not least I want to ensure that the various government institutions actually follow our laws, like the Sunshine Act.
Thank you!
lordnwahs
Thank you to both candidates present. We will hear an opening statement from UnitedDisneyStates if and when they are present (points at empty rostrum).
We move on to the first question, which comes in from an anonymous TSPer: What is (in your opinion) the role of a Prime Minister? Pronoun, you have the floor.
Pronoun
I think the Charter puts it well: they’re the head of government and the leader of the executive branch. To me, that’s distinct from being legislative-drafter-in-chief or even idea-brainstormer-in-chief. Our executive is a machine with many moving parts (and often, with many more moving parts promised every election cycle), and it takes leadership to keep those cogs well-oiled, to support ministers new and old in achieving their potential, and to serve the public at large with not only a laundry list of ideas or initiatives but also a broader vision for the region.
UnitedDisneyStates
I am so sorry i am late
i was having trouble logging in
lordnwahs
Thank you. Erstavik, please hold your response until later. UnitedDisneyStates, please proceed with your opening statement.
Erstavik
Of course
UnitedDisneyStates
Thank you lordnwahs for moderating today. I want to thank my other candidates for being here today.
I think my campaign is a new direction for TSP and I could lead them into a bright and better future and give TSP a fresh new voice if I am elected Prime Minister and I hope I can get to win over the hearts of voters during this debate. I love this region and I want for it to succeed as a region. We are one of the biggest regions in NS and we are all diverse in our own way and I can’t wait to share my plans and answer your questions during this debate. I would love to thank Erstavik and Pronoun for debating with me today and hopefully I can win your vote in this election. I have to apologize once more I was going to a family member’s house and I didn’t get the internet password in time.
lordnwahs
Thank you UDS. Erstavik, you may proceed with your answer to the previous question: What is (in your opinion) the role of a Prime Minister?
Erstavik
First of all as the leader of the executive it is the Prime Minister’s role to provide oversight and strategic direction to the cabinet. But the Prime Minister also fills another important role towards the TSP community. It is my opinion that the Prime Minister should be actively involved in cultural events and on the RMB, and help pave the way for less experienced nations to rise to positions of power. It is also my view that the Prime Minister should assist in increasing recruitment and help foster a culture of endorsement. The Prime Minister also fills an important role in foreign policy and in our relationships with other regions. Last but not least, the Prime Minister should lead by example, and that includes always following the law. That is why I pledge to make regular Sunshine Act releases.
lordnwahs
Thank you Erstavik. UDS, your response.
UnitedDisneyStates
The role of the Prime Minister is our commander in chief of TSP. They need to be active on our RMB, they need to talk to the citizens, and they need to share what they plan throughout the term. The Prime Minister needs to be active in decision making so they know that there making the right decisions. They should also be active in all TSP events and help foster a great community for TSP. The Prime Minister is our commander in chief and they help with foreign affairs and the barebackbone of our government and oversee everything and it’s their job for the government to succeed.
lordnwahs
Thank you UDS. We now proceed to the next question - this is actually 2 questions posed by Silva and Volaworand that are similar in spirit. I will pose the one by Volaworand: What does each candidate see as TSPs biggest challenge at the moment. Bonus points if they have a plan to tackle it.
Pronoun, your response.
Pronoun
Our biggest challenge is identity. In all honesty, a lot of the ideas circulating this election cycle — connecting the on- and off-site communities, creating a regional newspaper, appointing ambassadors, launching a mentorship program — are not new ideas. We’ve been there and done that. But these individual initiatives, promising in their own right, might not find a foothold for success without a broader vision for operating collaboratively as one Cabinet and for effectively advertising these programs to the community at large. I think our community has, over time, started to feel more fragmented between different things to do and different parts of government, and I believe the first step towards solving that is to provide a unified and collaborative form of communication that goes beyond public updates or news summaries to really advertise what South Pacificans are hard at work on.
lordnwahs
Thank you Pronoun. Erstavik, your turn.
Erstavik
TSPs biggest challenge at the moment is the gap between the gameside and the forums. I want more nations to be involved in our democracy. We need to narrow the gap and lower the (mental) barriers that exist so that more nations will take the plunge and join the forum, become citizens and legislators. To solve this I intend to implement a mentorship program where experienced members can guide newcomers. I also plan to implement a formal cursus honorum, that I hope will last even after my term expires. In the cursus honorum less experienced nations would be able to shadow a minister and assist with their duties in a system of system of progressively increasing responsibility.
lordnwahs
Thank you Erstavik. UDS, you’re up next.
UnitedDisneyStates
Our biggest challenge currently is Communication. In a all honesty, we didn’t have much communication throughout this past term gameside and forums. The Prime Minister is the backbone of communication between all of the region and during my term I plan on doing those briefings ProfHenn did gameside but more on a regular basis
lordnwahs
Thank you UDS. There are many questions relating to leadership styles, but in the interest of time I would like to move on to policy specifics. The following question is from Vrigny: As a SPSF officer, I would like to ask the PM candidates for any plan of action to reignite SPSF activity. What are the planned actions and objectives to reach about the SPSF for the incoming term? Has any PM candidate thought of any possible MoD?
Pronoun, you have the floor.
Pronoun
You definitely didn’t steal the debate format if I go first every time 
but it’s no big deal
lordnwahs
I’m keeping the order for my own sanity 
Pronoun
I just answered a question about this on the forums the other day, but the three main points I made were:
- publicizing operations across all our platforms;
- holding smaller events, in collaboration with Culture, to showcase what military service involves;
- create personalized training threads for every new cadet/recruit; and
- recognize the effort that South Pacificans put in, even when we might not achieve all of our military objectives.
I haven’t thought much about a Minister of Defense because, in my experience, it’s often just been another way to elevate a more junior officer into higher-level discussions. I’m confident in my own military experience (as well as my sufficient current level of detachment) to directly provide civilian oversight, but I do also want to continue the current administration’s efforts to include more officers in those higher-level discussions in the first place.
lordnwahs
Thanks. Erstavik, your turn.
Erstavik
Regional security would be a priority to my administration, and that includes appointing a highly qualified and experienced Minister of Defense. I would also appoint a Regional Security Advisor to help assist me in defense matters. I would also surround my self with competent and experienced admirals. I will, to the greatest extent possible, defer to their expertise. I would instruct my minister of defense to prioritize SPSF recruitment. I would also look at whether it would be beneficial to the SPSF it wasn’t fully intergrated under the executive branch, as is the case in some other regions. It’s not something I’m ready to commit to, but I think that it’s an important discussion to have. As for a Minister of Defense, that is something I would like to discuss with members of the SPSF and other experienced members before making an appointment.
lordnwahs
Thank you.UDS next.
UnitedDisneyStates
To reignite activity and return the SPSF to its true spirit. I proposed in my campaign to continue with reforms of the SPSF. I also would like to appoint new admirals as some resigned this term. I would definitely as well surrond myself with experienced people of defenderism that are part of the SPSF. So i can make the best choices for our regional security. I also want to fix communication across the SPSF as there isn’t that much communication between the admirals, the head officers, and all of the members of the SPSF. I would want the head officers to ping all SPSF officers so they know it’s time to update. I also want to advertise to the whole region on what the SPSF is and how to join so that we can get more members in the SPSF.
I have thought of names for Minister of Defense. Of course I won’t say the names but I promise that this people i am thinking of are experienced SPSF members and will run the MOD well.
lordnwahs
Thank you all. The final question I will pose to all three candidates comes from Domais: I believe that recruitment is vital to any region’s lasting success, do you plan on continuing the previous Prime Minister’s efforts?
Pronoun, you start (for the last time).
Pronoun
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: yes, and… I want to make sure we do it right. I’ve been pretty vocal about asinine technical details, not out of opposition, but because I want this to be a program that’s sustainable long-term. Since we’ve already turned to Europeia’s recruitment tool, the main challenge isn’t the mechanical aspect of how we get the recruitment telegrams out, it’s how we integrate that with the rest of the executive. Integration will need to figure out how we actually cohesively pitch our region, both in our recruitment telegram and welcome telegram, for instance. Culture will need to figure out how to recognize our recruiters as we expand that to motivate a culture of recruitment. Cards could be one avenue for that as our cards program gets off the ground. Foreign Affairs will need to navigate the landscape of foreign regions if they come to us with concerns about our recruitment. I think this goes beyond the scope of a single ministry, but it will certainly be a focus of collaboration in my administration.
lordnwahs
Thanks. Erstavik, your go.
Erstavik
I would. I commit to build upon the important work of ProfessorHenn with developing the recruitment bot. Recruitment would be a priority to my administration, and to that end I would also consider appointing a Minister of Recruitment to work wholeheartedly with this challenge. The introduction of frontier regions presents a systemic challenge to TSP, and unless we want to see our influence eventually decline, we must prioritize recruitment efforts. My vision for the TSP is for it to be a thriving and influential region. In this regard I would also work closely with the delegate, as this would likely have to be a joint effort between the both of us. Additionally, I believe that my ambassador program would be beneficial to recruitment, because it would make TSP and our culture more visible in other regions, which may lead more nations to relocate here.
lordnwahs
Thanks. Finally, UDS.
UnitedDisneyStates
Yes I do plan continuing Professor Henn’s plans of recuritment. However I am going to expand it. I would like to get 5-7 recuriters supervised by the Minister of Recuritment to start recuriting. I would also like to change the welcome telegram and recuritment telegram so that our recuritment efforts will have a better chance at working. Integration’s job will also help on bringing these people that were brought in from recuriting and integrate them into becoming citizens and legislators and forums and discord. I want TSP to succeed and expanding the recuritment team will help do that as there will be more to recurit just in case if most can’t recurit on most days. Culture could also help on bringing in on these people that were brought in from the recuritment telegram and help them get started and learn all about TSP and our culture and our events that we are doing off site and on site.
lordnwahs
Ok, thanks to all 3 candidates. This concludes the first of three sections of this debate. The second section involves questions directed to individual candidates. Some of these were questions that were posed to all candidates via the Google form, but I decided to ask them to specific candidates.
We will start with Erstavik this time, followed by UDS and then Pronoun.
Erstavik: relative to the other two candidates, you have spent the least amount of time forum-side. Given this, how will you commit to your promise of a Cabinet comprised of “most experienced and competent ministers available”?
Erstavik
I believe my biggest strength is being new to regional government, as it allows me to see everything with fresh eyes. While I may not have extensive experience in government work, I’ve been part of TSP since 2021 and feel I understand this community well, both its strengths and its weaknesses. Throughout this time I’ve also been able to observe different nations in our region, and so I think that I have a pretty good indication who would fit for different positions. However, before making any appointment, I will consult with experienced members that I trust from different branches of government. Taking their views into account, I will try make the best informed decision on who to appoint, based on merit.
lordnwahs
Thank you. Next question: In your platform, you have promised many initiatives that have been promised by PMs past, such as a regional newspaper, for example. What makes your platform different from previously proposed initiatives?
UnitedDisneyStates
Is it all individual questions for one candidate at a time?
lordnwahs
Yes
You can take a break UDS
UnitedDisneyStates
I might go inactive again soon so Pronoun may need to go in front of me. Sorry again
I will just let you when it happens
Pronoun
Yeah that’s no problem for me
Erstavik
One aspect that makes my platform different is that the key point with many of my initatives, including the newspaper, is to bridge the gap between the gameside and the forum. Having been someone who, until recently, was largely unaware of what was happening on the forum, I believe I bring a unique perspective from the point of view of that kind of nation (who I would argue makes up the vast majority of our community).
lordnwahs
Ok, one final question: Can you elaborate on your position with regards to reforming CitComm?
Erstavik
Yes, as is evident from my case before the High Court, and from various discussions in the Assembly, the CitComm has not been working as intended. A key problem has been the processing time for new nations to be admitted as citizens. To that end I would work to introduce legilsation that establishes time limits for processing applications and a provision that guarantees a right to request adjudication after a certain time has lapsed. As things stand now, CitComm could effectively delay a citizenship application indefinitely simply by refusing to adjudicate it, which I think is unaccapteble from a civil rights perspective. I also find some provisions in the Citizenship Act troubling, as they could open the door to arbitrary and unfair adjudication.
lordnwahs
Thank you. UDS, are you free for the next 15-ish minutes?
UnitedDisneyStates
I should be for right now
lordnwahs
This first question comes from Kris Kringle: Do you think the Assembly and more broadly the region are engaging in sufficiently robust political discourse? If not, what should be done to ensure there is greater political activity in the region?
UnitedDisneyStates
I believe the assembly and the region are sufficiently doing robust political discourse however I feel the assembly should be more active entirely. There isn’t that much conversation in the assembly and I hope during my term I entourage the assembly to have more conversations and talk more to me the prime minister and the cabinet respectively. If Kris means like IRL politics then the assembly should be sometime a relevant place to share. Along with the regular forums. However onsite there is sufficient talk of politics.
lordnwahs
Next question, from Legendian028: Can you elaborate on the Goal #1 of the Defence section which is the reforms for SPSF that you envision?
UnitedDisneyStates
Sure! Reforming the SPSF meaning like changing the requirements of ranks again if we need too. Change the structure of the admirals and officers as we need more active defender officers in the SPSF. Getting the MOD to have more of a role in the SPSF. Also reforiming the Tidal Force so that they start doing individual missions again alongside regular updates. Reforming to have more communication across the SPSF so that everyone would know when it’s time to update and that the admirals would also communicate to the rest of the SPSF with their plans on how to keep the SPSF active and thriving. Reforms like that; that could get the SPSF back on track and that is what we need right now.
lordnwahs
Finally, what do you think about the view that Maluhia put to Erstavik in his campaign thread: “Why should the government be expanded? Will this increase efficiency?”
UnitedDisneyStates
I think the government should be expanded because it will allow fresh new voices to come to the table and give their ideas on how the government could be better and more efficent. However I feel this would make more efficiency because it will allow certain people to focus more on individual things in their ministry producing out efficiency, effectiveness, and result.
lordnwahs
Thank you. Finally, onto Pronoun’s questions.
First: what are your plans to involve new nations in TSP?
Pronoun
Glad you asked! I believe in a holistic approach to integration — that it’s more than the sum of its parts, more than just how many recruitment telegrams we send or citizenship applications we get, because our community itself is more than the sum of its parts. Most of all, I think we too often fall into the trap of offering statuses to gain instead of things to do. Titles don’t produce involvement; involvement produces involvement!
Instead of a mentorship program, as my opponents advocate for, I believe that a ‘job board’ is a novel idea that better aligns with what involvement actually looks like. I was a mentor the last time we had a mentorship program, and I recall the struggles of trying to guide new members who didn’t understand what it is that we do and what it is that they could do. They had the status of being a ‘mentee,’ but we didn’t succeed in offering them things to do. Offering concrete projects, or ‘jobs,’ for members of all experience levels shifts the paradigm because we’re advertising specific forms of involvement, not community membership generically.
lordnwahs
Second: Optimally, what will your activity look like on the RMB as PM? How likely is it that you’ll be that active on the RMB?
Pronoun
I expect that I’ll be more active both casually and officially. Probably contrary to popular belief, I check the RMB fairly often, but by nature it only really supports one conversation at a time compared to being able to choose from many different topics on the forums or channels on Discord. But as Prime Minister, I anticipate stepping up my activity across all platforms, and that certainly includes the RMB.
That’s also true because I want to make better use of the RMB in government matters. For instance, in the past, even not as a member of the executive, I’ve taken initiative to post an invitation on the RMB when there’s a game night on Discord. Our executive can step that up to ensure that even initiatives that are nominally located on one platform are advertise across all of our platforms.
lordnwahs
Finally: why do you think a new Trading Cards ministry is necessary?
Pronoun
A ministry is a great way of getting a new program off the ground. Right now, SPACE is… I mean, it exists, nebulously within the realm of the executive, but the lack of an official structure also means its announcements kind of exist in their own world rather than feeling like part of the Cabinet’s strategy as a whole. A ministry solves these issues by better surfacing its progress, its challenges, and its needs. It offers defined leadership instead of just a general state of existence. All of those, to me, are critical when we’re getting a new program off the ground.
lordnwahs
Thank you.
