Let's end this thing

We’re over eight months into the Great Council, and recently, we’ve simply been considering omnibus after omnibus after omnibus after omnibus. Let’s face it: we aren’t going to find the silver bullet.

I think there’s a sense that we have to produce something big and meaningful from the Great Council. I’d argue we already have. The freedom of a constitutional convention has allowed us to incubate our ideas — ideas ranging from gameside moderation to executive structure, from military oversight to voter registration. Proposing omnibus after omnibus isn’t a productive or logical means of discussing these ideas, and it would make much more sense to address specific ideas, one by one, in a forum like the Assembly. That process has already started, and it may even flourish if we don’t pull out the rug and replace our body of law.

I’ve been guilty of the omnibus bill gravy train as well, but I hope that you will join me in recognizing now that that train doesn’t have a clear destination. The ideas are there; the implementation is not; so instead of debating our fundamental ideas of government in broad strokes, let’s go out and implement our ideas through meaningful steps like new bills and amendments.


With that, I motion to adjourn this Great Council sine die.

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I’d like to move for the Great Council to adopt this, this, and this as the final product, and that the Great Council adjourn.

EDIT: To clarify and compile these amendments in one piece, I’ve listed it below.

I move that the Great Council adopt the following as the final product, and adjourn.

FINAL PRODUCT

CHARTER OF THE COALITION OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC
Preamble

The Assembly of the Coalition of the South Pacific, representing our diverse community, convenes to establish this fundamental law of our region, to uphold democratic principles and rights, ensure effective and responsive governance, and provide for the security of our unified community both on the forums and in the game.

I. CONSTITUTIONAL LAWS

Defining the supreme laws of our community.

[…]

(4) Any constitutional law passed by the Assembly that directly affects the gameside community or its home governance, as determined by the Chair of the Assembly, must also receive the consent of the gameside before coming into force, where that consent shall not require more than a three-fifths supermajority in a vote.

(5) Constitutional laws passed by the Local Council hold the same status as those passed by the Assembly, limited in their scope and force to the realms of Local Council jurisdiction, but may not contradict this Charter or any law, regulation, or policy of the Assembly, Cabinet, or Council on Regional Security.


II. SOVEREIGNTY

Outlining the sovereignty of the Coalition and the origins of legitimacy.

[…]

(2) Authority and legitimacy are is held jointly solely by the region and the forum, and the union between the two is what defines the Coalition. No illegitimate invader or usurper of the region shall be recognized.

III. RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

Recognizing the democratic rights and freedoms of all members of the Coalition.

[…]

(5) No law may be passed by the Assembly that directly affects the activities of the in-game community without the consent of the in-game community.

[…]

V. THE LOCAL COUNCIL

Establishing home rule for the in-game region residents.

(1) The Local Council will be the local government of the in-game community, composed of three or more residents of the South Pacific, and will represent the interests of all players in the region, moderate the Regional Message Board, encourage activity on the gameside, and administrate itself on issues unique to the in-game community.

(2) The Local Council is entitled to self-administration within its jurisdiction on local issues, but may not pass laws or regulations that contradict this Charter or constitutional laws passed by the Assembly. To that end, the Assembly may not enact any law, nor the Cabinet deliver any directive, that is solely related to an issue local to the in-game community, except as done under the terms of this Charter.

(3) The Local Council may not be denied the authority to run regional polls, create and pin Dispatches, and to suppress messages on the Regional Message Board according to a standard moderation policy. However, it may not alter the regional flags or tags, and may not send out mass telegrams, without the approval of the Delegate.

(4) To help promote inter-governmental relations, the Local Council may send a representative to the Assembly whose term must not exceed the Local Council’s. The method of selection will be decided by the Local Council.


[…] sections are all renumbered accordingly

VII VI. THE DELEGATE

Establishing a Head of State.

[…]

(2) The Delegate will work with the Local Council RMB moderation in moderating the Regional Message Board, fulfilling Regional Officer positions, and with the executive in promoting gameside activities, and representing the preferences of the gameside community.

XII XI. THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM

Creating an independent, apolitical body to manage and moderate off-site communications.

(1) The Off-Site Administration Team will be responsible for the technical maintenance of the region’s Discord servers, forums, and the integrity of the database. Administrators will not be given responsibilities of a political nature.

(2) The Off-Site Administration Team will be responsible for the appointment and removal of its own members, except when an administrator is removed from the position following a guilty verdict in a fair trial for abuse of administrative powers. Additionally, new administrators must be approved by a majority of the Assembly before being granted administrator permissions.

(3) The Off-Site Administration Team must create standard administration and moderation policies covering both on-site and off-site communications platforms. These policies will be submitted to the Assembly for a one-week review and comment period before going into effect. A copy of these policies must be posted publicly on the off-site forum and in a Dispatch on-site.

(4) While the Off-Site Administration Team may appoint global moderators if needed, individual Ministers, the Chair of the Assembly, and roleplay moderators primarily will be responsible for the moderation of their dedicated Discord servers and forums.

(5) The Administration Team, or a team of moderators appointed by them, will appoint moderators for the regional message board with the power to enforce published administration and moderation policies. The list of moderators of the regional message board must be published in a Dispatch on-site. At least some moderators of the regional message board must be granted the communications regional officer permission on-site, as outlined by the Assembly in law. The WA Delegate will be an ex officio member of the RMB moderation team.

XIII XII. AMENDMENT PROCESS

Setting a procedure for amendment of the Charter and constitutional laws.

[…]

(2) Any amendment to the Charter or constitutional laws that directly affects the gameside community or its home governance, as determined by the Chair of the Assembly, must also receive the consent of the gameside community before coming into force, where the consent shall not require more than a three-fifths supermajority in a vote. Additionally, the Local Council may originate amendments to its structure in the Charter, which must receive the consent of the Assembly before coming into force.

(3) The Local Council will determine the qualifications and processes for amendments to its own constitutional laws.


Border Control Act
An act to establish processes for the use of in-game ejection and banning powers


[…]

3. Powers of the Local Council RMB moderators and Delegate

(1) The Delegate, or a majority of the Local Council, an RMB moderator may order a border control action against a nation they determine to be spammers or trolls. The assent of the Council on Regional Security is required if the nation in question is not a low influence nation.

(2) The Delegate or Local Council RMB moderation must inform the Council on Regional Security immediately after having ordered a border control action.

(3) The Local Council may enact policy allowing border control actions within its purview to be performed unilaterally by a border control officer. Any change to such a policy must be clearly and immediately communicated to all border control officers.
Regional Officers Act
An act providing for the granting of Regional Officer powers to government officials


[…]

2. Regional Officers

[…]

(5) The Local Council will be allotted three Regional Officer positions and granted Appearance, Communications, and Polls powers. Regional message board (RMB) moderation will be allotted up to five Regional Officer positions and granted Communications powers. The RMB moderation team will decide which moderators among them will be granted powers.
a. RMB moderation may request the Council on Regional Security grant border control powers to any of its Regional Officers. The Council on Regional Security will have the authority to grant or deny such requests and will do so in a timely manner. The result of a decision to grant or reject a request to grant border control powers to a RMB moderation Regional Officer will be published by the Council on Regional Security.


Elections Act
An act establishing elections for office

[...]

7. Separation of Powers

(1) Offices of the Coalition are the Delegate, the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers, the Chair of the Assembly, Local Councillors, the Chief Justice, and any of their appointed deputies.


Assembly Resolution on Local Council Reform Efforts
A resolution to set deadlines and consequences for Local Council reform efforts

The Assembly of the Coalition of the South Pacific,

Recognizing the Charter mandate of the Local Council to “encourage activity on the gameside, and administrate itself on issues unique to the in-game community”,

Concerned that the Local Council has historically fallen short of meeting this goal,

Noting as evidence for this the generally thoughtless and “spam” nature of most activity on the regional message board, the lack of initiative by Local Councillors in hosting regional events or media on gameside, the lack of broader legislative or executive activity on the gameside, and the lack of motivation or political energy stemming from the regional message board to rectify these flaws,

Hoping that the Local Council can address these issues itself, thus maintaining the general principles of gameside self-determination, while resolving issues which affect the prosperity of the entire regional community,

Hereby:

1. Requests that the Local Council enact meaningful reform, within the March-July 2022 term, that generates a suitable gameside governance structure and substantially addresses the shortcomings identified in this resolution.
2. Declares intent to consider an amendment to the Charter to abolish the Local Council, should meaningful reform not be successfully enacted within the requested date.

Fair enough; I’m amenable to that. I do feel that was a specific policy issue that we had lengthy and detailed debates about.

Edit: To clarify, consider my original motion withdrawn in favor of the motion above.

Even though I don’t agree with such a measure, it was voted on and discussed for a long time so, unfortunately, it makes sense to take it into account…

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