Vote Drew Durrnil for PM!

Elections Archive
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Hey TSP,

I’m Drew Durrnil, currently the Minister of Defense of the South Pacific. It has been an honor to be running for TSP’s highest office, the face of NationStates’ oldest democracy. ProfessorHenn’s year-long tenure has put TSP in great shape-the SPSF has been reinvigorated, we’ve been opening ties with new regions, and Henn has been working hard on bringing interregional festivals to us. If elected, I will continue what Henn started in making TSP into the paragon region of NationStates, both internally and abroad.

Culture/Events

Since Culture and Events was the highest priority issue in the most recent approval poll, I’ll start with it for my campaign. The South Pacific’s gameside has been lacking in activity in recent months, largely owing to the introduction of frontiers and the decline in new spawns. If elected, I will work with the Delegate’s Advisory Council in bringing new events (such as SwanVision) to the gameside and also work on creating interregional offsite events. Additionally, I will be conducting outreach and recruitment for the Potato Alliance during the upcoming N-Day both onsite and offsite.

If elected, I will also advance the SPACE Card program. Ideas I have for this include the donation gambling system proposed earlier, rewards for active TSP card farmers, and incentives for SPSFers/TSP N-Day participants that go above and beyond.

Defense

If elected as PM, I will be continuing much of what I have done as MoD for this outgoing term, as well as adding some new programs to increase engagement. The Tidal Force will continue on as it did for the previous term. Also, I will add card incentives for active updaters, as well as for people that showed up to a major liberation. I will also be working with the rest of the General Corps in reviewing rank requirements to ensure that our defender force is at par with the rest of military gameplay, and refine our recruitment and integration pipelines to better bring in and train the next generation of defenders.

Foreign Affairs

Slab has done a great job as MoFA, and I want to continue on the same trajectory he’s put us in this term. For my term I’ll wrap up current projects that may not be finished by the end of this outgoing term, and have closer ties with non-Aegis and R/D neutral regions.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure:
Minister of Defense of the South Pacific
Citizen of The North Pacific
Member of The North Pacific Cards Guild
Citizen of The Wellspring
Card Gardener
Member of Cataclyst Order
Junior Command in Libcord
Citizen of Callista

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I will note that your TNP citizenship has lapsed :stuck_out_tongue:

Some broader questions for now, I’ll go into “policy-specific” questions later:

  1. Out of the three policy areas that that you have mentioned, which is the area that you have the least experience in, and how do you plan to address your relative lack of experience in that policy area?
  2. I think it’s fair to say that the last term of the outgoing PM saw some high-profile issues within the cabinet surface into the public view, most notably what happened with the Culture portfolio. Assuming you are elected PM, do you think it is important that your appointed Cabinet sees through the entire term? Why or why not?
  3. Do you think that the forum-side government should do more to engage the game/RMB-side player base with the governance of the region? If so, what steps do you think can be taken, short of TNP-levels of constant promotion?
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First, I would like to congratulate you for joining the PM election as a candidate.
Here are some questions:

  1. It is known that Tidal Force is much less known and has much fewer members than Tsunami Force, do you have any plans to add to their numbers or do you intend to leave it as is and believe that it is natural?
  2. What about the Henn government displeased you and do you intend to act or treat anything differently than what was done in previous terms?
  3. Do you have any thoughts on the dismissal of certain ministers, including the Minister of Culture? Why do you think this happened? How do you ensure that the same thing will not occur during your term?

Thanks in advance!

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  1. Probably Culture/Events, I have a lot of experience in Defense and hang around with a lot of GPers giving me some FA knowledge
  2. Having a cabinet with a well-planned out vision is definitely a priority for me. It’s important to have a concrete agenda and a well-thought out plan for the term helps increase transparency between the minister and the PM/citizens.
  3. There definitely needs to be more interaction between the gameside and offsite. Ways to do this include having government members (such as I) active on the RMB and posting updates about government/regional happenings onsite.
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  1. We can definitely advertise the Tidal Force better by putting information about it in integration dispatches and proactively advertising it onsite as a way to participate in SPSF action without Discord.
  2. Two main things: The whole TNP extortion scandal that led to the dissolution of the Aurora Alliance and the lack of a culture agenda near the end of Henn’s term, leading to mass resignations/dismissals. As I stated previously, to prevent this from happening again I’ll have my ministers lay out their agenda for the upcoming term and frequently check in with them to see how these agendas are progressing.
  3. I think that the dismissals of Legend and North happened due to a lack of communication between them and Henn, as well as the lack of action with culture both in that term and the previous term. Again, I’ll ensure this won’t happen in the future by having my ministers create a comprehensive agenda for the term and frequently communicate with them to make sure that they are meeting or progressing towards meeting their agenda.
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If someone is running for the most prominent office in this region, I would hope they take steps to resolve their foreign entanglements, although allowing a citizenship to lapse is a good start.

Can you give us some context for why you didn’t put up your campaign in the first round of declarations, hence why we’re doing this new round of them?

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Sickness + IRL stuff kept me from finishing my campaign before the first declarations period ended.

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I’d like to express my deep displeasure at asking a sitting Minister about their public views on the Prime Minister’s (their boss’s) administration/leadership. There is a way to ask the question that isn’t a snipe at the current government that the candidate is still a part of.

Do you believe there’s significant enough value in establishing a dedicated piler force within the SPSF during your term, and do you intend to pursue it?

What will your corrective actions be if a Minister fails to accomplish the agenda that the Assembly approved them on?

What specific portfolios do you intend to appoint potential Ministers to, and do you intend to explicitly name citizens to fulfill them in your campaign?

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No government is perfect, of course, so there will be displeasure on all sides. I’m not asking him as a Minister, I’m asking him as a candidate, and that’s why the question was asked in this thread.
I don’t care if you think I like your government or not, but there were certainly controversies, and Banexet responded to them. It is a consensus that such controversies existed and there are differing opinions, no big deal; I just wanted to make sure he identified them and didn’t repeat them.

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Then ask about those specific incidents, and not a general sense of ‘what went wrong last term?’. The candidate is still the Minister, and remains responsible for both aspects, which ought to include a general sense of professionalism that doesn’t extend to trashing their boss, in public, for political gain.

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In fact, I also found it interesting to see what he would do again or what behaviors he would or would not do, without restricting myself to specific questions.

I think we have a different view here. Even if he is a Minister, and even more so, he will see things that the citizens do not see. It’s not about “thrashing” his boss, it’s about giving an honest opinion of what he wants to improve in relation to the past term.
With my current mindset, even if it were any other government, I would ask the exact same question: “What did you dislike about the previous government that you intend to do differently?”

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  1. An off-update defender/piler force is necessary for a complete NS military, especially for a feeder region like the South Pacific. With our spawns I think that a dedicated off-update force has great potential, which is why I’m intending to pursue it during my term.
  2. If a minister fails to accomplish their agenda I’ll first have a talk with them to remind them of their agenda and talk about ways to accomplish said agenda. If that minister still fails to advance on their agenda I’ll give them a sterner warning or two before dismissing them.
  3. On-site events, off-site events, roleplay, defense, and foreign affairs. I won’t name specific citizens to fulfill these roles, but I will reprise my role as Minister of Defense for this upcoming term, and if possible reappoint @Klysevia as Tidal Force Coordinator.
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Professionalism applies doubly so here, since it’s extremely rude to take what are private conversations and air them publicly, in potential violation of the law. If your concern is about a general sense, then you could ask for details of how the candidate would lead on the day to day. If it’s about a particular incident, provide them with a scenario to answer for. It’s callous and unprofessional to ask about their boss’s work in a public setting.

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Nobody here talked about private conversations. I said to see something more in the sense of seeing errors more closely and failures that citizens may not notice, know or perceive.
Again, I intended to go beyond specific cases, but rather from the government in general. So I should exempt him from the question: "What did you dislike about the previous government that you intend to do differently?” because he is a government member? I don’t think so.

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Onto policy issues…

Culture and Events

  1. You have acknowledged that Culture and Events was the highest priority issue in the most recent approval poll. On this front, do you think that your lack of experience (relative to your experience in more GP-centric areas) will be a hindrance in pursuing your own agenda in the upcoming term?
  2. I have noticed that you are something of a “card enjoyer”. Do you foresee yourself being actively involved in advancing the SPACE Card program?
  3. Do you have people in mind for the Culture portfolios (on-site events, off-site events, roleplay, as you mentioned in your response to Henn)?

Foreign Affairs

  1. Do you think that reintroducing some sort of ambassadorship system would be useful? Why or why not?
  2. (insert a non-threatening question about TNP rapprochement that surely wouldn’t rile up some people here)
  3. The current PM has expressed caution about the idea of using the Delegate to further the Coalition’s foreign policy[1]. In your view, is there any appropriate extent to which the Delegate can use their “soft power” in inter-regional relations without being seen as a political figure that is a conduit for the aims of the executive?
  4. Do you intend on reappointing Slab as MoFA, if he is keen on retaining his current post?

Defense

  1. Relating to the current debate in the Assembly on amendments to the Military Code and Charter [2] - suppose that there is a fundamental disagreement between existing members of the Admiral Corps and yourself on some military issue. What would you do in that case?
  2. (I was going to ask if you are continuing on as MoD but I think you have answered that yourself)

World Assembly

  1. The Delegate, in his re-election campaign [3], has expressed interest in taking on a bigger role in WA affairs. What do you think is the appropriate role of a Delegate in the WA?
  2. More generally, what are your plans for the OWL if elected?

Other business

  1. You have mentioned that the F/S update has significantly reduced activity game-side in the region. In particular, it is an empirical fact that the number of nations in the region has fallen since the update. Do you think it is a priority for the region to stem this decline, or do you think that this would just be an exercise in futility?
  2. How open would you be to appointing newcomers into your prospective cabinet?
  3. Any thoughts on the state of the RMB?
  4. Do you think that the Delegate’s avowed cakeism threatens the freedom to choose one’s own dessert?

[1] The Heir of Godric Gryffindor is... Griffindor (for Delegate)! - #10 by ProfessorHenn
[2] [2404.AB] Military Code and Charter Changes
[3] The Heir of Godric Gryffindor is... Griffindor (for Delegate)!

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@ProfessorHenn @Silva
I’m sorry to insert myself into your discussion, but as this topic is Banexet’s campaign, I feel as though it would be more appropriate for you to continue this somewhere else

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For what it's worth, it is undoubtedly in poor taste to ask a candidate to say what "displeased" them of their current boss's tenure. I'm not even sure what would be the point of such a question other than to undermine the incumbent's record.

I see a few goals per portfolio but I’m not sure I see a vision for the region beyond just continuing work that is already underway (which seems to be the case for foreign affairs and defence). What does the South Pacific look like under your premiership and how to you plan to rally the region to make that happen?

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I second all of lordnwahs’ exceptionally insightful and important questions, especially regarding FA and Defense. I would add just a few of my own:

I gather that means you plan to appoint yourself to the position. On my read of the Charter, you would be well within your legal rights to do so. But why do you think it is appropriate and / or necessary? At least in RL, it’s not unprecedented for Prime Ministers to also fill Cabinet posts, but usually it occurs in times of government crisis (I believe Churchill appointed himself Minister of Defense during World War II). Concentrated authority has its advantages, but also carries risks. Why do you think that balance weighs in favor of the PM assuming a key Cabinet position?

On a more quotidian note, will you be submitting your nomination of yourself as MoD for approval by the Assembly?

What exactly do you mean by this? In what sense might our rank requirements not be at par with the rest of military gameplay?

More generally, what do you think is the appropriate / optimal working relationship between the PM and Delegate in their respective roles of head of government and head of state? Do you plan to consult with the Delegate on your policy proposals–something along the lines of the UK Monarch’s “advise and warn” function–or do you see the roles as essentially separate, i.e., the Delegate does their job and you do yours?

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Just to quickly clarify this; no office (save OWL and PM) formally exist and all others are exercising a delegation of power held by the PM. So should they win, they are probably saying that they would not appoint a MoD, which would retain the power with the PM.

The rest of that question… is good for the candidate to answer :stuck_out_tongue:

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Interesting point. I hadn’t read the executive powers section of the Charter closely enough. But I went back and now agree with your interpretation. It again makes me wonder about the wisdom of having some statutorily mandated Cabinet positions, but this is neither the time nor the place to discuss that further. Perhaps in the new Assembly term.

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