McChimp's Campaign Thread (August '21)

[McChimp]

Fellow Shareholders,

I took a step back from the cabinet during this last term, but having now gotten my life a bit more on track I'd like to get back into it. Before I run through my platform, I'd like to say that I was very impressed with Moe's premiership and am sad to see it ending early. Without further ado:

Internal Affairs

As always, well-run internal affairs is key to activity. I will rebuild this department and ensure that it publishes the gazette and runs endorsement campaigns and will try to find the time to run a regional newscast. Since the term will include SPOOKY MONTH I also hope to do some themed regional events. Furthermore, I will ensure that regional enthusiasm for a WA program does not go ignored and will have polling conducted on GA and select SC matters, which will inform recommendations to the Delegate. It also remains my ambition to see our RMBers engaged in RP on the NationStates forums, as I believe this is where they can best be engaged. I will not pursue theme change.

Foreign Affairs

During the last term some progress was made on the foreign policy goals I have long supported but there were also some setbacks. I would like to consolidate our friendship with Osiris and TWP for the time being; it's been too long since we caught up with them. Meanwhile I will have to reconsider the temperature of the defendersphere, since I am starting to worry that their recent successes have left them unwilling to engage with parties like ourselves. If that is the case then our whole FA strategy may need rethinking.

The Guard

I support the Guard remaining neutral. That said, I do appreciate that it has become inactive and new sources of action need to be found. I think there are two ways this can be done and intend to pursue them both. Firstly, we must engage with inter-regional anti-fascism. This was the primary benefit of our withdrawal from the APC and we need to capitalise on it. Secondly, the region should reconsider the Warzones Inc agreement, since some of our closer ties with the Warzones have recently been cut and we have proven ourselves unable to actually honour our side of that agreement several times now.

 

[HEM]

What is your stance on the NPO/Lazarus war, and regardless of that stance, how will it factor into your foreign policy?

Lazarus seems a little stretched thin on "human resources" (e.g. bodies in the room doing the work). Given that, I am curious how you would prioritize work. What would be your top three initiatives in your term?

 

[moe]

Do you think there is hidden value/potential in citizens who are in our region, but not on our forums? Do you feel like we haven’t been doing a good job of driving them here? And if so, how do you think we can improve on those efforts?

 

[New Rogernomics]

Q1: You describe a SPOOKY MONTH, what would this event entail?

Q2: Would Osiris and TWP be the only regions you want us to improve relations with, or are there others on your mind that you think we should engage more with?

Q3: What do you mean by "the temperature of defendersphere", do you think defender regions would be less willing to engage with us in operations because of it?

Q4: Why would our FA strategy need to change with defender regions or organizations?

Q5: What you mean by engaging with "inter-regional anti-fascism", and why was withdrawal from the APC helpful to this effort in your opinion?

Q6: How would you want to organize polls? Obviously, there are lot of GA and SC matters each day, so there might not be the enthusiasm to discuss all of them.

Q7: Given your description of the Warzones Inc agreement, do you think Lazarus should be involved in Warzones?

Q8: If you were stuck on a tropical island, what would you bring with you?

 

[McChimp]

What is your stance on the NPO/Lazarus war, and regardless of that stance, how will it factor into your foreign policy?

I still believe that we ought to wait for a delegate change in the NPO before we consider peace. However, I also believe that we should set aside our differences when it comes to bashing the fash and should get on with that.

Lazarus seems a little stretched thin on "human resources" (e.g. bodies in the room doing the work). Given that, I am curious how you would prioritize work. What would be your top three initiatives in your term?

I think our priority should be internal stuff for the most part. Programs which our residents can most easily engage with like endorsement competitions, regional festivals and the WA program should be our top priorities. Getting players involved with the Guard in some capacity then ought to be the second priority and FA stuff after that.

Do you think there is hidden value/potential in citizens who are in our region, but not on our forums? Do you feel like we haven’t been doing a good job of driving them here? And if so, how do you think we can improve on those efforts?

I don't think that potential is hidden at all-Lazarus' RMB and onsite community is one of her most charming features. It's a pity that players often struggle when transitioning from that roleplay environment to this gameplay one, which often leads to a divide between the two. I think that the best way to resolve this is not to try to force them here but for us to engage with them there instead; we should advertise RP here and onsite but then hold it onsite where our non-citizen residents can easily participate. That way we can nurture that activity without smothering it with demands to come here and join our forums.

Q1: You describe a SPOOKY MONTH, what would this event entail?

I was thinking we could do like a pumpkin competition with edited images. Maybe we could watch like horror anime or something one night and play games like werewolf which are monster related. There's all kinds of things we could do.

Q2: Would Osiris and TWP be the only regions you want us to improve relations with, or are there others on your mind that you think we should engage more with?

I think Moe mentioned that TNP had expressed interest in talking about our treaty. I'll see that completed if it's ongoing.

Q3: What do you mean by "the temperature of defendersphere", do you think defender regions would be less willing to engage with us in operations because of it?

I don't think the defendersphere's goals lend themselves to raiding warzones and I doubt they'd turn down a fash op because we were participating. What I mean is that TSP seemed much more willing to engage with us during my last term than they do now and I'd like to know the reason why.

Q4: Why would our FA strategy need to change with defender regions or organizations?

Well, if defender regions were unwilling to be our friends then we must reconsider matters like our own alignment. As you yourself were saying the other day, the main benefit of our neutrality is that we can be friends with anyone. A few months ago this seemed to be the case in practice; now it doesn't seem so clear.

Q5: What you mean by engaging with "inter-regional anti-fascism", and why was withdrawal from the APC helpful to this effort in your opinion?

The NPO participates with antifa and previously the APC treaty had been interpreted by joint understanding (there was a big argument with some of the APC organisers iirc) to mean no interregional antifa including the NPO.

Q6: How would you want to organize polls? Obviously, there are lot of GA and SC matters each day, so there might not be the enthusiasm to discuss all of them.

I think we could have citizens' polling threads on this forum, visible to residents but not postable to for them. Discussions that do not catch the public's imagination can always be made by Tubbius without the community's input if they have nothing to say.

Q7: Given your description of the Warzones Inc agreement, do you think Lazarus should be involved in Warzones?

I think we should be involved in the warzones. Just like how we used to be before the agreement.

Q8: If you were stuck on a tropical island, what would you bring with you?

Civilisation.

 

[Apatosaurus]

Well, if defender regions were unwilling to be our friends then we must reconsider matters like our own alignment. As you yourself were saying the other day, the main benefit of our neutrality is that we can be friends with anyone. A few months ago this seemed to be the case in practice; now it doesn't seem so clear.

Just to clarify, you'd still support Lazarus remaining neutral, not independent, in alignment?