Atlasia's Intervention: Rantings of a Game Reform Loon

[tmthforu94]

Of course it is working. Do you really think was need an entire position devoted to opening a voting Booth every couple months and counting votes? Only the STV vote counts can get somewhat complicated. It is an easy job that could just as easily be merged with the RG or AG and see the same results.

The position of SoFE is not only to administer elections, but it also serves as an aid to regional governments, represents the the federal government in an election dispute, and administers candidate declarations. While it may not be one of the most overbearing jobs in Atlasia, history has shown that when its duties are merged with the duties of the RG, chaos happens. I don't think we should be risking that for the sake of merely cutting a position.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

This is one area where the Speaker and I diverge.

I support the Game Reforms, but do not see the need to expand the powers much further.

I want to give the SoFE and the AG the power to administer Regional elections without there needing to be a court-case - in the event of a repeat of the NE clusterf**k

[ilikeverin]

The SoFE and RG aren't positions you need exciting constantly active or controversial individuals for. They're work-horse positions. Positions that require alot of upkeep but don't necessarily do things that are constantly in the public eye, but are nonetheless important. The SoEA and SoIA, as far as what we want to do to those positions, are totally different from how we should be approaching filling the job of SoFE and RG. If it's working as-is, we shouldn't mess with it, especially when it's so important and we've already dealt with these issues in the past.

I wonder if I could get a group of ex-SoFAs to join together and sign a petition opposing any consolidation of SoFE and RG powers.  I'd certainly sign!

[Marokai Backbeat]

I've contacted Polnut and sent a PM to Teddy regarding the possibility of me moderating a Presidential debate. (Sponsored by this paper, naturally.) Hopefully Teddy responds soon and we can kick it off soon.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Atlasia's Intervention.
Pointing out what others don't see, out of love.

Let's not repeat our mistakes. That'd be nice.
February 1st, 2012

Let's all give ourselves a round of applause. Party dissolution happened and is now in full effect. The popular narrative is that now Atlasia is entering a new political era, of all new parties, new people, and a newfound rush of activity and purpose.

It's a beautiful story, but let's not get too caught up in patting ourselves on the back.

Our problems arose from a political era of out of control super-parties. Gargantuan institutions that lacked ideological focus and that had an iron grip of decision making to such an extent that few gameplay mechanics were ever newly implemented and parties had a remarkably consistent level of power. They would suck up members from all over the place, and nothing new could ever be instituted to shake them out of power or give others a chance.

It is important that we don't make those same mistakes again as we get our rare second chance. That we don't doom ourselves to years of a similar or identical system. It is crucial that we take the lessons of our several-year slump to heart and remember what caused it. We must remember what caused it.

But what I see as we get started, I do not like.

The Senate recently shot down an Amendment to separate the President and Vice President from tickets. Why? Because everything's perfect now, duh! We don't need to make changes because we're going to be better forever! Bgwah has introduced a bill to cut clauses out of the caucus system, (one of my proudest accomplishments as a Senator), and Napoleon is hard at work now trying to repeal a game reform law that allows regions to hold their regional Senators accountable, a law that hasn't even gotten the chance to be used. An effort that I'm sure is the first of many.

After all, we're super awesome now!

The kick-off to our "new" party system isn't encouraging me either. According to the statistics from the Census Bureau's report on January the 30th, what are the two largest parties that have formed post-dissolution? The Liberal Party. A non-descript band of vaguely socially liberal "left-wing" people akin to the general makeup of the formerly established JCP. And the Communitarian Party, itself also a general vague and non-descriptive name that includes everyone from far-rightists to actual centrist-y communitarians.

We cast aside a bloated party system that had confusingly non-ideological super-big-tent parties to replace them with two confusingly non-ideological big-tent parties. Clearly this won't cause any problems in the future. Along with that, we vote down potentially good gameplay changes and now attempt to abolish old successes in dangerous naivete.

We are beginning to happily stroll on a path that leads right back to where we were a month ago. And not one goddamn person around here seems to be saying anything about it.

If we are to protect these successes and open up a sustainable multiparty system, we have to embrace regular change, and have parties that are not afraid to be ideological! In 2008 to 2009, we had a problem of not being partisan enough. Then we got stuck in the rut of being too polarized. Now we seem to be stuck in an era of non-ideological political institutions, political institutions that seem destined to eventually become the big blobs of members we had before.

We cannot be dumb enough to turn around after an abusive relationship and walk right back into another abusive arrangement. We have got to know better. We need leaders that aren't trying to hack away at policies that forced us to get here and forced things to change at the top level, and parties that aren't going to become big bloated blobs of non-ideological members on the bottom.

Follow through, Atlasia. Don't get spooked out and just return to what we know. Dare to be different and continue on a path of change rather than safety. If we don't, all we will have changed in the end are name-tags.

[Napoleon]

Liberal Party - 16
Communitarian - 14
Labor - 11
POP/JCP (grouped together since they seem to be merging) - 11

Wow, it is clear as day. The Liberal and Communitarian Parties are just sucking all of the air out of the room!

#lolmarokai

Funny you are the one giving us an intervention. I always had a feeling you needed to rethink your priorities.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I would rather raise awareness now than later. I would rather inform people of those trying to cut up game reform laws now, than later. I see nothing that would make me believe that the Liberal Party is going to become one of the smaller parties anytime soon. We are going to end up with a vaguely center-lefty party and a vaguely center-righty party with a few ideological parties around the edges, until they eventually get tired of losing and then merge with the biggies.

I have seen this dance before. I was the chair of the Social Democrats that decided to merge with the JCP in early 2009 because we got tired of losing and the JCP was the only other left-wing option. I know how this story ends. I do not want it to happen again.

[Antonio the Sixth]

How comes I missed this back in may ? As usual, it's great and very salutary for Atlasia. And of course I agree with your warning.

[ZuWo]

I can only speak for myself, but I definitely don't want the Whig-Communitarian Party to become a vague big-tent party. It should be an unapologetic socially and economically conservative party. That's why I hope the Moderate Party will pick up steam, so that people with centrist/center-right views don't feel compelled to join either the conservative Whig-Communitarian Party or the center-left Liberal Party. I also hope the Individual Freedom Party will become a niche for all libertarians. And don't forget that new Southern Party, the United Imperialist Front. I sincerely hope all these parties can play a real role in Atlasia in the future.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I absolutely hope the same in regards to the Moderate Party, ZuWo. There needs to be a legitimately centrist party going forward, not some weird grab-bag of people from left to right.

[Napoleon]

I also LOVE these cool attempts to make the Liberal Party the defacto "new JCP". Im sure you're sad that you don't have the JCP to attack on a daily basis.

But let us look at facts!

Liberal Party 10/16 from JCP, or 62.5%
Labor Party 9/11 from JCP, or 81.8%

Let me ask you a question. When everyone else is showing a desire to really improve this game and reduce negativity, why do you continue to be hateful, deceitful, and obsessive?

I will tell you this much. You are not doing Nathan, Antonio, Jackson, Hawkeye or any of the other great people in your party in favors by saddling them with your angry mudslinging and detestable partisan bickering. Often, the loudest mouth is the one heard. Think about someone else for once dude.

[Хahar 🤔]

To be honest, if the Liberal Party became a new NLC, it would be a little annoying, but it wouldn't be terrible (provided the NLC had the sort of progressive character that it had when Wixted was President).

[Marokai Backbeat]

I also LOVE these cool attempts to make the Liberal Party the defacto "new JCP". Im sure you're sad that you don't have the JCP to attack on a daily basis.

But let us look at facts!

Liberal Party 10/16 from JCP, or 62.5%
Labor Party 9/11 from JCP, or 81.8%

Let me ask you a question. When everyone else is showing a desire to really improve this game and reduce negativity, why do you continue to be hateful, deceitful, and obsessive?

I will tell you this much. You are not doing Nathan, Antonio, Jackson, Hawkeye or any of the other great people in your party in favors by saddling them with your angry mudslinging and detestable partisan bickering. Often, the loudest mouth is the one heard. Think about someone else for once dude.

This is dishonest and knowingly so. I don't care about the attitude of this game, and I joined the Labor Party of my own free will. I'm my own man. My opinion is my own, as it has always been.

I will say this, though, about what you said; because in that attempt to distract from my central point with nonsense, you did bring up something that deserves a response. The JCP has nothing to do with this, so you have absolutely no point to make by bringing up where former JCP members go. The problem is your structure, your recruiting, and the ideological inconsistency of your overall membership. The Labor Party is exempt from my criticism because it is a Labor Party that is recruiting left-wing people that would ordinarily join a Labor Party. The Liberal Party is, as the JCP before it, recruiting everyone from Socialists and Laborites to moderate Republicans.

The point of dissolution, and the point of the caucus system before that, was to prevent that ideological inconsistent bloating of the political parties that made us become a two party system that wouldn't change. If people aren't going to be true to themselves, and parties are going to recruit well beyond their ordinary ideological lines as defined by their founding, we will repeat those same mistakes, it is inevitable. That is the last thing in the world everyone around here should want to happen. But it seems that people want to win elections more. And thus, the ideologically inconsistent bloated "big tent" super-party will be born. On the right and left.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I can't figure out where your hate is coming from. Am I not allowed to be a Liberal? Are you trying to tell me what parties I can and can not join based on YOUR definition of where I stand on the political spectrum?

[Marokai Backbeat]

I can't figure out where your hate is coming from. Am I not allowed to be a Liberal? Are you trying to tell me what parties I can and can not join based on YOUR definition of where I stand on the political spectrum?

No, though, again, I think the vague definition of "Liberal" is the party's best and most terrifying weapon. I think you would fit that group because you support the Liberals in Canada and the traditional definition of Liberal, and you are overall a fundamentally anti-Socialist center/center-leftist. Someone like Snowguy though, let's not sit around and kid ourselves here, would not seriously join a party like that when there's a perfectly good, more ideologically appropriate party on the left that fits his views in both spectra.

It is not healthy for our future going forward, and isn't going to help us avoid the mistakes we've made that got us here in the first place, if people that would ordinarily be on the left are palling around with the center purely for the purposes of more votes. Where that approach ends is a two party system just like before.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I made a poll so you can tell me what party I should join. Snowguy should make one too.