Post by Courelli on Jul 9, 2019 1:55:37 GMT
Member States of the Social Liberal Union,
Over the last two years of residence and service in the SLU, I’ve made many friends, many good memories, and learned so much from you all. I would like to reiterate what I said in my 2018 Delegacy farewell address, which is just as true now as it was the moment I wrote it:
[you all have given me] friendship when I was lonely, advice when I was confused, reassurance when I was doubtful, well-wishes when I was successful, and sometimes – when necessary – a reality check when I was stubborn, unreasonable, or overly-proud.
That is why, today, I am once again honored to announce that I will be running to be World Assembly Delegate of the Social Liberal Union. I would like to thank Koiho for nominating me for this position, which allows me to give back to the community that has given me so much. Going forward in this message, I will elaborate on my qualifications, achievements, and plans for the SLU going forward.
My Qualifications
What most of you probably know about me already is that this isn’t my first rodeo – I served the SLU as the 12th World Assembly Delegate, from October 2017 to July 2018, an opportunity for which I am perpetually grateful. Since then, I’ve grown a lot, learned a lot, and lived to tell the tale.
Perhaps my proudest moment was working with then-Interregional Legislative Coalition (ILC) Member Nation Cosmosplosion and our very own Koiho to pass a World Assembly Resolution in the General Assembly: General Assembly Resolution #459 – On Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes. This process taught me the intricacies of the World Assembly and gave me a new perspective on my role – our role – within it. However, this isn’t to say that we weren’t met with challenges, hiccups, or straight-up hostility – we were, but we came out on the other side. I plan to use this experience to guide the nations of both the SLU and the ILC to success within the World Assembly.
While still on the topic of the ILC, it is worth noting that one of the many duties of our Delegate is to be our official Representative to the ILC and to cast our vote in its Council. Furthermore, our Delegate has the opportunity to become the Chairperson of the ILC – a position I held for many months. During my Delegacy in 2017, I was among those instrumental in negotiating the formation of the ILC, and worked diplomatically to enshrine the values of “Unity, Equality, Democracy, and Internationalism” – values which I hope we all share – into the Charter of the group. I believe that my experience and commitment to these values – alongside my vision and drive for increased activity, profile – progress, demonstrates that I am the right person to take on this task.
Lastly in this section, I wish to highlight two other duties of the Delegate: “ensuring the proper defense of the region, and overseeing the intelligence and counterintelligence operations of the region,” and “Serving as the commander of any military forces created by or pursuant to law.” Since July 2018, I have served in The Red Fleet, an anti-fascist military and the official military arm of NSLeft – a group in which many of our friends and allies, such as Democratic Socialist Assembly, The Leftist Assembly, The Internationale, and The Communist Bloc, are members. In November 2018, I was promoted to Admiral of the Huey P. Newton Squadron, the highest position in my Squadron, and assumed a place on the Fleet’s Admiralty Board – the strategic planning and decision-making body of the Fleet. In this position, I have had many months of experience with the intricacies of raiding, defending, and refounding – simply put, I know how to keep our region safe from those who may wish to do us harm.
My Achievements
Over the course of my time in the SLU, I have had many achievements, the most important of which I will document here.
Diplomacy
From my 2018 Delegate platform:
Since my first term began, we have established several new embassies, with regions such as The Leftist Assembly, The Union of Democratic States, and The North Pacific, as well as grown closer to long-established allies such as the Democratic Socialist Assembly.
Working in tandem with Minister of Foreign Affairs Goncar , we have revived and revitalized the Ambassador program, and now have a friendly, active representative in each allied region, as the "boots on the ground" of our new Foreign Affairs strategy.
Working in tandem with Minister of Foreign Affairs Goncar , we have revived and revitalized the Ambassador program, and now have a friendly, active representative in each allied region, as the "boots on the ground" of our new Foreign Affairs strategy.
Recordkeeping
From my 2018 Delegate platform:
Thanks to the hard work of Speaker Anaaxes , the Librarians of Parliament (of which I am one), and unofficial (but no less dedicated) editors, the Library of Parliament is more accurate, more complete, and more user-friendly than ever!
Communication & Community
When I was first elected Minister of Domestic Affairs in June 2017, I vowed to revitalize our community, which, upon first glance, seemed … quiet, to say the least. With that vision, I created a new Discord server for the SLU, and in the two years since, it has seen hundreds of thousands of messages (118,653 from me, at time of writing), many funny moments (check the pinned messages), many debates (mostly over what a bunch of dead guys wrote 150+ years ago), and many friendships made. On that note, be sure to join the Discord if you haven’t already; it’s a fun place!
My Plans
First and foremost, we must address recruitment. The SLU offers so much – whether you like roleplaying, government, or just a fun community to chat with – yet recent months have seen our Union in a decline. Under a 2nd Courellian Administration, I would work with the Ministry of Immigration to re-open the Auto-recruiter API that ran in my first Delegacy, as well as utilize manual recruitment. We’ll revitalize the recruitment telegram into a modern and effective tool that truly shows off our region to new players. However, it is my belief that hospitality starts at home. As such, I will make sure that our region continues to be a friendly, welcoming place for all who wish to call the SLU home – thank you for playing your part in that!
Secondly, I will oversee the expansion of roleplay, jointly with the Minister of Domestic Affairs. In recent weeks, I have worked with Ramelia, the current Minister, to establish two new roleplay channels in our Discord: #news, for news updates from our nations, and #diplomacy, for interactions between our leaders. Both of these channels seem to be a success so far, and as SLU roleplay continues to grow under my watch, we’ll expand the scope of these channels and/or make new channels if the need arrives, as well as have proper SLU roleplay events, such as determining the SLU capital, an SLU international heist, and much more! If you have any ideas, or you’d like to host/lead an event, just let me know!
Finally, I would like to address criticism rightly given to me in my first stint as Delegate – criticism that I and my government were elitist, exclusionary, and many other terms which I will not dispute. These critics weren’t wrong: in my first Delegacy, we were often cliquey, exclusionary, and elitist, separating the government from the people who power it. For that, I’m sorry – but I know platitudes mean nothing, and “sorry” is just a word. That’s why, in a 2nd Courellian Administration, I will fight my hardest to institute more civic involvement in matters of governance in two ways:
- Weekly Delegate “Fireside Chats” in our Discord voice channel – an SLU tradition lost to the ages these past few years; and
- An expansion of the current “Department Official” system, to allow more people to become involved in the governance and maintenance of our community – this will be somewhat like our friends in the DSA, who have a large staff of “Cabinet Aides.” This is a long-deserved step in the right direction.
With that, I conclude my platform for this election – if you’re still with me through this wall of text, thank you for reading what I have to say! Feel free to message me on Discord, telegram me on NationStates, or post below with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Again, I am honored to run for World Assembly Delegate of the Social Liberal Union. I hope that my commitment to our shared values, our longstanding democracy, and the rule of law resonates with you all.
Remember, no matter who you vote for, vote nonetheless. Your vote is your voice - use it to be the change you want to see.