Post by Ramelia on Jul 25, 2019 21:31:39 GMT
Member States,
Four years ago, I joined the SLU with an increasing but still immature interest in politics. What I found has astounded me in the years since: the most friendly community I've seen on NationStates, welcoming and kind members of government, and an ever-improving system of fair governance. Today, I seek the esteemed privilege of serving you as Speaker of the Union.
My Record and Experience
Over two years ago, with no prior experience in SLU government, I was given the opportunity to serve as Speaker (then as Odd Republic). I made many mistakes then, and have worked hard to change my behaviors to avoid repeating those errors (I have tried to make this clear during my service as Minister of Domestic Affairs this term). However, my speakership also was responsible in large part for a revolution in the style and quality of SLU legislation—this was made clearest in the passage with Anaaxes of the Third Constitution. My speakership also helped begin official usage of the Library of Parliament, which has made this region's archives likely NationStates' best.
Since 2018, I have primarily authored numerous passed bills to further improve the quality of SLU legislation, including most recently the Speech Protection and Inappropriate Content Prevention Act, and hopefully soon the Civil Service Act. Aside from legislation, I have worked extensively with then-Speakers Courelli and Hirematia as a Librarian of Parliament to improve the archives of the SLU on the Library, including creating numerous election documentation pages, correcting errors remaining in our legislative archives, and creating easier-to-use list pages. I also partly drafted and reviewed the questions of the Bar Examination, which was a few days ago finally brought into use.
Plans
The most essential and fundamental duty of a Speaker is to uphold Member State rights guaranteed by our Constitution, and I will work vigorously to ensure that happens. Beyond the very minimum, I also want to make the Open Parliament and its records more, well, open. The current process for putting forward a bill in the SLU can seem tedious, especially as it requires knowledge of how to use the Library's formatting system. Improving the Library Manual of Style, which already provides helpful information on drafting and which Courelli and I worked on during their speakership, is one way to increase the accessibility of legislating I wish to pursue. Otherwise, many Library records are still hard to find unless the searcher has the exact name, and I will address this with similar steps to those I have taken as a Librarian, with new, organized list pages.
Even with the constant churn of legislative improvements the SLU has seen at play over the last eight years, and even with the radical improvements seen over the last two years since the passage of the Third Constitution, anachronisms and otherwise improvable provisions still appear in our laws. While the role of the Speaker is to curate the Open Parliament, not explicitly to legislate, the best Speakers are defined in part by their ability to recognize and work to resolve legislative issues. I will hold myself to that; currently, I am working on two bills to address such improvable provisions, Amendment 1 to the Voting Reform and Fair Political Practices Act (with Courelli), and Amendment 3 to the Offences and Sentencing Act.
Election and legislative voting accessibility and participation is one of the most fundamental parts of what makes the SLU such a great region, and I want to see those improved. I would ensure more consistent and frequent legislative and election updates, to enhance participation and members' knowledge of current Open Parliament proceedings. I will also investigate whether the voting portal, which has increased election turnout over the last couple of years, can easily be used for legislative votes.
Finally, but far from least, I will work to materially improve the SLU's records. By the end of my term, if I am elected, I hope to create the remaining election records to finish a complete archive of elections. Refining historical records, such as those of Delegates' constitutional periods, will also be a focus of mine. Of course, to this end, I will continue to maintain a qualified team of Librarians.
With that, I conclude my platform for this election, but I look forward to hearing your questions and comments through any medium (feel free to post them below!).