[AMP] This Manifesto Goes to 11

[Owen Edwards]

The merits of hereditary constitutional monarchy are precisely that it doesn't reward ambition, talent, or activity. My experience of discussing the matter is that until people have understood the argument for it, their arguments against it tend to be point-missing.

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

Feb 27, 2019 18:19:04 GMT -6 Owen Edwards said:

The merits of hereditary constitutional monarchy are precisely that it doesn't reward ambition, talent, or activity. My experience of discussing the matter is that until people have understood the argument for it, their arguments against it tend to be point-missing.

For me, my big issue was that KR1 was majorly culturally active, in fact he was the prime motor of Talossan culture. I believe this is part of the King of Talossa's job description.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Feb 26, 2019 18:47:48 GMT -6 Sevastáin Pinátsch said:

No Minister of STUFF?

As a former MinSTUFF I can attest to the difficulty of getting other govvies and citizens involved with the care and feeding of our technology. Are they lazy, or are we all busy?

I created the talossa.com portal how many Cosas ago, and it's still not populated with all the data. Have my successors been dragging their heels, or is it that big a job?

TalossaWiki is 9 major releases behind, and the version we're running (which I think is the same update Luc and AD helped me with way back when) isn't even patched to the last security release (1.23.17 vs 1.23.3). MediaWiki 1.31.1 (LTS - Long Term Support release) needs to be installed as of last year.

Then there's Telecommuna...

Any one of these is difficult for one person to handle. Passing the ball to a civil servant will solve nothing. Same daunting task for less prestige.

Yeah, I appreciated my time as Minister. I'm proud of the portal. I spent an insane amount of time getting as much of the old website into that site as I did. I nearly tanked my marriage over it. I had to power down to hold on to my real life. And I did.

When I watch what's happening to the MRPT, I understand. People burn out doing the heavy lifting that -- in an ideal Talossa -- would be shared by many. But this will probably keep happening. Some will come and watch quietly while other people will swoop in, kick butt, effect massive change, and be struck down by real life or burnout or some combination thereof.

Good luck with the new party. Choice is good.

You are right about the Civil Service not having much prestige, which is why we need to make it prestigious. As of right now, being one of eight Ministers is not very prestigious either in my opinion, not to mention that the MinSTUFF changes every term making continuity very difficult.

I have no delusions that everything will immediately become updated. But if we can open up leadership positions that are disconnected from politics, it might attract some people who otherwise would not have been involved.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Feb 27, 2019 14:58:23 GMT -6 Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN said:

On a much less amusing note, if I were starting a new party (and trust me, I've done that a few times), I'd want to recruit a team before I publicised a platform and an aesthetic. There are too many one-man bands in Talossa as it stands.

The FreeDems make a big play about precisely that - we're a team, and if I get hit by a wagon wheel or just GAFIA* for a while, there are truckloads of experienced Talossans, former Senescháis and SoSs etc, to take over.

* Get Away From It All, a recognized term in fandom

Well, of course I wanted that, but you can't always get what you want. I obviously could not start recruiting for a new party while I was still Prime Minister as a member of a different party and working on the Government's number one priority. By the time I was able to resign, we were close enough to the elections that I felt I needed to get the platform and the logos public as soon as possible.

We are eager to incorporate the ideas of new members into the platform; it is not set in stone. It would be great if we were a large team, and I'm sure we will get there eventually, but anything new has to start somewhere. Also, given that AMP is running mostly on our legislative ideas and not on our capacity to staff a cabinet, being small should not be too much of a concern.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Feb 27, 2019 18:19:04 GMT -6 Owen Edwards said:

The merits of hereditary constitutional monarchy are precisely that it doesn't reward ambition, talent, or activity. My experience of discussing the matter is that until people have understood the argument for it, their arguments against it tend to be point-missing.

I don't understand how not rewarding ambition, talent, or activity is a good thing, but I am very open to having that explained to me, so please do.

[Lüc da Schir]

Alright, I wanted to write a much longer commentary, but I can't find the time, so here's some personal thoughts on most of the points:

Feb 26, 2019 1:14:23 GMT -6 Ian Plätschisch said:

1. Take a Chainsaw to Bureaucracy

I agree with most of what you said. This is the good side of your general anti-bureaucracy thought process: something that actually needlessly puts barriers to activity has to be removed. What I don't generally agree with is cutting stuff for its own sake. More on that in the other points.

2. There Are Too Many Ministries

I don't think sinecurae ministries is what stifles activity in Talossa. I'd like to see perhaps different ministries being appointed on an one-off basis (like Tim was appointed as Minister of Law Reform once), but people need a way to be introduced to Cabinet before taking up more important roles.

3. And Too Many Provinces

Yeah, we're at a point where this has become an actual issue. My idea for four provinces has always been:

• A province for Europe (Céz)
  
• A province for West NA (in the GTA: the riverside provinces)
  
• A province for East NA (in the GTA: the lakeside provinces)
  
• A province for the rest of the world (in the GTA: southern Talossa)
  

I'm not committed to it, but it's good to see people talking about the issue.

What would be a bad idea instead is reducing the number of senators to the point that a member's vote can sway 1/8 of the entire legislature's voting power. A far better solution would be to just adopt the US model of electing two Senators per province.

4. Talossa, Coming Soon to an Inbox Near You

It's not a bad idea, I've wanted to do some polls but I couldn't find a way to reliably contact people. It would certainly work if the alias system worked.

5. Certified Organic

I'm happy to discuss that proposal myself, but please, let's not turn the process into a race to Clark the amendment or something. There's time, let's use it.

6. His Majesty's Most Active Opposition

I hope this means that you'll support some of the related measures I've proposed in my IMR FAQ post.

7. Return of the King

I agree with most of this. A while ago, for instance, we had a much more active RTCoA, and John would often issue public grants for arms. It's not his fault that this stopped (or became more rare), but the general scarcity of public appearances does translate in many people viewing the King exclusively as this sort of antichrist who descends upon Talossa every time someone wants to have FUN! I'm sure that having the King around more, maybe for functions that aren't strictly state-related too, would greatly help.

And similar to what I said in my IMR FAQ about the Ziu, if this means having some more pomp and ceremony, so be it! That's culture too!

8. Immigration: The First Frontier

I like how you have sort of come up with a way to add immigration requirements, but that aren't unnecessarily stringent.

10. Happiness for Talossa!

Hear hear. I'm glad other parties/movements are publicly recognising that this is a crisis and putting it in their manifestoes. Now if only parties who could actually lead a government would take notice, instead of publishing statements that are a list of private grievances...

[Ian Plätschisch]

Mar 3, 2019 6:07:26 GMT -6 Lüc da Schir said:

Alright, I wanted to write a much longer commentary, but I can't find the time, so here's some personal thoughts on most of the points:

Feb 26, 2019 1:14:23 GMT -6 Ian Plätschisch said:

1. Take a Chainsaw to Bureaucracy

I agree with most of what you said. This is the good side of your general anti-bureaucracy thought process: something that actually needlessly puts barriers to activity has to be removed. What I don't generally agree with is cutting stuff for its own sake. More on that in the other points.

2. There Are Too Many Ministries

I don't think sinecurae ministries is what stifles activity in Talossa. I'd like to see perhaps different ministries being appointed on an one-off basis (like Tim was appointed as Minister of Law Reform once), but people need a way to be introduced to Cabinet before taking up more important roles.

3. And Too Many Provinces

Yeah, we're at a point where this has become an actual issue. My idea for four provinces has always been:

• A province for Europe (Céz)
  
• A province for West NA (in the GTA: the riverside provinces)
  
• A province for East NA (in the GTA: the lakeside provinces)
  
• A province for the rest of the world (in the GTA: southern Talossa)
  

I'm not committed to it, but it's good to see people talking about the issue.

What would be a bad idea instead is reducing the number of senators to the point that a member's vote can sway 1/8 of the entire legislature's voting power. A far better solution would be to just adopt the US model of electing two Senators per province.

4. Talossa, Coming Soon to an Inbox Near You

It's not a bad idea, I've wanted to do some polls but I couldn't find a way to reliably contact people. It would certainly work if the alias system worked.

5. Certified Organic

I'm happy to discuss that proposal myself, but please, let's not turn the process into a race to Clark the amendment or something. There's time, let's use it.

6. His Majesty's Most Active Opposition

I hope this means that you'll support some of the related measures I've proposed in my IMR FAQ post.

7. Return of the King

I agree with most of this. A while ago, for instance, we had a much more active RTCoA, and John would often issue public grants for arms. It's not his fault that this stopped (or became more rare), but the general scarcity of public appearances does translate in many people viewing the King exclusively as this sort of antichrist who descends upon Talossa every time someone wants to have FUN! I'm sure that having the King around more, maybe for functions that aren't strictly state-related too, would greatly help.

And similar to what I said in my IMR FAQ about the Ziu, if this means having some more pomp and ceremony, so be it! That's culture too!

8. Immigration: The First Frontier

I like how you have sort of come up with a way to add immigration requirements, but that aren't unnecessarily stringent.

10. Happiness for Talossa!

Hear hear. I'm glad other parties/movements are publicly recognising that this is a crisis and putting it in their manifestoes. Now if only parties who could actually lead a government would take notice, instead of publishing statements that are a list of private grievances...

2. Fair, although people can be introduced to the cabinet through a deputy position if need be. There is no requirement that deputies not be included in the cabinet Facebook page or forum or what have you.

5. There is time of course, although I would rather not have yet another Cosa be consumed with Organic reform and nothing else if possible.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Feb 27, 2019 14:58:23 GMT -6 Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN said:

On a much less amusing note, if I were starting a new party (and trust me, I've done that a few times), I'd want to recruit a team before I publicised a platform and an aesthetic. There are too many one-man bands in Talossa as it stands.

I am happy to report that we are now a team.

[Ian Plätschisch]

Since I wrote the manifesto, there have been various other policy points brought up elsewhere (mainly in the Tal-O-Mat or the PengoTimes Live speech) that I thought I should put in one place.

Why Don't Government-Sponsored Cultural Activities Work?

• Citizens can't participate without feeling like they are benefiting a particular party or agenda
• The official in charge feels like the activity is part of their job, and is less enthusiastic than they would be if they were acting in their private capacity (or else they have one eye on the activity and the other eye on how they can use the success of the activity to campaign in the next election)
• Since the Government is sponsoring the activity rather than any particular person, no one feels ownership over the activity. Decades of motivation research demonstrate that the best way to keep people motivated is to get them personally invested in a project's success and allow them to make the important decisions

What Simplifying the Royal Civil Service Really Means
The FreeDems were right to point out in the Tal-O-Mat that no applicant to the Civil Service has been rejected since the latest reforms were implemented. However, the real problem is the lack of applicants to begin with. AMP believes this is for two reasons:

• The process of appointment is too long
• No one wants the positions the Government is advertising!

If someone wants a Civil Service role, they likely want to get to work right away, and if they have to wait around for a mostly ceremonial A-OK from the Commissioner, they might lose interest. Talossa has yet to find a Commissioner who can stay consistently engaged, and we suspect some citizens may not have even bothered.

More importantly though is that the Government dictates what Civil Service roles are available (and the associated requirements) and then hopes (or expects) someone will fill them. This is the reverse of what should happen; if the Government is here to serve the citizens, it should ask what the citizens would like to use the power and prestige of the Royal Civil Service to accomplish. Sure, there are a few positions that just have to be filled and are kind of a slog no matter how you slice it (*immigration*), but given that all current Civil Service roles are described in the way a boring job would be described, the lack of applicants is hardly surprising. We need to spice it up by letting people do what they want instead of what the Government wants. 

Wittenberg, Telecomuna, and Wittiquette

Just quoting from the AMP Tal-O-Mat answers here:

"AMP will consider supporting the nationalization of Wittenberg, but only if the King is willing to cooperate"

"Telecomuna should only come into effect if there is sufficient activity to support two message boards. If Telecomuna does come into effect, then Wittenberg should not be nationalized"

"It is important that civility within the Kingdom be upheld, especially since most of our activity happens on the internet, but it is also important that members of the Ziu and government be allowed to conduct business as they see fit. Therefore, the King should be able to apply Wittiquite on all board that are not related to the Ziu or government, and government-related boards should be made private so that non-members cannot see them"

[E.S. Bornatfiglheu]

But... still... Why doesn't this manifesto just make ten louder?

[Ian Plätschisch]

Mar 18, 2019 18:40:08 GMT -6 E.S. Bornatfiglheu said:

But... still... Why doesn't this manifesto just make ten louder?

xkcd.com/670/

[E.S. Bornatfiglheu]

Are you trying to buy my vote, Sir?! *clutches pearls*

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

Mar 18, 2019 20:40:55 GMT -6 Ian Plätschisch said:

Mar 18, 2019 18:40:08 GMT -6 E.S. Bornatfiglheu said:

But... still... Why doesn't this manifesto just make ten louder?

xkcd.com/670/

In 1990, Marshall released its JCM900 amp, with the knobs going to 20 (GW2), although Nigel says the company later gave him a special model that goes to infinity (complete with the infinity symbol—an eight on its side—and a dial that keeps spinning around as if it were broken).

(source)