Balder - State Opening of 19th Storting

[Belschaft]

So the South Pacific is willfully disregarding a treaty obligation? That should inspire great confidence among allies and prospective allies.

Huh, I don't see a TSP-Balder Treaty here at all: http://tspforums.xyz/forum-42.html

Which is strange, considering that it's still in force. Whichever admin moved it somewhere else in a fit of pique was being both petty and unprofessional.

[Sandaoguo]

Balder is free to make an attempt at triggering a provision of a supposed treaty. They are also free to sit alone in the deafening silence they'll get in return.

[Ikania]

I'm just interested in the allegation of GR's agenda conflicting with that of the Prime Minister.

[Belschaft]

Yeah, as I suspected this turned out to be nothing more than Glen trolling. PM DM has made clear that - as the court established - the treaty between TSP and Balder remains in force until the Assembly addresses the matter.

[Onderkelkia]

Balder is free to make an attempt at triggering a provision of a supposed treaty. They are also free to sit alone in the deafening silence they'll get in return.

The Prime Minister of The South Pacific has expressly informed the Government of Balder that The South Pacific considers the treaty to be intact. Despite that, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of The South Pacific is out here openly denying that the treaty is in force. This situation is completely dysfunctional.

You bring discredit upon your region when you put your own personal desires ahead of communicating its official and legal position.

No one in this thread has suggested anything about Balder triggering the termination provisions. Despite our concerns about your conduct, we have no plans to do so. On the other hand, evidently you want us to do that, because that would relieve you from going through TSP's lawful and democratic processes.

Either way, his actions have exhibited such a high degree of discourtesy and unprofessionalism that his conduct is an utter embarrassment to his region.

I'll send your thoughts along to the Cabinet. Duly noted and thanks for sharing your opinion.

If the primary reason for ending the alliance had been that we felt it was no longer mutually beneficial because of insufficient communication or other long-term concerns, we would have endeavoured to discuss it with Balder in advance of delivering the notification that the treaty would be terminated.

However, rather than termination stemming from long-term factors about the utility of the alliance, TSP terminated our treaty with Balder as an immediate reaction to a specific event - Balder recognizing the Transitional Government during Hileville's coup - which meant there was absolutely nothing to discuss. TSP's position (that recognition of a coup government was incompatible with remaining allied to TSP) was sufficiently clear that our likely reaction was predicted in Balder's Statsraadet. Despite the open predictions it would mean the end of the alliance, neither Rach nor any other Balder official raised the issue with the legitimate government of TSP. It would have been inappropriate (and doubtless would have provoked criticism of the legitimate government) to initiate discussions aimed at persuading Balder not to pursue recognizing a coup, so the onus was on Rach to contact us if she wanted to talk about the matter. Once the deed was done, our course was clear.

1. When I provided the explanation to which you link, the discussion then was about a completely different issue - whether a region should approach the other party to discuss ending a treaty before taking/publicising a decision. On this occasion, the issue raised in Balder's Foreign Update simply concerns the delivery of the termination notice to the other region's embassy as required under the Balder-TSP treaty. If you want to talk about how TNI handled the termination of its treaty with TSP, you will find that TNI delivered that notice in advance of our Gameplay forum announcement, as I demonstrated in the post to which you link. By contrast, in this case, TSP has not delivered that notice even though it is two months after its Gameplay forum announcement.

2. If you wished to dispute the specifics of the distinction I drew on that occasion, the correct course of action would have been for you to reply to that post two months ago. Presumably you proved unable to dispute the specifics of that post. So instead, exactly two months later, you release your frustration by randomly copying my explanation over into a discussion about a substantively different issue, replacing specific parts with inaccurate claims about Balder.

That is not a rational or civil way of conducting debate.

3. You say that The South Pacific terminated its treaty with Balder "as an immediate reaction to a specific event" rather than due to long-term concerns about the utility of the alliance. That is certainly true in the case of the TNI-TSP treaty termination, where TNI terminated its treaty with TSP only 2-3 days after TSP announced that it had passed its treaty with The Rejected Realms. It is patently not the case insofar as your unlawful decision to terminate TSP's treaty with Balder was concerned. The statements by Rach which you found objectionable occurred in January/early February. You announced that TSP was terminating the treaty on 18th July. A 5-6 month gap is not "immediate" and it is the height of dishonesty for you to pretend here that it was.

4.You claim that Balder recognised the Transitional Government of The South Pacific. The Government of Balder never issued any such statement. Rach never claimed to be recognising the Transitional Government and, even if she had, all executive authority in Balder is vested in the Statsminister, not the Monarch. Rach would not have had the authority to unilaterally recognise the Transitional Government even if she had wanted to do so.

5. You say that the termination of our treaty with TSP in reaction to Rach's remarks was predicted in Balder's Statsraadet and openly discussed in our assembly (the Storting). Your statement could be called a lie, but pure fantasy might be more apt descriptor. It is completely made-up. By contrast, page 1 of TSP's cabinet thread about its TRR treaty sees Geomania predict the end of TSP's treaty with TNI in bold letters and the rest of the discussion is dominated by the issue of TNI's reaction. Once again, the idea that there is any kind of equivalence between Balder-TSP and TNI-TSP is complete rubbish.

6. It would have been improper for TNI to seek to interfere in TSP's assembly vote about its treaty with TRR and would have provoked claims of interference. By contrast, there is nothing "inappropriate" about TSP approaching the Balder Government if it had concerns about Rach's comments.

[Sandaoguo]

Yeah, as I suspected this turned out to be nothing more than Glen trolling. PM DM has made clear that - as the court established - the treaty between TSP and Balder remains in force until the Assembly addresses the matter.

Balder is free to make an attempt at triggering a provision of a supposed treaty. They are also free to sit alone in the deafening silence they'll get in return.

I guess Balder will just have to wait 1.5 weeks until the lame duck, and like 2 weeks after that for a new MoFA to come in. Then that MoFA can decide if a coup-supporting region that past delegates didn't even consider an ally... is still a worthwhile region to hitch ourselves to. One that's also in a ridiculous war with the only active defender force in the game right now, who we also happen to have a very good and fruitful working relationship with.

[Onderkelkia]

One that's also in a ridiculous war with the only active defender force in the game right now, who we also happen to have a very good and fruitful working relationship with.

Balder has not declared war on the Grey Wardens. That is another flagrant lie.

Rather, we have announced our support for retaliatory steps taken by our twin Sinker and close ally, Osiris, after the Grey Wardens embarked on unprovoked hostilities against Osiris by seizing its territory. Balder defends its allies from their enemies. Considering that the Grey Wardens have made clear that they consider the invasion of Osiris to be desirable, I would have thought that you, with your stance on universal GCR sovereignty, would share our concerns.

I suggest that you read our announcements before commenting on them.

[Sandaoguo]

Oh, sorry. "One that's also in a Supports-retaliatory-steps-won't-cooperate-won't-have-diplomatic-relations-thinks-TGW-is-gonna-sleeper-cell-their-way-into-us-considers-to-have-earned-enmity-(but-not-an-enemy-because-that-requires-war)-(but-then-also-calls-TGW-an-enemy)-and-cannot-trust-TGW-but-we-don't-actually-have-the-activity-to-field-a-military-anyways-so-we-can't-say-war-without-being-made-fun-of with the only active defender force in the game right now..."

[Onderkelkia]

An effective NationStates war involves a long-term, strategic effort - with political, military and intelligence dimensions - in opposition to an enemy. It is entirely possible and legitimate to take measures designed to contain another state - include ruling out cooperation - without entering into a state of war.

While we have taken - and we will continue to take - strong action against the Grey Wardens in response to both their unprovoked aggression against Osiris and the general threat which they pose to Balder and our allies, we have not declared that defeating them, regardless of their subsequent behaviour, will constitute our principal foreign policy objective in the long run. That is the distinction which marks out an effective war in NationStates. Balder would only declare war in response to a specific event constituting casus belli. This would most likely involve an attack on Balder's own interests. If you look, for example, at each of the history of the wars declared by the LKE, you will see that each declaration of war was issued only in response to a specific act committed against its own interests and that each declaration of war has shaped its foreign policy subsequently in a way that lesser conflicts have not.

Balder has not declared war because there has been no act of war against us. It is that simple. It has nothing to do with any lack of military capability, where your aspersions are frankly as inaccurate and immature as the rest of your comments in this thread. We can counter the danger represented by the Grey Wardens and protect our interests without embarking on the full-scale, potentially permanent strategic effort which declaring war would entail.

[Ikania]

Yeah, as I suspected this turned out to be nothing more than Glen trolling. PM DM has made clear that - as the court established - the treaty between TSP and Balder remains in force until the Assembly addresses the matter.

Balder is free to make an attempt at triggering a provision of a supposed treaty. They are also free to sit alone in the deafening silence they'll get in return.

I guess Balder will just have to wait 1.5 weeks until the lame duck, and like 2 weeks after that for a new MoFA to come in. Then that MoFA can decide if a coup-supporting region that past delegates didn't even consider an ally... is still a worthwhile region to hitch ourselves to. One that's also in a ridiculous war with the only active defender force in the game right now, who we also happen to have a very good and fruitful working relationship with.

You do you, man, no problem with TSP's actual policy, but don't you think it'd be good to actually coordinate with the rest of your government before taking these kinds of actions which wouldn't be very popular with them?

[Consular]

You do you, man, no problem with TSP's actual policy, but don't you think it'd be good to actually coordinate with the rest of your government before taking these kinds of actions which wouldn't be very popular with them?

Is this your first time trying to understand glen-rhodes?

[Lord Ravenclaw]

I guess Balder will just have to wait 1.5 weeks until the lame duck, and like 2 weeks after that for a new MoFA to come in. Then that MoFA can decide if a coup-supporting region that past delegates didn't even consider an ally... is still a worthwhile region to hitch ourselves to. One that's also in a ridiculous war with the only active defender force in the game right now, who we also happen to have a very good and fruitful working relationship with.

You do you, man, no problem with TSP's actual policy, but don't you think it'd be good to actually coordinate with the rest of your government before taking these kinds of actions which wouldn't be very popular with them?

Let's look at it from his point of view, because we are very naughty people who never consider how poor Glen feels. It's tough being the biggest badmanchild in NationStates!

Onder and Cormac are big meanies who are ruining poor Glen's fun! Send them to the naughty corner!

On a more serious tone: he has absolutely nothing to lose by doing this. No one will take action against him in tSP because the odds are not stacked in their favour at all. He's already declared that he "isn't seeking re-election" but didn't resign for behaving this way because he's frightened of who the cabinet will pick as his temporary replacement (which is the height of irony because he was the force behind the original cabinet EO that let the cabinet appoint replacements to begin with). The current cabinet isn't stacked in his favour, plus the Chair is no longer a cabinet member (done with the intent of keeping Belschaft out of cabinet, even though Unibot held the position for a long time with 'no problems' <snorts>).

This is shocking behaviour, and as a citizen of the South Pacific, I'm mortified that any Minister who is meant to represent a region I'm part of can behave in a such a manner.

On a larger level, as a Diplomat operating out of the Feeders, this is an utter disgrace. This has been handled poorly from the beginning and seeing the Chief Diplomat of the South Pacific conducting themselves as a five year old having a tantrum over not being allowed cake before dinner is almost as damaging as the behaviour he's been engaged in regarding the state of that treaty.

Courtesy costs nothing - is it truly that difficult to give the five days notice, and end this mess? By refusing, Glen Rhodes is perpetuating it and I have absolutely no idea what they seek to gain from it other than petty satisfaction of the joys of acting like a five year old in a public forum. I am most certainly not perfect in any way, but not even I, at my most petty and burnt-out would go this far.

[Sandaoguo]

Let's look at it from his point of view, because we are very naughty people who never consider how poor Glen feels. It's tough being the biggest badmanchild in NationStates!Onder and Cormac are big meanies who are ruining poor Glen's fun! Send them to the naughty corner!

It's not really that tough. It's gotta be harder pretending to be the professional diplomat in a game made largely of teenagers, especially when the part of the game you wanna play in is a big d***-measuring contest where you steal regions from each other. I've never bothered with the pretending! And to the contrary, the game is insufferably boring without Cormac's antics, and though Onder could stand to be less verbose, he at least adds a sense of intellectual effort to the game. They're not ruining my fun--- without them, I'd have nothing to fight or posture against.

On a more serious tone: he has absolutely nothing to lose by doing this. No one will take action against him in tSP because the odds are not stacked in their favour at all. He's already declared that he "isn't seeking re-election" but didn't resign for behaving this way because he's frightened of who the cabinet will pick as his temporary replacement...

Why would I be frightened? You're already Justice, and I'd be shocked if they appointed Belschaft. I've been wanting new blood into this office for a long time, now. It's very unfortunate it never happens, because someone like you, or Bel, or a troll like Wolf, runs for the position... and usually the other people I trust to, at a bare minimum, not fuck up are in other offices. I'm really hoping this election brings in somebody new! TSP's FA has been very stale, because I'm all out of ideas that work and aren't part of a dastardly defender conspiracy.

The current cabinet isn't stacked in his favour, plus the Chair is no longer a cabinet member (done with the intent of keeping Belschaft out of cabinet, even though Unibot held the position for a long time with 'no problems' <snorts>).

This was actually Belschaft's own idea lmao! You'd know this, if you were more than a fair-weather and transient TSPer. This is literally the bull I've been talking about. You guys are so lazy and so insulated in your conspiracies that you always revert to the same ones over and over again. You can't even be bothered to verify simple things like this! And yet you now control our judiciary for however long you feel like staying this time around. What a shame.

On a larger level, as a Diplomat operating out of the Feeders, this is an utter disgrace. This has been handled poorly from the beginning and seeing the Chief Diplomat of the South Pacific conducting themselves as a five year old having a tantrum over not being allowed cake before dinner is almost as damaging as the behaviour he's been engaged in regarding the state of that treaty.

Cry me a bigger river. This is a game. You are not a professional diplomat. You are not even a diplomat. You are a self-aggrandizing moralizer who condescends because, when he's actually in power, he does nothing with it and considers that a success because it earns no criticism. When you're actually criticized and held to it, you disappear into thin air without even letting anyone know. That's not professionalism. That's the death knell of the game.

Courtesy costs nothing - is it truly that difficult to give the five days notice, and end this mess? By refusing, Glen Rhodes is perpetuating it and I have absolutely no idea what they seek to gain from it other than petty satisfaction of the joys of acting like a five year old in a public forum. I am most certainly not perfect in any way, but not even I, at my most petty and burnt-out would go this far.

Courtesy doesn't extend to coup supporters.

[Cormactopia II]

And to the contrary, the game is insufferably boring without Cormac's antics

I never knew you cared.

No, seriously though, that was a compliment! I'm marking it on my calendar.

You may all return to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Solorni]

This has become a tired pattern. Of course Glen won't read what he is commenting on, of course he doesn't understand gameplay events because of it and of course he is abusing his admin position in TSP. The sad part is that he would have far more success if he played as a straight and skilled politician who fully reads what is being said before replying himself. Or even a politician who pretended to care about TSP and its reputation would be nice. But it must be for the fun, that Glen loves playing the overmatched and corrupt politician who struggles with the requirements of his job.

It is good that TSP will soon have the chance to have a major upgrade at the position.

[North East Somerset]

Linked together in their cause, and in their need

The Festival of the Ancient Gods

19th October 2016 marked the fifth anniversary of the creation of Balder and Osiris.

Over the past five years, many players have committed their time and effort to the development of Balder and Osiris. Due to the success of our citizens, vibrant communities have emerged and prospered in in both regions. The addition of two sinkers has also had a significant impact on the game as a whole, reinvigorating the game-created regions as centres of NationStates politics and altering the course of gameplay.

In honour of this occasion, Balder and Osiris are holding the Festival of the Ancient Gods between 21st and 24th October. The first two days of the Festival will take place in Balder on 21st and 22nd October. The second two days will take place in Osiris on 23rd and 24th October. The scheduled events for the Festival include games, tournaments and contests.

All participants from regions with embassies with either Balder or Osiris are most welcome to attend events at both segments of the Festival.

The Festival of the Ancient Gods is now underway in Balder, see here!

[Solorni]

Why do the zombies in Balder have weapons and stuff

[Syberis]

(Image)

Why do the zombies in Balder have weapons and stuff

They're intimidated.

[Solorni]

Also remastered zombies

[Onder Kelkia]

The Realm of Balder
Foreign Update, 2 March 2017

Balder Forum

Population - 5,065 nations ~ Delegate Endorsements - 195 ~ Endorsement Cap - 15 ~ Forum Posts - 115,318

Monarchy

Queen - Rach Eriksen
Crown Prince - North East Somerset

Statsraadet (Executive)

Statsminister - Fake
Minister of Foreign Affairs - OnderKelkia
Minister of WA Affairs - Zander Cerebella
Minister of Integration - Cinder
Minister of War - North East Somerset
Minister of Culture - Ervald

Storting (Legislature)

Lawspeaker - Cinder
MP - Fake
MP - Onder Kelkia
MP - Rain
MP - Tomb

Alliance ratified between Balder and The North Pacific

Balder is delighted to announce that we have formed an alliance with The North Pacific. Drafted as part of negotiations which began in October, the Treaty of the Northern Folk enshrines provisions for mutual recognition, mutual defence and intelligence sharing between the parties. These mutual obligations will serve to advance the interests of both our regions.

The Treaty of the Northern Folk is based on the close historic friendship between The North Pacific and Balder, derived from our shared identity as Independent game-created regions. It also reflects the practical collaboration between our governments, which most recently has involved working together to revitalise the World Assembly Legislative League as an instrument for achieving our regions' aims in the Security Council and the General Assembly. We look forward to continuing and expanding our cooperation with The North Pacific under this framework.

Election of New Storting and Lawspeaker

Cinder, Fake, OnderKelkia, Rain and Tomb were returned as Member of Parliament in the most recent round of elections to the Storting. The number of votes increased by 50% over the previous Storting election in December, reflecting the general rise in regional activity. The new Storting quickly convened to elect a new Lawspweaker, with Tomb standing down from the position having held it the previous term. Rain was initially selected by a majority vote, but resigned as Lawspeaker shortly afterwards. Following a fresh vote, Cinder has been confirmed in the position of Lawspeaker.

A New Administration under Statsminister Fake

The new Storting nominated Fake to serve as Statsminister (equivalent to Prime Minister of Balder) and the Queen accordingly appointed him to this office in the State Opening of Parliament. Fake succeeds OnderKelkia, who had held the role for three consecutive terms since August. Fake served as Minister of Integration last term and has enjoyed a rapid political rise, having only joined the forums in November. Fake has announced that the primary focus of his administration will be on improving government accessibility and integration.

Wasting no time in announcing the composition of the Statsraadet, the Statsminister appointed OnderKelkia as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zander Cerebella as Minister of WA Affairs, Cinder as Minister of Integration, Wycliffe as Minister of Culture and North East Somerset (who also serves as Crown Prince) as Minister of War. Wycliffe was subsequently removed from his position by a majority vote of the Storting due to his involvement in a serious incident involving Discord channels belonging to another region. The Statsminister has since appointed Ervald as Wycliffe's successor at the Ministry of Culture.

Plans for an Assembly of Citizens

In order to provide an institution which allows citizens of Balder outside of the Storting to engage with legislative affairs, the Storting is considering the Folketing Act. Authored by new Culture Minister Ervald with the assistance of Lawspeaker Cinder, this legislation would establish an assembly of citizens known as the Folketing. The Folketing would have the authority to propose legislation for formal consideration by the Storting, allowing any citizen to put forward an item of legislation. The underlying proposal to establish the Folketing has received widespread support, but the Storting has debated a number of questions regarding how the Folketing should be organised. For instance, following deliberation, it has been decided that no member of the Statsraadet (the region's Cabinet) may serve as Formand (presiding officer of the Folketing) or as a deputy to the Formand. Once established, the Folketing will hopefully offer meaningful insights into work as a legislator to new citizens as they prepare to stand for election to the Storting.

[Solorni]

An incredible moment with two incredible regions <3

[Lordren]

Balder continues to make progress, and it's wonderful to see. Just as wonderful as strengthening our ties with regions that share the values of freedom and open communication.

[Akillian]

Congratulations to The North Pacific and Balder on their treaty.

[Glen-Rhodes]

Condolences to TNP

[Tim-Opolis]

Wishing TNP the best of luck through these turbulent times.