[SUBMITTED] Put A Fence Around The Commons Floor?

[Nation of Quebec]

Title:

Put A Fence Around The Commons Floor?

Description:

In an otherwise slow news week, one of your prominent cabinet ministers, Judas Benedict, crossed the floor and joined the main opposition party. Your remaining cabinet ministers have called for an emergency debate on how to handle floor-crossing in the future.

Validity:

Valid for democratic nations that allow opposition parties.

Options:

[option]"Floor-crossing must be banned!" exclaims Majority Whip @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Not only is floor-crossing a betrayal of the voters, it is a personal betrayal of the party itself! We must make it so that when a politician is elected as a member of a particular party they must remain a member for life!"
[effect]political apathy has increased ever since the government introduced lifetime political party membership
[stats]political freedoms decrease, apathy increases, spending on administration decreases

[option]"The only reason they're getting upset is because one of theirs came to us," counters Opposition Leader @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Sometimes people have a change of heart and begin to see the world in a different light. It is the right of every person and politician to ally themselves with whatever party best suits their views, even if that means crossing the floor to another party."
[effect]it is impossible for new laws to get passed as politicians continue to switch parties
[stats]political freedoms increase, apathy decreases slightly

[option]"I don't think we should ban floor-crossing either, but at the same time these politicians must face the electorate," muses House Speaker @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Why don't we force all floor-crossers to resign, then run again in an election in their constituency? That way it's the voters who get to decide if they care more about the politician or their party."
[effect]citizens are growing frustrated by the increasing amount of by-elections
[stats]political freedoms increase slightly, apathy decreases, economy decreases slightly, spending on administration increases

[option]"I have a solution that renders the whole problem of floor-crossing moot," states popular independent politician @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Why don't we simply ban political parties and force all politicians to run as independents? Think about it! Political parties act as a barrier to progress and only promote petty partisanship. It's no wonder apathy is at record levels and why we can't get anything done. The removal of political parties will allow the government to run much more smoothly. An effective government, imagine that!"
[effect]politicians are forced to run as independents ever since political parties were banned
[stats]political freedoms decrease, civil rights decrease slightly, apathy decreases significantly, spending on administration decreases slightly

Here's a quick issue based on something that has been happening across Canada recently. I've opted not to post the stats for this issue since it mainly deals with political freedoms and apathy.

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

When you posted the idea of floor-crossings in Writer's Block, I mentally promised myself to give you 5 days for you to deliver, before I would write it myself.

But as it is, you have in fact written it and I like what I see. I like this a lot.

You are, however, going to have to capitalize the letters at the beginning of your sentences (especially after ''effects''). I also wonder whether the effect in the first option is worded well. Maybe it should have something like (just for a humorous effect) ''Political parties try to ensnare people into their life-long grasp from an early age. ''

[Sanctaria]

You are, however, going to have to capitalize the letters at the beginning of your sentences (especially after ''effects'').

That's strange, because I'm almost certain that as a rule you're not supposed to capitalise the letters at the beginning of the [effect] line because, once in-game, it's part of a sentence i.e. following recent legislation in @@NAME@@, [effect] line.

Not that you should take my word for it or anything

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

You are, however, going to have to capitalize the letters at the beginning of your sentences (especially after ''effects'').

That's strange, because I'm almost certain that as a rule you're not supposed to capitalise the letters at the beginning of the [effect] line because, once in-game, it's part of a sentence i.e. following recent legislation in @@NAME@@, [effect] line.

Not that you should take my word for it or anything

I just had a look... I've been doing this little bit wrong my whole life on NS..... My time on the issues section of NS has been one big lie!

[Nation of Quebec]

I wasn't aware of any rule about how to write the effect line. I've always been doing it with lowercase ever since I began drafting issues.

Anyway, it's probably a good idea to bring this back to the draft issue itself now.

[Sanctaria]

I wasn't aware of any rule about how to write the effect line. I've always been doing it with lowercase ever since I began drafting issues.

I'd suggest reading the How to Write an Issue sticky. Particularly

You then write your [effect] line. This should be one sentence that requires no punctuation, and does not begin witha capital letter. It should be one space away from [effect]

Emphasis mine.

Anyway, it's probably a good idea to bring this back to the draft issue itself now.

I've found this little sidetrack to be quite informative actually, and germane to the draft at hand. If you weren't aware of that rule (even if you happened to follow it by chance) what other rules are you unaware of?

I'd suggest reading the sticky again and then looking at your draft.

[Golgothastan]

Yes, it's hard to believe more people aren't involved in drafting issues.

Anyway...I do worry one concern is the NS player base itself, a majority or at least significant minority of which is American. "Floor crossing" is a Commonwealth term: makes sense to Canadian/British/Australian players, but for Americans the description might actually need be more explicit about what floor crossing is.

I don't see any reason why Mr. Baird can't be @@RANDOMNAME@@.

The option choices are really good. The effect for #3 is a bit oddly written though. Maybe a simpler option could be something like "people are getting tired of having to vote in a new by-election every time a politician changes their mind".

[Nation of Quebec]

Stats added and other slight changes made.

Yes, it's hard to believe more people aren't involved in drafting issues.

Anyway...I do worry one concern is the NS player base itself, a majority or at least significant minority of which is American. "Floor crossing" is a Commonwealth term: makes sense to Canadian/British/Australian players, but for Americans the description might actually need be more explicit about what floor crossing is.

I don't see any reason why Mr. Baird can't be @@RANDOMNAME@@.

The option choices are really good. The effect for #3 is a bit oddly written though. Maybe a simpler option could be something like "people are getting tired of having to vote in a new by-election every time a politician changes their mind".

I thought about that as well, but I've talked about floor-crossing with American players here and they understood the concept. I'm Canadian so I tend to use more Commonwealth/Westminster terminology when I write my issues as it's what I'm most familiar with.

I picked the name "Mr. Baird" as a reference to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird who recently resigned, but now that I think about it @@RANDOMNAME@@ sounds better.

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Do members actually physically cross the floor anymore? In America they just hold a press conference and announce they're switching parties. At any rate, I'm not sure descriptions of the government in issues are intended to be so obviously Commonwealth-ish. You could use more neutral terms, like "a member of your cabinet," (though "minister" probably wouldn't confuse very many). As for by-elections, in the US we call them "special elections," and I can almost guarantee that 90% of Americans won't know what "by-election" means.

Could the name of the party-switcher be changed to something a bit more amusing to describe the situation, like "Johnny Turncoat"? Unless you can think of something funnier, in which case have at it.

[Bears Armed]

Do members actually physically cross the floor anymore?

Yes, in the UK (and I suspect in at least some other 'Westminster system' legislatures) they do: The Government's MPs and the Opositiion's MPs sit on two sets of benches that face each other across the chamber, so somebody who changes sides has to move from one set of benches to the other across the floor.

InAs for by-elections, in the US we call them "special elections," and I can almost guarantee that 90% of Americans won't know what "by-election" means.

And I can almost guarantee that 90% of Britons won't know what "special elections" means, so that wouldn't really be a "neutral" term either...

[Nation of Quebec]

They do in Canada. The Government and the Opposition directly face each other in the House of Commons. Just last week we had a sitting Conservative MP cross the floor to join the third party Liberals.

As for using Westminster terminology, I have seen other issues use it as well. I could swear I've seen "Member of Parliament" being used on at least one occasion. I think I'll leave the phrasing as it is for now. If this issue gets picked up the editors can decide what phrase to use to describe a by-election/special election.

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

As for by-elections, in the US we call them "special elections," and I can almost guarantee that 90% of Americans won't know what "by-election" means.

And I can almost guarantee that 90% of Britons won't know what "special elections" means, so that wouldn't really be a "neutral" term either...

I wasn't suggesting we use "special election" instead; I was merely explaining that "by-election" is not a universally understood term. The US doesn't even hold special elections when politicians switch parties anyway; they're reserved for when someone dies or resigns.

As for using Westminster terminology, I have seen other issues use it as well. I could swear I've seen "Member of Parliament" being used on at least one occasion. I think I'll leave the phrasing as it is for now. If this issue gets picked up the editors can decide what phrase to use to describe a by-election/special election.

People know what "Parliament" means, so that doesn't matter. Other terms will not be so easily construed. Americans even have a different idea of what a "House Speaker" does (in the US the speaker is extremely powerful and second in line to the presidency), or what "the Commons" is. ("House of Commons" we know about; "the Commons" is usually a residential or dining hall at a college/university. )

EDIT: "House floor" would be a much better term than "Commons floor."

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

So, apart from the fact that I learned something about writing issues, and that we can all agree terms like ''by-election'' may not be universally known, I think it would be a massive shame to have the minister in question just be a random name. That character should be called something like ''Brutus Turncoat'' or ''Judas Double-Crosser'' or ''Traitorius Quisling''. Just anything along those lines could be hilarious. Otherwise it would just be a wasted opportunity.

[Bears Armed]

The US doesn't even hold special elections when politicians switch parties anyway; they're reserved for when someone dies or resigns.

Same in the UK, it's just that some MPs do resign when they cross the floor and then stand for re-election as their new party's candidate so that their constituency's voters can have a say in the matter too... and the third option here was about making that part of the process mandatory rather than just optional.

I think it would be a massive shame to have the minister in question just be a random name. That character should be called something like ''Brutus Turncoat'' or ''Judas Double-Crosser'' or ''Traitorius Quisling''. Just anything along those lines could be hilarious. Otherwise it would just be a wasted opportunity.

Although that's an insult to those politicians whose change of party was (as in some RL cases) based on a genuine matter of principle rather than just personal ambition or hurt pride...

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

So, apart from the fact that I learned something about writing issues, and that we can all agree terms like ''by-election'' may not be universally known, I think it would be a massive shame to have the minister in question just be a random name. That character should be called something like ''Brutus Turncoat'' or ''Judas Double-Crosser'' or ''Traitorius Quisling''. Just anything along those lines could be hilarious. Otherwise it would just be a wasted opportunity.

I agree!

[Golgothastan]

Something less "insulting", but still humourous, could be "Mr. Janus", or "Mr. Dent", for example.

In option 1, could "your second in command" be changed? Many people pick @@LEADER@@ as the head of state, not head of government. The "Majority Whip" might be a better example of someone voicing that opinion.

Also in option 4 the capitalisation of "Independent/independent" is inconsistent.

[Nation of Quebec]

I've changed the name of the floor-crossing politician and made a couple other slight changes.

Since by-election and special election aren't universally known terms, what term should be used instead of by-election? It may keep the phrasing as is if no suitable term can be found.

[The Flying Castle]

I've changed the name of the floor-crossing politician and made a couple other slight changes.

Since by-election and special election aren't universally known terms, what term should be used instead of by-election? It may keep the phrasing as is if no suitable term can be found.

Why not just "election"? While yes using that instead can come across as overly simplistic, it is also a vague enough word to encompass the many forms of election that exist.

[Nation of Quebec]

I've changed the name of the floor-crossing politician and made a couple other slight changes.

Since by-election and special election aren't universally known terms, what term should be used instead of by-election? It may keep the phrasing as is if no suitable term can be found.

Why not just "election"? While yes using that instead can come across as overly simplistic, it is also a vague enough word to encompass the many forms of election that exist.

I thought about that, but that might confuse some readers who would think that there are constant national elections, as opposed to elections happening in specific constituencies.

[Gradea]

Title:

Put A Fence Around The Commons Floor?

Description:

In an otherwise slow news week, one of your prominent cabinet ministers, Judas Benedict, crossed the floor and joined the main opposition party. Your remaining cabinet ministers have called for an emergency debate on how to handle floor-crossing in the future.

Validity:

Valid for democratic nations that allow opposition parties.

Options:

[option]"Floor-crossing must be banned!" exclaims Majority Whip @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Not only is floor-crossing a betrayal of the voters, it is a personal betrayal of the party itself! We must make it so that when a politician is elected as a member of a particular party they must remain a member for life!"
[effect]political apathy has increased ever since the government introduced lifetime political party membership
[stats]political freedoms decrease, apathy increase

[option]"The only reason they're getting upset is because one of theirs came to us," counters Opposition Leader @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Sometimes people have a change of heart and begin to see the world in a different light. It is the right of every person and politician to ally themselves with whatever party best suits their views, even if that means crossing the floor to another party."
[effect]it is impossible for new laws to get passed as politicians continue to switch parties
[stats]political freedoms increase, apathy decreases slightly

[option]"I don't think we should ban floor-crossing either, but at the same time these politicians must face the electorate," muses House Speaker @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Why don't we force all floor-crossers to resign, then run again in a by-election? That way it's the voters who get to decide if they care more about the politician or their party."
[effect]citizens are growing frustrated by the increasing amount of by-elections
[stats]political freedoms increase slightly, apathy decreases, economy decreases slightly

[option]"I have a solution that renders the whole problem of floor-crossing moot," states popular independent politician @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Why don't we simply ban political parties and force all politicians to run as independents? Think about it! Political parties act as a barrier to progress and only promote petty partisanship. It's no wonder apathy is at record levels and why we can't get anything done. The removal of political parties will allow the government to run much more smoothly. An effective government. imagine that!"
[effect]politicians are forced to run as independents ever since political parties were banned
[stats]political freedoms decrease, civil rights decrease slightly, apathy decreases significantly

Here's a quick issue based on something that has been happening across Canada recently. I've opted not to post the stats for this issue since it mainly deals with political freedoms and apathy.

This sounds pretty solid

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Since by-election and special election aren't universally known terms, what term should be used instead of by-election? It may keep the phrasing as is if no suitable term can be found.

So, "Why don't we force all floor-crossers to resign and then stand for election again in their home district?" wouldn't work?

[Bears Armed]

Since by-election and special election aren't universally known terms, what term should be used instead of by-election? It may keep the phrasing as is if no suitable term can be found.

So, "Why don't we force all floor-crossers to resign and then stand for election again in their home district?" wouldn't work?

Works for me. I'd prefer 'constituency' rather than 'home district'... but I suppose that's another term that Americans don't use?

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

EDIT: nm.

[Nation of Quebec]

in regards to the wording in option three, I've changed it so it reads constituency. I think that's a word most people are familiar with across the board, but I can easily change that.

Aside from that, does this look like it's ready for submission?

[The Dark Star Republic]

The very last line is incorrectly punctuated: it should be ", imagine that" or ". Imagine that".

Otherwise looks good!