Social Technocratic Union

[STU State Broadcasting]

Social Technocratic Union: GP Embassy

About the STU

The Social Technocratic Union (STU) is a region dedicated to the general advancement of humanity through combining technocratic and socialist principles.

The STU is primarily governed by its Director, Imperium of Josh, through the proxy nation Technocratic Founder. The Director is assisted in governing the region by the Directorate and Technocratic Council; a small group of dedicated members selected for their competence and devotion to the region, in line with the technocratic principle of good governance by qualified people. The STU additionally actively seeks and draws support and advice from respected and highly experienced foreign advisers, in the spirit of friendship and cooperation between Regional Communities.

The region aims to be a dynamic place for all players to enjoy, is a place for political discourse, gaming, and general socialisation, and as such makes no legal distinction between WA members and non-WA members, or based upon a player’s R/D orientation to be as welcoming as possible. The STU grants immediate citizenship based upon residency within the region to all those of good repute and legal standing.

Like any other reasonable and responsible region, the STU will not tolerate the presence of Fascist/Proto-Fascist/“Alt-Right” etc. players or influences.

Government of the STU

The government of the STU operates as defined by the Constitution of the Social Technocratic Union, with day to day powers delegated by the Director.

Directorate:
Imperium of Josh/Technocratic Founder - Director
Antarctic SARNZ - WA Delegate
Uncuteatoo - Head of Engagement
Qiyi Guo - People's Tribune

Technocratic Council:
All members of the Directorate sit on the Technocratic Council
Altino - Adviser
Armaros/A Bloodred Moon - Military Adviser

Foreign Affairs

The STU's broad foreign policy aims are to seek out and align with ideological comrades, be they meritocratic, or leftist.

Please direct all Foreign Affairs enquiries to the Director.

Offsite Properties

The STU maintains a regional discord server, which is open to citizens, diplomats and visitors alike.

[STU State Broadcasting]

Contents

The Boiling Pot, Issue 1: Add a dash of Tribunate with a Seasoning of Skylar
The Boiling Pot: Issue 2: The Tribunate Comes to Boil
"Paint it Technocrat" Raid Report & The Boiling Pot Issue 3
The Boiling Pot Issue 4: Reflections

[STU State Broadcasting]

The Boiling Pot: Issue 1

Add a dash of Tribunate with a Seasoning of Skylar

The STU has been sizzling lately with our most recent Tribunate Election. We’ve had a record number of candidates, rising from two to five with some tasty campaigns being brought to the table. When asked for his opinion on this growth, Regional Director Josh (Imperium of Josh) said that he was "proud to see the citizenry of the STU taking such an active interest in government, and impressed with the work which candidates have put into their campaigns."

The People’s Tribunate in the STU involves the citizens electing a representative to act as their voice within the Directorate. The Tribune is a full member of the Directorate and the Technocratic Council, allowing them to contribute ideas, and help the (now) numerous departments. The position is therefore highly flexible, with high levels of access to all departments, allowing the Tribune to focus on those issues which they feel are most important to the population.

Everyone’s favourite resident Canadian, Skylar (United Angeer), won in a landslide victory on the 3rd of February, attributing his victory to "Hard work and assurances that the position would be taken seriously, as well as a dose of classic Canadian friendliness." He grilled up our Community Affairs department, adding this to our STU successfully and is hoping to continue cooking this idea if he is reelected as Tribune. "This time I would like to continue to foster a strong sense of community by working to ensure both the continued growth of the Community Affairs department, and lots of discussion on both the Discord and RMB. Possibly discussion about biscuits, possibly about other stuff, time will tell." Reflecting on his recent time as the people’s voice, Skylar said his most memorable moment was "Getting to know all of the fine folks of the STU probably, I’m a fairly sociable person and so enjoy talking to new and friendly faces. Getting to work on all the new and exciting projects like the Community Affairs Department has a very good time. Also The Great Biscuit Debate, that was a fun night."

Adding a dash of new seasoning to the region’s stew; N0b0dy (Qiyi Guo) suggesting the STU experiment with debating, promising consistent and structured debates to keep the community engaged. Awessla (Awessla) vowed to open communication with the people (along with their DMs) and polling us at every opportunity; The People's Republic of Solokha (Solokha) holding an open door policy giving STU freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to a free and fair trial, seeming to imply they would like to see a judiciary implemented into the STU’s government - a daring move given Josh’s well-known disdain for judiciaries, and hopefully free cookies biscuits; HalfBloodPrince (Sabalonia) invited STU to be a part of a legacy of do-ers not planners, promising to wing it and bring us along for the bake; and the OG himself, Skylar, teasing us with a STU newspaper and a State of the Union to ensure all our voices are heard.

Several citizens, candidates and voters alike, have also raised eyebrows by suggesting that the Tribunate be expanded to command a full department of government, which Josh has called "far too ambitious in terms of staff numbers on NS" and deems to be a symptom of misunderstandings about the role of the Tribune in the government. Josh reminded one petitioner that "the Tribunate is an auxiliary feature of the state, not the main show."

With the election looming, only time will tell which candidate will take up the mantle of becoming the STU’s second (or maybe just continuing first) People’s Tribune. As the stew simmers, the region watches with bated breath. Will there be a taste sensation?

Writing credits: Uncuteatoo, United Angeer, Imperium of Josh

[STU State Broadcasting]

The Boiling Pot: Issue 2

The Tribunate Comes to Boil

The STU's second People's Tribune election came to boil on the 1st of May, when voting began, and was left to simmer until the 3rd. Finally, after following the recipe to the letter, we opened the pot and called voting to discover we'd managed to serve up a second helping of Canadian goodness; Skylar (United Angeer) was re-elected in a round-one landslide. In a packed 5 candidate field, Skylar was able to immediately attain the required 50%+1 of all cast votes to win outright, averting the need for a second round of voting. We came fairly close to having a second round though, as Qiyi Guo performed extremely well in the elections, especially considering their status as a newcomer. The full results were as follows:

We here in the Boiling Pot writing staff thought it would be nice to give the candidates an opportunity to air their thoughts on the election, so asked each person who ran a short set of questions.

The Boiling Pot: What inspired you to run for People's Tribune?

United Angeer: I was inspired to run for tribune because I really wanted to interact with the community on this server and in the region more. I had lurked for a little while and only occasionally spoke up, so when I saw that there was an election for a position all about getting to know the people and advocating for them, I was quite excited to see what it entailed. I have to say it has been a very pleasant experience getting to know everyone and advocate for them in the government, and it's something I look forwards to continuing.

Qiyi Guo: I was inspired to run for Tribune out of passion for the server and a desire to see the needs of the people met.

Awessla: I ran for Tribune on a whim, honestly. I saw that elections were taking place and I figured “eh, why not, good chance for me to participate in the government.” So I really only spent a total of two or three minutes deciding whether to run or not.

Sabalonia: It is what inspires me to run for most elections, and that is a desire to be of service. The People's Tribune seemed to offer a perfect blend of me being of service and me learning on the job itself. And elections are a good if not perfect gauge on the impact you have on people, against other candidates.

Solokha: Basically I just thought it'd be fun? I'm admittedly not 100% versed in regional politics, but considering the STU's small size compared to other regions, I figured it'd be a safer alternative to messing up in a larger and more important region where that could have very bad impacts, haha.

The Boiling Pot: Will you be trying to pursue the goals you set out in your campaign in spite of your loss?

Qiyi Guo: I will most certainly continue to pursue the goals laid out in my campaign despite not having official office.

Awessla: If I can, I will. Besides, it’s fairly likely that my campaign will influence Skylar’s government anyways. But I’m always open to helping with the pursuit of such goals, Tribune or not.

Sabalonia: Yes, of course. To me, being of service to the union is paramount, and even if I am an ordinary citizen, I have every intention of helping the union as is required of me. I don't look at the election as a loss, because participants in a democratic process can never be losers. And it was a good experience overall.

Solokha: Yep! Aas an avowed socialist, I do want to work with other socialists around the region for some common good!

The Boiling Pot: Do you think you'll run again?

United Angeer: I do believe I'll run again yes, barring any major reason not to that appears in the region or in my personal life of course. But I have to say that I really enjoy advocating for all the fine folks of the region and being their voice so-to-speak. So yes, I do intend to.

Qiyi Guo: I will most certainly run again as I love this server immensely.

Awessla: Depends, if I think enough people want to see me in office, then I’ll run for a future election. Change is a good thing, and I highly doubt Skylar will remain Tribune forever.

Sabalonia: That is a question no one ever has a definite answer to. I guess it all depends on where you are at that crucial decision making point in time, and whether you're happy in that place. I think I too need to wait for my time to come where I must make such a decision. But I'm not ruling out the possibility that I may run again.

Solokha: Not sure what yet, though. Maybe? I don't really know, myself. I probably will, considering I did enjoy running, even if I did get... well... destroyed in the election.

The Boiling Pot: What do you think of the result?

United Angeer: I have to say, I'm pleased with the results. For more reasons than the obvious. I really enjoyed campaigning against multiple people this time and I loved seeing the vast increase in votes between this election and the last one, it's wonderful that many more people are interested in the government and I take pride in knowing that I get to serve all of them.

Qiyi Guo: I am incredibly happy with the results because Skylar is a competent and skilled representative.

Awessla: The results of the election, honestly, were about what I expected to be. I will admit, however, that I didn’t expect Skylar to have quite so many votes. But it seems to me they’re well liked, and who am I to try to argue with the people’s popular opinion. And hey, STUers! Looks like Tribunate elections are over, and I just want to say thank you to all the people that voted in the election! It’s a really cool experience, running for an office. An experience that I’ve only had twice before, in my seventh and eighth grade student council elections. As silly as it might sound, running for a fake government office in an online video game is a super neat experience! I’ve learned so much about this community over this past week or so. Who knows, maybe I’ll run in the next election too. So thank you to all the members of the STU, I’m looking forward to the next election! (And for those wondering, I won eighth grade Class President)

Sabalonia: I feel the results were reflective on the work done by the re-elected candidate during his tenure as the tribune. I think I can be fair when I say he was the favourite all along. I guess the rest of us just need to step up and do our duty to the union more diligently, not for a shot at the office, but rather to convey to the citizens that they are important stakeholders in this union, and unless they do their part, the elected Tribune can't.

Solokha: Mostly shocked, considering literally everybody got bodied by Skylar. No offence to him though! It clearly shows his capability and popularity as the Tribune, so good for him! But I can't say I was expecting it.

The Boiling Pot: (Bonus Skylar stuff, since obviously he didn't need to answer question two!) Going forward, what are your aims as People's Tribune?

United Angeer: My goals as Tribune are to continue to work in order to realize the regional newspaper, which I suppose if you're reading this must be going well. I also want to work with the government to try and hold more events for people to take part in, things similar to the flag contest currently being run. Lastly, I intend to work towards having a dedicated time and place to discuss the things you want to see happen in the Region, that could look like a Technocratic Union Address, or more of an open forum for people. Either way, I look forwards to a productive and prosperous second term.

Writing credits: Uncuteatoo, Imperium of Josh

[STU State Broadcasting]

"Paint it Technocrat"

Just a quick announcement this time to show off the STU military's very first independent successful operation (supported with pilers from our friends in LWU)! Glory to everyone who participated \o/



Also this may be old but I forgot to post the last boiling pot on here, so here it is. Whoops.

https://www.nationstates.net/nation=stu ... id=1391320

[STU State Broadcasting]

The Boiling Pot - Issue 4

Reflections

A word from the editor: I’ve been sitting on these articles for far too long. I’d like to take this time to apologise to Kitsy for the delay in publishing them. I sure haven’t had the most productive summer and I’m sure many of us know alcohol is a far too tempting thing to while away your time with. To spice up our somewhat outdated articles I’ve added a couple of retrospective notes here and there, and our last article contains my personal thoughts on the future, as well as changes to the STU’s government going forwards. To the future!

The Birthday of an Overlord: Cocktail Party!

On the 25th of July the STU simmered with excitement, a celebration was cooking and the citizens had come dressed in their best cocktail outfits ready to party. The Directorate had set up the cocktail lounge, we had a bar which came with it’s own bartender (thank you Bad Science, for your devoted service - unpaid, of course, this is NS ) and a number of fun mini-games to get everyone involved. The STU’s election for the Tribunate was also around the corner, and nominations opened the same day. Our two-time Tribune, Skylar, began our day by wondering about the prospect of a re-nomination, only to declare, “Bah, a question for tomorrow. Today, we DRINK!” starting with apple juice. Editor’s note: Apple juice is, of course, god’s nectar.

Our primary birthday activity was an activity where citizens were encouraged to “pin the tail” on Kit, who had been de-tailed through some photo-editing magic. Kit went from the ultimate dinosaur, to the Kitception, to a devil-Kit, and finally Josh’s favourite became the STU’s regional flag changed for a day. The favourite image was an amazing image created by our very own delegate, Antarctic SARNZ, who designed a combat Kit.

Our drinks-vs-counting game was inevitably popular where ultimately the citizens did win, reaching a high of 420 at one stage between Josh’s drinks. Editor’s note: I dispute this win - messed with them by counting to 421 and then having another drink Our #bar proved popular with the locals, water, cocktails and whiskey along with tea all being served until closing time, the almighty Director reminding us that “water is always important while drinking.”

Secret Hitler and Skribbl were the community games of choice and after all the singing was said and done, our voice channel busy as ever, it was time to close off the celebrations. To sum up our first Annual Josh-Day (Editor’s note: lol I guess that’s what we’re calling it now) as said by Josh, ‘Director of the Technate, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, Overlord of the Geese Gooses, Dictator of the Stew, Tateregg,’ himself, “I .died.” We, the stew ingredients of the STU, will definitely be looking forward to next year’s celebrations. Editor’s note: I, for one, resent the idea of getting older.

Writing credits: Uncuteatoo, Imperium of Josh

Add a dash of Tribunate with a sprinkling of Nobsey

Keeping an eye on what’s been cooking has proved to be difficult after a busy few months within the Social Technocratic Union. We are proud to announce the election of Qiyi Guo/N0b0dy as the People’s Tribune for this quarter. Editor’s note: Whoops, almost last quarter now, lol. Our candidates were strong, however N0b0dy provided the goods and was elected for his first season of People’s Tribune. Commenting on his big win after an enigmatic loss in the previous election, N0b0dy stated, “Well I attribute my own election success as a product of general luck and mild interest in what I was proposing to implement,” pledging to continue implementing our new Debate section and to better the STU newspaper bringing him to boil over the line.

With five candidates our People’s Tribune position proved the popular bake for the third time running, unfortunately dwindling to four after two-time electee, United Angeer/Skylar, having to pull out. Deciding “it would be best to focus all my attention on them rather than trying to split my focus, which would only result in neither my real life, nor the Union getting the attention it deserves.” However in reflection on the elected N0b0dy, provided some wisdom, “I'm happy Nobsey won, he's a devoted and hardworking individual with lots of interesting ideas, he has my support for the time being and I think he is a worthy successor. Ever since he first got into the Union he has been active and hard working and although his first run at Tribune didn't get him very far, I'm glad to see that he's achieved his goals and I hope he continues to work hard... and Nobsey if you're reading this, you best do a good job, I've got my eye on you.”

Reviewing the candidates really proved how impressive they really were with Bad Science/Bad promising to host magnificent festivals and events for the STU, Milenion/Icarus wanting to implement weekly creative challenges and games nights, and Skylar promising to engage more with our community. Solokha/соломон let time outpace them, unfortunately not managing to produce a full campaign, but still managing to obtain a decent number of votes. соломон however apologised whilst being interviewed, after being asked whether they would follow through with their goals as outlined in the campaign; “Probably. I suppose it doesn't help that I technically did not have any stated plans for the region (so sorry about that), but if you remember from the first election, you'll know I mentioned wanting to sponsor more socialist policies interregionally. A vote for socialism is a vote for the people, after all.”

When asked what influenced our candidates to run for the position, first timer Bad advised “I was inspired to run for Tribune because of my past experiences. I've been in leadership positions on NS for about a year total, and it was super fun interacting with citizens”. And with all of our candidates informing us they would run again it proved to be an enjoyable event for the citizens. In reflection on our third tribunate term in STU proved there is still very much an interest in People’s Tribune and wanting to make an impact in our great little region. Editor’s note: Nobsey has certainly fulfilled his promise regarding structured debates, for which I am glad! I would be intrigued to see candidates with more long-term plans becoming a thing. Or, maybe I’ll shorten the Tribune’s sitting period… hmm…

Writing credits: Uncuteatoo, Imperium of Josh

An Unexpected Global Event

Under the cover of darkness, STU forces moved to Smol Fur Empire, a small, 14-nation region that, due to its position late in the update, was the target of several tag raids. Unfortunately, it was at this moment that the sirens started ringing, warning for impending nuclear war. As such, the jump was missed. Assuming defenders would be hiding in their nuclear bunkers all day long, the STU decided to stick around, and indeed, when update hit, Erentah became delegate of Smol Fur Empire. With aid from Lone Wolves United, we dug in, waiting for the inevitable defender horde. Defenders again didn't show, likely still busy launching nuclear missiles at their enemies. With further support from The Black Hawks, Caer Sidi and Karma, we then proceeded to hold the region for roughly a week. Despite constant defender attempts at draining our influence, we held fairly well, keeping the gap at a comfortable margin.

We were enjoying our comfortable margins until the East Pacific and the South Pacific decided to throw their full weight behind defender efforts. By sending out a combination of regional telegrams and pings through discord they, combined with the North Pacific Army, significantly bolstered defender numbers, coming within range of taking the delegacy several times over the weekend. Despite this, the STU managed to hold the region over the weekend. While defenders failed to take the delegacy, they did gain a lot of influence. While it was possible to remove them, it would take a long time to do so. It was therefore determined it would be best to set a date to conclude the operation, and this date was decided to be after minor update on the 7th of October. With the assistance of our friends in The West Pacific Armed Forces and the Europeian Republican Navy, the endorsement count was raised to 106 endorsements, making this the largest multi-day siege battle in years.

Having reached our planned date for the operation's conclusion on the 7th, STU forces and their allies dropped World Assembly membership, though the Regional Officers remained behind in order to delay defender cleanup efforts. With upwards of a hundred endorsements, over 300 defenders ejected and banned on their attempted liberations, the operation is considered to have been concluded successfully.

Writing credits: A Bloodred Moon

Looking Forwards

I figure now is as good a time as any to write a piece on our future as a region, gives this whole edition more of a mirrored feeling. The STU has come a very long way since the start of the year, which is around when it first began to pull in nations, and has changed greatly. The world has, too, but I’m sure you all know that. COVID really has been something…

When I started this region I didn’t have the ability to provide for a military, but did vaguely muddle my way through setting up an RP. Thanks to Jo, as one can see above, we now have something of a military force, and I’d like to focus on expanding and improving that. Counter to this, while the RP initially saw some interest, the STU is not an RP region, and activity has fallen off to non-existence in recent months, the active citizens we have retained taking little interest. For me, this is no issue, I never intended to create a hub for RP and the social hub with one or two toes in GP that we currently have is something I like, and something that works for me. With this in mind, the STU will be retiring and archiving its RP section, while integrating #map into General Chats, and retaining it as a legacy feature, because it’s a cool map, and I worked hard on that thing. Consequently the RP Department of government will also be retired. In addition, the WA Department has proven almost entirely redundant for its lifetime, given the dictatorial nature of our region, and will also be retired, with its endorsement program functions transferred to Gameside Engagement. This will result in the termination of employment for some lower government functionaries, and I encourage any impacted by this to contact the Directorate about working in a remaining department.

One thing I set out to do with the STU was to provide a starting place for players that would allow them, if they so desire, to branch out from the STU and pursue their own goals around NS. I think the STU has been a success for this purpose, having produced a player (Tenurium) who has gone on to become Caer Sidi’s Taoiseach (CS seems to have a mission to make everyone spell anything related to them incorrectly), and introduced a new mainstay of R/D (Jeen) to R/D. Besides these two, our established citizenry are now far more knowledgeable about the game, and I’m proud of that. Our population has seen a steep decline since the dizzying heights of the Drewpocalypse (400 down to 130), but those we have retained have been wonderful additions to the region, and to the game as a whole. As part of the STU’s continuing mission to promote Technocracy, improve player skill-sets, and our drive to grow and improve our military, a new and revamped recruitment campaign will be beginning shortly.

I look forward to presiding over the STU, in all its (my) glory, for a long time to come. Here’s to the eternal technocratic revolution!

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

[STU State Broadcasting]

Issue 5 - A New Way of Cooking

This may only be the 5th issue of the Boiling Pot, but the STU has come a very long way since our first publication. In our last edition, Reflections, I shared some of the troubles we had been having without a rationalised structure or schedule. Writing NS papers is always hard, but I think it’s infinitely harder when your output is fundamentally random, and you’ve got no obligations either. I failed at managing a paper with a release schedule before, back in Osiris, which is what prompted me to opt for our initial smaller scope and no-pressure arrangements over here.

With all that said, as many of our readers will surely know, the current People’s Tribune was elected with a mandate to overhaul the Boiling Pot. I’ve given them my backing and implemented a schedule and structure for the Boiling Pot based upon a proposal paper they submitted to the Directorate. In addition to this, behind the scenes we have made a lot of quality of life and organisational improvements, so we can all more easily coordinate and access resources.

As a result, the way the Boiling Pot will be delivered to you, our glorious readers, will be changing. Instead of focusing on small quick-fire issues, the Boiling Pot will be moving to a monthly release schedule with larger issues. From now on, you should see us release a new issue on the 10th of every month. Additionally, according with recently implemented changes to the Tribunate election schedule, every second month’s issue will focus primarily on issues raised in the election, and interviews of candidates. Our off months will focus on NS more widely, aiming to bring the STU’s views on governance, game mechanics, and some of the interesting things our interregional friends (and not so friendly neighbours) are doing out there.

I’d like to especially thank the writers of this edition for their speedy work. Normally, they’d have had a month to generate content, but that has not been the case this time, for reasons which should be obvious. We’ve not managed to get everything in here that we wanted to, but all the same, good job people!

I would also like to thank Bran Astor for his quick work on our new logo. It looks awesome! Here's an alternative version:

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

Point and Counterpoint: Legislature Woes

Well would you look at what’s back… Thanks to the kind assent of our friends in Osiris, the Boiling Pot is able to bring you a revived version of Point and Counterpoint! If you’ve not heard of it, first of all, you should go and check out the previous editions in Osiris’ Oracle, there’s some good stuff in there. You can find it on Osiris’ forums. P&C aims to bring you interesting discussion of higher concept ideas than your average NS newspaper article, in the form of debates between myself and another NSer. If you’d like to argue with me in one of these someday, come and step up to the bat! I don’t bite too hard.

These might even stray into real-world political philosophy or current events on occasion. Who knows? It did before! That said, I’d like to keep us a little more down to NS for this production run, starting with today’s topic; What exactly is the best way to do democracy on NS (if you must do it, ugh)? More specifically, is it better for a region to have a direct (all-citizen) legislature, or an indirect (elected representatives) one?

An Argument for Direct (All-Citizen) Legislatures

I should really preface my point here with the fact I am obviously not a democrat on NS. In fact, I’d wager a fair few readers are laughing at the concept of me arguing for any kind of democracy right now. Obviously, a system of legislature by decree of an autocrat is my preference, so don’t think I’ve gone selling out on the authoritarian meritocracy crowd, I haven’t. But with that said, I do actually have relatively strong opinions on this little difference of practice in the democratic sphere, and I hope to convince you of not just the merits of the argument but my sincere belief in what I’m selling you.

The basic impulse to form an elected legislature is at the surface level rather understandable. After all, the world’s governments are full of elected representative structures. The impulse doesn’t even stop there. As I am sure many of our readers are aware, the amount of new regions which attempt to model themselves after the United States government is frankly concerning, most of all because they will inevitably crumble under the impossible task of actually replicating said structures. Such regions fail, and they do always fail, for a multitude of reasons. Inexperienced and unimaginative players being in charge of them is the root cause of their misguided governmental structures, after all. As anyone in the NSL discord will tell you, it’s a lot better to found a region with experience and knowledge under your belt, as well as a unique vision for the region.

So, allowing for at least a relatively competent founder, the biggest factor besides founder ineptitude however is that government is a numbers game. Complex systems require a lot of staff to maintain, and thus demand high populations capable of providing a surplus population not required for labour in other areas. Obviously NS is not real life, and thus we can bypass the need for a sufficiently economically and technologically advanced civilisation to provide the surplus. One might think this would be enough to solve the problem before it begins. After all, this is surely a game! Everyone on here is on here to play! Alas, NS cannot eat everyone’s attention 24/7, as much as it may try to do so, and no region will be capable of engaging 100% of its population in any activity, let alone government, at any one time. There is always a resting baseline of players who simply will not get involved too intensely - and that baseline is a supermajority of players. Thus regional governments which are too over-ambitious with their structure will not be able to sustain themselves.

How, you might ask, does this relate to legislatures in the specific case? And how does it make sense to argue for an all-citizen legislature when, as I have said myself, only a small group of players will pay any active attention anyway? It is a question best answered with another; why would one wish to have only a small subset of a small subset of players participating in their legislature? It makes very little sense to restrict access and participation in the legislature to a tiny handful of players in the region, if democracy is truly the aim of its government. An all-citizen legislature relieves pressure on the system, and makes no specific demands of any one citizen. In an elected legislature, the obvious expectation is that representatives are active participants in all issues. As NS is a game, and thus at best a secondary time commitment, that dream rarely plays out. Instead an all-citizen legislature can and will be a major source of activity and debate for important matters, where citizens feel as if they have a significant stake or a need to make a case, and less so for less contentious matters. The all-citizen legislature can ebb and flow according to the demands placed upon it and the priorities of the community it exists within, allowing a voice for all its constituents. Such a legislature will be most beneficial for a young or small community, but can feasibly work far beyond the numbers of active citizens any NS region is capable of maintaining. Once again, we see the underlying influence of the numbers game.

It is worth stepping back at this point, and asking why indirect legislatures are so prevalent in the real world if they can so effectively manage the challenges on NS. Besides the obvious fact that NS is a game, the difference is numbers. Indirect legislatures are a consequence of societies growing large enough that it would be unfeasible to get to know, or even communicate with, all members of that society. Not so on NS. Everyone knows each other! Everyone can reasonably talk to each other about policy; we have central communication hubs for this very purpose. We may live in disparate locations on earth, but the government and game itself exists entirely online. Everyone can be involved in the legislative discussions, and it's not at all unreasonable to expect that people will be involved in those discussions which matter to them. To use an indirect legislature on NS makes little sense, as their purpose is to solve a problem which does not exist on NS; you’re trying to solve a problem that isn’t there.

None of this is to say that it is impossible to make indirect legislatures work in a sufficiently large and sufficiently established community. It clearly is possible, and there are regions out there which do it. They tend to be on the larger end, with one prominent example being Europeia, for the very reasons argued above. Of course, the less actual democracy and representation matters to a place, the more politically useful a small legislature might be. My time in Gay comes to mind... With these caveats mentioned, it remains clear that an all-citizen legislature is the better option for the vast majority of regions which desire a democratic legislature.

Stay tuned for next month’s edition of The Boiling Pot, when we will publish a pro-indirect legislature piece, written by a guest!

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

The Social Technocratic Union Celebrates UCR Con

From the week starting November 16, to November 21, citizens of the STU joined in on the festivities of the third User Created Region (UCR) Convention, an annual event where UCR's come together to display and educate others on their unique social, cultural, and political environments, in what has got to be one of the largest events held across NS.
In total there were 375 participants, and 47 different showcases, all hosting a variety of exciting activities; for example, to much of the delight of many of the attendees, Kitsy shared her daily Peach picture in the STU booth, The Black Hawks created a puzzle quest that had many people racking their brains and searching different nations and regions for answers, and our allies from Edlhus even created a "See which house you'd fit in!" quiz!
The event was an incredible opportunity for us to network with other regions, and to explore the many booths led by representatives of each UCR, who were all incredibly willing to engage with their visitors and inform guests on where they were from, and what makes their UCR an incredible place to be in. Of particular interest were the many lectures conducted through voice chat from some of the big names in NS, and for guests to read and ask questions for panel participants to answer in text format. Notably, our very own founder, Josh, was one of three panelists of the Foreign Affairs and Regional Image lecture, which you can listen to here, and totally didn’t crash JayDee’s VC lecture at all. Nope, not him, never. Other lectures and panels included a variety of topics related to NS Gameplay, from Out of Character Moderation, NationStates Families, and even on Region Building.
It also hasn't gone unnoticed that in the daily giveaways of games, stamps and discord nitro memberships, our region fared very well! STU World Assembly Delegate, Momus (Antarctic SARNZ), won a nitro membership and used it to boost our server, while GTFourty (MiriAi) won 10k stamps and donated them to our founder. Thank you both!!! This year's convention was an absolute success, led by a very hard working team of convention organisers and moderators, which made it even better for The Social Technocratic Union to be able to take part in it; we're already looking forward to the Fourth Annual UCR Convention.

Writing credits: Istil

Christmas Charity Drive!

We were originally going to publish a piece by Bad Science here, but due to a personal emergency they were unable to submit it in time. All the best, Bad!

From the 11th, many regions across NS will be taking part in a Christmas charity drive in aid of The Trevor Project, and the STU will be enthusiastically joining them. On Friday the 18th of December, Josh will be hosting a “Josh ruins a nation” discord stream of Democracy 4, where participants who have donated to the drive will be able to set policy goals, however nonsensical and contradictory they might be, for Josh to impose upon a poor unsuspecting western democracy. Afterwards, the STU will transition into hosting a games night, with a line up of Skribbl, Jackbox, Secret Hitler, and Among Us (alterations may occur due to popular demand).

Other events will be hosted throughout the month by regions such as Anteria, Caer Sidi, Edlhus, Res Publica, The Sasquatch Republic, and Spiritus. We hope that everyone has a good time and raises a good amount for a worthy cause!

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

[Varanius]

Another wonderful article .

[The New Cordian Empire]

This all looks really good tbh, I'll get around to reading the full articles tomorrow (which is a first for me), but just by skimming, this looks great.

[Imperium of Josh]

Another wonderful article .

This all looks really good tbh, I'll get around to reading the full articles tomorrow (which is a first for me), but just by skimming, this looks great.

Why thank you both

[STU State Broadcasting]

The Boiling Pot - Issue 6

Technocratic Musings

This month’s edition is a doozy! We’re introducing a new concept, Technocratic Musings, wherein our citizens will be asked for their thoughts on technocracy. The first edition has been provided by our former People’s Tribune of two terms, and the Tribune who assisted in our newspaper’s reorganisation, Nobsey. We also have a strong response to last month’s P&C article, as well as a shotgun interview with several of our citizens and a summary of events in the STU over the last month.

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

Technocratic Musings: Our First Contributor

In the interest of a common and concise definition of technocracy, it is necessary to evaluate the various facets of the ideology with the utmost precision. The overarching form of technocracy can be divided into that of autocracy, oligarchy, and democratic. Each of these forms have implementations which are more ideal and others which are less ideal. Throughout all of these forms, the unifying principle is the management of government by experts.

To speak frankly, one of the most critical failings of the modern political world is the empowering of people whose chief achievement is the ability to effectively manipulate the average voter. If one is to look at the average voter, the process of manipulating them proves to be a task far too simple to ever be of merit. It would be, rather, all the more efficient and reasonable to place those with skills and expertise in positions of government. Given that technocracy and meritocracy are similar on a surface level, it is necessary to clarify that a meritocracy is hallmarked by a perceived and/or subjective worth. That is to say that everyone wishes to maintain the illusion that their leaders are qualified for the position but in practice, they are severely lacking. Conversely, technocracy employs those with quantifiable works that show a desirable result and an efficiency of craft.

In addition to the types of leaders in power, technocratic systems follow a unique method for problem-solving. Where the modern political world seeks to come to a common consensus amongst those in power and those who elect, technocratic governments apply the scientific method. The scientific method may be thought to only apply to the sciences, however, its application in the political sphere is far superior when compared to the current model. Collection of data leads to the analysis of that data which then leads to discussion concerning the course of action which ultimately leads to the best possible course of action for the nation.

To speak first on the nature of democratic technocracy, it is necessary to clarify that the populace needs to obtain far greater intellectual prowess. Removal of politicians from the election process and placing technocrats in their stead is akin to placing a bandage over a bone-deep gash. In assuming that the populace is not changed to fit the modern technocratic landscape, it is assured that such a landscape will swiftly fall to the very same hell-pits that it just came out of. For a democratic technocracy to function in the most efficient manner possible, the citizenry must be lucky enough to elect a technocrat of proper principles. Education must be first and foremost on the plan for revitalising democracy in a technocratic manner.

Autocratic technocracy has far more opportunities for critical failure. Given that the political structure is based upon the will of a single person, it is a necessity that the ruler is founded upon exceptional technical knowledge and an incorruptible dedication to the enrichment of the nation and its citizenry. Assuming that the top of the governmental pyramid is flawless, the lower levels must also be examined. Autocratic systems are built upon favour and as such the path to higher roles is plagued with corruption. A technocratic system does little to prevent this not for fault of the system, rather, for fault of human behaviour. Even a perfect technocratic autocrat cannot maintain a watchful eye over all departments and because of this those lower departments will run amok and effectively destroy the technocratic regime.

Armed revolution must also be evaluated when contemplating any autocratic regime. The citizenry is painfully dull and will be subject to anti-government rhetoric regardless of the regime’s actual effectiveness. This is why if any technocratic autocracy hopes to survive and keep its feet out of perceived tyranny it must focus its attention towards the education of the masses. One could make the argument that the effective use of propaganda would minimise the risks of revolt, however, this is innately anti-technocratic. If one turns to the crutch of propaganda, the government is doomed to fall to parasitic individualism since the government is not held responsible by its citizenry. Morality will only get you so far in the absence of watchful eyes.

Oligarchic technocracy is a promising blend of autocracy and democracy but only if everything aligns correctly. Opposed to the high burdens put on the technocrat in an autocratic system, the oligarchic system affords the capacity to have ideas fallback on several key experts. Despite this major advantage, the oligarchic system is still liable to the faults of human psychology. If the circle of oligarchs is closed, meaning that members are decided by other members, then favour becomes the determining factor and thus the technocratic system has died. In place of such faulty governance, the open circle proves the stable option. Two forms of stable open oligarchies exist: exam-based and automatic entry. Exam-based removes favour from the equation by having potential members pass a written exam, however, this method opens up the possibility of cheating. Cheating can be managed with far greater ease than that of favour and as such is a stable method. Automatic entry consists of plucking the leaders of various fields and placing them on the council. This option once again eliminates the invasion of favour, however, those who do not wish to join the council but are forced to regardless will be apathetic leaders.

While there are more subsets of government, these three are the umbrella. Each of these systems have varying risks and rewards and is thus up to the government to decide which one it shall choose to employ. Whatever form technocracy is done in, it is safe to say that it will function better than the current models. If it is not functioning better, then it has ceased to be a technocracy.

Writing credits: Qiyi Guo

Point and Counterpoint: Legislature Woes Response

In the last edition of The Boiling Pot, the Imperium Of Josh laid out credible and convincing arguments for all-citizen legislatures. In this edition, I (a passionate supporter of democracy on NS, in quite the contrast to Josh) intend to argue the opposite; to argue in favour of elected legislative branches.

There are many parts where I agree with Josh's assessment. Faults with founders is where a depressingly large number of regions fall short, and I witnessed this myself during my time in the NSL server; more complicated regions with larger governments do tend to need more staff to run smoothly; most players will sit idly doing little and rarely engaging with the community; the list goes on.

Where I disagree with Josh's assessment, though, is the assertion that indirect legislatures "restrict access and participation in the legislature to a tiny handful of players in the region". Indeed, I believe the biggest thing about representative democracy is missed here - the representation. An ordinary citizen is not barred from influencing the judicial branch in an indirect legislature: they are still very much capable of expressing their opinions to sympathetic members of said legislature, campaigning and lobbying within their home region for the change/policies they wish to see implemented, and at the end of the day, if an elected legislature isn't doing its job, the citizen is under no obligation to cast their vote for the incumbent candidates at the next election. Granted, these are often less effective ways of influencing regional government than being a member of an all-citizen legislature, but that itself taps into another idea - the idea that to serve your region, to be trusted by your region-mates with legislative office is a privilege earned through the dedication and determination to the furthering of the region's best interests, not a right of any citizen who happens to chip in every two weeks and disappears again. To be elected to and to serve in an elected legislature is a gesture from your community, a reaffirmation of their confidence in you to do the right thing and act appropriately, and this prestige often gives members of a community an incentive to take part. After all, you might not like to admit it and others may disapprove of such a sentiment, but who doesn't enjoy being part of an especially valued and treasured member of government with the support of your region behind you? In many respects I think it can appeal to our human nature to enjoy the feeling of being in-the-know; to be part of something (or be part of something) which others aren't allowed to. Take that as you will, but if it encourages organic participation in a legislature, I see that as a positive.

Josh goes on to state "will be most beneficial for a young or small community" - which I understand completely. Drawing on my own region's experience, Thaecia in its earliest days had a Senate with 5 members. If my memory serves me right, the first Thaecian senate collapsed 3 times within 2 months due to inactivity concerns, so I can most certainly see Josh's point here.

I disagree where he goes on to argue that all-citizen legislatures are a one-size-fits-all feature. Firstly, I find myself questioning how issues like quorum are solved in all-citizen legislatures. Does the threshold for a legislative action's passage sit at the 50% mark? Such a threshold may work in regions with few citizens but it becomes considerably more challenging when scaled upwards: Thaecia & Europeia, for example, have around 200 & 100 citizens respectively last I checked, and it would be absurdly impractical to require 51 or even 101 citizens to approve of something before it can be actioned.

The other option here, as best I can see, is to set a lower that threshold or make it dependent/proportional to another factor (e.g. how many citizens took part in debates). This immediately raises democratic concerns to me - is it right, democratically speaking, for something to pass after obtaining 51% of 17% of the citizenry? It doesn't really sound it to me. This ties into Josh's argument as to why indirect legislatures on NS solve a problem which doesn't exist - in larger democratic regions like Europeia and Thaecia, it is in fact impractical to get the opinions of every citizen heard on every issue. Polling and surveying the opinions of hundreds of people/nations is no easy feat, and representative democracy helps fix that challenge which Josh refuses to acknowledge the existence of.

What I also find absent from Josh's arguments is something which underpins many of my disagreements with him - not everyone and everything on NS is designed to be maximally efficient and effective. Though I do of course believe elected legislatures can be efficient and effective, it is important to note that that is not the only priority a region may have. I distinctly remember election cycles in Thaecia, nervously but exhilaratingly biting my nails awaiting the results of a Congressional election to see if people who align and agree with me had won enough seats to defend our agenda. The glamorous (and sometimes perhaps even decadent!) election graphics created a buzz of excitement, fun, activity and engagement which would not have been possible with an all-citizen legislature. Perhaps dramatic elections which keep you on the edge of your seat isn't your region's cup of tea, I understand that. But just because it isn't what you look for in a community/government, doesn't mean that others share your point of view.

Fundamentally, Josh is an experienced player of NationStates who clearly offers a unique and interesting point of view on the topic of all-citizen legislatures. He offers a perspective which looks out for the smaller democratic regions over the larger ones, which I appreciate. However, coming from a region which is now what I consider a medium-large sized representative democracy, I think the overarching thing which must be remembered in this discussion is that regions come in all shapes and sizes, and where representative democracy works in one region, that does not mean it will work everywhere (and vice versa). When considering whether or not elected or all-citizen legislatures are better for a region, a holistic approach considering the region's priorities, activity levels, ambitions and likelihood of success/growth should be considered. Make the wrong choice, dear founder, and you may doom your region before you have even begun building it.

No pressure.

Writing credits: Andusre

Stirring the Stew - MiriAi/Wired Algorithm/Uncuteatoo/The Vanguard Fleet

The Social Technocratic Union (STU) is made up of a wonderfully diverse, talented, and incredible bunch of people, and in the last twelve months the regional culture has been wildly growing, thanks to the energy and engagement of our citizens. As such, it seemed an important time to reflect on the beginnings of those that invest their time in the STU, what their history is, and what they love about being here – so welcome readers, to the first in a series of articles for the Boiling Pot Newspaper; Stirring the Stew. Four interviewee’s were selected for this issue, based on their valuable contributions, and regular involvement in our region, and were given three questions to answer.
It seemed important to ask our interviewee’s what led them to the STU initially, and how long they had been around the greater NationStates.

GTFourty, a relative newcomer to the region, joined in November of 2020, and noted, “STU’s telegram was one of the first ones I’d gotten. The idea of a technocracy was very interesting, something I’d heard very little about to [sic] that’s what led me to join.”

Whereas Patchourisu, who joined NationStates back in March 2020, answered “I joined the Social Technocratic Union after creating my first puppet, in August … I then found a telegram of the Social Technocratic Union and found the concept of a technocratic region cool and interesting, hence I joined!”

This was a sharp contrast to compare with our two other interviewee’s, Wilhelm and Kitsy. Kitsy, having been on NationStates for a few years, but actively involved for just over a year, has a history of experience in Gameside Affairs in Osiris, and was recruited to the STU by our Director, Josh. Kitsy explained “STU became the place where I felt I could contribute more and kinda felt like I fit in more. I don’t know a lot about politics but Josh always takes the time to explain things to me and it’s a place I love being.”

With a much longer period of time on NationStates, since 2016, Wilhelm recounted their origins in the region Karma, “I joined [Karma] because of Josh … [who] invited me to some events within this region, and to partake I needed to be granted citizenship. At the time I really had no idea what any of this meant but was a fun pastime with new people to joke and drink in the evenings with. At some point within this time, Josh realized there was no WA (World Assembly) delegate in Karma, so, he endorsed my nation making it the delegate with 1 endorsement being my only claim to fame … being the first WA delegate of Karma.” On joining the STU Wilhelm explained, “Josh told me he was starting his own region, I was one of the first people he invited to the discord, so I decided to make a new nation and is where we are now.”

Our interviewees were then given the hypothetical situation of having all the time and resources on their hands, and were asked what they would want to improve, change, or achieve in the STU. GTFourty chimed in first, “I think I’d need more time around … STU [more] to find that out. I’m still settling in … but I’m sure in time I’ll be able to understand things better.”

Whereas our recently elected Tribune, Patchourisu, opened up about their ideas a little further, explaining that “I’m not sure if I want to fundamentally change anything. I like STU how it is … I wonder what the residents' thoughts and wishes are … if I had the time and resources, I would try to do what would benefit them and what would please them. And this comes by knowing their needs/wants, so doing more surveys!” Excitedly, Patrchourisu added, “Maybe I’d try to develop a scientific (and maybe academic) department in the STU!”

Similarly, Kitsy responded, “STU is pretty great … if I had more time I would literally just keep doing what I do here.” Although she also added, “I love contributing to our newspaper and engaging with all our citizens and non-citizens alike. If I had more time I’d be in VC (Voice Chat) a lot more and gaming with STU a lot more. Time-zones are hard, son!”

Wilhelm explained the relatable issue of real life limitations, answering, “Time is 100% the biggest factor for me here, my main role within the STU is organising game events, but with me taking multiple other responsibilities and hobbies over the past couple of months … the main thing would be to try get more people interested and engaged into organising events where I don’t have to always be around.” Continuing to explore what he would like to achieve Wilhelm advised, “I think eventually, I will run for People’s Tribune but currently feel with me being already close with most of the government within the STU, I can already make the points I want to make … so feel it’s best left to others to give anyone that opportunity to make the changes they wish to see.”

With our region being filled with such passion and love for the people that find their way here, some investigation into what our interviewees love most about the STU was absolutely necessary, and I couldn’t have found more open or eager responses anywhere else. GTFourty was first to add that, “Everyone just is very excitable and enthusiastic about the region, and NS as a whole, I like the energy, and I’m sure I can come to be a greater part of it in time.”

Equally, Patchourisu, somewhat indecisively, yet excitedly added, “I’m hesitating between their kindness, their open mindedness and their wisdom!” noting that, “The STU community knows how to cope with life, and is doing their best to thrive without forgetting their intelligence and humanity. Take a game night, for example. Even if there's a lot of people being drunk, still, I still think like I'm talking to real people with self-criticism and knowledge … Another example, I don't see any offensive comment[s] or meme[s] in the STU, and I really appreciate it. It is commonly puns, and jokes about geese … (Okay, sometimes historical and political jokes … ) And that's what I love about the STU: It is a place with wise people who keep their humanity.”

With a similar eagerness, Kitsy explained how she loves that the STU, “embraces our love of cats and pets.” Adding further, “Our Daily Peach seems to be a great success! This place makes me happy. And everyone is incredibly friendly and so intelligent. I love what Josh has created.”

Finally, Wilhelm enthusiastically explained his passion for the STU in the same vein, “This would likely be how outgoing a lot of the people who jump into the voice channels are, not to say the quiet ones aren’t great too, I just really like how there’s never a dull moment when it's hard to get a word in edge-ways (yes, I’m talking about you Ten). Game nights, especially Among Us/Secret Hitler recently have been some of the highlights of 2020 in The STU, we have also had some great HOI4 and CIV 5 games that have been great opportunities to have a drink while trying to do something somewhat competitive. Aside from The STU, there was a recent charity event hosted and promoted throughout the entire NS community organised by Wym … that I was really lucky to be heavily involved with, where I hosted every stream over a couple of weeks in December. I got to meet some awesome new people, sing karaoke and discussing a range of topics, from the downright weird to inspiring, all whilst raising money for a great cause (raising a total of $3,400).”

The culmination of an almost twelve month period of successful engagement, the people of the STU have come from various backgrounds and experiences, and while each one of us is unique, we have found a common space to share passions, interests, life experiences and more. Interviewing these individuals shows us why our community has thrived – we wouldn’t be here without the valuable contributions that they have made, small or great, and their love for the STU.

Writing credits: Istil

This Month in the STU

The STU has had a very busy month since our paper’s last edition. Not only have our citizens celebrated various holidays during the month of December, and enjoyed New Year festivities co-organised by our very own Icarus, we have also taken part in NS-wide charity efforts and elected a new People’s Tribune. Everyone in the STU is very proud of both Wym, who primarily organised the NS Christmas Charity Fundraiser which raised $3,400 for the Trevor Project, and Will, who ran and frequently appeared on the fundraiser’s livestreams. We’re all very glad to have taken part in such a noble effort, and our citizens enjoyed a great number of the events spurred by participating regions.

Meanwhile, the STU’s elections process for People’s Tribune began with our usual nomination and campaign period, lasting from the 26th of December to the 1st. 3 candidates entered the race; Nobsey, our Tribune of two previous terms, Wym, a newcomer to the region (but certainly not NS) with big plans for our recruitment and integration, and Patchourisu, a long-time popular member and previous contestant for the position. Nobsey’s campaign focussed on his previous successes in the role and offered small optimisations and improvements relating to his previous prerogatives rather than large reforms to the region’s system. This was an understandable view from a two-time incumbent tribune, but failed to inspire our citizen base, and ultimately Nobsey was knocked out in the first round of voting. Wym’s campaign focussed on his extensive NS experience, and the issue of recruitment and integration, arguing that the STU needs to perform better in retaining its recruits, as well as eventually pull more in. Patchy’s platform offered a more citizen-input driven vision for the Tribunate, which was ultimately successful in convincing a majority of voters. Patchy has already designed and issued a survey for citizens since winning the vote on the 6th, in an impressively proactive move.

Voting began on the 1st and was split into 2 rounds of 3 days each. The second round was triggered by a wafer thin margin - 50%+1 of votes are required to win the position of Tribune, and in the first round Patchy won exactly 50% of votes cast (10-9-1). Voters reported being torn between candidates in the first round, and this notably impacted turnout. In round 2 Patchy was able to pull off a comfortable lead against Wym, who took 2nd place (18-12). Voters clearly felt that the impasse of round 1 could not be repeated, and opted to side with particular candidates, adding to both remaining candidates previous vote totals, and improving turnout by 50% in round 2. As part of the STU’s long-standing tradition of the Director hiring all promising candidates for Tribune to work on their promises in the event the winning candidate did not emphasise them, Wym has been hired to manage improvements to the STU’s recruitment and integration.

When asked for comments about the election’s results, Patchy and Nobsey were able to reply, while Wym’s real-world schedule and other events unfortunately prevented him from providing a response in time.

Nobsey: “Well the other candidates had vastly superior plans for the future and a much better dedication that my own I can only say that I'm extremely pleased that Patchy will be taking my place as the next People's Tribune”

Patchy: “I really appreciate your support throughout this election, and it is truly an honour to work with you to better this place! I look forward to all the good moments we can build together!”

As ever, the Directorate is grateful to everyone who ran.

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

[Comfed]

Representative democracy on NS isn't really all that democratic. And besides, that puts power in the hands of the kind of people who tend to run for office - social influencers - as opposed to anyone who wants to see change.

[Imperium of Josh]

Representative democracy on NS isn't really all that democratic. And besides, that puts power in the hands of the kind of people who tend to run for office - social influencers - as opposed to anyone who wants to see change.

I would certainly be inclined to agree that it largely hands things to social influencers. I'm really not sure about agreeing with the last clause though. Influencers can want change, or they can want things to stay the same. I think what you're really looking for is that you can't trust popular people to actually be competent. Democracy has long been a failure of a system in regards to selecting the most competent candidate, so that's hardly surprising.

At the end of the day the STU is not a democracy at all, so the points raised in issues 5 and 6 are merely academic from our perspective

[Comfed]

I didn’t mean that social influencers are incompetent, I meant that they would be handed power that, in direct democracy, is given to all citizens. It tends towards oligarchy.

[STU State Broadcasting]

The Boiling Pot - Issue 7

A Tad Late...

We apologise for the delay in publishing this issue. It turns out that generating content is hard... Contained within; an interview with our theoretically outgoing delegate (should the handover ever actually materialise); Tenurium's compelling arguments for technocratic culture to be embraced by the democratic world; a summary of the STU's recent Tribunate elections and other happenings; and a technocratically-minded justification for raiding.

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

Kitsy’s Grill: A Meal with Momus

G’day STU, and welcome back to Kitsy’s grill, where the food is twice as tasty as the news and the milo is always hot. We’re happy to have you here so please take a seat and prepare to feast! It’s been a little while since one of my dishes so today I am interviewing our outgoing WA Delegate, Momus, AKA Antarctic SARNZ. Momus will (hopefully) soon be surpassed by Will, AKA The Vanguard Fleet.

Uncuteatoo: So, Momus, how long have you been delegate of STU for?
Antarctic SARNZ: I have been delegate for 353 days now.

Uncuteatoo: Wow! That is quite the accomplishment. And how did you end up as the region’s delegate?
Antarctic SARNZ: I was just lucky enough that Josh chose me.

Uncuteatoo: Very lucky indeed, and especially to serve for so long. So what did you enjoy the most about representing our citizens?
Antarctic SARNZ: I enjoyed being able to see some of the resolutions (good and bad) being put up for vote. Did you have a favourite proposal at all? My favourites were the commendations of our friends in other regions. They were all very deserving.

Uncuteatoo: And what is your favourite part about being involved in a region as great as STU?
Antarctic SARNZ: This is a very easy question. It is without a doubt the people in STU. We have a lot of very kind, funny and talented people.

Uncuteatoo: You included, Momus! On a lighter note, if our leader was a food, what kind of food do you think he would be, and why?
Antarctic SARNZ: Josh, our dear leader, would be an orange, because he doesn’t like oranges and it amuses me.

Uncuteatoo: Hehehe. Oranjosh it is. And finally, do you have any tips for our new delegate, Will?
Antarctic SARNZ: I don’t think I do… Will is going to be great as our Delegate

Writing credits: Uncuteatoo

Technocratic Musings: Tenurium's Technocracy

The Technocratic spirit, or at least part of it, is rather ubiquitous. Qualified governance is an element of the ideological fundament of just about any political system, though the methods through which qualification is determined vary greatly. A divine right monarchy for example trusts in a hypothetical infallible being to appoint a ruler, or rather a lineage of rulers sufficiently qualified, while contemporary democracies follow the belief that popular support is the decisive qualification to rule. The entirety of modern autocracy is, on a theoretical level, built around the idea that a single qualified ruler can rule much more efficiently if unopposed. Of course, all of these ideas adhere to more than just this, but any type of government is irrevocably linked to its way of qualification. In that sense, any government type is, on paper, technocratic.

In the last edition, in which we saw a broad overview of the various concepts of a technocratic system, democratic technocracy was mostly reduced to a question of education, and I wish, in no small part due to my own, deeply democratic leanings, to elaborate on this. Any functional democracy is, to me, inherently technocratic, and differentiating between the two is superfluous. This assessment of course classifies all contemporary democracies as flawed.

Education is, of course, a powerful tool, and the means by which the necessary changes are accomplished, but it is in no way sufficient. Democracy is as much, if not more so a question of culture rather than system. In an autocracy, there is, on a surface level but one who must put the needs of their society above all else. In a functional democracy, everyone bears that burden, and everyone must make decisions without their own situation in mind. This is still far from objectivity, but, at the very least a culture of selflessness must be achieved. This becomes painfully transparent in the failings of modern liberal democracy. The corrupt are drawn to power, for they require it to further their own ends. In a democracy more so than anywhere else, tolerance of corruption is not worth distinguishing from encouragement, and as presentation holds greater sway than policy, one with the means to control both the portrayal of themselves and their rivals will usually triumph, no matter how disingenuously these means are achieved.

Which does raise the second issue, because far too frequently, the corrupt and selfish are not opposed in the first place. Now, even current governments recognize the importance of participation in a democratic system, but they seem to limit themselves to participation in elections and even here, they do little to rectify it. This will not suffice. The open challenge of established ideas by new thought is the biggest boon of democracy, bar none. If democracy is to prove fruitful, every citizen must be willing to bring forth their own thoughts if they feel they are productive, or even merely interesting. There must be a sense of civic duty born from the self-perception that, during matters of politics, one is not only an individual, but also a public servant.

It is at this point that education is elevated from the tool to bring about a cultural revolution to the cornerstone of the system. If a population's potential is to be realized, the people must be guaranteed, yes, even forced to attend comprehensive education. They must be taught how to learn by themselves, how to articulate their own ideas and how to examine those of others, critically or otherwise. They do not need to be experts, but they must be, in a way, intellectuals. I mean this not in the sense of established academia, but of a mindset that exalts the willingness to learn, to challenge, and to be challenged. A basic dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and the refinement of one’s thought are integral, for any society capable of living under a fully democratic system must fester a culture of intellectualism.

As was already mentioned in the last edition, modern democracies tend to favor compromise as their method of problem solving. While compromises can be productive solutions, they are more often than not the result of granting irreconcilable positions the same level of respect, despite one being factually wrong. This not only produces sub-optimal solutions to urgent problems, as is very much exemplified in modern climate policy, but also lends credence to the quite frankly ridiculous idea that all opinions are equal. Both of these notions are harmful and must be discarded, along with the stubbornness and personal pride that cause people to entrench themselves in their positions, even in face of factual evidence to the contrary. For an exchange of ideas to be effective, and therefore productive, all participants must be willing to relent to the soft pressure of the better argument.
A functional democracy is not only feasible, but also desirable. To me, it has the most to offer out of any technocratic system, not just to the people living under it, but to humanity at large. It can be the catalyst to our ascension, and the path to realizing our potential. But it is, in turn, afflicted by instability more than the other ideas, for it can only prosper in the corresponding environment, and demands more of its people. They must be dedicated to it, one and all, willing and able to learn, to stand up and to yield. And if these conditions are no longer met, they must either be restored, or democracy discarded, for without them, it is bound to fall into being a nest of petty squabbles, of ineffectual incrementalism at best and irresponsible selfishness at worst.

Writing credits: Zestria

Two Months of Stewing

Though our sadly reduced news output has likely already telegraphed the issue, the STU in some ways faces a crisis of government engagement. Our executive departments are stretched rather thin, and active staff numbers have unfortunately dipped with little inflow in recent times. This has partly been a question of trying to take on too much with too few resources, as well as a minor inefficiency in the state's structure. Accordingly, the STU has made some changes:

It was with a heavy heart that we let go of our military, though of course not our alignment. The STU would like to thank Jo for his efforts as Co-Commander of the military, and would like to thank those members of the STU who found time to participate in it. Unfortunately, lack of interest among our citizenry and competing time demands on our staff and soldiers made it infeasible to continue propping up a military that saw dwindling engagement. Thank you again to everyone who participated.

The STU's higher executive was facing issues of overlapping authority and poorly defined delineation between our Directorate, and our lower Technocratic Council. It had been intended for the Council to be a far larger body than it has turned out to be, and for it to take a mildly different approach to governance than it has in reality taken. As such, the two bodies have been merged into a single Technocratic Council, with adaptations to the constitution and state aesthetics having been issued at the end of February.

Interest in the People's Tribunate, however, remains strong, and this month's elections saw a landslide victory for our new People's Tribune (16-4), Uncuteatoo! Congratulations Kitsy! Kitsy's first decree was that her Tribunate should have a spiced up theme, along with a new colour, so the discord role and WFE were pinkified, and the role has been dubbed the "People's Kitsy" for this term. Two other candidates entered their names into the election, though newcomer Not Bad to Be Honest decided to withdraw before votes were cast, citing lack of experience in the region, and suggesting they might run at a future date. This left one remaining candidate, outgoing Tribune Wired Algorithm, who promised to take a more active and assertive role in governance in his second term. However, the voters were sold on Kitsy's platform of concrete promises, including a weekly "Quiztsy Fridays" event, involving answering and discussion of Buzzfeed quizzes on the discord.

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh

Raiding: A Technocratic Perspective

Those who know me are of course aware that I have held a hardline pro-raiding stance for my entire history on the game, and thus this article should come as no surprise to them. Likewise, those in tune with the raider-defender back and forth have most likely heard most of, if not all of, these points before. My purpose here is not to break new ground on the R/D debate, but rather to distill a purely technocratic ideological argument in favour of a raider stance.

First, we shall dismiss two arguments. "Raiding is fun, therefore we should do it" or variations upon it, calling to the fact of NS being a game built for entertainment, are certainly logically consistent and not untrue, but do not make much, if any, sense from an ideological perspective. For our purposes here, it is even less useful, as "fun" is hardly a quantifiable measure of the objective benefits of an action. On the other side of the coin, we must not be swept up by nonsense appealing to the broad popularity of "defending," or more accurately "anti-raiding" among the ignorant mass of NS' noobish population. Popularity in itself is no justification at all for holding to an idea, or carrying out an action, especially when such popularity is built upon a framework of not understanding the reality one is faced with. The simple truth of ignorant native anger at raiding is they have not understood the geopolitical and mechanical possibilities of the space they occupy, which is no ground at all for any technocratically minded observer to stand upon.

The technocratic affinity towards raiding instead finds itself ground in outcomes for the regions raiding impacts, and does not impact. Any region capable of being raided to the extent where actual damage can be done to it has clearly failed in one way or another to maintain its existence as a viable state. This is a failure of their institutions and of their leadership. The bare minimum maintenance of an active founder with knowledge of the game is a bar no new region should fail, and proceed to be rewarded for. Make no mistake, any defence of a failed state is merely a pandering excuse, made for unfit rulers who have actively refused to learn how to secure their territory and its people. This is an age on NS where every single new founder and delegate is issued an invitation to NSL, a place where the (largely raider leaning) active population can explain in detail just how any given noob region is vulnerable to destruction. The horrifying fact of sheer ignorance and denialism they (rather, we) receive from some new founders speaks to a wider dearth in competent leadership of regions. None of this can be said to be good for technocratic governance across NS.

A region must prove its value through its actions; it has no inherent right to exist, nor do the inexpert leaders of such regions have any inherent right to be left alone to govern their failing projects, continuing all the while to suck up recruits from competent regions. Not only does permitting them to continue their existence do severe damage to the technocratic principle of qualified government around the game in itself, it harms regions where this principle clearly exists, and it harms education and integration efforts for new players. A new player drawn to such a region is far more likely to be bored and immediately quit. No new leaders of the future can be born in such an environment. As an amusing aside, NSL has experienced several noob founders promising to "teach new players how the game works," who were quickly exposed as having no idea themselves. They would merely draw recruits into a black hole via explicit lies in their recruitment.

Therefore, the technocratic imperative is clear. There can be no reward or defence for those who have refused to learn about the context they exist within. Indeed, it is necessary for the maximum expansion of the qualified playerbase that as few regions fitting the character described above exist as possible. Technocracy must be a pro-raider stance, or it fails to support its own end goals in regions all over NS.

Writing credits: Imperium of Josh