The Globe: Imagining a better Senate

[The Runes]

Start of an Era

The Globe/The Runes returns to the NS forums. Read our current opinion piece here: viewtopic.php?p=32484093#p32484093. It was originally posted in Europeia in February.

[The Runes]

End of an Era

It is the end of an era in Europeia as Mousebumples has resigned as WA Delegate. Mouse has served for well over two years after being electing after Vinage's term. Here is her speech on the matter:

Over the past few weeks, it has grown increasingly clear to me that the time has come for me to resign as WA Delegate of Europeia. There are a number of reasons why I've elected to step down, including real life obligations and the feeling that my insight and experience is neither valued nor desired by the current administration, among other things.

As a result, the Chancellery will be opening standing shortly. After consultation with Supreme Chancellor Lethen, on behalf of the Chancellery, polls will be opening on Monday, November 28th, in accordance with the WA Delegate election protocols laid out in our laws.

Thanks for your support over the past two and a half years. Good luck to whomever will be leading Europeia as WA Delegate moving forward; I'm available to offer advice where I can.

Currently, five people are running to replace her in what is shaping up to be a very exciting election:

Raging Zen Master
Celtian
Trinnien
Jahka
Noah Second Country

Thoughts on Mousebumples; and the History of WA in Europeia
By Rachel Eriksen

When Europeia was formed, it was culturally like the proud monarchical regions from which its most prominent members had come from. These were The Four Realms*; Great Britain and Ireland, The Land of Kings and Emperors, The New Inquisition and Empires of Earth. Many of Europeia's early best and brightest had started or developed in these regions. While Europeia retained many of the good traditions of these regions, it also inherited their faulty ones as well. One of these less desired traditions was the lack of focus on the delegate position and the World Assembly (or United Nations). While these regions all sought to develop governments of the highest standards, the delegacy did not fall into these plans. Thus, Europeia under performed in this category even in basic WA stats like saturation until 2010/2011 despite its large population.

It was during this time that people started to question why Europeia couldn't have a strong WA program, a strong navy and a strong and distinct foreign affairs program and started to try to do something about it. One of the underrated moves of the era, was when Oliver started to explore World Assembly IRC chats and started to bring experts to Europeia. One of these was Mousebumples. While Oliver and later Abbey had mixed success in the position of Delegate compared to their ambitions, they helped pave the way for future delegates. It was the election of a relative newcomer, Vinage of whom there were very little expectations that changed everything.

Like Peter the Great, Vinage sought greater counsel than ever before in transforming our World Assembly scene. He especially got help from the people Oliver had brought to Europeia, especially Mousebumples and the region would flourish in the World Assembly. Rather than lag behind in our basic WA stats, our WA stopped underperfoming the rest of the regions success. For the first time, Europeia was even writing and creating World Assembly laws in large part because of Mousebumples guidance. It could be argued that without Mousebumples, our World Assembly program would never have gotten off the ground.

This success continued with the election of Mousebumples and saw Europeia extend its success through our ties to other regions. In Balder, people who had learned and were inspired by Vinage and Mousebumples like myself became delegates. Europeia's success climaxed with the W.A.L.L. treaty, the brain child of then TNP delegate R3n which sought greater co-operation on WA affairs between Europeia, The North Pacific, Balder and the IDU. The WA program of Europeia had not only achieved domestic success, but it had also helped Europeia to really build meaningful relationships with the Game Created Regions. WALL built upon the interpersonal success and shared visions of these regions.

Personally, I can say that I really only became a delegate because of what Europeia underneath Vinage and Mousebumples has done. For the longest time, I never felt I was good enough to be a delegate of a region. I too, had come from The Four Realms (Empires of Earth) and always felt like such an outsider to World Assembly programs. But in Europeia from Vinage and Mouse I learned how to be a delegate. For that, I am eternally grateful. Thank you.

Europeia itself should be extremely proud of the advances we have made and the tradition we have built. We have gone from not even thinking about the WA to looking at outsiders for help to being the region people look at for help in the WA. Mousebumples has done so much to build our program up from the ground. It is now time for Europeia to continue that tradition and use our incredible potential and seemingly inexhaustible resources based upon our tirelessly talented members to take the next step forward for our World Assembly program.

*The Four Realms are the four regions which signed the Congress of Sovereigns treaty. The King of Empires of Earth: Most Great Britannia wanted the treaty to be called "The Realms Four" but TNI, LKE and GB&I did not really like this. The compromise was that the treaty would be called the Congress of Sovereigns but that it would comprise of The Four Realms. Myself, who started in The Four Realms has used the term as a point of pride to the annoyance of R3n and others who prefer to call the regions the Congress of Sovereigns. Although given that I am the one of the few who consistently makes reference to this group and that there was a new Congress of Sovereigns, I'd like to think that MGB and EoE has won this debate. So here's to the Four Realms!

[Roosevetania]

Wow, I'm surprised

[Pichtonia]

It was indeed very surprising.

I am sad to see Mouse leave the office, she has done much good for the region and the World Assembly. However, it will also be exciting to see what the future holds for our World Assembly Affairs. There are certainly promising names among the list of contenders already.

[Rachel Anumia]

It was indeed very surprising.

I am sad to see Mouse leave the office, she has done much good for the region and the World Assembly. However, it will also be exciting to see what the future holds for our World Assembly Affairs. There are certainly promising names among the list of contenders already.

I was also shocked and surprised and will miss her as delegate. One of the best parts of this election so far though, has to be the fact that Raging Zen Master is being serious and no longer posting Trump stuff all over the forum

[Kaboomlandia]

I was floored by the news (my initial reaction to the announcement through Discord PM being a very confused "whaaaaaa?"), but it seems like a very good field. Trinnien is a former Vice-Delegate and two-time President, Celtian is the current Vice-Delegate, and RZM and Jahka are longtime members.

As the WA Minister in Europeia, I will be closely following this election.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Jahka

/me looks suspiciously at that name...

xD

RZM for Del, Euro needs more Walken!

[Tinhampton]

What in the actual...?

---

Whilst I don't think that he'll win, it would be a genuine shock - and a message - if Noah's Second Country became delegate, coming in just three months from a virtual unknown in a school class region to one of the most powerful delegates in the world (over the past six months, rarely has Mouse dropped below 400 endorsements).

---

There has been talk in the WA Accord on Campaign Spam thread as of late that the agreement itself might be repealed. Is this another mitigating factor in Mouse resigning? I don't know - but then again, I can't read minds...

[Zenny]

Huh, that is interesting.

[Queen Yuno]

Take care Mousi

[Pergamon]

After all recent changes within the game, I think "End of an Era" pretty much sums it up.

[Kaboomlandia]

What in the actual...?

---

Whilst I don't think that he'll win, it would be a genuine shock - and a message - if Noah's Second Country became delegate, coming in just three months from a virtual unknown in a school class region to one of the most powerful delegates in the world (over the past six months, rarely has Mouse dropped below 400 endorsements).

---

There has been talk in the WA Accord on Campaign Spam thread as of late that the agreement itself might be repealed. Is this another mitigating factor in Mouse resigning? I don't know - but then again, I can't read minds...

1. No, NSC has not been actually involved in Euro for three months. He's been around on our forums about three weeks.
2. AFAIK, the Spam Accords were not a factor, but mainly RL reasons that led to the resignation. I can't speak for Mouse though.

[LollerLand]

'End of an era' seems pretty accurate.

[Western Evilly]

What in the actual...?

---

Whilst I don't think that he'll win, it would be a genuine shock - and a message - if Noah's Second Country became delegate, coming in just three months from a virtual unknown in a school class region to one of the most powerful delegates in the world (over the past six months, rarely has Mouse dropped below 400 endorsements).

---

There has been talk in the WA Accord on Campaign Spam thread as of late that the agreement itself might be repealed. Is this another mitigating factor in Mouse resigning? I don't know - but then again, I can't read minds...

1. No, NSC has not been actually involved in Euro for three months. He's been around on our forums about three weeks.
2. AFAIK, the Spam Accords were not a factor, but mainly RL reasons that led to the resignation. I can't speak for Mouse though.

I don't believe it. Not one single word of it. Mousebumples is a prolific author who was the brainchild behind this atrocious treaty. She was then called out on it, resigns and we are to believe that is a coincidence? You really do need to try just a little bit harder to get the propaganda machine running optimally.

[Consular]

"the feeling that my insight and experience is neither valued nor desired by the current administration"

No comments on this? Where's the journalism here?

[Todd McCloud]

Best of luck in all your endeavors!

I'd offer you to run in TEP's delegate election, but ours just finished.

[Rachel Anumia]

1. No, NSC has not been actually involved in Euro for three months. He's been around on our forums about three weeks.
2. AFAIK, the Spam Accords were not a factor, but mainly RL reasons that led to the resignation. I can't speak for Mouse though.

I don't believe it. Not one single word of it. Mousebumples is a prolific author who was the brainchild behind this atrocious treaty. She was then called out on it, resigns and we are to believe that is a coincidence? You really do need to try just a little bit harder to get the propaganda machine running optimally.

I think it's more accurate to say that Mousebumples was a prolific author. When was the last time she wrote an act? It was because of this, that the Rune/Globe ran this as part of an article:

(Older article from earlier this year)
"However, since that point things have declined back towards the average. To the best of my knowledge, we no longer have members who are currently producing either General Assembly or Security Council acts. It appears that we are no longer pushing for this and trying to mentor people as we were in the earlier days of Mouse’ delegacy and throughout Vinage’s delegacy. Other programs which were meant to also augment our capabilities or work with foreign regions to show our leadership in this realm have also ground to a halt. This is not to say that Mouse is a bad delegate, but clearly things have drifted towards complacency. It concerns me that while we celebrate her first two years in office, that there appears to be less appetite towards reviving the programs that really made Europeia and Mouse shine in this field. Obviously, Mouse has been increasingly busy with her real life, her moderator duties and her TNP duties. However she is still performing at a very above average rate and this is not a call for heads to roll."

So I think that while the accords likely played a role, there were larger factors at play and I don't think that it is fair to accuse Kaboom as simply being part of a propaganda machine.

"the feeling that my insight and experience is neither valued nor desired by the current administration"

No comments on this? Where's the journalism here?

I have a few answers for this, the first is the construction of the article itself here. This ran in the Globe as the "Thoughts on Mousebumples; and the History of WA in Europeia" article only. What this means is that everything before that was added for context and information that simply was not as readily accessible for the average viewer and to help provide information. We put her entire speech here for transparency sake and to provide our general viewers with a primary source.

Secondly, it was simply not the goal of this article to critically examine her the speech. The article was about the election and it was about the history of the WA program in Europeia. Your question of where the journalism is, would be better suited for an article that was critically examining the resignation rather than the history of the WA in Europeia. Trust me when I say that there have been Globe/Rune articles like the one I quoted above that are much more critical since that was their purpose.

Thirdly, I think those comments speak for themselves particularly within the context of the Europeian government. It has always been at least somewhat desired that all members of the administration -can- work as a team. Fourthly, there generally has been a desire to see off members respectively. Two Europeians might hate each other, but when one resigns or loses there still is an expectation that the responses are graceful.

Finally, you have to remember and perhaps you know this especially if you read the article but Mousebumples was and continues to be a highly respected member of Europeia. While the general gameplay perspective might be very negative of her currently, she is seen as someone who did a lot of positive work as the Europeian delegate... work that obviously is much more appreciated in the Republic. She spent a lot of unappreciated time teaching our member how to write proposals and how to go through the entire process. She served as our President and is currently and will still be a Vice Chancellor. There are many Europeians who have publicly said they don't support the accord on spam, but they still respect her for her often thankless work in the region. So this newspaper really does not have much interest in exploring a topic that I think is already pretty self-explanatory.

[Tinhampton]

What in the actual...?

---

Whilst I don't think that he'll win, it would be a genuine shock - and a message - if Noah's Second Country became delegate, coming in just three months from a virtual unknown in a school class region to one of the most powerful delegates in the world (over the past six months, rarely has Mouse dropped below 400 endorsements).

---

There has been talk in the WA Accord on Campaign Spam thread as of late that the agreement itself might be repealed. Is this another mitigating factor in Mouse resigning? I don't know - but then again, I can't read minds...

1. No, NSC has not been actually involved in Euro for three months. He's been around on our forums about three weeks.
2. AFAIK, the Spam Accords were not a factor, but mainly RL reasons that led to the resignation. I can't speak for Mouse though.

Firstly, I took "three months" because Noah's foundation date was listed as some time in August.
And secondly, thanks for temporary clarification, although I await the very highest-up opinion, if it does ever come.

AFAIK, the Spam Accords were not a factor, but mainly RL reasons that led to the resignation. I can't speak for Mouse though.

I don't believe it. Not one single word of it. Mousebumples is a prolific author who was the brainchild behind this atrocious treaty. She was then called out on it, resigns and we are to believe that is a coincidence? You really do need to try just a little bit harder to get the propaganda machine running optimally.

I'd also agree that the timing is far from coincidence.

Best of luck in all your endeavors!

I'd offer you to run in TEP's delegate election, but ours just finished.

Another bad example of poor timing from Mouse on her resignation? We shall wait and see...

[USS Monitor]

Best of luck in all your endeavors!

I'd offer you to run in TEP's delegate election, but ours just finished.

Another bad example of poor timing from Mouse on her resignation? We shall wait and see...

I'm not Mouse and I could be wrong about this, but I don't think she was looking for another region to represent. See where she mentioned RL obligations in her resignation speech? Moving to TEP wouldn't help with that.

[Wordy]

It is a shame to see Mouse has resigned from Delegate position but real life has to take priority. I do believe Mouse has been unfairly singled out by a number of players recently simply for being part of an unpopular accord whilst being a Mod. :scowl:

Holding and balancing both being a Mod and the Delegate of a large and active region must have been exhausting and time consuming. From what I can see you did & do both very well. I wish you well and hope RL takes it easier on you

[Pichtonia]

I don't believe it. Not one single word of it. Mousebumples is a prolific author who was the brainchild behind this atrocious treaty. She was then called out on it, resigns and we are to believe that is a coincidence? You really do need to try just a little bit harder to get the propaganda machine running optimally.

I'd also agree that the timing is far from coincidence.

I would disagree with those statements, but it's not even a matter of disagreeing. Mouse is not a liar. Period. You have no reason to doubt the honesty of her resignation announcement, and neither do I or anyone else.

Mousebumples has been a member of Europeia for a long time. A region that, regularly, has tough and extensive policy debates. The WA Accords weren't the first one Mouse went through, and I imagine even after her resignation as World Assembly Delegate it won't be the last discussion. She has always been above resigning due to criticism or policy disagreements, I don't see why you think it's different now. In fact, and you admittedly can't know that if you're not Europeian, she was already a little absent for weeks -- In hindsight, maybe her resignation is less of a bomb if you take that into account, because from there she realistically only could have either returned to normal activity or resigned.

Europeia is grateful for her service and we'll miss her as World Assembly Delegate. Rach very well highlighted it, but she did far more than those Accords.

[Revall]

Jahka

/me looks suspiciously at that name...

xD

RZM for Del, Euro needs more Walken!

^This guy is tryna influence youz guys elections

But no seriously Jakker would be a great delegate. Unless Jahka is Jesus Whale and we all know that guy is a super couper

[Kaboomlandia]

/me looks suspiciously at that name...

xD

RZM for Del, Euro needs more Walken!

^This guy is tryna influence youz guys elections

But no seriously Jakker would be a great delegate. Unless Jahka is Jesus Whale and we all know that guy is a super couper

Jahka ≠ Jakker

[Consular]

"the feeling that my insight and experience is neither valued nor desired by the current administration"

No comments on this? Where's the journalism here?

I have a few answers for this, the first is the construction of the article itself here. This ran in the Globe as the "Thoughts on Mousebumples; and the History of WA in Europeia" article only. What this means is that everything before that was added for context and information that simply was not as readily accessible for the average viewer and to help provide information. We put her entire speech here for transparency sake and to provide our general viewers with a primary source.

Secondly, it was simply not the goal of this article to critically examine her the speech. The article was about the election and it was about the history of the WA program in Europeia. Your question of where the journalism is, would be better suited for an article that was critically examining the resignation rather than the history of the WA in Europeia. Trust me when I say that there have been Globe/Rune articles like the one I quoted above that are much more critical since that was their purpose.

Thirdly, I think those comments speak for themselves particularly within the context of the Europeian government. It has always been at least somewhat desired that all members of the administration -can- work as a team. Fourthly, there generally has been a desire to see off members respectively. Two Europeians might hate each other, but when one resigns or loses there still is an expectation that the responses are graceful.

Finally, you have to remember and perhaps you know this especially if you read the article but Mousebumples was and continues to be a highly respected member of Europeia. While the general gameplay perspective might be very negative of her currently, she is seen as someone who did a lot of positive work as the Europeian delegate... work that obviously is much more appreciated in the Republic. She spent a lot of unappreciated time teaching our member how to write proposals and how to go through the entire process. She served as our President and is currently and will still be a Vice Chancellor. There are many Europeians who have publicly said they don't support the accord on spam, but they still respect her for her often thankless work in the region. So this newspaper really does not have much interest in exploring a topic that I think is already pretty self-explanatory.

So many words to say so very little.

I was mildly curious as to why exactly Mouse felt her "insight and experience is neither valued nor desired", but apparently you don't particularly want to answer that question. I don't think it's very self-explanatory at all. Are you saying here that she felt that way because some Europeians don't support her spam accords?

[Todd McCloud]

Another bad example of poor timing from Mouse on her resignation? We shall wait and see...

I'm not Mouse and I could be wrong about this, but I don't think she was looking for another region to represent. See where she mentioned RL obligations in her resignation speech? Moving to TEP wouldn't help with that.

It was a joke. Meant to lighten the mood.