Join the new world

Long Article Warning
Summary:
Opinions of top 7 eUK political party PP on their own and other parties,
Opinion on “Roadblocks to co-operation”,
Conclusions
Where do we go from here: chaos or community?

The topic of disrespect and attacks between different members of the eUK community based around their political parties has reared its head again.

As the people chosen to represent their members, I PM’d the PPs (last month’s now) from each of the top 7 eUK parties and asked them to comment on how they officially saw their own and the other top parties in the eUK (apart from those I couldn’t get a hold of) and perhaps give us a place to start from in order to close the rift.


United Kingdom Progression Party (UKPP)
Rank: 1
PP: Sir Nick Griffin (Currently lancer450)

“The Goal of The UKPP is to give an equal opportunity to old and new players. If they are active enough and willing to participate then we encourage anyone and everyone to run for party president, congress, country president and many other internal roles that the party has to offer. You aren't alive anywhere like you're alive in The UKPP.... The UKPP isn't about winning or losing. The UKPP isn't about words. You see a guy join The UKPP for the first time and he's a loaf of white bread. You see this same guy here a month later, and he looks carved out of wood. This guy trusts himself to handle anything.

The eUK for many months was under a repetitive leadership of TUP Characters who kept this country at its lowest. At one stage we were wiped for months. We lost everything as a country. It's only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything. This is where the UKPP came in. We're putting our policies into practice. We're in real wars, not primary school conflicts. We're expanding, not contracting. With BigAnt as our President, we're moving forward.

Our opinion on current parties:

New Era is The UKPP's brother-in-arms. We work together not as a way of keeping ourselves in power, but because we are made up of the same kind of people who want progress.

One Vision; a strange creation. I haven't heard much from them, but those that are vocal are on a UKPP-level. This is the party of the very new.

ESO are the middle-men of the eUK, much like PCP. But ESO are more drawn to siding with TUP for some unknown reason.

PCP aren't concerned about their current low position in the ranks and don't make any effort to grow or expand on their policies. I have a feeling that they're using their loyal members as voting blocks to get 2 or 3 congress seats every month.

UKRP is not worth commenting on.

I would like to say that smaller parties such as the GBDP and Workers Rights Party are parties of the future.”


The Unity Party (TUP)
Rank: 2
PP: The Equalist

“TUP is a party that stands for improving the lives of our citizens through community engagement and international relations. As one of the oldest and most established parties in the nation, it is our duty to lead the way in political discussion in order to find out what is best for our nation. We have built strong connections both home and abroad over many years and continue to be a platform of many people who come together in the name of unity.

As with all democratic societies, there are always going to be political groups in opposition of each other. It is a healthy part of democracy. The problem is sometimes this goes too far and parties end up fighting just for the sake of it. As PP, I have been looking towards improving relations with other parties. I place my country first before politics, and I hope that others will join me in using this ideology to progress into the future.”


New Era (NE)
Rank: 3
PP: Sir Winston S Churchill (King Hannibal of ASIA) Responses by official NE Spokesperson Dr Hugh Jardon

"The concept of New Era was to usher in a new dawn to the people of the eUK, a new dawn of new leaders and fresh ideas. We have campaigned for a change in the way the eUK forums are moderated and to their credit the owner of the forums has made changes which would not have been forth coming otherwise, we've also seen a brilliant change in the way infractions and bans are dealt which has to be applauded. We also believed that at the time too much was taken away from the citizens and focused around IRC and forum based decisions, the past two months we have seen more in game messaging and articles used both for Congress and to inform the citizens. Through this we have seen more involvement in all forms of communication.

With regards to our relationships with other parties -

UKPP - We have a lot of respect for UKPP and especially some of their policies, obviously it is no secret we have campaigned together in elections where we thought the person we were backing would benefit the eUK. We would proud to stand beside the good people at UKPP again in the future.

TUP - I think the whole country knows ourselves and TUP have rarely seen eye to eye recently, that doesn't mean that we don't admire what they have achieved as a party with regards to retaining their position at the top, especially when you look at the current plight of the other long standing parties currently fighting tooth and nail to stay in the top five. Of course both parties have strong willed characters which can cause tensions but out of all the eUK parties our relations are the most strained with TUP.

One Vision - A new party and like ourselves they have achieved so much so fast which is testament to the people running the party. They have some great and friendly senior figures who will one day be serious future CP candidates because they clearly have the talent and ambition to run all the way to the top. We have always been open to working with them and I can't see how that would change in the future.

ESO - Our relations with ESO are strained but we would be willing to work on agreed goals with them if the situation arose, and you can not deny that JamesW has done an admirable job in repositioning ESO back in the hallowed halls of the top 5. I think if we are honest there has been a little suspicion between the hierarchy of each party with regards to each other.

UKRP - I won't lie or insult peoples intelligence but our relations as a party are similar to how they are with TUP. Again our relations are strained to the point of difficulty but again you have to acknowledge how they maintain that core to the party which allows it longevity.

PCP - The party who we have the closer links to recently, we share common goals and we have fairly regular communication between the parties and we hope to continue that into the future. Since they were unfortunate to drop out of the top five we have looked to strengthen those bonds and will be happy to run PCP candidates in the next Congress elections...thats if we have a congress (FIGHT AGAINST THE CANADIAN PUSH!!!) because they have very friendly and approachable members."


One Vision (1V)
Rank: 4
PP: Joshua Whelan

“My party intends to maintain the fast growth we started with in our first term - we're developing new talent for the eUK in all areas, from military to politics. Our key goal is to keep doing this and help them progress to what they want to be. We also try to make a fairer eUK [lowering the barrier to entry, giving everybody a chance no matter who/what they are/were, not holding grudges, not restricting people based on their beliefs etc.], but obviously this is a very challenging goal and we feel it's also a very long term goal, possibly taking up to 6 months to see our results.

Our party has no official view on the other parties, but I can give my view if you wish.

*UKPP - We share similar views on the freedom of our members, lowering the barrier to entry on progression in the eUK and the tax policies we have very similar views on. We get along well with UKPP as a result. More importantly, we have many great friends there.
*TUP - With TUP we share a few economic views being centre left, and wish to help the eUK just like they do. We had good relations with them in DSP and a few of their members helped us get off the ground, but since then we've drifted apart and rarely have dealing with one another.
*NE - Like UKPP, we share views on key economic things and the freedom of members. We talk frequently with some of their members and share some strong friendships.
*ESO - We try to keep neutrality, much like ESO. Other than this however, we don't really collaborate at all. While both parties are similar with their principles, there's very little communication between us.
*UKRP - We often have large debates with this party and consider them to be a polar opposite of our party. Relations are rather poor right now because of a history of events between us in the last month, but things are slowly improving as we try to tackle the root cause.
*PCP - PCP were very vocal against us during our rise, but since then we've heard nothing from them. We consider them to be neutral, as we've not seen hostilities from them in a while. We share very little in common.”


Every Single One (ESO)
Rank: 5
PP: jamesw

“In terms of ESO, basically its a party which only has an interest in improving the UK. If we can do so with a pleasant and amicable environment, then all the better. Ultimately, ESO is in favour of any and everything which can lead to a brighter future for the UK: both short and long term. As mentioned by others, we're normally in favour of 'redistribution' policies: higher taxes to enable higher spending on helping new players. In terms of specific policies, we're in the process of a root-branch policy reform, so I cannot be specific until these are agreed and voted upon by members.

In terms of my party's view on main political parties, I'm wary of speaking on behalf of people, but I'd say a common view that is held of the parties would be:

UKPP - Used to be a hugely positive view: with co-operation between Legion and Navy helping to 'humanise' UKPP to ESO, and vica versa. There was hope that ESO could help UKPP see that whilst they may dislike some people or certain parties in the UK, ultimately its about the UK as a whole and not falling into the trap that other parties have of thinking its 'them' or 'us'. Nowadays ESO's relationship is different, thanks to the emergence of NE. The increasingly bitter and often personal nature of the discourse, and UKPP's role in encouraging that, has definitely lead to a lessened view.

TUP - What applies to UKPP, also applies to TUP. Originally ESO was a sort of 'no thank you' to TUP - an opportunity to be FOR something, instead of just AGAINST UKRP. However over time relations cooled - until the most recent 'bawfest' between TUP and UKPP/NE. I'd say TUP and UKPP are probably similar in ESO's estimations, both are culpable for the political problems th eUK has now, and both have shown partisan actions by selecting (in some members views) poor presidential candidates largely because they were from their own party.

NE - More than anything, I (and a lot of others) have curiosity for NE. Precisely because how the party operates, where power lies, and what they want to do is quite hard to decipher, behind the articles and facade that has been put up in the past. Things are slowly changing with the emergence of trends, but its hard to have a view of a party that so publicly lashes out at certain players/parties, yet when talking about policy and its own processes, seems almost shy.

UKRP - Oddly, UKRP though once a party which embodied everything ESO was against: offering an 'AGAINST THEM' as opposed to 'FOR SOMETHING' choice to players, has turned into somewhat of a mellowed shadow of its former self. In terms of general policy they seem similar, and indeed, a lot of todays UKRP members, are ESO members of yesterday. I don't know of anything UKRP actually does in the UK so I couldn't comment about what we think of their policy or processes, but I'd say on the whole, in theory, the ESO view would be that they're the party which has beliefs and an approach most like our own.

OV - I'd say OV is probably behind UKRP but above the rest in ESOs eyes. Although this is largely based on the fact it was run this month by an ex-ESO candidate who showed himself to be somewhat competent whilst in our midst. They're also following a process that ESO itself has done: setup an MU focused on helping players grow militarily. In terms of policy they're still in the process of debating and voting like we are (last I heard). Although as with NE, its a relatively new party that seems somewhat reluctant or shy to really spell out how as a group they function.

PCP - I can't really think of the last time PCP came up in anything tbh.”


United Kingdom Reform Party (UKRP)
Rank: 6
PP: Darkmantle Minecrafting Instead (Sir Humphrey Appleby)
“The general ethos of UK Reform is to take the game as an abstraction and attempt to simplify it, or at least reform it or restructure as so we can enjoy it better (which is a monumental effort on a game like this). Often the sheer ferocity of this effort makes people from all parties forget this is a just game – and that the role of a political party shouldn’t necessarily be a +1 up on other groups using any means necessary, but a genuine commitment to try and responsibly help the wider community. Through a strong, solid nation – we ourselves become stronger.

It is here that UK Reform comes into its own element with the Wendt-influenced philosophy that the game is what you make of it. It is possible to rebuild a better and stronger community insofar as the participants involved are willing to make a punt at it. And it is through this personal freedom to choose and to act, to speak up and provide personal support/loyal opposition – to accept that we may not align on everything but both share the common objective of trying to enjoy the things we do agree on. The free structure and healthy mix of players of all ages and areas of the game often makes any prospective member more than welcome, but more importantly, mentored and respected like any other.

Given this free structure there is no official ‘relationship’ with the other constituent political parties beyond our each individual opinion, however I will attempt to broadly correlate them as best I can:-

TUP – Our 2nd oldest rivals, scourge of the left – defeater of the communists and holder of the Keers. Whilst the history books may be utterly crammed with the legendary handbag fights of old; there is a certain element of respect as each have had their fair share time of running the country. There is a certain element of ‘the devil you know’ about it though 😛

PCP – Our oldest rivals! Our relationship with PCP has been a quirky one over the years to say the least; you would expect the classical liberal parties and the communist parties to be at each other’s metaphysical throats :3. However, this isn’t necessarily the case – as seen with their recent support for Mitte in the last election. Nonetheless, PCP has a tight core and a good set of players to support it.

NE – When NE first came about if was on the policies of avoiding the forums without negotiation, membership supply rates, poaching and all the rest of it. Eyebrows were raised when their entire leadership were illegal imported from abroad. Whilst I would say we are still firmly opposed to their forum proposals, the wider part of their membership have cooled down and come to the national table.

One Direction – A party created by a pensioner with the sole intent to knock us out of the top 5. Has no policies, so not comparable that objectively. Run on supply packs and loyalty bonuses. Poaches other parties regularly, and has refused all attempts from the other parties in the UK to try and co-exist peacefully. As you can probably tell, the average UKRP’er has a poor opinion of the leadership, not necessarily the membership, of OD.

ESO – We have had a broadly positive relationship with ESO since their inception. Though we have our key differences, we also recognise the significant areas of policy that we are aligned on – particularly on the free structure of party, government and community. ESO have always been good team players when it comes playing by the book, and I look forward to working with them again in the future.

UKPP – This is an odd one, as they were principally formed from the British Workers Party by Baroness Thatcher with the financial support of Alfa after Thatcher had lost the UKRP PP race against the then Sir Humphrey Appleby. Over the year and a bit that the group has existed in a number of different parties, it has finally formed as UKPP and set itself up as loosely opposed to the existing structures in place in the eUK. Whilst there are a number of issues that we would naturally oppose each other one, I would say UKPP can occasionally have the capacity to play a community game and attempt to negotiate.”


People’s Communist Party (PCP)
Rank: 7
PP: Steeeev Zaphod Beeblebrox IV Responses by official PCP Press Officer Ayame Crocodile

"The guiding principles of the PCP have remained the same ever since it's inception. These are a strong belief in supporting and aiding the less wealthy and powerful of the eUK. And as a collectivist party we believe in cooperation, Together we can achieve far more than we can as a divided people. And these two principles together give us a strong belief in an open, transparent and fair government in which all people have their views treated with equal respect, Regardless of their age, experience, political orientation or any other factor. As the eUK can only be as strong as it's weakest citizen and strength can only come through mutual cooperation towards a common goal"

In Regards to other parties we have always been open to our members having their own opinions and this is reflected in our working with almost every party during our existence. So long as other parties believe in progressive politics and bettering the eUK whilst protecting and furthering openness, accountability and fairness in government then we will consider working with them."


Roadblocks to co-operation

To see where those in power thought the problems lie, I asked one question:

“Whilst there will undoubtedly be issues that parties disagree on; what do you see as the roadblocks to overall co-operation between the main parties, and how do you see them being resolved?”

To which the answers (in order of arrival) came:

Joshua Whelan (1V)
“The main roadblocks are things that I consider healthy - two sides constantly debating their points, because both believe they're 'right'. This is unfortunately made difficult by those who; 1. become too emotionally involved & 2. feel they're losing a grasp on power. This can be overcome by people stepping back from the game and remembering it isn't real.”

The Equalist (TUP)
“There are some people (I will not mention names) who refuse to cooperate. They believe that their party is the most important thing in eRepublik and will be willing to sacrifice the advancement of society as a whole just to improve their party. These people can be found in all parties. There is not simple solution, as it is ultimately up to these people as to what path they take. But a way to improve inter-party relations is to have all parties work in the government instead of fighting against it (regardless as to who is currently in power). Stop placing the blame on other parties and take action in solving the problems we face together!”

jamesw (ESO)
“I think the main issue is basically mistrust. New parties have a role in ensuring they communicate effectively with older parties, but older parties also have a duty to ensure they aren't too rigid in customs and expectations that began before these new parties arrived. The mistrust is on both sides, and parties and people on both sides have used and created this notion of the 'others' being untrustworthy to their own advantage.

The solution is first for people to stop trying to paint people as the 'bad guys' - we're ultimately all here to try and improve the UK. From there, projects that force parties and people that normally would never even talk to each other to speak, co-operate and generally just see each other doing positive things for the UK would go some way towards helping that. The ultime resolution, who knows. I think the only way to have harmony is to find a way to have this trust amongst parties en masse, not just certain individuals. How we can do that god knows, but every party should have a role in mapping out and agreeing a route to it.”

Sir Nick Griffin (UKPP)
“There is a small clique of people within TUP and perhaps one or two in UKRP who see it as their mission to put a grind to everything 'we' do in government. That is the only issue stopping 100% progress.”

Minecrafting Instead (UKRP)
“Roadblocks only exist insofar as people conceptualise them - there is ultimately nothing holding anyone back from trying to get along except what they themselves want to make an issue.

I think one of the main reasons why things have been so terrible recently is the complete collapse of the ethos of 'loyal opposition': that you can be opposed to the government but committed to the welfare of the country.

I think we can all have our disagreements, but I also think we have the capacity to learn to live with them and to try and get along.”

Dr Hugh Jardon (NE)
"Closing the rift? That will be difficult as there is a culture of mistrust between New Era members and members of the other side of the clear divide. It does revolve around how we are perceived and portrayed as an uneducated loud mouthed rabble by some of the older players which can not be denied if we are being openly honest, but in turn we have our own judgements so the circle will continue until a gesture is made. However as we have seen in the eUK a gesture easily gets lost in the Bawwwing so it won't be easy.

Lets be honest all parties have their own opinions and agenda's. Key will be to agree common ground and the senior figures of each party keeping their more openly vocal members on a peaceful setting...there is no way to achieve that so the baiting on all sides will continue sadly.

I suppose one option would be a peace in our time article updated each month. An open article posted by each PP and signed by their party where they agree to stop vote buying, cease approaching each others members even at elections, promise not to place candidates for congress in a high position if that member is guilty of baiting other parties for example...just something along those lines so we have something to start with, and something to show the country who is making the gestures of peace and who isn't."

Ayame Crocodile (PCP)
"The Main issues that I personally see as roadblocks are more often than not entirely cosmetic and are just turned into political battle grounds in order to create differences. Of course there are some real contentious points such as Taxes, Social programs and how the eUK military is organized.

These issues won't be resolved too soon sadly, though it's uplifting to see people moving towards a more common ground. Respect for each others opinions would go a long way to doing so as would more discussion between party members. Once the majority are tired of the bickering and would rather build an enjoyable community than they would score political points as they jockey for the lead, Then we will see these quarrels and arguments subside incredibly fast.

People need to speak up as you yourself are, The majority want a nation that's united. It's a sign of improving times that now we are seeing less agressive articles and instead we now have more and more articles discussing how we can move forward and work as a single unified community again."



For the most part there seems to be a professed desire for co-operation (or at least a realisation of inevitability), but reconciliation still seems to be a long way off. That however doesn’t mean all parties cannot pull in the same general direction a return to the “loyal opposition” Minecrafting Instead mentioned. It happened with a similar political make-up, whilst the eUK was occupied, but without a common enemy, old patterns have re-emerged. As it stands this new war may not have the same effect, but even if it came to it, leaving the wound untreated just lets it fester and we would be left in the same situation, at best.

The main issue seems to be a sense of mistrust and isolationism, fuelled by certain elements perpetuating the notion of “them vs us” and a feuding mentality - one person says something and another takes it the wrong (or right as some people like inciting) way and attacks the first.


And-around-and-around-and-around we go.

Eventually we are left with an argument that has been fed by so many different perceived slights and harassments everyone involved forgets they are just as guilty as the people they are mad at, or at least feel justified in their actions.

Even if people can still remember how this all started, how is it helping the eUK to let it continue? Like it or not we are all in this enation together and the number of passionate people we have willing to do something is a resource we should be tapping into, not burning down.


NB: Not comparing myself to Martin Luthor King Jr. or this conflict to the Civil Rights struggle.

The problem seems to stem from a lack of dialogue and where we should have debate it can easily slip into dispute.

If we as a nation are serious about rectifying the situation (rather than just professing to be) whatever route the journey takes, the first step has to be a change in attitude. Rather than attacking people for whatever reason, don’t. If you disagree with something, politely explain why in terms they can understand and if you find yourself being attacked/trolled, don’t rise to the provocation. I know this can be difficult and will take a concerted effort by everyone, but the benefits will be worth it.


Arguing only gets more arguing, it isn’t going to “win erep” and a friendly community can only help with retention.

A good second step would be to venture out into the community; visit a different party’s IRC channel and try to start up a genuine conversation rather than just idle, volunteer in a ministry or join a non-party MU and get to know people from other parties, read articles by or write some yourself to get a perspective on the less noisy members.