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Est. 2010





Eighth Edition: Saturday, January 8, 2011

It has been a long time since I last published anything in this newspaper (October of 2010). I've decided to come out of my multiple months of authorship hiatus, to write down some thoughts on where Ireland is right now, and where she needs to be. If all of this feels a little bit behind the ball, I apologize. It's not that I haven't been doing any thinking over the last several months; I've just not felt like I've had anything to say someone else hadn't already addressed and/or that I could write a legitimate article out of. In any case, let's get started. (This wont be in any particular order, so just use the headings to find what might be of interest to you).

++++ ORGANIZATIONS ++++

Losing organizations was one of the worst things to happen to eRepublik since back when they changed the war module. And it isn't because of the economic implications either. I understand why they decided to get rid of Organizations, but I disagree with the idea of removing them all together.

I never understood, in the first place, why organizations could own companies. Yes it added the ability for companies to have joint ownership (sort of - it wasn't exactly safe or fool proof), but that's something they could have built into companies themselves. They could have had a button alongside the mail and add friend options, that would allow you to request a business deal with another player and go in 50/50 on a company.

What I think eRepublik really lost, was the ability for group representation. Political parties can't publish articles, and aren't suited to represent sub organizations or interests that don't warrant political goals. An example: What brought me to thinking about organizations, was a desire for Ireland to have a functioning Wiki alliance or association by which we could all collaborate. Without organizations, such an organization wouldn't have an official voice on the actual game (it would always be through a member, and therefore fall victim to the scrutiny of the player presenting information). And it's also a lot more difficult to set up a forum and then direct members to that forum and rally any participation. There are many other examples of interests that need the publishing and collective face of an organization to be successful.

And I do realize that the government still has their orgs, but I really feel a need for organizations which are also independent of the government. This would provide depth to the game.

In an Ideal Worl😛 We would have organizations back. They wouldn't be able to own companies, vote, belong to parties, have jobs, or participate in battle (any of that stuff that requires a body in RL). There might be a button on every player profile page allowing players to propose business deals with each other.

++++ POLITICAL PARTIES ++++

Ever since Ireland was wiped we have created some new parties to replace the lost ones. I actually think this was a positive aspect of the wipe. Political divides were often a negative influence on Ireland, and we have been given the opportunity to start fresh. I also don't have a problem with the IUP being recreated. I totally understand that you are talking about Ireland's oldest contemporary party, and I found it difficult to accept Eire Aontaithe was no more, as I'm sure many did in relation to their own parties.

Currently I don't belong to any political party. It's not that I don't like the current parties, but I'm very particular on this subject, and I don't feel like I fit with any of the options available. I suspect there are others who feel the same. The two most prominent new parties SoE and the Fenian Brotherhood. both have labels that don't fit my very central political beliefs. I'm not an IUPer at heart, and the other parties need to do some growing up before I can consider them... oh and I'm not a communist (not that there's anything wrong with that) so that rules out one more party.

At some point, I would like to create a new party. I have some plans drawn up, so basic outlines of what the party would stand for, even some prototype logos and name ideas. This isn't a great priority right now though, I don't think there are many people in the mood for a new party at the moment, so I'll hold off indefinitely for the moment. I'd thought of running for congress as well, but I'm not sure If I'm prepared for that, plus I don't have a party to run with.

++++ WIKI ++++

In the last couple months, while I haven't been writing any new articles here, I have been pouring a lot into our countries Wiki system. Some of you may have noticed that the country page for Ireland is completely different from what it was a few months ago. I've been trying to simplify our countries wiki and make it more attractive ever since the end of October. It's quite a task trying to keep it up to date (I need to do that soon), but quite another task to try to keep everything unbiased and subjective on pages addressing history in particular.

I think the Wiki is one of the coolest things eRepublik has to offer. Having a recorded history is very entertaining and rewarding for those who get recorded, as well as for those interested in just reading about things. The Wiki is a valuable and underused asset to all of us. I encourage more people to become active on our wiki, update your citizen page, become a wiki user, help write the history and keep things up to date.

Note: The most important thing which has changed about our wiki is that it has become more practical. Only important information which doesn't require unreasonable amounts of updating and upkeep are kept. We don't have enough users to make complicated pages that probably wont get updated. Historical pages are fine, but just keep in mind that things change fast on eRepublik and it's not easy to keep things up to date, plus, we all have real lives too. I would plead also that people not use the Wikis to spread propaganda or bias. It's really annoying, and I will change it if I find it on any page other than a political parties page (in which case it's that parties responsibility to make sure the information really reflects their views)... and same probably goes for citizen pages.

The wikis need a lot of updating and editing. So please don't hesitate to try your hand at it.

++++ THE ECONOMY ++++

All things considered, Ireland's economy isn't in terrible condition. There was time right after the wipe, when things were really ridiculous, but at this point food prices are acceptable along with most other commodities. I do think we all need to be aware however, and try to buy Irish as much as possible and support each other.


++++ REAL LIFE VERSUS eLIFE ++++

Two things. 1. No one should expect other players to shirk their real life for this virtual one, nor should anyone allow themselves to do that. 2. This is a game, and you are here to play it. Your placement on the political spectrum might be different here than it is in real life since the dynamics are completely different. For a hypothetical example: Communism might not work in real life, but it might work quite well in eRepublik. Even if you would never approve of communism in real life, you might be inclined to see that philosophy as working well with the dynamics of this game. And the same applies to many aspects of the game, since real lives aren't at risk and there are a million fewer complications.

++++ PHX and EDEN ++++

Things have changed drastically on this front. Ireland needs to think long and hard about what it needs to do to succeed and who its real friends are. The real question surrounds relations with the eUK. I'm personally open to the idea of cooperation, but I'll never not be bothered by Northern Ireland (not for RL reasons but because it's just annoying cause it's clearly on our land...). I like seeing our island as all one mustard colour... but that might just be some kind of mental disorder I have. I'll leave all of that up to the people who understand it best, the military aspect of this game has never been my strength.

++++ CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL EVENTS ++++

Not 100% sure WTH is going on. I know that our CP isn't actually our CP and that Marcus S is going to run things for us. I'm fine with that, if a little unnerved... I like CT, I personally have no reason not to. Being mostly in the dark, all I can do is wish the best for eIreland and be confident in Marcus's abilities.




So that definitely doesn't cover everything, but I just wanted to throw a line in for the first time in a while. I'm hoping for some feedback and thoughts from all of you. And no I don't expect people to read the whole thing, but this is just how I do things. Anyway, happy new year to everyone and cheers.


Ian E Coleman – The Coleman Global






***Other Stories in this Paper***
Introductions: "The Coleman Global Takes Off"



Report: “Northern Ireland Flops Again”



Facts And Figures: “Which Country Is Most Survivable For Beginners? (2 Part Special)”



Report: "New Changes Cause Wave of Dissent"

Report: “Ireland On The Ropes”
Report: “IUP Member Companies: Fine Wine Or Poison?”
Report: “Another Digest of Your New eIrish Parliament”
Follow Up: "IUP Member Companies: Fine Wine Or Poison?"
Report: "Ireland Hits Her Stride"
Editorial: "The Current State of Affairs"