Uitleg over vorig artikel/Explanation on previous article
Ministerie van Economische Zak
ENGLISH BELOW
Uitleg over vorige artikel
Beste burgers van eNL. Gezien de storm van artikelen, discussies binnen het congres of berichten in mijn mailbox, die na mijn vorige artikel is ontstaan, deze uitleg. En voor hen die ik nog niet persoonlijk had geantwoord; Dank voor jullie steun.
Deze uitleg zal ongetwijfeld voor velen niet nodig zijn en ook door velen worden begrepen of wellicht de laatste vorm van twijfel weghalen. Ongetwijfeld zal er ook een (klein) deel van eNL blijven dat de uitleg niet kan of wil accepteren. Het zij zo. Ik kan en zal me daar niet druk over maken en adviseer ieder ander dat ook niet te doen.
Dat er later allerlei discussies zijn ontstaan van mensen die het uitgebrachte advies politiek maakten is uiteraard jammer maar is veroorzaakt door wat een (beperkt) aantal mensen er bij haalde of er in wilde zien en het feit dat we in eNL reeds lang te maken hebben met, niet in het belang van eNL zijnde, partij- of persoonlijke politieke motivaties. Plus diverse mensen die niks zinvols (meer) toevoegen aan onze gemeenschap, soms zelf geen eNL burgerschap meer bezitten omdat ze voor persoonlijk gewin zijn vertrokken, maar wel constant blijven zeuren over vele zaken.
Mijn rol
Allereerst mijn officiële rol. Ik ben de MoF van eNL en vanuit die rol verantwoordelijk voor de financiële gang van zaken in eNL. Net als in RL het geval is bij de MoF is dat een rol die politiek onafhankelijk wordt ingevuld. De rol van de MoF is simpelweg zorgen dat het boekhoudboekje op orde blijft en zaken die worden voorgesteld tegen dat licht bezien en beoordelen. Daarvoor zijn in eNL twee soorten beleid uitgestippeld. De al bestaande, maar fors aangescherpte, sturing op maandbudget per CP periode en de, toegevoegde, opbouw voor de lange termijn die noodzakelijk was toen ik als MoF aantrad en die er voor moet zorgen dat we op termijn de door eerdere fouten verdwenen reserves weer opbouwen. Met uiteraard als doel dat we een zo sterk mogelijk land worden binnen de kaders die mogelijk zijn gezien onze omvang. Denk daarbij aan opbouw goud reserves voor b.v. toekomstige staatsbedrijven en kasgeld voor het tekenen van (extra) MPP’s en/of de verstrekking van supplies bij een hele grote campagne.
De aanleiding voor het artikel
De aanleiding van het artikel zal iedereen duidelijk voor ogen hebben, maar was uiteraard het gebrek aan kandidaten wat er bij twee van onze top 5 partijen was voor de congresverkiezingen. Daar zaten twee risico’s aan; Minder bezette congreszetels en dus een minder goed werkende democratie en een lagere goudopbrengst voor spelers en staat. Gezien mijn rol focus ik uiteraard op de, in dit geval lange termijn, financiën. Mijn waarschuwing was dan ook daarop gericht en compleet afhankelijk van welke partij risico veroorzaakte. Dat was heel duidelijk bij DemNL en, in mindere mate, bij I&W en als zodanig ook benoemd. Beide partijen hadden, op het moment van publiceren, reeds zo veel stemmen dat dit lege congreszetels zou veroorzaken en DemNL heeft uiteindelijk ook 3 lege zetels veroorzaakt. En hoewel ik het graag zou willen had en heb ik niet de illusie dat mensen eerst lezen voor ze gaan stemmen dus was het nodig ook direct te adviseren niet meer op die partijen te stemmen. Veel mensen zouden dat helaas pas lezen na het stemmen, maar een enkeling wellicht er voor. Volgende keer moet ik eea dus vòòr de verkiezingen bekijken en publiceren.
Uiteraard kan ik dat niet bewijzen, maar dit artikel had geen enkele politieke motivatie. Had b.v. VVN of GPN een soortgelijk proleem gehad dan was er exact het zelfde artikel verschenen alleen met het advies niet op die partijen te stemmen. Sterker nog; Als de situatie zich weer voor doet zal ik niet aarzelen dat weer te melden vanuit mijn verantwoordelijkheid als MoF. Ongeacht welke partij het betreft. Dat kan maar op een manier voorkomen worden; Regel het als partij zelf goed. Hetzij door voldoende kandidaten, hetzij door zelf op te roepen niet op je partij te stemmen.
Waarom via MoF krant?
Nu zullen er ongetwijfeld mensen zijn die gaan zeggen dat het, doordat het via een officiële MoF krant is gemeld, een regeringsadvies was. Ik ben uiteraard onderdeel van de regering, maar het was een advies van de MoF vanuit de rol(invulling) die ik boven reeds heb aangegeven. Uiteraard had ik het via een eigen nieuwsbrief kunnen doen maar dan was het niet in de rol van MoF en had ik als regerings en VVN lid een advies uitgebracht wat veel meer een politieke lading zou hebben gehad omdat dan de verdenking er snel zou zijn dat het niet vanuit een neutraal financieel oogpunt was bekeken maar vanuit partij politiek. Net zoals mensen ook de rol van MoF niet gescheiden kunnen zien van partijpolitiek (of de rol van een regering los van partijbelang). Zolang je een regeringsrol hebt doe je m.i. geen (partij) politieke statements. Dat is ook de hoofdreden dat ik geen persoonlijke of partij visie documenten publiceer. Dat gezegd hebbende kom ik wel steeds dichter bij het punt dat ik daar toch van af ga wijken overigens gezien het ongezonde politieke klimaat wat er al langere tijd heerst en ik verwacht zelfs dat dit nog slechter wordt.
Weekstrom
Minister van Financien
[ENGLISH VERSION]
Explanation on previous article
Dear eNL citizens. Given the amount of articles, discussion within congress or messages in my mailbox that occurred after my previous article this explanation. And for those of you that I didn’t answer personally; Thanks for your support.
This explanation is no doubt unnecessary for many of you and also understood by many or takes away the last doubt they may have had. There will for sure be a (small) number of eNL players that can or will not except the explanation. So be it. I can and will not bother and advise everyone else to do the same.
The fact that after publication there were discussions started by people that made the advise political is a pity but caused by what a (small) amount added to it or wanted to see and the fact that we in eNL for quite some time now have party- or personal political motivations in place that don’t serve our country. Plus several people that don’t add anything useful (anymore) to our community, sometimes even don’t have eNL citizenship anymore and left for personal gain, but keep whining about several matters.
My role
First off all my official role. I am the MoF of eNL and in that role responsible for the financial side in eNL. Just like is the case in RL for the MoF that’s a role that is political independent. His role is simply to keep the finances in order and if things are suggested judge them on those parameters. For that matter there are two policies in place. The already used, but made much stricter, focus on monthly budget and the added long term focus that was added when I started and that has to make sure we will, in time, build up our reserves again that were lost due to errors in the past. The goal of course being that we become an as strong as possible nation again within the possibilities we have given our size. Building up gold reserves for future state companies is one of those as is building up of cash to sign extra MPP’s and/or handing out supplies if there is a big campaign.
The motive for the articel
I suspect the motive for the article to be clear to anyone, but that was of course the lack of candidates two of the top 5 parties had for the congress elections. That contained two risks; Less congress seats and thus a less functioning congress and a lower gold revenue for players and state. Given my role I focus on the, in this case long term, financial side of course. So my warning was focused on that and completely independent on which party caused the risk. That was very clear with DemNL and, in a lesser way, with I&W and as such pointed out. Both parties had, at the time of writing, already so many votes that they would cause empty seats. And although it would like it a lot I don’t have the illusion people would read first before they would vote so it was necessary to give the instant advise not to vote for those parties anymore. Many people would sadly enough only read that after voting but some perhaps before. Next time I will have to look into it before elections and publish that as well.
Of course I cannot proof it, but the article had no political motivation whatsoever. Had it f.e. been VVN or GPN the article would have been exactly the same, only the advise not to vote on those parties. More so; Would it occur again I will not hesitate to publish an advise again given my responsibility as a MoF. Regardless which party is involved. That can only be prevented in one way; Deal with it as a party in the appropriate manner. Be it providing enough candidates or be it by advising yourself not to vote on your party.
Why in MoF’s newspaper?
No doubt there will be people saying that, by publishing via MoF’s newspaper it was a government advise. I am of course part of it, but it was a MoF advise given the role described above. I could have done it via a private newspaper but then it wouldn’t have been a MoF advise but as part of the government and VVN member what would have had more politics in it as it wouldn’t have been a neutral financially focused advise but a party political statement. Just like people can’t separate the role of MoF from party politics (Or the role from a government separate from party politics). As long as you have a government role you, in my view, refrain from (party)political statements. That’s also the main reason I don’t publish personal or party vision newspapers. That said I am coming close to a point where I will start publishing as we have a unhealthy political climate for some time now and I suspect it to become worse.
Weekstrom
Minister of Finance
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Comments
voted o7
Dank aan onze MoF voor zijn duidelijke uitleg!
Thanks to our MoF for his clear explanation!
Crisp and clear explanation and it makes perfect sense, kudos to you for looking out for the (financial) welfare of the country.
off topic noob question: What does o7 stand for? I keep seeing it in comments 0_0
o7 = like a military salute
LOL! I see it now! O the creativity of the interwebs 😛
Thanks for the article, hopefully more people will come to see there is nothing to gain and only to lose by playing party politics.
V+S Thank you for the clearance.
Once again, nothing new. No matter what the gov say (other than an apology and Weekstrom's resignation) the gov is digging themselves a deeper hole. I do not give a crap about your lame excuse of having more congress seats. That is not the CP, the MoF, or any government members concern other than that of the electorate. Unless there is a Political Take Over (PTO), the state has no right to warn or even make recommendations on how people vote. You and the Gov. have no right to decide what is the ideal congress size.
Also, do you really take us for fools? 5 bloody gold? That is really pathetic. 5 gold is pocket change and the state can make 5 gold easy. The more you use your economic explanation the more lame and the greater insult it is. For it seems democracy has a price and that is 5 gold. That is really pathetic. So from a policy standpoint in which 5 gold is really really small cash to the attitude of the gov that Dutch Democracy is worth 5 gold, this is shocking, and disgusting. I would really like the MoF to have the decency to resign for his actions and explanation is insulting and outright lame.
You can fool the newbie and inexperienced, but you cannot fool the people with experience and game knowledge.
Guess you didn't read it well Konrad. 😛
I did read it and it is indeed lame and sad to see that the the gov and the president thinks that the citizenry is retarded and would buy such a weak explanation. More congressmen/women does not mean better congress. This is a huge logical fallacy and a poor line of argument. Even if more is better, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT to use state media to tell how people vote. THE PEOPLE have a CHOICE for a small congress if they want.
Like I said many times now. the 5 gold argument does not fly as well. 5 gold is small cash and cannot buy anything. A country can make 5 gold in taxes really quick and your 5 gold excuse will only fool the newbies who thinks 5 gold is big cash.
So vS, continue to dig yourself a deeper hole if you must but I think eNL needs new leadership and less BS.
voted
@Konrad; sad to see that you couldn't read what was said there 😒
Sad to see no resignations from this government over this fiasco they created. Actions speaks louder than words and back in the day and in any other country and someone pull something like this (even if it is for "goo😛 intentions) they have the dignity to take responsibility and resign.
Voted! I'm afraid though that for some no explanation will ever suffice.
@ Konrad Neuman: your anger and grave concern for eNetherlands moves me to bits. You were graciously granted eNetherlands citizenship and you gave it up because.... oh yeah, because people got sick and tired of your attitude so you thought it prudent to move on. I see you haven't changed your vile way of meddling in affairs that don't concern you ( anymore)...
Spoken like a true GPN member. You guys cannot deal with the issues. For if you really buy the 5 gold argument, then I am sorry but you are truly naive or you are buying the party line. You can ask any real experienced players in NL or outside of NL and ask them the value of 5 gold, all would say it is small cash. So most will say it is stupid to trade democracy for such small cash.
Last time I recall, me being in eNL was way before your time. I was invited to eNL by Frerk and TrinC. Also I did not give it up since I am an HONORARY CITIZEN. I am still a citizen of eNL even if you do not like it. I have congress access and I do engage in discussions there at time. I see when GPN is not happy, they tell people to shut up and not to meddle in affairs that DOES concerns me. It is sad to see how GPN strayed from its path of being moderates. There is certain fascist/ corporatist element in this current form of GPN and I think it is most troubling. Your comment towards me, ZM's article a few days ago etc... obey or shut up! But never addressing the concern especially the normative concerns of the people. So in the end you like the gov thinks Dutch Democracy is worth 5 gold? I think it tells more about you than me.
As to anger, It is not my attitude and other slander you write that I left eNL. I left because I have connections and honorary and normal citizenships abroad and some of these countries need. eBelgium was being PTOed by some Greek commie group and I lead an ATO effort which killed off their PTO party for a good time.
So if you are done slandering me and return to the real issue of 5 gold democracy or you still want to play this game of witch hunt?
My current GPN membership has nothing to do with my opinion about your behaviour and attitude; at the time you left eNL I was actually still a member of DemNL and my opinion about you has not changed since.
You have always had a insatiable taste for stirring up trouble whenever you can and you definitely have the gift of the gib as well as a great talent to present yourself as a victim of everyone who recognises you exactly for what you are: a man with a grossly inflated ego and a razor for a tongue. Why don't you use those to entertain your new citizenship country - or have you already worn out your welcome with the Americans too?
I do not know what reality you live in but it is extremely lame of you to just make things up. When you cannot address the issue and you and your party is forcing the party line, you think you can slander at one of the more vocal dissenting voice? Well you did not change and I see the same stuff from you again and again. If voicing my opinion and questions the state against injustice and to promote democracy is trouble making, then I admit that I make trouble on the despots and people who abuse power for democracy.
Last I checked, the government is the trouble maker tell people how to vote using state media for 5 gold. It was the gov that wants to kill I&W. So have fun continuing your witch hunt and slander if it makes you feel better, but your party's position will remain weak and lame and no matter what you say about me will change it.
I was waiting for this: poor Konrad is once again a victim of witch hunt and slander like so many times before. Your standard reaction when your reasoning or motives are questioned... really, it's gettiing old.
Poor Frankie and GPN, most people who are saying the Gov did nothing wrong is that of GPN members. No one is buying your party's BS. Come back when you or your party makes up a better excuse and I am glad that using me as a punching bag helps you. As for me as a victim, I am not a drama queen or something for this is politics. While I do have standards and formal logical arguments, you have lame and petty personal attack. Keep it up little Frankie...
Thank you for the explenation, but allow me to disagree with your actions. I still believe the government should not interfere with the Congress elections. I agree though the situation was there because of the inactivity of DemNL. This was one of the reasons for me to come back and try to solve for next month. But again, the gov should not interfere at all with Congress elections.
Just because you post this in a government newspaper doesn't make it legal.
Considering the fact that as Konrad says this is a form of PTO, and it took the gov so long for a response speaks volumes. In the end its still abuse of power. Things like this should have been discussed in congress and this "solution" should have been implemented for the next elections IF passed.
I take that the gov will refrain from this activity in the future considering this vast breach in democracy.
We should put it behind us and learn from the mistakes. Resignations don't matter considering its the end of term anyways.
It already was clear in the first article and perhaps this helps one or two people to get it. Article is clear enough one would say.
@van Spijck; Leave Konrad be. He's obviously one of thos that will, most likely can't understand.
@Auggustus; You should refrain from any comment as you ruined eNL in the first place due to your idiotic actions buying Gold at 2.5-3k cc while at that time you could/should have bought for 1k cc and sell at 2.5k.
Thats easy to say for after the fact. At the time gold price was skyrocketing. If I had known that the admins were changing the econ and the gold price. Then yes I would have waited. At the time congress agreed to the purchasing of gold with NLG. Most of the trades I did was when gold was 2000 Nlg, and 2 weeks later it was 3.3K, 4 Weeks after the admins changed the price. So yeah.... your point is what? We got screwed over by the admins.
[removed]
Previous one deleted as there were some typo's and you can't edit...
I'm not referring to that Auggustus although it's an act of an amateur to buy something once the steep increase already started. Basic trading rule; You're to late by then. And the admins didn't change anything in the mechanism. Market changed.
What I'm referring to however is the fact that you bought gold for, on average, 2.600 cc if I recall correct while you never should have paid more then 1.000. If you're that experienced as you claim to be you should have known that. And certainly in the role you had. At that time anyone could buy gold at the rate of 1.000. If you were really that smart and committed to serving eNetherlands you would NEVER have bought a piece of gold at a rate higher than that. Instead you would have bought for 1.000 cc and would have sold the bought gold immediately again for the high rate thus increasing eNetherlands treasure. But that's a lot of work which most people aren't willing to put into it. But hey; Then don't accept a position that costs time.
Unless of course you didn't actually buy at the high rates but indeed for the low ones and transferred the difference to yourself. After all you didn't keep track nor did you report to congress.
The admins did change the mechanism. When I traded the gol we did so at an average of 2.2K nlg. The price after a week went up then to 3K. The admins did make a change in the game mechanism that ended many gold drains. they were no pre announced, they were just implemented. it is unjust to blame me for the admins will to destroy the economies. Do I feel bad that it happened. Yes I feel horrible and still do about it. But the admins are at fault and that was the reason at the time to stop playing. If the admins hadn't changed it, I believe the gold price would have risen more. The mechanism that the admins changed was the bot that purchases raw materials from the market. At the time the price for raws were 0.29 per unit. now they are 3. In one step they ended the money inflation. Plain and simple.
Also at the time i proposed the bill the price was at 1.2K, congress took more than a week to pass it by that time the price had risen with everyones expectation it would rise further
That doesn't change the fact that you bought gold at a higher rate then 1k which was an instant loss.
sure thing Captain hindsight
That's no hindsight. Simple game mechanics that you still pretend to not know. You made a vary big mistake and ruined eNL's finance by you're action. You should have bought for max 1.000 using MM mechanics as Weekstrom is doing for months now to restore your errors. And with him almost the whole erep world. But no our mister i have all the experience eNL needs new better and bought for 2.600 cc. That has nothing to do with hindsight, nor with admins. Just with stupidity of you.
Don't forget we are all 'guilty'. Auggustus cannot be blamed only for that. Congress approved this. Including the Congress Members of those days: van Spijck, Zeeuwsmeisje and myself. The admins let the economy crash, Auggustus cannot be blamed for that.
Yes he can, as the goldprices were already plunging down. 😛 No member of Congress thought he would change ALL our nlg for gold because that would be stupid. 😛
Then you failed in Congress those days. Your job was to check on the gov.
vS you voted in favour of the bill. It was discussed and you agreed. I can see your vote right there.
For the people who want to read the debate I mentione😛
Debate: http://www.enetherlands.nl/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=10264
Vote: http://www.enetherlands.nl/viewtopic.php?f=133&t=10276
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Offcoure i understand the reasons why the government did what it did..
And i even think the intentions were good...
But for the next time: please only inform the players. Do not say what they have to vote or not.
Players are clever enough to make there own decissions.
I like you, weekstrom, and I'd rather agree with you than disagree. Therefore it pains me to say that I must disagree on this article. I wouldn't go as far as to request your resignation, because I believe the intentions were not wrong. Unfortunately, intentions are a subjective measure and can therefore not be relied on objectively.
As Zeeuwsmeisje pointed out in the debate thread, and I quote: "...there is not an inch of political motivation behind this article. It doesn't say who you should vote, only who you shouldn't vote on...". I couldn't have said it better myself, except I would have probably left the first part about the political motivation out there, because it makes the sentence sound like an oxymoron.
You are telling citizens not to vote on a political party due to perceived financial losses. Losses, by the way, that are negligible on the grand scale. This is unacceptable and from an objective point of view it severely impedes the political parties in question. If the voting advise works as it should (and in the event of a PTO threat let's hope it does!), these parties have gotten fewer votes than they should have gotten.
Whether they use their votes to take seats in congress is up to their decision. If you, based on your observations, suggested a penalty sum to be paid by the party for missing seats then that would have been negotiable without any sustained damage to the voting count of said party.
I must, in fact, also disagree with James Janeway. Don't inform the players until after the elections. It WILL be perceived as voting advice, no matter how you bring it.
In the end, I think the best you could have done was inform the political parties, and made a point about it after the elections.
Small mistake. 2 seats where lost by DemNL not 3. For the rest what pariahdog said. I don't like to disagree with you, but I disagree with you with this. 🙁
We had 17 seats so 3 were lost. and yes those 3 would have been added to the total of DemNL as they had 17,22% of the votes and thus the highest amount of extra votes.
1 CM leaved congres. Have to search who.
Reading is difficult isn't it? Quote; "We HAD 17 seats" Now we have 16 due to RikW leaving.
I like you're name better now by the way. The old one had a negative feel...
Oh I thougt 18 seats and 17 when rikW left.
New name same context ; ) you might fool some but all kamp!