Join the new world

Listen to this while reading please:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0CVL9T4Smo

My fellow Brits, today I present to you my policies for the month ahead. This manifesto will lay out in detail my intent for each department of my government, and additionally give you a job description for each of the cabinet roles so that you can get a good idea of what I’ll be asking of them, and maybe apply for a job too!

Before I go any further I would like to thank this month’s cabinet for their hard work on my behalf, I think it’s been a good month and that’s all down to them. So to Dishmcds, Sir Humphrey Appleby, Greatmoff, and Mittekemuis, thank you! I’m sure you’ll all join with me in thanking them for their hard work, and, as we go into a new month, in helping to pick up where they left off too.




Foreign Affairs


I’d like to begin by analysing our foreign affairs from the past month, and moving on to inform you of my plans for the month to come. As you may be aware, the UK is a full member of the ONE meta-alliance, and for the most part very happily. We tend to get on well with our friends in and around ONE, and through the month I’ll be looking to maintain those good relations. A glance at our battles tells you that a lot of our damage comes from our allies, and one of the most important parts of the game is in diplomacy and this is one of my key areas of strength. I have the contacts and the goodwill abroad, and no candidate can claim to have as much recent experience and success as I have had in this past month.

ONE as a body of nations is gaining in strength, too. For a long while Terra and EDEN, the alliances we are opposed to, had the upper hand. They were highly successful in defeating the nations of ONE and in some cases, including ours, wiping us from the map and denying us a congress. This is no longer the case. Before we could not have hoped to secure Picardy and Paris from France, even for a short time, and yet we did. We could not have hoped to secure a congress, and yet we did! These accomplishments are in part down to my own tactics and strategy, and in part down to a resurgence that ONE is having.



That brings us to the present. I’d like to discuss our relationships with three countries first, and then move onto what I’m wanting from the MoFA this month.

Ireland. For a year now, an enemy, and at varying times both us and them have been on the winning side, with bad blood begetting bad blood, that is, until recently. A couple of weeks ago I successfully negotiated a treaty with Ireland that secures peace between our two nations- and benefits both too. One of the major reasons for war between us was in economic bonuses; Northern Ireland has a fish bonus that Ireland lacks, and Louth/Shannon have a fruit bonus that the UK lacks. The deal we signed gives NI and Scotland to Ireland, and in return the UK receives Dublin and Louth- the Irish capital and a fruit economic bonus; well worth it in my opinion. It also gives us the added benefit of having Ireland as a friend, and possibly ally in the long term, so I’m pleased to report that I’ll be looking to continue to improve relations with the Irish over the coming month.


Canada and France represent something different entirely. For Canada, the UK means oil- an economic resource that they can get in East Midlands. Their number one objective in invading us in to take and hold oil, and a bridge back to their capital. For France it’s somewhat more- they want oil, cattle and aluminium from us, from East of England, South East of England and London respectively, but more than that, they enjoy having the upper hand against us too. These two stances mean that, for the moment, war is inevitable. It’s possible we could work out some kind of deal with Canada, but I suspect that, at least in the near future, the distance between my own position and France’s is too great- the war will continue.

Up until now Mittekemuis has been my MoFA, and has done a smashing job. In the coming month though, we both agree that it’s time to pass the reins on, allowing a younger player to move in and take on the FA department, so I’ll be looking to appoint someone that fits that description- though they won’t be thrown in the deep end too badly, with both myself and Mitte on hand to give any advice or info needed, and to provide support in a new role.

The ministry itself will also require one or two deputies, and will fulfil the same role it did this term- in PMing every other nation to get and give cabinet info, to talk to foreigners in many capacities, and to release articles on FA related subjects and current events; the minister will manage that.




The Military

In my manifesto last month, I outlined a skeleton structure for the official UK military, detailing a supply method and membership- I am pleased to report that this is now in place, and running smoothly. The next step in this military, then, is to add what I think of as the ‘culture’ side of the military- it isn’t crucial, not every player will be into it, but for a lot of players it will add another dimension to their game.

The main aims of this culture will be to:

-Help retain new players
-Add more of a ‘fun factor’ for some players
-Give some more stability month to month
-Provide a ‘hook’ to interest more players
-Allow progression up the ranks for newer players

The exact form and lineup of this culture has not yet been decided. I don’t want to make a unilateral decision while writing my manifesto that will impact on many players, without really reflecting on their wishes. The military has to be a creation that most people in it are happy with, that won’t need constant reform and change, and that the community can get behind- and I will do what it takes to accomplish this.

I can, however, reveal the name of this military: The BEF; British Expeditionary Force, named for the famous unit from both world wars.


A possible BEF Logo!


The BEF will be a fantastic part of our community, and while I don’t know the exact form it will take, I do know some of the key elements it will have: Avatars, culture articles, games and prizes, a forum and IRC, ranks and progression, and more besides.

An addition I would like to see that differs from past incarnations of the military is in a permanent command structure. In the past, the MoD has changed depending on who was sitting in the CP’s chair- and indeed this will continue to be the case. Under the MoD, however, I’d like to see a new position created, that will take some of the MoD’s responsibilities- the Commander of the BEF. This person would be appointed by me after extensive discussion and consultation, but would then take permanent control of the military. Their responsibilities would be for the entire culture of the military, in organising a command and progression, organising and manning strikes, recruitment to the BEF and more. The responsibilites of the MoD would be the rest- in organising companies, providing weapons, setting orders and communicating those orders to the troops. The Commander would act as a subordinate to the MoD, but would not be subject to change month on month- though I would like newer players to be given a shot too over time.

The idea, then, is to build a dynamic and fun institution that can stand the test of time. No easy task, but one I look forward to sinking my teeth into.




Finance


As an ex minister of Finance, I’d like to think this is also one of my strong points. I’ll keep it brief though and simply outline my main policies- these are based around helping players to grow financially, with a specific eye towards helping new players develop too.

First up, I’ll be introducing an all inclusive ‘new player grant.’ Available to all new active players at the discretion of the minister and his team, it’s a one-off payment meant to pay for a Fruit Orchard, an Iron mine, and some town hall upgrades. Being set up that way helps them in three ways- in giving them FRM and WRM to sell, in helping them get to town hall upgrades (and paying for them) and in giving sound advice. The total given amounts to £5000 per newbie, enough to give them a good leg up.

Secondly, I’ll be introducing Bank of England loans- players will be able to borrow up to £10, 000 or 10G for up to 30 days, providing they can convince the minister and his team that this is viable.

Two more programs that will be up and running are the National Health Service and A Call to Arms- that give away free food and weapons to those that comment on the threads. The minister will have to keep data on all these schemes, and run them along with their department.






Fun and Fliers [Ministry of Home Affairs]


We’ve had some success with keeping people interested this month, and as we speak we have the burberry week games going on in the forum games section. I’d like to thank Dishmcds for all his hard work in the last month, he’s been a strong MoHA, and while he did cause controversy by deposing HRH King Woldy I, he’s certainly provoked a reaction which was the aim.

In the coming month I’d like to change the focus of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to be centred more around building the community up than dividing it, as was the case with Red vs Blue and the deposition of Woldy. I’d like also to focus more on new players- by the end of the month I want a perfected welcome message for our new players, a functioning education MU, and a concise guide to the erep basics.


One of two main thrusts for this section of my manifesto is entitled ‘The Rebellion.’ We currently suffer under the rule of King Jamesw I, and the followers of King Woldy I will band together to help him retake his throne. Anyone that has ever played Mass Effect 3 or Fable 3 will be well acquainted with the general mechanics of this revolution- it will be about gaining allies in the fight in order to complete the revolution, in a story driven way, with articles and missions along the way. It will be quite structured but will also allow some dastardly behind the scenes manipulation too- it will be engrossing! It will last for the full month, and by the end of that time the revolution will succeed and we will once again be ruled by our rightful king- providing there’s enough interest in this from the community! I’ll be looking for someone to help the minister write these articles, and will probably pitch in with some myself.



The second main thrust for the MoHA will be in looking after new players. One of my ideas last month that didn’t get the attention it deserves involves my MU, The Resistance, which I think could be of great benefit to new players. I will be changing and perfecting the welcome message the game sends to new players to include a request to join it, and it will be manned by the MoHA or a specific deputy- this person will check daily to see what new players are joining, and then send them a welcome PM.

They’ll also give out free food, promote the BEF, promote new player grants on the forums and continuously post the link to various guides, ensuring our new players get the best start possible. Now the API is non-functional it’s pretty well impossible to reach all new players, but this gives us the best coverage possible. There’s also some great narrative to be had with community articles based around the resistance, these can tie in with the BEF articles too. To that effect, approximately every 3 days the MoHA will be releasing The Resistance, an article similar in fashion to the old TUP Family issue if you’re familiar with it, but promoting The Resistance and not TUP.

As you can imagine this means the MoHA will be a fairly large department, and so I’m quite willing to take on two good applicants, one to run the resistance and the other to run the Rebellion etc, so please do apply as there’s a great chance you can get in!




Also in this section I want to talk about the Minister of Legislative Affairs and what they will do. First and foremost they have to manage discussions and vote for congress. I’d like to add to that a requirement to PM each congressman each time a discussion relevant to them opens up, and likewise for votes. This will ensure max activity and give us as many opinions as possible.

The MoLA will also have to manage the construction of a ‘UK Constitution,’ a document of rules, ideals, ethos and morality that we agree upon as a community, to give some common ground- this is one for the entire community to contribute to, and while it won’t be binding as legislation, it will be agreed upon by the representative congress, so I wouldn’t expect anybody to go against it- there will be no excuses really. This one may take most of the month to get right and get voted on, and that’s by design as I want as many opinions and viewpoints as possible, and for every crease to be ironed out before it’s finalized.







The Cabinet

I would like to remind you that applications are open for Cabinet, the team of stalwarts to proudly move the country forward.

The positions available are:

Minister of Defence

Minister of Home Affairs

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Minister of Finance

Minister of Legislative Affairs

Now that I have laid out what each minister would do I would encourage all applications, I need a strong team behind me to be a good CP!




Talon Karrde

That concludes my manifesto for this month. Don’t forget, vote Karrde on the 5th!