[NoTie] The Current Situation

Day 3,093, 04:17 Published in Netherlands Netherlands by NoTie112

Dear citizens,

As has likely been noted, the recent elections have caused a situation in which much has been said and likely no solutions will be found. The problem rose up when I, as constitutional Dictator (meaning powerless) ended up in the position of Country President as well. Those two positions are able to be fulfilled simultaneously in-game, but the laws on our additional forum (enetherlands.nl) dictate otherwise.

Such rules are there for good reasons. People tend to be abusive and ignorant with every power position they accrue, which is why we (like in real life) like to divide up the power in some arbitrary cases. So far it has been impossible for me to resign either position, resulting in a gridlock in our system. It looks like the system in which the forum is superior over the in-game politics has shown its ugly face and is making us all miserable.

Which is exactly the problem: the in-game system and the forum system are now at insolvable conflict. Legally (meaning in-game) the population voted for the symbolic Dictator as Country President, yet the forum laws dictate that as an impossibility. Resigning either position would result in people in power that in-game would never accrue such power and are not desired either by a majority of our country, its population or its legal representative Congress. Therefore, it could be deemed unfair to resign either post, as de facto that would mean some 'forum elites' (for the lack of a better word) have twisted their way into power without any consent of either the population or Congress.


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This all wouldn't be a problem if we were in an egalitarian society where Congress and its forum base where representative of the country. But that is sadly not the case. Or as Congressman Revvenge sai😛 ''This is, in my opinion, due to the toxic environment eNetherlands has created. The community gives the impression quite a bit of it is decided behind closed doors and any effort of progress is met with skepticism or indifference. Motions generally need a few passes because quorums are not met, making progress even slower''.

This toxic environment has been created by dubious actions by people who only thank any sense of power due to the existence of a forum with undemocratic procedures for certain positions. The Dictatorship has, sadly, destroyed the intractability of in-game politics and moved it all to a forum which is not representative of the country. A good part of our most active players are actively evading the forums, another part doesn't even know its existence. This day we can't even reach voting quorums, yet nothing is being done to address this issue, except for dubious and ignorant actions like removing access to half of the Congressmen to pretend a handful of votes is 'representative' of the country's will.

Giving up either position would be akin to the 'betrayal' of our country. Giving up the position as Dictatorship would mean handing it over to the whims of a person that is not concerned with the country, but only with its forum community. Giving up the position as Country President would mean ignoring the one last vote the population has and handing it over to the whims of forum rules a large part of our country does not even acknowledge. Unless this situation is resolved - instead of going along with the existence of two separate realities - the country is 'sick'. Perhaps it's for the better that now the country is terminally ill, so a cure can be found, instead of slowly moving on to the next month and month thereafter.

In this case common sense and necessity go above the forum rules. That means I'll move on this month as Dictator and Country President. I will execute both positions without abusing either of them (with the exception of having both positions at the same time). That means there will be no difference in our system, except having me holding both the Dictatorship and the Country President position at the same time. However, I will not unify the powers of both positions to accrue power. Any actions taken will be executed the same as with different persons in either post. I have received support for such an action, but understandably in this case no action will be appreciated by 100% of the population. Even the 2nd in the last election has agreed that the election result should be taken into account and that this month a extraordinary situation like this is inevitable and perhaps the only option.


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That's why a good part of my term will be dedicated to curing the sickness of our country. With comprehensive reforms I want to resolve several issues that have caused our country to freeze to a standstill. Most importantly, I hope to have the Dictatorship removed soon again. It was implemented because the risk of a foreign Coup was high. With the new changes of having to pay 1 million cc and an upkeep fee that is less likely to occur. The Dictatorship has made our country terminally ill, as it has given all power to an unrepresentative forum. But also 'smaller' but nonetheless, important issues will need to be resolved. Our supreme MU, the Dutch Armed Forces, have been made incapable due to the whims of yet again the forum rules. While our counterparts of e.g. Adriatica have formed strong national Military Units, we have stuck a deadly bow in ours instead.

I hope this period will be a genuine 'revolution', something I've always stood for. The Dutch 'polder'model has made our nation sick and a cure will never be found, as the de facto existence of the forum establishment has made even incremental changes impossible. I hope this change of direction will revitalize our society and country and I invite you all, whether you are agreeing with my attitude or not, to participate in this process.

Accusations of me turning this country into a genuine Dictatorship are understandable, but false. I will never rule this country on my own accord and will always allow the feedback, control and suggestions of other people even if I de facto have all the power (which I, mind you, already had de facto with the Dictatorship position yet never made use of it). Nor does this even remotely suggest the end of our democracy. It could even be suggested that the suggestions that either position should be handed over to the whims of a unrepresentative forum-Congress is even less so democratic. I do not intend to rule this country as Country President (the official head of our country) longer than this month. I never intended to do it this month either. Nevertheless the election results, the people I have spoken with afterwards and the situation that has ensued has made me think twice.

Kind regards,

NoTie112