Political Parties are more cliques than about governing
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by asecondchance
When I think about political parties and what differentiates 1 party from another I think about platforms and key topics that have very well defined objectives which members support and their elected officials are expected to implement.
For example for eIreland I would expect each political party to have a well-defined platform which clearly states what they would do with our most important issues:
1. Alliances / MPP’s - Do they favor a specific alliance, do they favor more / less MPP’s and with which nations, etc
2. MU Supplies – how we treat Irish Army, Bootcamp and private MU’s
3. Economy – How should our finance minister be investing our money? Do we plan to lower or raise taxes?
4. Increased citizenship – clear plans to recruit, retain new citizens, etc
5. Military - Training Wars, Real wars, expansions
6. Government handouts
The key is to ensure the platforms for each party cover important topics SPECIFIC to the game, forgetting RL politics.
There are many more big ticket items but as it sits today when a new citizen or an old citizen clicks on the top parties to learn what they stand for and if they should join, here is what they get:
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Saoirse
Saoirse na-hEireann || Join the most active political community in Ireland For stronger Eire - together!
Irish Union Party
The Irish Union Party is the oldest party in Ireland and has been an constant institution of Irish politics ever since. Our party mission puts a strong emphasis in a united and free Ireland above all else.
Independent Labour Party
The ILP seeks for a fairer, stronger, ethical and more democratic Ireland for all!
Independent Voices
IV is a place for people whose political ideologies do not fit those of Ireland's other parties. As a result the group has no manifesto as such, with each individual member representing their own viewpoints and opinions rather than a set agreed by the collective.
Irish Freedom Party
The Irish Freedom Party seek's to uphold basic human rights, and to make sure everyone in eIreland has a good standard of living. No government handouts! We strive for a good government and economy, with strong political view's
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The only write up that makes sense based on the party is Independent voices but again it is an oxymoron to have a group of independent’s form a group in the first place…
I would like to see the political system make sense based on parties outlining what they would do SPECIFICALLY to better eIreland and what they stand for as a party so people know what they are getting when they cast their votes… Today is all generic statements and makes the party system more of a clique than a vehicle for change in a government.
What are your thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
Wouldn’t it make the game a little more interesting if each party stood their grounds and define their stances on important issues so as a citizenship we can vote people into power knowing what measures they will take? As it is we have no idea what a party does when they get elected since they don’t define their platform.
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It would be better if rather then 5 or six right wing parties and two or three left wings we had one of each and let the independents hold their own.
But even in this game saying you are right wing or left wing doesn't mean anything because the parties don't define what their conservative right wing stance is as it relates to this game... Like for example i would think right wing parties would try to be lowering all taxes, supporting MU's, etc but we don't see that as a result of elections of our parties. They are right wing or left wing in name only, not action. We need well defined platforms for parties to know what we will get with elections...
No vote since you left out the party full or RL Irishmen
Yes the parties in game do not have much to differentiate themselves ( at least in Ireland anyway.) The clique label does fit. But that does not mean that parties can't be different. RL labels do not fit in eRepublic. Right/Left? What does that even mean in eRep? Nothing. Not a thing.
I would also like to see parties have an ideology or a platform but that just does not happen in game. Parties have evolved into what they need to be in game. Groups of individuals who for one reason or another try to get elected (either to PP or Congress or even CP ). Personalities are much more important in eRep than ideologies. It is just the way the game is designed. Until something changes in game design I don't see much changing.
no vote
No The cheeky little kunt party, no vote
Agree with diferentiation would be good and that they are just clics. The IFP has not updated that measage in aobut 4 years. Maybe now is the time.
Lol @ marcus calling himself a man
left wing and right wing are completely meaningless labels on the party pages in eRepublik.
regarding cliques...
Most parties only give the top nods to the few members with high metagame activity. The irc or forum crowd quickly becomes a clique because they chat more.
It's human nature to favor those you spend more time with, and not bred out of any sort of personal malice towards others.
Sorry I didn't list out all parties just was posting the top 5 based on numbers to show an example of what new citizens to the game or eIreland get to know our political system.
I agree completely that left/right wing have no meaning in this game and am hoping that parties could define themselves with actual in-game meaning... rather than generic statements like "for a better eireland" but not showing what their party would do to make it happen...
Perhaps it is just what it is but i think to get the most out of the game, the political system needs a bit tightening if only in how we as players use it.
"Sorry I didn't list out all parties just was posting the top 5 based on numbers to show an example of what new citizens to the game or eIreland get to know our political system."
We have more members that IUP and have had more before this article was published.
Lol @ Dylan coming back when Na Fianna starts back up, typical tosser
"Personalities are much more important in eRep than ideologies."
^ This.
Situations change much too quickly in a game like this for parties to maintain any kind of rigid ideology, especially with regard to things like foreign affairs (which is the heart of this game). And there just isn’t enough variation in public opinion when it comes to policies that have more long-term implications such as tax policy. Not to mention there are always people in this game who confuse eRep ideology with real-life ideology and end up making an even bigger mess of things.
Those with experience know that good policy-making in a game like this requires being practical and flexible above all else. THAT is how Saoirse defines its policy and we are damn proud of it. In fact we often have lively debates on policy topics within our party that results in much better policy than if we all just thought about things from a single perspective or goal. Parties like Saoirse are much more interested in improving our collective reputation as active, intelligent and responsible leaders than developing blanket strategies that may or may not apply to every situation. There is just no need to force something like ideology that just isn’t necessary in a game like this.
p.s. Nice article, though. Glad to see people thinking and talking about these kinds of things. Keep up the good work.
Independant Voices is a collection of people who dont quite fine what they want in more structured partys but still want to take a full swing at the political module
in general the PARTY as a whole will only decide things by a high majority if not unanimously
but that being said we mostly agree on important things 🙂
also the party is more about community than anything else
Left wing and Right wing did have specific meaning in Ireland for a long time, but then the left wing took power, introduced concepts that proved excellent, and the right wing essentially dissolved.
RL concepts have some place in the game, the game has RL borders, it's inevitable.
That said, I agree with the general idea, parties should define their goals in those explicit terms.
Binksy if you want an unstructured party about the freedom to serve Eire as you wish, then the IV are welcome to merge into the IUP. All the members of the 6 parties would safely be in the top 5 and no worrying about who's "on the bubble"
The IUP is smaller at the moment, but carries far more history with it. That is the reason I suggest IV come to IUP, rather than the other way around.
win/win for all 6 parties.