Join the new world

Dearest subjects, today I’d like to go through the domestic aspect of my plans for next month. Although foreign affairs and war is often seen as more glamorous, good domestic policy is essential for the activity and involvement of our playerbase, both new and old.

Since the beginning of this term (April), activity in our media has noticeably increased, and as a result the Government has toned down its own media releases to leave room for citizens completing missions, or making the tentative steps to journalistic fame. This is a good thing, and it’s great that our citizens are able to use the media module to discuss, share information and promote new ideas. The success of UK media means that there can be a shift in where our government activity goes: here comes the pivot.

The national feed as a tool, is something we can look to use to encourage engagement with all Brits, break down the barriers between the closed groups within our country, and ensure that new players are getting involved in as many different activity as possible. Over the past few months, we have been experimenting with group messages to coordinate our damage: and whilst it is having an effect, it is not really building the group community I was hoping for. As well as this, attendance isn’t rewarded, so can be sporadic. Thus, next month I will focus my efforts across both the national feed, and group messages. The national feed will be used to distribute orders, with players voting or signing in to signify they have fought; draws will be made and rewards given at random to those who attend. Group messages will be used to coordinate MU commanders (as they are currently), as well as our Tuesday Epic battle updates.

Government using feeds in this way, will hopefully encourage us all, regardless of party or MU affiliation to come together on the important things. Whilst it’s important for parties and military units to have their own distinctive identities, ultimately it’s vital for the renewal of our society that new players see an engaging and vibrant national community that is open, welcoming, and supportive.

As a smaller country, I hope to encourage more collaboration amongst the distinctive groups that make up our great nation, to ensure that wherever possible, we’re singing from the same hymn sheet. There are some areas; war, foreign affairs, engaging new players, where most of our players agree. It’s important that we utilise the areas we agree on to remind ourselves of our common ground, and ensure new players have access to crucial knowledge about our position in the game.

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Outside of the national feed, one of the core strengths over the past few months has been NPF and our new player engagement: I want to double down on this, by introducing other weekly events; Mongress monday, and Weducationsday.

We all know that our ‘congress’ has long since become a festering cesspool of inactivity and general nothingness: but the will to help has never completely disappeared. It has no direction, but we also expect nothing of it; thus, whilst we may call it mongress to signify it’s lack of value, I for one refuse to believe it will be useless if we give it something to do. On mondays, this is exactly what I will do. Whether its a competition, a day where they help government with the bulk of work we do, or a day where they come together and discuss things; the country cannot rely on a few people forever. A more active congress is the perfect proving ground for a new generation of political, economic and military leaders for our society: and whilst beginning with one day a week where they need to do something is a small step, it is a useful one.

One day a week were we focus purely on education will ensure that existing and upcoming guides are given centre stage. The main observation I have is that our educational approach needs to be more visible. Having a nominated day for education will act as a prompt to our government, and also give new players reliable weekly information. New players logins and training are pretty much guaranteed on Fridays, because they know they have something to look forward to - my hope is that everyone will have the same approach for Weducationsdays.

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Finally, economics. Over the past few months, the majority of our spending has revolved around redistributing wealth wherever possible. We have made small gains in reserves, but have focused on supporting our citizens - that is what taxes are for.

The invasion of the USA shows us that we cannot rely on centralised funding for Combat Orders (COs) to save the day. At the same time the USA’s fightback shows us that a lack of centralised funding for COs at the crucial moment can be just as dangerous; we need to find a sweet spot between the two, and be smart about how we spend our emergency money.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) will continue to offer loans for training ground upgrades and training contracts in line with existing programs, but I will also be tasking the Ministry to source companies to help new players complete some of the missions which require buying/using companies. I’ve been helping with this myself recently, but some bugger decided to die with my company on them. A national program ensures continuity after I’m no longer CP, and is another way we can help new players in their first steps in the game. The remainder of the things we’ll be doing for existing and new players will be explained in the next article, as they all come under the remit of Defence.

Once again, I’d like to thank my team for all their work so far, but at the same time remind them that the fight is not over. Government needs fresh blood, eager players who are willing to put in the time and effort. If you are willing to help out and take the first steps in government, or you’re an older player who wants to get back into things, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

~jw