In this interview with Euro Founding superstar HEM we cover three broad areas: Euro history, contemporary Euro, and HEM himself.
Welcome to the EBC's luxurious recording studio! Today we have with us the biggest man in Euro. The one, the only, HEM! Welcome to the studio, sir.
Thanks for having me Kraken!
First things first, what made you decide to play NS? What was it like in your first days? And what made you decide to found Europeia?
I stumbled upon Nationstates while looking for more nation building computer games to play. I spent quite a bit of time as an idle issue-answerer until I eventually founded my first region "The League of Dictatorships". Even after that region ran itself into the ground I still felt inspired to be a founder, and eventually started Europeia after roughly 8 months of my NS career.
What made you want to go from a dictatorship to a democracy? Although I have heard that in the past Euro was less democratic than it is now. Could you outline that process of change?
Europeia was never truly a dictatorship. Our monarchy was a constitutional one, with the government being headed by a popularly elected Prime Minister (later Chief of State). This model was in lieu with many constitutional monarchies of the day. The transition was primarily motivated by the region's inactivity. We had nothing new to offer (as our region was carbon copied from other models) and I felt a genuine constitutional discussion would spark new interest and maybe usher some old members back. I think overall, it worked. We've had minor tinkers in our democracy since July 2007 (when we became a Republic) but the people have been running the region since then!
That sounds like an exciting beginning. What would you say were the biggest challenges facing the young region?
Keeping the whole damn things together. Our member base was extremely volatile, with very little loyalty to the region. Early characters like Lord Alphanesia were more than willing to ostracize members and commit treason to advance their careers, and it took a toll on the region. Others like Lethen and SenatorTC were hard workers, but were involved in numerous other regions, so they had a very low regional loyalty. And others still, like PRA and Rotalsia would threaten to leave every few days in order to advance their agenda. Being a founder in the early days was a full time job, because it was likely the Head of Government was going to be incompetent and they would need hands on guidance. There are many times I thought the entire region would rage-quit at once, and it almost happened many many times. Even after the Reformation to a Republic, the place was deathly quiet until that autumn. We got pretty lucky.
A volatile, wild ride indeed. You mentioned Lethen in your summary, and it's clear to anyone in Euro that the two of you are very close, with him having been granted the position of Supreme Chancellor. What made you two become close, and what made you decide to grant him that immense honour?
Lethen and I met in a region known as "Empires of Earth" which has been effectively dead since 2009. We got to know each other very well OOC, which led me to invite him to Europeia not long after its founding. While he was initiatively reluctant to get heavily involved, Europeia eventually began to occupy most of his time throughout 2007 and 2008. He actually resigned his citizenship in another region called "Great Britain and Ireland" and became devoted to building Europeia up full time. He served numerous stints as both President and Vice Chancellor, but in 2011 I resigned after some controversial remarks led to the departure of several highly ranked officials. Lethen became the sole Supreme Chancellor until he resigned three months later. It is this period of service, and all service before and after, that led to be asking the Senate to make the Chancellery a dual office in 2012.
Very interesting. Is there anything else you'd like to mention regarding Euro's history before we move on to the present?
I guess encouraging members to look into our history. Ironically our longevity has now lent itself to an incredibly long story of our life, but there are many events that are remarkable (even by NS standards) and are key to understanding the story of our region.
Agreed. Perhaps a published collection of our histories would be in order? I know that many newer members(and even some considered more experienced) know very little regarding our history.
Agreed. There are a few resources out there, but not nearly enough. If confirmed, that's something I may look at as Minister of Communications. Getting some sort of "history article" or something of the like.
I greatly look forward to reading that(you're committed to it now
) Moving onto the present now. How would you compare the political and cultural atmospheres of Euro now to the ones that have existed in the past?
I think there are many different climates to compare it to. In many ways, it is almost similar to our early start, but very dissimilar to everything in the middle. Our climate is less political than the 2009 - 2011 era (in some ways that is a good thing), but social involvement is up, and people are tending to like each other more. So while I wish the region had more of an enhanced competitive political culture, I recognize these things come in cycles, and this cycle is probably doing our region well.
I understand what you're saying. Sometimes it seems like there may be political apathy, but on the other hand most Europeians get along very well, and the chat is usually abuzz with friendship. We'll now move to some of today's issues. What is your opinion on the GAP?
The GAP is a fusion of ideas I proposed with my "Good Neighbor Policy" and Anumia's own personal thoughts. The program is innovative, adventurous, and has given Europeia new targets to strive for. I think the program has started far slower than people would like, but the cogs are certainly turning behind the scenes, and I think this is a very exciting time to be a Europeian.
I couldn't agree more. Many people have talked about Senate inactivity. How would you remedy this problem, if you believe a problem exists, and how would you compare our current Senate to Senates of the past? Have things improved, or gotten worse?
I do believe a problem exists. This was part of the reason I worked to found the Europeian Reform Coalition, which sadly has lost quite a bit of steam (to the point of probable disbandment) over the last few months. I have proposed several new models for the Senate, models that give them more day-to-day duties that do not involve solely legislating. Some of these fixes may be "radical" to many members who are used to a consistent system, but having been here during Europeia's founding, I am shocked our one Republican model has worked for *so* long without any tinkering. I think the Senate needs some kind of tinkering, whether by my reform ideas or not.
In terms of getting better or worse, I think right now is a low water mark. Back in 2010 we had 10 Senators with competitive elections and an active floor. Since then, things have been rather touch and go.
That is rather unfortunate. I would encourage all readers to check out your ideas in the ERC, and consider solutions of their own. Overall, is your outlook for Euro positive?
It is. We have some problems to deal with, but we always have. We'll fix the leaks we have now, and new leaks will spring up. It's the nature of the region. The good news is that we have tons of quality active members, and that is what ultimately makes a region of course.
Agreed, it's what drew me to the region and has made me choose to stay. Now we'll move onto you, and get to know the real HEM. What do you like to do in real life for fun?
Hahahahahahahahahaha nothing.
Best. Answer. Ever.
But really, I'm in college so I spend quite a bit of my time studying and working. When I'm not, I like socializing with friends, playing board games almost as nerdy as NS, and binge watching old television shows online. I like to think I'm pretty typical, but that's probably a lie
That sounds like almost everyone in Euro If you don't mind me asking, what are you studying in college?
This will be a curveball from left field, but….Political Science
Shocking What do you hope to do in real world political science? Go public? Be a bureaucrat, or perhaps a shiny ivory tower?
I'm not sure quite yet. I think I might apply to a Graduate level program, so I may stay in academia. I also might work for a campaign at some point. I also might end up being a cashier somewhere with my non-STEM major. The world is my oyster.
Indeed it is. It is for all of us, and I hope all of our readers remember that, for both NS and real life. It was great talking with you, and getting to know you a bit better.
Welcome to the EBC's luxurious recording studio! Today we have with us the biggest man in Euro. The one, the only, HEM! Welcome to the studio, sir.
Thanks for having me Kraken!
First things first, what made you decide to play NS? What was it like in your first days? And what made you decide to found Europeia?
I stumbled upon Nationstates while looking for more nation building computer games to play. I spent quite a bit of time as an idle issue-answerer until I eventually founded my first region "The League of Dictatorships". Even after that region ran itself into the ground I still felt inspired to be a founder, and eventually started Europeia after roughly 8 months of my NS career.
What made you want to go from a dictatorship to a democracy? Although I have heard that in the past Euro was less democratic than it is now. Could you outline that process of change?
Europeia was never truly a dictatorship. Our monarchy was a constitutional one, with the government being headed by a popularly elected Prime Minister (later Chief of State). This model was in lieu with many constitutional monarchies of the day. The transition was primarily motivated by the region's inactivity. We had nothing new to offer (as our region was carbon copied from other models) and I felt a genuine constitutional discussion would spark new interest and maybe usher some old members back. I think overall, it worked. We've had minor tinkers in our democracy since July 2007 (when we became a Republic) but the people have been running the region since then!
That sounds like an exciting beginning. What would you say were the biggest challenges facing the young region?
Keeping the whole damn things together. Our member base was extremely volatile, with very little loyalty to the region. Early characters like Lord Alphanesia were more than willing to ostracize members and commit treason to advance their careers, and it took a toll on the region. Others like Lethen and SenatorTC were hard workers, but were involved in numerous other regions, so they had a very low regional loyalty. And others still, like PRA and Rotalsia would threaten to leave every few days in order to advance their agenda. Being a founder in the early days was a full time job, because it was likely the Head of Government was going to be incompetent and they would need hands on guidance. There are many times I thought the entire region would rage-quit at once, and it almost happened many many times. Even after the Reformation to a Republic, the place was deathly quiet until that autumn. We got pretty lucky.
A volatile, wild ride indeed. You mentioned Lethen in your summary, and it's clear to anyone in Euro that the two of you are very close, with him having been granted the position of Supreme Chancellor. What made you two become close, and what made you decide to grant him that immense honour?
Lethen and I met in a region known as "Empires of Earth" which has been effectively dead since 2009. We got to know each other very well OOC, which led me to invite him to Europeia not long after its founding. While he was initiatively reluctant to get heavily involved, Europeia eventually began to occupy most of his time throughout 2007 and 2008. He actually resigned his citizenship in another region called "Great Britain and Ireland" and became devoted to building Europeia up full time. He served numerous stints as both President and Vice Chancellor, but in 2011 I resigned after some controversial remarks led to the departure of several highly ranked officials. Lethen became the sole Supreme Chancellor until he resigned three months later. It is this period of service, and all service before and after, that led to be asking the Senate to make the Chancellery a dual office in 2012.
Very interesting. Is there anything else you'd like to mention regarding Euro's history before we move on to the present?
I guess encouraging members to look into our history. Ironically our longevity has now lent itself to an incredibly long story of our life, but there are many events that are remarkable (even by NS standards) and are key to understanding the story of our region.
Agreed. Perhaps a published collection of our histories would be in order? I know that many newer members(and even some considered more experienced) know very little regarding our history.
Agreed. There are a few resources out there, but not nearly enough. If confirmed, that's something I may look at as Minister of Communications. Getting some sort of "history article" or something of the like.
I greatly look forward to reading that(you're committed to it now
) Moving onto the present now. How would you compare the political and cultural atmospheres of Euro now to the ones that have existed in the past?I think there are many different climates to compare it to. In many ways, it is almost similar to our early start, but very dissimilar to everything in the middle. Our climate is less political than the 2009 - 2011 era (in some ways that is a good thing), but social involvement is up, and people are tending to like each other more. So while I wish the region had more of an enhanced competitive political culture, I recognize these things come in cycles, and this cycle is probably doing our region well.
I understand what you're saying. Sometimes it seems like there may be political apathy, but on the other hand most Europeians get along very well, and the chat is usually abuzz with friendship. We'll now move to some of today's issues. What is your opinion on the GAP?
The GAP is a fusion of ideas I proposed with my "Good Neighbor Policy" and Anumia's own personal thoughts. The program is innovative, adventurous, and has given Europeia new targets to strive for. I think the program has started far slower than people would like, but the cogs are certainly turning behind the scenes, and I think this is a very exciting time to be a Europeian.
I couldn't agree more. Many people have talked about Senate inactivity. How would you remedy this problem, if you believe a problem exists, and how would you compare our current Senate to Senates of the past? Have things improved, or gotten worse?
I do believe a problem exists. This was part of the reason I worked to found the Europeian Reform Coalition, which sadly has lost quite a bit of steam (to the point of probable disbandment) over the last few months. I have proposed several new models for the Senate, models that give them more day-to-day duties that do not involve solely legislating. Some of these fixes may be "radical" to many members who are used to a consistent system, but having been here during Europeia's founding, I am shocked our one Republican model has worked for *so* long without any tinkering. I think the Senate needs some kind of tinkering, whether by my reform ideas or not.
In terms of getting better or worse, I think right now is a low water mark. Back in 2010 we had 10 Senators with competitive elections and an active floor. Since then, things have been rather touch and go.
That is rather unfortunate. I would encourage all readers to check out your ideas in the ERC, and consider solutions of their own. Overall, is your outlook for Euro positive?
It is. We have some problems to deal with, but we always have. We'll fix the leaks we have now, and new leaks will spring up. It's the nature of the region. The good news is that we have tons of quality active members, and that is what ultimately makes a region of course.
Agreed, it's what drew me to the region and has made me choose to stay. Now we'll move onto you, and get to know the real HEM. What do you like to do in real life for fun?
Hahahahahahahahahaha nothing.
Best. Answer. Ever.
But really, I'm in college so I spend quite a bit of my time studying and working. When I'm not, I like socializing with friends, playing board games almost as nerdy as NS, and binge watching old television shows online. I like to think I'm pretty typical, but that's probably a lie
That sounds like almost everyone in Euro
If you don't mind me asking, what are you studying in college?This will be a curveball from left field, but….Political Science
Shocking
What do you hope to do in real world political science? Go public? Be a bureaucrat, or perhaps a shiny ivory tower?I'm not sure quite yet. I think I might apply to a Graduate level program, so I may stay in academia. I also might work for a campaign at some point. I also might end up being a cashier somewhere with my non-STEM major. The world is my oyster.
Indeed it is. It is for all of us, and I hope all of our readers remember that, for both NS and real life. It was great talking with you, and getting to know you a bit better.
