[EBC POLL] Senate is Criticised for Inactivity, Gets Mediocre Ratings






Europeian Midterm Senate Satisfaction Poll
Senate is criticised for inactivity, gets mediocre ratings

Written by McEntire, Seva, and United Adaikes
Edited by Dracondra

Introduction

The Europeian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) conducted a midterm Senate Poll between June 26th and June 28th, and saw 30 respondents.

The Senate saw relatively weak approval ratings across the board, from its tepid overall approval of 43.3% to its handling of issues. Besides the treaties that have been brought before the Senate by the Executive, the Senate does not receive majority satisfaction on its work on any of the issues before it this term. Speaker Lloenflys and Senator Gorundu have standout satisfaction ratings of 90% and 83.3% respectively, but the overall picture this poll paints is of a Senate rated mediocre.

Overall Satisfaction: 43.3% Satisfied


The current Senate has a satisfaction rating of 43.3%, which is slightly higher than the previous Senate’s midterm rating of 38.5%. Still, it is a historically low number, and 0 respondents answered that they were “very satisfied” with the Senate’s work. Multiple comments on this question noted the Senate’s low level of activity and slow work output, which we will see as a running theme as we move through the Senators’ individual ratings and the rest of the poll. Notably, the Senate doesn’t have a very high rate of dissatisfaction, with as much as 43.3% describing themselves as “neutral” on the term thus far.

Some senators seem engaged. The others, not so much.

Little is happening.

The term has not been a disaster, but it has been slow. The Speaker has had to drive activity, or try to, on most issues by frequently restating what is up for discussion and requesting discussion, votes, and calls for motions.

It's kind of in limbo. Most Senators aren't particularly active, just look, but the few who are are slowing moving things ahead.

There have been great senators and underperforming senators, and on average I'd say I'm neutral

Lots of stuff getting done, huge difference from last term

Speaker Lloenflys: 90% Satisfied


Speaker Lloenflys saw an extraordinarily high rate of approval, perhaps not a surprise given his consistently quality output in his multiple terms as Speaker. This rating suggests that even if people are neutral or negative on the Senate’s output overall, they are not pinning blame for that output on the Speaker. Lloenflys posts the highest rating of any Senator at the midterm.

Doing the best he can.

Could drive activity a little harder.

Umm ... I abstain on rating myself but wanted to vote on the poll so ... uh ... hi, this is Lloen, I voted Neutral.

Everything you can expect from Lloen and more!

Leads the Senate well but not a big fan of some of his ideas and policies

Senator Gem: 13.3% Satisfied


Senator Gem clocks in at the lowest satisfaction rating of any member of the Senate, with only 13.3% satisfied. This poor rating comes after Gem received a similar 13% approval rating in his recent term as Minister of World Assembly Affairs. Even worse for the Senator, 63.4% disapprove of his tenure. Given recent analysis from Monkey’s Musings that shows Gem near the bottom of active Senate posters and the recent recall attempt against the Senator, these ratings might not be a surprise. This poll indicates Gem has work to do to boost his rating, especially if he intends to run for re-election.


Senator McEntire: 66.7% Satisfied


McEntire is the third most popular senator. Despite his high activity, some of his visibility seems to play against him as he receives the greatest number of comments of all senators: 10. Some of the comments praise McEntire for his activity, but the others express dissatisfaction with some of his ideas, particularly the Frontier Act and DEIA oversight which the commenters see as “out of touch”. In general, the public seems divided on whether McEntire’s discussion style is fitting for a senator or overly aggressive, some claiming he has been “pushy” and some praising his “ferociousness and passion”.

Bit pushy with the Frontier Act, and the DEIA oversight, which is okay but it almost feels like McEntire is arguing points from 6 months ago.

I disagree with some of their moves most recently, enough to make me consider my membership of his party, but overall, at least he’s doing something.

Sideshow Bob stepping on political landmines instead of rakes

Good as always.

I have disagreed with a lot of what Senator McEntire has put forward this term, but he has been passionate and active. I voted Satisfied rather than Very Satisfied because I think a couple of his positions have diverged a little too much from what I would want out of a Senator, but its not for lack of trying.

very active and has ideas!

his political decision making and efforts to forcefully push a pro-frontier agenda rub me off the wrong way

I really liked McEntires determination in remaining steadfast regarding the committee at the beginning of the term, and he's been an insightful and energetic senator to say the least. Very satisfied - I'd want any senate to have the ferociousness and passion that McEntire does.

we elected a warrior, we got a warrior

Mcentires obsession with the deia makes him seem out of touch

Senator Cove: 36.7% Satisfied (46.7% Neutral)


Senator Cove receives the largest number of Neutral responses of all senators - in fact a plurality of responses are Neutral. They only received 4 comments, 3 of them expressing in one way or the other that Cove has not been visible enough for their liking. The other comment also indicates a neutral stance and dissatisfaction with activity but praises Cove for being a “strong commenter” when they are active. It is worth noting that Cove took a leave of absence during this term, which partly explains the impression that they have not been active.

Not invisible, but faded on a white wall.

I have voted Neutral - Cove is a strong commenter when active but activity seems to be in bursts.

not particularly inspiring

Who?

Senator Gorundu: 83.3% Satisfied


Senator Gorundu is the second-most popular senator after Speaker Lloenflys, and posts the highest number of “very satisfied” respondents of anyone in this poll. As reflected in the overwhelmingly positive comments, respondents are satisfied with his “solid” posts in the Senate with “a lot of evidence backing him”. Gorundu is also praised for being active and “sticking to his own perspective” despite being a first-time senator.

Gorundu has been a regular contributor and typically provides solid commentary/questions. I am Satisfied with the Senators performance.

Gorundu has intelligent comments and sticks by their own perspective and opinion.

Very active and raises the right questions. Glad to see him getting involved in Europeia.

awesome for a first-time senator
Top marks for Gorundu, he does his research and argues his points clearly with a lot of evidence backing him, fantastic work

Senator Pichtonia: 53.4% Satisfied


Senator Pichtonia barely has a majority satisfied with his performance and has the second-highest number of dissatisfied respondents after Gem. This rather low approval rating seems to be caused by Pichtonia’s inactivity, especially compared to his previous Senate terms. Another topic of discussion in the comments was the intelligence committee which he is Chair of, one comment suggesting there is behind-the-scenes work happening there and another saying “we haven’t seen or heard anything from the committee”.

I'd put a dissatisfied but he seems to be working behind the scenes in the intelligence committee which somewhat compensates for the otherwise lacklustre term

Not very active.

his presence is much less felt in this senate compared to what I usually expect

Dissatisfied - we haven't seen or heard anything from the committee which was the cause of so much early controversy. Also, Pichto has not been especially active on the floor.

Senate By-election

Who the People want to see run for Senate other than the candidates


current field is fine

Pland Adanna, Andusre

Aexnidaral, Prim, UPC, Hezekon, Andy

Dark Kura Aex HEM Lime Andy

Seva, Pland Adanna, GraVandius, UPC

Pland, Drecq, JayDee, Hez

Lime, Ist, Sky

Xecrio

Respondents were asked who they would like to see in the Senate other than the current candidates - however, the question did not specify whether people wanted to see these candidates run in this by-election or in the general election. Former substitute Andusre is the most popular choice along with Minister of World Assembly Affairs and former senator Pland Adanna with 3 people naming each of them. Furthermore, UPC, Lime, Hezekon, and Aexnidaral, all former senators, were mentioned twice each.


Choice whether to run for Senate


8 people who took the poll were considering running for Senate and 20 were not. However, this figure is not particularly informative, especially since standing for the by-election has already closed and the question did not specify whether the respondents were considering running in this election or in the general election.

Regarding running in the upcoming Senate election


This question, asking people for reasons why they are not running for Senate, was a little more informative. The responses suggest that the main reason not to run was that the person “won’t be active enough this term”, supporting the hypothesis that the region is having some activity issues across the board. The second-most popular reason not to run was the belief that the person was not capable of winning the election, which is understandable given there are 5 candidates already running for Senate.

Voting Intention in the By-election


Peeps appears as the frontrunner with 56.7% of respondents intending to vote for him, while Gaudosia and JayDee are battling for a place in the likely runoff. However, the poll was open for around 24 hours before Izzy’s platform was released, so that platform may have convinced some people to vote for him since they took the poll. Another blow to the poll’s predictive ability was the fact that no “undecided” option was included in it, as some people who took it may have switched their vote in the meantime. Peeps’ gameside ideas may be the main reason people intended to vote for him, which is reflected in one comment. Another prevalent notion is that this field is strong, and there is a wish to see all of the current candidates run in the general election.

Wish there was this much engagement during the general election

Awaiting Izzy’s platform, but very happy to see some gameside ideas from Peeps.

My guess is that it's a run off between JayDee and Peeps

Hope izzy gets his platform out on time.

Good to see a good, strong field. I hope all of them choose to run in the General.

I'm still undecided but I picked my currently favored candidate


The Senate on the Issues

In the second section of this poll, respondents were asked about their approval or disapproval of the Senate's handling of various issues and legislation. The result was a mixed picture - most legislation had a lot of respondents rating it neutral or even being dissatisfied, and neither activity, nor external communication, nor executive oversight left a majority of respondents satisfied. However, there was broad satisfaction with the handling of the treaty with the Social Liberal Union and the repeal of the Treaty of Quilor with Kantrias.

Multiple commenters, throughout the poll and in the section on particular issues, noted that things could be moving faster. Activity and productivity have been criticisms of the Senate this term, both overall and with specific members.

On the Senate’s Level of Activity this Term


A plurality, but not a majority, approve of the Senate’s level of activity this term. Notably, almost as many are dissatisfied/very dissatisfied as are satisfied: 43.3% to 46.7% respectively. No respondents are very satisfied with the Senate’s level of activity. This satisfaction rating closely mirrors the overall satisfaction of the Senate, although the level of dissatisfaction is much higher, suggesting that activity may be a factor dragging this Senate down.

On the Senate’s Level of External Communication this Term


Again, the Senate sports a low satisfaction rating, this time on its level of external communication. A bare plurality, 43.3%, are satisfied with how much the Senate is communicating to the public. 23.3% disapprove, which is at least lower than the dissatisfaction over activity or other issues.

On the Senate’s Handling of Executive Oversight


Even fewer approve of the Senate’s handling of executive oversight; just 36.7% are satisfied with the way it’s been conducted this term. It is unclear whether this low level of approval springs from a feeling of too much or too little oversight, and the comments on this question are mixed. The plurality of respondents actually answered “neutral” on this question, which is reflective of the region’s mixed conversation on Senate oversight as a whole.

Sometimes it's okay to just not do oversight.

Felt like the thrust and parry routine we normally see hasn’t been used as much when it’s clear certain Ministries (Interior, WA) were failing to clear the bar.

Get on with it

Chill out

Lloen's questions in confirmations are a good idea!

Neutral - still watching how the confirmation hearings play out

On the Senate’s Handling of the Remand Amendment


43.3% are satisfied with the Senate’s handling of the Remand Amendment (2022), a bill that dealt with the Attorney General’s power to remove a citizen from Europeian communication platforms preceding a trial. This is one of two bills that this Senate has sent to the President’s desk this term. This question saw the highest number of respondents who said that they didn’t know enough to form an opinion, at 23.3%.

No comments

On the Senate’s Handling of Resolution 008: Senate Intelligence Committee for the 84th Senate


This was the only question in this poll where the plurality - in this case a small plurality of 33.3% - indicated that they were “very unsatisfied” with the Senate’s work. An additional 10% were unsatisfied, and another 33.3% were either satisfied or very satisfied. A number of commenters felt that the debate over Resolution 008 was needlessly dragged on, and that the committee itself “can’t accomplish anything substantive.” Again, it was unclear whether the high level of dissatisfaction was with the process itself or with the outcome, and commenters were split.

What should have been a very straightforward process ended up getting dragged on for what felt like no reason. I appreciate wanting to get a bulldog on the committee, but it seemed pointless to haggle.

This whole process is unwieldy and bizarre.

The committee should be disbanded, it can't accomplish anything substantive.

Petty arguments from one Senator, McEntire, was a horrible way to start the term and set a bad precedent for the rest of his term.

Unsatisfied at the start, but had to say that I am satisfied for the later part.

Waste of time

On the Senate’s Handling of the Frontier Act


The Senate’s handling of the Frontier Act, introduced by Senator McEntire, receives a net approval rating of a little less than 0, with a plurality Neutral, suggesting that the region is divided on the Act just like it is divided on whether Europeia should become a Frontier or a Stronghold. However, the main qualm with the Act expressed in the 10 mostly negative comments was not that it supports the Frontier viewpoint but that it is too early to discuss this issue as the update is very far from happening right now.

good thing it was brought up but also good thing it's not getting much support

Other than his agenda, I'm confused why this act was brought up by McEntire. the F/S update clearly remains far away and important factors are still undetermined, so voting on something now with the region's near 50/50 split on this issue seems odd

I need to see the end result. It should be tabled. If they pass it, I will be Very Unsatisfied.

Is it too early to talk about it? Too early to tell.

Let's not.

The act itself is not a good starting point but we need to start thinking about how to place the region in a position to make the best decision for FS even if that update is far away. Improvements to gameside infrastructure can happen well before FS - indeed they should

No need for this.

I’d like it to feel a bit more methodical than “this has to be accomplished right now.” I agree we want to make sure we’re prepared, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of making sure everything’s going to work with relatively few kinks either way.

On the Senate’s Handling of the Region Administration Amendment


The Senate has anaemic approval - approximately 40% - for its handling of the Region Administration Amendment, a holdover from last term. A near-majority of 46.7% are either neutral on the issue or didn’t know enough to take a stance, indicating a low level of engagement on this issue from the public.

Glad we’re finally handling this.

the last Senate did more for it

Has been dragging way too long.

On the Senate’s Handling of the Criminal Code Clarification Amendment


The satisfaction for the handling of the Criminal Code Clarification Amendment is similar to that of the Region Administration Amendment. A couple of commenters noted that they felt the process needed to move forward, although another indicated that they “like the depth of this discussion!” This is another holdover bill from the previous term, and has seen slow and steady progress this term.

This needs to move forward

I like the depth of this discussion!

Dragging, too, but is way better handled than the Region Admin Amendment

On the Senate’s Handling of the Repeal of the Treaty of Quilor


The Senate received high marks on its repeal of the Treaty of Quilor with our former ally Kantrias. This repeal did not see much discussion, mostly resignation from the senators as it was clear that the relationship with Kantrias had frayed to this point.

Always sad to see a partner go, but glad that this was handled with tact.

On the Senate’s Handling of the Treaty of Biscuitopolis: 86.7% Satisfied


The Senate received high marks for their handling of the Treaty of Biscuitopolis with the Social Liberal Union, which was ratified unanimously. The only comment indicates that the treaty was a surprise, which was also reflected in the Grand Hall thread on the treaty created by Monkey, but also notes that the treaty has been a success so far.

I’m a bit torn. I’m a resident state of the SLU. I like their community. It’s just not a relationship I would have foreseen. Glad it’s working out but an example of a big swing that’s seemed to pay off.
 
I know there's no way to really poll for this, but with numbers like these, I wonder how much people are actually following the Senate, versus just basing their opinion off the Grand Hall/eurochat discussions of activity. Especially since we saw so much confusion over what the Senate has done, who's voted on what, etc in the last week.

That being said, I do think this Senate has its fair share of issues, I'm just unsure if this poll correctly captures them.

Thanks for this data, though, I think there's a lot of things to parse through.
 
Interesting set of data. There seem to be a lot of "neutral" responses to many of the questions, which may support what Calvin said, that people might be basing a lot of their answers based on Grand Hall/Discord discussions rather than watching the Senate floor itself.

Nice write up and good analysis from everyone involved! I think the comments for Gem are missing from the write up however.
 
I think the comments for Gem are missing from the write up however.
whoops I'll fix that
I know there's no way to really poll for this, but with numbers like these, I wonder how much people are actually following the Senate, versus just basing their opinion off the Grand Hall/eurochat discussions of activity. Especially since we saw so much confusion over what the Senate has done, who's voted on what, etc in the last week.

That being said, I do think this Senate has its fair share of issues, I'm just unsure if this poll correctly captures them.
yeah definitely agreed! I guess we could include a question "have you been closely following the Senate" or "how often do you check the Senate floor" and then maybe compare responses of those who have been following it and those who haven't. Or maybe bring back Don't Know to separate people Neutral (basically 0 net approval) from those that just have no idea what's going on. Maybe both at the same time
 
I know there's no way to really poll for this, but with numbers like these, I wonder how much people are actually following the Senate, versus just basing their opinion off the Grand Hall/eurochat discussions of activity. Especially since we saw so much confusion over what the Senate has done, who's voted on what, etc in the last week.
I’m curious which ones you think are particularly out of place.
 
I know there's no way to really poll for this, but with numbers like these, I wonder how much people are actually following the Senate, versus just basing their opinion off the Grand Hall/eurochat discussions of activity. Especially since we saw so much confusion over what the Senate has done, who's voted on what, etc in the last week.
I’m curious which ones you think are particularly out of place.
I'm not sure any are out of place, it's just a lot of neutrals across the board.
 
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These were very interesting results. On one hand, lots of dissatisfaction; on the other, I get the vibe that people don't really care as much as you'd think they would.
 
I'm not sure any are out of place, it's just a lot of neutrals across the board.
I think the questions on specific legislation are difficult to answer, especially when it comes to discussions that are still in progress. Personally I was a bit stumped by these questions because I’m not quite sure what counts as being satisfied - if the discussion or the bill has elements I like and elements I don’t like, should I be neutral? If the discussion is slow, should I be dissatisfied, or could that be more of an activity issue? And if you’re just indifferent about a bill, how should you vote?

The other questions with a lot of neutral responses include oversight, which as the article explained is probably reflective of the region’s divided attitude. The overall approval rating is probably reflective of the large disparity in individual Senator approval ratings, so some might feel it’s unfair to be dissatisfied when there are some Senators doing good work.
 
I've always been a fan of putting 'do not know' into every satisfaction poll because the absence of this option especially ends up hurting ministers/ministries where respondents haven't kept themselves updated, but are forced to give a rating. Even with the Senate, when you have new members, it's a similar effect where you have clueless respondents giving a relatively arbitrary rating.

Though it has some flaws, I really appreciated the 'Senate on the Issues' section!
 
So, I'm definitely not going to complain about a 66% approval rating, and I completely understand that taking some strong policy stances is going to rub some slice of the electorate the wrong way, but I do want to defend my record a bit/say one thing about the Senate in general.
his political decision making and efforts to forcefully push a pro-frontier agenda rub me off the wrong way
So, the general thrust of several comments on my approval, typified by the one I've quoted about, is something to the effect of me being pushy or overly aggressive. Here's the thing about that. As a legislator, it is my job to represent my own point of view and use the legislative process to advance what I see as best for the region. Whether that's by commenting on/shaping other legislative proposals, putting up my own proposals, or conducting oversight, it's my job to make a real attempt to shape the output of the Senate.

In the case of something like the Senate Intelligence Committee issue earlier this term, if I was younger in my career I probably would've just folded early on in that process. But at this point with my experiences, I will push the issue through legitimate legislative means to see if I can get to a better outcome. For instance, when Kazaman comes into the Senate to represent the EIA, he doesn't give an inch on his own boundaries in terms of what he will say and share, because he is protecting the boundaries and the prerogative of the EIA. In the same way, I am not going to back down, I am going to keep finding different avenues to affect change. That's my prerogative as a Senator, and if I'm not violating Senate decorum, I should use every tool in the toolbox.

Former Speaker OD brought something similar up last term, about how he felt criticized for being too "aggressive" or brash with his FOIA proposal, among other things. I think we, as a region, see any kind of legislative maneuvering as needlessly disruptive, and we are maybe a bit too critical. Sometimes proposing a bill, or an amendment, or making a motion, or refusing to consent to a process moving forward, is just a Senator exercising their legitimate legislative power, and we shouldn't penalize people for not backing down.

I think that's part of the reason that people don't run for the Senate, because the high degree of scrutiny can be intimidating. It is true that, as the saying goes, if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. And I am happy to take any heat that comes my way from standing strong in my positions. I just think we benefit from a diversity of opinions in the Senate, and we shouldn't punish people for pushing strongly for alternative viewpoints, or we won't get that diversity of opinions.
 
Former Speaker OD brought something similar up last term, about how he felt criticized for being too "aggressive" or brash with his FOIA proposal, among other things. I think we, as a region, see any kind of legislative maneuvering as needlessly disruptive, and we are maybe a bit too critical. Sometimes proposing a bill, or an amendment, or making a motion, or refusing to consent to a process moving forward, is just a Senator exercising their legitimate legislative power, and we shouldn't penalize people for not backing down.
Gonna piggy-back off this, and say that I feel in general that our community sometimes reads political maneuvering and more direct comments (which are necessary sometimes!) as disruptive or otherwise problematic. I know I'm walking that dangerous line with a comment like this between "being critical in my observations" and "people today are too soft!" (which is a conservative dog-whistle imo), but there are times that we'll label certain comments or behavior as "aggressive" or "harsh" when they really aren't either of those things.

Another recent example I can think of is when Mal was critical of his Senate colleagues over legal interpretation - or rather, what he felt was their misinterpretation of the law - and a poll comment called his comment "elitist." Which, in and of itself, is fine as an opinion. I don't agree with that reading, but okay. A radio show covering these results then labeled that comment calling Mal elitist as "harsh" and made it sound like it was such an out-of-turn and inappropriate phrase, and I'm listening going..."What? How on earth is that harsh?"

I guess my point is that I don't want us to return to the toxic days of 2011, or Solorni's open public comments that were always close to baiting (myself and others), or the private comments I used to hear from Anumia, Kraketopia, Mouse, Trinnien, etc. that felt beyond-the-pale, but I feel like we're more prone to over-correcting in the other direction as of late (at least in public. I've read some private comments leaked from other Euro-adjacent servers in the last half a year or so that *are* harsh and beyond-the-pale but were never leaked publicly to spare everyone the giant headache).

My two cents, at least.
 
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