On March 13th, the EBC held a panel on the IRC to discuss the upcoming Senate election (March 18th), the race leading up to it, and how a Senate should function. For this article, I will be summarizing what each person said in regards to each question, but if comments overlap, I may not include them, so this doesn’t go on forever. This is essentially paraphrasing in an attempt to help the reader. When appropriate,I will also add some notes of my own, and will clearly indicate when those notes are made. Note: just because a panel member is present does not they commented on every question, or that their answer will be included, due to the reasons I included above.
Question 1: Is there anyone else we expect to see run?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Seymour: The only ones I could think of would be Sloosh and Marnip.
Mouse: I’d like for Moronist Decisions to run, but I have a feeling he won’t. I expect somebody else to run, though between now and the election. I think some big names that are not running would be Drecq and Malashaan, and that’s kind of surprising.
Writinglegend: I likely will not be running because I believe we have a good crop of current candidates.
Question 2: Will legal discussion suffer without Drecq and Malashaan?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: I would think if the discussion does suffer we can lean on the honored citizens like Drecq or Malashaan to contribute, since they have speaking rights in the Senate.
Seymour: Drecq and Mal have created some schools of thought in Europeia, so even if they don’t participate in the discussions themselves, I think their presences will be felt.
Question 3: What obstacles does the next Senate have to overcome? Many have stated that individuals need more legal experience in order to be valuable Senators in today's Europeian poltics. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: I think that activity is the most important thing, and that’s really the best way to gain more legal experience. I wonder if this term’s activity problem was just a lot of Senators not wishing to risk looking foolish, since they felt out of their depth.
Seymour: Mouse is right. You don’t have to be a legal scholar, just get involved, and the rest should come from there. Read, learn, and ask questions.
Question 4: Do you believe it makes it harder for newer members to enter the Senate?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Seymour:] I know that Sopo mentioned feeling outclassed when discussing the Judicature Act, and he’s very experienced, so I could see someone newer than him feeling that way.
Mouse: To be fair, we know Sopo doesn’t have as much time to commit to Europeia as some other members, and that lack of being able to get involved to the extent that he used to be able to may have contributed to his feeling.
Seymour: True, but I can see people feeling the same way. That being said, you’ll never understand if you don’t try. People should really ask people like Drecq or Mal if they have questions, as I have done, because I have found them extremely helpful.
Mouse: Absolutely, I’ve asked them many legal questions over the years, and they’ve always helped me out.
Question 5: What do you believe is the most important topic in this election?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Writinglegend: Law reforms. Noto has brought up a great point in his platform, and it will allow us to tackle everything else important brought up in this election.
Mouse: In addition to that, it’ll help with activity to have so many topics to discuss.
Seymour: If nothing else, it’ll be easier to tell who is falling behind in terms of activity.
Question 6: Do you believe the Senate would need good leadership if it plans to delve into total law reforms? Would Senate management and organization need to be more tightly kept?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Mouse: I would hope all elected Senators would be considered “good leaders”, but to classify the Senate as leaders and followers seems overly simplistic.
Seymour: Yeah, a good Senate should probably be a group effort, especially for something like the Law Reforms, such a big project. A good leader in the Senate should probably just give the other Senators the resources they need to succeed. Gentle poke, and make sure everyone knows the agenda.
Mouse: Of course, each person needs different pokes, so the leader would have to know what works for each person, and act accordingly.
Question 7: Do you believe that relationships play a part in Senate elections?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: People vote for their friends, but that’s not unexpected, nor unreasonable.
Seymour: Yes, that does seem to be the case. People vote for the people they like, the people who are liked by their friends, etc.
Kaz: I try not to vote for my friends for that reason.
Mouse: I also try to vote based on something more than friendship.
Question 8: Do you believe it hurts Euro when people vote for friends and not for platforms and ideas?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: I’m a firm believer in “no platform, no vote” and that sometimes mean my friends don’t get my vote.
Seymour: I think that building good relationships is part of politics, so I don’t think this hurts the region in any real way.
Kaz: In a region like Europeia, this essentially boils down to people voting for who they are familiar with: newer players vote for the established players because they are established. That’s not really unique to us, but it’s an important trend to notice.
Mouse: I would hope that a region like ours, one that prides itself on being a “serious political region” would focus more on the issues. When we start saying that vote on personalities, I get reminded a little too much of #vote4u, and the potential for shady dealings. It’s a fine line between voting for your friend, and voting because you might get something out of it.
Seymour: When I'm looking at a candidate before I vote for them I think: where do they stand on issues (platform?), can I see them being X Office (personality?), do I think they'd do a good job in X Office (relationships?) All things being equal if say two candidates ran on similar issues, similar platform, at some point it does boil down to a personal relationship.
Mouse: Not always. I have plenty of friends in the region that I don’t think would be good Senators, so I don’t vote for them.
WL: I feel if people vote based on personal relationships, we end up in a position where elections boil down to how many friends can have in the Senate/Goldenblock/CA Chair, and that can be harmful to the region.
Seymour: Right, there are many facets to consider here, and personality is clearly not the only one.
[Editor’s Note] This discussion carried on for a while, and got rather heated. I recommend reading the question’s transcript in its entirety (page 5-7)]
Question 9: The EBC addressed this in an earlier poll, and it seemed to help Kaboom last election. Do you believe the ACE endorsement will impact this election?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Seymour: I don’t think ACE’s endorsements will matter if this election is a blowout, only if it’s close.
Kaz: I’m not sure how influential ACE is, but it doesn’t seem as influential as parties from 2008-2011 (like the NCP).
Question 10: I know this is entirely speculative, but do you believe that, from the current candidates, are there any shoo ins?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Mouse: Probably Seymour, unless there’s a lot of backlash from the previous term, but the polling suggests that this isn’t the case.
Kaz: I don’t know if anybody’s a lock, but most of the people running have a good shot, given the ratio of candidates to seats.
Seymour: Kaz, Noto, shuf, and PASD probably have a good shot.
Question 11: Do you believe previous inactivity hurts chances for reelection later on?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Shuf: To me it depends on how long ago the inactivity happened. If people know that it is dealt with by now, it shouldn’t matter.
Seymour: This region has a long history of electing people who always say they will not go inactive, but always seem to end up doing it anyway, such as CSP and McEntire.
Sopo: I think inactivity can really only happen so many times before it becomes too much.
Mouse: It also depends on the circumstances surrounding your inactivity, too. If you become busy in real life and resign, that’s one thing, but if you just fade off halfway through the term, it’s tougher to recover from that.
Sopo: Right. Just look at JGlenn, he faded away, and nobody even noticed because he was so inactive to begin with, and if he runs for anything else soon, he’s going to have a very tough time.
Question 12: Speaking of reputations, does a good or bad term as a Senator make or break some newer members? Does it demonstrate to Euro whether they can handle elected office?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Shuf: It’s not the ineffectiveness that matters, it’s how they handle the aftermath.
Mouse: I know I haven’t run for Senate because I don’t feel I have the proper skills to handle the position, but I don’t think a poor performance in the Senate would preclude you from a run for the Goldenblock, or the Cabinet, though.
Sopo: Look at GraV, for instance. If he does something meaningful after this term in the Senate, I think he’ll be fine later down the road, but if he just drifts, the memory of this term will linger, and that’s bad for his long-term prospects.
Question 13: Do you believe the Senate can be a stepping block for individuals interested in the Goldenblock?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Mouse: I think they’re pretty different skill sets, personally. I’d really prefer some Cabinet experience in a presidential candidate, rather than someone who was just a Senator.
Sopo: Speaker might be something, but unless you have more to offer, there’s lot a lot that would carry over to the Presidency.
Mouse: The emphasis placed on a presidential candidate’s qualifications really vary based on what the region needs at election time.
Sopo: I agree. Right now, we expect a lot of FA experience in our presidents, but that was not always the case.
Kaz: Traditionally in NS, the interior ministries like Interior or Culture are less prestigious, but I think our region does a pretty good job of giving those roles the respect they deserve.
Question 14: Do you believe this Senate will be expected to have a good term because the last term was a bit lackluster? Are their higher expectations?
?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Mouse: The new Senate would certainly look better than the old one by comparison.
Seymour: This last Senate was so lackluster, the next Senate just needs to have all six members breathing and they’ll be better off.
Question 15: Who, out of the current candidates, would you feel most prepared to be Speaker (assuming everyone gets elected)?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Sopo: Since there’s no Drecq, probably Aex.
Shuf: I’m thinking Aex, too.
Sopo: Possibly Noto, but his disposition might not be well suited to the job.
Mouse: Maybe the next Senate needs a brash leader after last term, though?
Sopo: Kaz could do it as well, but I’m not sure if his lack of recent activity would hinder him.
Kaz: Since I've been mentioned re: speakership, I'll comment briefly. Being speaker requires activity, lots of experience as a legislator, and knowledge of procedure. It doesn't require up-to-date knowledge on current affairs, military gameplay, etc.
Seymour: I am also just focusing on getting re-elected, since I’ve been mentioned. I will be willing to serve if nominated, but it’s not my main focus right now.
Marnip: Well, I thank you all for participating and good luck to all of the candidates!
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Seymour: The only ones I could think of would be Sloosh and Marnip.
Mouse: I’d like for Moronist Decisions to run, but I have a feeling he won’t. I expect somebody else to run, though between now and the election. I think some big names that are not running would be Drecq and Malashaan, and that’s kind of surprising.
Writinglegend: I likely will not be running because I believe we have a good crop of current candidates.
Question 2: Will legal discussion suffer without Drecq and Malashaan?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: I would think if the discussion does suffer we can lean on the honored citizens like Drecq or Malashaan to contribute, since they have speaking rights in the Senate.
Seymour: Drecq and Mal have created some schools of thought in Europeia, so even if they don’t participate in the discussions themselves, I think their presences will be felt.
Question 3: What obstacles does the next Senate have to overcome? Many have stated that individuals need more legal experience in order to be valuable Senators in today's Europeian poltics. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: I think that activity is the most important thing, and that’s really the best way to gain more legal experience. I wonder if this term’s activity problem was just a lot of Senators not wishing to risk looking foolish, since they felt out of their depth.
Seymour: Mouse is right. You don’t have to be a legal scholar, just get involved, and the rest should come from there. Read, learn, and ask questions.
Question 4: Do you believe it makes it harder for newer members to enter the Senate?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Seymour:] I know that Sopo mentioned feeling outclassed when discussing the Judicature Act, and he’s very experienced, so I could see someone newer than him feeling that way.
Mouse: To be fair, we know Sopo doesn’t have as much time to commit to Europeia as some other members, and that lack of being able to get involved to the extent that he used to be able to may have contributed to his feeling.
Seymour: True, but I can see people feeling the same way. That being said, you’ll never understand if you don’t try. People should really ask people like Drecq or Mal if they have questions, as I have done, because I have found them extremely helpful.
Mouse: Absolutely, I’ve asked them many legal questions over the years, and they’ve always helped me out.
Question 5: What do you believe is the most important topic in this election?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Writinglegend: Law reforms. Noto has brought up a great point in his platform, and it will allow us to tackle everything else important brought up in this election.
Mouse: In addition to that, it’ll help with activity to have so many topics to discuss.
Seymour: If nothing else, it’ll be easier to tell who is falling behind in terms of activity.
Question 6: Do you believe the Senate would need good leadership if it plans to delve into total law reforms? Would Senate management and organization need to be more tightly kept?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend
Mouse: I would hope all elected Senators would be considered “good leaders”, but to classify the Senate as leaders and followers seems overly simplistic.
Seymour: Yeah, a good Senate should probably be a group effort, especially for something like the Law Reforms, such a big project. A good leader in the Senate should probably just give the other Senators the resources they need to succeed. Gentle poke, and make sure everyone knows the agenda.
Mouse: Of course, each person needs different pokes, so the leader would have to know what works for each person, and act accordingly.
Question 7: Do you believe that relationships play a part in Senate elections?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: People vote for their friends, but that’s not unexpected, nor unreasonable.
Seymour: Yes, that does seem to be the case. People vote for the people they like, the people who are liked by their friends, etc.
Kaz: I try not to vote for my friends for that reason.
Mouse: I also try to vote based on something more than friendship.
Question 8: Do you believe it hurts Euro when people vote for friends and not for platforms and ideas?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Mouse: I’m a firm believer in “no platform, no vote” and that sometimes mean my friends don’t get my vote.
Seymour: I think that building good relationships is part of politics, so I don’t think this hurts the region in any real way.
Kaz: In a region like Europeia, this essentially boils down to people voting for who they are familiar with: newer players vote for the established players because they are established. That’s not really unique to us, but it’s an important trend to notice.
Mouse: I would hope that a region like ours, one that prides itself on being a “serious political region” would focus more on the issues. When we start saying that vote on personalities, I get reminded a little too much of #vote4u, and the potential for shady dealings. It’s a fine line between voting for your friend, and voting because you might get something out of it.
Seymour: When I'm looking at a candidate before I vote for them I think: where do they stand on issues (platform?), can I see them being X Office (personality?), do I think they'd do a good job in X Office (relationships?) All things being equal if say two candidates ran on similar issues, similar platform, at some point it does boil down to a personal relationship.
Mouse: Not always. I have plenty of friends in the region that I don’t think would be good Senators, so I don’t vote for them.
WL: I feel if people vote based on personal relationships, we end up in a position where elections boil down to how many friends can have in the Senate/Goldenblock/CA Chair, and that can be harmful to the region.
Seymour: Right, there are many facets to consider here, and personality is clearly not the only one.
[Editor’s Note] This discussion carried on for a while, and got rather heated. I recommend reading the question’s transcript in its entirety (page 5-7)]
Question 9: The EBC addressed this in an earlier poll, and it seemed to help Kaboom last election. Do you believe the ACE endorsement will impact this election?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman
Seymour: I don’t think ACE’s endorsements will matter if this election is a blowout, only if it’s close.
Kaz: I’m not sure how influential ACE is, but it doesn’t seem as influential as parties from 2008-2011 (like the NCP).
Question 10: I know this is entirely speculative, but do you believe that, from the current candidates, are there any shoo ins?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Mouse: Probably Seymour, unless there’s a lot of backlash from the previous term, but the polling suggests that this isn’t the case.
Kaz: I don’t know if anybody’s a lock, but most of the people running have a good shot, given the ratio of candidates to seats.
Seymour: Kaz, Noto, shuf, and PASD probably have a good shot.
Question 11: Do you believe previous inactivity hurts chances for reelection later on?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Shuf: To me it depends on how long ago the inactivity happened. If people know that it is dealt with by now, it shouldn’t matter.
Seymour: This region has a long history of electing people who always say they will not go inactive, but always seem to end up doing it anyway, such as CSP and McEntire.
Sopo: I think inactivity can really only happen so many times before it becomes too much.
Mouse: It also depends on the circumstances surrounding your inactivity, too. If you become busy in real life and resign, that’s one thing, but if you just fade off halfway through the term, it’s tougher to recover from that.
Sopo: Right. Just look at JGlenn, he faded away, and nobody even noticed because he was so inactive to begin with, and if he runs for anything else soon, he’s going to have a very tough time.
Question 12: Speaking of reputations, does a good or bad term as a Senator make or break some newer members? Does it demonstrate to Euro whether they can handle elected office?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Writinglegend, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Shuf: It’s not the ineffectiveness that matters, it’s how they handle the aftermath.
Mouse: I know I haven’t run for Senate because I don’t feel I have the proper skills to handle the position, but I don’t think a poor performance in the Senate would preclude you from a run for the Goldenblock, or the Cabinet, though.
Sopo: Look at GraV, for instance. If he does something meaningful after this term in the Senate, I think he’ll be fine later down the road, but if he just drifts, the memory of this term will linger, and that’s bad for his long-term prospects.
Question 13: Do you believe the Senate can be a stepping block for individuals interested in the Goldenblock?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Mouse: I think they’re pretty different skill sets, personally. I’d really prefer some Cabinet experience in a presidential candidate, rather than someone who was just a Senator.
Sopo: Speaker might be something, but unless you have more to offer, there’s lot a lot that would carry over to the Presidency.
Mouse: The emphasis placed on a presidential candidate’s qualifications really vary based on what the region needs at election time.
Sopo: I agree. Right now, we expect a lot of FA experience in our presidents, but that was not always the case.
Kaz: Traditionally in NS, the interior ministries like Interior or Culture are less prestigious, but I think our region does a pretty good job of giving those roles the respect they deserve.
Question 14: Do you believe this Senate will be expected to have a good term because the last term was a bit lackluster? Are their higher expectations?
?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Mouse: The new Senate would certainly look better than the old one by comparison.
Seymour: This last Senate was so lackluster, the next Senate just needs to have all six members breathing and they’ll be better off.
Question 15: Who, out of the current candidates, would you feel most prepared to be Speaker (assuming everyone gets elected)?
Panel Members Present: Marnip (moderator) Mousebumples, Aexnidaral Seymour, Kazaman, shufordbrian, Sopo
Sopo: Since there’s no Drecq, probably Aex.
Shuf: I’m thinking Aex, too.
Sopo: Possibly Noto, but his disposition might not be well suited to the job.
Mouse: Maybe the next Senate needs a brash leader after last term, though?
Sopo: Kaz could do it as well, but I’m not sure if his lack of recent activity would hinder him.
Kaz: Since I've been mentioned re: speakership, I'll comment briefly. Being speaker requires activity, lots of experience as a legislator, and knowledge of procedure. It doesn't require up-to-date knowledge on current affairs, military gameplay, etc.
Seymour: I am also just focusing on getting re-elected, since I’ve been mentioned. I will be willing to serve if nominated, but it’s not my main focus right now.
Marnip: Well, I thank you all for participating and good luck to all of the candidates!
