First Minister Debate Panel with CSP and Pichtonia

Calvin Coolidge

Spellcaster
Forum Administrator
Honoured Citizen
Citizen
Today the First Minister debate took place on Discord between all three of the candidates, moderated by me. Soon after it concluded, I reached out former President CSP as well as former First Minister and current Vice Chief of State Pichtonia, who had watched the debate live to hear their takes on what had transpired. Together, we graded each candidate from 1-5 on each question, skipping over the opening and closing statements. This has been edited lightly for clarity.

Calvin Coolidge

Okay, Q1 was on managerial experience. I thought cookies comes into this at a big disadvantage, having never run anything in Europeia before. Her answer really just revealed that this will be a weak spot for her, and didn't wow me. 2/5. Nate then gives a vague answer about his time as MinComm with no specifics. 3/5. Maowi gives a much better answer showing specifics of how she would involve her deputies, and points to training Istillian to take over Comms after her. 4/5.


CSP

This was perhaps the most important question asked in the entirety of the debate, if we're talking about finding out who actually has the skill set to govern. Being a leader in this community is far more than knowing the right answer or being willing to work hard yourself. It's about building a team, getting them to buy in to your vision, providing them with what they require to succeed, and of course holding them accountable.

Xecrio starts his answer in a sort of promising way, talking about his experience and the output of his department but doesn't really take his answer in a direction that inspires confidence. He implies that he'll lean on his running mate which, in this particular race, isn't quite as big a misstep as it normally would be. I still wouldn't want to draw attention to Second Minister candidates when mine isn't Sopo. I'll give a 3/5.

I honestly don't think cookies answered the question. Starting with, I have some experience doing this and then losing focus before ending on giving newcomers more responsibility. That may be a good thing to be focused on but it's not an answer to the question that was asked. 2/5. Maowi answers the question directly and cites several examples where their team had been successful while simultaneously alluding to more experience in Cabinet. All that said, the answer still doesn't give us any insight into her particular style of leadership, how she organizes her subordinates. No one hit this question out of the park but I still give her the edge. 3.5/5.


If I get any pronouns wrong, please edit for me. I don't know these peeps.


Calvin Coolidge

cookie and Maowi are female, Xecrio is male


CSP

Thanks!


Pichtonia

Yeah, I think this really was difficult to score on for cookies and it showed a little in the answer. What maybe could have turned this around a bit is a bit more detail on her leadership experiences outside of Europeia and NationStates. It feels like a missed opportunity to throw that in there and then not elaborate on it. I'll also give cookies 2/5. I think Xecrio did better, but only a little. What I liked is his admission that he might ask for help. I feel like that's an important thing to admit to yourself as a leader. Xecrio gets 2.5/5 from me. Maowi has the most experience she can cite, and maybe that's already what makes her answer the best in this round. Her nod to Istillian, who she trained to take over in Comms, rounded it off well. Maowi also gets 3.5/5 from me.


Calvin Coolidge

Next, we dealt with what all three tickets promise to be the premiere Culture event of the term, EuroChoice. This is something that the FM will need to execute well, as there is already a large amount of anticipation for, and the term hasn't even started! cookies again struggles, as she promises only that the event won't have too many categories, so people will not be overwhelmed, without saying what the event will have, or what makes it fun. 2/5. Maowi really dives into the details on this, and it serves her well, go into the nitty gritty of what her EuroChoice would look like. 4/5. Nate almost dodges the question, saying there is no best version of EuroChoice, and honestly leaves me feeling he doesn't quite have a plan for it. 2/5.

CSP

I'm not going to pretend I have super strong feelings about EuroChoice planning but I do think the answers given to this question demonstrate what is, for me, the theme of this race. Maowi is talking about plans and policies, what we want to achieve and some broad strokes blueprints on how we might do that. So far, I just don't see the rest of the field connecting all those dots. They clearly have their hearts in the right place but that's not going to be enough to earn my vote for First Minister. Maybe more on that later. Maowi 3.5/5. Xecrio 2/5. Cookies 2/5.


Pichtonia

I mean, Maowi really knocked it out on this park with this answer, didn't she? Maybe that was my favourite answer of hers of the whole debate, because it really showed (especially in comparison to the other two candidates) that she did her homework. Maowi I'd give a full 5/5. Maybe surprisingly, cookies came next for me. I thought it was a little vague, but I think you can see a base idea and that she's taken an interest in the debate. That'd be 3/5 for me. With Nate, I couldn't even really see a base idea, sadly. I don't think either him or GraV are very involved in Culture, so maybe that's why he fled into a more vague answer, but it left me pretty unsatisfied. I'd give the answer 2/5.


CSP

Integration should be the issue in this election. Cookies follows her pattern here of talking about putting strong systems in place but doesn't lend any context to what those systems look like or how they work. It's sort of a case of doing good without doing well which I think is important to note. 2/5. Xecrio does a little bit better on this one. There are elements of a plan here, though it lacks any unifying philosophy or strategy. He wants to throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Frankly, not the worst integration plan I've heard in my time. 3/5.

Maowi identifies specific areas of prioritization, lays out several action items, and demonstrates an understanding of the context of integration policy from a historical perspective. I'm not convinced that putting priority on the gameside is the way to go but it's clearly the most fleshed out plan of the three. 4/5.


Calvin Coolidge

Moving into integration, cookies is once again first to respond, and gives a solid response, pointing to her discord mentoring plan as a way to introduce newer members to the forum and answer their concerns. cookies also has a really good answer to Maowi's follow-up on a Ministry being understaffed, explaining the only reason it is understaffed is because it hasn't had a reason to grow. 4/5.

Next, Maowi again goes into the details and explains how she intends to integrate newcomers, involving them on the forum and gameside, while specifically dinging Nate's plan. It was really good, 5/5. Finally, Nate sort of punts to GraV, saying that GraV has the experience to get this done, and then doesn't give a lot of details, leaving him open for a pointed question from Maowi. A bad look for Nate, and a weak answer. 2/5


This is clearly gonna be a lot longer process than I thought


CSP

story of our lives


Pichtonia

Even with the holistic stance on Integration that Xecrio and GraV have, I feel like the answer of Xecrio could have been A LOT better. What I would have wished for, with that stance, is an answer that shows the reader he understands how even seemingly tiny projects or activities in Europeia can have an integrative effect. Instead, he wrote mostly about recruitment. Sadly, that only gets him 1/5 from me.

Cookies answered the question, but I didn’t feel like it really made her plan stick out to me, and I would have wished for a bit more. 2/5 Maowi has the most policy and detail once more, and I actually like the focus on Gameside, because I think it’s vital we have a more active RMB if we want to attract new members and have them stick around, maybe to become citizens on the forum later. Ironically, with her own follow-up question for cookies, she only raised the doubt I now have for her ideas: How will you make sure all of that won’t overtax the Ministry? Still, 4/5 from me.


CSP

I'd add that I don't think 'holistic' means what the candidates seem to think it means since that word has come up a lot when discussing this issue.


Calvin Coolidge

What does holistic mean to you?


CSP

I think the candidates are equating treatment of the "whole" instead of different elements (or problems or symptoms) with not having a plan. I think it's sort of a cop out.


Calvin Coolidge

Honestly, there were a lot of cop outs in this debate so far, and the lack of confrontation between them only made it easier to keep letting each other off the hook. Glad this question at least had some sparks.


CSP

They basically agree on executive orders even though Xecrio leaves the door open a little bit. It bears noting that I think they're all wrong. The debate over private balloting appears to have colored newcomers' perception of EOs and their role in Europeian law and executive leadership which is simultaneously understandable and unfortunate. 2.5/5 across the board.


Calvin Coolidge

I agree, I think that all the candidates feel that they have to say they won't use an EO unless they absolutely have to. The problem is, without specifics, that doesn't mean anything, which leads to Nate saying things like the best EO is the one that declares mental health awareness day, which is pretty odd. Not walking away with a clear idea of anybody's philosophy on EOs. Everyone gets a 2.


CSP

The rare occasion when I'm more generous than Calvin!


Calvin Coolidge

I've got skin in this game!


Pichtonia

That's a clever point, CSP. I didn't even see it from that perspective. Humph. I'll go with my initial instict - I don't blame them for their answers in light of the recent controversy, although a candidate who would have seen beyond it would have gotten a great score from me. This way, I'll give Maowi and cookies 2.5 and Xecrio 3/5 because I appreciated that he recognized there can be good use for an EO.


Calvin Coolidge

Talking dispatches now, cookies gives a solid metric to judge the success of a dispatch (15 upvotes) and holds the other candidates accountable to committing to that metric, while also agreeing with Nate that having squad membership be mandatory for Comms is a good thing. 3/5. Maowi discusses how to advertise these dispatches and achieve those 15 upvotes, though does not commit to 15 or any number of upvotes as sufficient, she just wants improvement, which might be a better take, honestly, but it's not all that different from cookies, so 3.5/5. For Nate, this question is personal, as he is currently running Comms, so he admits that he took too long to focus on dispatches this term, but says he has a solid plan to make them matter next term. Kudos for making membership mandatory, but not that different a plan than the others, so also 3.5/5.


CSP

I think it's hard to give an inspiring answer in a debate when you're talking about an extremely specific function of one ministry. In this case, dispatches. Cookies' answer is one-dimensional but it is specific. I don't really know if 15 is a good goal or not, I don't know the context behind arriving at that number or where things have been of late. 2.5/5. Both Xecrio and Maowi are talking about systems, which is what I want to see in a discussion like this. I think Maowi's plan and choice of emphasis are better though. Xecrio 3/5. Maowi 3.5/5.


Pichtonia

Maybe this is personal for me, because in another election I suggested that the Council takes over Dispatches or at least assists with them, but I was disappointed nobody even mentioned that. In the end, all three of them are roughly similar, which doesn't surprise me, because I don't know how much you can even differ here. All three are solid answers: 3/5.



Calvin Coolidge

For getting people involved in radio, cookies gives an answer that is pretty much exactly what radio does now, and hasn't been working. Since they are new, they might not know that, but running with cuddles, the current Minister of Radio, I'm going to say that they should have, and thus bring absolutely nothing new to the discussion, 1/5.

Nate reassures people that they won't be made fun of, and all they need is their phone, before saying there should be resources on radio in dispatches and the forum on what the Ministry is. Again, this is something already covered by the Newcomer's Handbook, and provides no real new ideas, but at least they point to something not front and center. 2/5.

Maowi highlights the fun elements of radio as an entryway for newer people, and points to Sunday Funday, and an expanded collaboration with Culture. By far the best answer, and although I'm not sold that Culture and Radio can inherently work well together, I respect the answer, and appreciate that something new is being tried, 4/5.


CSP

I think having someone with strong comms credentials (and I'm talking about both big 'c' Comms and Radio) as FM is super duper important. I want to start with Maowi's answer because what she does well here is talk about how departments can and must interface with each other in order to be successful. We should do that more often across the board. This is an answer where she had very few specific examples of what her administration would seek to accomplish though so I land on a solid 3/5. The other two answers barely described how Radio functions at minimum capacity. I was really disappointed with these answers, maybe more so than at any other point in the debate (from a policy standpoint). 1/5 for both Xecrio and Cookies.


Pichtonia

Now, I don't think anyone really answered badly here, but none of the answers really satisfied me -- all for different reasons. Cookies suggests, basically, a new thread where citizens can signal interest. What I can't imagine, though, is that folks will find that much easier than just DMing the Minister of Radio? It'd remain to be seen how effective that is, and maybe I'm wrong, but the idea on its own doesn't convince me personally: 2.5/5.

Nate mentions introductory courses, and I think that's actually an idea worth discussing further, but not for the reason that he mentions. Once they've taken the step to sign up, I assume they've already accepted the risk of nervosity, but I do think it'd be interesting insofar as that it "forces" the Minister to look at these new staffers and to work with them. Anyways, his reason didn't overly convince me and otherwise I thought the answer was also pretty standard. 2.5/5 as well.

I agree with Calvin that Maowi's answer was best, but I still wouldn't rate it this enthusiastically. 3.5 because it's the most solid and I think a successful integration into other Ministries could in fact raise interest a bit, but in the end it's not that new of an idea and still a bit too much continuity for me.


Calvin Coolidge

Last question!


I've got our scores all tallied up, so after this one we'll do a round-up of who won, and final thoughts


Pichtonia

Ooooh!


Calvin Coolidge

The final question asked what you would do if a Ministry, despite your best efforts, doesn't have the manpower to meet its goals. Nate rings in first by saying he would host competitions to get more people involved. This, while not a bad idea, completely misses the point of the question. The way he actually addresses the question is by saying the Ministry would get new ideas, without elaborating on what those were, which was the entire question. When pressed by the other candidates, he says he would pull from other Ministries, which is good, but it shouldn't have to be dragged out of him. 2/5.

cookies, meanwhile, gives the answer of pulling from other Ministries right away, and gives an example of how EuroChoice could use radio, which is pretty similar to Maowi's platform, but that doesn't make it a bad answer. 3.5/5. Maowi admits that it is hard to get specific in regards to this question, and instead also opts to be vague, saying different ways a Ministry could attract people, which was not the question. She ends her answer similarly to Nate, saying new ideas would be needed, without giving specifics. 2/5.


CSP

Not one candidate looks at this question and says "if I can't man a ministry to the point that it can perform the basic functions of its portfolio then I either shutter it or reallocate its portfolio to a related but better equipped ministry." I think the lack of an ability or willingness to think outside of the box or reject norms is another predictable but unfortunate theme in this contest to this point and I'd like to see someone buck that before polls open.

That said, the idea conscripting labor from other ministries is, I think, a misguided one. You can call it collaboration if you want but this is a volunteer government. If I sign up to recruit and you tell me I have to participate in naval operations because that's what's needed, I might find another way to spend my time online. Xecrio's answer is better than the other two but his reliance on competition and competitions will need to come with more context if he continues to fall back on it going forward. 3.5/5 for Xecrio. 3/5 for Maowi. 2.5/5 for Cookies.


Pichtonia

For the final question of this debate, Maowi convinced me the most. The other two candidates each had possible aspects of a solution, but I feel like Maowi best grasped the issue overall with her comprehensive answer, maybe because she's been in the position of saving a struggling Ministry herself. 3.5/5 from me. Nate gets 3/5 from me, because in a struggling Ministry, even competitions may not always work or quickly lose steam, so I probably wouldn't have made that such a strong focus of my answer.

Cookies I'd also rate with 3 - Her focus was collaboration, which might work, but also doesn't have me fully convinced, because I don't think it can solve issues so dire that the Ministers' best efforts aren't enough. CSP is right: I can't imagine someone who didn't volunteer to do so before would decide to then dedicate lots of time to the Ministry. Still, she gave her answer thought and I appreciate it.


Calvin Coolidge


Okay, here are the candidates' final scores, with everything tallied up:

cookies: 50.5/105
Xecrio/Nate: 51.5/105
Maowi: 72.5/105


So, Maowi is the clear winner, according to us, while cookies and Nate did about the same, being noticeably worse. That seem right, upon reflection? I should also say, those scores are... not great. That'd be an F for cookies and Nate, and a C- for Maowi. If we converted those to percentages and grades.



CSP

Yeah, I think that's mostly right. I will say that if thoughtfulness and earnestness were worth more points, Cookies would stand out a little bit more. On the whole, though, I think this debate reinforced my feelings after reading the platform threads. Maowi stands out as the candidate in this race who might be ready for primetime.


Calvin Coolidge

I agree, I think cookies surprised me with her performance, and never felt too out of place, despite her extreme newness to the region. Maybe that says more about how disappointing Nate's performance was, but I think cookies should be proud of her performance and take this with her, even if she's not really ready to step into this role right now.


Pichtonia

That was also my impression during and immediately after the debate. Maowi convinced me with detail and policy, while Nate and cookies were both a bit bland in the debate. I don't know if I'd judge it as an F if we looked at the debate overall. Cookies, for one, still has a bit of a newcomer bonus for me. If her short time here is a metric we want to consider, I think that wasn't a particularly bad debate for her. Probably a pretty good one. For Nate, I think it was a badly missed opportunity to overtake Maowi, who came in as frontrunner and probably cemented her status.


Calvin Coolidge

Any final thoughts before we bring this to a close?


CSP

Not from me. I appreciate the invitation to participate. I love this stuff.


Calvin Coolidge

Yeah, for sure, thanks for committing the time!


Pichtonia

I don't have much more to say either. I hope the candidates don't feel discouraged, nor that voters will let it influence them literally too much. All three candidates wrote a comprehensive platform, which I think we can advertize for. Go read them, comment, ask your questions and come out to vote.


Thanks for having us, Calvin.
 
New radio idea: some one read this. Its so loooong :p plus content
 
This was really helpful to read. Thanks Calvin and Pichto and CSP :)
 
Just read through the debate and came straight to this. Thanks for the analysis and reflection! After having to go through a debate last election it was great to be on the other side of it seeing how people responded.
 
Cookies' performance surprised me, in a good way. I don't know if they will get my vote this time around, but super promising.
 
Back
Top