Opinion: A Unified Executive is the Start – Not the End




Opinion: A Unified Executive is the Start – Not the End
By Deepest House












(Europeia - June 10, 2020) - The Senate recently passed the executive modernization bill to remerge the executive branch and we now will rightly go toward a referendum where, in the finest Europeian tradition, the people themselves will have the final say. I look forward to that vote.

Passing the bill to remerge the executive is not the end of the road for regional and governmental reform. It is but the start! Unifying the executive provides a tremendous foundation on which we can, and will, continue to build and improve our government. This first positive step that we have taken together as a region, built through genuine and meaningful debate and compromise in both the Grand Hall and the Senate, is truly just the first step that we will take to improve our executive branch.

If we are to be the region of professional governance in NationStates, which we have always strived to be and on which we have always prided ourselves, we should model efficient and professional forms of government. We should prioritize appropriate authorities and accountabilities. We should prioritize that we have one government and one executive, for one Europeia.

Merging the executive fixes the efficiency challenges of the executive split (just one example: we will no longer need to nominate superfluous cabinet posts to address the inefficiencies created, and that labor can be put toward more substantive and meaningful projects), as well as the significantly mismatched accountability system. I have said it before, and I have asked why many times, but it doesn’t make any sense to have a system of government where there is no central authority and accountability figure. Where does the buck stop?

On top of a system with an amorphous accountability system, we also have a system of government where one side of the executive branch can make commitments on behalf of the Europeian government but not have the authority to carry out those commitments. Not only is that greatly inefficient, from a public administration and governance perspective, it defies logic.

There is simply no getting over these gigantic governance hurdles if we maintain a split executive. We will continue to be without a single accountable chief executive officer, continue to have superfluous nominations resulting in wasted labor, and we will continue to have mismatched accountability systems. I can’t imagine anyone in the region truly believes this to be the best form of government.

I have thought very long and very hard about the executive split and merging the executive. In the end, merging the executive is what this part of reform and this referendum is about. Yes, there are ancillary issues that some may think could be improved – and those chances will come as we continue to optimize our executive branch going forward. Even for me, there are areas where I have had to find compromise because the value of merging the executive greatly outweighs my current concerns over secondary and tertiary issues. But ultimately, just as McEntire and others have said, this is the start, it isn’t the end. Work will continue going forward as we fine-tune the system. However, only by passing this referendum, will we have solved the major structural challenges we currently face. It is clear there are calls for more, and those calls will be heard by those seeking office in the future – both in the executive and legislative branches.

If, like me, you are unable to find any logical reason why we should have a system of government where one side of the split executive can obligate the Europeian government to fulfill an action, but not have the authority to implement that action, then I ask you to join me and the countless others in the region who recognize that if we are truly to restore Europeia as the preeminent political and governance simulator in NationStates, that a unified executive is the first step toward returning to that preeminence.

Some will say that the split executive has never caused accountability challenges, and while I may disagree, even if I grant that point, it greatly misses the mark. The success of our executive branch shouldn’t depend on avoiding potential pitfalls that are baked into the structure of a split executive. Rather, the success of our executive branch should be based on the fundamental foundation on which it is built, a unified executive with the appropriate authorities and accountabilities. The success of the executive branch should be purposeful, not accidental.

To be the best Europeia, Europeia needs a centralized executive branch, with a single chief executive officer, with the authority to both obligate the government to perform certain actions and the authority to perform those actions, and the accountability to be held responsible. To be the best Europeia, Europeia needs a centralized executive branch to avoid superfluous cabinet nominations and positions created simply to overcome the fundamental structural deficiencies of the split executive. To be the best Europeia, I ask you to join me in voting in favor of restoring Europeia to its rightful place as the preeminent political and governance simulator in NationStates.
 
Kura, I understand how you feel, but you and I were able to progress beyond that kind of semantic pettiness and get to a substantial discussion.

You expressed your concerns to me which I attempted to address faithfully and meaningfully. We were willing to engage in a good faith discussion.

I am all for people criticizing what they don’t like, but I think PhDre was more than a bit deceptive in how he characterized what his interactions were with senators and painting the entire Senate as not knowing what’s in the bill. You never did that. It was to such a degree that McEntire came out to be open and forthright about how the discussion went down.

As I said at the time, nobody should criticize you for speaking up, nor does it matter when you do it. We all should share our thoughts. But let’s base our judgment of the bill on its contents. I think that is the most reasonable and responsible way to evaluate the bill. Senators who acted irresponsibly will have to answer for that at election time.

In the end, I hope you will vote Aye, because I think you know that a merged executive is best for the region. And just as the point of this piece says, it’s the start and not the end.
 
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