Join the new world

With the approaching elections almost near, we will hold the first V1 elections in the United Kingdom.

We're staring into the face of a forced recession with months of overproduction due to a faulty mechanic in the production formula, the delay in the war module which started sometime around early September (possibly early August), and even the recent change in the productivity formula which has caused our markets to reach a saturation level in almost every field from Raw Materials as well as finished goods. Simply put, we're at a cross roads in our marketplace.

The main difference in the elections this time around is going to be economic philosophy. All three candidates have said they support similar foreign affairs moves, including stance on Belgium, the upcoming Australian resistance war, and continued support of the Atlantis Treaty. Tim, who is the PCP candidate, favors a more controlled market with direct Government intervention, whereas I've shown that I'm more supportive of an open market free of "Government Cheese". I've proposed a Small Business Administration (which we can call pretty much any name we want), to help companies that already exist. FD stands somewhere in the middle, and hasn't really taken a stance one way or the other outside of saying he likes to let the free market play until it needs help.

Other platforms include Society, Military, and Government. Below, I'm going to outline my platform on the whole, so it's all in one nice, neat article.

Government

The Government needs to be one cohesive unit, acting in unison. We all need to act with each other's best interest in mind, rather than independantly. One of the main criticisms I've heard about our Government, even though we have one of the best structural setups in the world, is that each member of the Government has their own opinion, and therefore says something completely different than the other. I propose a couple of things to correct that:

-Ministers and the PM will hold weekly meetings. For those who cannot attend, we all will receive a weekly outline/agenda, and they simply respond via email as to their thoughts on things, and we'll work from there. As we've shown, live meetings can be much more productive, as most people I've met will say that MSN, IRC, and chat is much more productive because you get answers straight away.

-Outlined Goals for each Minister over the term. Each Minister should have an idea of what the other is doing, if for nothing else we act as a group. Each Minister will be able to act as they're in charge of their departments, but at the same time it's nice to get one answer when dealing with Foreign Governments (as larger countries such as Spain and the US will prove). Our Commons is rivaled by very few countries around the world and the upcoming implementation of the House of Lords should only improve that. I've taken a turn in writing a draft for it, and it's received praise thus far. We'll see how long it takes to get it right, but we will get it right.

Best Person for the Job

As all the candidates have said, and I will agree, the best person for the job shall receive the Ministerial appointments so long as they apply. We all have people in mind for things they'd like to do, but people such as Deilos, Widds (when he ran the MoD), and so on are irreplaceable in their positions. Their vast wealth of activity cannot be replaced, and it's counterproductive to pick people based on whether or not you always agree with them.

National Health Service

Another issue that has come up is the implementation of the NHS bill that was passed pre-V1 to account for the loss of Mayors in the new versions release. Jerry has done decently with what he has, but it's technically more difficult to find and gift citizens, combined with most Mayors stepping down from last term which has led to an overall inactivity rate which we havent seen in the Regional Council format since it's implementation. Only 5 regions have acting NHS Directors, which is the main problem.

Free Jack has taken the idea CreveRoeland proposed about making an Organization for each region and gifting from that (although we're still ironing out the kinks) and I think Jack has done well in being somewhat independant in instituting it. I'm curious to try two things:

-Try to work the Roeland/Free Jack idea into the current NHS proposal to try and formulate it to where each region can be easily gifted AND
-Institute a pay scale which we discussed in the Government Structure proposal, if nothing more to give it a test run in the NHS system due to the tedious nature of the job. Originally, I had proposed giving each department a small stipend (which more or less would have been repaid in taxes in less than two days), but to ensure it actually attracts more activity FD proposed we give it a trial on the NHS system, which I support.

Military

Once again, I think Deilos has done a fantastic job taking over for quite possibly the best MoD we've ever had in Widdows, and hope that he chooses to continue his post. Our organisation in the Para's, Elites, and so on is impeccable, although I'd like to see it increased. High Strength can be hard to find, but I think it can be done. I would like to work closely with Deilos to see how we could possibly attract more people to our Para core, which has made us one of the World's Best military units. Otherwise, I don't see much change necessary.

Unemployment

I feel that the SBA proposal I mentioned earlier will suit this just fine until the markets pick back up again. Many of the weapons companies have had to shut their doors due to lack of sales, which can be rectified once the Gods give us war once again. Once that happens, through the DoW we can then begin to push people back into privately owned companies (rather than RO) and industries will begin to sell once again. I feel this is a better solution than the Government investing money into companies when they already exist. They simply need help in paying salaries.

Overview

Overall, we're all looking at minimal differences. I've been around longer, FD has been in just as many countries, and Tim is the relative newcomer yet has excelled in everything he has done. Personally speaking, I'd rather trust in leading my population rather than controlling them, which is the major difference, as I see it. I'd rather teach and lead people, and in some forms having the Government represent everything is simply doing it for them. I'm not naive in that some people need a helping hand, but I firmly believe that each individual has the opportunity and responsibility for their own lives here in Erepublik. I'll assist anyone on doing anything, so long as they're willing to put the work in to accomplish it. I foresee a much larger population boom coming rather quickly, and I'm asking that you trust in me, and my leadership abilities which I have consistently shown through my year in Erepublik to lead the UK into the next era of Erepublik.

Sincerely, and best of luck to each of my opponents,

Dishmcds