Labor Party Spring 2014 Convention - New Orleans, LA

[Barnes]

May I say that I am very glad to be back, Comrades.

[Barnes]

May I say that I am very glad to be back, Comrades.

Welcome back! Glorious news, indeed. I only wish you had returned in time to vote in the presidential.

Ah well, at least this way we can't be accused of vote rigging!

[Barnes]

Yes. I hear every vote counts this time around. Neither presidential candidate is offering money or jobs for vote this time!

Damn... I was already planning my luxury world cruise for the nice kick-back I was getting.  Looks like we really are living in austere times!

[Barnes]

Comrades,

Seeing as it is impossible for me to actually vote in this election, you must know that I am supporting the entire Labor ticket resolutely in spirit!

[CON] San Francisco shall be the location of the Fall 2014 Labor Party Convention!

California here I come!

[Barnes]

Comrades!

Tonight's results have truly been an outstanding victory for the Labor Party, for democracy, and for the nation.  All across this land, the people have endorsed the policies of this party and have given it the mandate to achieve great progress in the next four months.

In the afterglow of this victory, however, we must not allow ourselves, as party members, to rescind into a lull of inactivity and inaction - together, as party members, we all must unite to advance the great programs of Labor through the strongest and most democratic possible means.

This shall begin by not leaving the convention now that the election has concluded.  As set by the by-laws, a Politburo shall be elected later this week which shall guide the direction of this party for the next four months.   All members should take an active part in these elections and ensure that the elected Politburo is composed of the strongest possible members.

As I am not an elected official, it is not my place to postulate on future policy actions; so I shall, for the moment, seek to ensure that the internal political climate of the Labor Party remains one that is active, dynamic, and bold.

Finally, let us all give our warmest congratulations to our victorious candidates as well as the other winners in the elections.

[Barnes]

[PLA] Whenever by-laws time comes around, I can never remember any of the stuff that needs to be looked at, but the platform process is one of those. It outlines an all-or-nothing sort of approach for approval. Although by-laws are great in that you keep them loose so that you say what can and cannot be done (without ruling out other options for action explicitly), I'm beginning to think we may need to adopt a line-item vote in our by-laws. Thoughts?

I am open to this idea, although not entirely convinced that it would work in very case. There's nothing stopping us from holding an informal vote now and sorting out any contradictions that leaves afterward.

I'm of a similar opinion.  Allowing for an open and democratic amending of the platform would only help the party.

[Barnes]

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[Barnes]

I nominate myself for the position of General Secretary.

[Barnes]

I nominate myself for the position of General Secretary.

I second his candidacy to the position of General Secretary. (no, I'm not running for that, I support you )

Barnes seems to be really motivated and this is what we need as General Secretary: new blood.

Thanks! But I'm not exactly new blood - more like old blood that was locked away for a long period and then suddenly resurrected and is now trying to find a use for itself again.

[Barnes]

Nay.

Activity has certainly been an issue, but in my defense, I really didn't think it was appropriate for me to jump in and say what's right and wrong after being gone for 17 months.

[Barnes]

How can a socialist party shy away from this platform?

There was a pitiful lack of activity involving the platform process and a general lack of debate save for a few post about nationalization. The reason for voting no is not to oppose anything in the platform, per say, but to keep the discussion open for a longer period of time to encourage more members to participate.

[Barnes]

Rubber stamping past policy decisions make for a sterile and boring party. We have got to push for an increased and sustained level of activity within our party and throughout the game.

[Barnes]

As I'll be out for possibly until Sunday, I would ask that debate on the platform continue in the interim. I'll return to offer my thoughts when I can, but I would also like to ask that we postpone a vote on any changes until we can conclude that debate and I can make those adjustments in the document itself.

As usual, I would also ask all those who oppose the platform itself to be involved in the drafting process. The reason things like this happen is primarily that no one but me ever volunteers to write the platform or even help in the drafting of it. If you want a vibrant debate on the platform that reflects the whole spectrum of belief within our party, you have to participate in the drafting of that program. Only one person, Nix, contacted me personally about the platform during the drafting process. This is unacceptable, and I would encourage everyone to get more involved in the day-to-day running of our party. Adam Griffin and I can't do it all.

You and I share the same perspective, TNF! I have no qualms with the great majority of our platform and basic principles, but it is crucial, I think, that party members actively participate in this process; if that means voting down the platform in the first try, so be it.

I particularly have some proposals about game reform, which I shall lay out presently.

[Barnes]

Chair:

[X] Adam Griffin
[  ] Write-in:

Vice-Chair:

[X] TNF
[  ] Write-in:

General Secretary:

[X] Barnes
[  ] Write-in:

Attorney-At-Law:

[X] Write-in: Bacon King

[Barnes]

I'll wait for you to lay out your game reform proposal. If it would largely overlap my ideas, then it would be a waste to say things twice.

The holiday wil delay me in posting my ideas, and in any rate I'd love to see what you have in mind, so feel free to post what you propose as well.

[Barnes]

I personally support a "two out of three" approach, in that we move toward consolidation as a short-term solution (with hopefully some elements of bicameralism), then either pursue a ConCon or reboot to take care of the statute-related stuff (while carrying over a 3-region plan and/or bicameral system). The ConCon thread has a decent number of signatures, but they're not distributed geographically as evenly as we'd like.

This is really the path that I would like to see taken going forward.  By achieving success in the short-term with some reforms, we can help to grow a consensus for a more comprehensive change.

And Cynic, I share your desire to see a parliamentary system, though I don't think including it as official party policy would be the way to go.

[Barnes]

I personally support a "two out of three" approach, in that we move toward consolidation as a short-term solution (with hopefully some elements of bicameralism), then either pursue a ConCon or reboot to take care of the statute-related stuff (while carrying over a 3-region plan and/or bicameral system). The ConCon thread has a decent number of signatures, but they're not distributed geographically as evenly as we'd like.

This is really the path that I would like to see taken going forward.  By achieving success in the short-term with some reforms, we can help to grow a consensus for a more comprehensive change.

And Cynic, I share your desire to see a parliamentary system, though I don't think including it as official party policy would be the way to go.

Don't mistake me there, I never said that the adoption of a parliamentary system should become party policy. I merely stated that was my own preference. What I do wish to have happen is for Labor policy to advocate having the debate and if necessary a referendum campaign on it.

At the very least though, we need a new ConCon to fix the issues we're facing.

Oh no, I didn't misunderstand you, I was just restating my own belief as well.  We have to make our policy one that is committed to reform and to being productive collaborators with the other parties and persons involved.

[Barnes]

Sorry for a lull in posting from me here. I concur with TNF that nationalization is obviously the most contentious issue here.

With regard to the game reform section, how do you want to settle the matter, TNF?

[Barnes]

Sorry for a lull in posting from me here. I concur with TNF that nationalization is obviously the most contentious issue here.

With regard to the game reform section, how do you want to settle the matter, TNF?

I was planning on offering a few options, maybe something like this:

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That will be perfectly acceptable.

Also, I'm on my phone so I can't check, but if we don't have some kind of executive summary at the beginning of the platform we should add one. (That could then be posted in the wiki and the intro to Atlasia thread). I think it's important that we summarize the platform for both our own edification and making the party appealing and accessible to prospective members.

I'd be willing to author or co-author such a statement, if other members approved.

[Barnes]

Should the Labor Party platform include an executive summary of the contents inside prior to the body of the document?
Select only one option.
[X] Yes
[  ] No

Do you support the Industry section of the platform as is currently written?
Select only one option.
[  ] Yes
[X] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Select all that apply.
[  ] Removal of the plank calling for nationalization of power and fuel companies.
[  ] Clarification or modification of the plank calling for nationalization of power and fuel companies. (This essentially means that you support the idea of power and fuel company nationalization, you just want to see the plank re-written in the interests of coming to a consensus within the party as to what that means, exactly)
[  ] Removal of the plank calling for nationalization of transportation.
[X] Clarification or modification of the plank calling for nationalization of transportation.
[X] Removal of the plank calling for nationalization of iron and steel.
[  ] Clarification of the plank calling for nationalization of iron and steel.
[  ] Removal of the plank calling for federal chartering of corporations.
[  ] Clarification or modification of the plank calling for federal chartering of corporations.
[  ] Removal of the 'Policy for Exports' plank.
[X] Clarification or modification of the 'Policy for Exports' plank.
[  ] Removal of the 'Production for use' plank.
[  ] Clarification or modification of the 'Production for use' plank.
[  ] Removal of the 'Modernize collective bargaining' plank.
[  ] Clarification or modification of the 'Modernize collective bargaining' plank.
[  ] Removal of the 'Industrial democracy' plank.
[  ] Clarification or modification of the 'Industrial democracy' plank.
[  ] Removal of the 'Promote cooperative industry' plank.
[  ] Clarification or modification of the 'Promote cooperative industry' plank.
[  ] Removal of the 'Streamline the state' plank.
[X] Clarification or modification of the 'Streamline the state' plank.

Do you support the Agriculture section of the platform as is currently written?
Select one option.
[  ] Yes
[X] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Type all suggestions below.
I agree with the previous comments suggesting that the climate and geography of the nation are simply too diverse to be adequately administered from a central authority.  The state should play some role in agricultural production, but regional governments must also play their part - perhaps with a guiding hand from Nyman.

Do you support the Housing section of the platform as is currently written?
Select one option.
[X] Yes
[  ] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Type all suggestions below.

Do you support the Education and Leisure section of the platform as is currently written?
Select one option.
[X] Yes
[  ] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Type all suggestions below.

Do you support the Health and Children section of the platform as is currently written?
Select one option.
[  ] Yes
[  ] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Type all suggestions below.

Do you support the Social Insurance section of the platform as is currently written?
Select one option.
[X] Yes
[  ] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Type all suggestions below.

Do you support the Peace section of the platform as is currently written?
Select one option.
[X] Yes
[  ] No

If you answered 'no', what changes would you like to see made?
Type all suggestions below.

Do you support the addition of a section to the platform concerning Game Reform?
Select one option.
[X] Yes
[  ] No

If you answered 'yes', what would you like it to call for?
Select all that apply.
[X] Bicameral federal legislature.
[  ] Open party-list proportional representation.
[  ] Closed party-list proportional representation.
[  ] Mixed member proportional representation.
[  ] FPTP
[X] Referendums at the federal level.
[X] Single thread, SoFE administered referendums for the approval of all constitutional amendments.
[  ] Selection of a percentage of officeholders by lot rather than election.
[X] Write-in: Seeing as Atlasia is an elections game, looking into a model of direct democracy such as Switzerland's would be extremely interesting.  Of course, this would require significant debate, but I believe a research/study committee would be of use.  I am passionately in favor of adopting a semi-presidential parliamentary model; again, however, this would entail extensive debate, and should be further explored and studied.

[Barnes]

It appears that much of the momentum here has subsided (and with good reason - this convention has been running for two months), however, I believe many concerns raised with the platform have been addressed and any further issues can be further debated at the next convention.

Therefore, I move that the convention do now adjourn following the presentation of the amended platform.

[Barnes]

No problem! The platform, like our party, is a mamouth thing to deal with!

[Barnes]

Oui

[Barnes]

I move that the convention do now adjourn.