Griffindor's 24th Fortnightly Update

This dispatch was originally sent as a Regional Telegram on August 27th, 2024:

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[b]Greetings, my fellow South Pacificans![/b]

It has been [i]15 days[/i] since my last Fortnightly Briefing! So, you know what that means...? It's obviously time for another Fortnightly Briefing! There is much to report in this fortnightly briefing, so let's not waste any time! Without further ado...

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[b]First:[/b] It is possible that I brought politics into my last address.

[spoiler= What Ever Could You Possibly Mean?]
Well, the story goes that when I was explaining the activity within the Assembly, specifically the discussion relating to the post-election debate on the votes that could not be counted, my commentary was maybe not as neutral as it could have been. Some in the region think the Delegate should be [I]completely[/i] neutral within the region, including on political positions, rather than just not taking part in the running of the government. So, when subscribing to that train of thought, I may not have been as neutral as I could have been. Further, while I personally do not think I committed any wrongdoing or broke any precedents, some do subscribe to that, and I will air on the side of caution and ensure that I let you all make up your own minds going forward. I was also asked to issue a correction, but since the ink was dry, I instead opted to save making a statement about it for this briefing, rather than spam your Telegram boxes again so soon. On the bright side... it took me 23 of these babies to run into trouble... that's a good run!

Now that we have gotten the unpleasant business out of the way...
[/spoiler]

[b]Second:[/b] Two Citizens, [b][nation]Esfalsa[/nation]/Pronoun[/b] and [b][nation]Sporaltryus[/nation]/ProfessorHenn[/b], have both been nominated to the [b]Council on Regional Security (CRS)[/b] and await confirmation by the Assembly!
[spoiler= Oh Happy Days!]
It is indeed a Happy Day! These individuals are well-respected, trusted, and knowledgeable citizens and legislators, and they have extensive experience in several regional positions. Pronoun received their nomination through the joint nomination powers of the Delegate and Prime Minister, while ProfessorHenn opted for an application directly to the CRS; both options are equally valid under regional law. The Assembly is debating these nominations, and voting will begin soon. Once voting gets underway, I expect that we will see an overwhelming amount of support for both nominations. Stay tuned for the next briefing for the final result! (Also, I had to deal with the bureaucracy to declassify this stuff, gross! JK, we love our Chair! :P )
[/spoiler]

[b]Third:[/b] Speaking of something the Assembly is doing... the Assembly is also up to a few more things!
[spoiler= An Active Assembly Keeps the CTE Away???]
[i]First,[/i] [b]Legislator [nation]Roavin[/nation][/b] introduced a discussion to the Assembly on abolishing the Citizenship Committee (CittComm), granting current CittComm members CRS membership, and making Citizenship applications much shorter and more straightforward. In exchange, the CRS would be empowered to conduct more routine security checks and suspend citizenship from suspicious individuals. The rationale for the discussion is Roavin pointing out that CittComm (or the Legislator Committee before) has generally been "paranoid" when it comes to processing applications and has not caught any security risks in recent memory due to the vast majority of applicants being benign. The main argument against the potential changes is that automation of the application checks may not be able to catch certain threats. At the same time, others also argue that the process would run afoul of due process protections by suspending citizenship. There is much more to the discussion that you should read for yourself, which you can do here: https://thesouthpacific.org/t/2433-ap-the-end-of-citcomm/6218

[i]Second,[/i] [b]Legislator [nation]Virifortis[/nation]/Silva[/b] asked the Prime Minister and Cabinet to account for their actions in what is nearly the first month of office. Broadly speaking, most of the work has been done behind the scenes, but we can expect some public release of information and events in the coming days. You can track the questions asked here: https://thesouthpacific.org/t/2437-ap-questions-to-the-cabinet/6245

[i]Third,[/i] the [b]Chair of the Assembly, [nation]Great Lothian[/nation]BlockBuster2k43[/b] recently announced a change in Assembly policy when it comes to archiving topics not in active discussion. This announcement comes in response to the Assembly voting to abolish the archival requirement for inactive debate threads, completed votes, or other threads within the Assembly area. Some pushback surfaced as a result, with one person wondering why we would still archive anything since the recent vote, while another person expressed that an overall deregulation of the Assembly's rules could be in order.

[i]Fourth,[/i] the discussion to create a Ministries and Office split (that I told you about last briefing) saw some renewed life as the re-emergence of SPROUT (and executive project) may make the proposal worthwhile to pursue. We will have to wait and see whether the breath of life in this debate is sustained or if it fizzles out. Stay tuned!

[i]Fifth,[/i] the discussion on Activity within the Assembly appears to have finally met its (formal) end, even if the topic itself is not dead. The originator of the discussion noted that the discussion had died and summed it up for the body. [b]Kris Kringle[/b] quickly reminded everyone that the discussion is never truly over, and the discussion does not need an "official" end.
[/spoiler]

[b]Fourth:[/b] The High Court is still actively working on the two cases before it pertaining to the legality of the [i]Resolution to Restore Regional Accountability[/i].
[spoiler= End In Sight?]
The cases have seen a lot of attention, with the petitioner and other interested parties filing lengthy briefs in each case thread over the past couple of weeks. The Court recently asked clarifying questions of its own, which could indicate that the Presiding Justice is looking to formulate their opinion so that the cases can be decided. Stay tuned to figure out how the cases develop from here!
[/spoiler]

[b]Fifth:[/b] Please give our favorite [strike]pie-[/strike] cake-eater a round of applause by being RE-named to the Coral Guard: [b][nation]PenguinPies[/nation][/b]
[spoiler= Hooray Hooray!]
Ensure you give them a congratulatory PM, a slice of cake, and the all-important endorsement (if you are not already endorsing them)! If they ask for anything but cake (especially pie), you are to smile and give them a slice of cake. 🍰🍰🍰
[/spoiler]

[b]Sixth:[/b] Speaking of the Coral Guard... make sure you are endorsing the Delegate ([b][nation]Ebonhand[/nation][/b]) and all the other [b]Coral Guard[/b] members! Endorsements are good for regional health!

[spoiler= The Coral Guard Members]
[b][nation]Aidenfieeld[/nation]
[nation]Amerion[/nation]
[nation]Ebonhand[/nation]
[nation]Land Without Shrimp[/nation]
[nation]PenguinPies[/nation]
[nation]Sporaltryus[/nation]
[nation]Tepertopia[/nation]
[nation]Tsunamy[/nation][/b]

https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1398091
Don't forget the cake for doing that, of course! 🍰🍰🍰
[/spoiler]

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Well, that is all for this fortnightly update! For making it to the end of this Telegram, you all get the traditional end-of-update slice of cake! 🍰

I look forward to updating you all again in a Fortnight and talking with you all in the interim! Remember, my Telegram box is open to those who want to talk!


[i]Always and eternally yours,[/i]

[b][nation]Ebonhand[/nation]/Griffindor

His Most Benevolent Cakeness, Your Lord and Savior, the Emperor, Mother, and Delegate of the South Pacific[/b]
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