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[highhealplz]

Hi! Hi again, to people I know already, hello for the first time, to anyone I haven't met yet. I'm Ashraf Salib, one of the heads of the clinic, high priest, snazzy dresser… [ He waves a hand. ] General things like that.

So, I'll get straight to the point. In the wake of the mutiny, I've seen a lot of talk on the network that I haven't seen before. Establishing a code of conduct, uniting… there was even some discussion of who you personally look to as a leader. Whatever your opinion of the mutiny may be, you have to admit that it's sparked some new subjects for us. And I'd say they're things we've been needing to talk about.

It isn't just a matter of wresting control from the Initiative, I think that was overly hasty and shortsighted. I think what we should be looking at is how to take control of ourselves. We're a really big group up here, with over three-hundred of us. That's a lot of voices to be heard at once, especially when none of them have much in the way of a recognized authority.

So, I think that should change.

My suggestion would be a council, voted on by the entire Transport body from a number of nominations. The people that we most trust are the ones we should have speaking for us — deciding for us. Because someone needs to. That we're still locked in this base after over two months up here should be evidence enough that it's difficult to achieve much of anything with no one calling the shots.

I've got some specific ideas about the organization of this council, which I wrote down and can attach here, but I want to hear from you. How should we organize ourselves? How can we decide who to listen to? This won't work if we don't all agree to it, and we need to agree on something. We're in a precarious position up here that frankly can't last, and it's past time that we take it into our own hands to change that.

{attached: councilnotes.txt}

Choosing Council Members
- 11 members total, to allow for tie-breaking (do we need more?)
- Members should be elected from nominations (should it take 2 votes to nominate? maybe 3…)
- Every 3-4 months (more often? less?) we vote again, which is meant to keep our current members or replace them with new ones

Council Voting
- Anyone can propose an issue to the Council for voting
- Voting on routine issues should be monthly
- Emergency issues should have immediate votes

Potential Issues
- Being sent home by the Transporter! Members can be replaced in the quarterly(?) election, but if the group falls under a certain number (7?), we can hold an emergency election
- Decisions made the majority doesn't agree with: should a majority vote in the Transport population overturn a Council decision? Or only make the Council revote after open debating of it?
- What if someone is nominated and voted in, but unwilling to take the position?
- What should be done with those who refuse to acknowledge the authority of a Council?
- What boundaries can be placed on what the Council has the power to decide on, to avoid a tyranny of the majority?
- Can we perform audits, to be sure our Council members aren't becoming corrupt?

Suggestions received so far:
- Designated seats for established groups? DITR, clinic, non-humans, etc. This would assure they're given a voice, respectively as experts and those with different values
- Nominations should fit an agreed-upon criteria
- Background checks should be run before a Council member is accepted
- A 60% vote by the Transport population can overrule a Council decision
- Should voting on Council members be mandatory? We want as varied a vote as possible, but uninformed votes are worse than fewer votes
- Elections could run on cycles, replacing (or keeping) only 3-4 Council members at a time
- Pending return to Exsilium, this should be used as a civilian council, and a military council can be arranged as well
- A code of conduct: no one can be tried for a crime committed at home


red = ideas recently added from this post, thank you to everyone for them!

Comments

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[hyanaimne]

I agree that non-humans should have a designated seat, but what would happen if more than one non-human wishes to run for this council?

[highhealplz]

Well, there definitely wouldn't be anything stopping them — except the majority vote, if it came to it. The designated seat would ensure that at least one non-human voice is assured a spot on the council, that's all it concerns.

[hyanaimne]

Ah, I see. That is a good idea, then. Though I do not understand much about politics, so I hope that this goes in a direction that everyone can agree with.

Also - sorry for leaving you short-staffed.

[highhealplz]

It will, if we can all pull it together to make it work in the first place. That's the point of it.

But — don't apologize. [ he smiles. ] There's no need for it.

[ since it's thanks to her (and friends) that these things are being talked about at all ]

[hyanaimne]

There seems to be a lot of good ideas. Many of it sounds similar to my world's council.

[ugh Ashraf. She can't help but smile a little to herself]

I can still feel bad. I will bring tea when I can.

[highhealplz]

Do you know much about your world's council? If there were any ideas there that might work here, I'd love to hear about them.

And I can't ever say no to tea, so I guess that's fine by me. This time.

[hyanaimne]

I know some . . . let's see. The king does not rule in my country due to his health failing from age, so there are five members on the council who represent him and the royal family. They are permanent; they are chosen by the king himself, but if they prove to be corrupt or die, then someone else is chosen. The captain of the knights also holds a seat, or someone who represents them.

There are designated seats for "special interest" groups, though who goes on to represent them are voted upon by the people they represent. Merchants vote between themselves, the poor district votes on someone, etc. Each district has a representative as well, so that even those who are poor have a voice.

There is also a seat for "non-humans", but it is more a representative of the elf population. Though, last I heard, there were talks of opening more seats to other races because more of them have been moving to the capital to work. Dwarves, etc.

They are the ones who create laws and handle taxes (not relevant here though). If someone commits a crime that deserves a ruling, then they are brought in front of the council to be judged. That rarely happens because the knights usually do a decent job of handling it themselves. Rarely is there a crime so severe that the council needs to rule over that person's fate.

If a decision cannot be reached between the council members, then it is brought down to the people to vote upon. In the event of wartime decisions, however, the decision is left to the king. However, I have never seen this happen in my lifetime. That's about all I know, though. I do not pay much attention to it - I travel a lot and am not considered a citizen.

Tea and snacks. Feel free to suggest one.