The Puffin Papers - How to Magister in TEP

Being a Magister is all about law. TEP (The East Pacific) has meritocratic, democratic government under a system of law. The sovereignty of the region lies with the people who, through the Concordat, determine the power of government. The Concordat has supremacy. The government can only (legally) do things that it is sanctioned to do by the Concordat. The Concordat tells us who in the government can do what. A safe approach to interpreting the Concordat is to assume that if anything does not fit within any of the powers given by the Concordat, it is probably not legal for the government to do so.

The Magisterium can make the laws. The laws either tell (a) Citizens how (not) to behave; and (b) our government how (not) to behave. It also determines the consequences if laws are violated. The Magisterium (dis)approves treaties, and (dis)approves several appointments proposed by the Delegate.

II. The Standing Orders (of the Magisterium)

This tells the Magisters how to conduct their business. The most important parts are the sections on how to make legislative proposals, how to motion them to vote, how to vote and count votes.

Any Citizen in TEP is allowed to participate in discussions in the Magisterium’s forum, and any Citizen of TEP can start a discussion or propose a change to a TEP law (a person doing so is the sponsor of the proposal). There is free debate in the Magisterium. When the debate is over, the Sponsor can motion for a vote (a vote requires a bill, i.e., a written proposal for a change of law, a treaty or a change to the Concordat or Standing Orders). Only a Magister can second that motion. If there is a second, the Provost shall conduct a vote.

Only Magisters can vote. Any Magister voting must include the name of their TEP nation and their WA nation in their post (exceptions exist). The Provost will count the votes when the voting period is over. If the required majority is present and in favor, the bill is adopted into TEP law.

III. Making law and making sausages

Choosing your battles
Otto von Bismarck once compared making legislation to making sausages. You don’t want to see how it’s cooked up. Most of it is nitty-gritty writing, negotiation, and compromise. It takes determination and patience. Small amendments to rectify errors or simple elements in existing laws will not take a lot of work nor discussion. But if you want to make your mark on TEP law, enact sweeping reforms to TEP, or put your name in TEP’s history books, you’ll need to put in a lot of time and effort. Choose your battles. You can’t do everything at once.

First, you decide what you want to change. Maybe you’ve noticed that something doesn’t work like it should. You see a Conclave decision that highlights insufficiencies in TEP law. Or the Executive has taken some action you think needs to be addressed. You have a bright vision for how TEP should handle something in the future. Maybe you found an error in TEP’s laws.

Great! Let’s get started.

Preparing the charge
The first step is to think. What is the issue you selected? Why is it an issue? What is the result you want? And how do you get there - what changes are needed to TEP law? Compile a list of actual changes to TEP law you need to achieve the result you want. Next: determine who in TEP is crucial to this issue. Consult with them, ask them for their feedback. This is invaluable insight as to the issue, and it will inform you about the chances of your proposals.

Preliminary bombardments
So now you have an explanation of the issue, why it is an issue, how you would solve it and why. You have a list of needed changes, and you have feedback from crucial players.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is when we draft. A tip: just write. Your first draft will probably be the worst writing ever put to paper in the written history of mankind. That’s okay. What makes your writing good is editing. There are three very important steps to lift your creation from the gutter of useless drivel to the elevated heights home to Hemingway and the like: 1) revise; 2) revise; and 3) revise.

And so there you are. You have a draft. Now show it to people, and preferably the same people you’ve bothered before. Ask them feedback. And revise. Again. Revise.

Once more in to the fray
When you feel like you’ve done all the revising you need to do, you go for the jugular: posting your draft in the Magisterium. Include a nice table of changes, or something else that gives Magisters an easy way to understand what you are changing in the existing legislation. Add an explanation as well.

Now, remember, legislation that doesn’t pass is useless. You might think you have the best ever proposal in the history of NS. But if it doesn’t pass, it’s generally not worth the pixels it’s displayed on. Listen to feedback, and adapt. “Compromise” is not a dirty word. Compromise is what gets things done. Be respectful, analyze what your fellow Magisters and Citizens have to say, and work it out.

When all is said and done, you motion to vote. Congratulations, you just joined a very select club of lawmakers in TEP.

IV. The Puffins way

This small essay tries to clarify how I see the primary part of my job as Magister. We are a diversified bunch in TEP, everyone has their own priorities and opinions. Regardless of your goals, the method in this essay has served me well. I think I can say that I’ve made, in my own way, my mark on TEP legislation over the years. I’m not saying you have to do it like this. But it is my sincere hope that this small essay might help some Citizens, or Magisters, enjoy the Magisterium and the art of crafting legislation.