The Council of Knowledge was founded by Dalioranium. It exists today although it is managed by the Committee of Citizen Information and falls under the purview of The Committee of Citizen Information as opposed to the First Councillor. Below is the original proposal as put forth by Dalioranium in The Delegate's Office on the 3rd of October 2004.

Treatise On The Creation Of An Education-Based Council

Preamble

Good sirs and madams of The Proletariat Coalition, if I may introduce myself before continuing. I am First Minister Levangie of the Allied City-States of Dalioranium, elected representative of the people and united provinces of the region known formally as Daliorania.

I have existed in The Proletariat Coalition for much time now, and can claim to be as old as any of the currently residing nations, with the sole exception of Haderan, for obvious reasons. I spent the majority of my time here before approximately six months ago simply observing and learning, and in fact I came to realize the extent of my socialist beliefs, and since then have continually been expanding upon the solid base that I received from this region and its occupants.

Indeed, it was about six months ago that I decided it was time for me to take a more active role in this region that I had such respect for. Consequently, I involved myself with the creation of the High Court and the Constitution, aiding such prominent and exceptional figures as Southern Tasmania in developing our own set of laws, rights, and rules to govern the region.

Since then, I have since moved on beyond the High Court, as I became very busy dealing with my own nation and its troubles. However, lately I have again found the time to re-immerse myself in the politics of our great region, and after discussions with ministers, our Delegate Blackbird, and others I have come to one single conclusion; we are lacking a very important aspect of government – education.

So I present this concept to my peers and superiors in the hopes of increasing the strength of our region, both inside and out, and by helping any and all. My intentions are both socialist and political – as they say, knowledge is power, and the power belongs in the hands of the people.

Overview

This council’s purpose is to educate the people of The Proletariat Coalition (not forced, of course) about anything they would like to know; be it concerning intra-regional politics or the basic tenets of Marxism. The council would do this by providing an area for asking questions and having them answered by somebody knowledgeable in that field, a center for discussion and debate, and a virtual library of collected works of great leftist thinkers, amongst others. Our goal is to provide knowledge to the people of the Coalition so that they may improve both their own lives, and the lives of all around them. This council will also hope to increase regional participation in our off-site forums and in general activity by providing the people an easy way to learn about the government, organizations, and other facts of NationStates life. The name for such a council should be in my estimation, the Council of Knowledge, however the name is debatable (though I hope I at least have some say in the final naming of this council if it comes to existence).

Organization

First Councilor
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Councilor
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Mentor

The council (comprising the Councilors) would be a body of learned and dedicated individuals who are appointed to their seat by the unanimous agreement, after nominating themselves or being nominated and accepting, of the Delegate, the Ministers, and the First Councilor (who heads the council). The First Councilor would be appointed by unanimous agreement by the Delegate and Ministers, and could be removed by a unanimous decision by the Delegate and Ministers (any other Councilor can be removed in such a way as well). Mentors would be volunteers (anybody with knowledge of a particular subject in particular) who could work directly with a nation (assuming the councilors are unavailable or busy) and who aid in the general spread of knowledge. They are given the title and the responsibilities that accompany it after proving at least a basic proficiency in general knowledge to a group of councilors no less than 25% of the whole – the First Councilor reserves the right to veto any appointments though this decision can be overturned with the support of no less than 66% of the council. The First Councilor can appoint Mentors on his/her own until the council has at least four members, and may reserve the right to appoint Mentors at any time regardless. Any decision by the First Councilor can be overruled with the support of no less than 75% of the council, and if a decision by the First Councilor is overruled (with the exception of the approval of additions to the council domain) in such a way, a Vote of Confidence must be held to determine whether or not the First Councilor is still fit to serve.

Domain

Forum of Queries –

Designed to provide easy access to the combined knowledge of The Proletariat Coalition, this area would serve as a Q&A for any and all. Mentors and Councilors (other members of government are encouraged to participate and share their knowledge) would be on hand to answer questions and queries within a reasonable frame of time (currently looking at a maximum wait time of 3 days), unless said questions/queries require the Mentor or Councilor to go elsewhere for the information sought. In such a case, the Mentor or Councilor should provide a reasonable estimate of the time it will take to return to the questioner with the proper answer.

Center for Debate and Discussion –

Intending to service the more confrontational academic needs of our nation members, this center would be a neutral ground for fair and reasonable debate. It would be moderated by the First Councilor to ensure flames and hostilities are kept to a minimum, and it will be standard practice to keep a record of edited or deleted posts, including the time, sections changed (before and after), the offender, and the victim. After three edited/deleted posts, the offender is subject to review by the Council and a suitable punishment is handed out – hostility, immaturity, and flame baiting will not be tolerated. As well, if a victim is attacked three times, they will undergo a review to determine if they are intentionally provoking others. Special cases (such as a conflict between two individuals) will be handled on a case-per-case basis by the Council. Warnings will be handed out at the discretion of any Councilor, and will be recorded for future reference when reviewing cases and situations.

This center can also be used for more friendly discussions, concerning any topic that has some value and merit academically or to the NS world. Any other topics will be moved to a proper location, with a warning to the poster at the discretion of the Councilor.

People’s Library –

This virtual library would be a collection of essays, writings, and any other literature deemed useful by any Councilor or Mentor. It is advisable that Mentors and Councilors actively search out information to be added to the library on a fairly consistent basis, and material discovered by anyone is subject to approval by a Councilor or Mentor.

Content of the library should not be relegated to leftist literature only – we should be knowledgeable of all things, including what some may consider to be our enemy, such as capitalism. Though clearly leftist literature will dominate the library, we should not be selective and political in our knowledge of the world. There will also be a section of the library dedicated to less political literature, such as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and other literary forms. The library is not meant for crudity or pointless literature, such amusements should be kept in their appropriate place(s). The First Councilor reserves the right to remove any content in the library at his/her discretion, but must make a copy of the removed material, date removed, and who originally posted it.

Other –

There is of course space for any additions to these three base domains of the council, if the addition is justified. Any idea is subject to approval by the council, with a majority of 50% +1 vote needed for approval, but can be vetoed by the First Councilor unless overruled by no less than 75% of the council.

Any posts removed either in the library or debate/discussion center will be stored both offline and in a special repository accessible only by Councilors.

Conclusion

It is my conclusion after extensively reviewing this treatise that the council is essential to the continued success and growth of The Proletariat Coalition. We are beginning to hit barriers in our region related to activity of nations in our day-to-day affairs. I believe this is caused at least partially because to outsiders and those not already involved, the systems have become so developed (and as such, complicated) and the politics so interwoven that it is overwhelming and unfriendly. This council will hopefully relieve a lot of these misconceptions, and serve to expand the minds of all who wish to learn.

In terms of transparency and accountability, I believe the provisions I made for the council are extensive and complete. The single point of contention I expect to run into is the fact that none of the members of this council are democratically elected – however the nature of this council lends itself to neutrality and academia, and its goals are not motivated by the success of any particular individual in The Proletariat Coalition. So you will not see any form of tyranny escape this council, as it has many checks and balances, both within and out. I do not believe democratically electing officials to these positions will in fact best serve the needs and realities of these positions, and I will personally debate the merit of my viewpoint on this issue if need be.

To end, I hope all who read this proposal understand the need we have for such a group, and the good it may do if given the effort and love it deserves. As one of, if not the, most enlightened regions in the NationStates world, I believe we should continue to expand our minds and hearts, and hopefully win over any undecided ones in the process.