Dear comrades of the CPDA,

I would like to announce that the creation of a Commissar of Environmental Affairs has been approved by the All-Party Vote. Comrade ~Fatal-Nostalgia both proposed the creation of the post along with an outline of what the Commissar's duties would be:

Commissar of Environmental Affairs Description

1. Promote discussion of environmental happenings and their social-economic relationships.
2. Cover a wide variety of green politics such as eco-socialism and anarcho-primitivism.
3. Explore contributions to ideologies made by ecologically minded individuals and groups.
4. Encourage examination of modern, industrial based society and its flaws.
5. Devote attention to ecological science and its significance.
6. Provide education on the positive effects of going green, and how to do so.
7. Examine cultural, historical, religious, and philosophical understandings of nature.
8. Reiterate environmental holidays and their histories.
9. Create and accept from others environmentally conscious, left-leaning artwork.
10. Aid general group and blog content with environmentally based writing submissions.

Current candidate for the Commissariat of Environmental Affairs:

~Fatal-Nostalgia

If any other comrades would be interested in running for this post before we begin elections next week, please announce your candidacy.

Now for our discussion point. For some time, the leadership of the Communist Party of DeviantART has consisted of the Central Committee, headed by the Central Executive Committee.

While the roles of the Executive Committee members is rather well defined, the lower (junior) segment of the Committee has been relatively undefined. Currently, non-Executive Committee members are observers to the functioning of the Party. They may propose ideas and are encouraged to give insight and feedback on the various goals and agenda of the Party but hold no voting power in approving or denying any policies we may debate upon. Voting on actual Party policies is done exclusively by the soon-to-be eight member Central Executive Committee.

What I would like to know is if we should have a more defined role for our junior Committee members, possibly making them Deputy Commissars to aid and actively participate in implementing the aims of each Commissariat.

I would also like to suggest that the role of General Secretary be moved to a purely administrative function, losing voting rights on the Executive Committee to maintain a seven member voting standard. Having an odd number of votes helps to ensure that a split vote, and thus a deadlock, doesn't occur in Party decisions. In my tenure as General Secretary, I've always viewed my position as that of an administrator seeing to the weekly functions of the Party rather than a genuine "first among many". I believe it is important to maintain the principles of collective leadership based upon the tenants of Democratic Centralism.

In short, I believe that the Observer members should be made into Deputy Commissars to help the functions of the Commissariats. They would volunteer to work with a particular Commissar and assist in projects put forward by that Commissar. They would not gain any voting rights on policy decisions, but would gain actual identity and purpose outside of merely observing. I also believe that the voting rights of the Party General Secretary should be nullified to maintain a majority vote on the soon to be eight member Executive Committee. The General Secretary would still be the nominal head of the Party, but the duties of the office would become strictly administrative in function.

Please discuss.

in solidarity,

The-Necromancer
CPDA General Secretary