I would like to see a triumvirate of sorts. Split the executive into three offices.
The Delegate would serve as the head of state and primarily deal with foreign affairs.
A Minister of Internal Affairs (or whatever we want to call it) would deal with recruitment and cultural issues. This would be close to what Gulliver is saying, as this post oversee the duties currently overseen by the editor, liaison, and dean. As well as oversee recruitment and propaganda.
A Minister of Defence (or whatever we want to call it) would deal with the military.
All would be elected by popular vote.
Now here's where I would put the much-discussed "guild" system. Though I don't think that should be the term we use if it's adopted. It has a different sort of connotation. I prefer "committee system" myself.
Each of the three elected officials would have the ability to appoint deputies to aid them in whatever way the officers deemed necessary. These deputies could, in turn, request that they be given a "sub deputy" themselves to help them out. This would create a sort of "fluid cabinet." No two MoIA, for example, would have the same "committee" layout. A MoIA who is strong in the field of recruitment but weak when it comes to propaganda would have a different committee layout then a MoIA who has the opposite strengths and weaknesses.
It would also provide training of sorts. People could be introduced to the field they're interested in at the sub-deputy level and work their way up to becoming a deputy. Which could prepare them for a run at the office in question themselves. This also adds a gameplay mechanic. Players (citizens) now have clear "career" paths open to them in the region. Something to progress to.
It's in that spirit that I propose one last thing. A return to the original Taijitu Senate model. Gulliver has described it as a direct democratic system. I have described it as a representative democratic system. Which tells me it's the ideal compromise between the two camps
The Senate (or Ecclesia, Parliament, Grand Council of Water Buffaloes, whatever we end up calling it) would be open to all citizens of Taijitu. Yet being a citizen wouldn't make you a senator automatically. The Senate would interview citizens applying to it and vote in private to determine whether or not that person's application has been accepted.
The interview process is multi-layered.
At first glance it again provides a gameplay function. Advancement. Citizens looking to engage politically would see the application as a means for advancing themselves in a gameplay sense.
It's also a bit of fun. Those who remember that system know that the questionnaire all applicants needed to fill out was a mix of serious questions with some fun stuff thrown in. It was lighthearted, and a means to get to know a new applicant.
It could also be used to run security checks on applicants to ensure that the applicant isn't someone looking to undermine the region.
Players, ideally, wouldn't be denied unless the security check turned something up or their application made it abundantly clear they had no idea what they were doing. It's a system that I honestly feel embodies the best of both the representative and direct democratic models.
The only question is who forms the first "Senate" should the system be adopted? I would say that everyone who helps draft the new reforms (be they in the form of amendments to the current constitution, new legislation, or a new constitution all together) should be offered a seat in the new legislative body. People would be free to turn them down if they wanted, but those that don't would form the first session of the Ecclesia/Senate/whatever under the new system.
Anyone after all that would apply as per the process.
On the courts...I think having a separate court system is too layered, especially for a region of our size. I would propose that the legislator serve as "supreme court" should the need arise.
