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Conservative Party of Georgeland

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The Conservative Party of Georgeland is the largest and oldest political party in the United Islands of Georgeland. It is the largest by far of any of Georgeland's centre-right parties. The Conservatives are usually referred to, both by themselves and others, as "The Tories". The Conservatives currently form the Government of Georgeland, following the 2007 general election, at which the party won a majority of seats in the Georgeland House of Commons. The party's present federal leader is Luke Macaulay, MP, who has been leader since May 6, 2006 and Prime Minister of Georgeland since July 6, 2007. At the state level, the Conservatives govern four states (Bradmarch, Scoita, West Mainland and Delmago Island) in their own right and a fifth, East Mainland, in coalition with the Georgeland Alliance.
The Conservative Party is a member of the International Democrat Union.
The party's official colour is blue, and is represented by blue on electoral maps and in electoral graphics.

Leader Luke Macaulay
Founded 1891
Headquarters Baynes House
106 Constitution Drive
Topstad, FD
Political ideology Conservatism
market liberalism
International Affiliation International Democrat Union

Contents

[edit] Foundation

Prior to about 1875, Georgeland did not have a formalised party system in its colonial Assembly. Instead, members formed into several 'factions', largely but not entirely divided around the issues of trade, independence and financial matters. The two largest of these factions came to be known as the 'liberal' and 'conservative' blocs but were largely based upon the personal leadership of individual politicians.

In 1868, Philip Cooper became Chief Minister at the head of a government drawn largely from the conservative faction, with trade policies advocating free trade. Cooper's opponents in the Assembly were largely protectionists, and the distinct two-party divide dates from roughly this period. Though Cooper is generally considered to have been a Conservative Chief Minister, he was never formally the leader of the Conservative Party as a formal organisation.

The foundation of the Conservative Party was the joint effort of Richard Manor, Cooper's protege, and Alexander Newman. Both men had come to admire the distinct partisan system present in the United States and the United Kingdom and, at the general election of 1879, led between them a united Conservative Party, with all candidates pledged to follow a united platform. The electoral rules at the time being somewhat different, the party did not have 'members' as such and candidates themselves chose to be known as Conservatives. The party won the election and chose Manor as Chief Minister, with Newman as Colonial Secretary and Treasurer (effectively Manor's deputy).

It soon followed that the non-Conservative members of the Assembly formed their own united party, the Liberal Protectionist Party, though it would be decades before they enjoyed significant political success. Just two years after coming to power the Conservative administration collapse (it did not have a full majority in the Assembly) and Manor resigned, but in 1885, under Newman, the party returned to power. One of Newman's acts as Chief Minister was to table the first Electoral Act which formally established political parties.

Though 1879 is generally given as the year the Conservative Party was founded, technically speaking it was not until the Electoral Act of 1886 that the party became formally registered and adopted its Constitution.

[edit] Pearce to Eccles

[edit] Opposition to Republicanism

[edit] Depression and pre-WW2

[edit] 1950s

[edit] 1960s

[edit] 1970s

[edit] The 'Long Night in the Cold'

The

[edit] Eight Months in Power

[edit] Today

[edit] Image

The Tories have tried hard to shake the 'blustering' image of the 1980s and 1990s. Prime Minister Campbell Rhodes once described them as 'the party that writes angry letters to the paper'. The party has a reputation for railing against change and social ills but offering little as an alternative. Due to a series of scandals in the 1990s, the Tories have also been plagued by charges of corruption and misdemeanour, much as their British counterparts, though this attitude is changing. In recent years, the Liberal Democrats and their predecessors on the left have tried to paint the Tories as dangerous extremists, who will trample on civil liberties and abolish unions. This message resonates with many due to Tory actions in the past and key elements of the party manifesto. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church on the Conservative Party has also not helped their image, with their opponents painting them as puppets of the Church. While this message is popular with non-Catholics, it only strengthens support among Catholics. With the recent LDP infighting, however, the Conservatives have come to be seen as the inherently stable party and the party with the most discipline and consistent policies. This has won over some voters. The Conservatives have suffered also for their support of the Iraq War to oust Saddam Hussein. Though initially popular among many for this support, as the war dragged on and evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq evaporated, the Tories came to be seen as little more than the Georgeland mouthpiece of the Bush Administration. This image has been reinforced somewhat by Richardson's visits to Washington and meetings with George W. Bush.

[edit] 2005 election

The Tories won significant gains at the election of 2005, winning ten more seats for a total of 122, their largest total since 1995. The Tories fought a campaign on security and economic prosperity. Though they failed to win government, they came closer to winning power than at any point in the previous decade, leading many to speculate they could well win the 2008 election.

[edit] Policies

Main article: Conservative Party of Georgeland Policies

The Conservatives are a party of the right-wing, or possibly centre-right depending on your definition. In general, the Tories believe in small government, a strong military, a pro-U.S. foreign policy, 'traditional family values' and increased security to combat terrorism.

[edit] Leaders

  1. Sir Robert Pearce 1891-1903
  2. Sir Norman Calloway 1903-1912
  3. Gregory Green 1912-1919
  4. David Turner 1919-1921
  5. (Sir) Frederick Eccles 1921-1932
  6. James Gray 1932-1937
  7. Bertram Powell 1937-1938
  8. Harold Knight 1938-1944
  9. Henry Baker 1944-1948
  10. Bradford Smith 1948-1953
  11. Stanley Baynes 1953-1965
  12. Thomas Hunter 1965-1966
  13. Zachary Tamworth 1966-1967
  14. Thomas Richardson 1967-1970
  15. Robert Fisch 1975-1983
  16. Eric Edge 1st time 1983-1987
  17. David O'Reilley 1987-1992
  18. Eric Edge 2nd time 1992-1995
  19. Shawn Hedges 1995-1998
  20. Benedict Ingram 1998-1999
  21. Michael Fisch 1st time 1999-2001
  22. Mary Byrne 2001-2002
  23. Michael Fisch 2nd time 2002-2003
  24. Sam Richardson 2003-2006
  25. Luke Macaulay 2006-

[edit] Current State Leaders

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