Conservative Party
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The Conservative Party of Ibagli (informally the Ibaglian Conservatives since 2006) is the largest right-of-centre political party in Ibagli. It currently holds the largest number of seats in the House of Commons, and is consequentially the party of government. The current leader of the party is Prime Minister Sir John Goodwin.
History
The Conservative Party was formed in 1949 as a result of the merger of the Ibaglian Democratic Union and the Progressive Party. The new party, led by John Warner, was successful in the 1949 election. The party was defeated in the next two elections, including the first election to the new House of Commons. Jack Weston was elected leader in 1956, but was defeated in 1958 in a leadership challenge by Joseph Kenilworth.
Kenilworth Era
The Conservative Party, now under Kenilworth's leadership, saw success in the 1959 General Election, winning 33 seats in the House. During Kenilworth's first term in office, the party adopted policies that were socially conservative and economically centre-left. The first backbench rebellion within the party came in 1960, when Kenilworth's plan to nationalise the railroads was rejected by nearly half of Conservative MPs, but passed with support from the Liberal Party.
In 1961, Kenilworth lobbied for the readmission of apartheid-era South Africa into the Commonwealth. This was the first in a series of moves that many believe caused the party of the era to be seen as racist. In the 1963 General Election, the party won 46 seats in the House of Commons, which is still the largest number of seats ever won by an Ibaglian political party. In 1965, Kenilworth created a commission to explore the future of the Senate. Though abolition of the upper house was supported by the party, it was not seen as a priority.
During Kenilworth's third term, the priorities of the party began to slide towards social and economic conservatism. Though the party had always supported socially conservative policies, they had never been seen as a priority of the party. After the 1967 General Election, several MPs crossed the aisle to the Liberal Party, which had similar economic policy but was not socially conservative. Conservative MP Steven Spell crossed the aisle in January 1970, becoming a part of Henry LeVeque's shadow cabinet.
The government's handling of the Aboriginal riots of 1970 caused the party to lose popularity with the public. Public opinion of the party continued to slide until the 1972 General Election, when the Conservative Party suffered its worst defeat ever, winning only 8 seats in the House, and receiving only 30% of the popular vote.
Post-Kenilworth
After the resignation of Kenilworth, the party sought to distance itself from his policies, electing moderate William Parrin to lead the party. Parrin resigned the leadership in 1975 after conflicts with the party administration. Later that year, the party elected Mark Rockington as its leader.
In the 1976 General Election, the public, though they supported many of the programs of the LeVeque government, but there was only lukewarm support for the higher levels of taxation needed to support the programs. The party won 29 seats in the House, and formed a coalition with the Social Credit Party. The coalition broke up in 1977, prompting a new election. The party lost the election, winning 17 seats in the House.
In 1979, Rockington resigned from the leadership. Charles Forrester was elected by the party to replace him.
1980s
The party won the 1981 General Election with its platform based on reduction of nonessential programs and the lowering of taxes. In 1984 the party privatised the railroads. This was largely seen as a mistake, as the 3 corporations created became insolvent within six years, necessitating their renationalisation. In 1985, Forrester was reelected.
Forrester died suddenly of a heart attack in 1989. Governor-General Sir Henry LeVeque appointed Minister of Finance Thomas Harlington Prime Minister until the party elected a leader. Harlington was not popular with the public, but was elected as the leader of the party in order to avoid a second change of government close to an election.
The party lost the 1989 General Election. Harlington resigned shortly thereafter, and John Goodwin was selected as the next leader.
Goodwin era
As the scandal-ridden Hunter administration declined in the polls, Goodwin was able to push the Conservative Party as the party of morals and dignity. The party won the 1994 General Election, and was reelected in 1999.
In 2004, the party narrowly lost two elections in a row. Early the next year, Goodwin narrowly lost a leadership challenge by Clinton Roser.
Split
In mid-2004, Conservative backbencher Marcus Smallegan was expelled from the party for voting for the creation of a republic. Smallegan created the New Conservative Party shortly thereafter.
In the January 2006 General Election, both parties won 15 seats in the House. The parties formed a coalition. The coalition, named the Conservative Alliance and led by Smallegan, held power for just under one month, as the government was defeated by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the Green Party.
After the failure of the coalition later that year, Roser was highly unpopular within the party, which believed him to be responsible for the breakup of the party and its relegation to third-place status. At the height of Roser's unpopularity, Goodwin, backed by a large majority of Conservative delegates, started a leadership challenge, which proved successful, returning Goodwin to the leadership of the party.
Reunification
After the fall of the Pollack government in October 2006, and with a general election looming, Goodwin successfully negotiated the merger of the two parties, and led them to victory in the November 2006 General Election.
Conservative Party Today
Policies
Since the election of Charles Forrester in 1981, the party has focused on policies that are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. Though the party opposed many social reforms brought forth by the Liberals during the LeVeque, Hunter, and McNeese governments, they have not worked to repeal them during any of the intervening periods.
Until 2006, the Conservative Party was officially in favour of the abolition of the Senate. Most Conservative Senators, however, refuse to vote for abolition. Since reunification with the New Conservative Party, which was in favour of Senate reform, the party has dropped any mention of the Senate from their platform.
Though several Conservative MPs are opposed to Ibagli's universal healthcare system, the official stance of the party is to preserve and improve the system.
Leaders
| Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| John Warner | 1949–1956 | Premier (1949–1953) |
| Jack Weston | 1956–1958 | |
| Joseph Kenilworth | 1958–1972 | Prime Minister (1959–1972) |
| William Parrin | 1972–1975 | |
| Mark Rockington | 1975–1979 | Prime Minister (1976–1977) |
| Charles Forrester | 1979–1989 | Prime Minister (1981–1989) |
| Thomas Harlington | 1989 (May–November) | Prime Minister (1989) |
| John Goodwin (interim) | 1989–1990 | |
| John Goodwin (1st time) | 1990–2005 | Prime Minister (1994–2004) |
| Clinton Roser | 2005–2006 | |
| Sir John Goodwin (2nd time) | 2006– | Prime Minister (2006–) |
Elections
| Election | Popular Vote | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 41.3% | 23 |
| 1959 | 44.2% | 33 |
| 1963 | 53.2% | 46 |
| 1967 | 49.1% | 37 |
| 1972 | 30.1% | 8 |
| 1976 | 41.9% | 29 |
| 1977 | 40.1% | 17 |
| 1981 | 44.5% | 38 |
| 1985 | 47.5% | 41 |
| 1989 | 44.9% | 25 |
| 1994 | 47.9% | 37 |
| 1999 | 51.9% | 44 |
| Aug. 2004 | 38.7% | 26 |
| Dec. 2004 | 38.8% | 20 |
| Jan. 2006 | 26.8% | 15 |
| Nov. 2006 | 42.8% | 32 |