Herman Boxhall

Overview
Herman Boxhall is a Dranish politician of the right-wing Grand National Party, which he currently chairs.

Life and Politics
Boxhall was born in 3387 in Comares (Valdor Province). His mother was a housewife while his father worked as a policeman in capital and was rarely at home. Both of his parents were of Hosian faith at a time when the UCT was still dominant.

After graduating from school, Boxhall studied law, political science and mathematics at the University of Comares from 3405 to 3413, earning a B.A., respectively. He then obtained a Master's degree in law and his PhD in 3416.

Working as a lawyer for only one year, he was nominated as Chairman of the Valdorian GNP at the height of the Valdor crisis, which he vowed to tackle on a local level, rejecting federal intervention:

''"This is a local issue, for all Provinces except Valdor remain comparably unaffected of the recent rise of radicalism. We therefore agree with the Governor that the federal government should refrain from a direct attack as long as diplomatic approaches have not been carried out. However, we reject the notion that the local population should be left alone by the state authorities, for they have a duty to protect the freedom of their citizens which have been put at the mercy of an anti-democratic movement through an equally anti-democratic coup. If CLD and VBSM come up with sincere efforts to encounter this major political crisis at our doorstep, we will endorse a peaceful approach, however the Valdorian far-right administration has yet to prove its commitment to resolving the issue. Apart from a few vague phrases from the part of Gov. Rafael, we have not yet been informed of any concrete measures. We therefore call upon the Valdorian cabinet to make clear to the assembly and the people what exactly they are planning to do with regards to the Jalalist occupation. If they are just willing to stay passive and sit it out, we have no choice but endorsing a federal intervention. It's now up to Mr Rafael and his companions to present a strategy for solving this conflict." ''

Boxhall's moderation attempts gained him respect across the political spectrum. Even though the Valdor crisis was not resolved as quickly as he had hoped, his career benefited from his reputation as a man of law and order, and in 3437,he became Secretary-General of the GNP under Jacqueline Townsend, the then-Prime Minister who actively encouraged Boxhall's political career.

In the cabinet of Prime Minister Craig Warwick that came into power in 3440 after a plot directed against him by Julia Breckinridge and her allies including Townsend, Boxhall was chosen as Interior Minister. In that capacity, he spoke out against the practices of the fascist Valdorian Blue Shirt Movement.

Boxhall warned the Blue Shirts to "put an end to their mockery of the Dranish code of law and subject themselves to it as any other decent Dranish citizen does." Although he assured that he was "really uneasy" over an according motion, he affirmed that "if these questionable activism does not stop, we must contemplate the option of putting the VBSM under observation by the Ministry of the Interior, which would mean that all of their actions would attract particular interest from the part of the forces of law and justice."

Following the GNP's ousting from government in 3455, Boxhall often criticized the government of Prime Minister Einion Celyn Maddocks over law enforcement issues, especially during a stock market occupation by left-wing extremists. He was especially critical of their subsequent pardoning, of which he said:

''"I am glad the occupation is over, but in order to achieve justice, the criminals should have been compelled to pay for the damage to the interior of the building caused by their protesting, and they should also be tried for the physical assaults they carried out on the people who were working there. What is going on here violates the idea of equality before the law, because it seems that criminals whose ideological motives comply with those of this administration are spared from prosecution." '' In 3452, Boxhall became his party's parliamentary leader and differed much from his predecessors in that capacity, choosing constructive criticism over caustic attacks, which gained him respect in Parliament, especially from the Gukmindang which had a fallout with the GNP under Julia Breckinridge.

In 3453, he finally became GNP Chairman after defeating his controversial rival Alice Claythorne in a leadership election. Although he took care to create a more moderate image for his party, he did not attempt to drag it to the center but stayed true to the libertarian ideals championed by his predecessors Warwick and Breckinridge.