Pillar of the People

The Moderate Party, is a party in the Republic of Mordusia, founded by Ioannes Lombas in 2171.

History


Ioannes Lombas was a well respected academic at the Mordusian Institute of Politology when he decided to found a new party in 2171, based on laissez faire and conservatism. Since then, the party has found it difficult to identify itself with its Lombasian heritage. Party Leaders proved highly efficient, though they had the tendency to present the party as their own. Therefore, name and even ideology changes became frequent and party instability the rule.

In 2321, when its 150 year existence was celebrated, László de Hevesy, a mathematician and marshal in the Mordusian Army, attempted a successful coup against the party leadership at the time.



The party had been the largest party for forty years, but de Hevesy saw a declining support and voter fatigue. He and fellow high ranking army members, backed by the academic wing of the party - that never lost any of its influence -, threw a shadow over Mordusian politics for fifteen years. Hevesy was elected President seven times and "ruled" between 2321 and 2335 with "an iron hand", as his biographer put it.

After the "Lombasian Regain", the party again faced difficult times, sometimes referred to as the "Lombasian Loss". The anarchist wing of the party, which had always been a minority, succeeded in taking over the religious one, in the spirit Saartje van Kampsch, an anarchist conservative Quaker belonging to the Dutch minority. Though she was elected thrice and enjoyed a lot of popularity, she was a very controversial figure among her peers. Especially her love life provoked a lot of turmoil. Married to railroad tycoon Bernhard Styles she had a love affair with Xaviér Lombas, a descendant of the founder. After Styles divorced her, she married Sarah Eyman and publicly testified that she had a lesbian for her entire life. Eyman was Chancellor of the Republic for seven years and their marriage was criticized by both their intimate circle as the media.

After the death of van Kampsch, during her third term, due to her continuous struggle with tuberculosis, Constance Lane won the presidency and the party. Thus, the "Moderate Party" was born in the light of the party's 200 year existence, once again with the promise to return to Lombasianism.

The Roots: 2171-2234

 * Ioannes Lombas
 * Elisabeth Lombas

The Olive Greens: 2234-2259

 * Magnus Verta

First Libertarian Octet: 2259-2306

 * Johan Servaas Millauqette
 * Jan-Willem van Sweys
 * Quiten Matseys
 * Jean-Paul Simonin
 * Paulus Horta
 * Charles Emmendael
 * Martinus Swartendyck

First Coup: 2306-2308
Maro, a military man who later became a priest, successfully took over the party from Swartendyck but died only three years later.


 * Gnaeus Arminius Maro

Second Libertarian Octet: 2308-2321

 * William Hurles
 * Amélie Juneau



Second Coup: 2321-2337

 * László de Hevesy

Third Libertarian Octet: 2337-2342

 * Xaviér Lombas

First Anarchist Assembly: 2342-2346

 * Anarchist Assembly (Saartje van Kampsch)

Fourth Libertarian Octet: 2346-2347

 * Jean-Charles Lamuet and Els van Turnhout

Second Anarchist Assembly: 2347-2350

 * Council of All (Els van Turnhout)

Fifth Libertarian Octet: 2350-Present

 * Constance Lane

Laissez faire
Laissez-faire or laisser-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez aller, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning "let do, let go, let pass." It is generally understood to be a doctrine that maintains that private initiative and production is best to roam free, opposing economic interventionism and taxation by the state beyond that which is perceived to be necessary to maintain peace, security, and property rights.

Conservatism
The conservatism of the party was a term first used by its opponents but later used by the party itself when Mordusia became a fairly laissez faire country during the 2200s.

"Progress Through Reaction"
"Progress Through Reaction" was an essay written in 2298 by Sarah Hess, President between 2303 and 2307. As the first homosexual President, her main interest was to keep the laissez faire spirit in the party while not neglecting the progression of ethics and moral. She wrote: "During the past century laissez faire meant that one should keep his hands of his neighbor's wallet. The century we are about to enter will prove that the consequence of this ideology is that one should keep his hands off his neighbor as well."



The essay fulminated against the welfare state on the one hand, but also against the arrogance of big business on the other. It would inspire Alexander Cameron, a Minister of Finance, in his Cameron Reforms during the 2310s, which lowered the budget and the taxes impressively but canceled all taxes on lower and middle incomes completely. It would also lead to the establishment of the Karel Asch Foundation as a charity institution of the party.

Hess succeeded in convincing the party, and many citizens, that progression does not necessarily demand enlargement of the state as well.

Factions
The Moderate Party is a platform for many factions who claim to adhere to "true Lombasianism". Since the 2300s, religious and minority groups also participated separately.

Grand Old Alliance
The Grand Old Alliance was founded by Elisabeth Lombas in remembrance of her husband, founder Ioannes Lombas, in 2206 and is therefore the oldest wing in the party. It has been a tradition that descendants of the Lombas family, when member of the party, join this faction. Example of this is former Speaker of the Party Xaviér Lombas. The GOA claims to hold the key to true Lombasianism. It represents about 42% of the National Congress.

Members of the GOA elected President:


 * Elisabeth Lombas
 * Ann Hurles
 * Henry Allstein
 * Charles Aldous Fox

Conservative and Labor Union
When the Country Labor Party went inactive in the 2280s, many of its followers came to the Moderate Party. They have since formed the conservative wing of the party. Policies defended are against abortion, euthanasia and "general obscenities", as well as fiscal conservatism. Since the leadership of Sarah Hess they have significantly lost both size and influence. Constance Lane, former President of the Republic, also was a member of this faction. Currently, they represent about 11% of the party's National Congress.

Members of the CLU elected President:


 * Charles Ambrose
 * Constance Lane

Progress Through Reaction
Inspired by the writings and leadership of Sarah Hess, many important figures from the Grand Old Alliance founded a new faction in 2303. Hess was pictured as someone who understood Ioannes Lombas very well. Though highly influential in Hess' days and at one moment representing over 75% of the National Congress, it now only accounts for about 15%.

Members of the PTR elected President:


 * Sarah Hess
 * Alexander Cameron

Clique Française
Sarah Hess provided the French minority in Mordusia with cultural rights, and gained a lot of support among the French as a result of it. The Clique Française usually aligns itself with the Grand Old Alliance. About 6% of the National Congress consists of members of the Clique.

Members of the CF elected President:


 * Hugo d'Amosse
 * Dagobert Huse d'Amuy

Nederlandse Vergadering
President Saartje van Kampsch gave minority rights to the Dutch, and the Nederlandse Vergadering gained importance. It follows the same course as the Clique Française. It represents 7% of the National Congress.

Members of the NV elected President:


 * Ann Frenjes
 * Isabelle Beyen-Smaes
 * Johan van Raesberg
 * Frederik van Zyl Slabbert

Anarchy and Religion
The Anarchy and Religion faction is a merge from the much older Anarchist Assembly and Religious Coalition wings. A majority of its members are lower class. It represents about 5% of the National Congress.

Members of the AR elected President:


 * Saartje van Kampsch

Moderate Wing
The Moderate Wing is for those members not affiliated with one of the other factions, and has no official internal ideology. Therefore it should not be regarded as "moderate", a mistake that has been made numerous times. 14% of the members of the National Congress are "Moderate Wingers".

Members of the MW elected President:


 * Gnaeus Arminius Maro
 * László de Hevesy

Speaker of the Party
The Speaker of the Party is chosen for a maximum of ten years. He or she has to live in Sayoon, preferably Talan (its provincial capital) - but he or she does not need to be born there.

Constance Lane is the present Speaker, preferring a party position above a second term as President of the Republic.

The Libertarian Octet
The Libertarian Octet is the Supreme Council of the Moderate Party. It consists out of eight members, each chosen for a maximum of ten years. Their duty is to elect, assist and advise the Speaker of the Party.

Each Provincial Assembly appoints two member to the Octet. Only men who have reached the age of 32 with an academic degree can become members. There are and have been many exceptions on the "male" condition.



Women are de facto allowed to be a part of the Octet, and many Speakers and presidential candidates have been women. Sayoon is not represented in the Octet as the Speaker is their delegate when national matters are concerned.

The Octet meets at the headquarters of the Moderate Party, located in the heart of Talan, Sayoon province, called "National College of Lombas".

The Provincial Assemblies
Local party groups each elect representatives to the Provincial Assemblies according to a proportional system. The five assemblies gather every year for three days in the National Congress to discuss and make important decisions.

Presidents of Mordusia
The Moderate Party and its predecessors delivered the following Presidents of the Republic:

2209-2213 | 2217-2218 | 2225-2228 | 2228-2231 2272-2276 | 2276-2280 2289-2291 2291-2293 | 2293-2295 2295-2297 | 2297-2299 2299-2301 2301-2303 2303-2305 | 2305-2307 2307-2309 2309-2311 | 2311-2313 2313-2315 | 2315-2317 | 2317-2319 2319-2321 2321-2323 | 2323-2325 | 2325-2327 | 2327-2329 | 2329-2331 | 2331-2333 | 2333-2335 2337-2339 | 2339-2341 | 2341-2342 2342-2344 | 2344-2346 | 2346-2348 2348-2350 2350-2352
 * Elisabeth Lombas
 * Ann Frenjes
 * Hugo d'Amosse
 * Dagobert Huse d'Amuy
 * Isabelle Beyen-Smaes
 * Johan van Raesberg
 * Frederik van Zyl Slabbert
 * Sarah Hess
 * Gnaeus Arminius Maro
 * '''Charles Ambrose
 * Ann Hurles
 * Alexander Cameron
 * László de Hevesy
 * Henry Allstein
 * Saartje van Kampsch
 * Constance Lane
 * Charles Aldous Fox

Charity
The Moderate Party is known for its support of charity. Its Karel Asch Foundation coordinates projects from delivering internet access to poor villages to setting up day cares and handing out food packages.

Sarah Hess, the founding chairwoman of the Karel Asch Foundation from 2298 until 2303, was nominated as presidential candidate by a Convention in September 2302. She has a Ph.D in nuclear physics, taught at the Catholic University of Talan, hands out food packages in the Hurom-district of Bayonne every week, and, most of all, she is a lesbian, married to Emily Lowell, the sister of Henry Lowell, a Member of the Assembly and Minister. She got elected and became the first homosexual President of Mordusia. She was President from 2303-2307, elected twice.

James Hertzog was the next chairman of the Karel Asch Foundation. He served from 2303 to 2313. Rosemary Dwayn-Sawyer is the current chairwoman. She is married to Claude Berry, an important intellectual renowned for his book "Path to Freedom" and is the president of the Center for the New Mordusia, a laissez-faire think-tank. In 2313 the Karel Asch Foundation sent tons of food to help the people in Sekowo.

In 2321, the KAF went global, making it the official party organization.

It received the 2321 Hero of Terra award "for promoting global cooperation in the fight against poverty".