Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria

The Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria (commonly called the SP) is a political party in Greater Hulstria. Originally formed in 2413, it is currently the second largest party in the Diet, with 156 seats. As a founding member of the Hulstrian Monarchist Society, it currently enjoys a strong alliance with the Fascist Authority Party. It is also a member of the Imperial Cabinet, holding the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and Social Services, and Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

Since its return to Hulstrian politics in 2769, the party has steady growth, especially under its current Chairman, Ambrose Bauer. Since taking over in 2776, Bauer has substantially improved relations with most other parties in the Imperial Diet, especially with the FAP and the Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei. Bauer abandoned the policies of his predecessor, Margaret English, entering into a united cabinet involving all parties in the Diet. Under his rule, the party rose from a low of 105 seats to an all-time high of 156 seats.

The party is headquarted in the historic Thatcher House in Kien

History of the SP
The Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria was initially established as the Mormon Socialist Party in June 2413 when 10,000 Mormon refugees fleeing persecution in Dranland arrived in the Crownland of Hulstria. Almost immediately, the other parties, led by the Hulstrian Nationalist party, conspired against the Mormon population, which led to the MSP's opposition to the government. It eventual lead them to propose the Republic Act 2413. In response, the Imperial Diet passed the Un-Hulstrian Activities Act 2414, which banned the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and deported everyone who practiced the religion. It also led to the commencement of an Imperial Tribune, which the party ignored. The Imperial Tribune abruptly ended with the end of apartheid, which revoked the law approving the Imperial Tribune. The MSP, along with the Gao-Showa People's Party, took part in the cabinet following the next election, at which time the MSP Party formally renounced Republicanism and embraced the Constitutional Monarchy. In June 2426, it was a key partner in the establishment of the Dual Monarchy of Hulstria and Gao-Soto.

Following the party's evolution into a socialist organization in 2440, the party's main partner were the Coalition of Casual Sects and the Progressive Liberal Party of Hulstria. Also, following the immigration of Mormon refugees from Deltaria, the party followed them to the new City of Deseret, but were forced out by a systematic campaign by the military and gishoto tribes. It soon set up a city, which the named Moroni, where it, along with the Church, built its headquarters.

But it soon became evident that the Mormons still wished to be citizens of Greater Hulstria, which other parties were adamently opposed to. When it became clear that the other parties would not allow Moroni to join the Eastern Territories, the MSP, reluctantly, proposed and eventually won a vote on independance for Moroni, leaving behind the Hulstrian political scene. Its leader at the time, Jane O'Neil became the leader of the the new nation.

After many centuries of self-imposed exile in Moroni, the City was readmitted into the Eastern Territories in 2771, causing the MSP to once again return to the Diet. In 2770, two months before the official integration of the city, it contested its first election in the Diet since 2469. It only picked up 5 seats, all in Kuratha, all due to short time it had to prepare. The party, as expected, picked up many more seats in the general election of 2773, picking up an additional 149 more seats, making it the second largest party in the Diet. It also entered the cabinet, in an alliance with the CLA and HNP, with 5 positions, including the Ministry of Justice.

In September, 2774, the party announced its transformation into the Socialist Party of Greater Husltria.

The party, along with the other liberal parties, suffered a major loss in the General Elections of 2776, losing 45 seats, with conservative parties becoming the majority in the Diet. As a result, the national council of the party elected Ambrose Bauer as Socialist Party Leader, deposing Margaret English. Bauer became the first non-Mormon to head the party. Despite the party's opposition to its lack of proportional representation, the SP and the Fascist Authority Party reached a deal in which the SP entered into the united cabinet with the other parties. The deal includes an agreement to fundamentally reform the way in which the cabinet is formed, and how the Staatsminister is elected. The debate on the issue began, but was expected to take many years before an agreement could be reached. The SP gained 4 seats in the 2779 general election, bringing its total up to 110 seats. The party thus ranked fifth in the number of seats, but only 36 seats behind the largest in the Diet, the Objektivismus Partei. After the 2779 election, the SP became a major leader in the movement to restore some of the Emperor's powers. It would also join at that time the Hulstrian Monarchist Society, along with the FAP, Nationale Partei, and Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei.

During the party conference of 2782, the party adopted significant changes to the party structure, including replacing the previous position of Leader of the SP with an Office of the Chaiman. Ambrose Bauer was choosen by 95% of the delegates to be the first Chairman.

The party made major gains in the September 2782 elections, picking up 27 extra seats, and gaining control of the local government in Kuratha. It became the second largest party in the Diet, at only 15 seats behind the Christliche Liberalen Allianz. The party, with Ambrose Bauer as it's candidate, also made it into the second round of the Governor-Generalship election, but lost to the Nationale Partei, due to the opposing party recieving the endorsement of the Fascist Authority Party and the Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei. The SP has also seen an increase in support for its proposals regarding the abolition of the Governor-Generalship. The party made a moderate gain in the 2785 general elections, gaining two seats in an election that saw little change in the Diet, but still managed to replace the CLA as the largest party in the country, with 139 seats. It was followed close behind by the CLA, who had 137 seats.

In the General Election of 2788, the SP continued to increase its seat share by picking up 17 seats, bringing the total up to 156 seats. With 21.51% of the Diet under it's control, the SP gained the party's highest percentage of seats in any election since 2431. But, at the same time, it lost its status as the largest party to a resurgent CLA, who picked up 33 extra seats, mostly from the FAP, to bring its total up to 170 seats.



Economics
The SPGH favors a highly centralized economic system which provides for the most vulnerable in our nation. The SP also advocates for the introduction of stock market regulations.

Abortion
To a very negative reaction by the other members of the Imperial Diet, the Socialist Party, led by Margaret English, has in the past few years made efforts to legalize abortion, changing the law so abortion is legal throughout the first trimester. But the new leadership of Ambrose Bauer makes it unknown if these efforts will continue into the future.

Capital Punishment
The Socialist Party has, on numerous occasions, introduced legislation that would have banned the use of the death penalty in all cases, but has been defeated by large majorities in the Diet.

Imperial Family
The Socialist Party, unlike other leftist parties, is a strong advocate for a constitutional monarchy, and is opposed to any republican movement.

Same-Sex Marriage
The Socialist Party has been a very strong advocate for same-sex marriage, arguing that it is a matter of equal rights.

War and the Military
The Socialist Party takes a pacifist position in military matters, arguing that military force must be used only as a very last resort. It has also argued for a complete severing of ties between the armed forces and the Imperial Police.

Environment
The SP has been a constant advocate for the need to protect the environment from the forces of man, having introduced strict legislation into the Diet to reduce the impact of man on the planet, but these positions have not been picked up by the other parties, and thus have had little success.

Party Structure
The party is led by the Chairman of the Socialist Party, who is the public representative of the party, leads is legislative efforts, and, if the party does not endorse another party, serves as its candidate for Governor-General. The current chairman is Ambrose Bauer.

The Chairman heads the Board of Selectmen of the Socialist Party, which is comprised of 11 high ranking members of the party, and who conduct most of the everyday business of the party. The Chairman and the Board of Selectmen are both elected by the Nationalist Socialist Assembly, which is comprised of 501 socialist party members representing and elected by their local parties. The Chairman and each Selectman must be elected by a 50% vote of the assembly, but, in order to endorse a candidate from another party, the assembly must pass the motion by 60%.

Links

 * List of Chairmen of the Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria


 * Ambrose Bauer