Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes V (Do Not Post Current Politics Here)
- Status
1998 Oceanic General Election
The 1998 Oceanic General Election was held on Tuesday, December 1st,1998 to elect all 148 MPs to the Kangaroo Parliament for a four year mandate. The Incumbent Insane Party of Oceania was at a moderate to popular level of support with the general electorate, with noticeable electorate strongholds being a large chunk of Perth. The Farmer-Hunter Party, one of the more conservative choices for the populace, had been going through several tumultuous choices in leadership and direction. The IPO was still well behind in terms of governing through an outright majority, something they hoped to capitalize on as the campaign season started.
Hobo Party leader Crowley Earl Ulysses, found himself in a powerful political position, able to doll out several concessions from both major political parties which needed his MPs for a governing coalition. Other political parties of note was the rather small Federalist party headed by former SNL host David Letterman, who merely hoped to pick off one or two seats from the party that smelt the most vulnerable.
Soon both major political parties were hurtling slanderous accusations at one another, from allegations of many affairs with men by Noodle to cries of tax evasion on David Letterman's financial records and statements which their campaigns would deny heavily. The Farmer-Hunter Party would make the mistake of campaigning on "Fundamental Decency", with the Insane Party slamming the vague statement as clear attempts that the Farmer-Hunter Party had no policies to offer the Oceanian people.
In the Political party debates, Goldwater's advanced age would be brought up repeatedly, with Noodle pointing this out in several attack ads that described the FHP as "an old folk's home". Regardless of how true those descriptions were, Goldwater's publicity stunts of him attempting to connect with the average Oceanian only ended up alienating some of his older and more poll hungry supporters who found themselves disillusioned with his cheap attempts at making himself feel cool.
The Poll Numbers throughout the campaign would indicate a moderate gain by either the IPO or Hobo, though nothing political party killing or anything like that, based on the sample sizes used in the polls.
Soon the day of the election arrived in December, which saw the IPO pick up seven seats along with gains by Hobo,Federalist and the election of a fifth party in the form of Popular Spirit from the Island constituency of Solomon.
Bill Noodle
Bill Noodle is the current Kangaroo-Chancellor of Oceania, in that position since the death of his father, Bob Noodle in 1975. Although considered a dictator and despot by many western media sources, he is elected every four years by the people of Oceania indirectly by having a majority of seats within the Kangaroo-Parliament.
His First political office would be Chairman of the Sesame Street Council of Muppets in 1960. In this role he would crack down on illegal bootlegging within several major cities of the DPRO, gaining the attention of his father who would personally see his promotion to Chairman of the Politburo Military Congress and election to the Kangaroo Parliament representing O'Conner.
Four month later, a promotion to chairman of the IPO would enable him to go after his potential usurpers to the throne, having Chairman of the Politburo Standing Committee Harry F. "Big Bird" Byrd being subject to a defenestration in a political assassination. With the consolidation of power complete, Noodle would receive the news of his father's death in 1975 with a mask of grief with rapid pace power plays being undertaken by his minions and cronies in the key Oceanic political offices he would need.
He is known infamously for a crippling cocaine addiction that leads to burst of anger and abrupt sadness.
With his swearing in as Kangaroo-Chancellor of Oceania, there had been much discussion about how much of a potential reformer he could be to the fledgling and poverty stricken Oceanic economy, still suffering the ill effects of dust storms, Emu invasions and economic aftershocks following the devastating Oceanic Civil War in the 1950s.
He would first embark on massive collectivization and confiscation with compensation of private property all throughout the country. He would see an attempted assassination by a Confederate Intelligence Agency bomb in 1977 during the test flight of a new passenger airliner. The attack shook his nerves, with himself refusing to travel outside of the country and developing a phobia of flying, resulting in the construction of massive railway infrastructure throughout the country.
He has engaged in multiple human rights violations which has made even the Soviet Union quickly cut ties to the insane regime shortly after a diplomatic disaster of a state visit by Brezhnev. A similar visit to attempt to cool ties by U.S and C.S President Betty White and John Anderson failed spectacularly.
Noodle would also during this time discover uranium deposits in the early 1980s, begining a nuclear weapons program which is still the subject of much controversy to this day. Noodle now has maintained a policy of neutrality in world politics, yet riled up his people with xenophobic propaganda. It is estimated that his reign has killed as many as fourteen million people within the country.
D.P.R.O
The Democratic People's Republic of Oceania (D.P.R.O) is one of the poorest countries on earth thanks to rampant corruption that has continued under the leadership of Bill Noodle, who has been the Kangaroo-Chancellor since 1975. The DPRO is the only country on the world that drives in the center of the road, switching from driving on the left since gaining independence from the British in 1947. Initally politics were divided between the far leftist Communist Party and the far right Heavenly Nationalists.
Violence between both left and right groups soon spiraled out into a civil war, with the communist party being headed by Bob Noodle and the nationalist side being headed by Herbert Hoover. Hoover's anti-communist forces were readily funded and shipped weaponry by President Truman's policy of containment. The Outback Nationalist Front was hastily assembled and marched across the division line initially established by the League of Nations in 1944.
American intervention soon was inevitable once Sydney was found to be under siege by communist forces. After some outflanking maneuvers by General Omar Bradley, the Communist forces fell back with the support of revolutionary fighters funneling in from a failing communist uprising in the Dutch East Indies. These expatriates would take up arms alongside the communist forces with more manpower and training, forcing the allies on the back foot by 1952 until the war was ended with the expulsion of all Heavenly Nationalist forces.
The Nationalist Forces fled to New Zeland, where they have continued to declare themselves the Republic of Oceania to distinguish themselves from the Democratic People's Republic of Oceania. Despite Bob Noodle's initial readiness to conquer New Zealand, pressure from the Soviet Union was able to convince Noodle to acquiesce to the demands of the soviets and not launch an attack.
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Billy Noodle
1998 Oceanic General Election
The 1998 Oceanic General Election was held on Tuesday, December 1st,1998 to elect all 148 MPs to the Kangaroo Parliament for a four year mandate. The Incumbent Insane Party of Oceania was at a moderate to popular level of support with the general electorate, with noticeable electorate strongholds being a large chunk of Perth. The Farmer-Hunter Party, one of the more conservative choices for the populace, had been going through several tumultuous choices in leadership and direction. The IPO was still well behind in terms of governing through an outright majority, something they hoped to capitalize on as the campaign season started.
Hobo Party leader Crowley Earl Ulysses, found himself in a powerful political position, able to doll out several concessions from both major political parties which needed his MPs for a governing coalition. Other political parties of note was the rather small Federalist party headed by former SNL host David Letterman, who merely hoped to pick off one or two seats from the party that smelt the most vulnerable.
Soon both major political parties were hurtling slanderous accusations at one another, from allegations of many affairs with men by Noodle to cries of tax evasion on David Letterman's financial records and statements which their campaigns would deny heavily. The Farmer-Hunter Party would make the mistake of campaigning on "Fundamental Decency", with the Insane Party slamming the vague statement as clear attempts that the Farmer-Hunter Party had no policies to offer the Oceanian people.
In the Political party debates, Goldwater's advanced age would be brought up repeatedly, with Noodle pointing this out in several attack ads that described the FHP as "an old folk's home". Regardless of how true those descriptions were, Goldwater's publicity stunts of him attempting to connect with the average Oceanian only ended up alienating some of his older and more poll hungry supporters who found themselves disillusioned with his cheap attempts at making himself feel cool.
The Poll Numbers throughout the campaign would indicate a moderate gain by either the IPO or Hobo, though nothing political party killing or anything like that, based on the sample sizes used in the polls.
Soon the day of the election arrived in December, which saw the IPO pick up seven seats along with gains by Hobo,Federalist and the election of a fifth party in the form of Popular Spirit from the Island constituency of Solomon.
Bill Noodle
Bill Noodle is the current Kangaroo-Chancellor of Oceania, in that position since the death of his father, Bob Noodle in 1975. Although considered a dictator and despot by many western media sources, he is elected every four years by the people of Oceania indirectly by having a majority of seats within the Kangaroo-Parliament.
His First political office would be Chairman of the Sesame Street Council of Muppets in 1960. In this role he would crack down on illegal bootlegging within several major cities of the DPRO, gaining the attention of his father who would personally see his promotion to Chairman of the Politburo Military Congress and election to the Kangaroo Parliament representing O'Conner.
Four month later, a promotion to chairman of the IPO would enable him to go after his potential usurpers to the throne, having Chairman of the Politburo Standing Committee Harry F. "Big Bird" Byrd being subject to a defenestration in a political assassination. With the consolidation of power complete, Noodle would receive the news of his father's death in 1975 with a mask of grief with rapid pace power plays being undertaken by his minions and cronies in the key Oceanic political offices he would need.
He is known infamously for a crippling cocaine addiction that leads to burst of anger and abrupt sadness.
With his swearing in as Kangaroo-Chancellor of Oceania, there had been much discussion about how much of a potential reformer he could be to the fledgling and poverty stricken Oceanic economy, still suffering the ill effects of dust storms, Emu invasions and economic aftershocks following the devastating Oceanic Civil War in the 1950s.
He would first embark on massive collectivization and confiscation with compensation of private property all throughout the country. He would see an attempted assassination by a Confederate Intelligence Agency bomb in 1977 during the test flight of a new passenger airliner. The attack shook his nerves, with himself refusing to travel outside of the country and developing a phobia of flying, resulting in the construction of massive railway infrastructure throughout the country.
He also controversially embarked on a campaign to "insane-ify" most of the general populace, with mass forced conversions to whatever religion he had fancied for the day or week, the elimination of several schools throughout the country to be replaced with makeshift crash courses on how to both tie every knot known at the time regarding shoelaces and the mandatory wearing of the "Noodle" Bowtie and checkered style vest.
He would demand all food be confiscated and replaced with human waste and tens of thousands of tons of salt. The Population of Oceania would first dwindle from 62 million in 1980 to 50 million in 1990. He has engaged in multiple human rights violations which has made even the Soviet Union quickly cut ties to the insane regime shortly after a diplomatic disaster of a state visit by Brezhnev. A similar visit to attempt to cool ties by U.S and C.S President Betty White and John Anderson failed spectacularly.
Noodle would also during this time discover uranium deposits in the early 1980s, begining a nuclear weapons program which is still the subject of much controversy to this day. Noodle now has maintained a policy of neutrality in world politics, yet riled up his people with xenophobic propaganda. It is estimated that his reign has killed as many as fourteen million people within the country.
D.P.R.O
The Democratic People's Republic of Oceania (D.P.R.O) is one of the poorest countries on earth thanks to rampant corruption that has continued under the leadership of Bill Noodle, who has been the Kangaroo-Chancellor since 1975. The DPRO is the only country on the world that drives in the center of the road, switching from driving on the left since gaining independence from the British in 1947. Initally politics were divided between the far leftist Communist Party and the far right Heavenly Nationalists.
Violence between both left and right groups soon spiraled out into a civil war, with the communist party being headed by Bob Noodle and the nationalist side being headed by Herbert Hoover. Hoover's anti-communist forces were readily funded and shipped weaponry by President Truman's policy of containment. The Outback Nationalist Front was hastily assembled and marched across the division line initially established by the League of Nations in 1944.
American intervention soon was inevitable once Sydney was found to be under siege by communist forces. After some outflanking maneuvers by General Omar Bradley, the Communist forces fell back with the support of revolutionary fighters funneling in from a failing communist uprising in the Dutch East Indies. These expatriates would take up arms alongside the communist forces with more manpower and training, forcing the allies on the back foot by 1952 until the war was ended with the expulsion of all Heavenly Nationalist forces.
The Nationalist Forces fled to New Zeland, where they have continued to declare themselves the Republic of Oceania to distinguish themselves from the Democratic People's Republic of Oceania. Despite Bob Noodle's initial readiness to conquer New Zealand, pressure from the Soviet Union was able to convince Noodle to acquiesce to the demands of the soviets and not launch an attack.
Also very good
Bookmark1995
Banned
So is what is the POD in this TL?
Does Reagan, somehow, screw up in his first term, and Walter Mondale becomes President from 1985-1993? What kind of President would George Jr be if he had governed in that weird era between the end of the Cold War and 9/11?
Are you familiar with the term shitposting? (I realize this is almost certainly a rhetorical question, nevertheless...)
You clearly think your posts are hillarious. If 80 on a scale of 0-100 is hilarious, your posts are between 0.05 and 1.125.
You will cease and desist, immediately, with this crap. DO NOT screw with me on this.
1998 Oceanic General Election
The 1998 Oceanic General Election was held on Tuesday, December 1st,1998 to elect all 148 MPs to the Kangaroo Parliament for a four year mandate. The Incumbent Insane Party of Oceania was at a moderate to popular level of support with the general electorate, with noticeable electorate strongholds being a large chunk of Perth. The Farmer-Hunter Party, one of the more conservative choices for the populace, had been going through several tumultuous choices in leadership and direction. The IPO was still well behind in terms of governing through an outright majority, something they hoped to capitalize on as the campaign season started.
Hobo Party leader Crowley Earl Ulysses, found himself in a powerful political position, able to doll out several concessions from both major political parties which needed his MPs for a governing coalition. Other political parties of note was the rather small Federalist party headed by former SNL host David Letterman, who merely hoped to pick off one or two seats from the party that smelt the most vulnerable.
Soon both major political parties were hurtling slanderous accusations at one another, from allegations of many affairs with men by Noodle to cries of tax evasion on David Letterman's financial records and statements which their campaigns would deny heavily. The Farmer-Hunter Party would make the mistake of campaigning on "Fundamental Decency", with the Insane Party slamming the vague statement as clear attempts that the Farmer-Hunter Party had no policies to offer the Oceanian people.
In the Political party debates, Goldwater's advanced age would be brought up repeatedly, with Noodle pointing this out in several attack ads that described the FHP as "an old folk's home". Regardless of how true those descriptions were, Goldwater's publicity stunts of him attempting to connect with the average Oceanian only ended up alienating some of his older and more poll hungry supporters who found themselves disillusioned with his cheap attempts at making himself feel cool.
The Poll Numbers throughout the campaign would indicate a moderate gain by either the IPO or Hobo, though nothing political party killing or anything like that, based on the sample sizes used in the polls.
Soon the day of the election arrived in December, which saw the IPO pick up seven seats along with gains by Hobo,Federalist and the election of a fifth party in the form of Popular Spirit from the Island constituency of Solomon.
Bill Noodle
Bill Noodle is the current Kangaroo-Chancellor of Oceania, in that position since the death of his father, Bob Noodle in 1975. Although considered a dictator and despot by many western media sources, he is elected every four years by the people of Oceania indirectly by having a majority of seats within the Kangaroo-Parliament.
His First political office would be Chairman of the Sesame Street Council of Muppets in 1960. In this role he would crack down on illegal bootlegging within several major cities of the DPRO, gaining the attention of his father who would personally see his promotion to Chairman of the Politburo Military Congress and election to the Kangaroo Parliament representing O'Conner.
Four month later, a promotion to chairman of the IPO would enable him to go after his potential usurpers to the throne, having Chairman of the Politburo Standing Committee Harry F. "Big Bird" Byrd being subject to a defenestration in a political assassination. With the consolidation of power complete, Noodle would receive the news of his father's death in 1975 with a mask of grief with rapid pace power plays being undertaken by his minions and cronies in the key Oceanic political offices he would need.
He is known infamously for a crippling cocaine addiction that leads to burst of anger and abrupt sadness.
With his swearing in as Kangaroo-Chancellor of Oceania, there had been much discussion about how much of a potential reformer he could be to the fledgling and poverty stricken Oceanic economy, still suffering the ill effects of dust storms, Emu invasions and economic aftershocks following the devastating Oceanic Civil War in the 1950s.
He would first embark on massive collectivization and confiscation with compensation of private property all throughout the country. He would see an attempted assassination by a Confederate Intelligence Agency bomb in 1977 during the test flight of a new passenger airliner. The attack shook his nerves, with himself refusing to travel outside of the country and developing a phobia of flying, resulting in the construction of massive railway infrastructure throughout the country.
He also controversially embarked on a campaign to "insane-ify" most of the general populace, with mass forced conversions to whatever religion he had fancied for the day or week, the elimination of several schools throughout the country to be replaced with makeshift crash courses on how to both tie every knot known at the time regarding shoelaces and the mandatory wearing of the "Noodle" Bowtie and checkered style vest.
He would demand all food be confiscated and replaced with human waste and tens of thousands of tons of salt. The Population of Oceania would first dwindle from 62 million in 1980 to 50 million in 1990. He has engaged in multiple human rights violations which has made even the Soviet Union quickly cut ties to the insane regime shortly after a diplomatic disaster of a state visit by Brezhnev. A similar visit to attempt to cool ties by U.S and C.S President Betty White and John Anderson failed spectacularly.
Noodle would also during this time discover uranium deposits in the early 1980s, begining a nuclear weapons program which is still the subject of much controversy to this day. Noodle now has maintained a policy of neutrality in world politics, yet riled up his people with xenophobic propaganda. It is estimated that his reign has killed as many as fourteen million people within the country.
D.P.R.O
The Democratic People's Republic of Oceania (D.P.R.O) is one of the poorest countries on earth thanks to rampant corruption that has continued under the leadership of Bill Noodle, who has been the Kangaroo-Chancellor since 1975. The DPRO is the only country on the world that drives in the center of the road, switching from driving on the left since gaining independence from the British in 1947. Initally politics were divided between the far leftist Communist Party and the far right Heavenly Nationalists.
Violence between both left and right groups soon spiraled out into a civil war, with the communist party being headed by Bob Noodle and the nationalist side being headed by Herbert Hoover. Hoover's anti-communist forces were readily funded and shipped weaponry by President Truman's policy of containment. The Outback Nationalist Front was hastily assembled and marched across the division line initially established by the League of Nations in 1944.
American intervention soon was inevitable once Sydney was found to be under siege by communist forces. After some outflanking maneuvers by General Omar Bradley, the Communist forces fell back with the support of revolutionary fighters funneling in from a failing communist uprising in the Dutch East Indies. These expatriates would take up arms alongside the communist forces with more manpower and training, forcing the allies on the back foot by 1952 until the war was ended with the expulsion of all Heavenly Nationalist forces.
The Nationalist Forces fled to New Zeland, where they have continued to declare themselves the Republic of Oceania to distinguish themselves from the Democratic People's Republic of Oceania. Despite Bob Noodle's initial readiness to conquer New Zealand, pressure from the Soviet Union was able to convince Noodle to acquiesce to the demands of the soviets and not launch an attack.
Yeah it's not funny not even a trash post could do this justice.
A political post for Gran Lago timeline, where a massive lake in Southern California doesn't dry up and sticks around to the modern day (with some help). Other posts in this timeline can be found here, here. and here.
The Republic of California is dominated by two major state-level political parties, the Popular Movement (Movimiento Popular) and Citizens of California {Ciudadanos de California) the original state branch of the Citizens of America. The Popular Movement has its origins in the Californio-led statehood movement of the late 19th century, before it was founded as a political party by future governor Luis Ortez Obrador. The Citizens split from the Popular Movement in the 1970s, when the latter drifted too far leftward in social and economic policy for their conservative members. Before that time California was effectively a de facto one-party state.
In addition to the standard left-right political divide, the parties have different views on the role of the Californio identity in politics. While the Popular Movement does not support independence it is still a nationalist party, supporting protection of the Californio identity and maintaining Spanish as the state’s only official language. Meanwhile Citizens emphasizes an collective American identity and thus seeks to add English as an official language. Despite these difference both parties are often defined as big tent, each attracting a broad population of Hispanic speaking voters.
Since the 1960s, the two parties have expanded beyond California to promote Californio/Latino interests nationwide. Outside of California, the Popular Movement and the Citizens’ state party affiliates collectively draw a overwhelming (~80%) majority of the Latino vote nationwide in Presidential elections. However there are signs that the domination of the two Californio parties in their home state are wavering. In the 2018 midterms, for the first time in the state’s history a candidate from a non-Latino party was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Republic of California is dominated by two major state-level political parties, the Popular Movement (Movimiento Popular) and Citizens of California {Ciudadanos de California) the original state branch of the Citizens of America. The Popular Movement has its origins in the Californio-led statehood movement of the late 19th century, before it was founded as a political party by future governor Luis Ortez Obrador. The Citizens split from the Popular Movement in the 1970s, when the latter drifted too far leftward in social and economic policy for their conservative members. Before that time California was effectively a de facto one-party state.
In addition to the standard left-right political divide, the parties have different views on the role of the Californio identity in politics. While the Popular Movement does not support independence it is still a nationalist party, supporting protection of the Californio identity and maintaining Spanish as the state’s only official language. Meanwhile Citizens emphasizes an collective American identity and thus seeks to add English as an official language. Despite these difference both parties are often defined as big tent, each attracting a broad population of Hispanic speaking voters.
Since the 1960s, the two parties have expanded beyond California to promote Californio/Latino interests nationwide. Outside of California, the Popular Movement and the Citizens’ state party affiliates collectively draw a overwhelming (~80%) majority of the Latino vote nationwide in Presidential elections. However there are signs that the domination of the two Californio parties in their home state are wavering. In the 2018 midterms, for the first time in the state’s history a candidate from a non-Latino party was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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BlackentheBorg
Banned
I keep trying to do dystopias but they always have redeeming qualities. Hows this? Grim enough?
Very.
These guys look like survivalists, or, perhaps, veterans of the Second American Revolution.
BlackentheBorg
Banned
Invictus is a Floridian Proud Boy who drank goats blood this one time, and Belden (formerly known as PissPigGranddad) is a DSA member who went and fought with a Kurdish militia during the Syrian Civil War. So yeah, the Second American Revolution angle is pretty spot on.
*See's Republican VP*I keep trying to do dystopias but they always have redeeming qualities. Hows this? Grim enough?
...HEIMBAAAAAAAAAACH!!!!!!!!
From @Komodo and @Techdread's Time for Decision:
The 1974 European Parliament elections were the first European elections that would allow the electorates of the nine member states, also making it the first-ever international election in history. Whilst direct elections to the European Parliament had been legislated under the Treaty of Rome (1957), it would take external pressure from President of the European Commission Patrick Hillery, national leaders (notably British prime minister Roy Jenkins), and threatened legal action from the then-appointed European Parliament to provoke the EEC Council to holding elections sooner rather than later.
Although pressure had been applied to force the long-awaited elections, there was little appetite for them amongst the populations of the member states themselves. A general apathy amongst the electorates would make much the campaign little more than referendums on the incumbent governments and seemed to serve as indicators of how the next national election would fare within each nation.
With a breadth of half a continent, the organisation of multiple political parties into united organisations was no easy task. Already within the European Parliament, the appointed MEPs sat in groupings that were often broad churches: the European left was largely united into the Socialist Group, with the exception of the far-left in the Communists and Allies, the Liberal and Democrats Group was equally cohesive, whilst the right was split between the pro-European Christian Democratic Group, the French-dominated European Progressive Democrats, and the new but wary members in the European Conservatives.
Despite the long-awaited decision to hold direct elections to the Parliament, there was no united decision over the method of voting across the member states; whilst most would use forms of proportional representation, the United Kingdom used plurality voting as it did in its own national elections. As could be expected from a largely PR-based voting system, no majority was produced from the election, but it was a clear victory for the Socialist Group as they took almost a third of the popular vote across the EEC and held 130 of the 410 seats in the European Parliament. Relying upon the support of the Liberal Group and the Communists and Allies, the European Parliament had a distinctly left-of-centre view during the 1970s.
The Liberal Group saw its candidate, French Reforming Movement MEP René Monory, elected as European Parliament President with support from the Socialists in a mutual deal over the appointment of the European Commission President that would take place in 1977. The European Parliament President, whilst important within the EEC, is primarily the role of a speaker within the parliament, whilst the President of the European Commission functioned as ‘prime minister of Europe’. Former German vice chancellor Willy Brandt appointment as European Commission President in 1977 oversaw closer economic integration of the EEC, an opening of relations with the Eastern Bloc, and greater international standing following Brandt’s invitation to attend the 1977 G8 Summit.
Although pressure had been applied to force the long-awaited elections, there was little appetite for them amongst the populations of the member states themselves. A general apathy amongst the electorates would make much the campaign little more than referendums on the incumbent governments and seemed to serve as indicators of how the next national election would fare within each nation.
With a breadth of half a continent, the organisation of multiple political parties into united organisations was no easy task. Already within the European Parliament, the appointed MEPs sat in groupings that were often broad churches: the European left was largely united into the Socialist Group, with the exception of the far-left in the Communists and Allies, the Liberal and Democrats Group was equally cohesive, whilst the right was split between the pro-European Christian Democratic Group, the French-dominated European Progressive Democrats, and the new but wary members in the European Conservatives.
Despite the long-awaited decision to hold direct elections to the Parliament, there was no united decision over the method of voting across the member states; whilst most would use forms of proportional representation, the United Kingdom used plurality voting as it did in its own national elections. As could be expected from a largely PR-based voting system, no majority was produced from the election, but it was a clear victory for the Socialist Group as they took almost a third of the popular vote across the EEC and held 130 of the 410 seats in the European Parliament. Relying upon the support of the Liberal Group and the Communists and Allies, the European Parliament had a distinctly left-of-centre view during the 1970s.
The Liberal Group saw its candidate, French Reforming Movement MEP René Monory, elected as European Parliament President with support from the Socialists in a mutual deal over the appointment of the European Commission President that would take place in 1977. The European Parliament President, whilst important within the EEC, is primarily the role of a speaker within the parliament, whilst the President of the European Commission functioned as ‘prime minister of Europe’. Former German vice chancellor Willy Brandt appointment as European Commission President in 1977 oversaw closer economic integration of the EEC, an opening of relations with the Eastern Bloc, and greater international standing following Brandt’s invitation to attend the 1977 G8 Summit.
In the UK, the results were a sign of changing times. Despite being taken into the European Community by Labour under Harold Wilson, a policy that was carefully managed by Roy Jenkins as Foreign Secretary at the time, the country was already undergoing a shift. Just as in other countries, the informal referendum of the government through the ballot box to Brussels had shown that Britons were tired of Labour. Keith Joseph’s Conservatives should have been secure in achieving a clear majority of the seats and votes, but the results showed a dead-hear between the two dominant parties with a strong performance from Jeremy Thorpe’s Liberals; had the results been replicated into a general election, it would have produced a hung parliament with a strong Liberal presence as kingmaker.
However, whilst the result may have attracted the attention of politicians and the press, there was little enthusiasm among the public; the turnout amongst the UK population for the 1974 European election was under a third of the electorate and apathy was still strong through the nation. It may have been a warning cry for the Jenkins government, but it also served as a warning for the Tories that they could not rely solely on voter apathy to win the next election. It also served as the watermark for Thorpe’s time as Liberal Party leader; expectations of an equally strong performance in the general election were dashed and it wasn’t long afterwards that Thorpe himself fell from grace in the Thorpe Affair.
The British involvement in Europe was still uncertain; reluctance and hostility remained strong throughout Westminster with MPs on both sides calling for a British departure from the EEC. Only the Liberal Party was seemingly united on British membership and those voices of disagreement with their party’s leaderships were growing strong. Uncertainty and political experimentation were becoming synonymous for British politics in the 1970s. The 1975 general election compounded these.
However, whilst the result may have attracted the attention of politicians and the press, there was little enthusiasm among the public; the turnout amongst the UK population for the 1974 European election was under a third of the electorate and apathy was still strong through the nation. It may have been a warning cry for the Jenkins government, but it also served as a warning for the Tories that they could not rely solely on voter apathy to win the next election. It also served as the watermark for Thorpe’s time as Liberal Party leader; expectations of an equally strong performance in the general election were dashed and it wasn’t long afterwards that Thorpe himself fell from grace in the Thorpe Affair.
The British involvement in Europe was still uncertain; reluctance and hostility remained strong throughout Westminster with MPs on both sides calling for a British departure from the EEC. Only the Liberal Party was seemingly united on British membership and those voices of disagreement with their party’s leaderships were growing strong. Uncertainty and political experimentation were becoming synonymous for British politics in the 1970s. The 1975 general election compounded these.
Harold Stassen was surprised when Dewey decided to support the rather conservative "Tricky Dick" instead of his vice president for the Republican presidential nominee.
Nixon would when the nomination with the liberal Republican Nelson Rockefeller as his running mate.
On the Democratic side, the almost exact opposite was happening:
The liberal Kennedy chose the conservative southern democrat, George Wallace.
JFK would later regret making that decision due to them arguing on how to solve the problems in the U.S. (Mainly civil rights)
Though Nixon would get right along with Rockefeller.
Many African-Americans would support Nixon due to his predecessor passing the Civil Rights Act.
On election night, to the delight of all Republicans (conservatives, moderates, and liberals alike), Nixon would be announced the next President of the United States.
- Status