CHANGE: 2014
THE IMPERIAL
FEBRUARY 15, 2013
PROTESTS SWAMP LONDON, WHILE SALMON BEGINS TO DRAW THE ELECTION BATTLE LINES
THE IMPERIAL
FEBRUARY 15, 2013
PROTESTS SWAMP LONDON, WHILE SALMON BEGINS TO DRAW THE ELECTION BATTLE LINES
Anti-austerity protests have once again swept Central London, causing further disruption across the capital into the night. The protests were organised primarily by the Trade Union Federation and student group Anyone Against Austerity, and police estimate that it may have numbered as many as 50,000 people who flooded onto The Mall in front of Walpole Palace, necessitating the deployment of additional police in riot gear. There were several incidents of objects being thrown into the front courtyard by angry protesters, as well as two instances of fireworks being launched at the palace itself which resulted in riot police forcing protesters back onto The Mall. One of the organisers of the protests, Jim Major, head of the Yorkshire Mining Union, explained the day’s purpose; “The people are here to express their collective frustration and opposition to the reckless and damaging actions of the federal government, which have left so many families in poverty. Our mining sector may not be as profitable as it’s always been, but this administration sees any fall in profit as an excuse to try and tear down our industrial heritage and our livelihoods, condemning entire towns to ruthless poverty.” This was echoed by Senator Leslie Herbert of Yorkshire, who was present at the demonstrations and who continues to be one of the symbols of the trade unions within the Liberals. A statement from the Walpole Palace Press Office criticised the protests as counter-productive, while repeating the often-heard commitment to austerity through budget and tax cuts to stimulate economic growth and recover from the Great Recession. These claims continue to be rejected by many, especially Senator Victoria Salmon of Lanark, whose profile in the Liberal Party continues to grow.
Pictured: A firework strikes the centre of Walpole Palace during protests.
Pictured: A firework strikes the centre of Walpole Palace during protests.
The Senator was in London today, though she did not attend the protests, presumably unwilling to risk the potential for violence. Instead she addressed a crowd of an estimated 5,000 inside the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, where she paid tribute to the protesters for their “bravery in the face of all the struggles they go through,” while slamming the Newman Administration for its conservatism which she claimed “runs in the opposite direction to all decent people in the Federation.” While opposition to austerity formed the core of her speech, which she delivered on stage without notes, she also cited the government’s opposition to advancements in LGBT rights, its support for the “brutality” of fox hunting by the elite classes, and more generally the Administration’s support amongst society’s elite, which she claimed “goes against everything our Revolution stood for.” These are hardly unexplored grounds she is walking on; since long before the Newman victory in 2009, it has been a regular charge laid at the feet of Conservatives that they stand shoulder to shoulder with the so-called upper classes. Salmon took advantage of this perception, noting the cuts in the welfare state which she labelled “vicious” and “heartless,” while condemning tax breaks for millionaires which had come alongside these cuts.
Pictured: Senator Victoria Salmon at Crystal Palace
With the presidential election next August, the firebrand Scottish Senator is expected to be the frontrunner for the Liberals if she announces her intention to stand, with the deadline to do so being July 29. However, even within her own party she faces an uphill battle; Salmon has regularly found herself at odds with centrist elements in the party, led by Senator Anthony Lynton of Durham, who is himself regarded as a likely candidate for the Liberal presidential nomination. Lynton has since Salmon’s arrival at the forefront of the political scene in 2009 criticised her opposition to private involvement in healthcare and education, and was perhaps the greatest dissenting voice within the party to her speech last winter in Taunton, in which she voiced her opposition to further boosts in the defence budget to £190 billion. Lynton has long been the darling of the centrists within the party since he rose from the Commons to the Senate in 1991, much like Salmon has become the darling of the left. Many of Salmon’s supporters have accused Lynton of acting out of jealousy, with the fisherman’s daughter having exploded onto the political scene so rapidly without any previous Parliamentary experience. Senator Lynton continues to insist the issue is a matter of recognising the responsibility of left wing overspending for the Great Recession’s subsequent debt crisis, as he has outlined regularly, insisting that the Liberals ought to pursue a less partisan approach which acknowledges the importance of the market and its role in solving problems. However, with Salmon having gained much of her appeal initially through the support of the liberal grassroots, any accommodation with the capitalist elite seems unlikely at best. Similarly, there has also been friction between Salmon and the traditionalist elements of the party, primarily those from industrial constituencies. Though these constitute a far smaller force – the party mutiny against President Gould in 1996 is unlikely to ever be repeated – their influence has been growing in Western Australia and southern Ontario since the recession, the latter of which is vital for the Liberals in any election with its 1,437 electoral votes. Michael Rose, Honourable Member for Durack in Western Australia, has been particularly vocal in his opposition to Salmon’s environmental message, which some view as a threat especially to mining communities, as has Senator Herbert. Whatever the case, despite the enthusiasm of the party’s progressive base, it is clear that Salmon does not face an easy battle should she announce her candidacy. Should she win, she would be the country’s second female president after Hilda Roberts (1984 – 1994).
Pictured: Senator Anthony Lynton of Durham at a speech to the Trade Union Coalition late last year. Lynton is likely to be the biggest obstacle within the Liberal Party to a Salmon presidential candidacy
Pictured: Senator Victoria Salmon at Crystal Palace
With the presidential election next August, the firebrand Scottish Senator is expected to be the frontrunner for the Liberals if she announces her intention to stand, with the deadline to do so being July 29. However, even within her own party she faces an uphill battle; Salmon has regularly found herself at odds with centrist elements in the party, led by Senator Anthony Lynton of Durham, who is himself regarded as a likely candidate for the Liberal presidential nomination. Lynton has since Salmon’s arrival at the forefront of the political scene in 2009 criticised her opposition to private involvement in healthcare and education, and was perhaps the greatest dissenting voice within the party to her speech last winter in Taunton, in which she voiced her opposition to further boosts in the defence budget to £190 billion. Lynton has long been the darling of the centrists within the party since he rose from the Commons to the Senate in 1991, much like Salmon has become the darling of the left. Many of Salmon’s supporters have accused Lynton of acting out of jealousy, with the fisherman’s daughter having exploded onto the political scene so rapidly without any previous Parliamentary experience. Senator Lynton continues to insist the issue is a matter of recognising the responsibility of left wing overspending for the Great Recession’s subsequent debt crisis, as he has outlined regularly, insisting that the Liberals ought to pursue a less partisan approach which acknowledges the importance of the market and its role in solving problems. However, with Salmon having gained much of her appeal initially through the support of the liberal grassroots, any accommodation with the capitalist elite seems unlikely at best. Similarly, there has also been friction between Salmon and the traditionalist elements of the party, primarily those from industrial constituencies. Though these constitute a far smaller force – the party mutiny against President Gould in 1996 is unlikely to ever be repeated – their influence has been growing in Western Australia and southern Ontario since the recession, the latter of which is vital for the Liberals in any election with its 1,437 electoral votes. Michael Rose, Honourable Member for Durack in Western Australia, has been particularly vocal in his opposition to Salmon’s environmental message, which some view as a threat especially to mining communities, as has Senator Herbert. Whatever the case, despite the enthusiasm of the party’s progressive base, it is clear that Salmon does not face an easy battle should she announce her candidacy. Should she win, she would be the country’s second female president after Hilda Roberts (1984 – 1994).
Pictured: Senator Anthony Lynton of Durham at a speech to the Trade Union Coalition late last year. Lynton is likely to be the biggest obstacle within the Liberal Party to a Salmon presidential candidacy
On the side of the Conservatives, it looks unlikely that President Newman will face any challenge to the nomination, as is the norm with presidential incumbents. Prime Minister Donald Mount, the Honourable Member from Berkshire, has already ruled out standing “for the foreseeable future,” which came as a surprise to some. The Prime Minister and the President, close friends at Oxford, have been political rivals for as long as they’ve been in politics and naturally this has led to plenty of butting heads. Mount was the target of a great deal of Walpole Palace frustration when he mobilised Conservatives to vote with the Liberals in 2011 to torpedo the President’s controversial trade deal with the United States, and relations have been sour ever since. This was especially hammered home in 2012, when following the loss of the Senate to the Liberals during the midterms Walpole Palace didn’t make any contact with Downing Street for three days, often criticised as extreme in its immaturity. Mount’s celebration of the Supreme Court case Walton v. Thomas, which legalised equal marriage, has also been a sticking point and even led to an attempted coup against him in 2010 by right wing elements of the party led by Devon member Elijah Hunt. Mount has increasingly been seen as a symbol of the liberal side of the Conservatives, though one would only need to know his deeply privileged background and ancestry to know his party affiliation. With conflict between the right wing and centrist elements of the party, as well as the growth of libertarianism which has posed a threat to elements of virtually everyone else’s platform, one can hardly refer to either Liberals or Conservatives as united.
Pictured: Prime Minister Donald Mount, during a press conference in January. Despite being the leader of the Conservatives within the Commons, his relationship with President Newman is strained at best.
Pictured: Prime Minister Donald Mount, during a press conference in January. Despite being the leader of the Conservatives within the Commons, his relationship with President Newman is strained at best.
SOVIET SUBMARINES OFF MALTA FOR THE FOURTH TIME
In the fourth such provocation in less than two months, Federation Navy warships were scrambling to see off what the Admiralty has specified were four modern Soviet submarines which penetrated the waters of Malta. The destroyers Comet, Robert Maynard, and Gleeful were all involved in the pursuit to drive the communist submarines away from the Mediterranean island. Lord Oliver Bezzina of Malta later gave a press conference in Valletta in which he characterised the incursion as “mischief” by the Soviets. However, it once again demonstrates the danger which continues to be posed by renewed tensions that many critics say the Newman Administration is doing little to help. Soviet President Zyuganov will next year be celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of his rule, but this will also mark fifteen years of first strained relations, and then outright hostility following the crackdown in Estonia in 2008. The UF has already increased its NATO commitment in Poland, but Soviet strength remains at what many analysts regard as its post-war peak.
Pictured: The destroyer UFS Gleeful during routine manoeuvres off western Ireland. Image courtesy of the Admiralty.
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Pictured: The destroyer UFS Gleeful during routine manoeuvres off western Ireland. Image courtesy of the Admiralty.
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