Interesting even if Juppe is a Macron-bis politicianAlan Juppe, first elected in 2012, was re-elected in 2017 defeating Le Pen, Macron remains a little-known municipal legislator in Amiens.
Interesting even if Juppe is a Macron-bis politicianAlan Juppe, first elected in 2012, was re-elected in 2017 defeating Le Pen, Macron remains a little-known municipal legislator in Amiens.
Yes so currently polling has Le Pen far ahead in the first round but losing to whoever her opponent is in the second round, there's a four-way battle between LFI, LR, PS and EELV for second place with all four polling within the margin of error of each other. Macron was offered a job with Fillon but refused it, he remains in the Socialist Party, but is likely to play a large role as a staffer/fixer in the PS primary in 2021/22.If so, Socialists could stay as the major progressive party or be replaced by the Greens (maybe inspired by greater success of the British Greens). In both cases Anne Hidalgo (if elected Paris’ Mayor as IOTL) or Yannick Jadot could be the frontrunner for 2022 election. IOTL it was offered to Macron a high position in Fillon’s staff, he could end making career among Republicans instead Socialists. If not, Michel Barnier (maybe replacing Fillon as Prime Minister after his scandals came out?), Rachid Dati and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet can be the center-right candidate. With Mélenchon and LePen running as well, it could an interesting election.
The PM is more or less the same. The Senate is like the House of Lords. The President is like the Queen and House of Lords.Does the Commonwealth have a written constitution? I am a bit confused about the exact separation of powers between the PM and the President or The House of Commons and the Senate.
The Commonwealth is a semi-presidential system, similar to France and Finland. The President's power varies, in periods where the President and the Prime Minister are from the same party, the President tends to be the de-facto senior partner due to their larger mandate, with the President and PM working closely together on their shared agenda day-to-day. When the Commonwealth enters a period of "cohabitation" where the two senior figures are from different parties, (such as between 2004-2008 and 2008-2014) the PM is the more senior figure, and the President is essentially limited to foreign policy and defence. The powers as written de-jure in the constitution are:Does the Commonwealth have a written constitution? I am a bit confused about the exact separation of powers between the PM and the President or The House of Commons and the Senate.
Really? I thought the President actually wielded power and the senate actually mattered ITTL. Why would serious political figures compete for the presidency at all if the only thing that mattered REALLY was the PM job? It seems Miliband has actively made and shaped policy as have other presidents, so it can't be a ceremonial head of state position. If the senate was like the Lord's then the battles and Diane Abbott wouldn't be worth a damn.The PM is more or less the same. The Senate is like the House of Lords. The President is like the Queen and House of Lords.
Ah great! Thank you for clearing that up! You mentioned this grew out of designing a dream constitution, I don't suppose you wrote one up? Might be nice to have.The Commonwealth is a semi-presidential system, similar to France and Finland. The President's power varies, in periods where the President and the Prime Minister are from the same party, the President tends to be the de-facto senior partner due to their larger mandate, with the President and PM working closely together on their shared agenda day-to-day. When the Commonwealth enters a period of "cohabitation" where the two senior figures are from different parties, (such as between 2004-2008 and 2008-2014) the PM is the more senior figure, and the President is essentially limited to foreign policy and defence. The powers as written de-jure in the constitution are:
3. Unlike the House of Commons the Senate is not proportional, with each nation and region having 30 Senators, this was in order to curb the powers of England, especially the South East and London (who have over 150 MPs between them). The most important power the Senate has is "confidence votes" such as Votes of no Confidence, the appointment of Cabinet Members and the Budget. These are the only areas where the Senate has outright veto power. Whilst members of the Senate can propose bills, in day to day legislation the Senate only has the power to delay by sending a Bill back to the Commons. The Senate also approves Foreign Policy appointments made by the President, such as European Commissioners.
- The President handles foreign affairs in cooperation with the cabinet, is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and has some appointive powers mostly limited to Foreign Policy (ambassadors, European Commissioners etc). The President also has the power to veto laws, returning them to Parliament for another reading, but this veto can be overturned by a simple majority. The President also appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, but all appointments must be approved by the Parliament and Senate.
- The Prime Minister acts as the Head of Government, ensuring the "smooth functioning" of day-to-day administration, such as proposing new legislation to the Parliament, writing the annual budget etc. The Prime Minister also "advises" the President on cabinet appointments.
A large part of Ed Miliband's power is that Ed Balls and Emily Thornberry were PMs whilst he held the Presidency, meaning with his bully-pulpit and more prestigious job Miliband can direct the flow of Government, will Sunak in power his influence will be greatly curtailed. Michael Howard served as President for ten years but only had a friendly PM for a third of that time so his influence on British politics is greatly reduced. Serious political figures compete as it is a prestigious job, and when you have the Commons on side you can be very powerful.Really? I thought the President actually wielded power and the senate actually mattered ITTL. Why would serious political figures compete for the presidency at all if the only thing that mattered REALLY was the PM job? It seems Miliband has actively made and shaped policy as have other presidents, so it can't be a ceremonial head of state position. If the senate was like the Lord's then the battles and Diane Abbott wouldn't be worth a damn.
Ah great! Thank you for clearing that up! You mentioned this grew out of designing a dream constitution, I don't suppose you wrote one up? Might be nice to have.
EU Commissioners for the Commonwealth of Britain - 1999-Mentioning the President’s powers on nominations made me think about the EU: what’s the list of Commowealth Commissioners to EU Commission?
Youth wings are fairly similar to OTL, when people under the age of 30 register as party supporters they can adopt to register with that party's youth wing, but most choose not to. Still, youth wing memberships remain considerably higher than OTL, due to more people being in political parties. Smaller parties like the Greens especially have bigger youth wings as they are now a viable option. The Conservatives have kept a better eye on their youth wing so it's still operation, the chair is Senator Sara Britcliffe.I've always been interested in the youth wings of political parties and how under-25s engage with politics. Perhaps because I got my own start in politics through the SNP's youth wing. Has there been any major change in how youth wings are run in TTL? Was the Conservative's youth wing still shut down for bullying?
Mandelson served as Senator for North East England from 1999-2011. Michael Howard refused to nominate anyone from Labour as Britain's Commissioner so he was passed over in 2004. After leaving politics he entered the private sector but remains a frequent pundit in the media. As of May 2020, he is planning a bid for WTO President.What happened to Peter Mandelson ITTL?