MODERATE ASSEMBLY OF ANGALICANIAN LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES

For the Bar - since 1927

HISTORY

The Moderate Assembly was founded in 1927 through a merger of several smaller parties and cantonal affiliates. It has traditionally been the party for rural Angalicania and was founded by many farmers, fishermen and foresters - important agricultural sectors for Angalicania. Through the history, the party has most often been the 3rd party ranking below the major Socialists and Congregationists, even if it occasionally have been larger and held the Chairmanship of the People's Government. Is is larger than many other 3rd parties in two-party-systems which makes the Angalicanian political system more of a three-party-system where one of the Socialists, the Congregationists and the Moderate Assembly usually holds the Chairmanship of the People's Government.

After the fall of the Facilid Reign 1917, farmers and rural angalicanians all across the State created several political associations and action groups. In 1918, they formed a national, united affiliation in the United Country Party. The party described it selve as ''the voice for rural Angalicania'' and fought for deregulation of farming and fishing which during the Facilids had been massively regulated and taxed.

In 1920, small business-owners created a political party called the Angalicanian Assembly of Small and Family Businesses. The party grow fast but primarily got it's support from small businesses in cities and major urban areas, instead of in the Bar where the United Country Party had it's base. The year after was renamed to the Assembly of Liberals and Conservatives to place it selve at the political spectrum and to ensure that it was an alternative for those who traditionally voted with the Liberals but also contemplated the Traditional Christian Democrats.

While the United Country Party did not only give confidence-and-supply to the first Socialist Ford Government in 1918-1922 but also cooperated in a expenditure agreement, the Assembly didn't support the Socialists and more often voted with the Christian Democrats - even if they occasionally supported the Government as well. 

The United Country Party was during the early 1920s the significantly largest party of the two and had representation in both chambers of the General Assembly. When the ALC got it's first and only Senator of the Nation representing Carmichael in a by-election in 1924, the ALC decided to command the Senator to caucus with the UCP Senators of the Nation to ensure wider influence and parliamentary privileges. The joint caucusing worked well and the UCP and ALC got done much together in the Senate. The cooperation in the Senate also required further cooperation and coordination in the Chamber of Deputies, which by nature forced the two parties to work more closely together.

In 1925, Chairman of the People's Government Henry Fessbender-Foyh decided to change the chairmanship allocation formula of the Committees in the Chamber of Deputies. The Christian Democrats had own majority and the new formula would largely favor the Government and the Official Opposition (the Socialists) while the minor parties got a vastly reduced number of Committee Chairmenship as well seats in the most powerful committees. The UCP and the ALC therefor decided to caucus together in the Committee allocation process which provided a further couple of chairmenship and seats as if they would've competed individually. To make the legislative work operate practically, they created a united caucus. The united caucus also included representatives for the much minor parties the Fishermen's Alliance which collected vast support in the fishing committees in Vecchio Harbor and IFI and the Merchandisers Political Association which got it's support from exclusively the larger cities. However, the parties remained officially independent until 1927.

In the uprising of the 1926 election, the parties discussed an eventual merger. It looked as if the Fishermen and the Merchandisers would be wept out from the Chamber of Deputies and the ALC would be largely reduced. However, they decided that an merger wouldn't be able to commence before the election. They therefore decided to only go forward with a joint electoral alliance and a joint campaign platform: promising to work upon the same goals and values and caucus together in the General Assembly, but remain separate parties until later. They decided to take the name of Liberals, Conservatives, Small Business-owners and Countrymen in Caucus of the General Assembly which the media and other parties largely just shortened to the Liberal and Conservative Assembly. The 1926 was an electoral success and breakthrough for the Assembly who's united ballot paper collected vast support for centre-right angalicanians who usually voted Liberal and Christian Democratic. The Assembly got the balance of power and decided to form Coalition Government with the Socialists to unseat the sitting Christian Democratic conservative Government.

When the Assembly entered Coalition Government, the separate parties became a significant problem and obstructed the political process largely. The General Assembly Caucus therefore commenced all parties to discuss a merger which the respective parties agreed on. In 1927, a year after the successful election, the parties merged in the Liberal and Conservative Party with the standing slogan For the Bar to emphasize it's focus and commitment to be the voice and party for rural Angalicania. 

The party faced a massive swing in the 193o election which saw the Socialists create a majority Government. The discussion rose if the merging was a good idea, with the break-out of several representatives as well as members in the Independent Farmers and Fishermens Party who was more left-leaning than the Liberal Conservatives. The IFFP however struggled hugely to create an mobile and strong grass-root organization. The strength of the Liberal Conservatives was that they under the three years from 1927 to 1930 developed a very strong organization with strong local and cantonal affiliates. The LCP also incorporated whole cantonal parties (as the Progressive Conservatives of IFI) as their cantonal affiliate which enabled an existing organization to operate instead of building a new one. The IFFP got only a very marginal support in the following cantonal- and local elections  and was dissolved in 1939 after the failure to not having been able to collect a single seat in the General Assembly during 2 consequent general elections.  

In 1953, the Liberal and Conservative Party changed it name to the Moderate Party of Angalicanian Liberals and Conservatives  However since many minor parties an political associations (as the Mercani Credit Party, the Political Association of the Vecchio Harbor Fishermen's League  and the Carl Carters Party) ran joint tickets to the Chamber of Deputies and caucus together, the party took the name the Moderate Party and others in Caucus of the General Assembly as the name of the ballot papers and the Caucus.  In 1957, the whole party was renamed to the Moderate Assembly of Angalicanian Liberals and Conservatives. 

In the 1960 election, the MA made a significant and historic break-through and became the 2nd largest party with only a couple of Deputies in difference of the largest Socialist Party. After weeks of long and tough negotiations, the MA stroke a deal with both the Socialists and the Congregationists to form a minority, one-party Government which was the first time the MA occupied the Chairmenship of the People's Government. The Socialists and the Congregationists promised to abstain during confidence-and-supply- and State budget divisions. The MA continued to govern during the first 3 years during the 1960s but the Government were unstable and they didn't have majority in either of the Chambers of the General Assembly. In 1963 however, the Socialist Party voted against the MA State Budget in the Senate, i contrary to it's agreement. Internal pressure in the Socialist Party had begun raising and forced the Senator of the Nations to withdraw from it's agreement and fold the proposed Budget. The Socialist Party hoped that Chairman of the People's Government Paul Menzies would commence the President of the Chamber of Deputies to probe the terrain after another Government, hopefully a Socialist minority Government. Chairman Menzies however choose to call a snap-election.

In the snap-election, the Congregationists got an own majority in the Chamber of Deputies and could form Government. The MA were largely reduced in the Chamber of Deputies but picked up a couple of Senate spots. The Socialist Party were heavily punished and faced a massive swing. 

IDEOLOGY

The modern Moderate Assembly is a typical European liberal conservative party, alike many of the other centre-right parties in Europe. The party's idea manifesto describes it's ideological base as a fusion of the liberal ideas of individual rights and freedom together with the conservative values of a strong-, traditional- and careful development. The party highlights the importance of individual rights, the rule of law, a market-based mixed economy, free-enterprise and small government.

The modern Moderate Assembly in difference of many other centre-right parties however has also been the traditional voice of rural Angalicania. The party was founded by many farmers, fishermen, foresters and small business-owners. The party values rural development and the right to prosperity and equal opportunity for rural Angalicanians very daly in it's political mission.

As such, the party's idea manifesto also describes the decentralisation of public power as the fundament to ensure that the power vested in the public is operated as close as possible to free and strong individuals. The party has been the major promoter of the decentralisation of power and responsibilities to cantonal- and local government from the State Administration, in difference of the more centralist Socialists and Congregationists.

The party also describes it selves as a meritocratic, traditional liberal feminist party acknowledging the inequality of opportunities disfavoring women, who exists in both Angalicania and more severely abroad. The Moderate Assembly acknowledges and accept this inequality and believes that liberal conservative free-market, free-enterprise and right-winged policies who empowers women at a meritocratic basis is the only way to be able to resolve this challenges. The MA is together with the Socialist Party and the Left-Wing Greens one of three parties having representation in the General Assembly who actively describes it selves as a officially feminist party. It's the only non-socialist party in the General Assembly who describes it selves as feminist and the only party in General Assembly who uses the definition liberal feminist. 

The party favors low taxes, deregulation, small government, restricted public expenditure, full covered expenditure, low public debt and loaning and few interventions in the market. The party also priorities rural development with infrastructure, public transport, health, education and social services in rural Angalicania. 

AFFILIATES 

TERRITORIAL AFFILIATES: