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Bill Howlett
| Sir William (Bill) Howlett | |
|---|---|
 |
Date of Birth: | 6 September 1991 |
| Place of Birth: | Armidale |
| Political Party: | SDLP |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Profession: | Teacher/Soldier |
The Right Honourable Sir William (Bill) Michael Howlett CG KM HMCS EC (6 September 1991 - ), was First Minister of New England from March 2040 until March 2044 and was the ninth First Minister of New England.
A war hero and well respected public figure, Howlett's term as First Minister is not fondly remembered, with economic crises and scandal dominating the government for it's single term in office. The Howlett government was in power during a time of economic instability, giving it little opportunity for pursuing a reform agenda it saw as necessary.
Early Life
William Michael Howlett was born to Alex and Lisa Howlett on the 6 September 1991 in Armidale. Bill's parents were storekeepers for many years in the West End area of Armidale. The Howlett's ran a mixed goods "corner store" from 1986 until 2016.
Bill Howlett was educated at Drummond Primary School from 1997 until 2003, and then at Armidale High School from 2004 until 2006. In 2006, the Civil War forced the Howlett family, who were supporters of the independence movement, to send their children abroad. From 2007 until 2011, Bill was educated at Scots College, Dunedin.
Howlett enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Otago. After completing undergraduate study, he studied a Masters of Arts in music, again at Otago. In 2016, Howlett returned to New England and enrolled to complete a Diploma of Education at Earle Page Polytech in 2017.
Howlett was quickly employed as a music teacher at Armidale Grammar School from 2018. He served the school for eight years before he was appointed head of music studies at The Armidale School from 2026.
In 2031, with the threat of war brewing, Howlett enlisted in the Army as a second lieutenant. He was assigned to the Music Company of the 4th Battalion, Royal New England Regiment. He served the battalion with distinction, and was mentioned is dispatches twice during the manoeuvring skirmishes in the lead up to the war. During the Five Dar War, Howlett's company saw action during the first two days. On the 6 July, during the Battle of Gloucester, Howlett was part of a detachment of troops that captured the Avon River bridge in the village of Stratford. On three occasions, Howlett acted with great courage to dislodge the Australians from their defensive positions around the the bridge. On the third occasion, Howlett was able to single handedly remove the defenders, but in the process he was seriously wounded.
Invalided back to Armidale in a serious condition, doctors were able to save his life, but in the process, his left arm had to be amputated. Howlett saw no further action during the war, but was posted back to his company in Gloucester in late 2032 as part of the occupation force. For his actions, Howlett was awarded the Cross of Gallantry in August 2032. Special rules in the New England Defence Force meant that disabled soldiers could remain in the force in non-combat roles for three years. In early 2034, Howlett sought permission to be discharged on medical grounds, and this was granted to him.
Marriage and Family
Bill Howlett was raised as a Roman Catholic, and has remained a devoted member of the church his entire life. In 2020 he met Laura McGill, a fellow teacher at Armidale Grammar. In 2021 the couple were married in the Cathedral of Mt Mary and St Joseph in Armidale.
The couple had three children, the first being a daughter named Mary, who was born in 2022. Another daughter was born in 2024 and was named Frances. A son, named Peter, was born in 2027. All three have followed in their parents footsteps and have become teachers.
Political Career
With a decent reputation in military circles, Howlett was encouraged to seek election to Parliament. In 2034, a by-election was called in the constituency of Hillgrove after the death of the sitting member. The seat had been held by the National Party since 2030, but analysts felt that the seat could be won by the opposition SDLP if they fielded a good candidate.
Howlett's family had supported the SDLP since it's creation, and Howlett himself had been a member of the SDLP since leaving school. He decided to stand, and was one of three candidates that sought the SDLP's pre-selection, which he won easily. In the by-election, Howlett was elected to Parliament on the back of a 5% swing to the SDLP. The National candidate came third to the SDLP and the Democratic Conservatives.
Howlett's quickly established himself as a leader of the beleaguered SDLP. He was able to draw together a number of divisions in the party, and quickly helped to ease the pressure on the leadership of Harry Edwards. As a reward, Howlett was quickly promoted to the opposition front bench to be made opposition defence spokesman. He was re-elected in the 2036 General Election, which saw the SDLP make small gains on the government. After the election, Howlett was promoted again to Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and was effectively anointed as the successor when Edwards resigned as leader.
Howlett was a very successful spokesman. On several occasions, he was able to discredit statements made by the Minister of Defence, Neal Otway, as well as the First Minister himself. It is widely believed that Howlett was the first person to dent the invincible persona of John Tudor, who was venerated as the great leader who had saved New England from certain defeat. While his leader was unable to land a blow, Howlett attacked relentlessly, and found the hubris in the government to be it's biggest weakness.
So impressed with Howlett's skills, it was inevitable that the caucus would lose faith in their leader eventually. When he was warned of a challenge, Edwards sought to brazen it out, believing that he would get enough support from the backbench. Ignoring these warnings led to a challenge to his leadership being issued by Howlett on 17 December 2038. During the internal campaign, Edwards was completely unaware of the dissatisfaction in his leadership, and was visibly shocked when he lost the leadership vote by a margin of 60% to 40%. He resigned as leader and Howlett was made Leader of the Opposition the next day.
First Minister
In the 2040 General Election, Howlett campaigned on the traditional SDLP topics of social cohesion, stability and peace. Howlett added an extra plank to his campaign when he focused on the arrogance of the government, and it's belief that it was undefeatable. Indeed, Howlett's plan touched a nerve in the electorate, and in the final weeks, it became obvious that the government's own good fortune would be it's downfall.
Despite this, t he election was a close affair. In the final tally, the SDLP had enough seats to form a plurality, but they would need the support of the Progressives and the New England Alliance to govern. Whilst the Progressives entered into their traditional coalition arrangement, the Alliance stayed out, and offered support (with conditions) on matters of supply and confidence in the House of Assembly. Armed with these agreements, the King was happy to ask Howlett to form a government.
The new government was not a success. Not long after coming into office, an economic downturn hurt New England badly. This, coupled with concerns over the Treaty of Aachen by many members of the caucus, led to a split in the SDLP in 2041. Three members of the party left and sat as independents. Their presence gave the opposition under Jim Gordon an opportunity to bring the government down. Three motions of no confidence were brought before the House, and only with the support of the New England Alliance could the government cling to power.
The economic woes continued to get worse. Unemployment reached 11.7% in late 2042, and inflation had also blown out to a record 6.7%. But matters only got worse when a scandal involving the treatment of persons in custody was revealed in early 2043. A Royal Commission was called, and over several months it heard evidence of mistreatment in Gwydir and Parkes counties. Memos also revealed that the Police Audit Commission had altered the Minister of Home Affairs, Ryan Wade, and on three occasions he had dismissed the evidence as a fabrication. In late 2043, with the damage to the government reaching a critical state, Howlett sacked Wade and appointed Dominic Austin to the post.
The opinion polls now suggested that the government would be wiped out the next election. Polls conducted in October 2043 indicated the SDLP might be returned with just ten seats in the House, while the Progressives and the Alliance faced complete annihilation. This doom and gloom was reversed by a change in fortune, and by the time the election was called in January 2044, the government still looked shaky, but oblivion was now not a likely option.
Retirement
The 2044 General Election was a disaster for the SDLP/Progressive government. Both the governing parties as well as the New England Alliance lost seats to the Nationals, the Democratic Conservatives, and for the first time, the Democratic Alliance. Between them, the incoming Gordon government was able to govern in it's own right. The greatest ignominy however, was saved for the First Minister. Howlett was easily defeated in his seat by Janice King, a thegn from Hillgrove. Howlett's loss was the first by an incumbent First Minister since independence.
After politics, Howlett returned to teaching. In 2045 he was appointed to the School of Politics at the New England National University in Armidale. He was appointed to consultancy roles with the european defence corporation BAE. In 2052, Howlett was made Chancellor after the election of the SDLP to government under Matthew Jones. He was installed by the King during the State Opening of Parliament in March 2052.
First Ministers of New England
Braddock · Olsen · Meyer · Davidson · Corbett · Yee · Gates · Tudor · Howlett · Gordon · Jones
