New England Online > Government & Politics > First Minister > Sir John Tudor
Sir John Tudor
| Sir John Tudor | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Date of Birth: | 31 July 1980 |
| Place of Birth: | Guyra |
| Political Party: | National |
| Religion: | Anglican |
| Profession: | Solicitor |
| First Minister | |
| Order: | Ninth |
| In Office: | 15 March 2032 - 12 March 2040 |
| Predecessor: | Antonia Davidson |
| Successor: | Bill Howlett |
The Right Honourable Sir John Mackenzie Tudor KNE OM HMCS EC (31 July 1980 - ), was First Minister of New England from March 2032 until March 2040, and was the eighth person to fill the role.
Tudor's time as First Minister saw some of the dramatic moments of the Kingdom, as deteriorating relations with Australia spilled out into open conflict in the Five Day War. The resulting victory gave New England control over swathes of Australian territory and altered the mind set of the New England people irrevocably.
In popular discourse, Tudor is often referred to as the 'Lion of Tamworth', after his decision to invade the city during the Five Day War in 2032.
- Early Life
- Political Career
- Alderman
- MHA
- First Minister
- Five Day War
- Reforms
- Second Term
- Full Employment Plan
- Defeat
- Retirement
Early Life
John Mackenzie Tudor was born in Guyra on the 31 July 1980, the son of Harry and Elizabeth Tudor. The Tudor's owned a small piggery and potato farm on the outskirts of Guyra, but economic pressures forced them off the land in 1996. The family relocated to Glen Innes where John's father was able to get work forklift operator.
Tudor was schooled at The Armidale School from 1986 to 1995, and for the final three years at Sydney Church of England Grammar. In 1999, he was accepted into a Bachelor of Arts/Law at the University of New South Wales, and graduated with honours in 2004.
Political Career
Tudor returned to Guyra in 2007 and was employed with Cameron and Mackenzie as a legal clerk. After ten years of service and additional study, Tudor became a solicitor in 2017. A year later, Tudor stood for election to Guyrashire county council, but failed. He continued to practice law, and founded his own legal practice - Tudor, Wright and Turner in 2018.
In 2020, Tudor shocked his colleagues and sought election the House of Assembly after just a few years in law. In the General Election of 2020, he was elected to the constituency of Guyra West. He entered a party room in turmoil and leaderless after the shock defeat of Jacob Meyer at the 2020 General Election.
Tudor was elected as opposition Attorney-General and was made Deputy Leader of the Opposition under the leadership of a newcomer, Jenny Peterson.
Because of their inexperience the leadership of Peterson and Tudor was weak and the party was unable to land any blows on the SDLP government of Antonia Davidson. Despite her best efforts and the unfailing support of her deputy, the leadership of Peterson floundered and after just two years she was forced to resign as Opposition Leader. In the subsequent ballot, Tudor became Leader of Opposition, winning fifteen votes to six.
First Minister
Tudor was elected in a landslide win by the National Party in the 2032 election held on the 6 March 2032, but from the beginning his government would be marked as being the most martial in New England's history. With threat of war brewing and the inaction of the SDLP government, the Nationals had been able to sweep to victory winning 46 seats in the then 75 seat House of Assembly. His first government did not relay on other parties, and Tudor was able to govern with an effective and powerful mandate.
Five Day War - In June, with relations between New England and Australia almost at breaking point, Tudor personally ordered the expulsion of the Australian High Commissioner after the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Charlton, made inflammatory remarks. The subsequent Five Day War was coordinated largely by Tudor and his Minister of Defence, Harry Johns. In an attempt to win consensus, Tudor asked the leaders of the SDLP and Alliance to sit on the Executive Council for the duration of the war, which was expected to last some weeks.
After the war, the government was faced with a dangerous situation with a humiliated Australia now facing the ignominy of occupation and the United States embittered by the sinking of the USS Abraham Lincoln. While New England and the European Union had been close before the war, Tudor now embarked on a rapid economic and military integration of the two states. New England signed the Treaty of Aachen in 2033 which joined the New England Crown to the Euro, and allowed for the negotiations that would led to the establishment of the European Union Forces New England in late 2033.
Reforms - In 2034, Tudor ordered the withdrawal of New England forces from occupied Australian territory. This move ended the divisive occupation of Australian territory and allowed to Tudor to focus on the domestic issues he had campaigned on two years previously. During the election, Tudor had promised reforms to the utility retail market, teritary education and
Despite the massive criticism Tudor received for the occupation, the economic and military stability of New England had been assured after 2033, and the government was able to pass the privatisation of two of the national electricity providers in 2034 and the creation of Hastings Polytechnic in 2036.
Second Term - In the 2036 General Election, the National Party was returned by a virtue of a coalition with the Democratic Conservatives. The second term of the government was much less successful, with a global economic downturn leading to a contraction in the economy and a jump in unemployment to record highs of 7.9%. The government worked hard to tackle the issue of unemployment, introducing optional military service for grammar school leavers in 2037 and freezing the TELS rate increases due to commence in 2038. Tudor also managed to free up the movement of people across the border with Australia with the re-election of the ALP there in 2037.
Full Employment Plan - Despite these initiatives, by 2040, unemployment stood at the unacceptably high level of 6.6% and the normally united government was beginning to divide over the best means of tackling the issue. In the lead up the 2040 General Election, Tudor annouced his plan to eradicate unemployment. Tudors plan called for the better categorisation of the unemployed, and sought to create a series of strategies that would tackle joblessness in these groups. The plan was widely accepted by the community, and enjoyed a degree of bipartisan support.
While the outcome of the election prevented the implimetation of the Tudor's plan, much of it was taken up by successive governments. Today, it is the cornerstone of New England's domestic employment policy.
Defeat - Though he was never directly challenged, it is accepted that Tudor's National Party deputy, Jim Gordon worked hard to undermine his leadership, and had planned a challenge after the election. The 2040 election was a disaster. The day after the calling of the election, a split with the Democratic Conservatives over military service meant that if they won, the National Party would either have to rely on the Democratic Alliance for support or would need an outright majority. In the count however, this was not needed, as the SDLP and Progressives were swept to power.
Retirement
Upon being defeated, Tudor resigned his constituency seat of Guyra West which was retained by the National Party at the resulting by-election held in August 2040. Tudor spent the next four years out of the public eye, attending to his writings and spending time with his family.
In 2044, the Howlett government fell after one term and Tudor was offered the post of Royal Chancellor, which he took and was appointed to the post on the 10 March 2044. With the death of King James I on 8 December 2045, Tudor was charged with the task of leading the Witan, which elected Prince Edgar as King James II. After the Witan of 2045, the remainder of Tudor's period in office was uneventful.
After the election of Matthew Jones in 2052, Tudor was replaced as Chancellor by Bill Howlett. He has since gone back to his writings and comments from time to time on matters concerning his time as First Minister, especially concerning the Five Day War.
First Ministers of New England
Braddock · Olsen · Meyer · Davidson · Corbett · Yee · Gates · Tudor · Howlett · Gordon · Jones
