Liberal Conservative Party

Liberal Conservative Party
Leader	Ethan McAllister
Chairman	Jerome Buterbaugh
Founded	August 24, 2021
Headquarters	Rothesay, New Ulster
Membership (2021)	6
Ideology	Conservatism Economic liberalism
Political position	Centre-right
International affiliation	International Democrat Union (Unrecognized observer)
Colors	Blue
Anthem	"Land of Hope and Glory"
House of Assembly	4 / 7
County governments	1 / 3

The Liberal Conservative Party (LCP or LibCons) is a centre-right, conservative political party in New Ulster. Founded by then Premier Ethan McAllister on August 24, 2021 during the campaign period of the 2021 general election, the party went on to serve as New Ulster's first politically partisan government when it won 3 of the 7 seats in the House of Assembly and formed a minority government.

Since November 2021, the party has formed the Official Opposition in the House after the so called "floor crossing controversy" saw two independent MPs join the New Ulster Democratic Party, therefore giving the NUDP a majority in the House. As a result, McAllister was forced to resign as premier and was replaced by Stephen Cameron.

The party returned to government—and its leader McAllister appointed Prime Minister—on October 20, 2022 after it won the 2022 Kennebecasis—Quispamsis by-election held earlier that week. This gave the party 4 of the 7 seats in the House, allowing it to form the first LCP majority government.

History

Founding

The Liberal Conservative Party was founded by Ethan McAllister on August 24, 2021, one week after he had called the 2021 general election and five days after Stephen Cameron had founded the New Ulster Democratic Party. McAllister assumed the leadership until a contest could be held. He was joined in the party by four independent candidates standing in the 2021 election. The party's constitution was approved on August 25 and the members unanimously elected McAllister as leader the same day.

There is debate over whether McAllister always intended to found the LCP. He maintains he had no such intentions but felt "forced to over an alternative" when Cameron founded the NUDP, allegedly breaking a gentlemen's agreement between the two to keep politics in New Ulster non-partisan.

First Liberal Conservative Government

The party won the most votes and seats at the 2021 election but fell short of a majority in the House of Assembly. As the incumbent premier, convention in the Westminster system dictated that McAllister would have the first chance to form an administration. He announced the day after the election that, as the largest party, he intended to stay on as premier and form a Liberal Conservative minority government.

Despite being New Ulster's first overtly partisan government, the LCP often worked with the opposition NUDP to pass legislation such as the Diplomatic Relations Act. The party pursued a fairly busy legislative agenda, seeking to rapidly establish administrative and governance processes; what McAllister termed "necessities of the state".

Although a majority of its legislative program was supported by both sides of the House, key pieces of legislation were often blocked by the opposition, hampering the LCP minority government's effectiveness. Beginning on October 17, the "floor crossing controversy" saw the party's position destabilize further when independent MP and Speaker of the House, Autumn Hunter, crossed the floor to join Cameron's NUDP. This tied the government and opposition with 3 seats each. The LCP heavily criticized Hunter's move and called for her resignation. On November 15, the remaining independent MP, Clara Hennigan, also joined the NUDP, thus giving the party a majority of 4 of 7 seats in the House. The party's position now untenable, and with neither side of the House keen to fight a second election in just 4 months, McAllister resigned as premier on November 16, 2021, bringing the LCP's first government to an end.

Opposition

The party has sat as the Official Opposition in the House since November 2021. After resigning as premier, McAllister remained on as party leader and therefore serves as the Leader of the Opposition. His Cabinet ministers remain in the same positions too, albeit in an opposition—or "shadow"—capacity.

Second Liberal Conservative Government

Following the party's victory at the Kennebecasis—Quispamsis by-election held on October 17, 2022, it held 4 of the 7 seats in the House and, therefore, commanded a majority. As a result, incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Cameron was forced to resign the following day. On October 20, McAllister was formally invited by Governor General Sir Geoffrey Marsden to form a government, which he duly accepted. In his first remarks after being appointed prime minister, McAllister promised "a new direction" for New Ulster.

Platform

Upon founding the Liberal Conservative Party, McAllister described its position as "Red Tory". He clarified, "We embrace economic liberalism and social conservatism while allowing neither to dominate." The party is considered by itself and others to be centre-right.

Domestic policies

The party supports a society "built on British and Canadian culture, history, and heritage". Party chairman Joshua De Koning described the party as "avowedly monarchist".

The LCP supports citizenship based on residency saying this is the only way to ensure citizens "fully engage with the country, its culture, and its political process". The party favours a centralized government with counties still being able to self-administer.

While not against electoral reform per se, the party does oppose the single transferable vote method favoured by the NUDP saying that it is "overly complex" for New Ulster's needs.

Foreign policy

The party was the originator of, and adheres to, the so called McAllister—De Koning Doctrine. The "MDK Doctrine" dictates that New Ulster engages only with those micronations that are "as, if not more, successful" than New Ulster itself, and only if doing so would "further our country and cause".

Economic policy

The LCP supports establishing a national economy and a national currency. While premier, McAllister suggested "monetizing" New Ulster, though did not disclose that that would entail.

Electoral performance

House of Assembly

Election	Leader	Votes		Seats		Position	Government
		#	±	#	±
2021	Ethan McAllister	14	42.4%	3 / 7	New	1st	Minority government
—		—	—	3 / 7		▼ 2nd	Opposition
—		—	—	4 / 7	▲ 1	▲ 1st	Majority government

Leadership and organization

The Leader of the Liberal Conservative Party is elected by the members whenever there is a vacancy by the one-member-one-vote method. If there is only one candidate for the leadership, he or she is automatically elected. If there are more than two candidates for election, the party's Members of Parliament vote by exhaustive ballot to narrow down the contest to just two candidates. The party's membership then vote on which of the two candidates they support for the leadership. The current leader, Ethan McAllister, stood for election unopposed.

The leader of the LCP has considerable sway over the party as he or she is solely responsible for appointing a Chairman or Chairwoman as well as setting the overall policy direction of the party. However, through motions of no confidence, the party members can remove the chairman/chairwoman or even the leadership him- or herself; effectively giving the party members the power to overrule or even oust the leader.

The Chairman (or Chairwoman) of the Liberal Conservative Party is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the party and its members. He or she organizes conventions and party votes. During a leadership election, if there is no incumbent, the chairman/chairwoman serves as acting leader until the new leader takes over.

List of leaders

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Election
1		The Right Honourable Sir Ethan McAllister PC MP	August 24, 2021	Incumbent	August 25, 2021 (Unopposed)