In 1979 after economic difficulties the NKP would enter opposition for a 20 year period as it became the rival of the governing party, the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania. During this period in opposition the NKP would become incredibly divided between its traditional Sotirian democratic faction and a new right faction focused more on right-wing populism and economic liberalism. In 1999 the NKP under moderate leader Rasa Šalaševičiūtė led the NKP to a victory against the SRPO. Šalaševičiūtė implemented conservative fiscal policies, privatising industry and reinvesting it into supporting tech startups. Dealing with economic collapse in 2005 Šalaševičiūtė implemented austerity policies avoiding a bailout from the Euclean Community. In 2007 she led the NKP to a coalition government where Šalaševičiūtė supported Euclean integration and greater fiscal liberalisation. Resigning in 2009, her successor Dietrich Wittmann was unable to gain re-election placing it back into opposition.
The NKP is a member of the Alliance of Conservatives and Democrats in Euclea. A centre-right party, the NKP is seen as more socially conservative and economically interventionist than other parties within the ACDE.
The NKP was founded as a merger of liberal conservative elements of the Conservative People's Party (KFP), Sotirian socialist sections of the Social Democratic Worker's Party of Ruttland (SDAP) and the Sotirian democratic Catholic Social Party (KSP) in 1940 in preparation for general elections that year. Prior to the Great War Ruttish politics had been divided between a fractured right-wing and an increasingly growing left-wing current in the form of the SDAR which formed government under Rendert De Beer from 1921-1924. De Beer was forced to resign in 1924 during the August Crisis resulting in the ascent of a monarchical backed military government under Otte Rijpma and German Blaauw. Following the Great War in which Ruttland supported the Entente the Blaauw government stepped down after a socialist revolution led by De Beer and Ferkau Knol took power, creating the Ruttish Socialist Republic.
The socialist republic collapsed in 1937 with a provisional national unity government formed by representatives of KSP, KFP, SDAR and the liberal Party of Freedom and Progress and led by KSP member Martsen Kramer was created, with plans to hold a general election in 1940. Conventional wisdom and the still potent socialist movement led to concerns that the SDAR would regain its majority and recreate the socialist republic. In May 1940 the KSP leader and Prime Minister Wudmer Van Tuinen negotiated a merger between the KSP and moderate elements of the SDAR and the KFP to form a big-tent Sotirian democratic party, the National Consolidation Party (NKP). The NKP subsequently formed a close relationship with the Solarian Catholic church and Catholic trade unions in order to boost its outreach to the electorate, marketing itself as a cross-class party of Catholics.
The NKP scored a decisive victory in the 1940 election, getting 1,419,924 (48.9%) of the vote and 92 of the 130 seats in the Folkskammer. The NKP scored poorly in Reform church strongholds in southern Ruttland where the PFP did well as well as in urban areas with strong left-wing trade union presence where the newly formed Cooperative Party (KÖP), but nevertheless confirmed their place as the party of rural workers' and Catholics, giving the party a wide voter reach as a big-tent anti-socialist party.
Van Tuinen's government implemented moderate policies, creating Ruttland's social market economy based on the doctrine of Catholic social teachings. The new government followed a mostly Keynesian economics with an active fiscal and monetary policy ensuring there was low unemployment, moderate inflation, an expansion of the welfare state, the maintenance of the nationalised natural monopolies from the socialist republic and income redistribution through public works projects. Nevertheless the government did still pursue some traditional conservative policies such as privatising state-owned breweries in 1942.
In 1943 Van Tuinen was forced to resign following criticism of his heavy handed leadership with a party rival, Jurjen Rypkema. The Rypkema government continued its predecessor's policies, but poor health meant that in 1946 Rypkema resigned and Van Tuinen returned to the party leadership. In 1948 Ruttland became a founding member of the Euclean Community, confirming the NKP's pro-Eucleanism.
Jorgan Zijlstra served as NKP leader and Prime Minister from 1956-1964, leading the NKP to its greatest electoral successes
Between 1943 to 1956 the NKP when through several short lived leaders (Rypkema, Van Tuinen, Gys Knol and Oude Van Der Zee) who oversaw consistent economic growth and continued electoral success with the NKP retaining its majority in parliament. In 1956 Jorgan Zijlstra became NKP leader and Prime Minister - under Zijlstra's leadership the NKP would go on to its greatest electoral successes, getting 55.06% and 57.20% of the vote in the 1957 and 1961 elections. Zijlstra, a charismatic centrist politician oversaw a period of unprecedented economic growth through Keynesian economics, demand management and price and wage controls. The Zijlstra government launched a national infrastructure programme whilst also ending conscription, creating a universal healthcare system and embarking on a large house building programme. Zijlstra also modernised the party's electoral apparatus, using television in the 1957 election extensively crafting an image of himself as a modern leader who focused on long term development.
Zijlstra's term - which lasted almost eight years - led to dissatisfaction from party rivals leading to him to be forced to resign by his party in 1964, being replaced with Buke Wagenaar. Wagenaar's government was in government during the 1967 student protests which started due to the government's controversial control over university curriculums. The protests eventually became a broader movement for social justice and economic equality with the Amalgamated Federation of Trade Unions holding a wildcat general strike over the government's control over the upper echelons of the trade union movement. The protests severely undermined the NKP's credibility for governance resulting in the Wagenaar government's resignation and the holding of snap elections. The 1967 election saw the NKP lose a large portion of seats but retain its majority under the leadership of the charismatic Rodolf Van Der Werf.
The Van Der Werf government implemented several socially progressive legislation such as the legalisation of homosexuality and divorce, with Van Der Werf being credited with creating a dialogue with trade unions and student groups following the protests. As well as this in 1970 Van Der Werf announced that the NKP would oversee a shift in energy production from fossil fuels to nuclear energy. However Van Der Werf however the economy started to slow down due to stagflation and a decline in Ruttland's steel industry, which had driven the Ruttish economy since the 1860's. Van Der Werf's government responded with implementing more comprehensive incomes policy and cutting public service wages, leading to tensions between the NKP and its traditional trade union partner, the Confederation of Catholic Labour. The poor economic situation meant the plans to move to nuclear energy were dropped.
Van Der Werf, a committed pro-Eucleanist, during his term also conceived of the Van Der Werf plan that aimed to introduce the first steps towards a single currency, calling for a gradual realignment of exchange rates which would be irreversibly fixed and eventually replaced with a single currency. Van Der Werf's proposals were not adopted due to a lack of support from the NKP to propose them proper to the EC.
In 1972 due to a balance of payments crisis Van Der Werf was forced to devalue the sceat - whilst economically sound the move led to widespread public dissatisfaction resulting in Van Der Werf to resign in 1973, being succeeded by the Foreign Minister Ant Stellingwerf.
Stellingwerf continued the policies of Van Der Werf but was forced to cut public spending to deal with the recession, most notably slashing agricultural subsidies. Rising inflation meant that in the 1975 election the NKP recorded its worst result ever in its history, with its vote share dropping below 50%. The failure of Stellingwerf to deal with the economic crisis caused many younger members of the party to start to challenged the ideological orthodoxy of the party with Sotirian democracy, agrarian populism and pork-barrel politics becoming increasingly unpopular. Neoliberal and monetarist thought became dominant in party think tanks such as the Centre of Economic Policy although the government was dominated by centrists.
Due to the poor results in the 1975 election and increasing pressure from economic liberals in the party, in 1977 Stellingwerf was forced to resign being replaced by Economy Minister Ludolf Attema.
Ludolf Attema was the longest serving Ruttish prime minister, serving from 1977 to 1989
Following the appointment of Attema as leader, the NKP would start to radically move from the old consensus driven, centrist Sotirian democracy to move in a more populist, free market direction. Attema and his supporters believed the old system of nationalisation, strong labour unions, heavy regulation, high taxes, and a generous welfare state was leading to Ruttland's economic malaise, recommending instead a programme of privatisation, deregulation and a reduction of trade union power.
The Attema government upon coming to office implemented a strict programme of monetarism in order to reduce Ruttland's record inflation as well as the sale of several state-owned enterprises such as the Air Ruttland, the Ruttish Investment and Savings Bank, Ruttish Telephones and Telecommunications, National Express, Ruttish Gas, Northern Medical, Ruttish Shipbuilders, Ruttish Coal, National Grid, Ruttish Water and most contentiously Ruttish Steel. The widespread privatisation programme resulted in the sale of $3 billion worth of state-owned businesses with the government using that money to invest in new infrastructure and provide venture capital for new companies.
The economic reforms resulted in economic growth but widening inequality, unemployment and opposition from trade unions. As a result Attema passed legislation that limited the power of trade unions in 1986 resulting in the Confederation of Catholic Labour to distance itself from the party.
Attema led the NKP to a majority government in the 1979 and 1983 elections with the NKP's traditional support base largely being protected from the most damaging effects of the new economic reforms. However the rapid economic reform performed by what was a traditionally cautious, conservative party, increasing precedence given to big business over the traditional support base of farmer's, workers' and small business owners and accusations of corruption that long dogged the party resulted in the NKP to lose its majority for the first time in its history in the 1987 election. After a fortnight of negotiations the NKP formed a coalition government with the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress (PFP) who agreed on a common programme on further economic reform, tax cuts and pro-Euclean integration. The PFP also successfully pushed for a reduction in the electoral threshold from 10% to 4%.
In 1989 after 12 years in office Attema's internal opponents believed the premier to be a liability to the party and were concerned regarding the pace of economic reform, especially proposals to reform the healthcare system to a more private model. As such in an internal party vote the NKP voted to remove Attema from office and replace him with a party traditionalist, Wydtsje Yntema. Yntema retained the coalition government with the PFP but endeavoured to take the government in a more conservative direction being more skeptical of EC integration and wanting to reassert the old corporatist, consensus model of politics. Despite this in 1993 Yntema passed through a capital gains tax cut that set off a massive housing boom in line with the government's reform strategy.
Wydtsje Yntema served as Prime Minister from 1989-1995 and was the first NKP leader to lead the party in opposition
Yntema led the NKP to victory in the 1991 election maintaining the coalition with the PFP, but the NKP saw a loss of seats and the beginning of the unravelling in its electoral coalition. In 1992 after the government passed a bill limiting the right to strike the Confederation of Catholic Labour officially broke its remaining ties with the NKP and switched its support to the opposition Cooperative Party (KÖP). As well as this the opposition had begun to unite behind the Cooperative leader Loadewyk Damstra who forged an electoral alliance with the centre-right Modern Centre Party. Damstra was a charismatic leader who abandoned the traditional socialism of the KÖP instead promoting third way politics. As well as this, the NKP's political machine - which had been adept at acting as a locus for matching interest group money and votes with bureaucratic power and expertise - was beginning to fade as society became less pillarised and the party's rank corruption became less tolerated by voters.
During the 1991-1995 term the NKP suffered factional infighting and more frequent accusations of sleaze which had built up over decades. Yntema himself was personally accused of corruption surrounding the selloff of private companies to NKP business partners. In the leadup to the 1995 elections for the first time the NKP lagged in the opinion polls behind the KÖP. Despite a well funded campaign warning of the threat to stability a KÖP-MS government would bring the 1995 election saw the NKP score its worst result ever, getting only 33.96% of the vote and 74 seats - despite still being the largest party in the Folkskrammer the KÖP's 71 seats meant it was able to form a coalition government with the MS. As a result after 55 years in government the NKP went into opposition as a KÖP-MS coalition government under Damstra took power.
Following the electoral defeat of 1995 the NKP struggled to adjust to their new role in opposition. Party leader Yntema faced a strong challenge from party rival Uif Bloemsma in 1997 in a leadership election which saw Yntema only narrowly re-elected as party leader. The NKP's formerly dominant role meant it has traditionally relied on large patronage networks within its internal party structure to appease its constituents - with the lack of capital being in opposition entailed the NKP lost these patronage networks and as such haemorrhaged further support. Despite this in the lead up to the 1999 election the NKP led in some polls, leading to some to interpret that the NKP had regained its support.
A strong campaign by the KÖP and MS however saw NKP support evaporate resulting in the party to get its worst result in its history, losing 7 seats and coming second to the KÖP, becoming the second largest party in the legislature for the first time in its history. Discontent with Yntema's leadership continued as polls showed the NKP's support dwindling to 25%. However Yntema was in 2000 able to sustain another leadership challenge from Bloemsma, who was seen as more unpopular and controversial than Yntema. However younger MP's in the party began to agitate more against Yntema and in 2002 were able to oust him from the party leadership, with Eilkje Koopmans - who had never held a cabinet post - being appointed the party's first female leader.
Koopmans rise to the leadership saw the NKP's support surge in the polls against the incumbent KÖP-MS government. At the 2003 election however the NKP lost seats and votes - despite this it still remained the largest party and was subsequently able to form a coalition government with the PFP and green conservative Ecological Action party.
The NKP-PFP-EA government immediately implemented a programme of tax cuts and a raise in public expenditure in response to healthy economic growth. The government also lessened the social liberalism of the KÖP-MS government tightening drug laws and implementing tough new laws regarding immigration, with the system being transformed into a skills based points system for non-EC migrants.
In the initial years of Koopmans government the NKP benefited from good polling and the weak state of the opposition, being on course to win another term. However in 2005 at the start of the global financial crisis Ruttland's economy entered the worst recession in its history with the collapse of the Ruttish Investment and Savings Bank and the bursting of the housing market bubble resulting in sales and property values collapsing. As a result of the recession the government in 2005 announced a 2 year unlimited guarantee of all debt for 4 leading banks, with the debts totalling €440 billion at the start of the guarantee. To ensure it could take on such debts, the government announced severe cuts to education, healthcare, defence, welfare and pensions as well as reversing income tax cuts and beginning to run a deficit. These measures were unpopular with the NKP's support collapsing and anti-austerity protests being held around the country. The economic situation worsened as the government refused to apply for a bailout from the EC.
The 2007 election saw the NKP get the worst result for a governing party ever in Ruttland, losing 13 seats and getting only 24.84% of the vote, the first time the party had gone under the symbolic 30% mark. The PFP only barely retained seats in parliament whilst the EA lost all its seats. As a result Koopmans announced her resignation as NKP leader with former Home Affairs Minister Ultsje Van Der Heide (considered the highest ranking NKP politician not associated with the fiscal crisis) being appointed leader.
Van Der Heide called for the NKP to be a party of the "progressive centre-right" and as party leader criticised the bailout renegotiation sponsored by the Wijngaarden government, calling it a "deal that prolongs the economic hardship of ordinary Ruttish people" and called for a deal that better suited economic conditions. During the 2007-2011 parliament the NKP were largely seen as lacking in dynamism with the party's poll results staying consistent at around 25% of the electorate. Despite four years of austerity the incumbent MS-KÖP government was re-elected in 2011 with the NKP once again losing seats and votes.
Following the 2011 defeat Van Der Heide resigned. A leadership contest emerged between former Industry Minister Elbrich Lautenbach and the hearkommissar of the Noardken county Hannes Smeding. Smeding, seen as a unity candidate due to the strong support he courted from rural areas and his centrist political views, was elected leader. Smeding attempted to move the party in embracing its classical agrarian populism but concentrated power amongst his colleagues from his time in Noardken, leading to much of the party to actively agitate against his leadership, especially the party's reformist wing. As well as this Smeding was seen to be lacking in principles, making a policy u-turn from supporting to opposing the government's proposed surveillance laws. As a result the NKP's support declined in the polls further and in 2015 saw its worst result with 23.06% of the vote, making it the ninth consecutive election in which the NKP lost seats.
As a result of the election Smeding was challenged for the leadership by Lautenbach who was elected by a large margin. Lautenbach's leadership has seen a shift to right-wing populist rhetoric calling for a more Euclesceptic foreign policy opposing greater Euclean integration, a referendum on the Eucluo and ending freedom of movement in the community. Lautenbach has also began to focus more on cultural issues criticising minority religions in Ruttland such as Salam and Atudaism as "inherently violent" and has called for a reduction in immigration. Whilst Lautenbach has been perceived as a controversial and polarising figure in Ruttish politics under his leadership the NKP has risen dramatically in the polls.
On social policy, the NKP has been traditionally seen as conservative opposing legalised euthanasia, supporting greater restrictions on abortion, favouring tight immigration laws and supporting nationalist policies. However, the NKP has generally been pragmatic in certain areas promising in the 2015 election not to amend the current laws surrounding abortion.
On foreign policy the NKP for much of its history has been moderately Euclesceptic party, being a founding member of the Party of Euclean Conservatives. The NKP currently support reforming the Euclean Community to be more focused on economic rather than political integration. They strongly support increasing defence spending.
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