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Alexis Walker
Ghaillish: Alastrí Ní Deoradh Bean Siúlóir
Alexis Walker.jpg
Walker in 2016
President of the Euclean Community
Assumed office
1 November 2017
Preceded byAlexandre Lévesque
Taoiseach of Glytter
In office
18 June 2007 – 20 April 2017
MonarchElton II
Kenneth IV
DeputyMalcolm Fitzpatrick
Preceded byEnda Kelley
Succeeded byJimmy O'Reilly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
1 January 2006 – 12 June 2007
TaoiseachEnda Kelley
Preceded byPeter Brennan
Succeeded byChristina Gallagher
Minister of Trade and Tariffs
In office
12 June 2002 – 1 January 2006
TaoiseachEnda Kelley
Preceded byCarol Brady
Succeeded byDaniel FitzWallace
Leader of the Liberty Party
In office
1 April 2007 – 24 March 2017
Preceded byEnda Kelley
Succeeded byJimmy O'Reilly
Teachta Comhthionól
for Pennsea
In office
12 June 1987 – 12 May 2017
Personal details
Born
Alexis Eva Walker

(1950-08-15) 15 August 1950 (age 73)
Invertwinc, Glytter
Political partyLiberty Party
SpouseJohn Walker (1976-present)
ChildrenMatthew
David
Luke
Mark
Alma materUniversity of Gayneva
Military service
Branch/serviceHome Guard

Alexis Eva Walker (Ghaillish: Alastrí Ní Deoradh Bean Siúlóir; née Dewar, born 15 August 1950) is a Glytteronian politician who is the President of the Euclean Community and served as the Taoiseach of Glytter from 2007 to 2017. She was elected EC President on 21 October 2017 after defeating Carolein Dykstra of the Socialist Alternative for Euclea. Walker is the first Glytteronian and third woman to hold the post. Her priorities are continued de-regulation and reform of the EC's financial system, which could see the EC take on the debt of its member states.

She has previously served as Glytter's Minister of Trade and Tariffs and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Alexis became the leader of the Liberty Party following Enda Kelley's decision not to seek a second term as Taoiseach in the middle of the global recession. She assumed leadership two months before the 2007 Comhthionól Náisiúnta election and led the party to win the highest number of seats. She brokered a deal with Malcolm Fitzpatrick and formed a coalition with the Centre Party, which has governed the country from June of 2012 to 2017.

Walker served as the Teachta Comhthionól (TC) for Pennsea from 1987 to 2017. Before this, she was involved in politics at a local level and served on the Holyhead County Council for several years. She was a civil rights attorney before entering politics.

As Taoiseach and Minister of Foreign Affairs, she has had a profound effect on Glytter's domestic and foreign policy. During her tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, she laid the ground work for the policy that would later become known as the Walker Doctrine, which has become the cornerstone of twenty first century Glytteronian foreign policy. She also oversaw the Glytteronian response to the 2005-2011 global recession. For her response, she is considered by some scholars and economists to have prevented either the fracturing or total collapse of the Euclozone.

She resigned as Taoiseach in April of 2017 before the 2017 Comhthionól election and was succeeded by Minister of Justice and Equality Jimmy O'Reilly.

Early and private Life

Alexis Eva Dewar was born in 1950 in the city of Invertwinc. She was the first child of Margaret Fitzwallace-Tomasczweski and Seamus Dewar. Her maternal grandmother was born into an aristocratic family in Wazóvia-Loṭuyę, which was forced to flee following the end of the Great War and the start of the communist state in Wazóvia. Alexis' twin siblings, Katherine and Patrick, were born three years later in 1953. After attending St Paul's National School in Invertwinc and the Ducal Secondary Academy, she went on to attend the Royal Collegiate Academy of Invertwinc. Alexis attended the University of Gayneva as a pre-law student, and upon the acquisition of her undergraduate degree she went on to attend the university's prestigious law school. She then went on to practice law as a civil rights attorney.

Dewar met her husband, John Walker, while in law school. John was pursuing a doctorate in education in order to become a professor of business and economics. The two were married in 1976 and moved to Spálgleann the following year. Their oldest child, Matthew, was born in 1981. The Walker family moved to Pennsea in 1983 after John was offered a job at the University of Holyhead. Before running to be a TC for Pennsea, Alexis served as a member of the Holyhead County Council. The Walkers have four sons, Matthew, David, Luke, and Mark.

The family still lives in Pennsea, but also have a seashore home in Swansea. Alexis is close friends with Gaullican President Jean Vallette and Sveltlanan Chancellor Eva Reinfeldt. She also has a friendly working relationship with the Estmerish Grand Director, Alice Roberts. The media often label Walker as the "Iron Giant" or "Maiden of the North" due to her approach to Euclean affairs. Her critics, notably in nations such as Hellenos and Balaguar, point to Walker and her friends as the "Unholy Northern Alliance", pointing to the increasing divide between the North and South of Euclea.

Early years in the Comhthionól Náisiúnta (1987-2002)

Alexis Walker in 1999, as TC for Pennsea

Walker first ran to become one of the TCs for Pennsea in 1987, winning the post on the first count with 34% of the vote. She had previously served on the Holyhead County Council and was heavily involved in the politics of Pennsea, allowing her to make use of her name recognition.

She first served under Taoiseach Patricia Flowers on the backbenches, where she remained until the 1992 election which saw the Social Democrats take power in the Comhthionól, resulting in Walker being on the opposition benches for the next ten years. While she was in opposition, she became a member of the Comhthionól Committee on Trade and Commerce, the Comhthionól Committee on International Relief, and the Comhthionól Committee on the Euclozone. During this time she continued to build up a national profile, most notably during her tenure on the Comhthionól Committee on the Euclozone, to which she was appointed in 1996. Walker became a major advocate for Glytter's membership in the Euclozone and was often used by the Liberty Party as a spokesperson for the issue. Due to her rising profile, she would often be featured on the opposition frontbench under Tadhg Ó Scolaighe, who was leader of the party from 1997 to 2001.

While she was serving on the backbenches, she became friends with Sarah Pingins, who would become one of Walker's strongest allies.

Minister of Trade and Tariffs (2002-06)

After the victory of the Liberty Party at the 2002 Comhthionól elections, Enda Kelley became the Taoiseach. Kelley chose Walker to serve as the Minister of Trade and Tariffs due to her growing national profile and role in Glytter's entrance to the Euclozone. Soon into her term as Trade Minister, she began to shift Glytter away from the trade policies of the Social Democrats. Under Walker, Glytter largely regained its status as a tax haven. During her tenure as Minister of Trade and Tariffs Glytter also saw the arrival of high profile Asterian and Euclean corporations, who set up their Euclean offices in Glytter due to the policies implemented under Walker.

It was when she was at the Trade Ministry that Walker began to work closely with EC leaders, as she was tasked with ensuring the transition into the Euclozone for Glytter continued to run smoothly. Walker began to play a key role in Glytter's Euclean policy and is credited with moving the party towards an openly pro-Euclea stance.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2006-07)

Then Foreign Minister Walker with Taoiseach Kelley, 2006

Walker was named Minister of Foreign Affairs by Enda Kelley in 2006 after the resignation of her predecessor, Peter Brennan. While her tenure at the Foreign Ministry was short, her impact as Foreign Minister is considered to be monumental. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Walker laid the foundations of the Walker Doctrine, which has become the cornerstone of Glytter's foreign policy in the 21st century. She argued that nation's are not only more representative, but also safer when they include women, LGBT+ members, and people from ethnic minorities in governance. As a result, Walker believed that violence against these groups should be considered issues of national security. She also began to tie the use of foreign aid money to a nation's human rights record, stating that "nations who violate the basic rights of their own citizens should not only fail to receive Eastern aid, but should actively receive condemnation from both developed and developing nations".

She also oversaw the beginning of the global recession of 2005-2011, which threatened the Euclozone. Walker, in cooperation with the Taoiseach, began to piece together the Glytteronian response. Kelley, who was met with a low approval rating, decided to ignore her suggestion that the Glytteronian government should help stablise the Euclozone by using the Petroleum Trust Fund. In an interview given in 2008, Kelley said that "if I had just listened to Alexis, I would have found a way out of the grave I dug for myself".

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Walker is famously known for declaring that "women's rights are humans rights, gay rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights and human rights are gay rights" while speaking to the Community of Nations' Centre for the Advancement of Women and Minorities. The speech catapulted her national profile, and made her the front runner to take over as Leader of the Liberty Party after Enda Kelley announced he did not wish to seek a second term.

Taoiseach (2007-2017)

First term (2007-12)

Walker announcing her coalition with Malcolm Fitzpatrick in 2007

Following Taoiseach Kelley's decision not to seek a second term as Taoiseach, Walker was one of five contenders for the leadership of the Liberty Party. In April of 2007 the Liberty National Convention was held and after three rounds of voting she emerged as the new leader of the party. Walker campaigned extensively before the 2007 Comhthionól election, launching a national tour of the country to meet with voters. Liberty emerged as the winning party, and was just shy of the majority needed to form a government on its own. On the 17th of June it was announced that the Centre Party would be forming a coalition with the Liberty Party. Malcolm Fitzpatrick became the Tánaiste and several Centre TCs were appointed to the cabinet.

The 29th Comhthionól convened for the first time on 18 June 2007 and elected Walker as Taoiseach by a vote for 262-87. She was 56 years old when she assumed the post. Soon after Walker and her family moved into Bán Thaisceadh, the official residence of the Taoiseach.

Financial crisis

Initially, the Walker Government continued her predecessor's policy of supporting failing Glytteronian companies with public funding. The economy was recovering due to the National Recovery Act, which was enacted under Taoiseach Kelley in 2005, but growth was minimal and slow. Walker soon examined ways to further economic growth and pursued policies that lowered corporate taxes. The loss of tax revenue was made up for with funds from the Petroleum Trust Fund, which had previously been tapped by Kelley in order to bail out Glytter's largest bank, the Royal Bank of Glytter, after the financial crisis began.

Both domestically and abroad, Walker emphasised the enormous costs the financial crisis had in the form of a high unemployment rate, and warned of the risks posed by the lack of balance between austerity and economic growth stimulus, supported active labour market measures for young people, and fostered investments for increased innovation.

Walker was a strong advocate of international cooperation in response to the crisis, and encouraged foreign leaders to coordinate with one another. President Alexandre Lévesque of Gaullica met with Walker while she was Foreign Minister for the first time at a forum held by the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs in 2006. Lévesque, like Walker, was a supporter of mutual coordination to solve the crisis.

Euclozone crisis

File:Walker in Verlois.jpg
The Taoiseach in Verlois to discuss the final details of the agreement

In early 2007, Walker met with Alexandre Lévesque, the Gaullican President, to lay the groundwork for a coordinated response to the on-going Euclozone crisis, which had been developing and deepening for the past three years. While initial meetings yielded promising results, and Lévesque was reportedly encouraged by Walker's willingness to cooperate and Glytter's large reserves of liquid funds, formal talks did not begin until November of 2007. The result of these formal talks, which lasted for several weeks, was the Thorailles Pact, which was signed and ratified by both governments shortly after it was announced. While Gaullica had suffered from the economic recession that accompanied the Euclozone crisis, the Gaullican economy was sufficiently robust to ignore the worst of the crisis. Instead, Lévesque sought to shore up sinking consumer confidence, before turning to stabilise the worst-hit members of the Euclozone. The Thorailles Pact sought to accomplish both objectives in a two-stage process.

While the impact of the Thorailles Pact is still a hotly debated subject among economists today, Walker argued that the agreement was crucial to saving the Euclozone, saying that "without this agreement, our currency will be worthless, and our union will fold". The deal was highly controversial in Glytter, and support for the new government was tested as Walker was criticised in both the Royal Congress and the media. Internationally, the Thorailles Pact was met with mixed responses, and remains a prominent topic in Glytteronian foreign policy today.

After the deal was reached with Gaullica, the Gaullican Central Bank immediately began the process of transferring quantities of owned sovereign debt to His Majesty's Treasury. These exchanges were publicly announced, and received a great deal of scrutiny, both in Gaullica and abroad, as investors were reassured that the Gaullican Bank would not become overburdened with debts that could not be collected. At around the same time, Lévesque, Walker, and other Glytteronian and Gaullican leaders began publicly announcing the beginning of discussions with other prominent EC states, such as Estmere and Caesena, to address debt issues facing those countries as well. In early-2008, however, S&P revised its outlook on Estmere, rating it 'Negative' and downgrading it from AAA to AA, a move followed by other credit rating agencies. The Estmerish government subsequently withdrew from the incomplete talks, and pursued other methods of resolving the Euclozone crisis domestically.

File:Walker with Assimakopoulou.jpg
Walker announcing the bailout deal for Hellenos with Athanasios Assimakopoulou, then Protosmetaxyison of the Council of Twelve

Undeterred, Walker and Lévesque continued negotiations and signed an agreement with the Caesenan government, assisting in international bailout packages, in exchange for repayment with a 1.5% interest rate. Shortly after, President Lévesque was defeated in the September 2008 elections by Jean Vallette, who capitalised on a surge of Gaullican discontent regarding Lévesque's handling of the debt crisis. While Vallette promised long-term change within the Gaullican economy, Walker was able to secure his continued support for the Thorailles Pact. Additionally, Lévesque was able to use the Thorailles Pact to campaign for and successfully win the Euclean Presidency in 2009. Emboldened by this increased support, Walker turned her focus towards southern Euclea.

In March of 2009, the Glytteronian government privately offered the similar proposals to all Euclozone member states, essentially extending the Thorailles Pact, which would lead to Glytter servicing much of Euclea's debt. The move would have allowed Euclean governments to focus more on stablising and regulating their financial markets, thus growing their economies without having to worry about looming debt or crippling interest payments. Some countries, such as Estmere rejected Walker's proposal, while others, such as Hellenos, accepted. However, in exchange for servicing and restructuring sovereign debt, Walker insisted that austerity measures were implemented in countries such as Hellenos and Ballaguar, where the national debt was the highest per capita in the Euclean Community.

The Euclo, which was previously in trouble due to a fall in its value in response to the instability of the Euclean markets, slowly began to stablise and regain its value over time. Anders Bendtsen, then Governor of the Euclean Central Bank, said in regards to the bailouts that "without the deals offered by the Glytteronian government, the value of the Euclo surely would have continued in its downward spiral". However, in recent years, additional uncertainty has re-emerged with regards to the on-going Lusitanan and Elladan debt crises, which have yet to be resolved.

Overall the bailouts still remain highly controversial in Glytter and throughout the EC. Walker, who was a staunch Euclean integrationist, managed to make Glytter a major player in Euclean affairs due to the influence it garnered via debt holdings. However, when the Glytteronian government announced it would be moving to forgive some of the remaining debt of Caesena in 2011, there was backlash both in Glytter and the rest of Euclea. Nations such as Lusitana and Hellenos, who were struggling to repay the Glytteronian government, believed they were being treated unfairly, and Walker faced intense criticism in their national media, as well as from their leaders. Walker's Liberty Party lost several of its seats in the 2012 Comhthionól election to the anti-EC Free Market Party. FMP Leader Pádraigín Ó Baoighill said that Walker was a "traitor" to the nation and had "betrayed the trust of her people".

Abdication of Elton II

Second term (2012-2017)

Pension reform

Immigration policy

2016 attacks

Salamic inspirted attacks

  • Unitary Police Act

23 August Attacks

  • MRF
  • Subsequent attacks
  • National Security Ministry
  • Higgins-Fitzwallace Commission

Foreign policy

High Court appointments

Retirement

Announcement

On 1 January 2017, Walker made the announcement that she would not be seeking a third term as Taoiseach and planned to retire from politics. The move came as a surprise to many, as they expected her to comment on the results of the Caenese general election.

At the time, she confirmed that she would be stepping aside after her party chose a successor, but chose not to provide a specific date. Walker also announced she would be retiring as a TC, ending her thirty year tenure as a TC for Pennsea.

Walker cited health concerns over what she described as one of her most "mentally and physically draining years", pointing to the 23 August Attacks. In her speech to the Liberty National Convention on 23 March she confirmed she was suffering from PTSD.

Resignation

At the March Liberty National Convention, Justice Minister Jimmy O'Reilly was chosen to serve as the next party leader, and in turn as the next Taoiseach. In the weeks after the Convention, Walker announced she would submit her resignation to the King on 20 April so O'Reilly could be formally appointed as Taoiseach following a vote in the Comhthionól.

On 20 April at 10:00, Walker met with the King for the final time at Spálgleann Palace where she submitted her letter of resignation. The King accepted and dismissed her as Taoiseach. At 10:15, a vote was put forth in the Comhthionól by Ceann Comhairle Nicolás Cummins to make O'Reilly Taoiseach, which passed by a wide margin.

President of the Euclean Community (2017-)

Campaign

Tenure

Etruria Crisis

Public image