Kol Vossgaard
Kol Vossgaard | |
|---|---|
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| Chancellor of Delkora | |
| In office 28 March 2002 – 6 March 2006 | |
| Monarch | Haldor VII |
| Deputy | Aliya Nazari |
| Preceded by | Emma Jørgensen |
| Succeeded by | Harald Møller |
| Leader of the Green Party | |
| In office 17 December 1996 – 9 March 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Signe Væstfolten |
| Succeeded by | Margrethe Heldenvar |
| Member of the Chamber of Representatives | |
| In office 3 June 1991 – 3 March 2014 | |
| Constituency | Førelskov-East |
| Member of the Gothendral Municipal Council | |
| In office 1 July 1989 – 3 June 1991 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kol Elias Vossgaard 5 October 1960 Arzenheim, Cybria, Delkora |
| Nationality | Delkoran |
| Political party | Green |
| Spouse(s) | Lovisa Vossgaard (m. 1983–Present) |
| Alma mater | Abenvard University (B.S.) University of Cybria (M.S.) Gothendral University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Biologist Politician |
Kol Elias Vossgaard (born 5 October 1960) is a Delkoran statesman, biologist, and community organizer who served as chancellor of Delkora from 2002 to 2006. As the first Green Party head of government in Delkoran history, he led a far-left minority government consisting of the Greens, Communist Party of Delkora, and the Pirate Party supported on supply and confidence by National Labor. A biologist by profession, he worked as a professor at Gothendral University prior to his entry into politics.
Early years and education
Vossgaard was born in Arzenheim, a small city in eastern Cybria in 1960. His father worked as an accountant, while his mother was a marketing consultant. Suffering from severe asthma, he was often home bound throughout his early childhood. He spent much of his free time reading, developing an early interest in science. Vossgaard cites a summer visit to Dromengren National Park when he was 13 as helping him develop an interest in conservation and ecology.
Excelling in school to the point of boredom during his later adolescent years, Vossgaard was nearly kicked out of Arzenheim Academy for excessive truancy and declining grades. In part as a reaction against his socially conservative upbringing, Vossgaard became involved with the thriving Delkoran counterculture of the 1970's, later reflecting that the period from 1976 to 1981 for him was a "blur of drug use, punk rock, and bad decisions." This frequently brought him into conflict with his parents, resulting in him being kicked out of their home on multiple occasions. In spite of this and other difficulties, he was accepted into Abenvard University in 1977 and began studying biology.
While at Abenvard, Vossgaard developed an interest in music, playing as the bassist for a number of punk rock bands in the city. It was not until he began studying at the University of Cybria for his master's degree that his interests turned explicitly political. In particular, it was his increasing awareness of the issue of climate change that led him to get involved with a number of different environmentalist groups. He began attending protests and rallies, in one instance getting arrested protesting at the corporate headquarters of Royal Delkoran Petroleum in Norenstal. It was also while studying at university that he met his future wife Lovisa; the two went on to get married in 1983.
After completing his master's degree, Vossgaard enrolled in a PhD program at Gothendral University, finishing in 1987 with a dissertation on marine biology. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as an assistant professor at his alma mater. Having taken a break from political activism to focus on his studies, Vossgaard now began to devote more of his time to organizing. In 1989, he began working with the local Green Party, which was leading a campaign to pressure the Gothendral Municipal Energy Cooperative to decommission its coal-fired power plant and transition to 100% renewable energy. The campaign was ultimately successful in garnering enough votes to force the Cooperative to act, and also helped vault Vossgaard into the political spotlight.
In the 1989 local elections, Vossgaard ran on the Green Party list for the Gothendral Municipal Council, securing a seat.
Municipal Councillor
As a member of the Council, Vossgaard was a vocal proponent of public transportation, voting in favor of expanding bus service in the city and constructing new subway lines. He authored an ordinance providing for increased funding for solar panel installation in the city and was a key supporter of a vehicle emissions monitoring program championed by the mayor.
Despite focusing on local issues in his role as a councillor, Vossgaard increasingly garnered a national profile through his editorials in major newspapers and television interviews. He was critical of the Conservative-Agrarian government of Lars af Vellarand, which he accused in an opinion piece of "waging a war on poor people in this country" and "being bought and paid for by fossil fuel interests."
In the lead up to the 1991 federal election, Vossgaard agreed to be placed on the Green Party list for Førelskov-East, winning a seat with the most personal votes on the list. The day before the election, he became involved in the Siege of Gothendral: he was the first person to speak with Marius Lauritzen on the phone, and camped out in front of the Førelskov State House with other protesters and onlookers.
Member of the Federal Parliament
As an MP, Vossgaard served on the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, the Committee on Culture, and the Joint Committee on Climate Change. He was a vocal opponent of Chancellor Ulrik Andersen's austerity policies and a proponent of swift action to combat climate change, introducing a raft of bills shortly after taking office that were all killed in committee by Andersen's government. Important votes during his tenure included votes in favor of the Human Rights Act of 1995 and the decriminalization of drug use in 1998.
In Parliament, he showed a strong interest in cultural policy. He became known as the scourge of Andersen's culture minister, for relentlessly questioning them on the impact austerity would have on popular culture. He famously asked during a 1992 debate, "Why is Delkora prevented from producing its own My Bloody Valentine?" — referring to the band's drawn-out recording of Loveless. In a hearing with the Delkoran Broadcasting Service director, he demanded an answer why the DBS had refused to broadcast Les nouvelles aventures de la femme appelée Aurelia Nyşel, when its predecessor had been aired without incident, and accused Andersen's government of attempting to pressure DBS.
Vossgaard was able to quickly rise through the ranks of the Green Party through his work on its Central Campaign Committee. As a member of the committee, he was extremely effective at recruiting Green Party candidates for office throughout the Kingdom, such that for the first time in the party's history it was able to put forth full lists for every constituency in federal, state, and municipal elections. He also proved to be an energetic campaigner, travelling throughout the Kingdom to help elect Green Party candidates. The party had exceptionally good showings in federal, state, and municipal elections throughout the 1990's.
Despite his rapid ascent within the party, Vossgaard often found himself at odds with the party leadership. In particular, he opposed party leader Signe Væstfolten's efforts at positioning the Greens to be coalition partners for National Labor, arguing that the party should "first and foremost aim for a plurality" and that anything else would relegate it to being a permanent junior coalition partner. He was similarly critical of National Labor itself, often arguing that Chancellor Emma Jørgensen's policies were not far-reaching enough.
In 1996, Væstfolten announced her intention to step down as party leader, prompting a leadership contest. The clear favorite, Vossgaard put his name forward, winning by a large margin that year.
In 1997, Vossgaard made national headlines by uncovering the Haldmodryn Lead Scandal through his oversight work on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. The scandal caused national outrage and prompted Jørgensen's government to pass a sweeping pollution regulation bill that had been championed by the Greens. With environmental issues at the forefront of the public's attention leading up to the 1998 federal election, the Green Party was well-positioned to make a political breakthrough, which it did after picking up a record number of seats and becoming the fourth largest party in the Federal Parliament.
Vossgaard devoted considerable effort to building relationships between the Greens and far-left parties including the Communist Party of Delkora and the Pirate Party. On one occasion, the three parties orchestrated a quorum bust to force a vote on a fossil fuel divestment bill. After the speaker of the Chamber of Representatives issued an order requiring the attendance of the absentee MPs, many were tracked down and apprehended by the sergeant-at-arms. Vossgaard himself, however, could not be found, leading The Havomar Report to air a recurring "Where's Vossgaard?" segment in its weekly shows for the duration of the incident.
In the months leading up to the 2002 federal election, the three parties negotiated the so-called "No Confidence Pact", whereby each agreed not to partake in or tolerate a government led by any of the major parties.
2002 federal election
After the 2002 federal election produced a badly hung parliament, it was expected that the Centre Democrats, who had won a small plurality, would form a minority government with the Agrarians supported on supply and confidence by either the Free Republicans or the Moderates. However, this configuration was short of a majority, and the Centre Democrats refused to seek support from the Conservatives.
The exploratory mandate was thus given to National Labor, the second largest party. Jørgensen, however, did not have enough seats between her party and its traditional coalition partner, the Liberals, to achieve a majority. After talks with the Free Republicans and Moderates proved unsuccessful, she began putting pressure on Vossgaard's far-left coalition. At Vossgaard's urging, the three parties held firm on their agreement, effectively bringing the government formation process to a standstill, as the support of at least one of them was necessary for a National Labor government to be viable.
After meeting with the King to inform him that she could not reach an agreement, Jørgensen's mandate was transferred to Vossgaard as leader of the third largest party. He subsequently proposed a minority government of the Greens, Communists, and Pirates, extending an invitation to both National Labor and the Liberals to enter into a supply and confidence agreement. The Liberals declined, leaving the decision to Jørgensen. Aware that the deadline for a government to be formed was approaching, and that a new election would likely result in gains for the centre-right parties, she accepted the agreement, enabling the new government to be formed. Vossgaard was subsequently sworn in as chancellor the following day.
Chancellor of Delkora
As chancellor, Vossgaard's most ambitious plans were often stymied by his government's minority status. One of its first acts was introduction of the Environmental Accountability Act, a bill that would implement sweeping pollution regulations and provide a major increase in funding for green infrastructure. The EAC faced stiff opposition from the right and even from the moderate left within National Labor. A heavily amended version of the bill was ultimately passed in 2004, but did not go as far as the original.
Similarly, Vossgaard struggled to build support for the Just Transition Act, which would have phased out Delkora's oil and natural gas industries by 2020. Although the bill never passed during his tenure, it was later reintroduced by Adric Azengaard's government in 2014 and passed by a wide margin. In 2005, Vossgaard's government succeeded in winning support for a carbon tax.
Aware of his government's legislative limitations, Vossgaard sought to utilize his executive authority to push for small, incremental changes. He used executive decrees to mandate that all federal buildings be powered by renewable energy, to limit federal contracts to companies that received passing "Environmental Sustainability Scores", and to direct the Ministry of Defense to procure more fuel efficient vehicles.
Following in the footsteps of the Jørgensen government, Vossgaard continued the cooperativization of the economy, implementing new incentives for businesses to organize as cooperatives and transitioning several state-owned enterprises to worker self-management. His government also increased the number of paid parental leave hours required by law and increased pension spending.
Vossgaard made the protection of civil liberties a top priority of his government. It passed the Copyrights and Patents Act of 2005, which greatly liberalized Delkoran copyright law across numerous industries, from arts to pharmaceuticals. His government also worked to reign in government surveillance.
Retirement
Following the 2006 federal election, Vossgaard's government lost its mandate and he was succeeded as chancellor by Harald Møller. Still enjoying strong support within the Green Party, he stayed on as party leader and remained in the headlines as a vocal opponent of Møller. Under his continuing leadership, the Greens continued to work closely with their far-left coalition partners, but were less effective as a group as a result of the Communists and the Pirates losing a significant number of seats. After the 2010 federal election produced a disappointing result for the Greens, Vossgaard announced that he was stepping down as party leader. He served out his parliamentary term, announcing that he would not stand for re-election in 2014.
Since leaving office, Vossgaard has continued to stay active in politics, campaigning for Green Party candidates in several important elections. Breaking with tradition, he has also continued to have a prominent media presence, often sitting down for interviews to discuss current political issues and testifying before the Federal Parliament on key environmental bills. He and his wife Lovisa currently reside in Gothendral.