Taoiseach of Caldia

Taoiseach of Caldia
Taoiseach of Caldia
	Incumbent; Stiofán Mac Suibhne; since 27 February 2019
Style	Your Excellency (A Shoilse)
Residence	Loveland House
Nominator	Comhthionól Náisiúnta
Appointer	Monarch of the Caldia by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the Comhthionól Náisiúnta.
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure, so long as elections are held no more than five years apart.
Inaugural holder	Dónall Ó Conaill
Formation	1857
Deputy	Tánaiste
Salary	€185,350
Website	taoiseach.gl

The Taoiseach is the head of government of Caldia. The Taoiseach is appointed by the monarch after securing the support of the lower house of the Tionól, the Comhthionól Náisiúnta. In order to remain in office, the Taoiseach a majority in the Comhthionól must continue to provide their support. The current Taoiseach is Stiofán Mac Suibhne, TC, who was appointed on 27 February 2019.

The word means "chief" or "leader" in the Ghaillish language. The earliest known use of the term is from a 5th- or 6th-century ogham inscription in both the Tenic languages. Internationally, the office is colloquially referred to as the premier or prime minister of Caldia. Taoiseach is the official title in Ghaillish, Gaullican, and Estmerish. It is not used for the heads of government for other countries. Instead, prime ministers are referred to in Ghaillish as Príomh Aire and the Ghaillish language uses premier as a Gaullican-loanword for premiers.

Overview

Under the Constitution of Caldia, the Taoiseach is nominated by a simple majority of Comhthionól Náisiúnta from among its members. This means a Taoiseach must receive the support of 200 TCs in order to be nominated. Following a nomination, he or she is then formally appointed to office by the monarch. The monarch is required to appoint whomever the Comhthionól designates without the option of declining appointment.

If the Taoiseach loses the support of a majority in Comhthionól Náisiúnta, he or she is not automatically removed from office. If a motion of no confidence in the Taoiseach is passed, he or she will be removed from office but the current government will remain in place. The Taoiseach's deputy, the Tánaiste, then assumes the powers of the position until the governing party names a new leader or until the legislative term ends. This happens infrequently, as it does not require a new election. Most often, a motion of no confidence in the Government is passed. If such a motion is passed, the Taoiseach is compelled to either resign or persuade the monarch to dissolve the Comhthionól and allow for new elections. The monarch may refuse to grant a dissolution, effectively forcing the Taoiseach to remain in office and form a care-taker government until the legislative term ends. To date, no monarch has exercised this prerogative despite it being permitted under the constitution. Additionally, the failure of a vote of confidence in the Comhthionól Náisiúnta may result in a Taoiseach's resignation or the dissolution of the sitting Comhthionól.

When a Taoiseach submits his or her resignation, the incumbent officeholder continues to carry out the powers of the office until the nomination of a successor by the Comhthionól Náisiúnta.

As the head of government, the Taoiseach is responsible for nominating all additional members of the Government. Government ministers nominated by the Taoiseach at the start of their term are confirmed at the same time by the Comhthionól Náisiúnta. Ministers are then formally appointed by the monarch. Should a government minister resign or be dismissed during a legislative term, any new nomination must be individually approved by the Comhthionól Náisiúnta before the monarch can make the formal appointment. For a government minister to be dismissed, the Taoiseach advises the monarch to dismiss him or her from her office. The monarch is required to follow this advice by constitutional convention. The Taoiseach is supported by the Executive Bureau, the government department responsible for assisting him or her in executing the powers of the office. The Taoiseach's Office is explicitly responsible for supporting the Taoiseach, but all other agencies within the Executive Bureau offer support in practice.

In addition to, the Taoiseach is also given the constitutional power to directly appoint fifteen members of the Seanad.

Taoisigh are also members of the Council of State, where they serve from their ascension to the office until their death.

Name

The word taoiseach means "chief" or "leader" in Ghaillish. Historically, it was the name given to leaders of clans. The title was also used by early rulers of the Kingdom of Ghailles who were referred to as the Great Chief. When the Kingdom of Caldia was established, the title was granted to the monarch's steward. Royal stewards were known as the Chief of the King or Chief of the Queen. The title was replaced by the position of Laird Chancellor during the 13th century. When the position was established in 1857, taoiseach was used to mean "Chief of the Government". The plural of taoiseach is taoisigh.

History

The position of Taoiseach was created in 1857 under the Instrument for Governance Act of 1857. Following the Silent Revolution and the demand for greater political representation, the creation of the Comhthionól Náisiúnta would result in the demand for the post. King Elton I and the Seanad both approved of its creation.

A statue of Dónall Ó Conaill, the first Taoiseach, in his native Shanbally.

The creation of the office would remove considerable authority from the Seanad, and as such made the principal house of the Tionól.

The office was predeceased by the Laird Chancellor. Under the Constitution of Caldia, executive authority was held by the monarch, who would often delegate such authority to the Laird Chancellor. The position of Laird Chancellor has its earliest roots in the thirteenth century during the reforms of King Alastar. However, both the monarch and the Laird Chancellor retained significant authority. The Laird Chancellorship was almost always held by peer or bishop. The only Taoiseach who was a peer during their tenure was the Duke of Holyhead.

The first Taoiseach was Dónall Ó Conaill, a former Laird Chancellor, former senator and prominent reformer. He was a principal leader of the Silent Revolution. Ó Conaill was a member of and the leader of the Caldish Democrats, the party which heavily campaigned for the creation of a more democratized house. Ó Conaill would serve two terms as Taoiseach, with the first lasting from 1857-1862 and the second from 1867-1872.

Since the office's creation, there have been thirty-one Taoisigh from four political parties. All but eight Taoisigh have served for the full duration of their five-year terms. Conán Ó Faoláin is the only Taoiseach to have died while in office while Liam O'Mathuna failed to defeat a motion of no confidence. Taoisigh Brigid O'Reilly and Rory Mac Ailín, and Humphrey Dumfries are the only Taoisigh who have both been in power during snap election and to have had their parties defeated in a snap election. Niamh Nic Uilliam and Frank Casarnach were dismissed from their office following intervention from the monarch. Alexis Walker resigned before the 2017 Caldish general election. Jimmy O'Reilly resigned from the office after a diplomatic scandal in 2018. Séamus Ó Faoláin held the office for only three months before being defeated in the 2002 election.

The Instrument for Governance Act of 1965 removed virtually all powers from the Seanad. As a result, the power of the Taoiseach increased significantly as they no longer had to cooperate with the Cathaoirleach to ensure their legislation would pass the Seanad. The need for reform arose following the Government Crisis of 1965 in which the majority of elected Seanad seats were held by the Liberty Party. As a result the Cathaoirleach, Dónal Ó Loingsigh, was a member of the Liberty Party. He used his seat to delay major reforms pursued by Taoiseach Mary O'Neill by refusing to put them up for a vote. Instead of calling for a snap election or waiting for the 1966 Seanad election, O'Neill instead pushed to strip the upper house of the bulk of its powers. The Instrument for Governance Act of 1965 was passed with a two-thirds super majority after negotiations between the parties sitting in the Comhthionól. After her reforms were implemented, the Taoiseach was granted the power to appoint eleven senators, an increase from the five previously permitted. This is done in order to ensure the government has a majority in the Seanad, which now only has the powers to review and delay legislation.

Family

The family of the Taoiseach has no official title or role. However, family members are often identified as members of the Dara Teaghlaigh (Second Family) in the Caldish press. This is due to their secondary status to the Royal Family. The phrase Dara Teaghlaigh first became popular in the 1990s and has since remained.

Residence

The official residence of the Taoiseach, the Loveland House. The residence is located on the Royal Mile in Spálgleann.

List of office holders

Parties

Caldish Democrats

National Conservative Party and predecessors

Social Democratic

Liberty Party

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Party	Term of office		Cabinet Parties	Monarch
1	Dónall Ó Conaill (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	12 June 1857	TBD 1858	Ó Conaill I DG	Elton I (1837-1882)
2	Pádraig Ó hEochaidh (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	TBD 1858	TBD 1859	Ó hEochaidh DG
(1)	Dónall Ó Conaill (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	12 June 1859	12 June 1872	Ó Conaill II DG Ó Conaill III DG
3	Brian Ó Cuinn (TBD)	An ceart	12 June 1872	12 June 1877	TBD
4	Máirín Nic Aonghusa (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	12 June 1877	12 June 1882	TBD
5	Uilliam Mac Aife (TBD)	An ceart	12 June 1882	21 April 1885	TBD	James IV (1882-1907)
6	Roibeárd FitzWarren (TBD)	An ceart	21 April 1885	12 June 1887	TBD
7	Séamus Domhnach (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	12 June 1887	12 June 1897	TBD
8	Ealasaid Nic Leòid (TBD)	General Election Pact	12 June 1897	12 June 1902	TBD
9	Conán Ó Faoláin (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	12 June 1902	8 April 1906	TBD
10	Saorla Ní Chonaill (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	12 June 1906	12 June 1915	TBD	Mary IV (1907-1926)
11	Leannain Mac Seonag (TBD)	National Conservative Party	8 April 1915	12 June 1917	TBD
12	Brigid Nic Gormáin (TBD)	National Conservative Party	12 June 1917	4 September 1919	TBD
13	Liam O'Mathuna (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	4 September 1919	29 November 1925	TBD
14	Éamon Ua Buachalla (TBD)	Caldish Democrats	29 November 1925	1 February 1935	TBD	Ellen II (1926-2002)
15	Tomás Mag Fhearadhaigh (TBD)	Social Democratic	1 February 1935	12 June 1937	TBD
16	Eleanore Rosaiteir 11 October 1893-26 November 1961	Liberty Party	12 June 1937	12 June 1952	TBD
17	Seamus Mac Amhalghaidh (TBD)	Social Democratic	12 June 1952	12 June 1957	TBD
18	Wallace Mór Fitzgerald (TBD)	Liberty Party	12 June 1957	12 June 1962	TBD
19	Máire Ní Néill (TBD)	Social Democratic	12 June 1962	12 June 1971	TBD
20	Rory Mac Ailín (TBD)	Social Democratic	12 June 1971	21 March 1975	TBD
21	Dáibhí Mac Coinneach (TBD)	Liberty Party	21 March 1975	12 June 1977	TBD
22	Mícheál Ó Muilleoir (24 April 1921 - 6 August 2012)	Social Democratic	20 June 1977	21 June 1982	Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
23	Pádraigín Bláthanna b. 17 February 1929	Liberty Party	21 June 1982	22 June 1992	Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
24	Niamh Nic Uilliam b. 27 February 1949	Social Democratic	22 June 1992	17 March 2002	Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
25	Séamus Ó Faoláin b. 8 November 1948	Social Democratic	17 March 2002	17 June 2002	Tánaiste and Minister of the Interior	Elton II File:Albert II.jpg (2002-2010)
26	Énna Ó Ceallaigh b. 4 March 1948	Liberty Party	18 June 2002	17 June 2007	Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition	Elton II File:Albert II.jpg (2002-2010)
27	Alastrí Nic Ualtair ⁊ Ní Deoradh b. 15 August 1950	Liberty Party	17 June 2007	20 April 2017	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Kenneth IV (2010-present)
28	Simi Ó Raghallaigh b. 27 April 1976	Liberty Party	20 April 2017	7 May 2018	Minister of Justice and Equality
29	Proin Casarnach b. 5 November 1949	Liberty Party	7 May 2018	5 January 2019	Minister of Foreign Affairs
30	Amhlaoibh na Dùnphris b. 20 April 1954	Liberty Party	5 January 2019	27 February 2019	Minister of Finance
31	Stiofán Mac Suibhne b. 8 November 1948	Social Democratic	27 February 2019	Present	Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition