Luthori Central News Network
Liberal Conservative Party forms
March, 4702
Liberal Conservative leader Benedict Lowe leaving the press conference.
Fort William, Duchy of Orange - On the steps of a building owned by Benedict Lowe, the medium-sized business owner, he announced that he had been selected by a group of business leaders, labor officials and others to be the new leader of the Liberal Conservative Party. In his announcement, he noted that veteran conservative political operative Haider Marsh had been selected to lead the campaign who developed the slogan "New Dawn for Luthori!" which is widely seen as a chance for the conservative right in Luthori to recapture serious political leadership. The speech before a gathered crowd of supporters called for a wide array of reforms pointed at liberalizing the Luthorian economy, focusing on redevelopment of the Ministry of Defense as an asset to Luthorian interests domestically and abroad, the focus on developing regional ties such as joining the Artanian League and focusing on building relations with stable trading partners. Luckily, the leader of the Liberal Conservatives won a seat in a by-election in Fort William and the thus short political career. One of the first major political announcements was that the Liberal Conservatives would be supporting the White Rose political party for the office of the presidency, which they believe has done a "...great job..." at leading Luthori.
There was a number of announcements from Liberal Conservative Spokesman Archibald Chambers, he announced that former Colonel in the Luthorian Army Aston Williamson would be considered for the role of Minister of Defense and would have the daunting undertaking of rebuilding and re-organizing a lackluster Luthorian Armed Forces which for years has been neglected and mismanaged due to rapid and often broad political strokes. Chambers noted that should be selected to pick up the Defense Ministry, he would be focused on the development of a professional, apolitical force which would be used to defend Luthori's borders and build international relationships abroad to bring the level of readiness and training that is expected of one of the world once most formidable fighting forces. One of the first plans in his published Liberal Conservative White Paper on Defense is a large inspection of the Luthorian Navy and the development of a new structure for leadership within the Luthorian Armed Forces, including the establishment of a permanent ready task force for situations regionally and across the globe. The second component is a massive restructuring of the Luthorian Army and Air Force which will help eradicate the "bloat" that has developed over the years.
The man tapped to lead the Foreign Office and the foreign policy of the Liberal Conservatives is Gabriel Jackson, a graduate of the University of Fort William's International Affairs and Diplomatic School who believes that the establishment of ties to the Kingdom of Dorvik as the regional hegemon is imperative. Jackson is also supportive of loans and grants offered by the Artanian Infrastructure Investment Bank which has tied itself closely to the Artanian League, the spiritual successor of the Artanian Union. While the focus on regional issues is paramount for the reinvention of Luthori, the "New Englia Question" remains close to the mind of Mr. Jackson. New Englia is a former colony of Kirlawa and Luthori based on the eastern coast of Dovani and has struggled with both ethnic violence and political tension over the years. While Luthori has often failed to take stock of its ethnic ties to New Englia, Mr. Jackson states that "Luthori cannot ignore expatriates across the world and New Englia is no exception." The potential Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs or at least potential high ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Ministry has called for a renewed interest in East Dovani as a potential new market for Luthorian goods and building trading relations with the Vascanian Empire to reduce reliance on oil and gas from Majatran countries.
The domestic program developed largely by Leila Turner, a leading health services administrator and Gracie-Mae Burke, an engineer and professor at Fort William University of Marine Science and Technology, have called on the Luthorian government to take a radical approach to reorganizing the Luthorian education system, the university system and the development of comprehensive overhauls to social welfare and healthcare. It is likely that they will continue to espouse their views overtime. As the sole Member of the People's Council, Liberal Conservative leader Benedict Lowe has already proposed two pieces of legislation. One being the Campaign Finance Reform Act (CFRA) which will seek to grant the Home Office the ability to finance candidate for political office versus the current system where candidate that accept private contributions cannot accept public funds. On the floor of the People's Council, Lowe stated that "We [the Liberal Conservatives] believe that in order for fair political elections we need to change the way that our government runs its elections. We propose that the Luthorian government provide funding for candidates who wish to stand for political elections in Luthori."The second piece of legislation proposed was the Labor Reform Act (LRA) which seeks to allow open, closed and union shops, prevent DWCs, which the Liberal Conservatives see as inherently socialist, from running and managing businesses and formally obligates trade unions and employers to work out daily working hours.