Sparhawk08

This article is fictional.

Sparhawk08
Founded	1900 (1900)
Ideology	Civic nationalism, Economic conservatism, Dirigism, State capitalism, Industrialization
Political position	Centre-right
Colors	Black, blue, red, gold and green

The National Party of Tropico - sometimes referred to as the Conservative Party or NPT - is the oldest political party of the Tropican Republic. The National Party remained the dominant party in Tropican politics from its formation in the early 20th century through to the 1980s.

History

Advocating civic nationalism, a strong central government, low social spending and the strengthening of Tropico's economic and military standing through state capitalism, the party was formed soon after Tropican independence in opposition to the Liberal Democratic Party, which campaigned for limited government and universal suffrage. Though the Nationals supported universal suffrage "in principle", they argued that the political situation in Tropico, following the Tropican Revolution, was too unstable for immediate reform. Led by the Republic's first president, Thomas MacKay, the National government committed itself to "building a nation" and the party is widely credited with transforming Tropico into an economic and military powerhouse.

The Nationalists promised to safeguard civil liberties, ensuring the rights of Tropicans to "freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech". The state would refrain from coercion, "except in the case of violent insurrection". However, the Liberals - who condemned violence - argued that, since the government was largely unrepresentative, the majority of Tropicans could not expect to influence the government in any other way. The Liberals feared that, despite the Nationalists' promises, their policies would lead to an elitist and tyrannical government. Indeed, as living standards decreased and successive Nationalist governments increasingly concerned themselves with preserving their own power, violent clashes between the government and the people persisted until the election of the Liberal Democrats and the introduction of universal suffrage in 1982. By this time, even the majority of National Party members had expressed their support for universal suffrage; and many eligible Nationalist voters, who often bore the brunt of the insurrections, voted for the Liberals in protest.

Reinvention

Following the defeat of the National Party in the 1982 election, the National Party voted for a new leadership. Under this leadership, the party sought to win back its disaffected voters and also set itself up in opposition to Liberal policies.

The Liberals had become more social democratic than they had been in the past, embarking on an extensive programme of improving healthcare and social housing. While the new Nationalists did not oppose these programmes per se (possibly for political reasons), they adopted a policy of to each according to his contribution, arguing that healthcare and housing should be paid for by individuals on use and never provided at a loss to treasury. They also argued that social spending should be in line with economic investment.

They also opposed the Liberals' wealth tax, social security bill and proposals to create a sovereign debt. The party argues that social hierarchy - as long as there is equality of opportunity - is integral to incentivizing the Tropican people.