United Party (Enderron)

The United Party (UP, originally known as the United Enderron Party) was a centre-right political party in Enderron that existed from 1943 to 1994. From its founding through the early 1990s, it was the one of the two major political parties in Enderronian politics, the other being the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Enderron. It was particularly dominant during the early post-independence years, continuously serving in government from 1943 to 1970 under Prime Ministers William Oxley, Benjamin Thrailkill and Alex Holthe.

During its existence, the United Party took a conservative liberal and Enderronian nationalist stance, with a focus on defence spending, opposing communism and socialism both domestically and abroad, retaining strong ties with the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, and supporting free enterprise and export-based economic growth. It was seen as generally socially conservative, although it was also responsible for carrying several liberal reforms, including dismantling the race-based immigration system and the opening of Enderron to multiethnic immigration, holding the 1968 referendum on an Enderronian republic, and abolishing the marriage bar (allowing married women to be employed). The party was mainly supported by middle-class voters in the outer suburbs and rural areas. From the late 1970s, the United Party's dominance was challenged by other right-leaning parties such as the Enderron National Party and Conservative Party.

After 16 years in opposition, United formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party from 1986 to 1990 under leader Mike Behrens. The government was defeated after a single term. After Behrens' resignation in 1991, the party fractured. It suffered a serious split in 1992, when 22 members of its 51-strong parliamentary caucus resigned en masse from the party and later defected to the Conservative Party; United subsequently lost its status as Official Opposition in parliament. Following the 1994 election, the party was reduced to a rump of four MPs, and new party leader Andrew Quinton lost his own seat.

Following the election, a majority of the party's rank-and-file members voted to merge with the Conservative Party, and the original party was dissolved on 17 November 1994. However, a minority of members refused to merge, including new party leader Jeff McAllister, and instead formed a new party called the Reform Party of Enderron.

The Reform Party merged with the Enderron National Party in 1998, following that year's federal election, while the Conservative Party itself later merged with the Liberal Democrats in 2000 to form the modern Liberal Party of Enderron.

Party foundation
The United Party's immediate predecessor was the Enderron People's Party (EPP), which itself was formed from the merger of the colonial-era Liberal and Conservative parties.

Under the leadership of Neville Saxton, the EPP defeated the governing Social Democratic Party at the 1937 election, and entered government on the eve of World War II. Saxton lasted less than two years as prime minister before losing the confidence of the party caucus, and was replaced by his deputy William Oxley. The successful Japanese invasion of Mariana forced the Enderronian government to relocate to Brisbane, Australia in December 1941. While his administration was in exile, Oxley spearheaded efforts to reform the EPP, which he felt had become too overtly conservative. This culminated in the creation of a new liberal-conservative party in February 1943, with the EPP organisation merging with several liberal societies and groups. Initially taking the name "United Enderron Party", the new caucus voted to shorten it to the United Party in time for the 1945 election.

Oxley era
At its first election in 1945, the United Party narrowly lost its majority, winning exactly half of the seats in parliament. It continued as a minority government with confidence and supply guaranteed from the liberal New Democratic Party. Oxley's first order of business was to negotiate the full independence of Enderron from the United Kingdom, a feat that was achieved on 16 September 1946. Immediately following this, Oxley called a snap election, at which the United Party won two-thirds of the seats in parliament, a record at the time. The party continued in office for a further 24 years – the longest unbroken run ever in government at the federal level. The country experienced prolonged economic growth during the post-war boom period and Oxley fulfilled his promises to end rationing and embark on a national infrastructure rebuilding program. Oxley's government also concluded a number of major defence and trade treaties that set Enderron on its post-war trajectory out of Britain's orbit, and opened up Enderron to multi-ethnic immigration.

The government was re-elected as expected at the 1950 but a slowing economy, increasing inflation and increased Cold War tensions led to the United Party losing its majority at the 1954 election; the government was only able to continue in office with the support of two rural independent MPs. The 1954–1958 parliament proved to be one of the most productive up to that time thanks to the influence of the independents on the government. United was handily re-elected at the 1958 election, with the expansion of Wentworth Bexley International Airport being one of Oxley's core election promises. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Oxley and his Immigration Minister, Edwin Peterson, took significant steps to expand Enderron's immigration program, and the discriminatory policies against non-European immigrants were gradually abolished. The government also significantly increased foreign aid to Southeast Asia and other developing countries, partly as a measure to counter communism. Oxley was re-elected to an unprecedented seventh term in office at the 1962 election, and retired six months later as Enderron's longest-serving Prime Minister.

Thrailkill Government
Benjamin Thrailkill, who had been serving as the Deputy Prime Minister since 1958, was elected unopposed as the new United leader following William Oxley's retirement in 1963. His government oversaw Enderron's conversion to decimal currency and began preliminary discussions into metrication at a national level. Thrailkill also oversaw Enderron's entry into the Vietnam War, which was initially very popular with the public. He led United to an eighth consecutive term at the 1966 election, albeit with a smaller-than-expected majority of seven seats.

Thrailkill died suddenly following a heart attack on 6 April 1967.

Holthe Government
Alex Holthe was chosen by the party to replace Thrailkill. Holthe and the government faced mounting opposition to the Vietnam War, and committed to withdrawing all troops by 1970. The post-war Enderronian economy was also weakening, with increasing inflation and unemployment. Holthe also faced an increasing movement for an Enderronian republic. After consistent public pressure, the government agreed to hold a binding referendum on the issue. The referendum, held in March 1968, resulted in a significant majority in favour of a republic, and much of the remainder of Holthe's term was spent on overseeing the transition to a republic.

By 1969, the government was trailing badly in the polls, and by the time of the 1970 election, it was all but assured that the Social Democratic Party would return to government after 33 years in opposition; Holthe proved to be no match for the witty SDP leader Calvin Rhinehart. United was decimated at the election, suffering a swing of almost 12 percent in two-party-preferred terms, and its caucus was more than halved.

Opposition (1970–1986)
The United Party, which had up to this point not spent a day in opposition, failed to make any significant headway against the Social Democratic government. Holthe remained leader for a further six years and led the party against Rhinehart at the 1974 election, which saw the SDP easily retain government but also a modest recovery for United in many seats lost at the 1970 landslide. Holthe was eventually defeated in a leadership spill in 1976 by Martin Crowley, who led the party to another defeat at the 1978 election and soon after lost the leadership himself to Mike Behrens.

Behrens, a member of the United Party's moderate wing, shifted the party towards the political centre. Amidst the early 1980s recession, United began to consistently lead the government in opinion polling for the first time since 1970. However, a gaffe-ridden election campaign and an energetic platform from new prime minister James Thorpe led to a fourth consecutive defeat for United in 1982. Behrens tendered his resignation following the election loss, but was encouraged to stay on as leader by the caucus.

Behrens Government
By the mid-1980s, the Social Democratic government was increasingly seen as tired, unfocused and out of ideas. United quickly regained a lead in the polls after the 1982 election, and won a plurality of seats at the 1986 election, which resulted in a hung parliament. Falling two seats short of a majority, Behrens was forced to form a coalition with the Conservative Party in order to form a working majority. The Conservative leader, Jonathan Bowen, demanded the position of Deputy Prime Minister, as well as two seats for his party in the incoming cabinet. These terms were unusually stiff for a prospective junior coalition partner in a Westminster system, and especially so for a party that had previously only won a single seat. Nonetheless, with no other politically realistic coalition partner available, Behrens readily agreed, and the "Behrens–Bowen Ministry" was formed.

The Behrens Government was much more socially conservative than the previous SDP government, largely due to the influence of the Conservative Party, and also embarked on an ambitious economic liberalisation program. The Enderronian financial sector and airline industry underwent significant deregulation, the Enderronian dollar was floated, Enderron's first free trade agreement was signed, with Batavia, and several government corporations were privatised. It also decreased the annual refugee and migrant intake, increased restrictions on abortion and child adoption, and abolished compulsory superannuation.

Deputy leaders

 * 1) Ronald O'Riordan (1943–1949)
 * 2) John Harrigan (1949–1958)
 * 3) Benjamin Thrailkill (1958–1963)
 * 4) Alex Holthe (1963–1967)
 * 5) Vincent Speakman (1967–1970)
 * 6) Joe Wilde (1970–1974, 1976–1989)
 * 7) Martin Crowley (1974–1976)
 * 8) Bernard Tevis (1989–1992)
 * 9) David Heidel (1992–1994)
 * 10) Shirley Swanson (1994)