Rick Clarkson

Richard Jeremiah "Rick" Clarkson (born 14 August 1947) is an Enderronian former politician who served as the 34th Prime Minister of Enderron, in office from 1997 to 2002. He concurrently served as the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Enderron. He previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister from 1995 to 1997. He was the member for the Wentworth district of Jackson in the Enderronian Parliament from 1982 to 2003.

Born in Flinders City and raised in Wentworth, Clarkson graduated from the University of Wentworth with a Bachelors of Engineering. Before entering politics, he worked as an engineering consultant and later as a diplomat. Clarkson was elected to the Enderronian Parliament at the 1982 federal election. He was promoted to the shadow cabinet in 1987 as the Shadow Minister for Communications, under leader Helen Vandenberg. Upon the Social Democrats' return to government at the 1990 federal election, he served as the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure (1990–1994) and the Minister for Immigration (1994–1995), then as part of a cabinet reshuffle in 1995 he became the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer of Enderron.

In November 1997, Vandenberg retired as Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democratic Party, and Clarkson was elected unopposed as the new leader, thereby becoming Prime Minister. He reappointed Kim Hernandez as Deputy Prime Minister after she was demoted in the 1995 cabinet reshuffle. Less than a year into his tenure, Clarkson faced a statutory federal election; the Social Democrats won a third term with their majority largely intact. The Clarkson Government largely followed in the steps of the Vandenberg Government, continuing Enderron's economic reform, but also shifted towards a focus on foreign policy; a free trade agreement was signed with Kanashima, and the Trans-Mariana Travel Arrangement was finalised, effectively abolishing border controls between Enderron, Batavia and Kanashima. The Clarkson Government also sent peacekeeping troops to East Timor and significantly increased foreign aid spending. At home, Clarkson's government created the Independent Commission Against Corruption, rationalised the automotive industry, equalised the age of consent regardless of gender and sexual orientation, introduced the first legislation that recognised de facto same-sex couples, and oversaw a significant increase in public spending on healthcare, education and information technology.

Clarkson's attempts to further reform the taxation system, particularly through a goods and services tax (GST), and his championing of high levels of immigration, proved less popular with the wider electorate, and coupled with the rise of the far-right Enderron Democrats, drew parts of the Social Democrats' core constituencies, particularly working class voters, away from the party. The final year of Clarkson's administration was marked by a shift in geopolitics following the September 11 attacks in the United States and subsequent war on terror; Clarkson deployed troops to the War in Afghanistan and increased military spending.

Despite a steady decline in opinion polling following the 1998 election, the Social Democrats remained the favourites ahead of the 2002 election, and most pundits expected the party to be re-elected to a fourth term with a significantly reduced majority. The opposition Liberal Party of Enderron, which was formed in 2000 from the merger of the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats, experienced a significant swing late in the election campaign, and on election day edged out the Social Democrats to claim a one-seat plurality; both parties fell short of a majority. The Enderron National Party, which won the balance of power, formed a coalition with the Liberals, ending Clarkson's prime ministership. Clarkson immediately resigned as party leader, but remained in parliament until January 2003. Since then, he has remained active as a political commentator, while also maintaining business and charitable interests.

Clarkson has been praised for his diplomatic skills and development of Enderron's modern foreign policy. The first half of his administration is generally more highly regarded than the second half, which has been marred by criticisms of Enderron's entry into the Afghanistan War and a perceived lost opportunity for more social reforms. Clarkson is often placed within the middle tier in rankings of Enderronian prime ministers.