Mel

Mel (born July 13th, 1967 is an English-Dogger politician serving as a Labor Worker's Party MP since 2013, and as both Deputy Leader and Whip of the Labor Worker's Party after being appointed by LWP leader Robert La Follette on January 26th, 2021. Before his election to the National Assembly, Mel served as president of the United Dockworker's Union from 1998 to 2010 and served for one term as mayor of Hoovsted from 2010 to 2013.

Early Career
Mel was born in Hoovsted on July 13th, 1967, born to an English working-class family, and attended the University of Steibo. While in University, he got elected president of the Steibo Young Social Democrats, a Youth Wing of the Worker's Party (today a part of the LWP), and then graduating in 1980. After graduating, Mel was hired to work as a secretary for the mayor of Hoovsted at the time, Henry Davies of the PL. Mel continued to work at this position until 1982 when Davies lost the election to Jack Walker, the Liberal Party candidate. After Davies's loss in the 1990 election, Mel was hired to work at the United Dockworker's Union, working to negotiate political cooperation with local parties and officials.

United Dockworker's Workers Politics (1990-2014)
Mel continued to work at the United Dockworker's Union, eventually rising up to the point of being elected the union's president in 1998. In 1999, he was able to negotiate a landmark deal with the Dock companies after a 4 month long strike, which resulted in a rising of wages, less hours, and better working conditions for Dockworkers, making him very popular with Hoovsted dockworkers. This popularity led him to be continually reelected, to the point where a running criticism of the LWP mayors would be that "popular vote means nothing in the face of a union boss coronation", especially after the extremely close election in 2002, between which the District Attorney ruled in favor of the LWP.

Mayor of Hoovsted (2014-2017)
He eventually began to explore a run for the mayor in 2006, to be able to more directly have a say in city politics, and ended up running in the 2006 Labor Worker's primary. He lost in the primary against Elizabeth Brown, a non-profit CEO who ran on fusing social progressive policies and labor economics, she ended up losing the mayoral election against Ed Morris, a Civic Union candidate, who was the most recent conservative mayor Hoovsted has had since the 1970s. Morris's government was fairly unpopular with the traditionally left-wing voter base that makes up Hoovsted, and he failed to frame himself as a moderate, leading to it being widely expected he would lose his reelection bid. This environment led to a very competitive LWP primary in 2010 in which Mel was the frontrunner, and would end up winning the primary, with his main opposition being David Whitford, a former University professor. Mel would go on to win the mayorship against Ed Morris, in a race that was much closer than initial polls predicted, with Mel winning with 56% of the vote.

His administration was mostly characterized by heavy collaboration with local unions (especially the UDW) and with several major left-wing economic reforms, soon making Mel a national figure as a Labor Worker's Party politician with a history of being adamantly left-wing economically. A notable decision made under Mel's administration was the massive investment into public transportation, paid for by the introduction of a wealth tax, the addition of a proposal similar to this to the LWP manifesto has been attributed to the successful implementation of this policy within Hoovsted. Mel was widely expected to run for a second term for mayor, but soon announced he would be joining the Labor Worker's Party List for the National Assembly in the 2014 general election. In his place, the appointed acting mayor and LWP candidate in the 2014 election was Emma Dekker, a city council member that was very closely aligned with Mel's values, and who won the general election, becoming the youngest mayor in Hoovsted's history at 33.

National Assembly (2017-Present)
After being placed fairly high on the LWP party list, he was elected to the national assembly and soon after joined the shadow cabinet as Shadow Minister for Transportation. He was appointed LWP whip in 2018, when the previous Whip, Frank Cooper, retired.

During the January 2021 election cycle, after Robert La Follette was elected as Labor Worker's Leader, Mel was appointed as both the Deputy Leader and Whip and was placed second on the party list. He was vocal about his support of the plan to form a left-wing coalition with the United Left People's Party, a goal which ended up being achieved. He has was reelected for his 3rd term as a Labor Worker's Party MP on January 29th and is rumored to be in the talks for a cabinet position within the Forward! Alliance for Progressive Action.

Political Positions
Self-identifying as a social democrat, he believes strongly that strengthening unions and expanding the welfare system should be the first priority of the government. As well, he is strongly pro EU membership for Doggerland, believing it will strengthen Doggerland's economy and invite in new economic investment, which the strong labor movement can use it its advantage.