Mel

Mel (born July 13th, 1959 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 1988 to 2002 and served for two terms as mayor of Hoovsted from 2006 to 2014.

Early Career
Mel was born in Hoovsted on July 13th, 1959, born to an English working-class family, and attended the University of Steibo. While in University, he got elected president of the Steibo Young Left, a Youth Wing of the Party of the Left (today a part of the ULPP), 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 Edward Walker, the Liberal Party candidate. After Davies's loss in the 1982 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 Union Politics (1992-2010)
Mel continued to work at the United Dockworker's Union, eventually rising up to the point of being elected the union's president in 1988. where he was able to negotiate a wage raise and less hours with the Dock companies, making him fairly popular with Hoovsted dockworkers. During his term, the UDW and Mel himself, distanced from the newly formed United Left People's Party, citing its emphasis on progressive stance on social issues. Eventually, in 1999 during the administration of Labour Worker's mayor Andy Lloyd, Mel was able to negotiate a pay raise and fewer hours for the dockworkers, leading to him being a very popular figure among the dockworkers.

Mayor of Hoovsted (2010-2014)
This popularity led him to explore a run for the mayor in 2006, 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 in a landslide 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, as he failed to frame himself as a moderate, and it was widely expected he would lose his reelection bid, which led to a very competitive LWP primary in 2010 in which Mel was the frontrunner. Mel ended up winning the primary, with his main opposition being David Whitford, a city council member. Mel would go on to win the mayorship, 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.

National Assembly (2014-Present)
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. He was elected to the national assembly and joined the shadow cabinet as Shadow Minister for Transportation. He was appointed LWP whip in 2018, after the previous Whip, Frank Cooper retired after the 2017 election.

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 as a Labor Worker's Party MP since January 29th and are 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.