Mel

Melvin John "Mel" Bradley (born July 13th, 1959) is an English-Dogger politician and trade union leader who is the current Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of Doggerland. Mel has been Leader of the Labor Workers' Party (LWP) since February 9th, 2021, and has been an LWP MNA since January 29th. He previously served twice as Deputy Prime Minister (in the Forward! and Triangle governments respectively) and twice as acting prime minister in caretaker governments. Before his election to the National Assembly, Mel served as president of the United Dockworker's Union from 1994 to 2020.

Mel is the only individual in Doggerland's history to have served as Prime Minister twice, first during the dual resignations during the political crisis under the Forward! Alliance for Progressive Action, and then as caretaker PM at the front of the Alliance for National Stability following a vote of no confidence against the former Liberal government.

Early Career
Melvin Bradley was born in Hoovsted on July 13th, 1959, born to an English family, and attended the University of Steibo. While in University, he got elected vice president of the Young Socialists of Steibo in 1977, a Youth Wing of the Labor Worker's Party. He was present at the Doggerfundt Riots while he was in university, where he was arrested and gained media attention; as well he has said it was there he met his friend and later fellow LWP politician Robert La Follette. Later that year, Mel was hired to work as a press secretary for the mayor of Hoovsted, Henry Davies of the LWP. The next year Davies would lose reelection, Mel then began to work at the United Dockworker's Union.

United Dockworker's Union Politics (1982-2020)
Mel worked as a negotiator within the United Dockworker's Union for several years, over the years rising to a significant position of power within the Hoovsted Union. During this period Mel made an attempt to run for mayor under the LWP in 1986, however losing to Jack Walker of the Liberals, coming in 3rd place. Mel was eventually appointed as UDU Vice Chairman in 1991, seen as an effort to appeal to the party's left-wing. After the retirement of the UDU Chairman, Russell Barlow, Mel was elected leader at the 1994 UDU convention. In 2000, he was able to negotiate a landmark deal with the Dock companies after a 4-month long strike, which resulted in a rise in wages, and fewer hours for Dockworkers. The resulting name recognition among dockworkers led him to be continually reelected. He worked closely with LWP politicians and began to have an increasing influence over the local government, often being called in to negotiate with Communist mayor Jackie Campbell. He also fought against the influence of the Doggerland Mob within trade unions, which he claims contributed to drop in crime rates in Hoovsted in the 2000s.

National Assembly (2021-Present)
During the January 2021 election cycle, Mel was appointed as the Deputy Leader of the LWP by Robert La Follette, a personal friend of Mel who had won the leadership election that month. He was vocal about his support of the plan to form a left-wing coalition with the United Left People's Party and was involved in the negotiations for the Forward government. He has was elected as a Labor Worker's Party MP on January 29th and was the Minister for Industry within the Forward! Alliance for Progressive Action.

On February 9th, after Robert La Follette's resignation as Party Leader, Mel served as acting Party Leader, appointed new party leadership, and took La Follette's position as Deputy Prime Minister. There was a controversy during the amendment phase of the Socialist Reform Bill, in which an amendment Mel proposed regarding compensation was contested by Holmgang of the ULPP. After a period of negotiations, the bill passed with the amendment requested by Mel. On February 14th, a party leadership election took place, which Mel won. Following the resignation of Prime Minister of Kevin Trevor, Mel was appointed acting prime minister of Doggerland. He served as acting prime minister for two days, appointed 5 justices to the supreme court, expelled the Democratic Progressive Party from their confidence and supply agreement, reshuffled the cabinet, and negotiated a merger with the Justice Party. He then stepped down as Ayvind Bjarnason won the ULPP leadership election, which Mel endorsed Kenson in. This was the shortest term of any Prime Minister to date.

Following the February 2021 Doggerland legislative elections, Mel joined a coalition with the Liberal Party and Civic Union, dubbed the Triangle Government (after Prime Minister Triangle). Soon after the formation of the Senate, Mel announced he would run in the District 8 Senate Race, which he would lose in the first round. After several weeks and a vote within the LWP, they opted to leave the coalition and called for a vote of no confidence. Soon after this, a leadership election within the LWP was called for by some members and set to be held on March 18th. The resulting leadership election would result in Mel winning in the first round by a narrow victory of 1 delegate, while also having a public falling out with long time friend and now rival for leadership, Robert La Follette. The vote of no confidence succeeded and Mel formed a government with the United Left People's Party, Civic Union, Communist Party, and Anarcho-Garfieldist Party, the Alliance for National Stability. This formation of this government is widely regarded as a response to the disapproval of the Triangle Government among members of the LWP and Civic Union. The AfNS attempted to pass the Constitution of Doggerland by parliament (it was eventually passed by royal decree), as well it passed other bills with bipartisan approval, like the DOGGER ACT and Natural Disaster Preparedness Act.

Following this caretaker government, the March General Election was held in which the LWP was a junior partner to the ULPP along with the DCP. During this government, Mel's close friend Robert La Follette created a splinter party from the LWP labeled the Populist Party, which held similar positions ideologically but was dissatisfied with Mel's leadership of the party. 3 days after the formation of this party, Robert La Follette was assassinated, and the Populists were subsequently merged into the LWP following private negotiations between Mel and ArjunTheGreat.

Political Positions
Self-identifying as a "bright red social democrat", whether he is ideologically leaning towards social democracy or democratic socialism has often been in contention among his supporters and opponents. Mel endorsed the Socialist Reform bill, calling it a "major success for the workers of Doggerland". He has often advocated for a LWP-ULPP-LP government.