Chapter 279: Chapter 251: Farewell to Grant Wilson

On January 13th, 1908, Arthur had a delightful birthday party at Sydney Palace, and at the same time, turned 26 years old.

It seemed like just yesterday that he had arrived in Australia, but in the blink of an eye, eight years had already passed.

Unable to do anything about the passage of time, Arthur could only focus more attention and energy on the development of the country, and use his whole life to create a powerful nation, at least not making his journey in vain.

These few days, congratulations from all the officials have been pouring in, and if it were not for the high standards of Arthur’s banquet, even more people would be clamoring to attend.

At least in Australasia, the royal family is the most dazzling presence, the most powerful, prestigious, and wealthy family in the Kingdom.

On January 7th, Arthur received Grant Wilson, the head of the Unity Party, at Sydney Palace and inquired about the party’s current size and plans.

Grant Wilson was also a familiar figure, a person Arthur met during his first politically motivated trip to New Zealand, and at the time, Grant’s position was the leader of the New Zealand Alliance Party.

Currently, the political parties in Australasia have gone through many years, and are no longer the seven major factions in Australia before.

After the integration of Australia and New Zealand, the parties between the two regions also experienced various mergers to different extents.

The merger of the Australian Labor Party and the New Zealand Labor Party went very smoothly, and it was the fastest party merger without any opposition voices.

The merged party was called the New Labour Party, and its platform was to unite trade unions, rally workers, and strive to build a better Australasia.

However, the platform of the Labour Party has been a series of ups and downs, with the initial goal of promoting the establishment of a unified federation of Australia realized by Arthur, followed by the protection of the interests of the working class, which was also realized by Arthur and became an important reason for limiting the development of the New Labour Party.

After all, if what you want to do has already been accomplished by Arthur, doesn’t it imply that the party has no real use?

Another party that has gone through major mergers is the newly established Unity Party.

The Unity Party came from the merger of the original Australian Independent Party, the Progressive Party, and the New Zealand Alliance Party. It has also undergone the most party integration since the establishment of Australasia.

Due to the combination of three parties, the Unity Party is currently the largest party in Australasia, with Grant Wilson successfully sitting in the position of party leader and also becoming a member of the House of Representatives.

The party platform of the Unity Party combines the characteristics of the three parties, making it somewhat idiosyncratic.

The party platform can be summarized in one sentence, which is to maintain the unity of Australasia and the Kingdom of Australasia and the royal family.

Therefore, the Unity Party can also be regarded as a Royalist party and the party closest to the royal family at present.

Thanks to this relationship, Grant Wilson was granted an audience with Arthur, after all, the parties were all subject to the Royal Parliament and the Election Commission, and there was no wave to be made in Australasia.

Besides the New Labour Party and the Unity Party, there are three other political parties in Australasia, two of which are the National Party and the Democratic Party, and the Rural Party, which mainly supports rural and lower-income populations.

There is also a basic survival of the fittest relationship between the parties, after all, the political arena in Australasia is only so big, and there are only so many members and populations that can be attracted.

If they cannot gain widespread support, parties will eventually dissolve due to lack of funds or other reasons.

Among the five political parties in Australasia, they can essentially be divided into the New Labour Party representing the working class, the Democratic Party advocating democracy, the neutral National Party and Rural Party, and the royalist Unity Party.

Although the situation seems to be in balance, in fact, the power struggle between the parties is essentially under Arthur’s control, just as if he had drawn a chessboard for them, with the size determined by Arthur, and the parties were destined not to jump out of it.

These parties are also the greatest democracy that Arthur has given to Australasia. Under the premise of not harming Arthur’s interests, people in Australasia can fully elect their favorite representatives, and then let their supported representatives elect new governments.

This rule applies not only at the national level but also to all states and territories.

After all, for Arthur, the positions of Cabinet Ministers and Prime Ministers are just like working for him.

As long as they can complete the plans and tasks he assigns, the specific candidates for the positions are not important to Arthur.

In a small banquet hall at Sydney Palace, Arthur met Grant Wilson, a member of parliament, once again.

Compared to a few years ago, Grant Wilson has clearly become more mature and humble, and after seeing Arthur, he lowered his attitude, full of humility and respect, and greeted, “Your Majesty!”

Arthur’s identity has also undergone tremendous changes at this time, from the little Duke of Australia to the King of Australasia.

Although it seems to be just a difference in rank, the gap between the Duke and the King is vast in the European aristocracy system, and naturally, the influence of the European royal family is not the same.

As a king, Arthur has reached the pinnacle in the aristocracy. Even King Edward and William II are the same in terms of status as Arthur.