Chapter 258: Late-Night Discussion and Revised Resolutions
For the cabinet ministers, their positions had been affirmed. The change from cabinet ministers to cabinet ministers with a new title gave the position a more monarchical feel. However, the bad news was that if this resolution was implemented, the Prime Minister would have the power to appoint deputy ministers, which would give them influence over the departments.
After the resolution was sent to the cabinet for discussion, the cabinet's attitude was somewhat ambiguous, essentially divided into two factions.
One faction, led by Prime Minister Walter, Foreign Minister Andrew, Minister of Industry Pierre, and Minister of Education Richard, made no comments on the resolution. On the surface, it seemed as if they tacitly accepted it.
Prime Minister Walter, of course, didn't need to say much. The Prime Minister's powers were already limited, and if the Prime Minister could appoint deputy ministers, it could be seen as a good thing.
The other ministers, being potential candidates for the next Prime Minister, though their ministerial powers would be weakened in the short term, could still hope to gain power if they ascended to the position of Prime Minister.
The other faction, which had differing opinions, was led by Minister of Civil Affairs Henry and the two new Ministers of Agriculture and Transportation.
They believed that while the Prime Minister appointing deputy ministers might seem like a good thing, it could increase the likelihood of internal conflicts within the departments. This, they argued, would not be good for the government's development, as a government consumed with internal struggles would experience a significant drop in administrative efficiency.
With differing opinions in the cabinet, the final decision could only come from Arthur.
On the evening of May 31, just before the election month arrived, several cabinet ministers requested a meeting with Arthur, presenting the issues they found unreasonable in the cabinet reform and asking Arthur to make certain adjustments to the resolution.
Although Prime Minister Walter was pleased with his growing power, he couldn't openly support the previous resolution, as that would make him appear power-hungry. If he did so, it might cause Arthur to lose trust and favor in him.
This was where Prime Minister Walter demonstrated his wisdom. While he leaned towards supporting the resolution, he understood that only Arthur could make the final decision. His role was simply to wait for the outcome.
Arthur took the matter seriously. After all, this was an oversight on his part, which led to the current situation.
On the evening of June 1, just before the early days of June, Arthur called an emergency cabinet meeting, and they discussed the cabinet reform all through the night.
Though no one knew exactly what was discussed during the meeting, the changes could be clearly seen in the amended resolution that the Royal Parliament issued the next day.
According to the resolution issued by the Royal Parliament on June 1, the cabinet reform and the increase in cabinet seats would remain unchanged. However, the Prime Minister's power to appoint deputy ministers was canceled, allowing the power within each department to be unified, which would increase the government's administrative efficiency and reduce internal conflicts.
Additionally, for the extremely important positions of Finance Minister and Defense Minister, the ministers would not be directly appointed by Arthur, but rather, Arthur would propose three to five candidates for each position, and the House of Representatives would vote to elect the final Finance Minister and Defense Minister.
This was a compromise for both Arthur and the House of Representatives, resulting in a decision that satisfied both sides.
After all, the candidates proposed by Arthur would certainly be loyal to him, which meant that the final Finance and Defense Ministers would be loyal to Arthur, even if they were elected by the House of Representatives.
Furthermore, a few changes were made to the newly added cabinet positions.
The Minister of Royal Affairs would be appointed directly by Arthur. This position would be responsible for handling matters between the government and the royal family. After all, for a monarchy, the most important thing is maintaining a unified relationship between the government and the monarch.
The Chief Justice and the Secretary of State (Vice Prime Minister) would be elected in the same way as the Finance and Defense Ministers, with Arthur nominating three to five candidates, and the House of Representatives voting to determine the final Chief Justice and Secretary of State.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives would be elected by the House, which was a unique position. The Speaker's term would only be two years, making it the fastest rotating position in the cabinet.
Next was the Archbishop of Australasia, a position appointed personally by Arthur. The Archbishop would oversee the Protestant Church of Australasia and also serve as the head of the Anglican Church.
Arthur also planned to establish the Christian Association of Australasia to ensure the rights of other Christian denominations were protected, preventing non-Protestant European immigrants from losing interest in Australasia.
The Archbishop controlled Australasia's religion, and because of his special position, this would be a lifetime position. Therefore, the selection of the Archbishop must be in the hands of the royal family, making it, alongside the Minister of Royal Affairs, the only cabinet position appointed directly by Arthur without any election process.
If the previous proposal had made the House of Representatives uneasy, the new proposal would be seen as a breath of fresh air.
The new proposal allocated 10 of the 16 cabinet seats to be elected by the House of Representatives. As for the positions of Finance, Defense, Secretary of State, and Chief Justice, they would still be subject to elections, but after Arthur nominated candidates.
Arthur's direct appointment powers were now limited to the Minister of Royal Affairs and the Archbishop. While both positions had no term limits, meaning they could essentially be for life as long as Arthur did not remove them, these were still only two positions compared to the remaining ten.
Both the members of the House of Representatives and the cabinet ministers welcomed the revised proposal.
In fact, the upcoming election would also determine the Speaker of the House, which made this election even more important to the other political parties. After all, the Speaker of the House was a direct position in the cabinet. Though the term was only two years, it was still part of the cabinet!
At the same time, the major positions added to the cabinet after the reform were highly coveted and eagerly anticipated by many officials.
The Chief Justice, for example, would control Australasia's judicial system, serving as a counterbalance to the House of Representatives.
The Archbishop, a religious position, was bound to be a point of interest for the Anglican Church in the UK.
The Secretary of State, similar to the Vice Prime Minister, was also a position that attracted the attention of several cabinet ministers.
It was noteworthy that some experienced cabinet ministers had already served three terms, and their next term would require changes. Otherwise, they would have to bid farewell to their cabinet seats.
But what options were there for them beyond being a cabinet minister? There was only one Prime Minister position before; now, with the addition of the Chief Justice, Secretary of State, Minister of Royal Affairs, and Speaker of the House, these positions were the only way they could remain in the cabinet in the next term.
Since these positions required Arthur's nomination, it was clear that Arthur's Sydney Palace wouldn't be quiet in the coming days.
Through this cabinet reform, Arthur also made clear the methods of appointing governors for each state and territory, as well as colonial governors.
The state governors would be elected by the state parliaments, with the House of Representatives reviewing and approving them before they could take office for a four-year term.
The colonial governors and the governor of the capital territory would be elected by the Royal Parliament and personally appointed by Arthur.
Additionally, cabinet officials would no longer serve as members of the Royal Parliament. Royal Parliament members would be composed of royal family members, the Archbishop of Australasia, high-ranking nobles, and members personally appointed by Arthur.
All members of the Royal Parliament would serve for life, making it a new lifetime position.
The fully independent cabinet would be directly accountable to Arthur and subject to oversight by both the Royal Parliament and the House of Representatives.
Under all these reforms, while it may seem that Arthur's royal power was slightly diminished on the surface, in reality, his power behind the scenes had become even greater, given his enormous prestige and control over the military.
On the surface, Australasia had become more democratic, with 10 of the 16 cabinet seats directly elected by the House of Representatives. However, Arthur's direct control had been reduced to just two positions—both of which were religious.
On June 1, after Royal Parliament and the House of Representatives voted in favor of the cabinet seat reform, the decision was officially implemented, bringing about significant changes to Australasia's political landscape.
Among those most pleased were the ministers who had served for three terms in the cabinet. The cabinet reform gave them hope to remain in office, and although they needed Arthur's special favor, it was still better than having several people competing for a single position like Prime Minister.
However, this also meant that they would need to express their absolute loyalty to Arthur in order to earn his trust and secure those additional cabinet seats.
How to gain Arthur's trust? Some ministers were uncertain, but some had already set their sights on Grant or, more specifically, on the Unity Party behind him.
The Unity Party was the only overtly royalist party in Australasia and currently the closest to Arthur.
If they could establish a connection with the Unity Party, would that not also strengthen their relationship with Arthur?
Though this was just a consideration, for a higher cabinet position and the chance to stay in the cabinet, perhaps it was worth taking a chance.
Arthur took a hands-off approach to the political changes following the decision, as no matter how things changed, it wouldn't harm the royal family.
For Arthur and future monarchs of Australasia, this cabinet reform had its benefits, as the monarch would ultimately control several key cabinet positions, making the monarch's stance extremely important for ministers seeking to remain in the cabinet or advance further.
(End of Chapter)
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