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Седдон, Ричард: различия между версиями

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{{редактирую|1=[[User:Dmitri Lytov|Dmitri Lytov]]|2=03:48, 7 октября 2008 (UTC)}}
[[Image:RichardSeddon1905.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Ричард Седдон, премьер-министр Новой Зеландии 1892—1906]]
'''Ричард Джон Седдон''', {{lang-en|Richard John Seddon}} (1845—1906) — [[премьер-министр Новой Зеландии]] (1892—1906) от Либеральной партии. Отличался авторитарным характером, неоднократно выступал с требованием ввести пост президента Новой Зеландии. Считается одним из наиболее выдающихся деятелей Новой Зеландии.
 
== Local politics ==
Seddon’s first real involvement with politics was with various local bodies, such as the Arahura Road Board. He was later elected to the council of [[Westland Province]], representing Arahura. Gradually, Seddon became known along the West Coast as an advocate for miners' rights and interests, and he was frequently consulted over various political issues.
 
In 1877, Seddon was elected as the first Mayor of [[Kumara, New Zealand|Kumara]], which was to become a prominent goldmining town. He had staked a claim in Kumara the previous year, and had shortly afterwards moved his business there. Despite occasional financial troubles (he filed for [[bankruptcy]] in 1878), his political career prospered.
 
== Entry to Parliament ==
Seddon first sought election to the [[New Zealand Parliament]] in the [[New Zealand general election 1875-1876|1876 elections]], standing for the seat of Hokitika. He was unsuccessful. In the [[New Zealand general election 1879|1879 elections]], he tried again, and was elected.
 
In Parliament, Seddon aligned himself with [[George Edward Grey|George Grey]], a former [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor]] turned Premier. Seddon later claimed to be particularly close to Grey, although some historians believe that this was an invention for political purposes. Initially, Seddon was derided by many members of Parliament, who mocked his «provincial» accent (which tended to drop the letter «h») and his lack of formal education. He nevertheless proved quite effective in Parliament, being particularly good at «stonewalling» certain legislation. His political focus remained largely confined to the West Coast, and he had little interest in most other matters.
 
== Liberal Party ==
Seddon’s first [[Ministers of the New Zealand Government|ministerial]] position was obtained when the [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberal Party]], led by [[John Ballance]], came to power in 1891. He may or may not have been offered various ministerial positions prior to this — if he was, he did not accept them.
 
Unlike Ballance, Seddon did not have any great commitment to philosophical [[liberalism]] — or, for that matter, to any ideology. Rather, he saw the Liberals as champions of «the common man» against large commercial interests and major landowners. His strong advocacy for what he saw as the interests of ordinary New Zealanders won him considerable popularity. Attacks by the opposition, which generally focused on his lack of education and sophistication (one opponent said of him that he was only «partially civilized») tended only to reinforce his new reputation as an enemy of elitism.
 
Seddon quickly became popular across the country. Some of his colleagues, however, were not as happy, accusing him of putting [[populism]] ahead of principle, and of being an [[anti-intellectualism|anti-intellectual]]. John Ballance, now Premier, had a deep commitment to liberal causes such as [[women's suffrage]] and [[Māori]] rights, which Seddon was not always as enthusiastic about. Nevertheless, many people in the Liberal Party believed that Seddon’s popularity was a huge asset for the party, and Seddon developed a substantial following.
 
== Premiership ==
 
In 1892, Ballance fell seriously ill and made Seddon acting leader of the House. After Ballance’s death in 1893, the Governor-General [[David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow]] automatically asked Seddon to form a ministry. Despite the refusal of [[William Pember Reeves]] and [[Thomas Mackenzie]] to accept his leadership, Seddon managed to secure the backing of his Liberal Party colleagues as interim leader, with an understanding being reached that a full vote would occur when Parliament resumed sitting. Seddon’s most prominent challenger was [[Robert Stout]], who — like Ballance — had a strong belief in liberal principles. Ballance himself had preferred Stout as his successor, but had died before being able to secure this aim. Despite Seddon’s promise, however, there was no vote — by convincing his party colleagues that a leadership contest would split the party in two, or at least leave deep divisions, Seddon managed to secure a permanent hold on the leadership. Stout continued to be one of his strongest critics.
 
=== Style of government ===
Seddon was a strong premier, and enforced his authority with great vigour. At one point, he even commented that «A [[president]] is all we require», and that [[New Zealand Cabinet|Cabinet]] could be abolished. His opponents, both within the Liberal Party and in opposition, accused him of being an autocrat — the label «King Dick» was first applied to him at this point.
 
Seddon was also accused of [[cronyism]] — his friends and allies, particularly those from the West Coast, were given various political positions, while his enemies within the Liberal Party were frequently denied important office. Many of Seddon’s appointees were not qualified for the positions that they received — Seddon valued loyalty above ability. One account, possibly apocryphal, claims that he installed an ally as a senior civil servant despite the man being illiterate. He was also accused of [[nepotism]] — in 1905, it was claimed that one of his sons had received an unauthorised payment, but this claim was proved false.
 
Seddon also accumulated a large number of portfolios for himself, including that of [[Minister of Finance (New Zealand)|Minister of Finance]] (from which he displaced [[Joseph Ward]]), [[Minister of Labour (New Zealand)|Minister of Labour]] (from which he displaced [[William Pember Reeves]]), [[Minister of Education (New Zealand)|Minister of Education]], [[Minister of Defence (New Zealand)|Minister of Defence]], [[Minister of Māori Affairs|Minister of Native Affairs]], and [[Minister of Immigration (New Zealand)|Minister of Immigration]].
 
As Minister of Native Affairs, Seddon took a generally «sympathetic» but «[[paternalism|paternalistic]]» approach. As Minister of Immigration, he was well-known for his hostility to [[China|Chinese]] immigration — the so-called «[[Yellow Peril]]» was an important part of his populist rhetoric, and he compared Chinese people to [[monkey]]s. In his first political speech in 1879 he had declared New Zealand did not wish her shores to be «deluged with Asiatic Tartars. I would sooner address white men than these Chinese. You can’t talk to them, you can’t reason with them. All you can get from them is 'No savvy'.»
 
Successive governments had also shown a lack of firmness in dealing with Maori, he said: «The colony, instead of importing [[Gatling gun]]s with which to fight Maori, should wage war with locomotives» … pushing through roads and railways and compulsorily purchasing «the land on both sides».<ref>«Ask That Mountain: The Story of Parihaka» by Dick Scott, Heinemann, 1975, Ch. 10.</ref>
 
=== Policy ===
One of the policies for which Seddon is most remembered is his Old-age Pensions Act of 1898, which established the basis of the [[welfare state]] built by [[Michael Joseph Savage]] and the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]]. The early Labour Party often claimed a certain affinity with Seddon on this basis. Seddon put considerable weight behind the scheme, despite considerable opposition from many quarters. Its successful passage is often seen as a testament to Seddon’s political power and influence. Other [[socialist]] programs attributed to Seddon include pensions for teachers and moves to improve housing for workers.
[[Image:Richardseddongrave.JPG|thumbnail|300px|right|Richard Seddon’s grave in [[Wellington]]]]
Seddon’s most notable failure to have his way, by contrast, was over the issue of [[Women's suffrage in New Zealand|women’s suffrage]]. John Ballance, founder of the Liberal Party, had been a strong supporter of voting rights for women, declaring his belief in the «absolute equality of the sexes». Seddon, however, opposed women’s suffrage. This resulted in considerable debate within the Liberal Party. Eventually, Seddon’s opponents within the party managed to gather enough support for a women’s suffrage bill to be passed despite Seddon’s hostility. When Seddon realised that the passage of the bill was inevitable, he changed his position, claiming to accept the people’s will. In actuality, however, he took strong measures to ensure that the [[New Zealand Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] would veto the bill, as it had done previously. Seddon’s tactics in lobbying the Council were seen by many as underhand, and two Councillors, despite opposing suffrage, voted in favour of the bill in protest.
 
In the sphere of foreign policy, Seddon was a notable supporter of the [[British Empire]]. After he attended the Colonial Conference in London in 1897, he became known «as one of the pillars of British imperialism», and he was a strong supporter of the [[Second Boer War]] and of preferential trade between British colonies. He is also noted for his support of New Zealand’s own «imperial» designs — Seddon believed that New Zealand should play a major role in the [[Pacific Islands]] as a «Britain of the South». Seddon’s plans focused mainly on establishing New Zealand dominion over [[Fiji]] and [[Samoa]], but in the end, only the [[Cook Islands]] came under New Zealand’s control during his term in office. (Samoa later came under New Zealand rule as well, but Fiji did not).
 
== Death ==
[[Image:Seddontopofgrave.JPG|right|thumb|200px|The statue on the top of Seddon’s grave.]]
Seddon remained Prime Minister for 13 years, but gradually, calls for him to retire became more frequent. Various attempts to replace him with [[Joseph Ward]] met with failure. Seddon himself eventually indicated a willingness to retire after a Colonial Conference in 1907. While on a ship at sea returning from a trip to Australia, however, Seddon was suddenly taken ill, and died. He was buried in [[Wellington]], with his grave being marked by a large monument.
 
== Legacy ==
He has a statue outside Parliament Buildings. A [[Seddon, New Zealand|town in New Zealand]] and a [[Seddon, Australia|suburb]] of [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]] are named after him. His son [[Thomas Seddon (New Zealand)|Thomas]] replaced him as MP for [[Westland]]. Wellington Zoo was originally created when a young lion was presented to the late [[Prime Minister]] [[Richard Seddon]] by the Bostock and Wombwell Circus. Seddon created the Zoo from this single specimen and the lion was later named [[King Dick]] in the [[Prime Minister]]'s honour. The stuffed body of King Dick (the [[lion]]) is displayed on the ground floor of the [[Museum of Wellington City & Sea]].
 
{{New Zealand prime ministers | before=[[John Ballance]] | after=[[William Hall-Jones]]| years=1893-1906}}
 
== Примечания ==
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== Ссылки ==
Источник — https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Седдон,_Ричард