Christine Hinkle

The Hon. Dr. Christine Imelda Rogers Hinkle (b. August 4, 1949), is a Georgeland politician who is currently Minister for Finance and Economic Development in the government of Zoe Parker. She represents the seat of Durham in inner Doubledance. Hinkle has held her seat since 1987. Hinkle is currently a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of the United Islands (since 2004), but has also represented her seat for the United Islands Liberal Party (1999-2004) and the Georgeland Party (1987-1999), of which she was the last leader before its dissolution. Hinkle is heralded by party devotees as one of the founders and architects of the party through its predecessor, the Liberals; some, however, claim Hinkle's ideology is too conservative for an ostensibly leftist government.

Biography
Hinkle was born in Huzzah, East Mainland (though at the time Mainland was still a single state), on August 4, 1949. Her father Joseph was an Anglican minister who served in North Africa during Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:World War II and later became a leading professor of Theology; her mother, Sarah, worked as a legal secretary until her marriage in 1948. Hinkle has two younger brothers. Hinkle was educated at a private girl's school in Doubledance and had an ambition from an early age to be a doctor. In 1968, Hinkle entered the University of Mainland's Medical School, and became a fully-fledged M.D. in 1980 after several years working through college in a variety of jobs; while working in hospitals and clinics, Dr. Hinkle also moonlighted as a street performer and acted semi-professionally in a number of plays. Hinkle worked as a medical doctor for five years, marrying fellow doctor James Hinkle (b. 1943) in the process. The marriage ended in divorce in 1990. While still a student, Hinkle joined the Georgeland Medical Association and became its President in 1985; at the age of 36 she was the GMA's youngest President for thirty years and the first woman to hold the position. She gave up her practice in order to fill the role of GMA President.

Political career
In 1986, Hinkle was selected by the Georgeland Party to be its candidate for the seat of Durham at the 1987 general election. The Georgeland Party won 12 seats at the ballot, doubling their total from the previous Parliament. As a medical expert, Hinkle was immediately made the party's spokesperson on Health; she also served as Womens Affairs and Environment spokesperson. She became Deputy Leader on May 17 1994.

Georgeland Party leadership
Hinkle was elected unopposed to succeed Michael Bowman as the leader of the Georgeland Party on April 12, 1996. She was the first woman to lead a political party in Parliament, though a woman (Janice Cole had led the Democrats in the Senate. Hinkle was to be the party's last leader. Under her leadership, the party shifted more ideologically towards the Centre, as opposed to the Centre-right position it has occupied under Bowman and Hughes. Critics have suggested this shift was more a political move than an idealogical one. Hinkle's deputy leader, Xavier McLaren and herself became very active media spokespeople for their party. However, through the Georgeland legislative election, 1997 and First Georgeland legislative election, 1999 elections, the seat total of the Georgeland Party dropped from 26 to 19, Hinkle's leadership came under pressure and it appeared as if the party was in decline.

Creation of the Liberals
In 1999, before the October election to dissolve the conflict between Houses, Hinkle entered negotiations for a coalition or support deal with the Labour supporters of Campbell Rhodes who had quit their party room. During the constitutional crisis, Hinkle maintained that the President, Susan O'Byrne, should take a more active role. A week after the walk-out, Hinkle and Rhodes announced that their parties would form a 'permanent alliance' and a 'shared party room', pending an official merger under the name "Liberal Party". Party members narrowly approved the merger in November, though many quit in protest. Hinkle became Deputy Leader of the new party, and was made Minister for Health. For some time, Hinkle was seen as Rhodes' natural successor.

Minister
Hinkle was reshuffled into the position of Minister for Finance in 2000, and made Home Affairs minister in 2001. After Rhodes' resignation in 2001, Hinkle ran for the leadership of the party but lost to Michael Elderton. She retained her position as Deputy Leader, though many considered her chances of ever becoming leader increasingly remote. Hinkle had always had a caustic, rather adversarial relationship with Rhodes; she is reported to have got on rather better with Elderton, as both leaders had roughly similar political views.