The Right Honourable Sir Brian Edward Talboys AC, CH, KCB, (7 June 1921-) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Deputy Prime Minister for the first two terms of Robert Muldoon's premiership. If the abortive "Colonels' Coup" against Muldoon had been successful, Talboys would have become Prime Minister himself. The Right Honourable (abbreviated The Rt. ... Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, wearing on her left shoulder the Order of Australias Sovereign Badge. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... Military Badge of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power. ... The Right Honourable Sir Robert David (Rob) Muldoon GCMG CH (25 September 1921–5 August 1992) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984. ... The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealands head of government and is the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand. ...

Early life

Talboys was born in Wanganui on 7 June 1921. He attended primary school in Wanganui, but then travelled to Canada to study at the University of Manitoba. He later returned to New Zealand and studied at Victoria University of Wellington, gaining a BA. For the next few years, he worked for a stock and station agents' company, and then gained a position as assistant editor of a farming newspaper. In World War II, Talboys served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. After the war, Talboys settled in Southland as a farmer. Wanganui is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The University of Manitoba (established in 1877) is one of four universities in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was the first university ever established in Western Canada. ... Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament as the fifth constituent college of the University of New Zealand. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the air force arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. ...   Categories: New Zealand-related stubs | Southland, New Zealand | Territorial Authorities of New Zealand ...

Early political career

In the 1957 election, Talboys contested the parliamentary seat of Wallace as the National Party candidate. He was successful, defeating a Labour Party challenger to succeed incumbent National MP Thomas MacDonald. He held the seat of Wallace for his entire parliamentary career, usually gaining an outright majority. In 1962, Talboys was elevated to Cabinet, becoming Minister of Agriculture. Two years later, he gained the additional role of Minister of Science. In 1969, he dropped the agriculture portfolio, and became Minister of Education instead. He was also briefly Minister of Trade and Industry in 1972, but National's loss of the 1972 elections ended all his ministerial roles and put him into Opposition. In 1974, Talboys was elected deputy leader of the National Party, and so when National won the 1975 elections, Talboys became Deputy Prime Minister. He also became Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Overseas Trade, and Minister of National Development. The 1957 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 32nd term. ... The New Zealand National Party (National or the Nats) currently forms the second-largest (in terms of seats) political party represented in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus functions as the core of the parliamentary Opposition. ... The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The New Zealand Cabinet functions as the policy and decision-making body of the New Zealand governments executive branch. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The final results of the New Zealand General Election 1972 were 55 seats won by the Labour party (led by Norman Kirk) and 32 seats won by the National Party, with no minor parties winning any seats. ... Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... The 1975 New Zealand general election was the first election in New Zealand where all permanent residents of New Zealand were eligible to vote, although only citizens were able to be elected. ... The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major portfolio in the Cabinet of New Zealand. ...

Colonels' Coup

In 1980, unhappiness was growing in the National Party about the leadership style of Robert Muldoon, who was seen as increasingly confrontational and dictatorial. This dissatisfaction culminated in the so-called "Colonels' Coup", an attempt by certain members of the party to depose Muldoon and install Talboys as leader instead. The dissidents were led by the three most prominent of Muldoon's younger ministers: Jim McLay, Jim Bolger, and Derek Quigley. A number of people were considered as possible replacements, including George Gair and the three "colonels" themselves, but it was eventually decided that Talboys was the only credible challenger - each of the others was deemed to be unacceptable to at least one faction of the party. Talboys had been performing well as Acting Prime Minister during Muldoon's absence overseas, and was seen (unlike Muldoon) to be likable and diplomatic. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945), generally known as Jim McLay, is a former New Zealand politician. ... The Right Honourable James Brendan Jim Bolger, ONZ, (born 31 May 1935) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. ... Derek Francis Quigley (born 31 January 1932) is a former New Zealand politician. ... George Frederick Gair (13 October 1926) was a New Zealand politician. ...

The largest problem for the plotters was the reluctance of Talboys himself. Talboys, while not particularly supportive of Muldoon's leadership style, refused to actively campaign against his party's leader, and would only make a move if it could be shown beforehand that a majority of the party supported it. While Talboys was willing to accept a leadership change if his colleagues deemed it necessary, he was not willing to actually seek Muldoon's removal himself. Despite Talboys' reluctance, his backers managed to gain a slim majority in caucus in favour of a leadership change. When Muldoon returned to New Zealand, however, he quickly launched a counter-attack, and managed to tip the balance of caucus opinion back towards himself. When the possibility for a leadership vote arrived, Talboys refused to challenge, believing that an open dispute would do huge damage to the party as a whole. No vote was taken, and Talboys remained deputy leader. Media:Example. ...

Later life

Talboys retired from Parliament at the 1981 election, a year after the abortive leadership challenge. He went on to hold a number of positions in the business world, and served as the first chairman of the Pacific Democratic Union. The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. ...