(yes, I know the PoD for this is earlier then 1900. Because the first major results of the PoD only become apparent in the 1900s however i thought this was the better forum to post it in)
Recently I've been thinking a fair bit about pre-WW1 British politics, and it strikes me that it's a highly fertile ground for messing with British institutions in general and British democracy in particular. To my mind, one good way of making things really interesting is to tweak the King's personality. So....
PoD- In the Autumn 1864 a different sperm of Bertie's wins out and when Alix becomes pregnant, it's not with George Frederick Ernest Albert Saxe-Coburg Gotha, but rather with *George Frederick Ernest Albert Saxe-Coburg Gotha. *George is different to his OTL version in several ways- he has more of his maternal grandfather in him and retains something of Christian IX's authoritarian streak, as well a smidgeon of his great-grandfather's bullying nature. In this TL the closest *George comes to philetaly is asking his childhood playmates if they want a stamp, then crushing their toes with his boot. *George retains his dutiful and stolid nature however, although it expresses itself in a different way- Sandringham will be less like a country cottage and more like a barracks. I expect he'll get on very well with the Emperor Franz-Josef.
Not that this changes a gigantic amount until the 20th century however. Until Eddy dies in 1891 nobody expects Prince *George to become King, and his marriage to Mary of Teck will still go ahead (although in this TL it's a rather less happy union). The only real change will be after Queen Victoria's death- increasingly the more right-wing members of the Lords will be aware that the Prince of Wales is a decent sort and "one of us", especially as he takes a great interest on issues of national importance like the expansion of the Navy and the concept of "National Efficiency". This makes little difference for now however, as Bertie is firmly in charge and on the throne.
Then, the constitutional crisis begins. The defeat of the Lords over the People's Budget and the resulting Parliament Act enrages many on the right, especially after the Liberals are trying to push through major constitutiuonal reform with a minority government. Just as OTL, Asquith approaches the King and asks him to create new Liberal peers. Bertie agrees, as long as there's an election to give the Liberals the requisite mandate. Unfortunately for the Liberal Party and for the stability of British politics, he then dies on schedule.
*George V comes to the throne. This is where things get messy. The new King has absolutely no intention of creating any new peers, or indeed letting that horrible little lawyer Asquith get away with anything. He does assent to the PM calling new elections however, in the hope that it'll destroy the already precarious government and let the Tories in. Unfortunately, this merely makes matters worse as by the beginning of 1911 the Liberals now find themselves still in power, but utterly dependent on the support of the Irish nationalists. Asquith now finds himself in an impossible position. With the King refusing to budge on the issue of creating new peers, the Conservatives in the Lords have no compulsion to back down. The deadlock continues for months, as the rhetoric steadily escalates and positions harden. Finally, in the summer of 1911 King *George angrily realises that the only way to avoid total governmental paralysis and stop Britain being a laughing-stock is to concede the point. The King assents to the creation of new Liberal peers, and the Lords back down before he has to carry this out and destroy their majority. This process is not done in a remotely graceful way however, and the Lords are left in no doubt of the King's true feelings on the subject. There is a general perception in conservative circles that the King has been bullied into submission, only conceding for the good of the nation. When the Parliament Act is finally passed, it is a watered down version of OTL's, removing the Lords' right to veto, but allowing them to delay bills far longer then the month envisiaged in OTL's. The betrayal combined with the fact that the King's wishes were ignored, drives the Conservative Party further to the right- now the radical 'Last-Ditchers' are firmly in the driving seat.
After such a bruising political battle most governments would withdraw to lick their wounds and not contemplate any further controversial reforms, but the Liberal government does not have that luxury. As Asquith depends on the Irish Nationalists for the survival of his government, he has no choice but to assent to their demands for a Home Rule bill, knowing all the while that this will be a deeply divisive step. So it proves. In OTL, none other then Bonar-Law called the Liberal government "a revolutionary committee which has seized by fraud upon despotic power", and went on to darkly state that "There are stronger things then parliamentary majorities. if an attempt were made to deprive (Ulster Protestants) of their birthright. they would be justified in resisting such an attempt by all means in their power, including force"- in this TL, this feeling will be far more widespread amongst the right, who also feel more able to take action with the support of the King.
As Unionist sympathisers begin to supply weapons to the newly-formed UVF and preparations for Home Rule continue apace, the King decides to act. In the autumn of 1913 he summarily dismisses the Liberal government and appoints Bonar-Law Prime Minister. The effect of this is profound. Enraged by what they see as Royal dictatorship, the Unions call for a general strike, while the Irish Nationalists decide to boycott Parliament. The Liberal Party splits down the middle- many on the Left of the Party support the concept of the strike, while others argue that the new Administration is a minority government that will have to call new elections soon. Ironically, Bonar-Law realises that new elections will be required, but is dissuaded from calling them for the time being because of the threat from the Unions. Matters get worse in the winter of 1913 when rioting breaks out in Belfast and the army uses Unionist militia to help quell the disturbances. Then, as the General Strike begins in December a group of 'concerned citizens' led by Arnold White attack a picket line using weapons originally meant for the UVF...
Thoughts? I don't know how bad this could get- I'm thinking this provides a sort of Unfascism a decade early, especially if Britain gets sucked into WW1. On the other hand, I think the events of the 1910s would radicalise the Unions and Labour Party so maybe this leads to a period of nasty right-wing unpleasantness, followed by a left-wing reaction in the 1920's and '30s. I suppose it depends how succesfully the hard right manage to worm their way into power within the Conservative Party (quite successfully I imagine, especially with the support of the King).
Recently I've been thinking a fair bit about pre-WW1 British politics, and it strikes me that it's a highly fertile ground for messing with British institutions in general and British democracy in particular. To my mind, one good way of making things really interesting is to tweak the King's personality. So....
PoD- In the Autumn 1864 a different sperm of Bertie's wins out and when Alix becomes pregnant, it's not with George Frederick Ernest Albert Saxe-Coburg Gotha, but rather with *George Frederick Ernest Albert Saxe-Coburg Gotha. *George is different to his OTL version in several ways- he has more of his maternal grandfather in him and retains something of Christian IX's authoritarian streak, as well a smidgeon of his great-grandfather's bullying nature. In this TL the closest *George comes to philetaly is asking his childhood playmates if they want a stamp, then crushing their toes with his boot. *George retains his dutiful and stolid nature however, although it expresses itself in a different way- Sandringham will be less like a country cottage and more like a barracks. I expect he'll get on very well with the Emperor Franz-Josef.
Not that this changes a gigantic amount until the 20th century however. Until Eddy dies in 1891 nobody expects Prince *George to become King, and his marriage to Mary of Teck will still go ahead (although in this TL it's a rather less happy union). The only real change will be after Queen Victoria's death- increasingly the more right-wing members of the Lords will be aware that the Prince of Wales is a decent sort and "one of us", especially as he takes a great interest on issues of national importance like the expansion of the Navy and the concept of "National Efficiency". This makes little difference for now however, as Bertie is firmly in charge and on the throne.
Then, the constitutional crisis begins. The defeat of the Lords over the People's Budget and the resulting Parliament Act enrages many on the right, especially after the Liberals are trying to push through major constitutiuonal reform with a minority government. Just as OTL, Asquith approaches the King and asks him to create new Liberal peers. Bertie agrees, as long as there's an election to give the Liberals the requisite mandate. Unfortunately for the Liberal Party and for the stability of British politics, he then dies on schedule.
*George V comes to the throne. This is where things get messy. The new King has absolutely no intention of creating any new peers, or indeed letting that horrible little lawyer Asquith get away with anything. He does assent to the PM calling new elections however, in the hope that it'll destroy the already precarious government and let the Tories in. Unfortunately, this merely makes matters worse as by the beginning of 1911 the Liberals now find themselves still in power, but utterly dependent on the support of the Irish nationalists. Asquith now finds himself in an impossible position. With the King refusing to budge on the issue of creating new peers, the Conservatives in the Lords have no compulsion to back down. The deadlock continues for months, as the rhetoric steadily escalates and positions harden. Finally, in the summer of 1911 King *George angrily realises that the only way to avoid total governmental paralysis and stop Britain being a laughing-stock is to concede the point. The King assents to the creation of new Liberal peers, and the Lords back down before he has to carry this out and destroy their majority. This process is not done in a remotely graceful way however, and the Lords are left in no doubt of the King's true feelings on the subject. There is a general perception in conservative circles that the King has been bullied into submission, only conceding for the good of the nation. When the Parliament Act is finally passed, it is a watered down version of OTL's, removing the Lords' right to veto, but allowing them to delay bills far longer then the month envisiaged in OTL's. The betrayal combined with the fact that the King's wishes were ignored, drives the Conservative Party further to the right- now the radical 'Last-Ditchers' are firmly in the driving seat.
After such a bruising political battle most governments would withdraw to lick their wounds and not contemplate any further controversial reforms, but the Liberal government does not have that luxury. As Asquith depends on the Irish Nationalists for the survival of his government, he has no choice but to assent to their demands for a Home Rule bill, knowing all the while that this will be a deeply divisive step. So it proves. In OTL, none other then Bonar-Law called the Liberal government "a revolutionary committee which has seized by fraud upon despotic power", and went on to darkly state that "There are stronger things then parliamentary majorities. if an attempt were made to deprive (Ulster Protestants) of their birthright. they would be justified in resisting such an attempt by all means in their power, including force"- in this TL, this feeling will be far more widespread amongst the right, who also feel more able to take action with the support of the King.
As Unionist sympathisers begin to supply weapons to the newly-formed UVF and preparations for Home Rule continue apace, the King decides to act. In the autumn of 1913 he summarily dismisses the Liberal government and appoints Bonar-Law Prime Minister. The effect of this is profound. Enraged by what they see as Royal dictatorship, the Unions call for a general strike, while the Irish Nationalists decide to boycott Parliament. The Liberal Party splits down the middle- many on the Left of the Party support the concept of the strike, while others argue that the new Administration is a minority government that will have to call new elections soon. Ironically, Bonar-Law realises that new elections will be required, but is dissuaded from calling them for the time being because of the threat from the Unions. Matters get worse in the winter of 1913 when rioting breaks out in Belfast and the army uses Unionist militia to help quell the disturbances. Then, as the General Strike begins in December a group of 'concerned citizens' led by Arnold White attack a picket line using weapons originally meant for the UVF...
Thoughts? I don't know how bad this could get- I'm thinking this provides a sort of Unfascism a decade early, especially if Britain gets sucked into WW1. On the other hand, I think the events of the 1910s would radicalise the Unions and Labour Party so maybe this leads to a period of nasty right-wing unpleasantness, followed by a left-wing reaction in the 1920's and '30s. I suppose it depends how succesfully the hard right manage to worm their way into power within the Conservative Party (quite successfully I imagine, especially with the support of the King).
