Hail, Britannia

Barbara Bush

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
That's the greatest update I've ever seen in this thread that I didn't know I needed until now; British American peerages! :biggrin:

EDIT; WRT Texan presidents being honorary Stranger Knights, now I can't unsee somebody jousting at a tourney in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat!

Haha that would be brilliant!

I've got a big article-thing planned for peerages, looking at how they're organised and some of the more prominent alternate ones.

DOUBLE EDIT: Don't worry about slowing down in updates, the important thing is quality. Keep up the good work (at your own pace)!
I understand very well on the delay and wish you well till you return (hopefully full-time) in Summer.
I totally understand if you need time and am definitely willing to wait for what I know will be an incredible end product. :)
Seconded.

Thanks everyone for your understanding and support :D

This isn't the main update for this weekend, but I thought it would be appropriate to look at Barbara Bush's counterpart.

I'm totally stealing a concept from @Kanan and her amazing Our Fair Country series. If you haven't checked it out then seriously what is wrong with you!

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Barbara Bush, Countess Bush of Kennebunkport MBE DNE (née Pierce; 8 June 1925 – 17 April 2018) was the 17th Viceroy of New England, and the wife of George H. W. Bush, who was the 28th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Empire. Bush was also the mother of George W. Bush, the 31st Prime Minister, John Bush, the 31st First Minister of Carolina, and Marvin Bush, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Barbara Pierce was born in the suburban town of Rye, part of the New York borough of Greenburgh, where she was raised and educated until 1940, when she attended the boarding school Ashley Hall in Charleston, Clarendon. Pierce met George H. W. Bush when she was 16 at a dance in Greenwich, Connecticut, and after 18 months the two became engaged to be married. When he returned on leave in 1945 they were married in Rye, and for the first year of their marriage, the Bushes moved around eastern British America, to places including Ontario, Maryland, and Virginia. Over the next 13 years, George and Barbara Bush had six children, five of whom survived to adulthood. After the end of the Second World War, the Bushes resided for a time in New England, where George was studying at Yale University. The young family soon moved to the Canadian province of Alberta, where George entered the oil business, before moving to Los Angeles, California, and then to Midland, Comancheria in Texas, before settling permanently in Maine. Over time, George built a business in the oil industry and joined with colleagues to start up the successful Zapata Corporation.

During her husband's tenure as Prime Minister, Barbara became the first spouse to actively pursue their own charitable causes and projects, and Bush used her high profile position to promote literacy across the Empire and Commonwealth. She became involved with many literacy organisations, served on literacy committees and chaired many reading organisations. During the Bushes time at Downing Street, staff generally found them to be the friendliest and most easygoing of the residents with whom they dealt. After her husband lost the 1993 imperial election, the Bushes moved to their home in Kennebunkport, Maine, whilst George remained in the Imperial Parliament until 1997. In the 1995 New Year's Honours list, Barbara was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and Commonwealth (MBE) by Paul Tsongas, for her services to literacy. Upon her husband's retirement from Parliament, he was raised to the peerage as Earl Bush of Kennebunkport, and Barbara gained the courtesy title of Countess, although she generally disliked using the title except in formal situations. Her strong public profile, and tireless campaigning on numerous issues, meant that after the sudden illness and death of New England Viceroy Madeline Wolfson in 1999 First Minister Chris Shays offered her the position, which she accepted. Barbara was appointed as viceroy by Queen-Empress Elizabeth II in December 1999, and occupied the post until she was succeeded by Sir Paul G. Kirk in 2006.

Bush passed away in her Kennebunkport home at the age of 92 on 17 April 2018, after suffering a short period of ill health and hospitalisations. She was surrounded by her husband, surviving children, and many of her grandchildren. Her son John Bush had recently been elected First Minister of Carolina, and confirmed he would take a short leave of absence. Prime Minister Sylvia Lim sent condolences to the family, praising her "years of tireless public service", whilst the Queen-Empress expressed sadness at her passing. Former Prime Ministers James Carter, Richard Gephardt, and Henry Hayes also sent condolences, as did some foreign leaders including Soviet President Dimitry Medvedev, Nordic Chancellor Jyrki Katainen, and Chinese President Zhang Deijang. First Minister Petar MacÀidh ordered flags across New England to half-staff in Barbara Bush's memory. Bush's funeral and burial was held at St. Ann's Church in Kennebunkport on 21 April 2018. Representatives in attendance were former Prime Ministers Richard Gephardt and Henry Hayes, former Deputy Prime Minister Hillary Clinton, and fellow spouses Jane Gephardt, Eleanor Hayes, and Olivia Chow. Also in attendance was New England First Minister Petar MacÀidh, former First Ministers Robertson, Dukakis, Shays, Kerry, Coakley, and former Californian Prime Minister Ronaldo Dellums.

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Interesting post but it highlights something wrong with the timeline e.g. That George Bush would never become Prime Minister for the simple reason that he is a idiot or persived as an idiot, if the British public doesn't think the party leader would be a good PM they will not vote for him, case in point is Ed Milliband
 
Interesting post but it highlights something wrong with the timeline e.g. That George Bush would never become Prime Minister for the simple reason that he is a idiot or persived as an idiot, if the British public doesn't think the party leader would be a good PM they will not vote for him, case in point is Ed Milliband

Ah, but is George Bush perceived as an idiot ITTL?
 
Ah, but is George Bush perceived as an idiot ITTL?
Point, but he would naturally be compared to his father like Ed was to his brother. Also remember how party leaders are chosen in British politics compared to American politics I don't think he would win that. Lastly at the point in time he could be elected Tony Blair was politically active and looking to become PM to put it plainly Tony would wipe the floor with Bush and use the remains of his campaign as a foot stool.
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Interesting post but it highlights something wrong with the timeline e.g. That George Bush would never become Prime Minister for the simple reason that he is a idiot or persived as an idiot, if the British public doesn't think the party leader would be a good PM they will not vote for him, case in point is Ed Milliband
Ah, but is George Bush perceived as an idiot ITTL?
Point, but he would naturally be compared to his father like Ed was to his brother. Also remember how party leaders are chosen in British politics compared to American politics I don't think he would win that. Lastly at the point in time he could be elected Tony Blair was politically active and looking to become PM to put it plainly Tony would wipe the floor with Bush and use the remains of his campaign as a foot stool.

Bush had quite a lot of support within the Conservatives when he became leader in 1998, but you're right that the British public had serious issues with him. He had very little experience in parliament and government, having never held a cabinet post, and many thought he had got the job simply through name recognition.

Tony Blair was Social Democratic leader at the 2001 election, and you're correct that the race between Richard Gephardt of the Liberals, Bush and Blair was quite close. That's why the Conservatives had to form a "grand coalition" with Blair and the SDP in order to govern, as they only had a slim plurality over the Liberals. The strength of the SDP at the time meant that Blair was highly unlikely to ever be PM.

In terms of elections for party leaders, TTL's Conservative leadership elections are a lot more like OTL American conventions than British ones.

Bush only lasted from 2001 to 2004, when rebels led by Defence Secretary Henry Hayes forced him from office. Partly due to the sluggish economy, but also the disastrous response to 9/11 and the quagmire Britain (and the Commonwealth) became militarily involved in the War in West Africa, as well as intervention into Somalia (looking for bin Laden) and the Nejd-Hasa War (mid 2000s).
 
Bush had quite a lot of support within the Conservatives when he became leader in 1998, but you're right that the British public had serious issues with him. He had very little experience in parliament and government, having never held a cabinet post, and many thought he had got the job simply through name recognition.

Tony Blair was Social Democratic leader at the 2001 election, and you're correct that the race between Richard Gephardt of the Liberals, Bush and Blair was quite close. That's why the Conservatives had to form a "grand coalition" with Blair and the SDP in order to govern, as they only had a slim plurality over the Liberals. The strength of the SDP at the time meant that Blair was highly unlikely to ever be PM.

In terms of elections for party leaders, TTL's Conservative leadership elections are a lot more like OTL American conventions than British ones.

Bush only lasted from 2001 to 2004, when rebels led by Defence Secretary Henry Hayes forced him from office. Partly due to the sluggish economy, but also the disastrous response to 9/11 and the quagmire Britain (and the Commonwealth) became militarily involved in the War in West Africa, as well as intervention into Somalia (looking for bin Laden) and the Nejd-Hasa War (mid 2000s).
I still do not see it, the fact he is a conservative makes it more unlikely he would win the Leadership race given the nature of that party.
It would take several miracles, divine intervention and change in the very laws of physics to get him to become the leader of that party let alone a viable force to win the election ( the British press would tear him apart) not only that but the election you are describing would more likely be a Liberal/SDP coalition due to their similar political slants and closeness of the results.
 
I still do not see it, the fact he is a conservative makes it more unlikely he would win the Leadership race given the nature of that party.
It would take several miracles, divine intervention and change in the very laws of physics to get him to become the leader of that party let alone a viable force to win the election ( the British press would tear him apart) not only that but the election you are describing would more likely be a Liberal/SDP coalition due to their similar political slants and closeness of the results.
You're trying to tell the creator of a timeline that he's wrong about something he created.

And the Conservative-SDP coalition was likely fairly fragile and built on the SDP not wanting to prop up the Liberals. Maybe the Liberals pissed them off majorly?
 
I would also dispute the notion that "the British press would tear him apart" sure, but so did the liberal leaning American press, Bush would have had plenty of support from Conservative press, and in this world the "British Press" is a far border term. I can see Bush as a Prime Minister and then being removed by the party when he became unpopular, which is exactly what happens here.
 
You're trying to tell the creator of a timeline that he's wrong about something he created.

And the Conservative-SDP coalition was likely fairly fragile and built on the SDP not wanting to prop up the Liberals. Maybe the Liberals pissed them off majorly?
No if came across that way, then sorry.

It’s just I can’t figure out how it happened in this timeline even with LeinadB93 explanation, maybe its because I am British and was born in 1995 so I wasn’t linked in to America political scene in the early 2000s.

Hell the first I heard/remember the term president of the United States was on the BBC 2004 US election coverage and that was for 5 mins before I went to bed.
 
G. W. Bush Ministry (35th Imperial Ministry)

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Another good project here, @LeinadB93 ! I have read about a "Communist Party" at least in Savoy... Are there any communist parties in governments, or any fully communist states

Thanks :) No Communist states anymore, they all collapsed/reformed in the 1990s. I'm working on a post about the Soviet Union so that might explain somethings...

Communist parties in government... I'm not sure on that one, but I imagine there probably are a few around the world with enough support to make it into a coalition government. But not in the Empire where Communist parties were banned after the Alaskan Uprising in 1917.

I still do not see it, the fact he is a conservative makes it more unlikely he would win the Leadership race given the nature of that party.
It would take several miracles, divine intervention and change in the very laws of physics to get him to become the leader of that party let alone a viable force to win the election ( the British press would tear him apart) not only that but the election you are describing would more likely be a Liberal/SDP coalition due to their similar political slants and closeness of the results.
You're trying to tell the creator of a timeline that he's wrong about something he created.

And the Conservative-SDP coalition was likely fairly fragile and built on the SDP not wanting to prop up the Liberals. Maybe the Liberals pissed them off majorly?
I would also dispute the notion that "the British press would tear him apart" sure, but so did the liberal leaning American press, Bush would have had plenty of support from Conservative press, and in this world the "British Press" is a far border term. I can see Bush as a Prime Minister and then being removed by the party when he became unpopular, which is exactly what happens here.
No if came across that way, then sorry.

It’s just I can’t figure out how it happened in this timeline even with LeinadB93 explanation, maybe its because I am British and was born in 1995 so I wasn’t linked in to America political scene in the early 2000s.

Hell the first I heard/remember the term president of the United States was on the BBC 2004 US election coverage and that was for 5 mins before I went to bed.

@StormStar don't worry about it. I'm a bit vague on the 2001 election, but I think the Liberals and SDP combined didn't exceed the Conservatives in number of seats, so it was prudent to let the Tories govern. Gepardt probably courted a lot of centrist SDP voters, potentially violating a "gentleman's agreement" with Blair that meant he wasn't too keen on renewing a coalition.

Hopefully this will clarify a few things:

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The G. W. Bush Ministry, also known as the Thirty-Fifth British Imperial Ministry or the Bush–Blair coalition, was the combined Imperial Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister George W. Bush, and ministers that governed the United Empire after Bush was invited to form a new government following the resignation of Prime Minister Richard Gephardt after the 2001 imperial election.The ministry was originally a minority government composed of members of the Imperial Conservatives, Democrats and Unionists, with confidence and supply from the Party of Imperial Social Democrats and Progressives, until 20 September 2001 when George W. Bush and Tony Blair signed a formal coalition agreement. The ministry formally served from the 2001 imperial election, held on 24 May 2001, until George W. Bush's resignation on 5 March 2004, when it was replaced by the Hayes Ministry.

The 2001 election resulted in a hung parliament, a common occurrence since 1973, with no single party having an overall majority in the Imperial House of Commons, although the Conservatives had the most seats but 29 short of a majority. The Alliance of Imperial Liberals and Reformists proved unable to secure the continued support of any of the other parties, and George W. Bush was invited by the monarch to form a government. At first the minority government seemed shaky, as it sought to deal with the crucial issue of Sierra Leone's accession to the Union, and many predicted that an early election would be called before the end of the year. Referendums held across the Empire in August saw a majority vote to admit Sierra Leone as a new dominion, and by that point the Conservatives had reached a loose agreement with the SDP for support on confidence and supply.

After the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, Bush and Blair agreed to a formal coalition agreement, giving the ministry a majority in the House. Bush declared a global war on terrorism and, in October 2001, ordered an invasion of Somalia to destroy the terrorist group al-Qaeda, and capture Osama bin Laden. The Bush ministry would also pass controversial legislation in order to strengthen security and allow for greater surveillance. In 2003, the government ordered an intervention into Nejd-Hasa conflict, alleging that the Saudis had been involved in funding terrorist groups. A cross-party motion in early 2004 to impeach Bush and Blair for "high crimes and misdemeanours" was introduced to the Imperial House in January 2004, but was never debated.

The troop commitments overseas, and the decision to increase Britain's military presence in West Africa, coupled with the increased intrusive security measures led members of both parties in government to attempt to oust Bush and Blair as leaders of their respective parties. A leadership spill within the SDP on 2 March 2004, led to Tony Blair's replacement with Jack Layton, who immediately announced that he would put a motion to his MIPs to dissolve the coalition. Three days later, facing a leadership challenge, Bush resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives, to be succeeded in both positions by Sir Henry Hayes, the Defence Secretary and former First Minister of the Ohio Country. On 5 March 2004, the G. W. Bush Ministry resigned and was replaced by the Hayes Ministry.

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Nice update, @LeinadB93 !

Incidentally, what does TTL's 9-11 attack entail relative to OTL? Are there differences in target/casualty terms? And as a corollary to that, is the War on Terror fought any differently ITTL?
 
Thanks :) No Communist states anymore, they all collapsed/reformed in the 1990s. I'm working on a post about the Soviet Union so that might explain somethings...

Communist parties in government... I'm not sure on that one, but I imagine there probably are a few around the world with enough support to make it into a coalition government. But not in the Empire where Communist parties were banned after the Alaskan Uprising in 1917.






@StormStar don't worry about it. I'm a bit vague on the 2001 election, but I think the Liberals and SDP combined didn't exceed the Conservatives in number of seats, so it was prudent to let the Tories govern. Gepardt probably courted a lot of centrist SDP voters, potentially violating a "gentleman's agreement" with Blair that meant he wasn't too keen on renewing a coalition.

Hopefully this will clarify a few things:

90oPyaR.png

The G. W. Bush Ministry, also known as the Thirty-Fifth British Imperial Ministry or the Bush–Blair coalition, was the combined Imperial Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister George W. Bush, and ministers that governed the United Empire after Bush was invited to form a new government following the resignation of Prime Minister Richard Gephardt after the 2001 imperial election.The ministry was originally a minority government composed of members of the Imperial Conservatives, Democrats and Unionists, with confidence and supply from the Party of Imperial Social Democrats and Progressives, until 20 September 2001 when George W. Bush and Tony Blair signed a formal coalition agreement. The ministry formally served from the 2011 imperial election, held on 24 May 2001, until George W. Bush's resignation on 5 March 2004, when it was replaced by the Hayes Ministry.

The 2001 election resulted in a hung parliament, a common occurrence since 1973, with no single party having an overall majority in the Imperial House of Commons, although the Conservatives had the most seats but 29 short of a majority. The Alliance of Imperial Liberals and Reformists proved unable to secure the continued support of any of the other parties, and George W. Bush was invited by the monarch to form a government. At first the minority government seemed shaky, as it sought to deal with the crucial issue of Sierra Leone's accession to the Union, and many predicted that an early election would be called before the end of the year. Referendums held across the Empire in August saw a majority vote to admit Sierra Leone as a new dominion, and by that point the Conservatives had reached a loose agreement with the SDP for support on confidence and supply.

After the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, Bush and Blair agreed to a formal coalition agreement, giving the ministry a majority in the House. Bush declared a global war on terrorism and, in October 2001, ordered an intervention into Nejd-Hasa conflict, alleging that the Saudis had been involved in funding terrorist groups. The Bush ministry would also pass controversial legislation in order to strengthen security and allow for greater surveillance. In 2003, the government ordered an invasion of Somalia to destroy the terrorist group al-Qaeda, and capture Osama bin Laden. A cross-party motion in early 2004 to impeach Bush and Blair for "high crimes and misdemeanours" was introduced to the Imperial House in January 2004, but was never debated.

The troop commitments overseas, and the decision to increase Britain's military presence in West Africa, coupled with the increased intrusive security measures led members of both parties in government to attempt to oust Bush and Blair as leaders of their respective parties. A leadership spill within the SDP on 2 March 2004, led to Tony Blair's replacement with Jack Layton, who immediately announced that he would put a motion to his MIPs to dissolve the coalition. Three days later, facing a leadership challenge, Bush resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives, to be succeeded in both positions by Sir Henry Hayes, the Defence Secretary and former First Minister of the Ohio Country. On 5 March 2004, the G. W. Bush Ministry resigned and was replaced by the Hayes Ministry.

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Nice update, @LeinadB93 !

Incidentally, what does TTL's 9-11 attack entail relative to OTL? Are there differences in target/casualty terms? And as a corollary to that, is the War on Terror fought any differently ITTL?
This makes a bit more sense now, still don’t completely understand it but I am guessing the pre-2001 government would explain it more.

As for 9/11 I would say the twin towers are in London and a run at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace was attempted but the passagers stopped it.
 
Thanks :) No Communist states anymore, they all collapsed/reformed in the 1990s. I'm working on a post about the Soviet Union so that might explain somethings...

Oh, what a pity!

Communist parties in government... I'm not sure on that one, but I imagine there probably are a few around the world with enough support to make it into a coalition government. But not in the Empire where Communist parties were banned after the Alaskan Uprising in 1917.

Even more of a pity! Does this ban extend to Syndicalist (Scargillist for example) parties/politicians, too?
 
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