Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes VI (Do Not Post Current Politics or Political Figures Here)

[HorizonFalling]

I know this Wikibox is about Mondale but the POD introduces some interesting questions about Skip Humphrey. First does he serve more than 2 terms? Under MN law you serve as many as you want. If so does he run in 2008 for the Dem nomination? Humphrey was a liberal who supported universal healthcare, environmental protections, enacting campaign finance reform, and was generally a traditional progressive like his father. If he’s a 2-3 term governor, who’s successful and popular he has a shot IMO at winning Iowa due to being from a neighboring Midwest state. Not to mention name recognition from his last name and Humphrey still being popular. Even if he fails he could siphon enough votes away from Obama if he runs that Clinton wins Iowa and Obama is prevented from winning the nomination (as everyone who wins the first three primaries has a pretty good chance at winning the nomination). If he does win I would expect him to do well with his stance of campaign finance reform being popular post 2008 Great Recession. Back to MN I have no clue who wins in 2010 as it was a Republican wave year but Dems do have a Democratic administration that would be reasonably popular IMO. Heck maybe even Jim Oberstar (Representative from the traditionally Democratic Iron range and Arrow Head region, and besides Rick Nolan probably one of the last Dems to represent it), could benefit with him winning re-election in 2010. That would either cement Republican dominance earlier as he dies or keep it in the hands of Dems longer with the added Democrat popularity until 2020. Or it could flip on schedule in 2018. Also Franken’s election would probably be less controversial as the margin wouldn’t be so ridiculously small at 312 votes OTL.

Heh, I leave that for you to decide.

The only thing I can see wrong with the wikibox is Mondale due to being VP would be the 2nd Vice President Pro Tempore of the senate.

Ah! You mean the deputy president pro tempore. Admittedly it didn't even cross my mind, but you're right. Well, because former VPs are only entitled to the position and don't automatically get the rank, let's just say he turned it down on the basis that he was only serving out Wellstone's term.

Would Humphrey had picked Mondale if Wellstone still dies like in otl?

It's not like he had too much of a choice. Mondale had already been picked by the DFL to be the replacement candidate and went on to defeat Coleman, so Humphrey appointing someone else for two months would be both pretty pointless and would unnecessarily ruin his image within the party.

 

[ZeroFrame]

Heh, I leave that for you to decide.

Ah! You mean the deputy president pro tempore. Admittedly it didn't even cross my mind, but you're right. Well, because former VPs are only entitled to the position and don't automatically get the rank, let's just say he turned it down on the basis that he was only serving out Wellstone's term.

TBF Deputy Pro Tempore is extremely obscure and it’s a miracle that anyone knows what it is considering it was used once. Not to mention it holds no importance. I have an idea list for governor, senators, and president. Otherwise good wikibox.

 

[HorizonFalling]

it was used once

Twice, actually. Humphrey in 77-78 and George Mitchell from 87-89.

 

[ZeroFrame]

Twice, actually. Humphrey in 77-78 and George Mitchell from 87-89.

I thought it was for only former VPs. Well then Mondale ITTL would be the third. Pretty interesting though.

 

[HorizonFalling]

snip

Interesting that Clay sacrifices North Carolina for New York and Pennsylvania. I assume that means he's more forcefully anti-slavery and sacrifices the South for the North?

And there goes any chance of an annexation of Texas within the foreseeable future

Would he really refuse Texas if they had accepted Tyler's offer though?

 

[LoneStarCowboy]

Interesting that Clay sacrifices North Carolina for New York and Pennsylvania. I assume that means he's more forcefully anti-slavery and sacrifices the South for the North?

Would he really refuse Texas if they had accepted Tyler's offer though?

I mean, the guy was adamantly anti-annexation until it happened, though. I think it was something about the balance of free and slave states

 

[thefirstranger]

Interesting that Clay sacrifices North Carolina for New York and Pennsylvania. I assume that means he's more forcefully anti-slavery and sacrifices the South for the North?

Indeed.

 

[HorizonFalling]

I mean, the guy was adamantly anti-annexation until it happened, though. I think it was something about the balance of free and slave states

It was more about the whole "not wanting to go to war" thing, but the annexation bill had already been signed and sent off to Texas by Tyler during his last days in office. I'm just wondering publicly that if Texas had approved the bill and accepted statehood, would he refuse to sign off or would his hand have been forced at that point? He would have be defying most of Congress, the previous President, the government of Texas, a plurality of the voting population (according to TTL's '44 results), and setting himself up for a dramatic political fight with the South in the early days of his presidency.

 

[LoneStarCowboy]

It was more about the whole "not wanting to go to war" thing, but the annexation bill had already been signed and sent off to Texas by Tyler during his last days in office. I'm just wondering publicly that if Texas had approved the bill and accepted statehood, would he refuse to sign off or would his hand have been forced at that point? He would have be defying most of Congress, the previous President, the government of Texas, a plurality of the voting population (according to TTL's '44 results), and setting himself up for a dramatic political fight with the South in the early days of his presidency.

Well, Anson Jones was in charge of Texas at the time, so he, and the people who elected him, would definitely be in favor of annexation. However, if Clay still maintained his anti-Mexican War sentiment, I could see him squandering that to the best of his ability, especially if there isn't a free state to counter Texas (also, Texas is huge, and the question at the time was "How many states are we gonna make out of this territory? We can't possibly make this one gigantic piece of land a single state"). If he does go down this path, I could see him trying to set Texas up as a buffer state with Mexico, independent from both

 

[HorizonFalling]

especially if there isn't a free state to counter Texas

...Iowa, perhaps?

If he does go down this path, I could see him trying to set Texas up as a buffer state with Mexico, independent from both

Trying to, maybe, but that doesn't seem like something that would be successful or could even pragmatically work as a solution. Mexico still recognised Texas as its territory, and that's the only position Mexico would take unless soundly beaten in a war like OTL. An independent Texas is just as much of a reason for war as an American annexation. If not more, because they wouldn't be attacking the US directly.

 

[Tobias Corbett]

I thought it was for only former VPs

I think it technically is still there mainly for former VPs (and Presidents), Mitchell was only elected to the position because Senator John Stennis (the incumbent President Pro Tempore) was ill and they wanted someone to deputize him incase he died (I guess incase Stennis died, immediately followed Reagan, Bush and Jim Wright) but other than that it was made just for former Presidents and Vice Presidents.

 

[Vidal]

Concept for my abandoned (but hopefully not forever) timeline "Dah," where an enraged Gore Vidal is convinced the only way to stop RFK from entering the Senate is to run himself. So he does. This prompts William Buckley to join the race leading to a mess of an election. Vidal narrowly wins... There are two versions - one in which Vidal wrestles the Liberal Party nomination from RFK. One where he runs as an outright independent.

 

[Kermode]

The final instalment of my little "alternate Statute of Westminister" series

As with the other Dominions, Newfoundland is granted its own crown— but, owing to its much lesser prestige, is elevated only to a Duchy. Newfoundland history goes more or less as IOTL, complete with economic instability and the elected government voting to dissolve itself and suspend responsible government for the duration of the Great Depression— later extended into the War. By 1945, an economic boom spurred on by the War has Newfoundlanders eager to return to responsible government, which brings the question of what form that should take: elevate themselves to a Kingdom and ride it out on their own, or integrate themselves with Canada (or the United States) to keep the boom going?

Public opinion seems to prefer the first option, but then tragedy strikes: Queen Maud dies of a lung infection in 1945 (as IOTL), leaving her young son James (16) as King. The untimely death of a beloved queen and the ascension of a clearly unready king is a blow to Newfoundland's morale and sense of identity, and the idea of "going it alone" begins to look risky. By the time the referendums are arranged, public opinion has flipped to preferring a union with Canada.

However, as part of the Terms of Union, the ducal family retains a strong role in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The reigning Duke (or Duchess) serves as the Canadian monarch's local representative and fulfills their constitutional and ceremonial duties— much like a Lieutenant Governor, except lifelong and hereditary. Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province with such an arrangement.

PS: Why Queen Maud? Along with her sister Alexandra, Maud is unique in the royal family for being a descendant of William IV (William left no legitimate heirs, but plenty of illegitimate ones); and as William was the first member of the royal family to visit Newfoundland, it felt like a connection worth honing in on. As for why Maud over her older sister Alexandra, that's simple: Maud was more involved in the court and royal affairs, while Alexandra was making a career for herself as a nurse, so Maud seems more likely to accept a crown.

PPS: By the way the Crosbies are Liberals ITTL.

Alternate Statute of Westminster:
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa

 

[LoneStarCowboy]

...Iowa, perhaps?

Fair. Although Tyler's 1844 Texas annexation treaty was defeated in the Senate, meaning that Texas wouldn't be annexed in his term, so Clay is still within his power to prevent any further attempts at annexation, like he wanted to

Trying to, maybe, but that doesn't seem like something that would be successful or could even pragmatically work as a solution. Mexico still recognised Texas as its territory, and that's the only position Mexico would take unless soundly beaten in a war like OTL. An independent Texas is just as much of a reason for war as an American annexation. If not more, because they wouldn't be attacking the US directly.

Yeah, that's true. Although, eventually, Texas will gain enough strength year by year to continually beat back the Mexican advance, a la Salado Creek. At some point, Mexico has to give up, if temporarily, because they've failed so many times to retake Texas. They might not recognize Texas ever, but since Texas keeps being too tough of a nut to crack, they may stop. Granted, that's optimistic

 

[Orchard]

Nigel the Tory

 

[Rattigan]

Now for a little leap forwards. Also, what I had previously had listed as "Labour" is retconned to the "Social Democratic Alliance" which is an agreement between the British Labour, Irish Labour, Radical and Co-operative parties not to compete against one another and to put forward a single prime ministerial candidate. The Liberals and the IPP have a similar arrangement.

-----------

The 2017 United Kingdom general election was held on 23-24 October 2017. At stake were 709 of the 710 seats in the House of Commons (the Speaker was not up for election), including both the 598 constituency seats and 111 top up seats.

The Liberal/Irish Parliamentary parties had won the highest percentage of the vote and the largest number of seats in the previous election but a coalition had been formed between the Social Democratic Alliance and the Green Party. However, the coalition had proved unstable and Labour was viewed negatively by the public for its perceived failures over questions of immigration and Commonwealth relations.

The Liberals and the Irish Parliamentary parties, led by their combined candidate Nick Clegg, won the highest percentage of the vote with 33%, though it suffered a large swing against it of more than 8%. The Social Democrats won only 21% of the, its worst result since the Second World War. The Green vote, however, held up well and the party actually increased its representation in the Commons. The other parties to achieve representation were the National Party and the Unionist Party. The Nationalists - which were previously unrepresented in the Commons - became the fourth party with 12.6% of the vote, whilst the Unionists won 10.7% of the vote and returned to the House of Commons after losing all their seats in the 2013 election.

Following the election results, Ed Miliband, as the incumbent Prime Minister, was asked by the Queen to attempt to reconstitute his majority. However, an attempt to come to an agreement with the Greens and the Unionists fell apart over differences on economic and immigration policy. As a result, a new coalition agreement was reached between the Liberals/IPP and the Greens and Nick Clegg took office as prime minister on 18 November 2017.

Other Updates
1885 UK election
1892 UK election
1932 Indian election
1942 German election
1949 Palestinian election
1949 UK election

 

[neamathla]

While most of Hollywood ignored the success of the Kentucky Fried Movie (KFM), Sean Daniel, an executive at Warner Bros., did not. He would meet with three of the film's writers Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker (ZAZ trio for short). The meeting would go very well and Daniel would greenlight their next film. [Elevator pitch: G.I. Blues meets Patton] The film would a be minor hit.

Daniel would not be only one noting KFM's success. Inspired by Kenney's involvement with KFM (and later Caddyshack), Matty Simmons decided to expand the National Lampoon brand into the film. The writers, P. J. O'Rourke and John Hughes, would pull inspiration from National Lampoon's High School Yearbook Parody, Sunday Newspaper Parody, and other "Dacron, Ohio" magazine articles. To help get the film made quickly, the cast would be drawn from members of National Lampoon's radio and stage shows. The film's success would lead to a series of films under the National Lampoon banner.

Upon the announcement of the National Lampoon movie, Sean Daniel convinced his superiors to counter with a Mad Magazine movie. Daniel would set up a meeting between himself, the ZAZ trio, and Mad publisher Bill Gaines. The meeting would go well. [Elevator pitch: The Naked Gun series meets Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment] Unfortunately, during production Daniel would be promoted. His replacement would have a running conflict with Gaines and the ZAZ trio. Despite the film being a big hit upon release, an irritated Gaines would terminate his relationship with Warner Bros. and disallow any sequels to be made. In addition, ZAZ trio would also end their involvement with Warner Bros. They would take their next film project another studio.

The ZAZ trio would make a deal with 20th Century Fox. The project would be a sci-fi disaster parody. [Elevator pitch: Airplane II: The Sequel meets 2001: A Space Odyssey] The film was a hit. The ZAZ trio would make two more films for 20th Century Fox before going their separate ways.

Related infoboxes and templates:
James Bond in Film
Jaws (1975)
Flash Gordon (1976) and Buck Rogers (1976)
The Legend of King Kong (1977)
Superman (1977) and Damnation Alley (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1971), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1977), and Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Doc Savage: The Ring of Fire (1978)
George Lazenby as James Bond: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) & Diamonds Are Forever (1970)
Roger Moore as James Bond: Live and Let Die (1972), For Your Eyes Only (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1975), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), From a View to a Kill (1979)
The Wiz (1976), A Star is Born (1976), The Kentucky Fried Movie (1976), and Caddyshack (1978)

 

[King of the Uzbeks]

The Interplanetary Brotherhood of Teamsters, Longshoremen, and Transport Workers cans trace its origins back to the early 20th Century Labor Movement. However it’s modern form can be traced back to the 2086 Agreement that more or less brought most workers involved in the movement of goods and people under the authority of the Union. Although China’s State Unions remain aloof, virtually every other group involved in interplanetary transit has been *convinced* to join the Teamsters.

The Teamsters are a force on every settled planet/planet group. Unlike many unions, who have issues with locals “going native” and breaking off from the Earth bound, the Teamster’s focus on connecting planets has left them cohesive, making them the singularly most powerful Union in the Solar System.

The Teamsters have been accused of connections with organized crime such as the Casa Nostra, the Triads, and the dreaded Marsfia. Union President Jane Hoffa, the direct descendent of early Teamster leaders, has denied such charges. Hoffa was recently acquitted of corruption charges, after a hung jury at Tranquility Base.

 

[kirbopher15]

While most of Hollywood ignored the success of the Kentucky Fried Movie (KFM), Sean Daniel, an executive at Warner Bros., did not. He would meet with three of the film's writers Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker (ZAZ trio for short). The meeting would go very well and Daniel would greenlight their next film. [Elevator pitch: G.I. Blues meets Patton] The film would a be minor hit.

Daniel would not be only one noting KFM's success. Inspired by Kenney's involvement with KFM (and later Caddyshack), Matty Simmons decided to expand the National Lampoon brand into the film. The writers, P. J. O'Rourke and John Hughes, would pull inspiration from National Lampoon's High School Yearbook Parody, Sunday Newspaper Parody, and other "Dacron, Ohio" magazine articles. To help get the film made quickly, the cast would be drawn from members of National Lampoon's radio and stage shows. The film's success would lead to a series of films under the National Lampoon banner.

Upon the announcement of the National Lampoon movie, Sean Daniel convinced his superiors to counter with a Mad Magazine movie. Daniel would set up a meeting between himself, the ZAZ trio, and Mad publisher Bill Gaines. The meeting would go well. [Elevator pitch: The Naked Gun series meets Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment] Unfortunately, during production Daniel would be promoted. His replacement would have a running conflict with Gaines and the ZAZ trio. Despite the film being a big hit upon release, an irritated Gaines would terminate his relationship with Warner Bros. and disallow any sequels to be made. In addition, ZAZ trio would also end their involvement with Warner Bros. They would take their next film project another studio.

The ZAZ trio would make a deal with 20th Century Fox. The project would be a sci-fi disaster parody. [Elevator pitch: Airplane II: The Sequel meets 2001: A Space Odyssey] The film was a hit. The ZAZ trio would make two more films for 20th Century Fox before going their separate ways.

Related infoboxes and templates:
James Bond in Film
Jaws (1975)
Flash Gordon (1976) and Buck Rogers (1976)
The Legend of King Kong (1977)
Superman (1977) and Damnation Alley (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1971), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1977), and Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Doc Savage: The Ring of Fire (1978)
George Lazenby as James Bond: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) & Diamonds Are Forever (1970)
Roger Moore as James Bond: Live and Let Die (1972), For Your Eyes Only (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1975), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), From a View to a Kill (1979)
The Wiz (1976), A Star is Born (1976), The Kentucky Fried Movie (1976), and Caddyshack (1978)

Very good by the way could you do another John Belushi movie in the national lampoon franchise

 

[thefirstranger]