"A Very British Transition" - A Post-Junta Britain TL
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Prepare yourself to be afflicted by the A Very British Transition curse - you start seeing Mountbatten everywhere you go
December 2019 Election Part 1
Polls showed abstention rates as high as 40%
“The UK is headed for new elections — again.The country just held national elections back in May. In that vote, Bell Ribiero-Addy and her People's Alliance won the most seats. But they didn’t secure enough votes in parliament for an outright majority, and needed the support of other parties to form a government. Now, after months of trying and failing to put a government together, Ribeiro-Addy conceded defeat ahead of the October 25 deadline. That sets the country up for another round of elections on December 8. Ribeiro-Addy told reporters that she “had tried by all means available” to form a government but the other parties “made it impossible.” So now it’s back to the polls for British voters for what will be the country’s fourth election in as many years.” - Why the UK is having yet another election, Jen Kirby, Vox (2019)
The People’s Alliance knew this election was make or break, if they succeeded in this election gamble, they could govern without the need for the Social Democrats, a true radical government - if they failed, their whole coalition could fall apart. To win this election they needed to squeeze the other left wing parties, and the Alliance brought out the big guns. In their manifesto launch the Alliance’s pledges included the things you’d expect, a higher minimum wage, stronger benefits, more affordable housing - but one pledge in particular grabbed headlines. Ribeiro-Addy promised if her government was elected, they would remove the remains of Louis Mountbatten and Peter Hill-Norton from Westminster Abbey, where they were buried alongside former Kings - and heroes like Winston Churchill.
Britain had a long last code of silence in regards to the Junta years, especially to the “great man” himself Lord Mountbatten. Criticisms had always avoided mentioning the man by name, instead referring to the “Junta” as a nebulous organisation. Both during and after his time as First Lord, the Junta had built a cult of personality around Mountbatten himself, as the hero who saved Britain from ruin. Even post Cardiff Accords most parties kept their silence around Mountbatten personally. By targeting the First Lord directly, the UPA threw down the gauntlet to the other parties, they could not be silent any longer - were they for the dictator or not?
Opposition parties accused the UPA of playing "dead cat politics"
Whilst the Centrists and National divided to the defence of Mountbatten, for the parties of the centre it was a difficult question. The Social Democrats had long held up the pact of silence around Mountbatten, refusing to touch his remains in their seven years in power - despite this Khan fairly quickly came out in favour of exhumation. But Unity was the most split on this issue, its two main voting blocs of middle class English liberals and Scottish ultra-unionists fell onto different sides of the Mountbatten debate. Eventually Sugar would declare his opposition to exhuming Mountbatten, tweeting “The dictatorship ended 15 years ago. Ribeiro-Addy wants to play with his bones to divide us between reds and blues”.
“The family of Mountbatten have said they will not co-operate should a UPA government try to exhume the dictator's remains. Bell Ribeiro-Addy has made Mountbatten’s exhumation a priority and said the body would be removed from Westminster Abbey if she was elected Prime Minister. The move is part of the UPA's efforts to help Britain come to terms with the legacy of the Junta. “The wounds have been open for many years,” Ribeiro-Addy told supporters this week. “Too many years. The time has come to close them.” But, the Mountbatten family says the exhumation is not up for discussion. “There’s nothing to talk about,” the dictator’s grandson, Norton Knatchbull, told the Guardian. “The position of all us siblings is very clear – we’re not going to help things." - Mountbatten’s family fights UPA over removal of dictator's remains, Sam Jones, The Guardian (2019)
Immediately several on the left of Unity resigned from the party, this including young rising stars like Peter Kyle and the party’s foreign affair’s spokesperson James O’Brien. Unity’s remaining left-liberals had long been uneasy with the party’s slow march rightward and Sugar’s willingness to work with National and the Centrists over the SDP. The party’s newfound support for Mountbatten only solidified their position as a party of the right. Despite this Sugar doubled down, in one bizarre interview on LBC he told reports “Ribeiro-Addy wants to divide society between the left and fascists, if wanting to move forward makes me a fascist, then fine I’m a fascist”.
Unity was very publicly falling apart
Mountbatten wasn’t the only big question British voters had to grapple with. Another major issue over the campaign was the fate of Scottish separatists - in fact in the first week of the campaign Keith Brown and Tommy Sheppard were both officially sentenced to thirteen years in prison for sedition - despite the fact both men were MEPs and legally exempt from prosecution. Not only did this ruling put the British judiciary on a collision course with European Courts, but it reignited violent protests in Scotland. In Edinburgh the crowds set fire to the Ministry for Public Administration’ Scottish office. Protesters would also storm Edinburgh Airport launching a week-long sit-in. Once again federal police had to be sent in to quell the violence, with local police unwilling to take the gloves off with protesters.
Nine people died in riots lasting several days, as police used tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowds. Whilst Alex Neil and the Scottish Government did condemn the violence - calling for protesters to remain peaceful - the majority of their anger was aimed at the brutality of federal police. Several pro-independence unions announced a general-strike in protest of police violence against Separatist protesters, the largest of these unions was the Scottish branch of the Union of Communication Workers (UCW). It wasn’t lost on commentators that the UCW had been Alan Johnson’s union - the union that led the general strike of 2003 and brought down the Junta. Now they had turned on the Union - the spirit of 2005 had returned to Britain.
“Fresh clashes between riot police and protesters have broken out in Scotland over the conviction of separatist leaders. A general strike was announced and five huge marches, all peaceful, converged on Edinburgh city centre. Police estimated that more than 300,000 people had joined Friday's rallies. Protesters also blocked a motorway on the English border, causing huge tailbacks. There were 29 arrests across the region on Friday, and 44 people were injured - 12 of them critically. Alex Neil thanked those who had demonstrated peacefully and criticised the rioters at a rally. He said the sentences handed down to separatist leaders would not deter the campaign for independence. "We'll return to the ballot box again on self-determination," he added.” - Marches and general strike paralyse Scotland, BBC News Bulletin (2019)
A general strike had ended one phase of British politics, could it end another?
Your party is called "Unity" and yet it's splitting up, curious 😏Immediately several on the left of Unity resigned from the party, this including young rising stars like Peter Kyle and the party’s foreign affair’s spokesperson James O’Brien. Unity’s remaining left-liberals had long been uneasy with the party’s slow march rightward and Sugar’s willingness to work with National and the Centrists over the SDP. The party’s newfound support for Mountbatten only solidified their position as a party of the right. Despite this Sugar doubled down, in one bizarre interview on LBC he told reports “Ribeiro-Addy wants to divide society between the left and fascists, if wanting to move forward makes me a fascist, then fine I’m a fascist”.
Unity was very publicly falling apart
—Turning Point UPA
December 2019 Election Debate
Party leaders face off in TV debate
In a televised face-off on Monday night, Bell Ribeiro-Addy talked Scotland with the four other candidates.
Polls are predicting that no party or bloc will win enough support to form a governing majority. Thus contenders are competing for undecided voters who could switch allegiances before voters go to the polls.
Surveys show that Unity, which shifted to the right over the May election, will likely take a tumble at the ballot boxes.
A third of voters are still unsure who they will vote for, meaning Monday's televised debate could be decisive. At this stage, polls point to a stalemate, with no party or bloc of parties having a majority.
Last night the front-runner, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, competed with other candidates to attract disillusioned voters.
Polls suggest she will manage around 130 seats, which would force her to seek extra parliamentary support. Attempts at coalition-building following the May election ended in failure.
This would mean the UPA winning the election but falling short of a majority, with their numbers dropping from the 172 they won in May. The Centrists are projected to become the third-biggest party.
Sunday's parliamentary election will be the fourth in four years. New parties have emerged after the financial crisis, making it harder to form governments.
National would get more seats than in May, while the liberal Unity would be the most damaged by the repeat election.
All possible scenarios for deals to form a government are fraught with difficulties. Ribeiro-Addy on Friday ruled out forming a "grand coalition" with National.
Scottish separatism figured on the debate agenda last night. National's Tom Tugendhat pledged to criminalise the organisation of illegal referendums.
Edinburgh, has been rocked by weeks of sometimes violent protests since six separatist leaders were sentenced to jail.
King Charles faced protests while visiting Edinburgh earlier this week.
Over 1,000 people took to the streets of the Scottish capital in the evening, with some burning pictures of the monarch and chanting "go away!"
At the event, Charles called for calm.
"In today's reality there can't be room for violence, intolerance or contempt for the rights of others," he said.
The heir to the throne, 5-year-old Prince George also made his Scottish debut at the ceremony.
Roughly half of the Scottish population is in favour of seceding from the UK, according to official surveys.
James Cleverly of the Centrists accused National of being soft because it “allowed Harvie to get away,” alluding to the former premier. Harvie fled to Ireland to avoid arrest after the unilateral independence declaration. He remains outside of the country and would be detained were he to return to British shores.
Ribeiro-Addy promised to make it a crime to praise the Junta, and pledging to shut down the Mountbatten Foundation. The People's Alliance have promised to transfer the late dictator’s body from Westminster Abbey to a London cemetery.
Ribeiro-Addy said she would not work with the “ignorant and aggressive right" on Scottish separatism, criticising SDP leader Sadiq Khan for supporting the evocation of Article 219. "Switzerland is a plurinational country, Belgium is a plurinational country, and the UK is a plurinational country, and it’s OK to say it.” Ribeiro-Addy insisted that the Scottish issue can only be solved through dialogue.
Ribeiro-Addy also urged Tugendhat to show "humility," reminding him the referendum occurred while National were in power.
"You don't believe in the Union", Tugendat told Bell Ribeiro-Addy, accusing her of being too soft on the Scottish separatists.
Ribeiro-Addy is leading in opinion polls but has lost support. Right-wing parties have grown more popular since last month's rallies in Scotland saw some protesters wreak havoc.
Right-wing parties are now competing on which would take a harder line on the restive region.
"There's a permanent coup d'etat in Scotland," said Cleverly, adding National and the SDP were both to blame.
The Centrists won big in May and opinion polls show that it can now hope to win 70 seats, up from 43 in the previous ballot.
Khan said he would tackle the protests with a “firm and proportional response”.
Meanwhile, right-leaning candidates were conducting their own parallel fights. Tugendhat spared Unity leader Alan Sugar no criticism, telling him to stop giving him lessons about how to fight corruption. Sugar produced a piece of broken pavement from Edinburgh – where there have been protests – to illustrate “the threat to the rule of law.”
Tugendhat also ruled out the possibility of a grand coalition between National and UPA.
During the debate, Ribeiro-Addy made a point of saying that if elected, she will appoint Caroline Lucas as Chancellor. The pledge could be viewed as a message to Brussels that a UPA administration will guarantee economic rigour and a contained deficit. Lucas is a relative moderate within the UPA and is a well-respected figure in the EU who has worked for the European Commission in several capacities.
Cleverly, seemed more relaxed than any of the other nominees as he made promises to outlaw separatist parties and send Alex Neil to prison. Cleverly spent more time talking about immigration than about Scotland or the economy. Polls suggest that his party could make great gains to become the third-largest force in the Commons
Khan, for his part, accused both Tugendhat and Sugar of representing “the cowardly right that stands before the far-right”.
The debate showcased how National and Unity are still willing to craft governing coalitions with the Centrists. By contrast, a left-leaning alliance remains as elusive as it was after the May election. “You see, Ms Ribeiro-Addy?” said Khan. “The right argues a lot, but then it doesn’t hesitate to enter into coalition governments. Let’s see if we can learn from them!”
Snap polling after the debate showed a plurality of viewers thought Ribeiro-Addy and Cleverly performed best, with 26% and 25% of respondents respectively. 22% of those polled thought Khan was the most convincing, followed by 18% for Tugendhat. Sugar was roundly the loser of the debate, with only 10% of respondents seeing him as the best performer.
BBC News BulletinIn a televised face-off on Monday night, Bell Ribeiro-Addy talked Scotland with the four other candidates.
Polls are predicting that no party or bloc will win enough support to form a governing majority. Thus contenders are competing for undecided voters who could switch allegiances before voters go to the polls.
Surveys show that Unity, which shifted to the right over the May election, will likely take a tumble at the ballot boxes.
A third of voters are still unsure who they will vote for, meaning Monday's televised debate could be decisive. At this stage, polls point to a stalemate, with no party or bloc of parties having a majority.
Last night the front-runner, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, competed with other candidates to attract disillusioned voters.
Polls suggest she will manage around 130 seats, which would force her to seek extra parliamentary support. Attempts at coalition-building following the May election ended in failure.
This would mean the UPA winning the election but falling short of a majority, with their numbers dropping from the 172 they won in May. The Centrists are projected to become the third-biggest party.
Sunday's parliamentary election will be the fourth in four years. New parties have emerged after the financial crisis, making it harder to form governments.
National would get more seats than in May, while the liberal Unity would be the most damaged by the repeat election.
All possible scenarios for deals to form a government are fraught with difficulties. Ribeiro-Addy on Friday ruled out forming a "grand coalition" with National.
Scottish separatism figured on the debate agenda last night. National's Tom Tugendhat pledged to criminalise the organisation of illegal referendums.
Edinburgh, has been rocked by weeks of sometimes violent protests since six separatist leaders were sentenced to jail.
King Charles faced protests while visiting Edinburgh earlier this week.
Over 1,000 people took to the streets of the Scottish capital in the evening, with some burning pictures of the monarch and chanting "go away!"
At the event, Charles called for calm.
"In today's reality there can't be room for violence, intolerance or contempt for the rights of others," he said.
The heir to the throne, 5-year-old Prince George also made his Scottish debut at the ceremony.
Roughly half of the Scottish population is in favour of seceding from the UK, according to official surveys.
James Cleverly of the Centrists accused National of being soft because it “allowed Harvie to get away,” alluding to the former premier. Harvie fled to Ireland to avoid arrest after the unilateral independence declaration. He remains outside of the country and would be detained were he to return to British shores.
Ribeiro-Addy promised to make it a crime to praise the Junta, and pledging to shut down the Mountbatten Foundation. The People's Alliance have promised to transfer the late dictator’s body from Westminster Abbey to a London cemetery.
Ribeiro-Addy said she would not work with the “ignorant and aggressive right" on Scottish separatism, criticising SDP leader Sadiq Khan for supporting the evocation of Article 219. "Switzerland is a plurinational country, Belgium is a plurinational country, and the UK is a plurinational country, and it’s OK to say it.” Ribeiro-Addy insisted that the Scottish issue can only be solved through dialogue.
Ribeiro-Addy also urged Tugendhat to show "humility," reminding him the referendum occurred while National were in power.
"You don't believe in the Union", Tugendat told Bell Ribeiro-Addy, accusing her of being too soft on the Scottish separatists.
Ribeiro-Addy is leading in opinion polls but has lost support. Right-wing parties have grown more popular since last month's rallies in Scotland saw some protesters wreak havoc.
Right-wing parties are now competing on which would take a harder line on the restive region.
"There's a permanent coup d'etat in Scotland," said Cleverly, adding National and the SDP were both to blame.
The Centrists won big in May and opinion polls show that it can now hope to win 70 seats, up from 43 in the previous ballot.
Khan said he would tackle the protests with a “firm and proportional response”.
Meanwhile, right-leaning candidates were conducting their own parallel fights. Tugendhat spared Unity leader Alan Sugar no criticism, telling him to stop giving him lessons about how to fight corruption. Sugar produced a piece of broken pavement from Edinburgh – where there have been protests – to illustrate “the threat to the rule of law.”
Tugendhat also ruled out the possibility of a grand coalition between National and UPA.
During the debate, Ribeiro-Addy made a point of saying that if elected, she will appoint Caroline Lucas as Chancellor. The pledge could be viewed as a message to Brussels that a UPA administration will guarantee economic rigour and a contained deficit. Lucas is a relative moderate within the UPA and is a well-respected figure in the EU who has worked for the European Commission in several capacities.
Cleverly, seemed more relaxed than any of the other nominees as he made promises to outlaw separatist parties and send Alex Neil to prison. Cleverly spent more time talking about immigration than about Scotland or the economy. Polls suggest that his party could make great gains to become the third-largest force in the Commons
Khan, for his part, accused both Tugendhat and Sugar of representing “the cowardly right that stands before the far-right”.
The debate showcased how National and Unity are still willing to craft governing coalitions with the Centrists. By contrast, a left-leaning alliance remains as elusive as it was after the May election. “You see, Ms Ribeiro-Addy?” said Khan. “The right argues a lot, but then it doesn’t hesitate to enter into coalition governments. Let’s see if we can learn from them!”
Snap polling after the debate showed a plurality of viewers thought Ribeiro-Addy and Cleverly performed best, with 26% and 25% of respondents respectively. 22% of those polled thought Khan was the most convincing, followed by 18% for Tugendhat. Sugar was roundly the loser of the debate, with only 10% of respondents seeing him as the best performer.
December 2019 Election Part 2
Scotland became the main dividing line of the election - a gift to the right
“With a general strike and more protests across Scotland, politicians are feuding over how to maintain control. The conflict has entered a “new phase” with the sentencing of its former separatist leaders to prison this week, said William Hague. By Friday, it was clear that phase had indeed begun, but not in the way that Mr. Hague had in mind. The violence on the streets has raised fears that separatist politicians are losing control over their supporters. On Friday, the Scottish independence movement delivered a new show of force in Edinburgh. Four columns of separatist protesters marched from different parts of the region into the city amid a general strike. Friday afternoon’s demonstration drew about 370,000 people, according to local police.” - Scottish Protesters, Slipping the Reins of Jailed Leaders, Grow More Radicalized, Stephen Castle, New York Times (2019)
The Scottish general strike coupled with Cleverly’s strong debate performance moved the Centrists to centre stage, as polls showed the party taking fourth or even third place in the Commons. As the Centrists surged the other parties of the right scrambled to catch up, Tom Tugendhat echoed the Centrist’s manifesto calls for a bad on seperatist parties, whilst Unity was slightly less extreme “only” calling on RISE and the Workers Party to be proscribed. This race to the right on Scotland completely disrupted UPA plans, they had wanted to fight the election on Mountbatten and austerity, only to find the ground shift under them as English voters called for harsher and harsher penalties against the treasonous Scots. Polls showed as many as one in four English voters saying Scotland was the most pressing issue for them.
Most politicians were afraid to challenge Cleverly directly as his public statements became more and more outlandish, claiming everything from an Islamic takeover of major cities to a banning of the Union Jack. Whilst Cleverly had the lowest approval ratings of the five major leaders, his supporters were waveringly loyal - and as older voters, much more likely to vote. Fears of a right-wing Government grew as Tom Tugendhat refused to answer a BBC question on going into coalition with the Centrists seven times in a single interview. Tugendhat had also dropped some of his more liberal policies that might have prevented a right-wing coalition such as such as his previous support for keeping the abortion cut-off point at 15 weeks.
Davidson was considerably more popular than Sugar at this point
Unity continued to go into freefall, Sugar’s gaffes coupled with a disastrous debate performance where he had been mocked on both sides. The party also faced trouble in Brussels as they only narrowly won a motion calling for the party to be kicked out the Liberal grouping for MEPs due to its closeness with the Centrists and apparent support for Mountbatten. As Unity collapsed Sugar’s worst tendencies continued to poor out as he became even more standoffish internally, causing further Unity colleagues to quit. By the end of the campaign Sugar had been quietly locked away and instead his deputy Ruth Davidson was rolled out to handle most media appearances.
“In the midst of the perfect storm suffered by his party, Alan Sugar shelters in place. The expression perfect storm comes from the collision of two great storms, one of cold and the other hot. Unity seems immersed in something similar: the cold current comes from Brussels, where his liberal allies have turned on him. The hot one, comes from inside and outside the party. The leader of Unity protects himself by reducing his public presence and with the firm decision to resist the storm. The tensions have been triggered by the indirect agreements of Unity with the extreme right. This has complicated its relationship with European liberalism and led to the break with James O'Brien. Last Monday, the leader failed to attend a meeting of Unity's executive - the last before polling day.” - Alan Sugar, in the Perfect Storm “2019”, Tim Ross, New Statesman (2019)
The People’s Alliance were also struggling - despite Bell’s strong debate performance. What had been a plan to absorb the other parties of the left had been shattered by the Green Left split, losing nearly 40 MPs who dominated almost every headline around the party. Rather than break Sadiq Khan, the snap election seemed to have shot fire into his belly, Unity’s demise had been a gift to the Social Democrats as left liberals flooded into the ranks of his party in a comeback dubbed “reverse PASOKification” by European pundits. Khan’s promise of a more moderate, pro-European UPA government resonated with voters who wanted to lock the right out of power - but were turned off by the People’s Alliance’s seemingly endless infighting.
The UPA's roots as a protest movement meant it's activists were hard to control
And infight they did! The departure of Mason hadn’t solved internal headaches for Bell and as momentum for the party stalled, whispers grew over her leadership. Her ambitious Deputy Owen Jones had been running a shadow leadership campaign for over a year, and her allies in the Socialist Alternative were becoming increasingly antsy - with the more cooperative Diane Abbott replaced by the younger, but more militant Richard Burgon, who was publicly flirting with pulling the Alternative out of the Alliance should the UPA fail to reach Downing Street. A few months ago the UPA had looked like a party of government, but as internal spats were leaked day after day it increasingly looked like a basketcase.
With the shadow of the far-right returning, leaders made their final pitch as polls opened. Ribeiro-Addy made one last attempt at squeeze messaging, telling voters in a Party Political Broadcast “there are two votes, a progressive UPA government, or Tom Tugendhat in the pocket of the far right”. But chaos looked to be the most likely option, polls showed the People’s Alliance losing seats, whilst National and the Centrists gained. Bell would be in an even weaker negotiating position then she had been before the snap election, she had gambled and she had lost. Whoever won the election, the Scottish General Strike, Mountbatten’s grave and disputes over the EU bailout had opened a Pandora’s Box - a box that couldn’t be closed again.
“The capital of Tees Valley, the port city of Middlesbrough has succumbed to the service economy. But the surrounding province is a representative slice of modern Britain from student accommodation of the inner city to struggling industrial towns along the valley. It is also the kind of place where Britain's general election on December 8th—the fourth in as many years—will be decided. A week before the vote, amid the housing estates of Middlesbrough there was palpable frustration at the country’s politicians. “Are we going to vote so that they can’t agree again?” asked Linda Ritchie, a student who says she won’t vote this time. “They are grown-ups. They should come to an agreement on a government.” Since votes are now split among five national parties and several regional ones, that is not going to be easy.” - Fourth Time Lucky?, The Economist (2019)
Could Britain's democracy survive a fifth election?
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I never knew the Spanish were so passionate about the prospect of Scottish independence.
We Catalans are Scots in disguise. We only refrain from wearing kilts due to the cold winter.
December 2019 Reader's Poll
I am afraid I'm going on holiday for the next week so they'll be no updates.
In the meantime here is the last reader's poll of this TL. Usual rules apply, this will only affect Easter eggs and additional information, not the plot of the TL.
You can vote here
I'm planning to end this TL with the December election and it's political aftermath - for better or worse. So we're very near the end now only a few more updates to go!
A prequel might be interesting as well. Either way, I have loved this from start to finish.
A sequel is unlikely as I want to avoid going into future history - but if anyone else wants to write their own spin-off/sequel they're very welcome!
As for a prequel read A Very British Coup! But in all seriousness prequel is a possibility but still not for a while as I have some other ideas I would like to work on, again if anyone else wants to write their own story in this universe I'd love to see it.
Can you do some bits about COVID and the 2020 (presumably) local elections? I think they'd be a good point to stop at like where you did with the Commonwealth tl
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What's this?I reckon one of the other two TL ideas you had after you finished Commonwealth of Britain would be interesting to see.
At the end of his Commonwealth tl he mentioned 3 tl ideas including this one that he had. One of them was one where UKIP gains a lot more power and the other one was about a federal europe