Recent content by Dewar

Robin Cook. Gordon Brown mentions in his memoirs that he was hoping to bring Cook back into government once he became PM. With him being probably the PLP’s most famous dissenter on the Iraq War as well I’d wager he might have had a decent shot at a post-Brown leadership contest.

He wasn’t a one termer, but if we are after presidents serving non-consecutive terms in the 20th Century, TR might be the best bet. You’ll could either have Taft agree to stand down after one term giving him the nomination in 1912, or TR ( grudgingly) agrees to support Taft in that election...

Based on the real life results even as interim leader it ain't hapening. Howard was able to do it for a while as he had gained seats, increased the Tory vote and had never really been regarded as having a serious chance of winning the election. There really is no way in which Labour's 2015...

I'm liking this. Though I can't help but feel that Murphy would not have been best pleased with his Cabinet position having been D Milliband's campaign manager in the leadership election. It will be interesting to see how this timeline develops. In reality, the two big moments of his...

Heath's politics were so heavily shaped by his experience of the 1930s and 40s. This included both his ideological commitment to a European Community to prevent future war and his determination to do whatever it took to prevent the mass unemployment which scarred that decade. Having Macleod...

The only man I can imagine having the same ability as Churchill to mobilise all sections of the nation and possess the same sheer bloody mindedness of the need to crush Nazism would be Ernest Bevin

He should win the 1964 General Election, but I don't think that's a complete certainty. In reality, Labour only won that election with a 4 seat majority, and that was following 18 months in which Wilson was largely regarded as being an outstanding leader of the opposition. I reckon if...