alternatehistory.com

'Oh Dear'
Yes, yes, yes, implausible, but it's fun, okay?

2010-2015: David Cameron (Conservative)
def. 2010 (Liberal Democrats Coalition): Gordon Brown (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrats)
2015-2016: Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrats) [1]
def. 2015: Ed Miliband (Labour), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), David Cameron (Conservative), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru), Nigel Farage (UKIP), Natalie Bennet (Green)
2016-now: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrats) [2]

1- No one really knows what happened on election night, 2015. Polling day was strange, filled with a number of oddities and several bursts of bright light across the sky (seemingly coming from around Whitehall Court), and when Britain woke up the next day, a stranger thing had happened- Nick Clegg was Prime Minister. Five years ago, whilst this would have been unexpected, it wouldn't have been so strange to so many. But in 2015, with the Liberal Democrats widely unpopular and having trailed in the opinion polls for years, it was positively astounding. Clegg himself was perhaps the most taken back, having become a figure to be pitied and hated among the countries diverse quarters. Was there a mistake? Following a mass recount in over 400 seats, this was obviosuly not the case. Clegg found himself kissing hands with the Queen and stepping though the doors of Downing Street- alone. The Tories had been nearly wiped out. UKIP and the Green Party lost all representation. The SNP had surged, and Labour, whilst taking a beating, was limping on. A strange new world had dawned, and with a majority larger than that of Margret Thatcher's in 1979, the Prime Minister (something that Clegg would find himself unable to be comfortable being called) would go forward into the dawn.

As soon as the final recounts had been completed, Clegg called Cabinet. It was largely as Clegg had planned his Cabinet before the election, with the notable exception of Danny Alexander, who was replaced with Vince Cable as he had lost his seat. The first meeting was somewhat awkward; after an initial few moments of back patting and self congratulations (and more than enough gloating), an uncomfortable question was raised by Michael Moore- now what? Obviosuly run a Government and implement the manifesto, but it was a deeper question that drove the Cabinet that day. No one expected the party to win, many around the table had expected to loose their seats. There was little preparation, no idea of what to do with their new found power. Fulfills their manifesto promises, obviously, but did people really find it so inspiring they voted Liberal? An idea that was floated around and quickly died was to invite the annihilated Conservatives to join them- there were only 3 MPs, and Theresa May had been Home Secretary for some five years, but she had no intention of jumping aboard.

As it was, the first Liberal Government since Lloyd George government functioned, though at times was a stop-and-go affair. Personal allowance was raised, Universal Credit was implemented further, the NHS saw a budget increase, and there were efforts to retread old ground on Tuition Fees and heal the wounds. Ground was broken on the first of nearly a dozen Garden Cities, Britain moved closer to Europe, and there were reforms in the Policing service and taxation. There were hiccups; the Governments Foreign Policy of 'Liberal interventionism' was controversial and highly criticised, and their approach to Northern Ireland receiving an angry and violent backlash from Unionists in the Province. But White Papers stacked like bricks, and the Government of 'nice things' progressed with ease through its first year.

Clegg would step down in May, 2016. His tenability as Prime Minister was always a private question, as he had offered to step down in 2014 during a crisis of confidence. Quickly following his surprise victory, Clegg found himself pressured both by elements in his Party, who wanted him to step aside for someone more willing for the job, and himself, struggling under the stress of job and what effect it was having on his health and his marriage. After the 2016 Local Elections, which saw a sharp drop in Liberal Council Seats, he saw an opening. Meeting with the Queen, the surprise Prime Minister resigned, and left Downing Street to depart into the history books.

2- The ascension of Foreign Secretary Tim Farron was not entirely unexpected. Since the revelation of Clegg's crisis of faith, the Party turned its eyes on a number of potential candidates to succeed the soon-to-be departing Prime Minister. The strongest candidates were in the Great Offices of State, Chancellor Vince Cable, Home Secretary Lynne Featherstone, and Farron; Cable declined, citing that he has no interest in the Leadership at present, whilst Featherstone would be dogged by a number of gaffes and the ongoing violence in Northern Ireland. Farron could have walked it, but instead faced strong resistance from lower ministerial ranks, particularly with the Health Secretary Norman Lamb. Positioning himself on the Left, Farron had support in the grassroots and was able to use the moral outrage against the Islamic State and the support for intervention in Syria to his advantage, aggravating Lamb's more dovish instincts in an effort to make seem unsuitable for the Premiership in the ongoing international crisis. Farron would come under sharp criticism for his tightlipped views on homosexuality and abortion, notably telling an interviewer that "my record speaks for itself" when asked of his views, which backfired when the interviewer bought up his mixed history on LGBT rights. Still, he would subsequently win a narrow victory over Lamb, who was himself caught in a gaffe surrounding immigration control (which led to a particularly cutting rendition of 'Golden Brown').

Upon entering office, the former Lecturer made his position clear; he would continue his predecessors programs, but also to go further beyond. Laying out a broad program of education and health care reforms, a coherent environmental policy, a strong British presence overseas in both a combat and humanitarian capacity, and further devolution to Provincial levels, Farron is set to be productive. However, he has a perhaps larger goal in mind, one pertaining to constitution reform. It is expected that, at the Queens Speech, the Government will introduce a two prong plan to radically transform Britain; an elected Lords, and a rerun of Electoral Reform, but this time on the grounds of either STV or MMP.

Only time will tell if he can succeed.