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spookyscaryskeletons - Whitelaw '79
1979-1985: William Whitelaw (Conservative majority) [1]
1979: Jim Callaghan (Labour), David Steel (Liberal)
1984: Denis Healey (Labour), David Steel (Liberal)
1985-1989: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative majority) [2]
1989-1996: Les Huckfield (Labour majority) [3]
1989: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative), David Steel (Liberal), Sara Parkin (Green)
1993: Jerry Hayes (Conservative), Michael Meadowcroft (Liberal), Sara Parkin (Green)
1996-2000: George Robertson (Labour majority) [4]
1996: Robert Hayward (Conservative), Michael Meadowcroft (Liberal), Sara Parkin / Miranda Green (Green / New Liberal Alliance)
2000-: Phil Gallie (Conservative-Liberal coalition) [5]
2000: George Robertson (Labour), Liz Lynne (Liberal), Miranda Green (Democratic)
[1] None were surprised at the unceremonious downfall of Edward Heath and his replacement with the moderate and likeable Willie Whitelaw, his record untainted by the failure of powersharing in Northern Ireland - though of course the forces of Joseph and Neave were mighty disappointed. Indeed, Whitelaw led the Tories through four years of a poor Labour government, first under Wilson then under Callaghan. He looked credible and warm when blasting the matter of the Winter of Discontent, which saw Britain's public services shrivel after union inaction, which he promised to tackle in full. Whitelaw won a terrific fifty-five seat majority, and immediately set to work resolving the economic situation with a dose of monetarist economics. It paid off, and in spite of the short term hurt, Whitelaw proudly flaunted the signs of recovery in tandem with declining unemployment that had so dogged his predecessor. The victory of Argentina at 1982's World Cup disappointed many but none were surprised when it failed to hinder Whitelaw's second cruise to victory in 1984, albeit on a reduced majority against Healey's middling Labour. Whitelaw left office in 1985 after the completion of a deal with the NUM, still lead by the ageing Joe Gormley, wanting to exit on a high note.
[2] His successor would be the radical Margaret Thatcher, having served as Home Secretary until Whitelaw's departure. Her victory in the leadership election was surprising, as many thought it was in the hands of either Gilmour or Howe. Her term would see a military intervention into Libya and a reworking of the consensus with denationalisations of British Gas and Steel. Thatcher oversaw a disasterous nuclear incident at Sizewell, which provoked the rise of the new Green party. 1989 wasn't a rout for the Tories, after some last minute brazen remarks on behalf of the Labour leader as well as the split on the left, but it was difficult for those expecting a third term for Thatcher, who left politics in 1990. One positive development for Thatcher was the formation of a semi-successful Northern Irish Assembly in 1987, which lasted until 1993 with another round of direct rule.
[3] Little Les Huckfield was deemed unsuited to the job of running the country, having been only a junior minister as well as a shadow minister by the time of his victory in 1986's leadership election, done under new rules that Healey acolyte John Smith fought tooth and nail to include. Huckfield impressed on the campaign trail, showing his steel on the controversial Libya issue by issuing a flat deadline for withdrawal regardless of what Kemp said. That was something he followed up on while in government, taking troops out after winning a smallish majority. Huckfield was also hard pressed to tackle the problem of rail services, and did so by boosting funding and establishing a 'Northern Rail-Link' through Manchester. Huckfield also implemented Scottish and Welsh Devolution, the first elections of which saw impressive Labour victories. An investigation into Sizewell was also launched, and the findings failed to disseminate the Green party's rise as the Liberals shifted rightward, even though Huckfield implemented parts of their manifesto (excluding crackdowns on the coal industry). The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 also caught Huckfield's eye, with the successor states warring with each other. He left on a poor note, with an investigation into misuse of union finances going on at the time of the leadership election.
[4] Robertson emerged from a scattered field that even included the hard left Robert Parry. He would shock the country by calling for a snap election, one from which he came out victorious with a weak centrist Tory party. The split in the Liberal party, with the 'left' walking out due to Meadowcroft's stances on the Copenhagen Treaty, also helped. Robertson reversed Huckfield's antagonism towards the EEC, which expanded into the Union of European Nations in 1999. Robertson intervened in the Russian Civil War, helping support the Emergency administration headed by Primakov out of Moscow as the forces of Soviet remnants were combated. A finalisation on Northern Irish peace would come through out of Robertson after the reopening of the Assembly, and the ensuing powersharing agreement with limited cross border participation. Labour wouldn't be as lucky in the second round of devolved elections as the Tories managed a surprising recovery. A series of poor results across the board ensued in 2000 as Labour was booted out by a tired populace.
[5] The election of populist Scot Phil Gallie came as a shock to most in the parliamentary party, but the subsequent rise the party saw in the polls assuaged most of their fears. Under Gallie the Tories made strident progress in Scotland, advocating a protectionist point of view on North Sea Oil. His victory in 2000 was considered a forgone conclusion, and there was much surprise as he was forced to enter a coalition with the Liberals, who were more than willing to after Meadowcroft dragged the party towards the right.
1979: Jim Callaghan (Labour), David Steel (Liberal)
1984: Denis Healey (Labour), David Steel (Liberal)
1985-1989: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative majority) [2]
1989-1996: Les Huckfield (Labour majority) [3]
1989: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative), David Steel (Liberal), Sara Parkin (Green)
1993: Jerry Hayes (Conservative), Michael Meadowcroft (Liberal), Sara Parkin (Green)
1996-2000: George Robertson (Labour majority) [4]
1996: Robert Hayward (Conservative), Michael Meadowcroft (Liberal), Sara Parkin / Miranda Green (Green / New Liberal Alliance)
2000-: Phil Gallie (Conservative-Liberal coalition) [5]
2000: George Robertson (Labour), Liz Lynne (Liberal), Miranda Green (Democratic)
[1] None were surprised at the unceremonious downfall of Edward Heath and his replacement with the moderate and likeable Willie Whitelaw, his record untainted by the failure of powersharing in Northern Ireland - though of course the forces of Joseph and Neave were mighty disappointed. Indeed, Whitelaw led the Tories through four years of a poor Labour government, first under Wilson then under Callaghan. He looked credible and warm when blasting the matter of the Winter of Discontent, which saw Britain's public services shrivel after union inaction, which he promised to tackle in full. Whitelaw won a terrific fifty-five seat majority, and immediately set to work resolving the economic situation with a dose of monetarist economics. It paid off, and in spite of the short term hurt, Whitelaw proudly flaunted the signs of recovery in tandem with declining unemployment that had so dogged his predecessor. The victory of Argentina at 1982's World Cup disappointed many but none were surprised when it failed to hinder Whitelaw's second cruise to victory in 1984, albeit on a reduced majority against Healey's middling Labour. Whitelaw left office in 1985 after the completion of a deal with the NUM, still lead by the ageing Joe Gormley, wanting to exit on a high note.
[2] His successor would be the radical Margaret Thatcher, having served as Home Secretary until Whitelaw's departure. Her victory in the leadership election was surprising, as many thought it was in the hands of either Gilmour or Howe. Her term would see a military intervention into Libya and a reworking of the consensus with denationalisations of British Gas and Steel. Thatcher oversaw a disasterous nuclear incident at Sizewell, which provoked the rise of the new Green party. 1989 wasn't a rout for the Tories, after some last minute brazen remarks on behalf of the Labour leader as well as the split on the left, but it was difficult for those expecting a third term for Thatcher, who left politics in 1990. One positive development for Thatcher was the formation of a semi-successful Northern Irish Assembly in 1987, which lasted until 1993 with another round of direct rule.
[3] Little Les Huckfield was deemed unsuited to the job of running the country, having been only a junior minister as well as a shadow minister by the time of his victory in 1986's leadership election, done under new rules that Healey acolyte John Smith fought tooth and nail to include. Huckfield impressed on the campaign trail, showing his steel on the controversial Libya issue by issuing a flat deadline for withdrawal regardless of what Kemp said. That was something he followed up on while in government, taking troops out after winning a smallish majority. Huckfield was also hard pressed to tackle the problem of rail services, and did so by boosting funding and establishing a 'Northern Rail-Link' through Manchester. Huckfield also implemented Scottish and Welsh Devolution, the first elections of which saw impressive Labour victories. An investigation into Sizewell was also launched, and the findings failed to disseminate the Green party's rise as the Liberals shifted rightward, even though Huckfield implemented parts of their manifesto (excluding crackdowns on the coal industry). The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 also caught Huckfield's eye, with the successor states warring with each other. He left on a poor note, with an investigation into misuse of union finances going on at the time of the leadership election.
[4] Robertson emerged from a scattered field that even included the hard left Robert Parry. He would shock the country by calling for a snap election, one from which he came out victorious with a weak centrist Tory party. The split in the Liberal party, with the 'left' walking out due to Meadowcroft's stances on the Copenhagen Treaty, also helped. Robertson reversed Huckfield's antagonism towards the EEC, which expanded into the Union of European Nations in 1999. Robertson intervened in the Russian Civil War, helping support the Emergency administration headed by Primakov out of Moscow as the forces of Soviet remnants were combated. A finalisation on Northern Irish peace would come through out of Robertson after the reopening of the Assembly, and the ensuing powersharing agreement with limited cross border participation. Labour wouldn't be as lucky in the second round of devolved elections as the Tories managed a surprising recovery. A series of poor results across the board ensued in 2000 as Labour was booted out by a tired populace.
[5] The election of populist Scot Phil Gallie came as a shock to most in the parliamentary party, but the subsequent rise the party saw in the polls assuaged most of their fears. Under Gallie the Tories made strident progress in Scotland, advocating a protectionist point of view on North Sea Oil. His victory in 2000 was considered a forgone conclusion, and there was much surprise as he was forced to enter a coalition with the Liberals, who were more than willing to after Meadowcroft dragged the party towards the right.
- Gorrister
- Word Count: 930