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Mumby - British Macronisme
British Macronisme
1997-2007: Tony Blair (Labour)
1997 GE (Labour majority) def. John Major (Conservative), Paddy Ashdown (Liberal Democrat), David Trimble (UUP)
2001 PME 1st round def. William Hague (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)
2001 PME 2nd round def. William Hague (Conservative)
2001 LE (Labour majority) def. William Hague (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)
2005 PME 1st round def. Michael Howard (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat), Roger Knapman (UKIP)
2005 PME 2nd round def. Michael Howard (Conservative)
2005 LE (Labour majority) def. Michael Howard (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat), Ian Paisley (DUP)
2007-2009: Gordon Brown (Labour)
2009-2014: David Cameron (Conservative)
2009 PME 1st round def. Gordon Brown (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat), Nigel Farage (UKIP)
2009 PME 2nd round def. Gordon Brown (Labour)
2009 LE (Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition) def. Harriet Harman (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat), Peter Robinson (DUP)
2013 PME 1st round def. Ed Miliband (Labour), Nigel Farage (UKIP), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), Natalie Bennett (Green)
2013 PME 2nd round def. Ed Miliband (Labour)
2013 LE (Conservative-UKIP Coalition) def. Harriet Harman (Labour), Nigel Farage (UKIP), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), Peter Robinson (DUP)
2014-2017: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
2015 LE (Labour minority) def. Boris Johnson (Conservative), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), Paul Nuttall (UKIP)
2017-: David Miliband (Democratic Modernist)
2017 PME 1st round def. Anne Marie Waters (UKIP), Aaron Bastani (Britannia Unchained), Philip Hammond (Conservative), Tom Watson (Labour)
2017 PME 2nd round def. Anne Marie Waters (Patriotic Alliance)
2017 LE (Democratic Modernist-Liberal Democrat Alliance) def. Philip Hammond (Conservative), Tom Watson (Labour), Richard Burgon (Britannia Unchained), Anne Marie Waters (Patriotic Alliance)
The introduction of Direct Prime Ministerial Elections, on a runoff system modelled after France, was controversial to say the least. It combined both American presidentialism and European imitation, things which people found distinctly unsavoury in the new Prime Minister. Blair's own popularity lent strength to Labour in 2001 as he ensured the timetable for legislative elections came immediately after the prime ministerial election. In 2005 however, the quagmire of Iraq meant Blair only narrowly achieved victory in the 2nd round, and while he received a third majority in Parliament afterwards it was on a risible share of the vote. Blair stood down in 2007, well aware that his own unpopularity put the party in danger.
Brown was not well suited to Britain's newly presidential system. The rigid 'prime ministerial elections every four years' bound him, and after the global financial system nearly collapsed, his popularity was in shreds. While he survived into the second round of the prime ministerial election, he was defeated by a wide margin and it was only thanks to the Harman Honeymoon and the afterglow of the Cleggasm that prevented the Tories from obtaining a majority. To maintain the coalition, which many expected to collapse quickly, the Fixed Terms Parliament Act was introduced, setting the length of a Parliament to four years, de facto ensuring that legislative elections would occur shortly after prime ministerial elections, as had become the norm.
Four years of austerity withered Conservative popularity, but did much more harm to the Lib Dems and especially to Nick Clegg. It also saw Eurosceptic rebellion on the Tory backbenches and saw Nigel Farage rise to national prominence. When the country went to the polls in 2013, many expected a Labour victory. As it was, Ed Miliband only narrowly came ahead of the surging Farage. The Lib Dems suffered as rumours Clegg wished to endorse Cameron's prime ministerial candidacy led to a rebellion and his deposition. Cable led the party into the electoral gauntlet, but his leadership honeymoon is believed to have saved the party from total annihilation. While Cameron survived his second prime ministerial election, at the ensuing legislative election, UKIP took the momentum from an astonishing prime ministerial campaign and went on to win more seats than the Lib Dems who only just remained in double figures. Another hung parliament and another Tory led Coalition, conditional on a referendum of leaving the European Union in 2014.
Cameron's failure to negotiate a convincing deal he could go to the country with, led to the victory of the Leave campaign and his resignation. While some believed this meant Farage would become Prime Minister, it led to a Tory leadership election and the man who had upset Cameron's best laid plans gained the office he so coveted. While Farage resigned due to health problems and UKIP steadily imploded, and Labour elected a leftist and elderly maverick, Johnson saw his rising poll numbers and decided to call a snap legislative election in 2015. The result was astonishing. Johnson flailed on the campaign trail, while Michael Meacher went from strength to strength. The Tories lost their majority while Labour became the largest party in Parliament. This was an unprecedented situation. The introduction of direct prime ministerial election called into question whether Johnson could continue. Meacher called a vote of no confidence in Johnson, but the Lib Dems and UKIP rallied to Johnson to prevent Meacher from taking office. Meacher's death later that year and the beginning of internecine conflict between Labour's left and right allowed Johnson to continue as Prime Minister but as a lame duck incapable to passing much of his agenda.
The country became increasingly polarised, until the scheduled Prime Ministerial election came around in 2017. By this time, Britain had left the European Union, but on a distinctly soft basis, as Labour and Tory moderates worked together to prevent a Hard Brexit. It was clear Johnson's position was no longer tenable and stepped aside for a 'safe pair of hands'. Meanwhile, Labour's backstabber in chief aimed to reclaim the office of Prime Minister. But matters quickly spiralled out of control as UKIP re-emerged from the electoral quagmire under a 'neo-fascist' populist, calling for a much harder break with Europe. The left of Labour, dissatisfied the leadership election after Meacher's death, rallied around Aaron Bastani and his Britannia Unchained campaign. And then David Miliband came back from across the sea, having earned some laurels in the Clinton Administration. He stood on a 'Democratic Modernist' platform, to much rolling of eyes. But he steadily rose in the polls and earned the endorsement of the Lib Dems under Jo Swinson. While on the campaign trail he defeated Zach Goldsmith in his own by-election. In the 1st round, the traditional parties were quickly eliminated to shock from all sides. It would be a run off between Miliband and Waters, a choice between moderation and neo-fascism. In the 2nd round, Waters rebranded UKIP as the Patriotic Alliance and there were fears that enough Eurosceptic Tory voters and dissatisfied working class Labour voters could get her into Number 10. As it was she was defeated by a wide margin, and in the ensuing legislative election, the Democratic Modernist-Liberal Democrat Alliance won a huge majority. The country wonders what comes next...
1997-2007: Tony Blair (Labour)
1997 GE (Labour majority) def. John Major (Conservative), Paddy Ashdown (Liberal Democrat), David Trimble (UUP)
2001 PME 1st round def. William Hague (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)
2001 PME 2nd round def. William Hague (Conservative)
2001 LE (Labour majority) def. William Hague (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)
2005 PME 1st round def. Michael Howard (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat), Roger Knapman (UKIP)
2005 PME 2nd round def. Michael Howard (Conservative)
2005 LE (Labour majority) def. Michael Howard (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat), Ian Paisley (DUP)
2007-2009: Gordon Brown (Labour)
2009-2014: David Cameron (Conservative)
2009 PME 1st round def. Gordon Brown (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat), Nigel Farage (UKIP)
2009 PME 2nd round def. Gordon Brown (Labour)
2009 LE (Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition) def. Harriet Harman (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat), Peter Robinson (DUP)
2013 PME 1st round def. Ed Miliband (Labour), Nigel Farage (UKIP), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), Natalie Bennett (Green)
2013 PME 2nd round def. Ed Miliband (Labour)
2013 LE (Conservative-UKIP Coalition) def. Harriet Harman (Labour), Nigel Farage (UKIP), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), Peter Robinson (DUP)
2014-2017: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
2015 LE (Labour minority) def. Boris Johnson (Conservative), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), Paul Nuttall (UKIP)
2017-: David Miliband (Democratic Modernist)
2017 PME 1st round def. Anne Marie Waters (UKIP), Aaron Bastani (Britannia Unchained), Philip Hammond (Conservative), Tom Watson (Labour)
2017 PME 2nd round def. Anne Marie Waters (Patriotic Alliance)
2017 LE (Democratic Modernist-Liberal Democrat Alliance) def. Philip Hammond (Conservative), Tom Watson (Labour), Richard Burgon (Britannia Unchained), Anne Marie Waters (Patriotic Alliance)
The introduction of Direct Prime Ministerial Elections, on a runoff system modelled after France, was controversial to say the least. It combined both American presidentialism and European imitation, things which people found distinctly unsavoury in the new Prime Minister. Blair's own popularity lent strength to Labour in 2001 as he ensured the timetable for legislative elections came immediately after the prime ministerial election. In 2005 however, the quagmire of Iraq meant Blair only narrowly achieved victory in the 2nd round, and while he received a third majority in Parliament afterwards it was on a risible share of the vote. Blair stood down in 2007, well aware that his own unpopularity put the party in danger.
Brown was not well suited to Britain's newly presidential system. The rigid 'prime ministerial elections every four years' bound him, and after the global financial system nearly collapsed, his popularity was in shreds. While he survived into the second round of the prime ministerial election, he was defeated by a wide margin and it was only thanks to the Harman Honeymoon and the afterglow of the Cleggasm that prevented the Tories from obtaining a majority. To maintain the coalition, which many expected to collapse quickly, the Fixed Terms Parliament Act was introduced, setting the length of a Parliament to four years, de facto ensuring that legislative elections would occur shortly after prime ministerial elections, as had become the norm.
Four years of austerity withered Conservative popularity, but did much more harm to the Lib Dems and especially to Nick Clegg. It also saw Eurosceptic rebellion on the Tory backbenches and saw Nigel Farage rise to national prominence. When the country went to the polls in 2013, many expected a Labour victory. As it was, Ed Miliband only narrowly came ahead of the surging Farage. The Lib Dems suffered as rumours Clegg wished to endorse Cameron's prime ministerial candidacy led to a rebellion and his deposition. Cable led the party into the electoral gauntlet, but his leadership honeymoon is believed to have saved the party from total annihilation. While Cameron survived his second prime ministerial election, at the ensuing legislative election, UKIP took the momentum from an astonishing prime ministerial campaign and went on to win more seats than the Lib Dems who only just remained in double figures. Another hung parliament and another Tory led Coalition, conditional on a referendum of leaving the European Union in 2014.
Cameron's failure to negotiate a convincing deal he could go to the country with, led to the victory of the Leave campaign and his resignation. While some believed this meant Farage would become Prime Minister, it led to a Tory leadership election and the man who had upset Cameron's best laid plans gained the office he so coveted. While Farage resigned due to health problems and UKIP steadily imploded, and Labour elected a leftist and elderly maverick, Johnson saw his rising poll numbers and decided to call a snap legislative election in 2015. The result was astonishing. Johnson flailed on the campaign trail, while Michael Meacher went from strength to strength. The Tories lost their majority while Labour became the largest party in Parliament. This was an unprecedented situation. The introduction of direct prime ministerial election called into question whether Johnson could continue. Meacher called a vote of no confidence in Johnson, but the Lib Dems and UKIP rallied to Johnson to prevent Meacher from taking office. Meacher's death later that year and the beginning of internecine conflict between Labour's left and right allowed Johnson to continue as Prime Minister but as a lame duck incapable to passing much of his agenda.
The country became increasingly polarised, until the scheduled Prime Ministerial election came around in 2017. By this time, Britain had left the European Union, but on a distinctly soft basis, as Labour and Tory moderates worked together to prevent a Hard Brexit. It was clear Johnson's position was no longer tenable and stepped aside for a 'safe pair of hands'. Meanwhile, Labour's backstabber in chief aimed to reclaim the office of Prime Minister. But matters quickly spiralled out of control as UKIP re-emerged from the electoral quagmire under a 'neo-fascist' populist, calling for a much harder break with Europe. The left of Labour, dissatisfied the leadership election after Meacher's death, rallied around Aaron Bastani and his Britannia Unchained campaign. And then David Miliband came back from across the sea, having earned some laurels in the Clinton Administration. He stood on a 'Democratic Modernist' platform, to much rolling of eyes. But he steadily rose in the polls and earned the endorsement of the Lib Dems under Jo Swinson. While on the campaign trail he defeated Zach Goldsmith in his own by-election. In the 1st round, the traditional parties were quickly eliminated to shock from all sides. It would be a run off between Miliband and Waters, a choice between moderation and neo-fascism. In the 2nd round, Waters rebranded UKIP as the Patriotic Alliance and there were fears that enough Eurosceptic Tory voters and dissatisfied working class Labour voters could get her into Number 10. As it was she was defeated by a wide margin, and in the ensuing legislative election, the Democratic Modernist-Liberal Democrat Alliance won a huge majority. The country wonders what comes next...
- Mumby
- Word Count: 1.1k