AH Vignette: The Successor

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Who Will Replace Salmond? 5 Possibilities

27 February 2023 | Owen Jones
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PICTURED: Salmond watching the results of the 2021 election, which gave The Group a fourth consecutive majority.

It's been widely speculated that Alex Salmond will be resigning as Prime Minister and leader of The Group after serving 15 years in Number Ten and 41 years as party leader. In this time, Salmond has turned the minor party into the successor to the left-wing spirit of the Labour Party and allowed its firm regional support to give it majority after majority. Leader of the Opposition and PM-designate for the SDP-Liberal Alliance Nicola Kennedy-Sturgeon has said recently that "Salmond has been on for too long, it's time for a new Alliance government," and polls show that Kennedy-Sturgeon's favorability ratings are much higher than the Prime Minister's. Despite this, Salmond's shoes are very big ones to fill, and there are few figures in the party who can do it.

Beatrix Campbell "The Eternal Fighter"
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Writer, activist, MP for Brent South, Minister of Justice

A CPGB member before the merger, Campbell was one of the first six Group MPs elected in 1983. In the many years she's been involved with the party, Campbell has made a name for herself as for her support for feminism and social justice. Campbell's drawbacks would be that she's been in Parliament for over forty years, and it's unclear if the 76-year-old would want the job. However, if she put her name forward, she would have a very good shot at becoming Prime Minister.

Michael Gove "The Commie Churchill"
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Editor of Marxism Today, Co-host of A Stab In The Dark, MP for Surrey Heath, Minister of Foreign Affairs

The protege of Eurocommunist hero Martin Jacques, Gove had taken over the leadership of his newspaper following the latter's election as an MP. Soon later, he became a co-host of the award-winning television classic A Stab In The Dark which put his name on the map across the world. Gove became an MP in 1998, with him and Jacques being nicknamed "the Parliamentary amigos." In his current position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he has been praised for his strong relationship on the global stage and peaceful resolution of the Soviet-Finnish dispute. His drawbacks would be him being a proud Eurocommunist, along with his bourgeoisie status as a wealthy Londoner.

Chris Paul-Huhne "The Ecologist With An Eyepatch"
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Journalist, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon, Minister of the Environment

The leader of the left-libertarian wing of the party, Paul-Huhne has been involved with The Group since 1982 (standing against Harriet Harriman in a 1982 by-election). The HashtagHuhne campaign has gone viral on the internet, with Huhne being a hero for the adoption of his "Free Internet" pro-piracy and net neutrality policies. While having a few notable items on his CV and being a strong debater, there has always been speculation about corruption related to him (but nothing is known for sure).

Rebecca Long-Bailey "The New Voice"
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Lawyer, MP for Salford & Eccles, Chief Whip

Compared to her peers, Long-Bailey looks like she had just entered the fray, which is not true. Despite her young age at 44, she has been one of the rising stars in the Salmond cabinet, reaching the position of Cheif Whip after the 2021 election. On the left of Salmond, she would be seen as their heir to the legacy of Campbell if she decided not to run. However, Long-Bailey hasn't been through any grueling campaigns (being in a safe Group seat), which the next election looks set to be.

Lord Mandelson "Salmond's Samurai"
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Borough councilor, MP for Hammersmith & Fulham, Chancellor of the Exchequer, life peer

While Long-Bailey may suffer from a lack of name recognition, Lord Mandelson might suffer from too much name recognition. Like Campbell and Salmond, he had been one of the early members of The Group (being part of the Eurocommunist faction). He quickly was able to gain a strong friendship with Salmond, with his political strategy seen as some of the greatest in British politics (with him running every Group campaign from 1991 to 2012). While he has stayed away from the frontlines of British politics since his elevation to the House of Lords, he has been occasionally seen in Number 10 to advise Salmond. While there hasn't been a PM from the House of Lords since Home, he would be able to disclaim his peerage. With his reputation among everyone in Britain, not much needs to be said about him, which can be a positive or negative for Kennedy-Sturgeon and the Alliance.

Vote on who you think should be the next Prime Minister.
 
I like the different and direct format to this. Michael Gove as a eurocommunist is a rather interesting thought. Great vignette all around.
 
I’ve given some though for a while to making a TL out of this, and given that there looks to be interest, it should be up at some point in a few weeks.
 
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