AHC/WI: PM Peter Shore
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shiftygiant
Gone Fishin'
There was a TL a while back which had it's PoD with Wilson standing down as Labour Leader in 1971 with Shore succeeding him. Whilst the overall premise was kinda iffy (Britain becomes American), it was still interesting enough.
However, I think that for Shore to get into a viable position to become Leader, you would need him to avoid being made Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, instead placing him into a role where Wilson can mold him as his protege without over-promoting him. Perhaps 1966 sees Labour do far better and win the lopsided victory it nearly did IoTL, with more people seeing Shore's Ideology as a winning ticket and thus having him gain a bigger base of support within and out of the Party. If Labour win a lopsided victory in 1966, then they are likely to stay in Goverment until the mid-seventies, with Wilson retiring either in 1972 or 1973. If Shore doesn't muck up, he'd be in a good position to succeed Wilson, and if there is an entry to the EEC Referendum, Shore would use a successful 'no' vote to catapult himself into Leadership and thus Premiership.
However, I think that for Shore to get into a viable position to become Leader, you would need him to avoid being made Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, instead placing him into a role where Wilson can mold him as his protege without over-promoting him. Perhaps 1966 sees Labour do far better and win the lopsided victory it nearly did IoTL, with more people seeing Shore's Ideology as a winning ticket and thus having him gain a bigger base of support within and out of the Party. If Labour win a lopsided victory in 1966, then they are likely to stay in Goverment until the mid-seventies, with Wilson retiring either in 1972 or 1973. If Shore doesn't muck up, he'd be in a good position to succeed Wilson, and if there is an entry to the EEC Referendum, Shore would use a successful 'no' vote to catapult himself into Leadership and thus Premiership.
I certainly think this is an interesting idea. My favourite quote about Shore is from one of his obituaries where he was described as "Between Harold Wilson and Tony Blair perhaps the only possible Labour leader of whom a Conservative leader had cause to walk in fear" This suggests he had a decent shot at the Premiership if he takes the leadership
I am intrigued by what is meant by "left wing nationalism" though which is often used to describe his views
I am intrigued by what is meant by "left wing nationalism" though which is often used to describe his views
That was predominantly due to the fact he could proper savage Howe at the dispatch box when he was Shadow Chancellor. He was certainly a lot more economically savvy than Foot and would have probably led a far more effective campaign in 1983. He apparently got in numerous arguments over Foot's insistence on focusing on disarmament rather than issues such as unemployment which they could actually and effectively take the Tories to task on. As Shore proper hated Benn, probably more ferociously and openly than Foot, he may well have also quelled the Bennites quicker than Foot could have, which could either have helped or hindered Labour by bringing more division to the splits in the same vein as Kinnock.
His Left Wing nationalism was that he was a socialist but hated the EEC.
Wasn't he also supportive of an independent nuclear deterrent as a means of bolstering British influence vis-a-vis the US? I seem to remember him praising de Gaulle for doing exactly that.