Ain't That a Kick in the Head? A mini-TL by CCM

A mini-TL - expect (sub?) TLAID quality without anywhere near the punctuality.

(Episode one: Ain't That a Hole in the Boat?)
1pm, 21 August 2008
BBC One, live coverage of the Beijing Olympics

Sue Barker: And now we have live coverage of the women’s 57kg Taekwondo final between South Korea’s Lim Su-Jeong and Turkey’s Azize Tarikulu. Your commentator is Nick Mullins.
Nick Mullins: Thank you Sue …
Sue Barker: No we’re not ...
<BBC1 ident appears for around thirty seconds>
Continuity announcer: And now, a BBC News Special.

Phone conversation, 45 minutes earlier

Gus: Harriet! Something's gone badly wrong. I Need you in Number 10 now. Then somewhere else.
Harriet: What?
Gus: Can't tell you over the phone. Needs to be in person. Today's going to be a long day.
Harriet: See you soon.

Heard coming out of a frustrated producer at BBC Radio Leicester

No, we can't do that, that's embargoed. They always are until they're over.
RATS signal! RATS signal! Is it the fucking queen? The fucking queen? Get the obit tape out the box on the wall! Not the queen? Go to Five Live!

BBC One, BBC News Special

Fiona Bruce: The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has died, on a visit to British troops in Afghanistan. An RAF helicopter carrying the Prime Minister was hit by a rocket propelled grenade leaving Camp Bastion. Further details are unclear, but we are joined by our security correspondent Frank Gardner. Frank, what further details have been released?
 
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Thande

Donor
Glad to see you joining the pack!

I wonder, would they release the news of his death all at once, even if it was unambiguous, rather than first saying he was attacked and only later saying he had been killed? Not sure.
 
Interesting idea. Main question has got to be did the Taliban just get lucky or did they know Gordon was on the helicopter? We'll find out in due course maybe.
 
Poor Gordon - a 'noble statesman, denied the top job for too long then killed in the line of duty' entry in the history books for him, then. It's what he would've wanted!

Looking forward to what happens next. Labour's selection process alone will be Interesting to watch.
 
So the Russians have moved into South Ossetia and Abkhazia, exploiting the US Presidential Election and the Olympic Games as distractions, then the leader of the Western state Russia had possibly the worst relations with at this point in time, one of the most powerful men on Earth, happens to coincidentally die in a 'fluke' Taliban assault, at the hands of Soviet weaponry...

...

...well this should be fun.
 
(Episode two: The Reluctant Coronation)
3pm, 21st of August, 2008

Jacqui Smith, “Breaking Barriers”, 2015

That afternoon was perhaps the most memorable of my political career. Most of the cabinet was there, or those who mattered right now. Tessa was out in China, Ed and Yvette were on holiday with the kids in Cornwall and would be coming up later, Douglas and David were off abroad – on DFID business and helping out the French mediate the end of the Russia-Georgia war respectively. Douglas was flying back as we speak. David would be when he’d sorted out the Georgia situation.

We were all struck with grief – we were all thinking of Sarah, John and James. But we weren’t here for them – or him. We were there for the country. We had things kicking off on the fringes of Europe, the spotlight was on us because of the Olympics coming up and the nation needed a Prime Minister.

Around the cabinet table

Gus O’Donnell: We must remember Gordon, and his family. Even the opposition will be. However, we must now look at business. This country has lost a leader.
Geoff Hoon: Well, we don’t have a deputy. Who is going to be in charge now?
Alan Johnson: Harriet’s deputy leader of the party. We’ve got enough Jaguars, why isn’t she going up The Mall now?
Harriet Harman: I signed up to be deputy leader, not deputy Prime Minister! If I was wanted as deputy Prime Minister I would have been appointed as it, like John was.
Ed Miliband: So the country should be waiting for three months to elect a new leader and be a rudderless ship? What are we going to do in PMQs - tag team?
Harriet Harman: No, that’s not what I’m suggesting
Ruth Kelly (cutting in): If not you, who else? You already have done PMQs if Gordon wasn’t there, we need someone.
Des Browne: I agree. This is time for a decision.
Harriet Harman: If you all support me, it looks like I will have to accept being selected as acting Prime Minister.
Jack Straw: Harriet, Gus, is there even such a constitutional role of acting Prime Minister?
Gus O’Donnell: No. You’re either Prime Minister or not.

Guardian.co.uk live blog, 30 minutes afterwards

3:34pm: A statement from Harriet Harman is expected within the hour. In addition, the MoD confirmed that in addition to the Prime Minister, aide Sue Nye, BBC journalist Jo Coburn and cameraman Aidan Brooks, three RAF airman and three RAF Regiment soldiers were on board the helicopter when it was hit by what appears to have been a rocket-propelled grenade.

Harriet Harman, outside Downing Street, 4pm.

With great sadness, I can confirm the news that Gordon Brown has died in a scheduled visit to British troops in Afghanistan. As the MoD investigates the exact circumstances, we will be able to provide further information as to what exactly happened. They will leave no stone unturned in identifying the culprits and causes. However, at this time our thoughts are with Sarah, John and James, with his friends and family, and those of the others on the helicopter at the time.

That said, this country needs a government. Therefore, in the past hour, Her Majesty the Queen invited me to form a government, an invitation which I have accepted. I aim to provide some sort of steering for the moment. However, this is a role which I will only be taking on a temporary basis. The Labour Party now has to go through the process of electing a new leader, and once this leader is elected, in an election which I will not contest, that person shall take on the mantle.

Thank you.
 
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Thande

Donor
Sounds realistic, Harman does seem to have Cincinnatian tendencies that way. It's funny how every TL that involves a PM death has to have a scene like this, whether it's in passing or the entire focus of the TL like Meadow's Ted Short one. You'd think that in the 150 years since the last PM died in office we'd have come up with some kind of temporary succession plan, but no. The Americans must find this all very bizarre. And the media will be full of confused questions by people who don't know much about the constitution.
 
I'm interested in seeing where this goes. It seems Harman has absolutely no interest in being more than a caretaker PM. I wonder if that determination will survive her experiences of taking on the role. If it does, I'd expect an obviously temporary PM to have some significant impacts on how the government responds to events and what the Opposition do.

A lot to look forward to.
 
I will start researching and writing update three after I've dealt with real life (and the Lions match). As I said, expect a mini-TL style, (but of the scrapbook variety), just not the punctuality :p
 
The bodies have to make it home. Will they arrive with a fighter escort into Wooton Basset?
And how will this shake up Afghanistan? Will this change the Presidential Race? Could this bring Russia and the UK closer?
 
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