A partial timeline I discovered in my draw not so long ago from early last year, I've decided to digitize it, patch it up and finish it here. The aim was to write a somewhat different history in Postwar Britain with analogues to another nation that evolved over the time period. This is also a wonderful not so serious distraction from my timeline in 00's British Politics which is rather serious.Chapter 1.
The dust had finally settled, all the ballot papers had after a painstaking 24 hours been finally counted to determine whom would now represent their constituents and by extension which party would now lead the nation out of World War Two. The results were to prove to be quite a surprise to even the keenest political analyst of the times. Some would blame the results on Churchill for not going hard enough after the Labour Party for being the Gestapo some believed they were(1). Others blamed Mr Attlee for not throwing himself into it(2). And others just wished the Liberals the best (3).
It was very much expected that Mr Churchill would go on to get a fully elected term as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but that was not to be the case as it was an overnight realization that the British Public didn't trust the peace to the Prime Minister. However on the other side of the coin His Majesties Opposition hadn't been quite trusted either to run the peace. Neither party found themselves capable of forming a government which could command a majority.
Therefore it fell to the Liberal Party who had strangely found themselves with a slightly higher seat count than they could quite muster 10 years ago. 32 seats was no great influence, but when they could potentially be deciding who was to enter government it was all the influence they needed. The decision was to allow the Conservatives to continue as a minority government, or to allow the Labour Party to govern with a majority with the option to simply make a deal from the sidelines. But in the end a decision was certainly taken.
The Liberals entered government alongside the Labour Party, the first time Labour would find themselves on the benches of government unified since 1931 alongside their new allies. Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Deputy Prime Minister Archibald Sinclair would have to work towards securing the peace, and implementing the plan of the MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed William Beveridge (4). He would find himself as Minister of Health tasked together with Aneurin Bevan Minister of Welfare and Labour into implementing the Report into legislation to defeat the Five evils of society: Squalor, Ignorance, Disease, Idleness and Want. The proposed welfare state would be spine of the legislative plan of the new coalition government who would govern for the best of the British Peoples to ensure they got the recovery they deserved after the horrors and sacrifice of World War Two. Herbert Morrison would find himself as Minister of the Home Department and Leader of the Commons very much a part of the legislative plan as well personally assisting it through the Commons.
The next few years watched the government implement this new plan, watching the Brand New Health Service, Industrial Nationalisation of the essentials. Regulation was improved across the board for housing, safety at work and food. The National Insurance Act was implemented to ensure help for all in times of need(5). The government found itself working at break neck speed towards implementing the plan. In early 1949 the Liberal Leader Archibald Sinclair suffered from ill health brought on by his duties as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. He was succeeded as Liberal Leader and Deputy Prime Minister by William Beveridge who had found himself very popular amongst the British public for his role in the creation of the welfare state. A new found popularity the Liberal Party were keen to exploit to prevent them slipping as they had in before the outset of the war.
The 1949 General Election was called and the coalition remaining in their posts from beforehand went out to campaign for their respective parties with no break up like that experienced by the War Coalition of Churchill. The results were not too different from 1945. The Labour Party had took losses to Conservatives and Liberals alike, while the Liberals had taken from Labour and traded with the Conservatives. When it came to it the Liberals could put the Conservatives into government if necessary but it would be a very weak government, the decision was taken instead to continue with Labour. Although the majority was slightly weakened it was still comfortable enough to see it through the Parliament. However tensions were beginning to brew on just how the welfare state was going to evolve with Labour and Liberal members starting to have different views on just how to take it forward in the new term.
(1) Churchill restrained himself.
(2) Attlee didn't throw himself into it as much.
(3) The Liberals got more attention.
(4) Beveridge held his seat.
(5) Same system mostly, some things missing others added.
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