Building Jerusalem Mk2.0

V-J

V-J

No, Diana is still very much alive, and probably still interested in broadly unsuitable gentlemen with large moustaches in between her charity work. If she'd popped her clogs as in OTL I would have probably mentioned it, but I assumed it was such a specific event it would be butterflied away with a POD more than three years beforehand. So not terribly good news either for the Queen or Charles; if she lived, she would certainly continue to be a alternative source of loyalty and interest to the monarchy; perhaps that itself might spur reform of how the royals operate as things go on, though.

I'm not sure about Hoddle - I guess his comments on the disabled could easily be butterflied away, but he always had a bit of a strange interest in faith-based stuff, so he may say something odd at some point anyway. If he did stay in place, I'm not sure how effective he would be as manager.

Two other football PODs here which I've thought could very well occur here, in fact are more likely to happen than not, for you to ruminate on: Fergie does what he nearly did in OTL and retires as Man U boss, and Capello is installed in his place, and Becks never maries Posh....
 
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ljofa

He could go in 1999 if United again win the Treble in this TL, saying he's won what he wanted to. He is a major Labour Party man and with Smith in charge, who's to say the two don't spark up a friendship. Perhaps even (in an unlikely but not improbable scenario) Lord Ferguson, Minister for Sport?

Re Diana - would the Ottowa Treaty have been signed in late 1997 as per OTL
 

ljofa

Another positive aspect of Smith's premiership is that Crossrail is likely to get the green light a decade earlier, opening by 2007...
 
V-J

V-J

I'm not sure about Ottawa. If it's not signed at the same time as OTL, I would guess that Diana's advocacy, (perhaps allied with the diplomatic gifts of the new, consensus-building foreign secretary) would see it arrive sooner or later.

Anyway, you've given me tons of material for the epilogue and the 'Where are they now' section. Thanks!
 

ljofa

And after more than a few years on this site, I'm probably one of the last of the original lot to reach 1000 posts - 6 more closer today...

How do Smith and Clinton get on?
 

ljofa

Diana was dating that doctor (whose name eludes me) for a while and although publically he ended the relationship owing to reasons of faith, she was supposed to have been the one who called time on things. That would happen in a Smith TL in all likelihood.

However, I am a little more sceptical about the Dodi Al-Fayed scenario; whether that occurs in the first place or how it might develop. Certainly his father, the “phoney Pharaoh” as Private Eye likes to call him, would attempt to heavily influence and moderate the relationship as it might lead to the one item he craves above everything else – British Citizenship.

Given Al-Fayed’s role in “Cash for Questions”, Smith might try a different line to take with Al-Fayed as opposed to the do-nothing approach favoured by the Blair Government. It has been a criminal offence to bribe a public official since 1906 (as amended in 1989) which could (heavy emphasis on the conditional tense) be extended to an MP. Al-Fayed could be prosecuted by the Government after the publication of the Downey report which effectively named him as guilty.

If he were chased after, Diana would be “discouraged” from going anywhere near Dodi for fear of public taint and being the shrewd media-savvy person she was, she would obey that advice. She would go looking for another rich suitor and there’d be plenty to choose from given the (relatively) prosperous times of the late 90s.
 
V-J

V-J

I'm not sure about HMG going after al-Fug, it would surely create a huge amount of shit flying about, wouldn't it? I suspect the Dodi thing will probably be butterflied away anyway.

Anyway, I really, really should finish off the next update and stop teasing the readers with these posts...
 
V-J

V-J

Yeah, lots. Was working on this t'other night. I know I've said this about a billion times already, but updatage should be arriving soon.
 

ljofa

He's just lucky I'm at the mercy of public transport here in london and cannot travel up north to hunt him down. The big ol' tease.
 
V-J

V-J

Customary interest meets with customary answer.

I should really update though before Mr Of A takes up a sniper position on a neighbouring rooftop. Will try to crack off some words tonight but no promises.
 
V-J

V-J

It is coming, just very slowly. I've written about half of it so far, but there's a bit in the next section which I need to be deliberative with.

If it makes you feel any better I'll go and do some writing now?
 
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