Challenge: beat Mackenzie King's longevity record

Former Canadian PM Mackenzie King is the longest serving PM in Commonwealth history, at over 22 years in office (1921-30, 1935-48). With a POD of 1948, have his record broken by any Commonwealth PM. One rule: you cannot use Robert Menzies. Bonus if the PM is Canadian, Double Bonus if they're British. Triple Bonus if their tenure is unbroken.
 
Actually Menzies wasn't an option, by the time he "ascended to heaven" and retired he was pretty out of it.
 
Don't know the PoD, but if Trudeau hadn't been so personally unpopular in 1984, he might have stayed on as PM and won another term; assuming he can also win in 88, and he's got it...

Of course, the question remains, what could he have done to not be the huge electoral detriment to the liberals he was?
 
Don't know the PoD, but if Trudeau hadn't been so personally unpopular in 1984, he might have stayed on as PM and won another term; assuming he can also win in 88, and he's got it...

Of course, the question remains, what could he have done to not be the huge electoral detriment to the liberals he was?

Nothing. Part of the reason Mulroney got such a huge majority in 1984 was because Trudeau had made the West hate him, Quebec already had a lot to hate him for and his tactics left John Turner with a huge albatross around his neck, which Mulroney used quite spectacularly.

If you want to avoid his hatred in Quebec, you have to go back to the FLQ crisis, which more than anything galvanized Quebec. As far as the West goes, junk the NEP and you have a start, though the West tends to lean Conservative in any case.
 
Blair with no Iraqi War or Gordon Brown.

Presto!

Blair would have to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom until 2019 to match Mackenzie King. Can you see him remaining PM until 2019? I can't, Iraq War or not.
 
I had a thought along those lines which most people probably wouldn't think about - Hendrik Verwoerd.

Assume he wins the race to replace Daniel Malan after he retires from South African politics in 1953 instead of succeeding J.G. Strijdom five years later, and assuming he is not assassinated, he would have to lead until 1975 to match the record. Considering South Africa's economic prosperity of the 1960s, that could be done. Verwoerd was much more willing to expand grand apartheid than John Vorster was, so the result could be more of the Bantustans gaining independence over the 1960s and 1970s. Vorster would probably be much more willing to back up Ian Smith, too, and also may also decide to formally annex South West Africa into South Africa.

Now, South Africa left the Commonwealth in 1961, but I think this would still count.
 
Blair would have to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom until 2019 to match Mackenzie King. Can you see him remaining PM until 2019? I can't, Iraq War or not.

I honestly do. Blair was a masterful politician.
 

Sachyriel

Banned
Stephen Harper, 66 years in office as the "King of Canada" after the Queen of England gets kinda tired of this whole "Canada" thing and gives us true independence on the condition Harper take it.

Harper can't really say no to the Queen and in his memoirs would later tell people he thought it was pretentious to do so, and would have suggested a few other people, but had no time if he didn't want to offend the Queen.

Canada, while kinda shocked, decide to let it ride out; after all the King's a lot closer now, if they don't like him they can always ask the Americans to do what they do best at a later date. He serves out a long term in office and steps down for a the Legislature-approved Justin Trudeau.
 
Blair with no Iraqi War or Gordon Brown.

Presto!
1997, 01 and 05 were all really down to both of them. Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, when they worked together were a supreme double act. The 2005 election was largely due to Gordon Brown.

As such, if I can change that to Brown with no ambitions of going to number ten but accepting his role as the most powerful Chancellor in a very long time.
 
I'd say Verwoerd is the best shot myself, mainly because he doesn't have to deal with a serious opposition party unlike Blair.
 
I'd say Verwoerd is the best shot myself, mainly because he doesn't have to deal with a serious opposition party unlike Blair.

You're gonna hate me for saying this, but the best Canadian shot to beat King is probably Jean Chretien. Assume he stays in command at the Liberals, Adscam never happens (or is taken care of quietly and doesn't become a giant brouhaha as in OTL) and Chretien keeps his command of the party, he'd have to go to 2015 to crack Mackenzie King's record. Considering the current disarray of the Liberals, Chretien staying in command may be enough to allow the likes of Michael Ignatieff, Justin Trudeau, Ruby Dhalla, Gerard Kennedy and maybe a few other provincial-to-federal movers (Gordon Campbell and a couple of Dalton McGuinty's more competent cabinet, perhaps? Or maybe even Jean Charest......) to gain experience and knowledge, which wouldn't leave them floundering around without leadership. Somebody would probably have to pry the arrogant bastard out of the PMO, but I think the Grits would probably prefer that to being a mess as they are now.
 
Chretien would be 81 years old in 2015- far too old . King was lucky because he was 47 in 1921 which was very young for that era. Among Canadian PMs who served more than 1 year, only Mulroney and Harper have been younger when they first entered office. King retired at 74 and died 2 years later because of ill-health. Initially he thought of running in 1949 on "peace and prosperity" along with Newfoundland but the party said no and for the first time in 30 years they carried the day. They must be younger than 75 and preferably younger than 70- we've seen the problems that causes in the US with Ike, Reagan and Bush I among others with age-related health issues.
 
Chretien would be 81 years old in 2015- far too old . King was lucky because he was 47 in 1921 which was very young for that era. Among Canadian PMs who served more than 1 year, only Mulroney and Harper have been younger when they first entered office. King retired at 74 and died 2 years later because of ill-health. Initially he thought of running in 1949 on "peace and prosperity" along with Newfoundland but the party said no and for the first time in 30 years they carried the day. They must be younger than 75 and preferably younger than 70- we've seen the problems that causes in the US with Ike, Reagan and Bush I among others with age-related health issues.

Chretien is 76 now and still out there, witnessed by his joining Ignatieff's cross-country tour. At modern times, a person in good shape can still do such work at 81. My grandfather still has a pilot's license and flies his Cessna 182 regularly at 84, and that is perhaps more reliant on a person's stamina than politics is.
 
As far as the West goes, junk the NEP and you have a start, though the West tends to lean Conservative in any case.

Alberta doesn't TEND conservative; the rest of the west is far more mixed. First socialist government on the continent, anyone? The NDP is almost a western regional party....
 
Alberta doesn't TEND conservative; the rest of the west is far more mixed. First socialist government on the continent, anyone? The NDP is almost a western regional party....

But it most certainly is true that Trudeau managed to PO the entire west, even the socialists!!

Trudeau was brilliant and charismatic and did a lot of good things for Canada. He was also an egomaniac and did a lot of BAD things, too. So...

A much better approach to the FLQ crisis, and dealing better with the west... Ya, he could have stayed in power quite a bit longer. As it was, well, he pretty much had to go.
 
Former Canadian PM Mackenzie King is the longest serving PM in Commonwealth history, at over 22 years in office (1921-30, 1935-48). With a POD of 1948, have his record broken by any Commonwealth PM. One rule: you cannot use Robert Menzies. Bonus if the PM is Canadian, Double Bonus if they're British. Triple Bonus if their tenure is unbroken.

Britain is easy on Rhodesia and lets it become a Commonwealth Realm, Ian Smith's RF government (or whatever the Rhodesian conservatives decide to call themselves) lasts until the mid-to-late-80's at least. Of course by the time he leads office he will probably be hated by the electorate, but you wanted longevity, not popularity.
 
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Britain is easy on Rhodesia and lets it become a Commonwealth Realm, Ian Smith's RF government (or whatever the Rhodesian conservatives decide to call themselves) lasts until the mid-to-late-80's at least. Of course by the time he leads office he will probably be hated by the electorate, but you wanted longevity, not popularity.

Won't last that long. Even without Britain and the US being angry with them, Rhodesia's survival relies on South Africa supporting them, which they stopped really doing in the mid 1970s. Smith wouldn't last that long.
 
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