Challenge: Labour wins a majority on May 6th, 2010

Using a POD no earlier than May 27th 2007 (the day Brown took over) and still having the election on May 6th 2010, create the circumstances of a Labour victory and overall majority (however slim).

Recession has to happen (it was on the cards before May 2007, it's still going to happen). Anything else goes, though try not to be too ASB (no 'David Cameron and Nick Clegg exposed in child porn trafficking ring in April 2010', for example). 'Inconvenient heart attacks' can be used if you really want to, this challenge seems pretty hard to me so I think we'll need all the non-ASB possibilities we can get.

For my own part, I would potentially seek to curb the rise of the SNP in those by-elections and bring forward the enduring popularity Brown (during the election and still) enjoys in Scotland. Could be one of many PoDs that doesn't quite whittle down Labour authority in that 'black year' for them of 2008. Then maybe Cameron doesn't quite seal the deal with Murdoch (figuratively or otherwise, we don't know what goes on behind closed doors...) and the Murdoch media paint Brown as a pillar of strength during a recession, rather than a doddering failure. Oh, and Darling does some last minute sums the day before they announce the 10p tax fiasco and says 'hang on a minute, Gordon, this is going to need a rethink'.
 
Failed coup from a Lib Dem and Tory coalition?

Not sure what you mean - this is about creating a TL where Labour win, not what would happen if they actually did win. Though that kind of discussion will be welcome once such a TL is established.
 
Not sure what you mean - this is about creating a TL where Labour win, not what would happen if they actually did win. Though that kind of discussion will be welcome once such a TL is established.

No, it's a failed coup that gives the Labour party enough boost to win.

I know, ASB.
 
Using a POD no earlier than May 27th 2007 (the day Brown took over) and still having the election on May 6th 2010, create the circumstances of a Labour victory and overall majority (however slim).

Recession has to happen (it was on the cards before May 2007, it's still going to happen). Anything else goes, though try not to be too ASB (no 'David Cameron and Nick Clegg exposed in child porn trafficking ring in April 2010', for example). 'Inconvenient heart attacks' can be used if you really want to, this challenge seems pretty hard to me so I think we'll need all the non-ASB possibilities we can get.

For my own part, I would potentially seek to curb the rise of the SNP in those by-elections and bring forward the enduring popularity Brown (during the election and still) enjoys in Scotland. Could be one of many PoDs that doesn't quite whittle down Labour authority in that 'black year' for them of 2008. Then maybe Cameron doesn't quite seal the deal with Murdoch (figuratively or otherwise, we don't know what goes on behind closed doors...) and the Murdoch media paint Brown as a pillar of strength during a recession, rather than a doddering failure. Oh, and Darling does some last minute sums the day before they announce the 10p tax fiasco and says 'hang on a minute, Gordon, this is going to need a rethink'.

I thought Labour did well in Scotland in OTL.

Yeah, the 10p thing would help. Moving up the bank tax to coincide with the bailouts would also probably help. Dropping the less popular New Labour elements - ID cards, etc. - and drawing more of a distinction vis-a-vis Blair would help. Maybe a faster withdrawal from Iraq?

Focusing stimulus more on direct job creation and being more pro-active on housing foreclosures would also help - the more robust the recovery, the better Labour is likely to do.

Oh, handling the expenses scandal better. That would be a big improvement.

On the other hand, I doubt that 2010 would go well for Labour, given the likelihood of post-third-term fatigue. Probably the best you can hope for is a narrow majority, or placing ahead of the Tories so that a Lab-Lib pact is better positioned.
 
Maybe the way labour wins is having a leadership race in the fall of 09 when the move to oust brown was happening. Then have that dude/lady be awesome at PMQs, and pwn Clegg in the debates. ;)
 
Maybe the way labour wins is having a leadership race in the fall of 09 when the move to oust brown was happening. Then have that dude/lady be awesome at PMQs, and pwn Clegg in the debates. ;)

While it's arguable that a more politically-deft PM than Brown could have done better, this might not have been true if that person got the position because of a SECOND mid-term ouster. I can't imagine that going over well.

And keep in mind, with Labour's vote having held up in OTL in Scotland and Northern England, someone like David Miliband may actually have seen Labour do WORSE in those regions.
 
I thought Labour did well in Scotland in OTL.

They did do well by the time of the General Election, but in 2008 the SNP were very popular (less so now) thanks to their recent Scottish Parliament victories and took two strong Labour seats in by-elections, one of which neighboured Brown's constituency. It put a lot of pressure on Labour and undermined them at a time when they really could have done with a boost. What I'm proposing is somehow eliminate that SNP surge and have Labour remain strong in Scotland as they turned out to be in the May 6th election OTL, without the 2008 'blip'.
 
No Nick Clegg in the television debates, this was considered. Before the TV debates some pools were saying Labour might just scrape a tiny majority/ large minority. Removing the Gillian Duffy incident couldn't hurt and maybe prevent all the abortive coups as well which might make the Labour MP's seem more unified. Also the SNP victory in Glasgow East could have been prevented if Labours original candidate didn't pack it in during the campaign. If Labour held onto the seat even with a reduced majority they might get a small morale boost instead of it seeming like a huge loss of confidence in one of Labours strongest seats.
 
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