MrwBrightside
Banned
How possible would this have been in 1997? Who would have had to lead the Conservative and Labour Parties, would there have been a Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition like today, and what would be the future ramifications?
Perhaps if Brown-Blair decided to run off together to Lesbos and open a gay bar instead of politics, and John Prescott became Labour leader?
Kinnock? Foot?I think even Prescott could have pulled off a victory in 1997.
Kinnock? Foot?
My dream of a dystopian Tory Britain won't come to fruition then!
How possible would this have been in 1997? Who would have had to lead the Conservative and Labour Parties, would there have been a Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition like today, and what would be the future ramifications?
Dystopian?
One way, and this is going on a very large leap, is to have John Major resign in reaction to Black Wednesday as he originally planned (even drafting a resignation speech) and have Malcolm Rifkind take over as Portillo is too young and Heseltine is too loathed by the right-wing backbenchers he needs for 'stabbing Thatcher in the back' as he then institutes a move to the left with policies such as a separate Scottish Tory party, Scottish Assembly and other changes but with more Euroscepticism then Major which keeps the backbenchers in line. Even then we only ensure that the Tories get around 1987 Labour results so we need to get rid of Blair, Brown and Mandelson by having an explosion at the Granita as done by one of Meadow's scenario's a few months back which allows for Beckett, Prescott and Straw to fight it out with a small win for Beckett over Straw as the party starts fighting against itself over things such as electoral reform since Beckett is no Tony Blair.
Added with the credit given to Rifkind and Clarke for getting Britain our of the recession that Major/Clarke didn't because of the media campaign to destroy him and massive backbench division that may get a majority for the Conservatives but it would not be anything big, possibly single digit majority, and Labour will just get a strong majority in 2001 with a new leader (Straw is more likely due to a discredited left wing).
That might be the best way to do it- but even that scenario, if not outright ASB, is very unlikely. IIRC, John Major himself was certain of the impossibility of a fifth term within a few hours of his 1992 victory.
Probably the only thing that could have given Major a win in ’97 would have been a political comeback by Kinnock and the true believers.Kinnock? Foot?