DBWI: Conservative Victory in 1979

Would it have been possible for the Tories to win a majority of seats in Parliament, or form a minority government, in 1979? How would 1980's Britain look without James Callaghan?
 
I suppose if they had gone into the election with a different leader besides Heath. Maybe have du Cann's challenge in 1975 be successful?
 
I suppose if they had gone into the election with a different leader besides Heath. Maybe have du Cann's challenge in 1975 be successful?

Indeed. What about Thatcher, Heath's Science Minister? Do you think she could have successfully challenged him
 
Indeed. What about Thatcher, Heath's Science Minister? Do you think she could have successfully challenged him

I doubt it - a woman leading a political party in the 1970's - especially to victory? We only saw Labour elect a female leader around a decade ago with Kate Hoey; and even then she lost the next General Election.
 
I doubt it - a woman leading a political party in the 1970's - especially to victory? We only saw Labour elect a female leader around a decade ago with Kate Hoey; and even then she lost the next General Election.

Indeed. But in her defense, she was a better Prime Minister than Andrew Hunter!
 
On another note: would the economy improve under Conservative leadership? By 1982, unemployment surpassed 10%, and Callaghan barely survived that Vote of No Confidence .
 
On another note: would the economy improve under Conservative leadership? By 1982, unemployment surpassed 10%, and Callaghan barely survived that Vote of No Confidence .

If we're going by an Edward du Cann premiership, then I imagine things would be just as bad or even worse. Healey might have made some tough cuts, but du Cann's Tory Party would go far beyond that and I can't see the One Nation wing (they're not going to disappear into thin air) standing for it for too long. At best, du Cann serves 3-4 years as Prime Minister before the knives are drawn with overwhelming public approval.

Callaghan survived because he recovered his reputation after the 'Bonfire of the Bennites' at the '81 conference and the PLP knew it'd be suicide for them to throw Callaghan under the bus. Du Cann would have no analogous event as I can think of, but the economy will still tank and the public will feel the cuts even deeper.
 
If we're going by an Edward du Cann premiership, then I imagine things would be just as bad or even worse. Healey might have made some tough cuts, but du Cann's Tory Party would go far beyond that and I can't see the One Nation wing (they're not going to disappear into thin air) standing for it for too long. At best, du Cann serves 3-4 years as Prime Minister before the knives are drawn with overwhelming public approval.

Callaghan survived because he recovered his reputation after the 'Bonfire of the Bennites' at the '81 conference and the PLP knew it'd be suicide for them to throw Callaghan under the bus. Du Cann would have no analogous event as I can think of, but the economy will still tank and the public will feel the cuts even deeper.

Indeed. The economy did recover, however, under Whitelaw
 
Indeed. The economy did recover, however, under Whitelaw

Whoever is Labour leader by 1984 ITTL would have the same easy ride as Whitelaw did IOTL: a new and untested PM (Rodgers IOTL and whoever the One Nationers put up against du Cann ITTL), a recession that's about to ease up massively, and a very small government majority to overcome.
 
I wonder where Boris Johnson, the M.P. from Brent South and Health Minister under Hunter, would be
 
Last edited:
Well, something "miraculous" always happenes. You know, a couple of butterflies...

You can't butterfly away years of prejudice towards women in the Tory Party. You could still see it when Hunter won the leadership after the '98 election - Bottomley had been Minister of State at the Home Office under Whitelaw, Education Secretary and then Employment Secretary under Newton, and was even Shadow Home Secretary for about four months until Newton retired. Even after all that, she still managed to come fifth in the leadership!

And, as has been pointed out before, Labour took until 2005 to elect a woman as PM/leader.

So, yeah... Thatcher isn't going to "miraculously" happen and I don't think it's likely to get a woman before the millennium. This isn't the USA, you know.
 
Top