-Tony Blair Speech to the TUC, 11 September 2001
Just a normal day, nothing special
Just a normal day, nothing special
Geronimo : What if Osama Bin Laden was killed prior to 9/11?
- Thread starter Iwanh
- Start date
True Lies 3 movie is announced and the Washington redskins winning the Super Bowl Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is also announced goes into pre production in 2008
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It look something like this...
Now… I have the new Timothy Geithner $20-bill. It’s just been printed, kind of neat. Instead of “in god we trust,” It just says “trust me.” And it says “spend before Tuesday.” And also instead of Andrew Jackson, it has the little man from monopoly going...
What if John Edwards wins a second term in 2008? How would he handle the Great Recession?
And how would the Arab spring happen without 911 or the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq?
Huh, the classic 1927 film Metropolis was going to be remade back in the late 2000s? Sound interesting. You learn something new everyday I guess.
Why would I need to spend a $20 bill before a cirtain date?
That the joke,money being so in flux it could be worth little to nothing in a few days the economy was in such a meltdown.
Thanks for the info.
Hopefully, the US won't go through Weimar Republic Germany or 2000s Zimbabwe styles of hyperinflation in this timeline (or in present day OTL for the matter). If it does. it's not going to end well at all. I'm not in the mood for paying $1 million for a bottle of soda at the store.
One may find one outcome is the Two Party System is finally broken and you have a major Third Party ready for 2012.
A sequel to 1996 movie Independence Day and a Superman flyby sequel and animated he-man movie and mad max 4 movie and Jackie Chan film Nosebleed and a animated Warcraft movie and a high seas fantasy movie called Poseidons hunt
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Like father, like son: One termer that is good in foreign affairs but bad in domestic affairs.
No, operation wolverine would make Bush junior bad in both, bad in foreign and domestic affairs
I need a recap. How did Operation Wolverine go here again?
ATL Bush attempted to killed Saddam Hussein but failed, made ATL people starting associated Operations Wolverine with the Bay of Pigs invasion 1961
That gives fuel for Saddam as propaganda. He survived two attempts under two Bushes. Unlike Desert Storm which at least boosted Bush Sr.'s popularity, Operation Wolverine definitely hurt Bush Jr. here.
Pop culture of the mid 2000s where some of the 1990s culture don’t end after 9/11 they evolved
Part 48: TBGB's Part 2
Part XLVIII
TBGB’s, Part 2
(Left)Pound coin and (Right) Euro coin
Every year 10 million Britons come to Spain for their holidays. Last year they had to adjust, as the currency the peseta was replaced with the Euro. And now they are faced with the prospect of a change of currency at home.
A key demographic, the British holidaymaker is being watched closely by Downing Street spin doctors and the No campaign headquarters.
Bob Creedy and his wife Joan are regulars who plan to vote Yes to the decision. “We should definitely be in it, it makes sense, we might as well not be in Europe if we don’t join the euro.” Mrs Ready agrees “It was confusing last year but now everyone is used to it, it’s a lot like decimalization.”
Some however disagree, like 18-year-old Sam Jagger “I would like it the same, keeping the pound, I think it helps our Britishness” some are split, Richard Wood agreed that adopting the Euro would be “simpler, saving all that faff over money and comparing prices but still though, it would be a shame, to lose it, though maybe it’s just the way of the world.”
- Brits abroad embrace the Euro, but do they want it here?, 6 July 2003
In only a few months Britons will be asked a serious question regarding the continent’s brand-new currency – the euro.
We have seen 12 European nations undertake this momentous peacetime operation, and the consequences of this decision have had profound effects on whether voters decide in favour or against.
Regardless of the outcome, many British businesses are accepting the new currency, retail firms like Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Virgin and Debenhams accept the currency, and millions of British jobs will depend on our ability to appeal to European trade. And British industry can’t afford to fall behind our European partners.
Anti-Europeans hope to keep Britain out of the Euro, but its importance to our economy is impossible to ignore.
- The case for the Euro is clear, Simon Buckby, Director of Britain in Europe, 2 August 2003
“Entering the Euro offers the same risks and little benefit to the country, the whole affair would likely result in similar circumstances to those that lead to the 97 crash, following our entrance into the ERM (European Exchange rate mechanism)” Said former Chancellor Norman Lamont head of the treasury during the Conservative John Major government in that period. “The only difference is you cannot leave the Euro as we did with the ERM … already we are seeing countries like Italy and Germany pouring cold water on the Euro … this isn’t about economics it’s about politics”.
- BBC Breakfast an interview with Lord Lamont, former Chancellor of the Exchequer,12 August 2003
Sweden has voted narrowly against joining the euro in a referendum. The final result showed that a small majority 51% voted against the euro with 49%in favour on a high turnout of 76%
The outcome was broadly in line with polling data, and due to the closeness both sides have taken the result in stride. Prime Minister Persson who campaigned for the Yes vote, has said that the country was “still making up its mind”. And the pro-Euro foreign minister Anna Lindh[1] said she expected Sweden to return to the issue “in due time … the project is still young”.
The poll was closely watched by the British campaigns, Conservative Michael Anram said that it dispels the myth that “Britain is an outlier outside the Euro” Whereas pro-Euro former Labour leader Neil Kinnock said, “The economic situation in Sweden is fundamentally different to the UK.”
-Sweden says No to Euro, 15 September 2003
Swedish Prime Minister Persson (Left) and Foreign Minister Lindh (Right)
It says something about the Prime Minister that every time he addresses the party conference, he is constantly confronted with what is often described as his most testing performance so far.
And here we go again, facing a potential rebellion on all fronts, criticism over his Iraq policy, his public service reform and the upcoming Euro referendum, presenting him with the greatest threats to his leadership thus far.
The threat mainly comes from Left-wingers who see Blair’s closeness with President Bush and his decision to take the “toughest stance possible” against Saddam Hussein as indicative of a pre-emptive ‘rush to war’.
The Prime Minister has told the delegates that “Entering the single currency will be the boldest most courageous decision this country has made” and has attempted to soothe Labour Eurosceptics with promises that entry would not threaten spending commitments.
The tactic worked last month when the Trade Union Conference voted to back Yes in the upcoming referendum, a decision that led to friction within some unions.
Despite the, at times rough reception Blair has vowed to plough on, declaring that he “Only goes one way, there is no reverse gear”.
- Tough fight for Tony, 30 September 2003
Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith has gone head-to-head with his critics, launched a barrage of attacks on the prime minister and put his support of the pound front and centre in his Conservative conference.
“The quiet Man is here to stay,” he said confronting his Tory adversaries “I am prepared to turn up the volume”. In a speech rife with standing ovations, he declared “It’s my vision, or Tony Blair’s there is no third way.” And warmed his plotters that removing him now was the surest way “to dismantle our party and dismantle the country”.
Mr Duncan Smith set out his pledges for the next general election before setting out a tirade on Europe and the euro. “I promise you this, I will fight, fight, fight and fight again to save the country that I love.” Promising to fight “tooth and nail” for the No campaign.
But regardless of the raptured reception, it is unclear if Duncan Smith has been able to dissuade his plotters, who fear IDS’s more radical policies, and refusal to modernise. His opponents have cited the low attendance numbers, shrinking leadership circle and poor recent electoral performances.[2]
- IDS, ‘Back me or back down’, 9 October 2003
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a protest against military action in Iraq, which organizers claim is the largest such rally in decades.
Among the rally speakers featured were London Mayor Ken Livingston, ex-MP Tony Benn and several sitting Labour Party MPs. The protest comes as diplomats at the U.N. lobby each other hoping to extract demands aimed at totally disarming Iraq.
The repercussions of the march threaten the unity that the Prime Minister has been trying to cultivate. In a technical vote on the government’s stance on Iraq tonight over 50 Labour MPs rebelled.
- Thousands rally in anti-war protest, 25 October 2003
Prime Minister Blair (Left) Anti-War Protests (Centre) and Conservative Leader Smith (Right)
Depending on which campaign, you listen to, entering the Euro will create thousands of jobs or cost thousands, doom us to recession or kickstart the economy.
Several business organisations are divided on the issue of the single currency, when the Confederation of British Industry polled many of its members it was split on the issue. Despite the group's pro-Euro stance it's Director General Digby Jones has been hesitant to endorse the Euro. “The British economy is stable and flexible, and the markets prefer certainty to keep it that way” is the line he repeats when asked.
However multiple businesses have broken the Directors' line and endorsed entry into the single currency. Multi-nationals, manufacturers, and the tourism and agricultural sector have all been endorsing the single currency hoping to raise investment, and profits, as well as keep jobs.
However anti-euro groups have argued the country as a whole will suffer with entry, claiming that the euro will harm UK employment and growth while exposing Britain to further economic shocks or a crash in the housing market.
- Euro Referendum: Businesses divided, 30 October 2003
There is a patent sense of relief in London today that the worst-case scenario has been avoided. After months of sabre rattling and harsh words, little was said regarding Iraq at the two leaders' press conference today. An unprecedented security operation kept President Bush from the jeers of anti-war protesters. And both men seem to have kept their warm relationship intact.
Amid- rising tensions both President and Prime Minister gave their support to ongoing diplomacy concerning Iraqi disarmament, the President proved his worst detractors wrong by showing his more eloquent side and both men showed their passionate vision of the world.
-Bush in Britain, Iraq tensions cool, 22 November 2003
At least 6 people are feared dead, including a British Soldier in the worst coordinated attack since the Omagh bombing 5 years ago, a dozen more are injured.
The blast occurred in the seaside town of Newcastle, in County Down, Northern Ireland. Residents have described the scene as carnage. Sources have told the BBC that the dissident republican group the so-called ‘Real IRA’ planned an elaborate attack on the security forces.
Police describe a false trail designed to lure them and army forces into the site of the genuine bomb.
An initial telephone warning was given about a suspect device in a vacant hotel. The area was cordoned off however, the actual explosive device was on the street.
Inspector Paul McClean condemned the attack as “clearly coordinated in order to maximize casualties”.
The dead include 2 police officers, 3 civilians and one member of the armed forces Private Ryan Thomas, 18.
The Prime Minister called the attack “a disgustingly methodical act of savagery” but insisted that “their actions cannot derail peace”.
-6 dead in dissident bombing in Ulster, 14 December 2003
Newcastle, Northern Ireland (Left) and Private Ryan Thomas (Right)
The Conservative Parties' director of strategy made a candid interview last week that has spurred disarray in the No campaign. Dominic Cummings has said that Tory party leader Iain Duncan Smith is the biggest threat to the No campaign, “He has stitched himself to the campaign in order to survive politically, we told him that he should step back but it’s difficult for him and other Tories to accept that the only thing less popular than the euro is the Tory party”[3] The comment prompted backlash from party chairman Theresa May who has denied a split in the parties strategy.
-No campaign chief makes embarrassing admission, 20 December 2003
Following stalled negotiations, the European Union has chosen to respond to President Bush’s decision to raise steel tariffs. The President took the decision in response to pressure from the struggling U.S. Steel industry, but a host of other countries have expressed worries.
Several nations including Japan, Germany and Sweden have threatened to take Washington to the World Trade Organization to settle the dispute considering the move a banned ‘prohibitive tariff’
But now the E.U. has responded with tariffs of its own on several US goods including Harley-Davidsons, Orange Juices, recreational guns and ammunition, The sanctions are designed to hit ‘swing states’ that the President needs to keep in his good graces to win re-election next year.
-Trade dispute escalates, EU retaliates, 21 December 2003
Former secretary of Northern Ireland and head of the Yes campaign Peter Mandelson said that Britain’s position outside of the Euro played a part in relations in Northern Ireland, explaining that being outside of the Eurozone, threatens industry and creates divisions between businesses. The speech is part of a pattern of the Yes campaign trying to boost support in more euro-friendly regions of the country.
-Mandelson suggests Euro could soothe Irish relations, 8 January 2004
Labour division was laid bare today when a group of parliamentarians made their loyalties clear regarding the upcoming Euro referendum, highlighting left-wing fears that entering the euro could harm British public services and threaten its democracy.
The MPs involved are known to be long-time sceptics of the UK entering the eurozone. The outspoken rebels’ comments have been seized by the No campaign. “It is clear that the Euro dream is in the way of progress and should be abandoned”.
-17 Labour MP’s break with PM to campaign for No, 20 January 2004
Out of the three main political parties, The Liberal Democrats appear to be the most consistent in their enthusiasm for Europe and the Euro, in fact, it has become their defining characteristic. Only 1 of the 27 MPs has backed the No campaign. The party’s leader Charles Kennedy and former leader Paddy Ashdown have fully backed the project. The party has seen a rise in support throughout the Blair premiership and now Kennedy promoted the campaign declaring that “being part of a single currency, will lower inflation, raise investment, and put the United Kingdom on the world stage, becoming a leader in the European community”.
-Lib Dems fighting for the euro, 2 February 2004
Former Conservative Minister and now head of the anti-EU UK Independence party has been campaigning against the Euro. Mr Knappman has been using the referendum to boost his party’s image and presence, “We have the strongest message compared to the conservatives who are in a state of chaos over the referendum … it is clear that our moment has come”. Though the party has received criticism for its message which has adopted hostile, racist and sexist rhetoric referring to the EU as the ‘fourth Reich’ and encouraging women to ‘stay home and do the washing’ on polling day.
-UKIP ‘say no’ campaign, 6 February 2004
Committed to battling capitalism, the Greens have launched an unlikely alliance with the No campaign, claiming that the European central bank is a threat as it will speed up the process of globalisation.
“We are going to make being anti-euro cool”[4] said Caroline Lucas a representative of the Green Party. Such a campaign has proved a tough sell to the ultra-liberal grassroots campaigners who find an alliance with what they see as a xenophobic campaign helmed by the Tory party.
-Greens join No campaign, 8 February 2004
(Left to Right) Labour Euroskeptic Frank Fields, Lib Dem Leader Charles Kennedy, UKIP leader Knappman and Green MEP Caroline Lucas
"You'd get riots in the street. There'd be a very serious danger of social chaos - as in Argentina." Said anti-Euro campaigner and pub chain chairman Tim Martin, in an apocalyptic scenario he envisages if the Yes campaign is successful. Martin has emerged as another figure in the Euro fight, donating thousands of pounds to the campaign.
His words have been criticised as “blatant scaremongering, common in the Anti-Euro fear campaign” by Hugh Osmond head of a rival pub chain backing the euro. The two continue to clash with each other and both have plastered pro and anti-euro messaging in their respective taverns.
It is another curious stunt in a campaign filled with them, like Virgin tycoon Richard Branson who made news when he publicly backed the Yes campaign by crossing the country in a Euro-emblazoned airship. And also papered his trains with pro-euro messaging.
-Beer Bosses wrestle over Euro, 14 February 2004
‘No, No, No’ were the famous words used by Lady Thatcher in her opinion on a closer EU relationship in 1990. Today the No campaign is using Lady Thatcher as a key promoter in a campaign broadcast where she warns entry into the single currency would be the “single greatest error of great historical magnitude”.
-Thatcher anti-euro broadcast, 22 February 2004
Recently featured in a No campaign broadcast, Lady Thatcher penned an opinion piece that goes further than many No campaigners hoped, pushing for the total exit of the EU altogether and stating that Europe is the source of the world’s greatest ills including Nazism and Marxism. The Yes campaign used her comments to show that the anti-Euro agenda is indistinguishable from the broader anti-Europe agenda.
-Thatcher comments shock campaigns, 26 February 2004
The Yes Campaign added heavy hitters to its ‘patriotic alliance’ in favour of entry to the euro, senior Tories, Kenneth Clarke, Michael Heseltine and Lord Hurd have all begun campaigning for the single currency.
The move is emblematic of the Yes campaign's tactic to bridge political boundaries to expand support of the Euro campaign, Minister for Europe, Peter Hain said that the Yes campaign was going head to head against the ‘Doomsday Cult’ within the Conservative party opposed to the Euro.
-Blair’s Pro Euro Alliance, 7 March 2004
(Left to Right) Michael Heseltine, Tony Blair, Ken Clarke and Lady Margaret Thatcher
“We cannot let Brussels consume ever more power for itself, we don’t ask for a withdraw from Europe, just to keep the freedoms we currently enjoy, we can throw out the tired old lines about an isolated Britain, there are doubts all across Europe of the toxic agenda promoted by a few politicians to put us in the steel trap of the single market”.
-George Eustice address to No campaigners, 10 March 2004
There were ugly scenes in Manchester today as hundreds of protesters stood and pelted eggs and fruit at the leader of the extreme right French National Front jean Marie Le Pen, as he held a conference with the far-right British National Party today.
BNP leader Nick Griffin has launched what the party calls its 'Battle for Britain’ in support of the pound and against the Euro. However, the two steered off the message when they spoke gleefully of an ‘all white Europe’ as an achievable ‘utopia’ and said that the Euro was a plot to ‘erase white-British culture’.
-LePen and BNP face storm in Manchester, 14 March 2004
(Left to Right) French NF eader LePen, protesters brawl in Manchester and BNP leader Nick Griffin
“This is the biggest decision our country has ever made, the choice between scraping the pound and consigning our country's future for generations, throwing away our independence, stitching ourselves to the eurocratic state, and throwing our freedoms away, we’ve learned the lessons of the past and now Tony Blair is determined to repeat them”.
-Iain Duncan Smith, 7 days to Save the Pound, 18 March 2004
Prime Minister Tony Blair delivered a passionate plea yesterday for voters to support entry into the euro-zone. "The argument is simple," Blair told an audience in Birmingham in a speech that highlighted economic benefits and the effect on the country’s stature. "We are part of Europe. It affects us directly and deeply. Therefore, and now we have an opportunity to lead Europe in the direction we want, to create a Europe that we aren’t working for, instead building a Europe that works for us."
The final week of campaigning has seen opinion polls point to a close finish, with one late poll conducted by ITV and the Daily Mail (not including Northern Ireland Voters) with 48% for no and 45% supporting yes, with the remaining undecided.
-Tony Blair’s final pitch for the Euro, 20 March 2004
The United Kingdom has voted in a non-binding referendum to join the Eurozone.
The final results have finished trickling showing a photo-finish with 50.9% supporting the entry and 49.1% voting against it.
Mr Blair welcomed the result thanking the “forward-thinking British public for voting to reform Britain’s relationship with the European Union” and for “rejecting a divisive message of intolerance in favour of properly tackling the issues in our economy”.
However, the opposition, Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith has rejected the notion saying that “there is no clear majority in favour of this, a majority has failed to support this European agenda”.
The referendum has divided the home nations, where England was the only country to reject the Euro, whereas Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales voted in favour, carrying the majority.
-Britons back the Euro, 26 March 2004
2004 UK Euro referendum Wikibox
PM Blair and Foreign Minister Jack Straw sign the agreement to enter the Eurozone
In the aftermath of the UK’s decision to opt into the Euro, Iain Duncan Smith has decided to step down as leader of the Conservative Party. Mr Duncan Smith has come under extreme criticism over his handling of the Euro referendum as senior No campaign figures blame him for derailing the campaign by making himself increasingly central to the message. Statements show the party had grown disillusioned with his poor public speaking skills and austere persona.
His effort to make the referendum a matter of confidence in the government backfired and sources say he had no choice but to step down.
Speculation of his successor is ongoing as a crop is expected to stand including shadow chancellor Michael Howard, deputy David Davis, party chairman Theresa May or shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin
-Iain Duncan Smith steps down, 27 March 2004
The ex-home secretary was speaking after winning the one-horse race to replace Iain Duncan Smith who resigned last week. It became clear that the party hoped to avoid a messy contest and swiftly united around Howard.
Many of the party bigwigs agreed that the party needed to unite after the divisions exposed recently. Mr Howard said: "It is an immense privilege to lead this party - the most successful party in the history of modern democracy. But it is also a truly awesome responsibility. We have ground to make up to rediscover the threads that bind us together if we are to see a Conservative government elected”.
-Howard crowned Tory Leader, 5 April 2004
(Left) Former Tory Leader Iain Duncan Smith, (Right) Tory Leader Michael Howard
Senior members of the No, Euro campaign have alleged that the government unlawfully campaigned for the Yes campaign, alleging that the government spent months in the lead-up to the official campaign promoting the Euro and was able to spend double that of the No campaign …
- ‘Stop Euro’ Campaign says referendum won through fraud, 16 April 2004
[1] Her assassination during the campaign is butterflied
[2] IOTL Iain was removed shortly after the conference.
[3] Real comment
[4] Also real comment
[!] the final part of the UK catchup will be out very soon, PS thanks to those that voted for this TL.
Great stuff! It was a pleasure giving you my vote, you certainly earned it.
Honestly, if ITTL’s Blair retired ahead of or shortly after a 2005/06 general election, he’s retiring as one of the most impactful PMs of British history and majorly undoes one of the important policies of the Thatcher years. Definitely a different reputation than his OTL one
Honestly, if ITTL’s Blair retired ahead of or shortly after a 2005/06 general election, he’s retiring as one of the most impactful PMs of British history and majorly undoes one of the important policies of the Thatcher years. Definitely a different reputation than his OTL one
So, the United Kingdom is gonna ditch the Pound Sterling for the Euro? I think that could turn out to be either a very good or a very bad idea for the UK to do, whether or not the Euro remains strong throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
I do have a question to ask you, Iwanh. Since the referendum narrowly passed to bring the Euro to the UK, how long is going to take before the Pound gets withdrawn from service?
Anyway, this was a interesting update!
Several years, probably 2007, barring any unforeseen circumstances