Harrold Wilson versus Thatcher

WI Harrold Wilson had kept his health and decided to stay on as Prime Minister, He was barely 60 when he retired in OTL but we later found out he had alzheimers. (not clear when that was diagnosed)

My guess is that he tell Healey not to be so pig headed about squeezing wages in 78. This could prevent the Winter of discontent

Truth to tell I still think that woman wins but I also think it would be closer.

Any other guesses?
 
WI Harrold Wilson had kept his health and decided to stay on as Prime Minister, He was barely 60 when he retired in OTL but we later found out he had alzheimers. (not clear when that was diagnosed)

My guess is that he tell Healey not to be so pig headed about squeezing wages in 78. This could prevent the Winter of discontent

Truth to tell I still think that woman wins but I also think it would be closer.

Any other guesses?

I think Thatcher would win slimly in '79.

If the Falklands still happened she would win a second but probably not third term.
If the Falklands didn't then she would lose.
 
He might have had the skill to call an election in 1978 which he would probably win, then retire.

Yes I think this is most likely the situation. Likewise I think he was a more skilful politician and I think he would call it early and win.
 
Yeah, I suspect Wilson would have gone for (and formed policy, what little there would be, completely around) a last hurrah in 1978, and then promptly left Healey to pick up the mess a year or two later. Wilson knew he was politically and intellectually exhausted by the time he retired, which isn't going to change even if his mental powers remain intact.
 
Labour was going to lose in 1979 no matter what.

Wilson had been elected in 1974 to negotiate the best surrender terms he could with the miners, which he did, but the problem of militant unions remained and Wilson had no answers (his best effort, In Place of Strife, had been torpedoed by his own party in the 60s).

I don't remember much in the way of initiatives 1974-76. The chances were that things wouldn't have been much different under Wilson than they were under Callaghan. What would have happened is that a badly divided party would play out its five-year term, but Wilson would have had to step down for the next election -- basically taking the blame for everything bad that had happened since 1974 -- so that someone else could run as a guy with fresh ideas.
 
Top