Heath Holds On

Act VIII-Heath's Choice Part 1

30th March 1974

Downing Street

Whitelaw and another man entered the Cabinet Room:

"This is Commander Winters of Special Branch"

"Sit down gentlemen" said Heath

"Prime Minister, 2 days ago Mr Ian Paisley received an audio cassette with an anonymous letter. The letter contained allegations about Mr Thorpe" opened Winters

"What kind of allegations"

"Allegations of conspiracy to commit murder"

"What" exploded Heath

Winters produced a cassette player and pressed play

The tape lasted for 15 minutes and contained the phrase

"Jeremy said to me that Scott was out to ruin his life and that he had to be dealt with. I asked how and he said 'killing him'

The tape ended and silence reigned.

Winters handed the letter over to Heath

"Dear Mr Paisley

My identity isn't important but what I have to say to you is. I am an associate of a man called Peter Bessell who is in turn a friend of Mr Thorpe.

Mr Thorpe is a secret homosexual who had a brief affair with an man called Norman Scott. Scott has harassed Thorpe since then. This tape is an audio recording by myself of Bessell speaking about Thorpe's intention to have Scott killed.

Please pass this on to the necessary authorities"
 
Act IX-Heath's Choice Part 2

Stormont

31st March 1974

The loudspeakers rang out the tape recording of Bessell's damning of Thorpe. Hundreds of people listened open mouthed and angry. Paisley had already shocked the crowd by reading out the letter. He had sent a copy of the tape and the letter to Special Branch. There was no way he was going to let this disappear.

As the tape ended Paisley stood up:

"Oh god we call on your divine wisdom and strength to save our people from this evil sodomite. Let he be cast out into the wilderness and may his poison and deviance be struck from our land. Amen"
 
Paisley was certainly a firebrand yet he did seem to have the respect of many people. Whether or not he would have behaved this way in real life is unknown but based on my knowledge he would have been aghast at dealing with someone he would have regarded with disdain.
 
Act X-Catastrophe

2nd April

"This is BBC Radio 4. We interrupt this programme with a newsflash. The body of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mr Jeremy Thorpe has been found in his car in Devon. The exact cause of death is unclear at the moment but early indications are he committed suicide. We will bring you more news at 1 PM"
 
"This is BBC Radio 4. We interrupt this programme with a newsflash. The body of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mr Jeremy Thorpe has been found in his car in Devon. The exact cause of death is unclear at the moment but early indications are he committed suicide. We will bring you more news at 1 PM"

I imagine the conspiracy theories about this will be legion...

Very interested to see where you take this TL nezza. Good luck muse wrestling!

fasquardon
 
Act XI-Reqiuem

The fallout from Thorpe's death was immediate and dramatic. Heath made a somewhat stiff speech in the Commons praising Thorpe as a great parliamentarian and patriot and mourned his passing.

Callaghan said he was a intelligent thoughtful debater and unique MP.

For the Liberals an emotional David Steel called him irreplaceable.

Gerry Fit speaking for all the pro-sunningdale MP's said Thorpe was a warm human being who didn't judge or castigate.

Paisley lamented a noble politician.
 
Act XII-Fallout

Thorpe's death led to a brief lull in the political temperature. He was awarded a full state funeral and a rare consensus in the political elite.

During this period Heath and Steel who had become acting Liberal leader tried to find a way of keeping the government alive.

The problem was Thorpe was the glue who held the government together. Without him the cohesion, what little there was started to come undone.

The Liberals were naturally shaken by Thorpe's death and initially wanted to keep going. Some right wing Tories however believed that the whole affair had damaged the government and made it clear to Heath that further co-operation with the Liberals would make things worse.

Likewise Paisley and his colleagues felt that the next Ulster Secretary should be from the Tories.

The arguments between the Liberals and the Tory/Unionist right wing led inevitably to Steel cancelling the coalition fearing for the Liberals future.

Paisley offered a deal to Heath. If he would suspend the executive at Stormont and re-establish direct rule then UUP, DUP and Vanguard would support the government.

Heath refused saying he would not allow the country to be held to ransom again as he stated in February.

Heath went to the Queen and asked for a dissolution. The election that took place in September 1974 was a foregone conclusion.

The country, sick of weak government, industrial strife and the troubles in Ulster returned Labour to power with a majority of 7 making Callaghan Prime Minister

The tories and the Liberals lost seats and the pro-sunningdale parties were wiped out.

The new Labour Government's first move was to re-impose direct rule. Callaghan made Merlyn Rees Ulster Political Secretary and Roy Mason Ulster Security Secretary.

The Conservative leadership election in February 1975 was won by Keith Joseph

Norman Scott disappeared.


There are no winners in this story. Heath did outlast Wilson but fell in spectacular circumstances.

Thorpe achieved his dream of the Liberals in power but paid the ultimate price

Ulster lost another chance of peace

“I desire the things that will destroy me in the end.”-Silvia Plath

THE END


 
I liked it. I wrote a very similar TL starting at a similar time, but with a different POD, but it had many of the same effects. My TLIAW went on to 2015 though, and ended up even darker...
 
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