Lord Halifax Becomes PM After Chamberlain Is Forced Out.

Chamberlain was forced out because the British labour refused to continue in government, if he remained. At the subsequent Tory gathering it was assumed that his foreign secretary and supporter of appeasement, Lord Halifax aka Ed Wood (no not the famous transvestite), would become PM. there was a tour de table at the meeting and Churchill was asked if he favoured this and supposedly having been advised by his 'Mandy', Irishman Brendan Bracken, he remained silent for 2 minutes, which in some quarters became known as the silence which saved britain. Halifax then said he could not be PM from the house of Lords and Winston became PM. What would have happened had Ed Wood become PM, was Churchill's silence the silence that saved Britain? He was retained as foreign Secretary for a while to maintain a show of unity but eventually packed off to Washington IOTL.
 
He was a Lord ergo he could not have defended his own policy/ideas in the parliament ...

no sense at all
 
He was a Lord ergo he could not have defended his own policy/ideas in the parliament ...

Sure he could, he's a peer so he could do it in the Lords, and a nominated Cabinet Minister (Attlee, I suppose) would speak for him in the Commons. It's not exactly an unusual arrangement.

As for the PoD itself, I'd be astonished if it took Britain out of the war. There were no conditions Hitler was likely to offer that were acceptable (he's not going to withdraw from France and the Low Countries, for example), so if negotiation happens, it'll be desultory and not realy go anywhere. In the long term, we lose an awful lot of good speeches, and there's scope for somebody (god knows who, though), to do a Lloyd George on him in time for D-Day etc. Ahh, have Christabel Pankhurst win that Westminster by-election and still be around in the politcal wilderness to step into the breach- "I am but a weak and feeble woman" and all that. Himmler can burn her at the stake after she leads the invasion of Normandy and gets captured by some treacherous Vichy types.

Actually, a TL where Halifax is PM and Britain doesn't just meekly roll over would be quite fun. God knows the Halifax=surrender meme is a dull one.
 
Chamberlain was forced out because the British labour refused to continue in government, if he remained. At the subsequent Tory gathering it was assumed that his foreign secretary and supporter of appeasement, Lord Halifax aka Ed Wood (no not the famous transvestite), would become PM. there was a tour de table at the meeting and Churchill was asked if he favoured this and supposedly having been advised by his 'Mandy', Irishman Brendan Bracken, he remained silent for 2 minutes, which in some quarters became known as the silence which saved britain. Halifax then said he could not be PM from the house of Lords and Winston became PM. What would have happened had Ed Wood become PM, was Churchill's silence the silence that saved Britain? He was retained as foreign Secretary for a while to maintain a show of unity but eventually packed off to Washington IOTL.

Halifax sign a white peace with the Nazi and for this Great Britain is booted out of the commonwealth. The USA begin the preparation for an European war and decide to not be interested in the fate of China and leave Japan alone (later even if the japanese will win the war on Chinese soil they will become assimilated by their culture).
Germany goes to invade the URSS and this time the USA send troops (almost 1 million and a half of men) supplied by Vladivostock and the Trans-siberian railway.
The Germans reach Moscow were Stalin is killed and Zuchov take power and gradually phase out communism.
By 1948 the american launch an intercontinental attack with bomber armed with conventional weapons and at least 200 atomic bomb and destroy totally Germany.
Europe is devastated by famine and looting by the Germans, East-europe is the recipient of the Marshall plan and in the end is better than OTL even with the nazi warlord that for at least 10 years after the end of the war try to set up in european russia and other occupied territory.
 
Actually, a TL where Halifax is PM and Britain doesn't just meekly roll over would be quite fun. God knows the Halifax=surrender meme is a dull one.

I wonder if it could end up a better world. Someone without Churchill's loathsome views on India, for instance...
 
I did one along these lines, this is the link.... Albiet he does sign a temporary truce, Hitler ends up getting squished. Not that its saying much, but its the best I've written.

Ahh, thanks- I'll have a read.


I wonder if it could end up a better world. Someone without Churchill's loathsome views on India, for instance...

Quite. And in military terms too, I can't help but think that the British war effort would be slightly more competent, if less bombastic, without some of Churchill's more quixotic schemes. Take the Balkan front; Halifax is definitely cold-blooded enough to abandon the Greeks to their fate and let Wavell finish the job in the Western Desert.

What to do with Churchill though? Ah yes, there's a vacant spot at the Embassy in Washington DC, isn't there...
 
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