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alternatehistory.com
The sight of these two British Prime Ministers inspires warm feelings in politicians of all stripes, though for some it is the warmth of nostalgia, and others the heat of rage. For many, it demonstrates the stability and pluralism that the Democratic Party of Great Britain has brought since its formation in 1960. Harold MacMillan and his successor Harold Wilson began their careers as political rivals, but ended up working hand-in-glove to fix a damaged Britain. For the voters that have repeatedly returned the Democratic Party to office, Wilson and MacMillan were architects of the Third Way, or the Better Way as it was labelled by SuperMac. For others, including the hardline left and equally uncompromising nativist right, it demonstrates the smug, centrist consensus that has left an increasing number of the British electorate unrepresented. Of course, history does not lie, and the Democratic Party has governed Britain, often with large majorities, for over sixty years, with only two short-lived governments being formed that have not reflected the "broad centre of public opinion", in the words of controversial former PM Edward Heath.
As a fresh new Democratic Party leader prepares to take the helm, this retrospective will examine the formation of the Democratic Party, its early success, then the intense intercine strife of the 1970s, which allowed the Socialist Government of 1979 to briefly threaten the stability built by MacMillan and Wilson all those years ago. Perhaps the incoming Prime Minister-Britain's first from a minority background-can learn something from the history of his party and the different men who have led it as he faces a renewed threat from the recently constituted National People's Party.
The "White Heat" of the 1960s industrial revolution, the oil shock and European battles of the 1970s, the 1980s battles with the unions, the relative calm of the 1990s and 2000s, and the recent National Coalition have all made British politics what they are today-stable, but with lingering doubts. It is these doubts that James Cleverly must confront, to ensure his premiership is a successful one.