IOTL, he narrowly lost to Ted Heath in 1965? WI he won, or Powell supported Maudling? Effects on UK politics, Mrs. Thatcher, etc.
No UK entry into the common market thats for sure. Might see a reintroduction of capital punishment and also a definitive pro-unionist stance in Northern Ireland, perhaps no direct rule.
?? Maudling was not substantially different in almost all of the major areas from Heath; to portray him as some sort of arch, right-wing figure is absolutely mistaken. In fact at the time of '65 Heath was probably regarded as the more right-wing.
Maudling made a bit of a mess of Northern Ireland not because he was some sort of ultra-unionist, but simply because he never understood it as a policy area, and with his laid-back approach to things, never did - ironically, with Maudling not as Home Sec. things will probably go a lot better than OTL, particularly if Hailsham gets the gig. (Assuming Maudling can win in 1970)
On Europe, I would agree, but largely because Maudling simply treat the issue with benevolent neglect by the late sixties/early seventies, rather than voicferous opposition. Without the personal impact of Heath-Pompidou, I suspect we would stay out.
Possible career divergence here in respect of Powell, but I'll have to read up on that and come back.
Very true V-J. I would argue that Maudling had the potential to be a more effective PM than Heath, he was far more charismatic and media-savvy. However, his problem was that he lacked the drive and determination that the Premiership demands. He was thought by many to be too lazy to be effective enough for the role.