Prime Minister Salmond

If Alex Salmond did not join the SNP in 1973 and instead joined the Labour Party, would he still rise as high? Let's say his personality and skills as a politician remain the same, would it be feasible for him to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?
 
The difficulty with asking how well a politician would have done in another party is that there way of working is often completely different. If Salmond were part of the Labour Party, and he did become an MP, then it is possible that he would toe the party line more and repeat the soundbites head office asked him too like most other New Labour politicians. Or he could be a relatively obscure left wing backbencher. Or, he could be as an MSP and still end up as First Minister of Scotland. If he were a Labour MP, I would say the likelihood is that he would not be as successful.

But it is still possible to see a route to the party leadership. He would probably need some kind of cabinet role before if he were to be PM. He might have a few frontbench jobs under Blair (but would have to vote against Iraq if he was going to become Labour leader in the future) and then be appointed to the cabinet under Brown. Or he could run for Deputy Leader as an anti New Labour candidate in 2007 and win. He runs for leader on a left wing platform in 2010 and wins. His charisma and his relative competence means that he is able to win over the PLP and the electorate in 2015, and thanks to the SNP being weaker in this TL, Labour emerges as the largest party in a hung parliament, and he becomes PM in either a coalition or a minority government.

Or, alternatively, if he were just a relatively well known left wing backbencher, like Diane Abbott, he could put his name forward in 2015. Since he, unlike Corbyn, actually wants the job from the outset, he does far better as Labour leader and the party establishes a lead in the polls.
 
Allegedly, his father turned to the SNP after a Labour canvasser cracked a rude joke about the party. Just have the canvasser be a little more restrained, and the family'll probably stick with Labour.
 
Last edited:
The son doesn't always follow the father. How many GOP veterans of ww2 wondered what the heck happened with their peacenik, longhaired hippy Democrat-leaning sons?
 
Would Salmond have joined Labour though? The SNP were once known as the Tartan Tories, and given his start in the 70s when they were still viable in Scotland, and nationalism's general hew to the right, he could just as easily been a Conservative.
 

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
Scotland votes leave and he is made Prime Minister of the transitional Goverment, before handing over to either Sturgeon or one of his other acolytes.

OR

Debbie Horton never tells him to "If you feel like that, go and join the bloody SNP" (which is generally credited as what triggered him joining the SNP) whilst he's at St. Andrews. Instead, Salmond ends up joining Labour, and whilst doubtful they'll give devolution to Scotland, is encouraged by the Scotland Act of '78 to stay in Labour. He doesn't become an MP immediately, and instead spends several years in a banking position, being picked up as a Parliamentary candidate in '83 or '87, or a by-election between them, becoming a vocal proponent of Scottish Devolution. He's eventually put into the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury after Brown is elevated to the Shadow Chancellery, with Blair eventually appointing him Shadow Secretary of Scotland (assuming Salmond doesn't disrupt the butterflys too much). Labour wins, and Brown ultimetly leaves office following the loss of his daughter (assuming minimal butterflys and he still looses his daughter) and the breakdown of him and Blair's relationship, with Salmond becoming tapped to become Blair's successor. Blair eventually decides to step down, Salmond facing off against Brown in a Leadership contest, Salmond prevailing and declared the victor, becoming Prime Minister.
 
Debbie Horton never tells him to "If you feel like that, go and join the bloody SNP" (which is generally credited as what triggered him joining the SNP) whilst he's at St. Andrews. Instead, Salmond ends up joining Labour, and whilst doubtful they'll give devolution to Scotland, is encouraged by the Scotland Act of '78 to stay in Labour. He doesn't become an MP immediately, and instead spends several years in a banking position, being picked up as a Parliamentary candidate in '83 or '87, or a by-election between them, becoming a vocal proponent of Scottish Devolution. He's eventually put into the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury after Brown is elevated to the Shadow Chancellery, with Blair eventually appointing him Shadow Secretary of Scotland (assuming Salmond doesn't disrupt the butterflys too much). Labour wins, and Brown ultimately leaves office following the loss of his daughter (assuming minimal butterflys and he still looses his daughter) and the breakdown of him and Blair's relationship, with Salmond becoming tapped to become Blair's successor. Blair eventually decides to step down, Salmond facing off against Brown in a Leadership contest, Salmond prevailing and declared the victor, becoming Prime Minister.

I doubt Blair would tap Salmond to be his successor, with his views (Scottish Independence aside) he would be on the hard left of the party. Blair would try and prevent him from reaching a position of power using everything in his power, as he did with the likes of Ken Livingstone and Michael Meacher. You'd probably need a Brown leadership for him to progress up the ranks to the point where he seems like a viable leadership candidate.
 
Salmond never joining the SNP is possible but unlikely. If he doesn't then postulate a more successful 1979 referendum campaign and perhaps Salmond stays a rising star of the new Scottish Assembly. By 1987 he is challenging for its leadership as the OTL high profile Scots (Smith, Brown, Dewar, Cook) stay in Westminster. The 1997 Labour commitment to Scotland now becomes closer to the "devo-max" proposals from 2014 which also pass.

Realising that further progress within the Labour Party for independence is unlikely under Blair he steps down as Labour leader in Scotland becomes an MP in 2001. Advocating an anti-war in Iraq (and indeed Afghanistan) stance his popularity in the party rises and together with Robin Cook leads a much stronger vote against the war in 2003 which include the bulk of the Scottish MPs (notable exceptions being Brown). A strong "Scotland said no" anti-war campaign leads to Brown narrowly losing his seat in the 2005 election to the father of a Scottish soldier killed in Iraq .

Tony Blair is facing increasing calls for his resignation in the face of the continuing debacle in Iraq and this leads to a leadership challenge in 2007. Salmond, Meacher and McDonnell agree on Salmond's candidacy against Blair not expecting to win but at least challenging Blair on his foreign policy record. Salmond unexpectedly gained enough support from the Scottish bloc of MPs to get him into the contest and despite the Murdoch press (or maybe because of it) supporting Blair he narrowly wins the challenge supported by the grass roots membership and the unions.

Salmond struggles through the crash of 2008 and continues as leader of a co-alition government with the Liberals in 2010. He "reluctantly" agrees to a full independence vote in Scotland in 2014. He resigns his position as PM prior to the campaign beginning in 2014 making it clear that he cannot in good faith continue as PM whilst supporting Scottish independence. The referendum passes by a margin of 55-45%. The Tories sweep to victory in the UK election in 2015 on the back of this and Labour's disarray in the rest of the UK but in Scotland Labour retains it hold on power (think Wales as OTL) and Salmond stands for election in the Scottish Assembly elections of 2016 and shortly after is elected as leader of the Scottish Labour Party. With the rest of the UK voting to leave the EU in the Tory backed referendum, Salmond is the first Prime Minister of an independent Scotland in 2017.

(God that was hard to write, sounds like my worst nightmare)
 
Top