TLIAD: Thatcherism Stillborn

Techdread

Techdread

Clarke was pleased to see his opponents in Labour and the Liberals had fallen down following his successful election. Although he could admire and appreciate their work, he knew it would be a new time for him and his party. What he hadn’t considered was that the work to be done following their winning the election would not be done by Kenneth Clarke. As several key components within the party were prepared for their coup, unwelcome news was being broadcast across the world; the Prime Minister Kenneth Clarke had suffered a fatal heart-attack. The nation went into mourning for a Prime Minister it hardly had a chance to know. Deputy Party Leader Iain Duncan Smith became Acting Prime Minister in the meantime until the leadership election that had been plotted could get underway.

As many would have thought, Michael Portillo was the first name to be put forward in the nominations. An unexpected announcement was Duncan Smith’s declination to stand for leader – it would have been thought by appearing as Acting Prime Minister, he would have been able to gain experience for the role and thereby increase his likelihood of election. Michael Howard; Health Secretary, and Malcolm Rifkind; Defence Secretary, were the only other politicians to nominate themselves. When later asked why they didn’t run, several politicians claimed that it didn’t feel right that they’d been prepared to ‘stab Ken in the back just before he passed away – the guilt would have been overwhelming.’

The guilt didn’t seem to affect the campaign though; all three would claim to be the best for the party and only seemed to differ in certain aspects of their policies. Whilst Portillo sought to bring Britain into a new age of trade and industry through greater international links, Howard sought to create himself as the new Heseltine and carry on with his policies of lowering taxes on businesses whilst privatising unsuccessful components of the state-owned companies. Rifkind, on the other hand, focussed mainly on changing foreign policy to bring Britain back as a ruling and influential power in Europe and the world. The ballots told the rest of the story.

malcolmRifkind.jpg

2006 Conservative Party Leadership Election Results
First Ballot
Michael Portillo – 38.7%
Malcolm Rifkind – 31.5%
Michael Howard – 29.8%​

Second Ballot
Malcolm Rifkind – 56.9%
Michael Portillo – 43.1%​
 
Techdread

Techdread

By the time the next general election came along, the world had been radically changed. The Middle East had been through a series of uprisings against many of its long-term dictators, replacing them with everything from secular democracies, military dictatorships, Islamic republics, etc. Despite the United States and Eurasian Union being nominal allies and the Cold War ending, the two powers seemed eager to establish, or re-establish, warm relations with many of the Middle Eastern countries. Not willing to be outdone, the Balkan Federation collapsed on itself bringing with it a series of genocides and separatist wars that only ended once the European Union was brought in by Serbian attacks into Greek territory.

The chief architect in bringing about both a stable situation in the Middle East and the Balkans was Prime Minister Rifkind, who was eager to exploit the new possibilities of overseas projects with regimes that were fresh to the world and in need of financial and constructive aid. Whilst this did improve Britain’s economy, the public backlash of appearing as someone taking advantage of states that had been through the horrors of war and mass-slaughter fundamentally damaged the Conservative Party’s opinion in the polls. Labour was quick to the attack under Dennis Skinner, calling Rifkind a ‘neo-imperialist’ who would try to bring about war so that he would claim his own victory.

When information leaks that the Government had been funding various sides during the Iraqi and Libyan Civil Wars, it was the end of Rifkind’s time in government. The 2011 General Election was a disaster for the Conservatives; it was their greatest loss since 1945 and their second time in coming close to being replaced as the official Opposition party.

Rifkind would be replaced as Leader of the Conservative Party within the coming days, most likely by one of his own Cabinet that had battled against in the 2006 Leadership Election. The Liberals under Beith had done better than expected, affirming their position as a steady third option for the public to the seemingly reactionary Conservatives and leftist Labour. Dennis Skinner, dubbed by some to be a real tribute to Michael Foot, had seemingly devastated the Conservative Party and thoroughly discredited it – socialism, it seemed, would be here to stay for some time.

dennis-skinner_1413619c.jpg

2011
Subsequent Prime Minister: Dennis Skinner
Government: Labour Majority​


alt Fin​
 
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Whanztastic

Am I the only one who would like to see an ASB alt-ending where Clegg rises from the ashes to lead Lib to their very first majority? :)

Very nice mini-TL! Well balanced.
 
Techdread

Techdread

Whanztastic said:
Am I the only one who would like to see an ASB alt-ending where Clegg rises from the ashes to lead Lib to their very first majority? :)

Very nice mini-TL! Well balanced.
Click to expand...

Ask, and ye shall receive...

(I'm considering the alternate ending with Skinner, Rifkind and Beith to be the main canon for this.)

There weren’t many people who’d have thought that the British political system could change so much in so little time. Following the assassination of Dennis Skinner by a right-wing extremist, the Labour Party took a sharp swing to the hard Left. Left out in the cold for decades, Tony Blair finally achieved his dream of becoming the Leader of the Labour Party and began to turn it into a true party of the workers and the unions. His proposal to nationalise all industry whilst eliminating the House of Lords and replacing it with an elected upper house was met with great hostility within the Labour Party. Some likened it to when the late Michael Foot first took office and the subsequent split from the SDP. As if history was repeating itself, it returned and in greater numbers.

It would be far easier for historians to claim that the left of the Labour Party broke off leaving the remainder to reform, however the accuracy of the events would be the reverse. Daniel Finkelstein, amongst other moderate and liberals in the party, left Labour in 2003, reforming the Social Democratic Party. The only remnants of Labour were the former hard Left, now governing the newly titled Socialist Labour Party. The SDP, aware that like all new parties would be almost impossible to form any kind of governing majority, sought out its historic partner in the Liberal Party to form an electoral alliance.

Beith was not keen on the prospect of having any form of alliance with the remnants of a remotely left-wing party, whilst the idealist left-wing faction and the realists saw it as a possibility of forming a government come the next general election. Following a leadership election that saw the young Nick Clegg as the new Liberal Party Leader, the New SDP-Liberal Alliance was forged.

The military action and state-sponsored terrorism of Rifkind would shake the Conservative Party to its core when the 2011 General Election was made. The party had lost its way many thought, with large swathes defecting to the Liberal Party, in turn making the Liberals the larger partner in the New Alliance. By the time the election was over, the Socialist Labour Party had become a third party of hardcore Marxists led by a delusional man, the Conservatives were lost seeking out a new leader from the right-wing warmonger they’d previously elected, and the New Alliance, led by the Liberal Party had secured a landslide majority.

nick_clegg45-377238.jpg

2011
Subsequent Prime Minister: Nick Clegg
Government: SDP-Liberal Alliance Majority​
 
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Turquoise Blue

Turquoise Blue

Do one where the Greens explode on the scene after a few elections, please. :D (No need to do the elections individually, just pack it all in one post.)
 
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