alternatehistory.com

Spun out of Eyes turned Skywards, with a larger overall goal.

From wikipedia...

Quote:
On 24 January 1968, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced its decision, reaffirmed in March 1971 by Prime Minister Edward Heath to end the treaty relationships with the seven trucial sheikhdoms which had been, together with Bahrain and Qatar, under British protection. Days after the announcement, the ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, fearing vulnerability, tried to persuade the British to honour the protection treaties by providing the full costs of keeping the British Armed Forces in the Emirates.

(that would be POD. Let's start a "special relationship" from this point)

Not only did the British Labour government rebuff the offer, it did so in a way that offended the Emirati rulers.[33] After Labour MP Goronwy Roberts informed Sheikh Zayed of the news of British withdrawal, the nine Gulf sheikhdoms attempted to form a union of Arab emirates, but by mid-1971 they were still unable to agree on terms of union even though the British treaty relationship was to expire in December of that year.[34] Bahrain became independent in August, and Qatar in September 1971. When the British-Trucial Sheikhdoms treaty expired on December 1, 1971, they became fully independent.[35] The rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai decided to form a union between their two emirates independently, prepare a constitution, then call the rulers of the other five emirates to a meeting and offer them the opportunity to join. It was also agreed between the two that the constitution be written by December 2, 1971.[36] On that date, at the Dubai Guesthouse Palace, four other emirates agreed to enter into a union called the United Arab Emirates. Ras al-Khaimah joined later, in early 1972.[37][38]
What if that arrangement worked - and then, the UAE did the same for the British space program ? Notably the diminutive Black Arrow ?

Man, that would be fun. British rockets launched from Somalia with UAE money... :) I like this.
We should have a dedicated TL for that.

After 1945 the United Kingdom was nearly broke, and that's a shame, because their aerospace industry still had a lot of interesting things to offer.
I don't believe a Commonwealth space program was doable, simply because Commonwealth is too loose of an entity.
Instead here's an alternative; what about UAE oil ? what about a special relationship with massive influx of petrodollars to "rejenuvate" the United Kingdom ?
(admittedly, the 1971 UAE were not comparable to today's megalomaniac Emirates. Still, they were already exporting oil, the nerve of war).

Let's take the example of the space program. After the Europa fiasco they were no less than seven Blue Streak left (F12 to F18).
It would be fun to have Great Britain continuing his space program indendepently from the rest of Europe - thanks to UAE funding, with a launch pad in Somalia.

What do you think ?
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