I always liked dogger bank trawler as we in the sdp affectionately referred to him
Unsafe Foundations. A British 1970s Timeline
- Thread starter nezza
- Start date
"Crossing the floor is as far as MP's are concerned tantamount to treason. Some of the most famous or infamous MP's have made their mark by doing so Churchill and Mosley to name but two. To physically get up and walk across is rare.
I was in the chamber on the day that Brocklebank-Fowler appeared and went to sit on the Liberal benches for the first time. He was flanked by David Penhaligon and Jeremy Thorpe. The liberals cheered wildly while the Conservatives and Unionist parties sat in stony silence whilst Labour and the smaller parties watched impassively.
I remember looking at Margaret Thatcher's face. She was white with rage. If looks could kill..."
Cole, 1995
I was in the chamber on the day that Brocklebank-Fowler appeared and went to sit on the Liberal benches for the first time. He was flanked by David Penhaligon and Jeremy Thorpe. The liberals cheered wildly while the Conservatives and Unionist parties sat in stony silence whilst Labour and the smaller parties watched impassively.
I remember looking at Margaret Thatcher's face. She was white with rage. If looks could kill..."
Cole, 1995
Worst part is she herself should be disgusted by what the leadership has done. Whatever else she was she wasn't a Nazi and in any case she might be well positioned to take over the party when the government inevitably falls. I guess party loyalty trumped common sense?
(apologies for the delay)
"Chris was not a particularly good speaker but he was very determined to get his point across. In a press conference after his debut on the Liberal bench he and I spoke about our concerns about the way in which the Tories were moving to what would now be considered the 'new right' but in 1979 such labels didn't exist.
I carried Chris though most of the conference but it was his remark at the end that electrified the conference and I remember it still. With Chris' permission I have written what he said below:
'What I did I did for my country. What I did I did for my family, what I did I did for my people. What I did I did for democracy"
(Steel 1999)
"Chris was not a particularly good speaker but he was very determined to get his point across. In a press conference after his debut on the Liberal bench he and I spoke about our concerns about the way in which the Tories were moving to what would now be considered the 'new right' but in 1979 such labels didn't exist.
I carried Chris though most of the conference but it was his remark at the end that electrified the conference and I remember it still. With Chris' permission I have written what he said below:
'What I did I did for my country. What I did I did for my family, what I did I did for my people. What I did I did for democracy"
(Steel 1999)
"For democracy. Two little words but with an impact many of us at the time failed to realise at the time and some of us still have difficulty comprehending it's full power now. Fowler's peroration made the papers the following morning but it was my former paper The Guardian that put it best
'For Democracy. For All of Us'
(Cole 1995)
'For Democracy. For All of Us'
(Cole 1995)
Defeat after defeat, vote of no confidence. Our little junta tries to keep power by force, Lizzy personally tells the military, "Execute Order 66!" Well no but I assume she would use her position to get support for the sane parties to take over and then an emergency election.
Queen turns to a General:
"Right enough of this, every Tory is now an enemy of the kingdom, execute Order 66!"
"It shall be done your majesty,"
More seriously Liz is going to have a real crisis here. Unlike RL this is a real moral problem, especially as poroguetion is probably only intended to stop a VNC.
"People have asked me why it happened? It had never happened before. There was a long standing convention that the monarch never got involved in political affairs but my theory is that the Queen wasn't thinking about politics, she was thinking about the people. The news that not only had she declined Joseph's request for a prorogation but had ordered the principal party leaders to Buckingham Palace for a crisis summit was announced at midday on the 22nd of October 1979 and convulsed the country"
(John Cole, As It Seemed To Me, 1995)
(John Cole, As It Seemed To Me, 1995)
That week was incredible. When the Queen decided to order us to Buckingham Palace for talks the following week we had to prepare as hard as we could. I along with Healey and Joseph would be in the Queen's study at the same time and basically be told by the Queen that the country was in dire straits and that things needed to be sorted out and quickly...
(Steel, 1999)
(Steel, 1999)
Discussions: Day 1
Those Present
Her Majesty The Queen. Keith Joseph, Denis Healey, David Steel and Sir Philip Moore(*)
HM: Gentlemen. You have been summoned here because the country is facing its direst crisis since the end of the war. The current parliamentary situation is unsatisfactory and must be rectified. The nation requires it. Prime Minister, you sought permission for me to porogue parliament for 4 weeks. Why?
KJ: I sought a 4 week porogument to prepare for a new parliamentary session your majesty.
HM and yet your predecessors have sought porogument for a few days. Why 4 weeks?
KJ: Your majesty I am aware of the current parliamentary situation and was prepared to discuss matters with the other party leaders.
HM: Mr Healey, is this correct?
DH: I have not heard of this until just now Ma'am
HM:Mr Steel?
DS: Like Mr Healey I have only just heard of this proposal Your Majesty
HM: Prime Minister: I cannot understand the logic of seeking a porogument of Parliament for such a quite frankly extreme period of time when such talks as the ones you spoke of can be held while parliament is still sitting.
DH: If I may Your Majesty. Mr Steel and myself have discussed this privately and have jointly come to the conclusion that the Prime Minister has attempted to use the porogation attempt to effective silence parliament and worse yet bring the crown, your majesty into the political sphere. A quite disgusting act.
(*Queen's Personal Secretary 1977 to 1986 IOTL)
Those Present
Her Majesty The Queen. Keith Joseph, Denis Healey, David Steel and Sir Philip Moore(*)
HM: Gentlemen. You have been summoned here because the country is facing its direst crisis since the end of the war. The current parliamentary situation is unsatisfactory and must be rectified. The nation requires it. Prime Minister, you sought permission for me to porogue parliament for 4 weeks. Why?
KJ: I sought a 4 week porogument to prepare for a new parliamentary session your majesty.
HM and yet your predecessors have sought porogument for a few days. Why 4 weeks?
KJ: Your majesty I am aware of the current parliamentary situation and was prepared to discuss matters with the other party leaders.
HM: Mr Healey, is this correct?
DH: I have not heard of this until just now Ma'am
HM:Mr Steel?
DS: Like Mr Healey I have only just heard of this proposal Your Majesty
HM: Prime Minister: I cannot understand the logic of seeking a porogument of Parliament for such a quite frankly extreme period of time when such talks as the ones you spoke of can be held while parliament is still sitting.
DH: If I may Your Majesty. Mr Steel and myself have discussed this privately and have jointly come to the conclusion that the Prime Minister has attempted to use the porogation attempt to effective silence parliament and worse yet bring the crown, your majesty into the political sphere. A quite disgusting act.
(*Queen's Personal Secretary 1977 to 1986 IOTL)