So, part of the problem with the British Commonwealth as constituted under the Instruments of Government was that the position of Lord Protector had no clear successor. The Lord Protector could nominate anyone he wanted, but Oliver Cromwell steadfastly refused to do so publicly. His son Richard rose to the position after his death, but was wholly unequal to the task of managing the country's factions, and the Restoration commenced not long after.
But what if the IoG had required the Lord Protector to pick a successor immediately, and for that successor to have a seat on the Council of State? Could that person be in a better position to hold the Commonwealth together, at least until the Restoration was firmly scotched as a possibility in, say, 30 to 40 years? And who could that person be?
1. Richard Cromwell: the most obvious candidate, though flawed for reasons obvious to us. Perhaps with time in government as vice Lord Protector he could rise to the occasion?
2. Charles Fleetwood: Related by marriage to the Cromwells, and a respected military officer. Unlikely to make many friends in Parliament.
3. John Lambert: As the author of the Instruments of Government, he would be an even more ardent defender of its clauses about power sharing than Cromwell was, but may lack the flexibility in the face of Parliamentary demands to keep things from going the OTL route.
4. George Monck: A friend of Oliver's, a respected commander, and pragmatic politician. Might be the best bet, though I don't know enough about his relations with the other factions of Government to know if he could manage them.
Any thoughts on who would be the best bet for the post of Vice Lord Protector? Or if such a post was even acceptable to various factions?