WI: Coalition Goverment formed in February 1974?

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
The February General Election of 1974, called due to the collapse of the Heath Goverment, remains one of Alternate Histories more prominent British WI's. Following a fierce campaign from all sides, when the dust had settled and the votes counted, the results would stand at 297 Seats for the outgoing Heath Conservative Goverment, 301 for Harold Wilson's returning Labour, and 14 for Jeremy Thorpe's Liberals. With a hung Parliament and the need for a stable Goverment during a time of economic disruption, there was a great deal of speculation regarding a Coalition. Heath refused to step down, and entered negotiations to form a Coalition Goverment with Thorpe and the Liberals, with the intention of also bringing the UUP back in from the cold to fill out the needed 7 seats for a majority. Talks collapsed quickly over the issue of Electoral Reform, and Wilson would be invited to form a Minority Goverment. Later, in October, a second election would be called and saw Wilson bump up to a clear Majority.

This WI is not about a Conservative-Liberal-UUP Goverment. It is a WI that gets far more attention than it deserves, and when discussed often the reality of just how hated the idea was by the Liberal Party is glossed over, as are the issue between Conservatives and UUP.

Instead, I ask if it was possible for a Coalition between Labour, the Liberals, and the Scottish National Party (who won 5 seats and would have pushed the Lib-Lab into a majority) is possible, and what such a Goverment would looks like (alternatively the SNP simply offer Supply and Confidence). Or as with the Con-Lib-UUP Coalition is this simply pie in the sky thinking?
 
Okay - a number of thoughts here.

The problem with the Liberals was Jeremy Thorpe - his "activities" which would come to trial in 1977 and lead to his downfall, were known to the Security Services in 1974 and it's been alleged George Wigg briefed Wilson personally about Thorpe.

Thorpe was more inclined to the Conservatives whereas most of the Party weren't but hostility toward Labour from men like Cyril Smith was also strong. In addition, the Conservatives wouldn't move on electoral reform.

The SNP had won their seats from the Conservatives but saw Labour as the main threat especially in the central belt. The price of SNP support for labour would have been a devolution referendum (perhaps the same for Wales). As for the Ulster Unionists, they had issues with Labour going back to Callaghan's decision to bring troops into the province which they saw as flagrant interference in support of Catholics and Nationalists.

To clarify the numbers - the Liberals had 14 to which you can probably add Dick Taverne. The UUP had seven MPs but Vanguard had three and they were a more extreme loyalist group and of course there was Ian Paisley of the DUP so there were 11 Protestant MPs from Ulster with Gerry Fitt the sole SDLP MP.

So Labour had 301 plus Fitt - with the tacit support of the SNP (7) and Plaid (2) that equalled 310. Against you had Heath's Conservatives and the 11 Unionist MPs and that left 308 with the Liberals plus Taverne the remaining 15. It's hard to see the SNP, Plaid or Fitt wanting a formal Coalition or seats in a Wilson Cabinet.
 
A Lab-LIb-SNP alliance would have been highly unlikely. By late 1974 Thorpe's issues were known to the labour hierarchy.

A price for SNP and PC support would have been the creation of Parliaments for Cardiff and Edinburgh and some Labour MP's were against the notion.

The loyalists in Ulster would have wanted the Council of Ireland idea abolished.
 
Unionists over here of a variety of persuasions were rather pissed off with Heath over Sunningdale and Stormont; and would be unlikely to give him support - despite their shared history and similar beliefs on many issues.
 
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