WI: Margaret Thatcher doesn't develop dementia

Would the Iron Lady continue to have an impact, in one way or another, upon the politics of the UK if she didn't develop the condition?
 
Well, in 1997 and 2001, she endorsed Hague and Duncan Smith, which was certainly a factor in their election, but she didn't endorse a candidate in 2005. Say she did--who does she endorse? David Davis? Possibly, but that probably doesn't change the outcome, given the scale of Cameron's victory. More interesting might be if she endorses Liam Fox--apparently, he was the candidate the Cameron team were worried about getting into the final round, and he was only six votes behind Davis in the second round. A Maggie endorsement could be endorse to make the popular vote round Cameron vs Fox.

I'm really not sure whether Fox can beat Cameron, but I'd expect him to do better than Davis--Cameron and Fox both have a populist streak to them that Davis really doesn't. But I'd say he has a chance.
 
I'm not sure she'd endorse - and it's worth pointing out that that rather throaty, rather American term doesn't convey the fairly low-key, front porch support she gave to Hague and IDS - anyone in 2005, certainly not in the early rounds. She only backed Hague when it looked like a Clarke bandwagon might be rumbling, and only backed IDS once it had got to the membership ballot.

I suspect the most likely outcome in 2005 is that she stays quiet for the full duration. One of the campaigns may do what Portillo partisans did in 2001 and claim her support without having it, forcing a clarification at some point, but I doubt it. None of the 2005 campaigns were as crap as the 2001 Portillo one.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure she'd endorse - and it's worth pointing out that that rather throaty, rather American term doesn't convey the fairly low-key, front porch support she gave to Hague and IDS - anyone in 2005, certainly not in the early rounds. She only backed Hague when it looked like a Clarke bandwagon might be rumbling, and only back IDS once it had got to the membership ballot.

I suspect the most likely outcome in 2005 is that she stays quiet for the full duration.

Ah, fair enough. My only knowledge about those elections (when I was 5 and 9) is from Portillo's documentary-thing, where he's a little bit obsessed with who Maggie endorses each time.

Tbh, I think you're right, but now I'm wracking my brains for something that might be different if Thatcher continues speechifying, and I've got nothing...
 
It depends on if there's butterflies, but if all goes as per OTL I can't see her exiting standard PM retirement mode. She was still politically in heat until about the time of Maastricht, but after that she was well in the background for the rest of the nineties, very much in standard elder statesman mode.

Of course, if we get, say, a Euro entry referendum due to butteflies, then you can bet your bottom dollar she'd say something.
 
Top