alternatehistory.com

In 1994 John Smith the Leader of the opposition Labour Party died. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were contenders for the leadership with Blair the favourite. In the infamous Granita restaurant meeting they struck a deal that was to influence British Politics to the present day.

In return for Brown not standing against him, Blair would grant Brown complete autonomy over the economy and make him his nominated successor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granita_(restaurant)

The rest is history: Blair became PM with Brown as his Chancellor. He served 2 terms and was unseated by Brown during the third as he became unpopular over the Iraq war.

In the book Gordon Brown Prime Minister by Tom Bowyer

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gordon-Brown-Prime-Minister-Bower/dp/000725962X (not an endorsement of Amazon just somewhere to illustrate the book)

The author in quite a balanced book reveals that Gordon Browns Primary purpose while in office was to build an Empire within Whitehall that had as its purpose the thwarting of Blair's ambitions with the ultimate goal of Brown taking his place.

Primarily

1. He opposed Public Sector reform. He increased Budgets which we know did produce a small improvement in services but nothing like in proportion to the vast resources committed.

2. He opposed Frank Fields welfare reform program and replaced it with his own Working Family Tax Credits: a system that is now widely discredited as being ineffective.

3. He opposed the Euro, not on economic grounds, but because Blair wanted the legacy of taking the UK into a common currency.

The irony is that Blair did not need to make the Granita deal. The Labour Party knew what side its bread was buttered, and Blair would have romped home in the election as he did in OTL regardless of Brown's contention.

So what would have been different if Brown was relegated to a bit part instead of the co-leading actor who was continuously trying to steal the show?

Would Blair have triumphed in the Public Sector and be regarded as the successor to Thatcher who finally made Public sector plc and the NHS, in particular, workable? Or would he still not have the support within his own party to continue reform?

Would he have taken us into the Euro and subjected us to all the early turbulence?

In OTL Blair was not brought down by the Economy which succeeded by good luck rather than the efforts of his Chancellor. His support for the Iraq finished him and I think the absence of Brown would not have affected this. I do however think that Public Services in the UK would be much improved without Blair giving up so much power to Brown. Brown would also not be PM.

What do others think?
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