Lilitou's Liminal Letterbox

[Time Enough]

1994-2004: Bryan Gould (Labour)
1994 (Majority), def: Keith Joseph (Conservative), David Steel/Jean Lambert (Alliance 90), John Swinney (SNP), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru), John Hume (SDLP)
1998 (Majority), def: Michael Portillo (Conservative), Alan Beith/Jean Lambert (Alliance 90), Alex Salmond (SNP), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru), John Hume (SDLP)
2002 (Minority, support from Alliance 90), def: Liam Fox (Conservative), Paddy Ashdown/Caroline Lucas (Alliance 90), Alex Salmond (SNP), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru), John Hume (SDLP)

 

[Lilitou]

View attachment 42316

Just for you, I can share the map of his 1994 landslide x

 

[Time Enough]

Just for you, I can share the map of his 1994 landslide x

View attachment 42317

That’s good stuff there. A thing that should be mentioned is that Gould following Shore is something I heartily endorse as the ‘good option’.

The bad option is Jack Straw/David Blunkett.

 

[Lilitou]

That’s good stuff there. A thing that should be mentioned is that Gould following Shore is something I heartily endorse as the ‘good option’.

The bad option is Jack Straw/David Blunkett.

Ahaha, yes. This is the Euroverse, so Shore & Gould's unique brands of broadly Eurosceptic democratic socialism play well with the UK, which is wary of the federalisation occurring to the south. Eventually things cool off but that side of the party certainly has its place in the Sun.

 

[Edmund]

Just for you, I can share the map of his 1994 landslide x

View attachment 42317

Labour South Staffordshire is a mood.

 

[Time Enough]

which is wary of the federalisation occurring to the south. Eventually things cool off but that side of the party certainly has its place in the Sun.

A thing to note with Gould, he was a fairly passionate believer in Devolution and Decentralisation. So he would probably help bring about a more Federal Britain in a way...

 

[Lilitou]

A thing to note with Gould, he was a fairly passionate believer in Devolution and Decentralisation. So he would probably help bring about a more Federal Britain in a way...

Yep, this is what I have planned. Currently have Gould bringing that about, and also PR in his final term as per his deal with Alliance 90.

Ironically, of course, securing PR directly leads to the split of Alliance 90. No longer a need for them to campaign together, after all!

 

[Time Enough]

Yep, this is what I have planned. Currently have Gould bringing that about, and also PR in his final term as per his deal with Alliance 90.

Ironically, of course, securing PR directly leads to the split of Alliance 90. No longer a need for them to campaign together, after all!

Whilst interesting I think Gould would baulk at PR/MMP, he mentions in The Future of Socialism how whilst he supports devolved assemblies and councils he thinks PR is for the birds. However, you could have a Labour-Alliance 90 coalition with one of the prerequisites being Gould retire. He does and is replaced by the more Pro-PR/MMP but still firm Gouldite Peter Hain.

 

[Lilitou]

Whilst interesting I think Gould would baulk at PR/MMP, he mentions in The Future of Socialism how whilst he supports devolved assemblies and councils he thinks PR is for the birds. However, you could have a Labour-Alliance 90 coalition with one of the prerequisites being Gould retire. He does and is replaced by the more Pro-PR/MMP but still firm Gouldite Peter Hain.

Interesting, I was planning on having Hain as his (or Brown's) Chancellor, so it does work. Would Gould not be willing to institute PR (and yeah, it's likely AMS) to continue his govt at all?

 

[Time Enough]

Would Gould not be willing to institute PR (and yeah, it's likely AMS) to continue his govt at all?

Gould believed in decentralisation as a way to ensure healthy division of power and resources etc. but like Shore believed in the sanctity of Parliament, he also wasn’t particularly bothered in Lords reform either.

I think he came from Benn/Shore school of ‘FPTP is good for both instituting powerful Socialist Governments and ridding them when the time comes’.

 

[Lilitou]

Gould believed in decentralisation as a way to ensure healthy division of power and resources etc. but like Shore believed in the sanctity of Parliament, he also wasn’t particularly bothered in Lords reform either.

I think he came from Benn/Shore school of ‘FPTP is good for both instituting powerful Socialist Governments and ridding them when the time comes’.

Ah I see, thank you!

 

[Lilitou]

Ken's Living Stone
For the 9th HoS List Challenge; dedicated to @cikka, Ken's biggest fan.
​

List of Mayors of Greater London

2000-2003: Ken Livingstone (Independent)
2000 def: Steven Norris (Conservative), Frank Dobson (Labour), Susan Kramer (Liberal Democrats)
2003-2008: Ken Livingstone (Labour)
2004 def: Steven Norris (Conservative), Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrats), Frank Maloney (UKIP), Lindsey German (Respect), Julian Leppert (BNP), Darren Johnson (Greens)
2008-2012: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
2008 def: Ken Livingstone (Labour), Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrats), Siân Berry (Greens), Richard Barnbrook (BNP)
2012-2018: Ken Livingstone (Labour)
2012 def: Boris Johnson (Conservative), Jenny Jones (Greens), Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrats), Siobhan Benita (Independent)
2016 def: Rory Stewart (Conservative), Siân Berry (Greens), Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrats), Peter Whittle (UKIP), Sophie Walker (Women's Equality)
2018-2021: Ken Livingstone (Independent)
2021-pres: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
2021 def: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour), Siân Berry (Greens), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrats), Chris Williamson (Independent)

"As I had, uh, been communicating to you prior to my, uh, untimely interruption."

Sticking this in the workshop while I work on it; my future submission for the 9th HoS list challenge, "The Return". Well, I liked the prompt so much that I engineered a scenario with not one, but two returns!

Write-up coming soon.

 

[Time Enough]

Chris Williamson (Independent)

“But Chris, how can you become the Mayor of London when you live in Derbyshire?”
“Just watch me!”
*Revs his motorbike before crashing into concrete pillar*

 

[Lilitou]

“But Chris, how can you become the Mayor of London when you live in Derbyshire?”
“Just watch me!”
*Revs his motorbike before crashing into concrete pillar*

so long suckers! i rev up my motorcylce and create a huge cloud of smoke. when the cloud dissipates im lying completely dead on the pavement

 

[Lilitou]

Military Intelligence, Section 13, also known as the Department of Occult Intelligence or most commonly as MI13, is the mystic and occult intelligence agency of the United Kingdom. It operates alongside the mundane arms of British intelligence, such as MI6 and MI5; unlike those sections, however, MI13 operates without ministerial oversight, largely 'off the books'. This has given the service a reputation for the sinister, giving rise to a number of conspiracy theories involving the organisation.

Section 13 of Military Intelligence was established in 1931, during the interwar period. It's existence was a close state-guarded secret; though it knew of and was known by other contemporary mystic intelligence agencies. The founding, and only known, Director of MI13 was Michael McKenzie, the Scots Guard responsible for the discovery of the Shiva Stone in 1929. McKenzie's leadership of MI13 was controversial within Military Intelligence, but his subsequent discovery of the Hag's Stone and near-reclamation of the Excalibur relic secured his position. Under his command, Section 13 contended with the contemporary operations of rival organisations, most notably the NKVD-DTP, the SS-MS and the Seikeitai.

After the war, MI13 remained in obscurity. It was involved in the Cold War, ending a brief alliance with the NKVD-DTP, but remained hidden in the shadows. The release of the McKenzie Manuscripts in 2001, as per McKenzie's will, revealed the existence of the organisation to the public, and it was forced out into the open.

MI13 is responsible for the acquisition, classification and protection of unknown non-standard objects, the investigation of non-standard occurrences, and the countering of occult espionage and terrorism.

Section 13 is officially headquartered at Hag's House in London, but it is widely accepted that the organisation maintains a number of other, more secretive facilities, and the department's operations at Hag's House are widely viewed as a front for its other activities.

 

[Lilitou]

The Americanisation of British politics is an ongoing trend in which political actors in the United Kingdom adopt the styles, strategies and character of their American counterparts. It is unclear when the United States' political scene truly began to influence that of the United Kingdom, but most academics agree that it is a gradual process which likely began following the Second World War, when American influence exceeded that of the United Kingdom.

The most noticeable outlet of the Americanisation has been through the logos of Britain's political parties. Margaret Thatcher's adopted the Lion as the symbol of the Conservative Party in 1977, in homage to the elephant of her Republican counterparts. Her decision was said to be driven by a desire to appear at once patriotic, by drawing on the symbolism of England's national animal, while also committing her party to further Atlanticism. This was followed by Neil Kinnock, at the behest of New Labour modernisers, adopting the Robin as the symbol of the Labour movement in 1988. In doing so, Kinnock distanced the party from the more overt socialist overtones of the Red Flag, instead embracing the symbolism of the plucky, red-breasted bird which advanced itself through ingenuity and pragmatism. The Liberal Democrats adopted the sage, pragmatic, forward-looking Barn Owl as their party symbol in 1989, overlooking the suggestion of a vaguer "Bird of Liberty", and in 1990 the newly-formed Green Party of England and Wales adopted the Squirrel as a symbol of the countryside. Most British political parties now use animals in place of wider symbolism, with even separatist parties such as the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru using the Unicorn and Dragon respectively.

There has been some noticeable backlash to the Americanisation of British politics, with the United Kingdom Independence Party and the Brexit Party - both nationalist outlets - instead adopting more traditional, British logos in the form of the Pound sign and the Oak tree.

 

[Alex Richards]

I can sort of see adoption of animals catching on, but why would they include the stars?

 

[Lilitou]

I can sort of see adoption of animals catching on, but why would they include the stars?

There's no real reason frankly, you're right! I kept them simply to stay within the same design/theme as the American logos. This was essentially an exercise in "wouldn't it be funny if we used animal logos", and then backwriting the althist from there haha.

 

[Turquoise Blue]

hate

 

[Lilitou]

a work in progress

1979-1984: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)
1979 (Majority) def: James Callaghan (Labour), David Steel (Liberal), Harry West (Ulster Unionist), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist), Gwynfor Evans (Plaid Cymru), William Wolfe (Scottish National)
1984-1991: Roy Jenkins (Social Democratic)
1984 (Coalition with Liberals, confidence and supply from Scottish National and Plaid Cymru) def: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative), Michael Foot (Labour), David Steel (Liberal), James Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist), Gordon Wilson (Scottish National), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru)
1988 (Coalition with Liberals) def: Tony Benn (Labour), Michael Heseltine (Conservative), David Steel (Liberal), James Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist), Paul Ekins & Jean Lambert (Green) Gordon Wilson (Scottish National), John Hume (SDLP), Dafydd Elis-Thomas (Plaid Cymru), David Owen (Social Democratic), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist)
1991-1992: David Owen (Social Democratic)
1992-2000: Kenneth Clarke (Conservative)
1992 (Minority, confidence and supply from Green and Ulster Unionist) def: David Owen (Social Democratic), Ken Livingstone (Labour), David Steel (Liberal), Jean Lambert & Richard Lawson (Green), James Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist), John Hume (SDLP), Alex Salmond (Scottish National), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist)
1996 (Coalition with Liberals, confidence and supply from Ulster Unionist) def: Gordon Brown (Labour), Alan Beith (Liberal), James Goldsmith (Referendum), Robin Harper & Margaret Wright (Green), David Owen (Social Democratic), Alex Salmond (Scottish National), David Trimble (Ulster Unionist), John Hume (SDLP), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist)
2000-2009: Gordon Brown (Labour)
2000 (Minority, confidence and supply from Social Democrats, Green and Scottish National) def: Kenneth Clarke (Conservative), George Gardiner (Referendum), Paddy Ashdown (Social Democratic), Robin Harper & Caroline Lucas (Green), Menzies Campbell (Liberal), Alex Salmond (Scottish National), David Trimble (Ulster Unionist), John Hume (SDLP), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin)
2004 (Coalition with Social Democrats and Referendum) def: Nicholas Soames (Conservative), Paddy Ashdown (Social Democratic), Alan Sked (Referendum), Nick Clegg (Liberal), Robin Harper & Caroline Lucas (Green), Alex Salmond (Scottish National), David Trimble (Ulster Unionist), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist), Mark Dukran (SDLP), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin)
2006 First European Union Membership Referendum: Yes 56.4%, No 43.6%
2006 (Coalition with Social Democrats and Green) def: Nicholas Soames (Conservative), Alan Sked (Referendum), Nick Clegg (Liberal), David Owen (Social Democratic), Caroline Lucas & Derek Wall (Green), John Swinney (Scottish National), Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin), David Trimble (Ulster Unionist), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru)
2009-2010: David Owen (Social Democratic)
2010-2016: Justine Greening (Conservative)
2010 (Coalition with Liberals and Referendum) def: Ed Balls (Labour), Ed Davey (Liberal), Robert Kilroy-Silk (Referendum), Caroline Lucas & Keith Taylor (Green), Vince Cable (Social Democratic), John Swinney (Scottish National), Peter Robinson (Democratic Unionist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru), Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist)
2012 Second European Union Membership Referendum: Yes 51.8%, No 48.2%
2012 (Coalition with Liberals) def: Ed Balls (Labour), Ed Davey (Liberal), George Monbiot & Natalie Bennett (Green), Robert Kilroy-Silk (Referendum), Vince Cable (Social Democratic), Alex Salmond (Scottish National), Peter Robinson (Democratic Unionist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin)
2016-pres: Hilary Benn (Labour)
2016 (Coalition with Liberals and Green) def: George Osborne (Conservative), Christine Jardine (Liberal), Molly Scott Cato & Jonathan Bartley (Green), Kate Hoey (Referendum), John Swinney (Scottish National), Norman Lamb (Social Democratic), Nigel Dodds (Democratic Unionist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru), Mike Nesbitt (Ulster Unionist), Colum Eastwood (SDLP)
2020 (Coalition with Green, Liberals and Social Democratic) def: Alistair Jack (Conservative), Molly Scott Cato & Magid Magid (Green), Tom Brake (Liberal), Mhairi Black (Scottish National), Ann Widdecombe (Referendum), Norman Lamb (Social Democratic), Mary Lou McDonald (Sinn Féin), Ian Paisley Jr (Democratic Unionist), Doug Beattie (Ulster Unionist), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru), Colum Eastwood (SDLP)