Blackentheborg
Dennis Skinner's molotov
- Location
- Grand Hotel Abyss
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Technically? No. Macron resigns at the tail end of 2026, the elections happen in February 2027.
-
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Lists of Heads of Government and Heads of State
- Thread starter Mumby
- Start date
theflyingmgoose
Well-known member
Also the replacement of the President is the President of the Senate.
Blackentheborg
Dennis Skinner's molotov
- Location
- Grand Hotel Abyss
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes. Philippe becomes President of the Senate.
Can I add my voice to the praise for this epic piece of work, narrated in a style totally add odds with the tragedy and farce around it
theflyingmgoose
Well-known member
The Old Man And The Flames Of War
Vice President George H.W. Bush/Senator Dan Quayle (R) - January 20, 1989 - January 8, 1992
'88 def. Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen (D), 305-232 EV/ 49.7%-47.9%
Vice President Dan Quayle/VACANT (R) - January 8, 1992 - May 11, 1992
President Dan Quayle/Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney (R) - May 11, 1992 - June 29, 1995
'92 def. Bill Clinton/Paul Tsongas (D), Ross Perot/James Stockdale (I), 280-237-21 EV/ 35.9%-38.4%-25.7%
Vice President Dick Cheney/VACANT (R) - June 29, 1995 - September 5, 1995
President Dick Cheney/UN Ambassador Donald Rumsfeld (R) - September 5, 1995 - January 20, 2005
'96 def. Al Gore/Bob Kerrey (D), Ross Perot/Dick Lamm (I), 271-207-60 EV/ 34.9%-36.5%-27.1%
'00 def. Jerry Brown/Ann Richards (D), 277-261 EV/ 46.1%-49.5%
Senator Ted Kennedy/Senator Paul Wellstone (D) - January 20, 2005 - ????
'04 def. Donald Rumsfeld/John McCain (R), 518-20 EV/ 62.8%-35.9%
Vice President George H.W. Bush/Senator Dan Quayle (R) - January 20, 1989 - January 8, 1992
'88 def. Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen (D), 305-232 EV/ 49.7%-47.9%
Vice President Dan Quayle/VACANT (R) - January 8, 1992 - May 11, 1992
President Dan Quayle/Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney (R) - May 11, 1992 - June 29, 1995
'92 def. Bill Clinton/Paul Tsongas (D), Ross Perot/James Stockdale (I), 280-237-21 EV/ 35.9%-38.4%-25.7%
Vice President Dick Cheney/VACANT (R) - June 29, 1995 - September 5, 1995
President Dick Cheney/UN Ambassador Donald Rumsfeld (R) - September 5, 1995 - January 20, 2005
'96 def. Al Gore/Bob Kerrey (D), Ross Perot/Dick Lamm (I), 271-207-60 EV/ 34.9%-36.5%-27.1%
'00 def. Jerry Brown/Ann Richards (D), 277-261 EV/ 46.1%-49.5%
Senator Ted Kennedy/Senator Paul Wellstone (D) - January 20, 2005 - ????
'04 def. Donald Rumsfeld/John McCain (R), 518-20 EV/ 62.8%-35.9%
SENATE:
1989-1991: 57D-43R
1991-1993: 60D-40R
1993-1995: 61D-39R
1995-1997: 58D-42R
1997-1999: 55D-45R
1999-2001: 60D-40R
2001-2003: 63D-37R
2003-2005: 67D-33R
2005-2007: 70D-30R
HOUSE:
1989-1991: 265D-170R
1991-1993: 279D-156R
1993-1995: 261D-174R
1995-1997: 257D-178R
1997-1999: 249D-186R
1999-2001: 292D-143R
2001-2003: 285D-150R
2003-2005: 311D-124R
2005-2007: 308D-127R
1989-1991: 57D-43R
1991-1993: 60D-40R
1993-1995: 61D-39R
1995-1997: 58D-42R
1997-1999: 55D-45R
1999-2001: 60D-40R
2001-2003: 63D-37R
2003-2005: 67D-33R
2005-2007: 70D-30R
HOUSE:
1989-1991: 265D-170R
1991-1993: 279D-156R
1993-1995: 261D-174R
1995-1997: 257D-178R
1997-1999: 249D-186R
1999-2001: 292D-143R
2001-2003: 285D-150R
2003-2005: 311D-124R
2005-2007: 308D-127R
EXECUTED:
Iraq (1993-1993) U.S. Victory
Sudan (1995-1995) U.S. Victory
Somalia (1995-1996) U.S. Victory
Afghanistan (1996-1996) U.S. Victory
Libya (1998-1999) U.S. Victory
Iran (2001-2006) U.S. Slowly Winning, Unilateral Withdrawal Between 2005 and 2006
Pakistan (2002-2005) U.S. Slowly Winning, Unilateral Withdrawal In 2005
Syria (2004-2005) U.S. Victory
PLANNED: (Invasions scheduled between 2005 and 2009 but cancelled by President Kennedy)
Niger (~2005)
Mali (~2006)
Yemen (~2007)
PROPOSED: (Invasions proposed by the President or Cabinet but not executed)
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Algeria
Chad
Mauritania
Eritrea
Iraq (1993-1993) U.S. Victory
Sudan (1995-1995) U.S. Victory
Somalia (1995-1996) U.S. Victory
Afghanistan (1996-1996) U.S. Victory
Libya (1998-1999) U.S. Victory
Iran (2001-2006) U.S. Slowly Winning, Unilateral Withdrawal Between 2005 and 2006
Pakistan (2002-2005) U.S. Slowly Winning, Unilateral Withdrawal In 2005
Syria (2004-2005) U.S. Victory
PLANNED: (Invasions scheduled between 2005 and 2009 but cancelled by President Kennedy)
Niger (~2005)
Mali (~2006)
Yemen (~2007)
PROPOSED: (Invasions proposed by the President or Cabinet but not executed)
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Algeria
Chad
Mauritania
Eritrea
- Location
- Op een dag, Nederland.
- Pronouns
- she/her & ne/nem
"Heroism Is A Matter of Choice"
Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1936-)
Edward VIII (Windsor) 1936
George VI (Windsor) 1936-1941
Edward VIII (Windsor) 1941-1950
Henry IX (Windsor) 1950-
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1935-)
Stanley Baldwin (Conservative-led National Government) 1935-1937
1935 [maj.]: def. Clement Attlee (Labour), Herbert Samuel (Liberal)
Neville Chamberlain (Conservative-led National Government) 1937-1940
Winston Churchill (Conservative-led National Government, then Wartime Coalition) 1940-1941
Edward Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax (Conservative-led 'Peacemaker Government') 1941
Harold Nicolson (National Labour-led National Government) 1941-1943
1942 [maj.]: def. John Strachey (New Labour)
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry (Conservative-led National Government) 1943-1945*
Anthony Ludovici (British People's-led National Government, then British Unity majority) 1945-1949
1947 [maj.]: def. independents
Barry Domvile, 1st Earl Domvile (British Unity military-led government) 1949-1951
Bernard Montgomery (Independent-led 'transitional executive') 1951-1953
Jessica Mitford (Socialist Labour majority) 1953-
1953 [maj.]: def. Harold Macmillan (New Democratic), Anthony Benn (Progressive), R. Palme Dutt (Communist)
The Prime Minister comes from a very complicated family, with a brother and two sisters eagerly supporting fascism and two becoming collaborators [the third shot herself as the war started], and even as she assumes office in Blenheim Palace [the Nazis bombed Downing Street in retaliation as they retreated], many still associate 'Mitford' with the names Tom and Diana, even as they all know Decca is far away from them.
Truth be told, she doesn't even recall how she was made Prime Minister. Montgomery just fell deeply ill, Denis Healey was missing, Tony Benn was faffing around with his own 'Independent Liberal Party' (later the Progressives), Anthony Eden was high on drugs all the time and Harold Macmillan, well, nobody trusted Harold Macmillan. Not even the man himself. And Monty would rather run the entire show from his sickbed than allow Dutt to take over. And way too much labour union leaders were either dead or had tainted hands. So it was her by default.
The main question so rudely thrust upon her, which Montgomery refused to deal with until an elected Parliament, was that of the King. George, he of blessed and tragic memory, elected to send his family to safety in Canada. Unfortunately their voyage was interrupted by an U-Boat. The King spent the rest of his reign a husk and died in 1947 as a broken man. Edward would return to the throne under Nazi occupation for nine years. As the Resistance rose up and the Americans landed, he fled with the Nazi occupation authority, announcing his rudely-abrupt abdication.
The man named as his heir was the 'Unknown Royal' [a snarky play on his brother calling him the 'Unknown Soldier' in his abdication speech], Henry the Duke of Gloucester. His coronation as Henry IX was rushed and brief with the entrance into the Abbey to crown on head being less than twenty minutes due to the insistence of the Earl Domvile keen on shoring up royal legitimacy.
Henry IX would find his next two Prime Ministers both loath to shore up his legitimacy, with Montgomery being disinterested in royalty who didn't fight against the Nazis, and then there was Decca. She sipped her tea as Britain's first openly republican head of government in 300 years.
At their family manor of Mitford Hall, Jessica Mitford brushes away her sister Deborah and her attempts to persuade her to keep 'good old Henry' on, or at least "don't rock the boat so much". She just dismisses her sister with a wave of her hand - "I will decide on my own, Debo."
That ended the argument.
Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1936-)
Edward VIII (Windsor) 1936
George VI (Windsor) 1936-1941
Edward VIII (Windsor) 1941-1950
Henry IX (Windsor) 1950-
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1935-)
Stanley Baldwin (Conservative-led National Government) 1935-1937
1935 [maj.]: def. Clement Attlee (Labour), Herbert Samuel (Liberal)
Neville Chamberlain (Conservative-led National Government) 1937-1940
Winston Churchill (Conservative-led National Government, then Wartime Coalition) 1940-1941
Edward Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax (Conservative-led 'Peacemaker Government') 1941
Harold Nicolson (National Labour-led National Government) 1941-1943
1942 [maj.]: def. John Strachey (New Labour)
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry (Conservative-led National Government) 1943-1945*
Anthony Ludovici (British People's-led National Government, then British Unity majority) 1945-1949
1947 [maj.]: def. independents
Barry Domvile, 1st Earl Domvile (British Unity military-led government) 1949-1951
Bernard Montgomery (Independent-led 'transitional executive') 1951-1953
Jessica Mitford (Socialist Labour majority) 1953-
1953 [maj.]: def. Harold Macmillan (New Democratic), Anthony Benn (Progressive), R. Palme Dutt (Communist)
The Prime Minister comes from a very complicated family, with a brother and two sisters eagerly supporting fascism and two becoming collaborators [the third shot herself as the war started], and even as she assumes office in Blenheim Palace [the Nazis bombed Downing Street in retaliation as they retreated], many still associate 'Mitford' with the names Tom and Diana, even as they all know Decca is far away from them.
Truth be told, she doesn't even recall how she was made Prime Minister. Montgomery just fell deeply ill, Denis Healey was missing, Tony Benn was faffing around with his own 'Independent Liberal Party' (later the Progressives), Anthony Eden was high on drugs all the time and Harold Macmillan, well, nobody trusted Harold Macmillan. Not even the man himself. And Monty would rather run the entire show from his sickbed than allow Dutt to take over. And way too much labour union leaders were either dead or had tainted hands. So it was her by default.
The main question so rudely thrust upon her, which Montgomery refused to deal with until an elected Parliament, was that of the King. George, he of blessed and tragic memory, elected to send his family to safety in Canada. Unfortunately their voyage was interrupted by an U-Boat. The King spent the rest of his reign a husk and died in 1947 as a broken man. Edward would return to the throne under Nazi occupation for nine years. As the Resistance rose up and the Americans landed, he fled with the Nazi occupation authority, announcing his rudely-abrupt abdication.
The man named as his heir was the 'Unknown Royal' [a snarky play on his brother calling him the 'Unknown Soldier' in his abdication speech], Henry the Duke of Gloucester. His coronation as Henry IX was rushed and brief with the entrance into the Abbey to crown on head being less than twenty minutes due to the insistence of the Earl Domvile keen on shoring up royal legitimacy.
Henry IX would find his next two Prime Ministers both loath to shore up his legitimacy, with Montgomery being disinterested in royalty who didn't fight against the Nazis, and then there was Decca. She sipped her tea as Britain's first openly republican head of government in 300 years.
At their family manor of Mitford Hall, Jessica Mitford brushes away her sister Deborah and her attempts to persuade her to keep 'good old Henry' on, or at least "don't rock the boat so much". She just dismisses her sister with a wave of her hand - "I will decide on my own, Debo."
That ended the argument.
Last edited:
Very nice. Enjoyed the various caricatures
The fate of King George and family is tragic, but not unlikely.
also like SS-GB plan for the royals but it failed
- Location
- Coventry
@Walpurgisnacht your Alt-CSA list was spectacular.
OHC
deep green blue collar rainbow
- Location
- Little Beirut
- Pronouns
- they/she
The Presidential eligibility clause of the United States Constitution remains one of its most unusual features to foreign observers, specifying as it does that no native-born citizen of the country may hold the office. In its eighteenth-century context the idea would not have seemed as odd – the recruitment of foreign princes to lead newly founded nations was common – yet to date no other republic has chosen similar criteria for their head of state, and the “International Executive” remains a unique symbol of the United States as a land of opportunity and ethnic diversity.
The clause specifically bars anyone born as citizens of the United States or the pre-Revolutionary colonies, as well as those born in other territories under British suzerainty (a sub-clause intended at the time to encompass the many political leaders born in Britain or Ulster, although popular culture has sometimes portrayed it as a means to target Alexander Hamilton specifically). While American nationality law has changed several times, the clause has generally been held to include children of US citizens born abroad.
The intent of the Constitutional Convention in drafting the clause was to reduce sectional conflict by making the President an impartial arbiter between differing American interests. Of course, in practice – particularly beginning with the Treutlen administration – the office has been as politicized as any other. While some Presidents (including Steuben, Parker, and Broz) have indeed merely been drafted by members of the Electoral College, others have actively campaigned for the post. Most have been long-term residents of the United States and have been identified with particular sectional causes or factions. One of the few exceptions, Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was recruited to lead America during the Emancipation War despite not having previously visited the country and who returned to Italy immediately after his term, is widely considered the nation’s greatest President. (He was also one of the first not to anglicize his name.) There have been periodic calls to exclude naturalized citizens and US residents from the Presidency, too, in order to restore the idea of an outside umpire.
Most of America’s presidents have been born in northern Europe, and over a third in the Germanies; this is due in part to nineteenth-century migration patterns, in part due to historic racial and religious prejudices, and in part due to the global reach of the British Empire rendering many millions of people ineligible for centuries. The “British sub-clause” was historically the subject of criticism from Irish, South Asian, and Caribbean immigrant communities, who argued that it unfairly lumped colonial subjects in with their oppressors. Agitation for its repeal has dropped off significantly since the collapse of the empire, although the incumbent President’s Canadian origins have generated constitutional debate about the definition of “British suzerainty.” Ely Parker was, and barring significant changes to American nationality law will remain, the only President ever born within the borders of the United States; before the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, members of the Treaty Nations (like Parker, a Tonawanda Seneca) did not receive citizenship at birth.
1789-1794: Frederick Steuben (nonpartisan) †
1794: vacant
Note: The Electoral College was not made a permanent body until the Twelfth Amendment; after Steuben’s death in office another election had to be called.
1794-1801: John Treutlen (Confederalist)
1801-1809: Peter Charles L’Enfant (Federalist)
1809-1817: Albert Gallatin (Confederalist)
1817-1821: Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler (Confederalist)
1821-1829: John Jacob Astor (Systematic)
1829-1837: Achille Murat (Confederalist)
1837-1841: Alfred du Pont (Systematic)
1841-1849: Nils Schoultz (Confederalist)
1849-1857: Christopher Memminger (Systematic)
1857-1861: John Sutter (Systematic)
1861-1869: Giuseppe Garibaldi (Wide Awake)
1869-1872: Carl Schurz (Wide Awake, then Liberal) †
1872-1873: Camille de Polignac (Redeemer) (not elected)
Note: A figurehead for the Redeemer Regime that held Washington for several months following the putsch of November 1872, de Polignac is often not counted in lists of US Presidents. Wide Awake leader Carl Marx, who defeated Schurz and de Polignac in the Electoral College but was never seated, is sometimes listed in his stead.
1873-1877: Frederick Hecker (Wide Awake)
1877-1885: Ely S. Parker (Liberal)
1885-1889: Frederick Kapp (Liberal)
1889-1897: Emil Frey (Liberal)
1897-1901: John P. Altgeld (Wide Awake)
1901-1909: Knute Nelson (Liberal-Conservative)
1909-1913: Oscar Straus (Liberal-Conservative)
1913-1921: Charles A. Lindbergh (Alliance)
1925-1933: Horace G. H. Schacht (Liberal-Conservative)
1933-1941: Sidney Hillman (Alliance)
1941-1943: Henri de Man (Alliance, then The Plan) X
1942-1953: Joseph Broz (nonpartisan supported by Alliance and Liberal-Conservative) (acting until 1945)
Note: de Man was removed from office by the members of the Electoral College after the Virginia City Massacre and his new party was banned, yet there was little appetite to reckon with what had happened, since his rise had been assisted by members of both major parties. Alliance split, with some electors voting to install the Anarchist Party nominee Joseph Hillstrom; in the end the popular General Broz – known universally as “Tito” after his service in Mexico – was elected to continue de Man’s technocratic developmentalism, but with the violence and racism turned back down. Pretending politics didn’t exist worked for a few years.
1953-1957: Andrew Papandreou (New Alliance)
1957-1961: Vincent Impellitteri (Liberal-Conservative)
1961-1969: Andrew Papandreou (New Alliance)
1969-1973: George Mohrenschildt (Liberal-Conservative)
1973-1976: Roland Masferrer (New Alliance) †
1976-1977: Herbert Marcuse (Authentic Liberation supported by New Alliance) (acting)
Note: After Masferrer’s assassination, the incrimination of a generation of political leaders meant that presiding over the trials was left to the chief ideologue of New Alliance’s congressional coalition partner. It turned out to be the least controversial part of his career.
1977-1985: Henry Kissinger (Realist)
1985-1993: Ruben Salazar (Agrarians and Workers Alliance for Kind Economics – AWAKE)
1993-1996: Henry Kissinger (Realist) †
1996-2005: Ellen Eugenia Johnson (Realist)
2005-2013: Jesús Garcia (AWAKE)
2013-2017: Mohamed A. Mohamed (Realist)
2017-0000: Pamela Anderson (AWAKE)
Thx to folks from this thread for some names - it's a mix of OTL foreign-born public figures, people who lived and worked in the US at one point, people who might have lived and worked in the US but didn't, etc. Hopefully this tells a little bit of a story even without many notes.
The clause specifically bars anyone born as citizens of the United States or the pre-Revolutionary colonies, as well as those born in other territories under British suzerainty (a sub-clause intended at the time to encompass the many political leaders born in Britain or Ulster, although popular culture has sometimes portrayed it as a means to target Alexander Hamilton specifically). While American nationality law has changed several times, the clause has generally been held to include children of US citizens born abroad.
The intent of the Constitutional Convention in drafting the clause was to reduce sectional conflict by making the President an impartial arbiter between differing American interests. Of course, in practice – particularly beginning with the Treutlen administration – the office has been as politicized as any other. While some Presidents (including Steuben, Parker, and Broz) have indeed merely been drafted by members of the Electoral College, others have actively campaigned for the post. Most have been long-term residents of the United States and have been identified with particular sectional causes or factions. One of the few exceptions, Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was recruited to lead America during the Emancipation War despite not having previously visited the country and who returned to Italy immediately after his term, is widely considered the nation’s greatest President. (He was also one of the first not to anglicize his name.) There have been periodic calls to exclude naturalized citizens and US residents from the Presidency, too, in order to restore the idea of an outside umpire.
Most of America’s presidents have been born in northern Europe, and over a third in the Germanies; this is due in part to nineteenth-century migration patterns, in part due to historic racial and religious prejudices, and in part due to the global reach of the British Empire rendering many millions of people ineligible for centuries. The “British sub-clause” was historically the subject of criticism from Irish, South Asian, and Caribbean immigrant communities, who argued that it unfairly lumped colonial subjects in with their oppressors. Agitation for its repeal has dropped off significantly since the collapse of the empire, although the incumbent President’s Canadian origins have generated constitutional debate about the definition of “British suzerainty.” Ely Parker was, and barring significant changes to American nationality law will remain, the only President ever born within the borders of the United States; before the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, members of the Treaty Nations (like Parker, a Tonawanda Seneca) did not receive citizenship at birth.
1789-1794: Frederick Steuben (nonpartisan) †
1794: vacant
Note: The Electoral College was not made a permanent body until the Twelfth Amendment; after Steuben’s death in office another election had to be called.
1794-1801: John Treutlen (Confederalist)
1801-1809: Peter Charles L’Enfant (Federalist)
1809-1817: Albert Gallatin (Confederalist)
1817-1821: Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler (Confederalist)
1821-1829: John Jacob Astor (Systematic)
1829-1837: Achille Murat (Confederalist)
1837-1841: Alfred du Pont (Systematic)
1841-1849: Nils Schoultz (Confederalist)
1849-1857: Christopher Memminger (Systematic)
1857-1861: John Sutter (Systematic)
1861-1869: Giuseppe Garibaldi (Wide Awake)
1869-1872: Carl Schurz (Wide Awake, then Liberal) †
1872-1873: Camille de Polignac (Redeemer) (not elected)
Note: A figurehead for the Redeemer Regime that held Washington for several months following the putsch of November 1872, de Polignac is often not counted in lists of US Presidents. Wide Awake leader Carl Marx, who defeated Schurz and de Polignac in the Electoral College but was never seated, is sometimes listed in his stead.
1873-1877: Frederick Hecker (Wide Awake)
1877-1885: Ely S. Parker (Liberal)
1885-1889: Frederick Kapp (Liberal)
1889-1897: Emil Frey (Liberal)
1897-1901: John P. Altgeld (Wide Awake)
1901-1909: Knute Nelson (Liberal-Conservative)
1909-1913: Oscar Straus (Liberal-Conservative)
1913-1921: Charles A. Lindbergh (Alliance)
1925-1933: Horace G. H. Schacht (Liberal-Conservative)
1933-1941: Sidney Hillman (Alliance)
1941-1943: Henri de Man (Alliance, then The Plan) X
1942-1953: Joseph Broz (nonpartisan supported by Alliance and Liberal-Conservative) (acting until 1945)
Note: de Man was removed from office by the members of the Electoral College after the Virginia City Massacre and his new party was banned, yet there was little appetite to reckon with what had happened, since his rise had been assisted by members of both major parties. Alliance split, with some electors voting to install the Anarchist Party nominee Joseph Hillstrom; in the end the popular General Broz – known universally as “Tito” after his service in Mexico – was elected to continue de Man’s technocratic developmentalism, but with the violence and racism turned back down. Pretending politics didn’t exist worked for a few years.
1953-1957: Andrew Papandreou (New Alliance)
1957-1961: Vincent Impellitteri (Liberal-Conservative)
1961-1969: Andrew Papandreou (New Alliance)
1969-1973: George Mohrenschildt (Liberal-Conservative)
1973-1976: Roland Masferrer (New Alliance) †
1976-1977: Herbert Marcuse (Authentic Liberation supported by New Alliance) (acting)
Note: After Masferrer’s assassination, the incrimination of a generation of political leaders meant that presiding over the trials was left to the chief ideologue of New Alliance’s congressional coalition partner. It turned out to be the least controversial part of his career.
1977-1985: Henry Kissinger (Realist)
1985-1993: Ruben Salazar (Agrarians and Workers Alliance for Kind Economics – AWAKE)
1993-1996: Henry Kissinger (Realist) †
1996-2005: Ellen Eugenia Johnson (Realist)
2005-2013: Jesús Garcia (AWAKE)
2013-2017: Mohamed A. Mohamed (Realist)
2017-0000: Pamela Anderson (AWAKE)
Thx to folks from this thread for some names - it's a mix of OTL foreign-born public figures, people who lived and worked in the US at one point, people who might have lived and worked in the US but didn't, etc. Hopefully this tells a little bit of a story even without many notes.
shearsforest
The Authentic Shears
- Location
- Test Domain
- Pronouns
- he/him
The Cause of Humanity
or... DECENCY'S ENOUGH FOR ME
(inspired by the works of a ton of people, particularly my own, @Hal Jordan, @306-232, @SomeGuyOnline, and a bunch of other people all cited over on my AH.com test thread)
or... DECENCY'S ENOUGH FOR ME
(inspired by the works of a ton of people, particularly my own, @Hal Jordan, @306-232, @SomeGuyOnline, and a bunch of other people all cited over on my AH.com test thread)
Democrats (#005ad7)
[Old] Republicans (#d70700)
No Labels (#9370db)
Moderates (#ff6000)
Unionists / Union Coalitionists (#2e2787)
Patriots (#b43c96)
Progressives (#ff0060)
Conservatives (#177245)
Liberals (#66cdaa)
45. Donald Trump / Mike Pence (Rep-NY): January 20, 2017 - January 20, 2021
-16: def. Hillary Clinton / Tim Kaine (Dem-NY)
-17: Trump fires Mueller and Sessions in a fit of anger over a pending obstruction of justice investigation. The ripple effects are quick and brutal, and the resulting drop in approval ratings is steep enough to matter...
-18: all this culminates in a disastrous 2018 midterm which make enough people realize that the writing's on the wall for Trumpism. Trump's descent into madness gets even worse.
-19: Trump is kneecapped by a Democratic congress. Also, a bunch of candidates sign up on both sides, including the GOP; the Republican primaries are composed of a bunch of people either willing to de-Trumpize the party or finish what he started.
-20: COVID-19 hits, and a ton of pandemic-related factors serve as the penultimate nail in the coffin for the Trump administration, including the George Floyd protests, a botched vaccine delivery, and mishandling of the economy. As a result, the Democrats win in a landslide.
46. Joe Biden / Gretchen Whitmer (Dem-DE): January 20, 2021 - February 26, 2027-20: def. Donald Trump / Mike Pence (Rep-FL)
-21: wondering what the final nail is? Of course, it's January 6, which is simultaneously more chaotic and more serious than in OTL; following a Senate vote, Trump is impeached, convicted, and barred from future office (after leaving). The GOP begins to fragment into "neo-Trumpists", those who want to keep the Trumpist dream alive; "post-Trumpists", those who want to enact Trumpism their own way; and "never-Trumpists", those who want to start anew with a more reformed GOP. Biden gets a lot of progressive stuff across, and he is hailed as the "new LBJ". The Seventh Party System begins.
-22: just like LBJ, Biden is cursed with a controversial international conflict: the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This ends up being a logistics disaster for Russia, but they are stubborn; the war continues for years. In terms of midterms, the Democrats retain a solid blue hold over Congress.
-23: nothing much except for candidate announcements. The post-Trumpists ultimately win out over the neo-Trumpists with a handful of other charges being slapped onto Trump; the neo-Trumpists ultimately fade out of relevance as time passes by. Who don't fade out of relevance, however, are the never-Trumpists, who re-dedicate themselves into opposing the post-Trumpists, starting a Republican split.
-24: for now, the post-Trumpists win out over the never-Trumpists in the primaries, nominating Ron DeSantis as their main candidate. The Biden train still chugs along smoothly, however, and even with conservative Democrat Joe Manchin splitting off to form his own ticket, along with a controversial independent ticket by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Democrats still win out.
-24: def. Ron DeSantis / Kristi Noem (Rep-FL); Joe Manchin / Larry Hogan (NL-WV)-25: Biden passes more progressive reforms, while the post-Trumpists slowly begin veering towards extremism in their attempts to get just another candidate into office. An East African Federation is finally established following months of negotiation, but it takes a good few years to stabilize itself.
-26: Trump dies in prison. In unrelated news, Biden passes even more progressive reforms. The midterms are still a success for the Democrats, though Biden's advanced age is enough to knock down the Democrat majority by a bit.
-27: by now, Biden is the oldest president, and as feared by a ton of people, this causes some issues. Following a mild but "wake-up call" heart attack, the Joe is forced to end his tenure as president...
-27: steps down due to health issues47. Gretchen Whitmer / vacant (Dem-MI): February 26 - April 3, 2027
-27: Jon Ossoff nominated as VP
(47.) Gretchen Whitmer / Jon Ossoff (Dem-MI): April 3, 2027 - January 20, 2037
-27: oh, wouldn't you know it — here comes China with a Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis. As luck would have it, Whitmer manages to handle things pretty well, and after a failed invasion of the Penghu Islands, the PRC is left even more humiliated than before. This ends up kickstarting a chain of events that leads to their slow reformation into a New Republic. A worrying trend of domestic right-wing extremism begins to take hold, mainly comprised of radical post-Trumpists and a lot of former neo-Trumpists.
-28: the battle for who takes control of the Republican Party continues, with the post-Trumpists still coming out on top. However, among many never-Trumpists, the example of Trump is too much to keep them with the GOP, and the rift with the post-Trumpists continues to grow.
-28: def. Dan Bishop / Dan Crenshaw (Rep-NC)-29: Whitmer continues her streak of victories with... you guessed it, more reformist policies. Meanwhile, the fires of rebellion burn deeper, as numerous right-wing groups emerge in opposition to the Whitmer administration, and seek to gain the glory they believe Trump should've had.
-30: the Democrats continue their majority in Congress, but it's clear Americans are getting tired of the extremist violence in the streets every day, and they tank in the polls.
-31: the results of the midterms persuade Whitmer to begin taking serious steps towards combatting extremist violence across America. By this point, however, such a task is easier said than done...
-32: transgender influencer and political activist Vanessa McCoy is murdered by a domestic right-wing terrorist group, causing outrage across America. Whitmer's sane handling of the ensuing protests earns her international praise (even if her lack of initial action gains her criticism from a certain few), and ensures an easy victory over a bigoted candidate who does not earn the will of the people — former Fox News host and post-Trumpist Tucker Carlson.
-32: def. Tucker Carlson / Josh Hawley (Rep-CA)-33: in response to the murder of Vanessa, and with the support of the re-elected Whitmer government, activist Ariana Hudson starts the Decency Movement, a progressivist-liberal ideological movement based on the civil rights movement 70 years earlier. The movement takes the world by storm, and results in a global wave of moderate leftist ideals. In unrelated news, Vladimir Putin dies of a stroke. Guess what happens next...
-34: the Russian power struggle ends, with Mikhail Mishustin coming out on top. Though the "old clique" is blamed within Russia for humiliating the country globally during the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Mishustin maintains his grip over Russia, which remains authoritarian for much of the 2030s.
-35: by this point, the six-year itch is long overdue, and an economic downturn further complicates things. Along to complicate things even more is Xi Jinping, who dies this year; the power struggle rips China apart between hardliners willing to keep China on its current path, and reformists who prefer moderating or abolishing the system entirely. A civil war breaks out, and the downturn spirals into a full out
depression.
-36: former Freedom Caucus leader Jim Jordan slowly mobilizes post-Trumpists and other right-wingers in a campaign that sees growing opposition against the Whitmer government. Despite his popularity, Vice President Jon Ossoff narrowly loses in the 2036 elections, and, when a recount proves his loss, decides to concede to maintain democracy. The House remains safe in Democratic hands, providing a challenge to Jordan...
48. Jim Jordan / Anna Paulina Luna (Rep-OH): January 20, 2037 - December 28, 2039-36: def. Jon Ossoff / Tammy Duckworth (Dem-GA)
-37: Jordan has a crap first year in office, mainly due to the fact that the Democrats have a chokehold on him and his administration. Cue a government shutdown caused by growing division between post-Trumpist Jordan and the never-Trumpist faction of the GOP, and we have ourselves a failure. For him.
-38: a pro-democratic coup (supported by NATO) occurs within Russia, overthrowing the increasingly-authoritarian Mikhail Mishustin. Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Summer Lee launches an investigation into Jordan, citing his supposed usage of far-right extremist groups and the ever-persistent Wagner Group during the 2036 election to manipulate the votes. In unrelated news, as expected, Democrats gain back the Senate in the midterms, completely lame-ducking Jordan.
-39: forgot to catch up on the far-right extremists, who have only grown in number since Jordan took office in 2037. By this point, never-Trumpists, other moderate Republicans, and the Democrats all propose the People's Contingency, a surprise tool that will help us later. To make things worse for Jordan, a whistleblower reveals that Lee's allegations are valid — Jordan funded the operation of far-right groups to disrupt the 2036 and 2038 elections in his favor, alongside his Vice President Anna Paulina Luna. Both are impeached, convicted, and barred from office.
-39: arrested on charges of treason and seditious conspiracy49. Summer Lee / vacant (Dem-PA): December 28, 2039 - January 26, 2040
-40: Raphael Warnock nominated as VP
(49.) Summer Lee / Raphael Warnock (Dem-PA): January 26, 2040 - January 20, 2041
-40: de jure unrecognized New Social Republic "secedes" from the United States, starting the American Troubles
-40: after enough states finally sign onto it, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is finalized and activated, bringing America a step closer to full popular vote. An embittered post-Trumpist faction emerges as a separate New Social League, just as military general Joanna Ziegler soars to power within the United States, and the never-Trumpists finally break off from the GOP. Believing that the U.S. needs more unity, Ziegler declares the formation of a Union Party.
50. Joanna Ziegler / Quinn Richards (Un-IL): January 20, 2041 - January 20, 2045-40: def. Jim Jordan / Anna Paulina Luna (Rep-OH); Adam Kinzinger / Sara Rasmussen (Mod-IL)
-41: to add insult to injury, thanks to his convictions, all Jordan votes are invalidated, making the election a de jure competition between Unionist Ziegler and Moderate candidate Adam Kinzinger. The New Social League takes over the remaining GOP, with any moderate resistance having already switched over to... the Moderates.
-42: following the death of Kim Jong-un, North Korea collapses, and a U.N. task force is sent in to stabilize the region. With the help of Russia, the Second Chinese Civil War is finally resolved in favor of a new pro-democratic regime (currently a puppet of NATO, who plans to release it in a few years time). Meanwhile, the NSL declares a separate "Free Congress", further separating from the United States.
-43: the NSL announces their intent to hold separate presidential elections in 2044, before finally cementing their secession from the United States. Far-right political commentator Ethel Wolfe Hatter rises to prominence within the NSL due to her charisma and her harsh rhetoric; among other things, she blames "RINOs" (read: moderate Republicans) for sabotaging the Republican Party's success; she thus formally renames the Republican Party (now under full NSL control) into the Patriot Party.
-44: the New Social Republic (unrecognized by the U.N.) finally declares independence from the United States. As a result, two elections are held in parallel, beginning a period of dispute...
disputed:
United States of America (Washington, D.C.)
Joanna Ziegler / Quinn Richards (UC-IL): January 20 - July 4, 2045
-44: unopposed election
-44: as space colonization kicks off, Ziegler's popularity and the economic boom from space mining ensures her unanimous election into office with the support of the Moderates and the Unionists, who have formed into a unified Union Coalition at the start of 2045.
-45: while 2045 rolls on, Ziegler and other leading figures of the Union Coalition hide from the public eye as NSR forces march on Washington — suspiciously, there is absolutely no response from Ziegler, NATO, or the U.N. except for their prior condemnations of the NSR and Hatter herself. And then...
-45: People's Contingency enacted; Ethel W. Hatter removed from power and arrested, with the help of the Union Coalition, NATO, and other UN forces-45: in the span of a week, the People's Contingency comes to fruition, arresting dozens of far-right militias across the United States. The NSR, unable to handle military pressure from pretty much most countries on the planet, rapidly collapses; the Contingency ends with the attempted suicide and capture of Hatter in the "Hatter House" in rural Wyoming, which results in pretty much all other pro-NSR forces surrendering to the People's Contingency — more than 100 years after a suspiciously similarly-named man offed himself in a bunker in Berlin.
New Social Republic of America (Charleston, S.C.)Ethel W. Hatter / Marjorie Taylor-Greene (Pat-FL): January 20 - July 4, 2045
-44: def. Matt Walsh / Candace Owens (Pat-TN)
-45: overthrown in the People's Contingency; see above
United States of America (Washington, D.C.)
(50.) Joanna Ziegler / Quinn Richards (UC;Pro-IL): July 4, 2045 - April 13, 2047
-45: Second Constitutional Convention; Democratic and Republican parties rearranged into a multi-party system (see below)
-45: Hatter, alongside numerous other leaders of the NSR and pro-NSR organizations, is sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole (a lesser sentence, life in prison with eligibility for parole, is given to second-in-commands); the Second Constitutional Convention takes place, reorganizing the United States into a multi-faction Eighth Party System.
-46: in the wake of the People's Contingency, Ziegler declares her allegiance to the newly-established Progress Party, which leads a minority government in the New U.S. Congress after the 2046 midterms.
-47: steps down due to health issues51. Quinn Richards / vacant (Pro-CA): April 13, 2047 - May 8, 2047
-47: Ingrid Connelly nominated as VP
(51.) Quinn Richards / Ingrid Connelly (Pro-CA): May 8, 2047 - January 20, 2049
-47: following the admission of Russia and China into NATO, the organization combines with the U.N. to form a single Global Democratic Coalition (eventually just the Global Coalition), the closest thing to a united Earth... for now.
-48: campaigns, campaigns, primaries. Citing her "transitionary nature", President Richards announces her intention not to run for a second term, thus bringing new blood into the Progressive Party. Amelia McCoy, sister of Vanessa McCoy, wins in the Progress primaries, and eventually, the election itself.
52. Amelia McCoy / Mark Manuel Garcia (Lib-CA): January 20, 2049 - incumbent-48: def. Doyle Phillips / Erin Stewart (Con-TX); Quinn Richards / Ingrid Connelly (Pro-MA)
-49: thanks, in part, to the destruction wrought by the 2049 Alabama hurricane, the West Antarctica crisis, and the extinction of numerous animal species worldwide, the Global Coalition drafts the Anti-Extinction Agreement, a comprehensive international plan to mitigate as much of the ongoing Anthropocene mass extinction as possible.
-50: the AEA comes into effect on the 1st of January, considered to be the beginning of the Second Renaissance.
Last edited:
TheHatMan98
Well-known member
1916-1922: David Lloyd George (Liberal, later Coalition Liberal)
1918 (Coalition w/ Conservative) def. Andrew Bonar Law (Conservative); Éamon de Valera (Sinn Féin); William Adamson (Labour); H.H. Asquith (Liberal); John Dillon (IPP)
1922-1925: Austen Chamberlain (Conservative) [1]
1922 (Majority) def. J.R. Clynes (Labour); H.H. Asquith (Liberal)
1925-1931: J.R. Clynes (Labour) [2]
1925 (Minority, w/ Liberal support) def. Austen Chamberlain (Conservative); H.H. Asquith (Liberal)
1926 (Majority) def. Stanley Baldwin (Conservative); David Lloyd George (Liberal)
1930 (National Govt.) def. Neville Chamberlain (Conservative); Herbert Samuel (Liberal)
1931-1938: Neville Chamberlain (Conservative) [3]
1931 (National Govt. w/ Liberal and some Labour) def. Arthur Henderson (Labour); Herbert Samuel (Liberal)
1936 (National Govt. w/ Nat. Liberal and Nat. Labour) def. Oswald Mosely (Labour); Walter Runciman (Nat. Liberal);Herbert Samuel (Liberal); Harold Nicolson (Nat. Labour)
1938-1942: Edward Wood, Lord Halifax (Conservative) [4]
Apr. 1940 (Wartime Govt.) w/. Oswald Mosely (Labour); Harcourt Johnstone (Liberal); Walter Runciman (Nat. Liberal); Harold Nicolson (Nat. Labour)
Jul. 1940 (Peace Govt.) def. Oswald Mosely (Labour); Harcourt Johnstone (Liberal); John Simon (Nat. Liberal); Malcolm MacDonald (Peace Labour); David Lloyd George (Peace Lib.)
[1] The failures of the Chamberlain government can be linked to the man himself – a lack of the common touch, and an ability to persuade – Chamberlain was trapped by his Father’s ideology yet lacking his radicalism and the passion. Ireland, now gone, did not arouse the same passion that it had before the war and Chamberlain fell to the other tenant of old Joe’s politics. Much like the Harding Administration, Chamberlain was aiming for a “Return to normalcy” via Tariffs and the Gold Standard, and though these ideas had been popular and supported by the Cabinet, their introduction in the 1924 budget almost detonated the British economy. Complications of the tariff policy saw an immediate hike in the price of food, which was followed by a drop in Sterling’s value, followed by layoffs, followed by strikes. By the winter, the miners were striking, and the Cabinet divided – Chamberlain urged his colleagues to hold their ground, and out of fear of Bolshevism and the Labour Party, they reluctantly backed him. The Law-and-Order stance of the government was popular on its benches but not in the wider country, as strikes spread to other industries and Chamberlain vetoed a backdoor move by Chancellor Stanley Baldwin to mediate between business leaders and the TUC. The nation was quickly becoming a tinder box and in kneejerk Reactionary response after a report from Home Secretary Winston Churchill, suddenly troops began to materialise on the dockyards, escorting food and coal shipments: the fuse had been lit and blew on May Day 1925 at the Poplar Docks. Although hardly comparable to Bloody Sunday, the shots fired had shocked the nation – and the Labour Party brought to full froth, Baldwin resigned after Churchill refused to, and Asquith rose to call a vote of no confidence, leaving the chamber roaring, and decision made by a single vote: Chamberlain would go to the palace.
Rapidly, the economy began to settle, and Sterling was stable by the end of the year, against almost every prediction. Hoping to free Labour of the Liberal veto on legislation, Clynes asked the King for a snap election for April of the next year and manged a slender majority. Further reforms were pushed through – a national electric board was created, a substantial house programme started after the Wheatley Act, and Ramsay MacDonald took an almost permanent residence in Geneva in conferences on disarmament, German war debt and secret talks with the Soviet Union. And the government proceeded in that fashion, men were back at work and women could vote, reform was moderate and appreciated. Until the hammer fell.
The Wall Street Crash would have been a harsh thing for any government to deal with, but it proved especially harsh for Labour – and Clynes was aware of his own government’s weakness in such a crisis. At the urging of the King and with Cabinet’s consent, Clynes moved to invite Baldwin’s Tories and Samuel’s Liberals into the government to deal with the crisis, but this alliance was built on Clynes guarantees to his own Party, that soon proved impossible for him to meet. Clynes has placed himself on borrowed time. The Labour Party was undergoing its own changes in the meantime, the Prime Minister’s own generation of Edwardian Socialists were in decline and younger men like Atlee, Dalton and Morrison were coming up with their own ideas and soon the only Opposition in England was within the Cabinet, but the blow that felled Clynes came from within the ‘Big Five’ – in order to make room for the Conservatives and Liberals in Office, a reshuffle had been necessary, and MacDonald had been pushed out: he was growing old and exhausted, nevertheless he resented been dumped on the backbenches. In hindsight, MacDonald couldn’t have cared less about the modest cut to Board of Education, in fact he seemed to have agreed with the principle., but that didn’t stop him rising in the Commons to plaster the leader of his Party. Suddenly, more than half of the House was up jeering, and Clynes’ knees buckled deciding he could not continue without the support of his Party, he resigned as leader of the Party, and stayed on as Prime Minister till it could decide a new leader and an election be called – an act that might well have preserved the Party from immolation after it’s inevitable defeat it was running toward, and preserved his Labour Party membership when the next Prime Minister appointed him as Lord Privy Seal for a turn, before he settled into quiet retirement and the House of Lords in 1935.
Like Bonar Law during the War, Chamberlain did not ask nor seek a great office of state from Clynes – Liberals took both the Home and Foreign Office, Snowden held the Treasury in his palm, leaving Chamberlain relegated to his former post at the Ministry of Health, though he did not have to wait long for the prize. After the King summoned the other Chamberlain to form a government, made his first address to the House of Commons having praised his predecessor for his courage and efforts and appealed for continuation of unity and the National government, which remained largely unchanged at the Cabinet level. Though the government was stabilised, it still lacked an answer for the Economic Depression and spent the next year grasping with problem until the Ottawa Conference – wherein the constituent nation of the British Empire shook off Free Trade and placed certain tariffs on nations outside of it. The fallout of this prompted Snowden to resign to resign, and the Liberals to walk out the government, though several key figures and the rest of the National MPs remained. Despite the tariff policies failure a decade earlier, now the economy seemed to welcome the measures and Britain, though not booming, had shrugged off the worst of the slump – the watchword of the day was efficiency, the fat was trimmed and investments made to bring things up to scratch – a fact which was made apparent in military matter. Though England was not yet prepared for full rearmament, there was space for change – the Royal Navy was had been prevented from building new capital ships since the end of the war by “Thomas’ Axe” and despite its prestige was mostly languishing with an aging fleet that was expensive to maintain. New ships were ordered, old ones sent to the knacker’s yard. Efficiency was Chamberlain’s philosophy in all things.
Meanwhile, the world changed around the government. Germany had a new Fuher and both Mussolini and Stalin were on the making noise, France was weakened by her internal divisions, and the rest of Europe looked up for grabs to the three monoliths of the day. The importance of Britain holding it own defensive policy was important to Chamberlain, but time and public opinion were not on his side in this, and another crisis were brewing – in January 1936 King George V died in his sleep leaving the throne to his son, Edward. The Prince’s private life had been the stuff of gossip for years by his ascension, but his latest mistress, and his pending coronation suddenly turned the matter into a Constitutional Crisis once he made his intensions on marrying her clear. This was too much for the values of his day, and though it lumbered on for months, Chamberlain, his government and those of the Dominions were united in their opposition to the King. The Final blow for the King’s hopes came at those years election, when the only major figure to privately offer Edward any support, Opposition Leader Oswald Mosely, was defeated as expected in the Autumn election. Edward had held on in the hope that a Mosely victory might mean a more favourable outcome for him, but without it he could not hope to rule much longer and less than 12 months after the death of his Father he abdicated in favour of his brother. From the outside, Chamberlain might have seemed at his peak, having enforced the Constitution on the highest authority, but the years of hardship that had taken their toll on his health and political capital. Chamberlain let it be known privately that he intended to see the new King settled and resign but shakes in the political landscape of Europe threatened to derail these plans. The Sudeten Crisis shook Europe out of its stupor as Hitler and the West starred one another down over the fate of Czechoslovakia – the meeting a Munich is controversial to this day, those favourable of Chamberlain declare he bought Britain time to rearm herself or had achieved a genuine peace only for his successor to bungle it. Nevertheless, Chamberlain at the time would leave office on a high, with the masses applauding his appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
In this new office, Halifax largely had a freehand, as the Prime Minister was centred on economic and domestic matters. His policies largely fell in with public opinion – the Occupation of the Rhineland was not fussed over; a satisfactory treaty with Egypt was signed in 1935; Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia duly frowned upon; and otherwise, the status quo to be preserved at all hazards. Perhaps then it is with some confusion that the Munich Conference, which Halifax did not attend, is wrongly attributed as his burden than his predecessor’s. In fact, by Munich and certainly after, Halifax had come around to the complications raised by Appeasement and Hitler could not be counted on as a faithful actor in the diplomatic arena. Before Hitler even renounced the agreement, Halifax pushed his government for faster rearmament, diplomatic missions to Eastern Europe and even conscription. Yet even at this early stage he could not shake the association his appeasement, many of those leading opponents in Cabinet having resigned in the face of his elevation.
In March 1939, Halifax (so he thought) showed his colours to the world: having taken a steamer to Danzig, he arrived in Warsaw to sign an agreement with Poland. In reality, the Germans were amused by the guarantee and could not understand how it would make a difference to their plans after Britain’s attitude to the Czechs, and the Soviets were enraged and refused to meet Halifax after his appearance in Warsaw – the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact soon follow. Halifax had boxed himself into a single choice: abandon the Poles or go to War when it came. Having made the Polish agreement his Godchild, like Chamberlain and Munich before him, Halifax could not give way and when the German demand for Danzig was made the course was already set. Yet despite having fought for Poland in Peace, in war Halifax was loath to lift a finger and Poland fell without a single British solider, sailor or airman having moved east of Dogger Bank.
In the New Year, Halifax formed a new Cabinet, a war cabinet where many of the anti-appeasers were recalled but despite his entreaties, neither Labour nor Liberal would enter government with him. It is perhaps this which prompted the ‘Holy Fox’ to take the drastic actions he did. By February, British troops were attacking – not Germany, but Norway! – after a plan cooked up by the Admiralty to mine German waters and occupy the country to the astonishment of the Neutral world. Hitler graciously accepted the Norwegian request for help in resisting and while the spring arrived and the world was looking at the battle of Lillehammer, the Reich struck at the West.
On the 10th May, Germany invaded the whole of the Western Front, including Holland and Belgium, and with 12 days reached the Channel – Britian’s Expeditionary Force was trapped with the a French armoured corps and the First Army. In the face of such a setback, Halifax broke completely and was moved in the face of the defeat in Belgium to sue Hitler for peace. The War Cabinet were in uproar, and the British people were surprisingly calm – the propaganda had them convinced that General Wavell had only retreated to a more defensible position and that he and the French were now making an impregnable fortress in and around the towns of Calais and Dunkirk as the French readied their counterattack – yet still the telegrams flew, and an ignominious peace was being brewed. So confident was Hitler, that he sent a halt order to the Panzers surrounding the Dunkirk perimeter, and they were sent to carry on the invasion into France proper. By June 17th, Hitler had Paris in his grasp, and Samuel Hoare (Halifax’s Leader in the Commons) rose to announce His Majesty’s government had agreed an armistice with Hitler’s Germany to a silent House.
“For Shame!”
“For shame!” Came the cry to stupefied House of Commons – and not from the Leader of the Opposition, or the irked Eden or die-hard Churchill. Instead, the House turned her eyes towards the cancer ridden predecessor of the Prime Minister. Neville Chamberlain, upon hearing the fact that Britain had made the agreement with nary a word to her French ally (still fighting in the hope that Paris might be saved), had risen in indignation against the agreement. Awed by this example, several of the Front bench walked out of the Chamber, followed by much of the Opposition front bench. Despite this drama however, the pact was made, and there were sufficient terrified and panicked MPs in the Commons to the keep the government up. British troops consequently evacuated their positions, even in Norway where they were by then within a hairsbreadth of victory and were spat upon by there allies as they marched. France was then left at the Axis mercy, as Mussolini, Godfather of the Anglo-German Peace, invaded across the Alps.
The Faustian Peace that followed was later called by Churchill, “Our Darkest Hour” and the Third Reich spread across Europe and striking at all its foes at its leisure. It was later said by one foolish Historian that Hitler only invaded the Soviet Union to impress the British – if this were true, it could not have been more wrong as from April 1941, the biggest arms supplier to the USSR was Great Britain. Some have tried to give Halifax due credit for choosing to preserve British military capacity in the face of annihilation, but these are a notable minority at best. In the public mind, he is still the face of Appeasement, a Fascist apologist who caved at the first sign of blood, and rightly to be brought down after the East Asian onslaught.
1918 (Coalition w/ Conservative) def. Andrew Bonar Law (Conservative); Éamon de Valera (Sinn Féin); William Adamson (Labour); H.H. Asquith (Liberal); John Dillon (IPP)
1922-1925: Austen Chamberlain (Conservative) [1]
1922 (Majority) def. J.R. Clynes (Labour); H.H. Asquith (Liberal)
1925-1931: J.R. Clynes (Labour) [2]
1925 (Minority, w/ Liberal support) def. Austen Chamberlain (Conservative); H.H. Asquith (Liberal)
1926 (Majority) def. Stanley Baldwin (Conservative); David Lloyd George (Liberal)
1930 (National Govt.) def. Neville Chamberlain (Conservative); Herbert Samuel (Liberal)
1931-1938: Neville Chamberlain (Conservative) [3]
1931 (National Govt. w/ Liberal and some Labour) def. Arthur Henderson (Labour); Herbert Samuel (Liberal)
1936 (National Govt. w/ Nat. Liberal and Nat. Labour) def. Oswald Mosely (Labour); Walter Runciman (Nat. Liberal);
1938-1942: Edward Wood, Lord Halifax (Conservative) [4]
Apr. 1940 (Wartime Govt.) w/. Oswald Mosely (Labour); Harcourt Johnstone (Liberal); Walter Runciman (Nat. Liberal); Harold Nicolson (Nat. Labour)
Jul. 1940 (Peace Govt.) def. Oswald Mosely (Labour); Harcourt Johnstone (Liberal); John Simon (Nat. Liberal); Malcolm MacDonald (Peace Labour); David Lloyd George (Peace Lib.)
[1] The failures of the Chamberlain government can be linked to the man himself – a lack of the common touch, and an ability to persuade – Chamberlain was trapped by his Father’s ideology yet lacking his radicalism and the passion. Ireland, now gone, did not arouse the same passion that it had before the war and Chamberlain fell to the other tenant of old Joe’s politics. Much like the Harding Administration, Chamberlain was aiming for a “Return to normalcy” via Tariffs and the Gold Standard, and though these ideas had been popular and supported by the Cabinet, their introduction in the 1924 budget almost detonated the British economy. Complications of the tariff policy saw an immediate hike in the price of food, which was followed by a drop in Sterling’s value, followed by layoffs, followed by strikes. By the winter, the miners were striking, and the Cabinet divided – Chamberlain urged his colleagues to hold their ground, and out of fear of Bolshevism and the Labour Party, they reluctantly backed him. The Law-and-Order stance of the government was popular on its benches but not in the wider country, as strikes spread to other industries and Chamberlain vetoed a backdoor move by Chancellor Stanley Baldwin to mediate between business leaders and the TUC. The nation was quickly becoming a tinder box and in kneejerk Reactionary response after a report from Home Secretary Winston Churchill, suddenly troops began to materialise on the dockyards, escorting food and coal shipments: the fuse had been lit and blew on May Day 1925 at the Poplar Docks. Although hardly comparable to Bloody Sunday, the shots fired had shocked the nation – and the Labour Party brought to full froth, Baldwin resigned after Churchill refused to, and Asquith rose to call a vote of no confidence, leaving the chamber roaring, and decision made by a single vote: Chamberlain would go to the palace.
- Prime Minister – Sir Austen Chamberlain (1922-25)
- Lord Chancellor – The Viscount Cave (1922-25)
- Lord President of the Council –The Marquess of Sailsbury (1922-25)
- Chancellor of the Exchequer – Stanley Baldwin (1922-25)
- Home Secretary – Edward Frederick Lindley Wood (1922-23); Winston Churchill (1923-25)
- Foreign Secretary – Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (1922-25)
- Secretary of State for the Colonies – Leo Amery (1922-25)
- Secretary of State for War – Sir William Joynson-Hicks (1922-25)
- Secretary of State for India – William Clive Bridgeman (1922-23); Edward Frederick Lindley Wood (1923-25)
- Secretary for Scotland – John Buchan (1922-25)
- President of the Board of Trade – The Duke of Devonshire (1922-25)
- Minister of Agriculture – Sir Anderson Barlow (1922-25)
- President of the Board of Education – Neville Chamberlain (1922-25)
- Minister of Labour – Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen (1922-25)
- Minister of Health – Sir Samuel Hoare (1922-25)
Rapidly, the economy began to settle, and Sterling was stable by the end of the year, against almost every prediction. Hoping to free Labour of the Liberal veto on legislation, Clynes asked the King for a snap election for April of the next year and manged a slender majority. Further reforms were pushed through – a national electric board was created, a substantial house programme started after the Wheatley Act, and Ramsay MacDonald took an almost permanent residence in Geneva in conferences on disarmament, German war debt and secret talks with the Soviet Union. And the government proceeded in that fashion, men were back at work and women could vote, reform was moderate and appreciated. Until the hammer fell.
The Wall Street Crash would have been a harsh thing for any government to deal with, but it proved especially harsh for Labour – and Clynes was aware of his own government’s weakness in such a crisis. At the urging of the King and with Cabinet’s consent, Clynes moved to invite Baldwin’s Tories and Samuel’s Liberals into the government to deal with the crisis, but this alliance was built on Clynes guarantees to his own Party, that soon proved impossible for him to meet. Clynes has placed himself on borrowed time. The Labour Party was undergoing its own changes in the meantime, the Prime Minister’s own generation of Edwardian Socialists were in decline and younger men like Atlee, Dalton and Morrison were coming up with their own ideas and soon the only Opposition in England was within the Cabinet, but the blow that felled Clynes came from within the ‘Big Five’ – in order to make room for the Conservatives and Liberals in Office, a reshuffle had been necessary, and MacDonald had been pushed out: he was growing old and exhausted, nevertheless he resented been dumped on the backbenches. In hindsight, MacDonald couldn’t have cared less about the modest cut to Board of Education, in fact he seemed to have agreed with the principle., but that didn’t stop him rising in the Commons to plaster the leader of his Party. Suddenly, more than half of the House was up jeering, and Clynes’ knees buckled deciding he could not continue without the support of his Party, he resigned as leader of the Party, and stayed on as Prime Minister till it could decide a new leader and an election be called – an act that might well have preserved the Party from immolation after it’s inevitable defeat it was running toward, and preserved his Labour Party membership when the next Prime Minister appointed him as Lord Privy Seal for a turn, before he settled into quiet retirement and the House of Lords in 1935.
- Prime Minister – J.R. Clynes (1925-1930)
- Lord Chancellor – The Lord Parmoor (1925-1930)
- Lord President of the Council – William Adamson (1925-1930)
- Chancellor of the Exchequer – Philip Snowden (1925-1930)
- Home Secretary – Arthur Henderson (1925-30)
- Foreign Secretary – Ramsay MacDonald (1925-30)
- Secretary of State for Colonies – The Lord Olivier (1925-30)
- Secretary of State for War – The Lord Thomson (1925-29); Herbert Morrison (1929-30)
- Secretary of State for India – Sidney Webb (1925-30)
- Secretary for Scotland – William Graham (1925-30)
- Secretary for Air – William Wedgewood Benn (1925-30)
- First Lord of the Admiralty – J.H. Thomas (1925-30)
- President of the Board of Trade – Thomas Shaw (1925-1927); John Wheatley (1927-29); Clement Attlee (1929-30)
- Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Charles Trevelyan (1925-27); Jack Lawson (1927-29); Oswald Mosley (1929-30)
- President of the Board of Education – Margaret Bondfield (1925-30)
- Minister of Agriculture – George Lansbury (1925-30)
- Minister of Labour – Jack Lawson (1925-27); Charles Trevelyan (1927-30)
- Minister of Health – John Wheatley (1925-27); Herbert Morrison (1927-29); A.V. Alexander (1929-30)
Like Bonar Law during the War, Chamberlain did not ask nor seek a great office of state from Clynes – Liberals took both the Home and Foreign Office, Snowden held the Treasury in his palm, leaving Chamberlain relegated to his former post at the Ministry of Health, though he did not have to wait long for the prize. After the King summoned the other Chamberlain to form a government, made his first address to the House of Commons having praised his predecessor for his courage and efforts and appealed for continuation of unity and the National government, which remained largely unchanged at the Cabinet level. Though the government was stabilised, it still lacked an answer for the Economic Depression and spent the next year grasping with problem until the Ottawa Conference – wherein the constituent nation of the British Empire shook off Free Trade and placed certain tariffs on nations outside of it. The fallout of this prompted Snowden to resign to resign, and the Liberals to walk out the government, though several key figures and the rest of the National MPs remained. Despite the tariff policies failure a decade earlier, now the economy seemed to welcome the measures and Britain, though not booming, had shrugged off the worst of the slump – the watchword of the day was efficiency, the fat was trimmed and investments made to bring things up to scratch – a fact which was made apparent in military matter. Though England was not yet prepared for full rearmament, there was space for change – the Royal Navy was had been prevented from building new capital ships since the end of the war by “Thomas’ Axe” and despite its prestige was mostly languishing with an aging fleet that was expensive to maintain. New ships were ordered, old ones sent to the knacker’s yard. Efficiency was Chamberlain’s philosophy in all things.
Meanwhile, the world changed around the government. Germany had a new Fuher and both Mussolini and Stalin were on the making noise, France was weakened by her internal divisions, and the rest of Europe looked up for grabs to the three monoliths of the day. The importance of Britain holding it own defensive policy was important to Chamberlain, but time and public opinion were not on his side in this, and another crisis were brewing – in January 1936 King George V died in his sleep leaving the throne to his son, Edward. The Prince’s private life had been the stuff of gossip for years by his ascension, but his latest mistress, and his pending coronation suddenly turned the matter into a Constitutional Crisis once he made his intensions on marrying her clear. This was too much for the values of his day, and though it lumbered on for months, Chamberlain, his government and those of the Dominions were united in their opposition to the King. The Final blow for the King’s hopes came at those years election, when the only major figure to privately offer Edward any support, Opposition Leader Oswald Mosely, was defeated as expected in the Autumn election. Edward had held on in the hope that a Mosely victory might mean a more favourable outcome for him, but without it he could not hope to rule much longer and less than 12 months after the death of his Father he abdicated in favour of his brother. From the outside, Chamberlain might have seemed at his peak, having enforced the Constitution on the highest authority, but the years of hardship that had taken their toll on his health and political capital. Chamberlain let it be known privately that he intended to see the new King settled and resign but shakes in the political landscape of Europe threatened to derail these plans. The Sudeten Crisis shook Europe out of its stupor as Hitler and the West starred one another down over the fate of Czechoslovakia – the meeting a Munich is controversial to this day, those favourable of Chamberlain declare he bought Britain time to rearm herself or had achieved a genuine peace only for his successor to bungle it. Nevertheless, Chamberlain at the time would leave office on a high, with the masses applauding his appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
- Prime Minister – J.R. Clynes (1930-31); Neville Chamberlain (1931-38); Lord Halifax (1938-40)
- Lord Chancellor – The Lord Parmoor (1930-31); The Viscount Hailsham (1931-40)
- Lord President – Arthur Henderson (1930-31); The Marquess of Lothian (1931-32); The Marquess of Londonderry (1932-38); The Viscount Monsell (1938-40)
- Lord Privy Seal – J.H. Thomas (1930-31); J.R. Clynes (1931-35); The Marquess of Zetland (1935-40)
- Chancellor of the Exchequer – Philip Snowden (1930-32); Walter Runciman (1932-38); Sir Kingsley Wood (1938-40)
- Home Secretary – Herbert Samuel (1930-32); Sir John Gilmour† (1932-35); Samuel Hoare (1935-38); Sir John Simon (1938-40)
- Foreign Secretary – The Marquess of Reading (1930-32); The Viscount Halifax (1932-38); Samuel Hoare (1938-40)
- Secretary for India – Samuel Hoare (1930-1935); The Marquess of Zetland (1935-36); Anthony Eden (1936-38); Herwald Ramsbotham (1938-40)
- Colonial Secretary – Oswald Mosely (1930-31); J.H. Thomas (1931-35); Leo Amery (1935-38); Leslie Hore-Belisha (1938-40)
- Dominions Secretary – Clement Attlee (1930-31); Anthony Eden (1931-38); Harold Nicolson (1938-40)
- Secretary of State for War – Herbert Morrison (1930-31); Sir John Gilmour (1931-32); The Marquess of Zetland (1932-35); Leslie Hore-Belisha (1935-38); Duff Cooper (1938-40)
- Secretary for Air – Anthony Eden (1930-31); Oliver Stanley (1931-36); Geoffrey Shakespeare (1936-40)
- First Lord of the Admiralty – Donald Maclean (1930-32); Winston Churchill (1932-38); Walter Runciman (1938-40)
- Secretary of State for Scotland – William Adamson (1930-31); Noel Skelton† (1931-35); Godfrey Collins (1935-36); John Graham Kerr (1936-40)
- President of the Board of Trade – Walter Runciman (1930-32); Leslie Hore-Belisha (1932-38); Walter Elliot (1938-40)
- President of the Board of Education – Margaret Bondfield (1930-31); William Ormsby-Gore (1932-38); Ernest Brown (1938-40)
- Minister of Health – Neville Chamberlain (1930-31); Charles Trevelyan (1931-32); Walter Elliot (1932-38); Oliver Stanley (1938-40)
- Minister of Labour – A.V. Alexander (1930-31); Percy Harris (1931-32); Kingsley Wood (1932-38); David Margesson (1938-40)
- Minister of Agriculture – George Lansbury (1930-31); Sir John Simon (1931-38); Thomas Inskip (1938-40)
In this new office, Halifax largely had a freehand, as the Prime Minister was centred on economic and domestic matters. His policies largely fell in with public opinion – the Occupation of the Rhineland was not fussed over; a satisfactory treaty with Egypt was signed in 1935; Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia duly frowned upon; and otherwise, the status quo to be preserved at all hazards. Perhaps then it is with some confusion that the Munich Conference, which Halifax did not attend, is wrongly attributed as his burden than his predecessor’s. In fact, by Munich and certainly after, Halifax had come around to the complications raised by Appeasement and Hitler could not be counted on as a faithful actor in the diplomatic arena. Before Hitler even renounced the agreement, Halifax pushed his government for faster rearmament, diplomatic missions to Eastern Europe and even conscription. Yet even at this early stage he could not shake the association his appeasement, many of those leading opponents in Cabinet having resigned in the face of his elevation.
In March 1939, Halifax (so he thought) showed his colours to the world: having taken a steamer to Danzig, he arrived in Warsaw to sign an agreement with Poland. In reality, the Germans were amused by the guarantee and could not understand how it would make a difference to their plans after Britain’s attitude to the Czechs, and the Soviets were enraged and refused to meet Halifax after his appearance in Warsaw – the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact soon follow. Halifax had boxed himself into a single choice: abandon the Poles or go to War when it came. Having made the Polish agreement his Godchild, like Chamberlain and Munich before him, Halifax could not give way and when the German demand for Danzig was made the course was already set. Yet despite having fought for Poland in Peace, in war Halifax was loath to lift a finger and Poland fell without a single British solider, sailor or airman having moved east of Dogger Bank.
In the New Year, Halifax formed a new Cabinet, a war cabinet where many of the anti-appeasers were recalled but despite his entreaties, neither Labour nor Liberal would enter government with him. It is perhaps this which prompted the ‘Holy Fox’ to take the drastic actions he did. By February, British troops were attacking – not Germany, but Norway! – after a plan cooked up by the Admiralty to mine German waters and occupy the country to the astonishment of the Neutral world. Hitler graciously accepted the Norwegian request for help in resisting and while the spring arrived and the world was looking at the battle of Lillehammer, the Reich struck at the West.
On the 10th May, Germany invaded the whole of the Western Front, including Holland and Belgium, and with 12 days reached the Channel – Britian’s Expeditionary Force was trapped with the a French armoured corps and the First Army. In the face of such a setback, Halifax broke completely and was moved in the face of the defeat in Belgium to sue Hitler for peace. The War Cabinet were in uproar, and the British people were surprisingly calm – the propaganda had them convinced that General Wavell had only retreated to a more defensible position and that he and the French were now making an impregnable fortress in and around the towns of Calais and Dunkirk as the French readied their counterattack – yet still the telegrams flew, and an ignominious peace was being brewed. So confident was Hitler, that he sent a halt order to the Panzers surrounding the Dunkirk perimeter, and they were sent to carry on the invasion into France proper. By June 17th, Hitler had Paris in his grasp, and Samuel Hoare (Halifax’s Leader in the Commons) rose to announce His Majesty’s government had agreed an armistice with Hitler’s Germany to a silent House.
“For Shame!”
“For shame!” Came the cry to stupefied House of Commons – and not from the Leader of the Opposition, or the irked Eden or die-hard Churchill. Instead, the House turned her eyes towards the cancer ridden predecessor of the Prime Minister. Neville Chamberlain, upon hearing the fact that Britain had made the agreement with nary a word to her French ally (still fighting in the hope that Paris might be saved), had risen in indignation against the agreement. Awed by this example, several of the Front bench walked out of the Chamber, followed by much of the Opposition front bench. Despite this drama however, the pact was made, and there were sufficient terrified and panicked MPs in the Commons to the keep the government up. British troops consequently evacuated their positions, even in Norway where they were by then within a hairsbreadth of victory and were spat upon by there allies as they marched. France was then left at the Axis mercy, as Mussolini, Godfather of the Anglo-German Peace, invaded across the Alps.
The Faustian Peace that followed was later called by Churchill, “Our Darkest Hour” and the Third Reich spread across Europe and striking at all its foes at its leisure. It was later said by one foolish Historian that Hitler only invaded the Soviet Union to impress the British – if this were true, it could not have been more wrong as from April 1941, the biggest arms supplier to the USSR was Great Britain. Some have tried to give Halifax due credit for choosing to preserve British military capacity in the face of annihilation, but these are a notable minority at best. In the public mind, he is still the face of Appeasement, a Fascist apologist who caved at the first sign of blood, and rightly to be brought down after the East Asian onslaught.
- Prime Minister – The Lord Halifax (1940-42)
- Lord Privy Seal – Sir John Simon (1940-42)
- Chancellor of the Exchequer – Sir Kingsley Wood (1940-42)
- Foreign Secretary – Sanuel Hoare (1940-42)
- Secretary of State for War – Anthony Eden (1940); David Margesson (1940-42)
- Secretary of State for Air – Leslie Hore-Belisha (1940-42)
- First Lord of the Admiralty – Winston Churchill (1940); William Morrison (1940-42)
- Minister of Defence – Leo Amery (1940); Oliver Stanley (1940-42)
- Home Secretary – David Lloyd George (1940-42)
- Secretary of State for the Dominions – Harold Nicolson (1940); Malcolm MacDonald (1940-42)
- Minister for Labour – Oliver Stanley (1940); Thomas Inskip (1940-42)
A very American Coup
2017 - 2021: Donald Trump / Mike Pence (Republican)
2016 def. Hillary Clinton / Tim Kaine (Democrat)
2018-19 Impeachment of Donald Trump: Acquitted [over Trump-Zelensky Affair]
2021: January 6th Coup Attempt. Mike Pence among those killed during coup attempt.
2021 - 2021: Donald Trump / vacant (Republican)
2021 Impeachment of Donald Trump: Removed [over leading insurrection]
2021 - 2021: Nancy Pelosi / vacant (Democrat)
2021 - 2027: Bernie Sanders / Rashida Tlaib (Democrat)
2020 def. Donald Trump / Mike Pence (Republican)
2024 def. Donald Trump / Janice McGeachin (Republican), Joe Manchin / James Mattis (No Labels)
2027 Impeachment of Bernie Sanders: Acquitted [over Sanders Institute Scandal]
2027: President Sanders passes away from heart attack.
2027 - 2027: Rashida Tlaib / vacant (Democrat)
2027 Nomination of Charlie Baker to Vice Presidency: Rejected
2027: Arrest of President Tlaib and Secretary Khanna in Israel following Israeli Military Coup d’État after PM Lapid announced agreement for two-state solution with Palestinian authority with American brokering.
2027 - 0000: Jim Jordan / vacant (Republican)
2027: Speaker of the House Jordan becomes Acting President per line of succession. Announces withdrawal of peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Jordan announces firing of AG Keith Ellison for “endangering the American-Israeli alliance” due to attempts to pressure Israel to release Tlaib, Lapid and Khanna. Events considered a coup by most Democrats.
2027 - 0000: Robert Reich / vacant (Democrat)
2027: With Tlaib and Khanna unable to serve, and Jordan and Grassley considered to be engaging in insurrection, next in line of succession Secretary Reich claims presidency, and is immediately recognized by most Democrats. Start of American Regime Crisis.
2017 - 2021: Donald Trump / Mike Pence (Republican)
2016 def. Hillary Clinton / Tim Kaine (Democrat)
2018-19 Impeachment of Donald Trump: Acquitted [over Trump-Zelensky Affair]
2021: January 6th Coup Attempt. Mike Pence among those killed during coup attempt.
2021 - 2021: Donald Trump / vacant (Republican)
2021 Impeachment of Donald Trump: Removed [over leading insurrection]
2021 - 2021: Nancy Pelosi / vacant (Democrat)
2021 - 2027: Bernie Sanders / Rashida Tlaib (Democrat)
2020 def. Donald Trump / Mike Pence (Republican)
2024 def. Donald Trump / Janice McGeachin (Republican), Joe Manchin / James Mattis (No Labels)
2027 Impeachment of Bernie Sanders: Acquitted [over Sanders Institute Scandal]
2027: President Sanders passes away from heart attack.
2027 - 2027: Rashida Tlaib / vacant (Democrat)
2027 Nomination of Charlie Baker to Vice Presidency: Rejected
2027: Arrest of President Tlaib and Secretary Khanna in Israel following Israeli Military Coup d’État after PM Lapid announced agreement for two-state solution with Palestinian authority with American brokering.
2027 - 0000: Jim Jordan / vacant (Republican)
2027: Speaker of the House Jordan becomes Acting President per line of succession. Announces withdrawal of peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Jordan announces firing of AG Keith Ellison for “endangering the American-Israeli alliance” due to attempts to pressure Israel to release Tlaib, Lapid and Khanna. Events considered a coup by most Democrats.
2027 - 0000: Robert Reich / vacant (Democrat)
2027: With Tlaib and Khanna unable to serve, and Jordan and Grassley considered to be engaging in insurrection, next in line of succession Secretary Reich claims presidency, and is immediately recognized by most Democrats. Start of American Regime Crisis.
Meppo
Anticommunist Mole
- Location
- Default City, Russia
- Pronouns
- he/him
which side does Joe Sestak join
He’s a warlord that controls Philly, and nothing else.
- Location
- Sandford, Gloucestershire
- Pronouns
- She/They
21st Century PMs in "Cold Morning" Although the points of view are 2017-2037 and 2218
Cold Morning
or
The Slow Death of Parliament
2016-2019: Theresa May (Conservative then Conservative Minority))
2019-2022: Boris Johnson (Conservative Minority, then Conservative)
2022-2022: Liz Truss (Conservative)
2022-2024: Rishi Sunak (Conservative)
2024-2034: Keir Starmer (Labour)
2034-2040: Jasmine Cavendish* (Conservative minority, then Conservative)
2041-2043: Tom Harwood (Conservative, then Conservative Minority)
2043-2044: Danielle Llewelyn (Labour minority)
2043-45: James Pearce (Liberal Democrat-Moderate Alliance Minority)
2045-2047: James Pearce (Liberal Democrat-Moderate Alliance Minority with Labour S&C, then Conservative S&C)
2047-2048: Alice Sinclair (Conservative-Alliance Coalition)
2048-2058: Alice Sinclair (Conservative-Alliance National Government
2058-2058: Matt Peterson (Labour, leading National Emergency Government)
2058-2069: Eve Roberts (Conservative, leading National Emergency Government)
2069-2072: Matt Peterson (Labour, leading National Democratic Government)
2072-2080: Matt Peterson (Labour-Liberal Unionist Grand Coalition)
2080-2087: Rosemallow Black (Labour-Liberal Unionist Grand Coalition then Labour-Artificiality Coalition)
2087-2098: Steph Charles (Liberal Unionist-Green-Commune Coalition)
2098-21--: Rosemallow Black (Labour-Green-Commune)
The Parliament of the twenty second century is a strange beast. Power has been taken away from it from above and below. Three key processes lead to this. Firstly the constitutional convention of 2070. The end to the quiet revolution and the end of the Sinclair-Roberts emergency government. With London severely damaged government had been decentralised across the country with Parliament at Oxford and other departments across the country. While Parliament itself would return to the New Houses in 2071 the disdain for central authority had created a popular movement for devolution across England Scotland and Wales and so mechanisms for devo-max were put in place for Holyrood and the Sennedd and processes began for English regions. Eventually leading to the English Devolution act under the Grand Coalition of 2075.
The second was the Charles government of 2087-98. With the accelerating interconnectedness, advances in technology and free flow of information, the popular consensus was that the post-emergency constitution didnt go far enough for society. The Lib-Unionists, Greens and Communes introduced the community empowerment bill of 2092 with the aim of giving small scale groups greater powers in running their own communities, utilities and so on. "Individualism for the Modern Era" was the phrase often uttered by Steph Charles in bringing the bill forward, herself a child of communalists in the 2030s. This further devolved powers to the level of borough, district and other smaller eras with the regional parliaments often serving as a point of arbitration between groups. It also allowed for creation and legislation of new communities in online and semi-online spaces within the United Kingdom. The Bill had enough votes under lib-Green-Com but many on Labours left wing supported it as well.
The third point was that of the creation of the the Solar Confederation in 2115. The Solar Confederation has been compared to that of the European Union at the turn of the millenium and the North American Union of the 70s-90s. Under this certain requirements were needed on civil liberties, representation, environmental legislation and trade standards for all member states. It established the modern single market and freedom of movement and provisions for Sol-Con citizens resident in the UK voting in UK elections. It had been hypothesised that the UK would rejoin the EU in the 70s or 80s (a revision to and provisioned by the EU relations act of 2032) but the movement for a global supranational government overtook this and the UK became a founder member of SolCon with former Prime Minister Steph Charles being a favourite to be elected to the Confederal Council (the Executive Branch of the Confederation) at the first elections in 2120.
the United Kingdom however, does have a Monarch.
BTW, from my notes on my test thread.
2024-2041: The Starvendish Consensus. Centrist economic policies, moderate social positions. Radical Counterculture on the left and right.
2041-2048: The Wild 40s. The radical elements of the big two returning to leadership The splintering of the Tories under Tom Harwood and the Liberal Democrat revival . The socialist government of Danielle Llewelyn, the rotating minority governments
2048-2069: "the Long Emergency". The Russian civil War. the abrupt end to the "weak governments" with the tri-party grand coalition. the year without a summer. The Lord Hughes Premiership and the suspension of democratic processes. the Oxford Government.
2069-2075: "The Constitutional revival": the soft revolution. The return of elections. The bills of AI and cybernetic rights.
2075-2090: "The Fragile Peace": the Liberal Unionist/Socialist lead governments. The return of Britain to the international scene. The last gasp of old conservatism. the shift away from centralised government. The reconstruction and reclamation projects. The Start of the House of Bernadotte-Windsor
2090-2140: "Devolution-Evolution" The formation of the Solar Confederation and the continued move towards self determination and local government. The first AI Prime minister. the Polar Migrations.
2140-: "The transhuman Consensus" the post scarcity society. Discussions of Utopia. The Environmental Reset and "Get Off Earth" movements.
Cold Morning
or
The Slow Death of Parliament
2016-2019: Theresa May (Conservative then Conservative Minority))
2019-2022: Boris Johnson (Conservative Minority, then Conservative)
2022-2022: Liz Truss (Conservative)
2022-2024: Rishi Sunak (Conservative)
2024-2034: Keir Starmer (Labour)
2034-2040: Jasmine Cavendish* (Conservative minority, then Conservative)
2041-2043: Tom Harwood (Conservative, then Conservative Minority)
2043-2044: Danielle Llewelyn (Labour minority)
2043-45: James Pearce (Liberal Democrat-Moderate Alliance Minority)
2045-2047: James Pearce (Liberal Democrat-Moderate Alliance Minority with Labour S&C, then Conservative S&C)
2047-2048: Alice Sinclair (Conservative-Alliance Coalition)
2048-2058: Alice Sinclair (Conservative-Alliance National Government
2058-2058: Matt Peterson (Labour, leading National Emergency Government)
2058-2069: Eve Roberts (Conservative, leading National Emergency Government)
2069-2072: Matt Peterson (Labour, leading National Democratic Government)
2072-2080: Matt Peterson (Labour-Liberal Unionist Grand Coalition)
2080-2087: Rosemallow Black (Labour-Liberal Unionist Grand Coalition then Labour-Artificiality Coalition)
2087-2098: Steph Charles (Liberal Unionist-Green-Commune Coalition)
2098-21--: Rosemallow Black (Labour-Green-Commune)
The Parliament of the twenty second century is a strange beast. Power has been taken away from it from above and below. Three key processes lead to this. Firstly the constitutional convention of 2070. The end to the quiet revolution and the end of the Sinclair-Roberts emergency government. With London severely damaged government had been decentralised across the country with Parliament at Oxford and other departments across the country. While Parliament itself would return to the New Houses in 2071 the disdain for central authority had created a popular movement for devolution across England Scotland and Wales and so mechanisms for devo-max were put in place for Holyrood and the Sennedd and processes began for English regions. Eventually leading to the English Devolution act under the Grand Coalition of 2075.
The second was the Charles government of 2087-98. With the accelerating interconnectedness, advances in technology and free flow of information, the popular consensus was that the post-emergency constitution didnt go far enough for society. The Lib-Unionists, Greens and Communes introduced the community empowerment bill of 2092 with the aim of giving small scale groups greater powers in running their own communities, utilities and so on. "Individualism for the Modern Era" was the phrase often uttered by Steph Charles in bringing the bill forward, herself a child of communalists in the 2030s. This further devolved powers to the level of borough, district and other smaller eras with the regional parliaments often serving as a point of arbitration between groups. It also allowed for creation and legislation of new communities in online and semi-online spaces within the United Kingdom. The Bill had enough votes under lib-Green-Com but many on Labours left wing supported it as well.
The third point was that of the creation of the the Solar Confederation in 2115. The Solar Confederation has been compared to that of the European Union at the turn of the millenium and the North American Union of the 70s-90s. Under this certain requirements were needed on civil liberties, representation, environmental legislation and trade standards for all member states. It established the modern single market and freedom of movement and provisions for Sol-Con citizens resident in the UK voting in UK elections. It had been hypothesised that the UK would rejoin the EU in the 70s or 80s (a revision to and provisioned by the EU relations act of 2032) but the movement for a global supranational government overtook this and the UK became a founder member of SolCon with former Prime Minister Steph Charles being a favourite to be elected to the Confederal Council (the Executive Branch of the Confederation) at the first elections in 2120.
the United Kingdom however, does have a Monarch.
BTW, from my notes on my test thread.
2024-2041: The Starvendish Consensus. Centrist economic policies, moderate social positions. Radical Counterculture on the left and right.
2041-2048: The Wild 40s. The radical elements of the big two returning to leadership The splintering of the Tories under Tom Harwood and the Liberal Democrat revival . The socialist government of Danielle Llewelyn, the rotating minority governments
2048-2069: "the Long Emergency". The Russian civil War. the abrupt end to the "weak governments" with the tri-party grand coalition. the year without a summer. The Lord Hughes Premiership and the suspension of democratic processes. the Oxford Government.
2069-2075: "The Constitutional revival": the soft revolution. The return of elections. The bills of AI and cybernetic rights.
2075-2090: "The Fragile Peace": the Liberal Unionist/Socialist lead governments. The return of Britain to the international scene. The last gasp of old conservatism. the shift away from centralised government. The reconstruction and reclamation projects. The Start of the House of Bernadotte-Windsor
2090-2140: "Devolution-Evolution" The formation of the Solar Confederation and the continued move towards self determination and local government. The first AI Prime minister. the Polar Migrations.
2140-: "The transhuman Consensus" the post scarcity society. Discussions of Utopia. The Environmental Reset and "Get Off Earth" movements.
This is such a wild list but I'm here for it. It sucks that Tlaib gets arrested in Israel like damn
I hope she and Khanna end up okay. Also like shit, President Jordan... President Reich though because of this shit show in the end is so funny. But also damn, a worse 1/6 and Jordan still ends up making it as Speaker of the House in 2026... I mean makes sense but damn. Really neat concepts even if depressing- Location
- Sandford, Gloucestershire
- Pronouns
- She/They
Randomly remembered this. Bloody hell this is good
TheHatMan98
Well-known member
1942-1945: Winston Churchill (Constitutionalist) [5]
(Popular Front, w/ some Conservative, Labour, Liberal, and Constitutionalist) def. Lord Halifax (Conservative); Anthony Eden (Constitutionalist); Archibald Sinclair (Liberal); Harry Pollitt (CPGB); Sir Richard Acland (CommonWealth)
1945-1952: Oswald Mosely (Labour) [6]
1945 (Majority) def. David Margesson (Conservative); Winston Churchill (Constitutionalist); Archibald Sinclair (Liberal); Harry Pollitt (CPGB); Sir Richard Acland (CommonWealth)
1950 (Majority) def. Anthony Eden (National); William Beveridge (Liberal)
1952-1955: Herbert Morrison (Labour) [7]
1955-1963: R.A. Butler (National) [8]
1955 (Majority) def. Herbert Morrison (Labour); Gwilym Lloyd George (Liberal)
1959 (Majority) def. Hugh Gaitskell (Labour); Gwilym Lloyd George (Liberal)
1963-: Quintin Hogg, Lord Hailsham (National) [9]
[5] “Cometh the hour, cometh the man” might well be the epitaph for Winston Churchill, later to be made Duke of London and later still to be voted the “Greatest Briton”. In 1938, it is perhaps amazing to think that he had been thought of as finished in political terms, having quietly resigned his Cabinet post after the Munich Agreement. Yet after the outbreak of war, he agreed to return to his former position at the Admiralty, only to be the architect of the Norway controversy. He was briefly at the centre of a ploy to oust Halifax in the Dunkirk Crisis and again walk out and resigned after the Armistice agreement. Here on Churchill became the internal opposition for the government, questioning every move that it made and arguing for an immediate resumption of hostilities with Germany. Despite this, even he could not predict that Japan would be the one to bring down Halifax, when they bombed Pearl Harbour and began a war against every colony in East Asia not their own.
When Hong Kong fell in ignominy without a shot fired, the British Empire went into shock and time was called for Lord Halifax. While Britain and Japan contested over Malaya, a long overdue vote went up in the House of Commons that overturned the Halifax government and put Churchill in his place – much to his own shock – who had been prepared to concede the Premiership at first, only to then latch on it like a barnacle. Duly appointed by the King, Churchill then made a speech the nation about the attack and committing it to a revanchist stance against Fascism in Europe, before crossing the Atlantic, where President Roosevelt was happy to take up the gauntlet of war against Fascism to affect its annihilation. The Battle of Singapore was the first chance for the Empire to strike back, and in the jungles of Malaya, in the Straights and skies above as the man himself said “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few” as the invaders were driven away.
The British resurgence prompted the German wrath, already overreaching in their war against Stalin’s Russia, and soon War was resumed between Britain and Germany. Much is made of the Battle of Stalingrad as turning point for the War, but it might not have been won, had the Luftwaffe and Rommel’s Panzer Korps not been forced into battle against the British over the Channel and in Africa, respectively. While Goering was hoping to batter the British back into the submission from the air, Churchill let his dogs loose in Africa – not distinguishing one Fascist power from another, they made mincemeat of the Italians in Egypt and Abyssinia, to such an extent that Generaloberst Rommel was bussed in to try and delay the British from an invasion of Hitler’s Southern flank. He needn’t have bothered, for while “the Fox of the Ardennes” was digging trenches in Sicily by 1943, the Anglo-American Might smashed into occupied France, and much of Germany’s “co-belligerent” French Army lined the way to Paris before falling in behind the Allies. Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany had been masters of the world for 12 months since 1940, but they had built their houses on sand, quick to fall under pressure. By 1944, the Die-hards of 1940 had been vindicated, as the Fascist house of cards collapsed – yet in Churchill they had a man behind the times, and with the Conservative Party itself a casualty of the war.
• Prime Minister – Winston Churchill (1942-45)
• Deputy Prime Minister – Oswald Mosely (1942-45)
• Minister of Defence – Winston Churchill (1942-45)
• Lord Privy Seal – Archibald Sinclair (1942-45)
• Foreign Secretary – Anthony Eden (1942-45)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Thomas Inskip (1942-44); Clement Attlee (1944-45)
• Home Secretary – Oswald Mosely (1942-45)
• Secretary for War – Herbert Morrison (1942-45)
• Secretary for Air – Oliver Lyttleton (1942-45)
• First Lord of the Admiralty – Harcourt Johnstone (1942-44); A.V. Alexander (1944-45)
• Leader of the House of Commons – Clement Attlee (1942-44); Harold Nicolson (1944-45)
• Leader of the House of Lords – Lord Beaverbrook (1942-44); Lord Moyne (1944-45)
• Minister of War Production – Hugh Dalton (1942-45)
• Minister of Labour – Aneurin Bevan (1942-45)
• Dominions Secretary – Harold Nicolson (1942-44); Leo Amery (1944-45)
• Deputy Prime Minister – Oswald Mosely (1942-45)
• Minister of Defence – Winston Churchill (1942-45)
• Lord Privy Seal – Archibald Sinclair (1942-45)
• Foreign Secretary – Anthony Eden (1942-45)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Thomas Inskip (1942-44); Clement Attlee (1944-45)
• Home Secretary – Oswald Mosely (1942-45)
• Secretary for War – Herbert Morrison (1942-45)
• Secretary for Air – Oliver Lyttleton (1942-45)
• First Lord of the Admiralty – Harcourt Johnstone (1942-44); A.V. Alexander (1944-45)
• Leader of the House of Commons – Clement Attlee (1942-44); Harold Nicolson (1944-45)
• Leader of the House of Lords – Lord Beaverbrook (1942-44); Lord Moyne (1944-45)
• Minister of War Production – Hugh Dalton (1942-45)
• Minister of Labour – Aneurin Bevan (1942-45)
• Dominions Secretary – Harold Nicolson (1942-44); Leo Amery (1944-45)
[6] In November 1944, Soviet troops swarmed over Berlin and British tanks reached the Baltic Sea, and in March atomic fire rained down on Kokura and Hiroshima – the War was over. But who was to lead the United Kingdom into this new post-War world? The Conservative Party ripped itself apart in the agonies of 1941, and though Churchill was a great war leader, his peacetime record was a catastrophe, and he lacked an electoral mandate. In the election of April 1945, the result seemed almost predetermined, and Sir Oswald Mosely was summoned to kiss hands with the King and as far as he was concerned it was overdue.
Mosely had been a dynamic MP with an independent spirit since entering Parliament as Conservative, though he was already acting as a Party of One. In 1924, in disgust at Austen Chamberlain’s intransigence at the state of the country and joined the Labour Party, coming within tens of votes of unseating Neville Chamberlain in 1925. The following year he was duly elected in Smethwick, and begun to cultivate his political identity, travelling, and ingratiating himself his senior government peers – Ramsay MacDonald took a shine to him, Philip Snowden hated his endless commentary on economic policy, and Clynes saw him as an up-and-coming force in the Labour Party, and put him in Cabinet by the close of the decade with a roaming brief. The National Government was a restrictive time for Mosely, as did much of the Parliamentary Labour Party, having to share the benches with the Conservatives – it was Mosely’s marrow-deep Keynesianism that caused him the most problems, which the Cabinet was closed to, his “Memorandum” on economic policy falling on deaf ears, but Mosely was just one among many in Labour disgruntled by the situation and welcomed the chance to walk out of the government when MacDonald began taking shots at the Prime Minister.
The Labour of 1932 however seemed to hold little prospect for a politician after the battering it received, and Moseley was actively discussing forming a new Party of his own, only for opportunity to land in his lap as the Leadership became vacant. Mosely’s supporters could not easily be codified, and they were best known as “the Mob” and led by the Welshman Nye Bevan, but could count on Deputy Leader Clem Attlee, Ernie Bevin, Fenner Brockway, Hugh Dalton, and the aged Ramsay MacDonald. The competition was lacklustre, and Mosely swept aside the seatless Herbet Morrisson and outdated George Lansbury – Mosely then moved to modernise the Labour Party and its movement, he began addressing mass rallies of members or the Unions. This almost Goebbels-esque approach to things saw that there would be a struggle for Mosely’s control of the Party, and the early years of his leadership looked black indeed, not least as the press regularly attack him on everything from being a Champagne Socialist to a proto-Stalin. There were murmurings of a plot from within the Party leadership in 1935, only for it to fizzle out – an election was round the corner, the public would reject the Mosely experiment and deal Labour another blow, and then the real socialists would be back in charge.
Only the public did not reject Moselyism, in fact they seemed intrigued by it. In the runup to ’36, Mosely was calling for a big push toward patriotic protectionism, disciplined action to get Britain moving again: it was basic slogan slinging, but in the declining mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire and the great port cities it garnered attention and the ballot box reflected, not another rout, but a respectable comeback – Labour moving from barely 50 MPs to within spitting distance of 200. With the whiff of old Joe Chamberlain about him, Mosely continued in the similar vein with much approval and while things heated up abroad, he aspired for Britain to remain aloof, though pushed Britain to rearm as an economic necessity and defensive measure for her own security. When War came Mosely turned up the tempo on Halifax, condemning his inability to prevent hostilities, to have prepared for them, and to prosecute them effectively – in April 1940, he made clear that Labour would not enter any government led by Halifax. Many have accused Mosley of having refused in the hope that Halifax might surrender the Premiership to him, only for the ploy to backfire as the country split over the Armistice that followed. During the war, Mosely did not dare hold back a second time, and fell in behind Churchill as the first Deputy Prime Minister with control over the Domestic brief, leading the Home Front – Mosely kept up national morale, ensured the people were protected, and began looking toward the future.
It was this foresight that rewarded Labour with the Landslide that followed, and some of the most formative years in the 20th Century passed. Britain was transformed into a welfare state, nationalisation sweeping through with a guarantee of employment for returning soldiers, a national health service to keep the population healthy, and the funds of Marshal Plan ignited an automobile and aviation industry that endures without parallel in the West. But Mosely did not merely limit his ambitions to England. In 1949, Mosely became the “Godfather of Europe” at the Treaty of London, where both the Council of Europe was formed and the European Coal and Steel Community consecrated, as Europe took its first steps toward Union. Meanwhile, time was called on the British Empire, as India cut itself loose, and preparations for the self-rule of Asia and Africa – the Commonwealth Technical Programme became the peacetime successor to Empire Air Training Scheme – swapping the old colonial civil servants out for the builders of nations (the unhappy side twin to this policy being the introduction of racialist quotas to immigration from the Commonwealth.)
The Downfall of Mosely can be contributed to many sources – to an extent, it might be said that he outgrew Downing Street, with Europe, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations adding further rungs to the ladder of his ambitions. Not to mention, the novelty of the maverick aristocrat at the top of the Labour movement was wearing thin, and the need for a “proper socialist” to assume the resigns of power becoming more prescient for much of the grassroots. In his personal life, Mosely was facing complications, his wife Cynthia dying shortly after he came to power. Notoriously a womanizer, Mosely had contracted a series of affairs during his marriage, but most concerningly was his favourite paramour and Fascist-sympathizer, Diana Mitford. The two broke off relations in 1940, where war measures almost resulted in Diana’s arrest, and the two did not meet face to face until after Cynthia’s death and they seemed to pick things up where that had left them. It has often been speculated that Mosely was forced to resign at the threat of scandal cause by MI5 documents about Diana’s wartime activities held by his successor that Mosely supposedly tried to suppress.
[7] Herbert Morrison was perhaps the last of those who counted and were still standing in 1951 that could remember Labour before the Mosely contamination set in. Ernie Bevin and Stafford Cripps were both dead, Hugh Dalton had been pickled in the House of Lords, and Clement Attlee was too much in Mosely’s shadow. As such after a brutal contest with the stooge John Strachey, he was whisked off to the Palace and returned with the new Cabinet written on the journey back – Clem Attlee, having resigned as Deputy Leader, was asked to fill in for Morrison at the Foreign Office, while the young Hugh Gaitskell was handed Chancellor; the new Deputy Leader, Nye Bevan, was made Leader of the Common and Lord Privy Seal, with a brief to review Nationalisation; many Moselyites were swept away and new men like Sir Hartley Shawcross and Lewis Silkin brought in. Unlike Mosley, Morrison was a socialist, through and through, and he aimed to prove his convictions.
Perhaps second only to his Socialism, was Morrison’s status as a Londoner. While out of Parliament in the early 30s, as Mosely was taking the national party, Morrison carved out a fief of his own in the Capital. Such was his influence, that Mosely avoided campaigning in the City after 1936 – leaving Morrison to hone the art of his own politicking. This, along with the absent field other big figures present in the earlier government, allowed Morrison to drive forward his vision so effectively for the Labour government. The first step was to rethink the programme of Nationalisation, which had concentrated powers of the industries in supposedly technocratic boards and directors. The Prime Minister aimed to roll back the centralisation and devolve the power of the boards to managers and workers, who were themselves given stakes in their employment – it wasn’t syndicalist, but it was a novelty that soon proved out under the stewardship of Aneurin Bevan. Education soon began to change under Morrison also, spearheaded by James Chuter Ede, a passionate educator himself, that began pushing the limit to that expected of the 1944 Education Act: comprehensive education took its first steps in Britain. Domestically, things were on the up-and-up.
Abroad became the true point of contention. The Cold War was coming into full swing and Morrison was, like his predecessor, was no friend to Moscow and aimed to take a greater part in tackling the Russian Bear. He counted on a close partnership with Harry Truman, elected again in 1952, and agreed the stalling of certain agreements that the previous Prime Minister had made in handing over certain Overseas Territories in lieu of much of Britain’s war debt. Instead, British troops would maintain most of their positions in the Far East and elsewhere and deploy to other theatres as the American’s request: Korea being the main one (from which Britain had been supportive of but absent on the ground) but also Cuba and Iran. These conflicts, and the inevitable ‘police actions’ required for the British to main stability in their Empire, coincided with the advent of television in British life. The climax of this story came during the bloody Suez Crisis of 1954, where the new Egyptian strongman, Colonel Nasser having seized the Canal zone by force – Morrison’s reaction was to hit back swiftly and with overwhelming force, British forces stormed the Canal, and put the Egyptian Army to route within a week and rode on to Cairo to force a regime change. The world was spinning at the rapidity of the event, even the Americans who had gone un-consulted, though they did not have time to pick a side as newsreel footage appeared of the Guards Armoured reenacting the Battle of Tobruk against unarmed students. Back home the people were appalled, but the reaction from the Arab world became the real punishment. The Oil Embargo put the crush on the already stretched British economy, which was bad enough, but the threat to expand it to America brought the world to a halt overnight.
Protests in Trafalgar Square and heated exchanges in the Cabinet room were one thing, but the ire of Washington was another thing. The British evacuated Egypt as quickly as they had occupied, beaten and in ignominy, and so too was Morrison. The Labour government was as good as over, and everyone knew it – all that remained was to run down the clock to the election.
• Prime Minister – Oswald Mosely (1945-51); Herbert Morrison (1951-55)
• Deputy Prime Minister– Clement Attlee (1945-51); Aneurin Bevan (1951-55)
• Lord Chancellor – The Viscount Addison (1945-50); The Viscount Jowitt (1950-55)
• Minister of Defence – Oswald Mosely (1945-50); A.V. Alexander (1950-51); Herbert Morrison (1951-55)
• Lord Privy Seal – Clement Attlee (1945-47); The Viscount Stansgate (1947-51); Aneurin Bevan (1951-55)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Hugh Dalton (1945-47); Clement Attlee (1947-51); Hugh Gaitskell (1951-55)
• Foreign Secretary – Sir Stafford Cripps (1945-50); Herbert Morrison (1950-51); Clement Attlee (1951-55)
• Home Secretary – Herbert Morrison (1945-50); John Strachey (1950-51); Sir Hartley Shawcross (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for the Colonies – A.V. Alexander (1945-51); Arthur Creech Jones (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for the Dominions – Oliver Baldwin (1945-47); Arthur Creech Jones (1950-51); Philip Noel-Baker (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for India and the Far East – Harold Nicolson (1945-50)
• First Lord of the Admiralty – James Chuter Ede (1945-51); Patrick Gordon Walker (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for War – Ernest Bevin (1945-51); Tom Johnston (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for Air – The Viscount Stansgate (1945-47); John Strachey (1947-50); Richard Stokes (1950-55)
• Secretary of State for Scotland – Emanuel Shinwell (1945-50); Tom Johnston (1950-51); Malcolm MacDonald (1951-55)
• Minister of Education – Tom Johnston (1945-50); Emanuel Shinwell (1950-51); James Chuter Ede (1951-55)
• Minister of Labour – Jack Lawson (1945-47); Jim Griffiths (1947-51); Alfred Robens (1951-55)
• Minister of Health – Aneurin Bevan (1945-51); Lewis Silkin (1951-55)
• Minister for Agriculture – Arthur Creech Jones (1945-47); Fenner Brockway (1947-51); Glenvil Hall (1951-55)
• President of the Board of Trade – Ellen Wilkinson (1945-47); Hugh Gaitskell (1947-51); Harold Wilson (1951-55)
• Minister for Fuel and Power – Arthur Greenwood (1945-47); Harold Wilson (1948-51); Edith Summerskill (1951-55)
• Deputy Prime Minister– Clement Attlee (1945-51); Aneurin Bevan (1951-55)
• Lord Chancellor – The Viscount Addison (1945-50); The Viscount Jowitt (1950-55)
• Minister of Defence – Oswald Mosely (1945-50); A.V. Alexander (1950-51); Herbert Morrison (1951-55)
• Lord Privy Seal – Clement Attlee (1945-47); The Viscount Stansgate (1947-51); Aneurin Bevan (1951-55)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Hugh Dalton (1945-47); Clement Attlee (1947-51); Hugh Gaitskell (1951-55)
• Foreign Secretary – Sir Stafford Cripps (1945-50); Herbert Morrison (1950-51); Clement Attlee (1951-55)
• Home Secretary – Herbert Morrison (1945-50); John Strachey (1950-51); Sir Hartley Shawcross (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for the Colonies – A.V. Alexander (1945-51); Arthur Creech Jones (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for the Dominions – Oliver Baldwin (1945-47); Arthur Creech Jones (1950-51); Philip Noel-Baker (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for India and the Far East – Harold Nicolson (1945-50)
• First Lord of the Admiralty – James Chuter Ede (1945-51); Patrick Gordon Walker (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for War – Ernest Bevin (1945-51); Tom Johnston (1951-55)
• Secretary of State for Air – The Viscount Stansgate (1945-47); John Strachey (1947-50); Richard Stokes (1950-55)
• Secretary of State for Scotland – Emanuel Shinwell (1945-50); Tom Johnston (1950-51); Malcolm MacDonald (1951-55)
• Minister of Education – Tom Johnston (1945-50); Emanuel Shinwell (1950-51); James Chuter Ede (1951-55)
• Minister of Labour – Jack Lawson (1945-47); Jim Griffiths (1947-51); Alfred Robens (1951-55)
• Minister of Health – Aneurin Bevan (1945-51); Lewis Silkin (1951-55)
• Minister for Agriculture – Arthur Creech Jones (1945-47); Fenner Brockway (1947-51); Glenvil Hall (1951-55)
• President of the Board of Trade – Ellen Wilkinson (1945-47); Hugh Gaitskell (1947-51); Harold Wilson (1951-55)
• Minister for Fuel and Power – Arthur Greenwood (1945-47); Harold Wilson (1948-51); Edith Summerskill (1951-55)
[8] The ascension of the Rab Butler to the premiership came after a long period of trauma for British conservativism. The bastion of the establishment and the natural Party of government had torn itself in two during the traumatic war years, with a break away group of former Cabinet Ministers led by Churchill setting up a party in opposition to the armistice, the Constitutionalists, while the rump Conservatives that remained under Halifax merely stood paralyzed in office. Among that rump was one Rab Butler, an MP since 1930 and having served in various junior posts at the India and the Foreign Office – these positions held him in low regard with Winston Churchill, but his skill and zeal was such was that he would have been wasted in the crisis of a war. Though not in Cabinet, Butler had full control of the Education brief, wherein he oversaw the landmark 1944 Education Act.
After the War was done, and with the opposition a mess of Constitutionalists, Conservatives, and the remnants of the National government of the 30’s that had survived the scrapheap, Butler urged for unity and reconciliation. Many considered him to be a bore in this period, obsessing over Robert Peel – and soon began to play the part of him to Churchill’s Duke of Wellington. With the Old Man himself ascending to the House of Lords, it was left to Anthony Eden and Butler to put together the new party, the Conservative name too synonymous with Appeasement and the Armistice of 1940 for the public. The National name was meant to be one for the future, of a new nationalism in Britain uncontaminated by imperialism – in Scotland, the caveat of ‘Unionist’ was added to the name, to ensure that this was not a strictly English politics – and it had the connotations of being descended from the happy Chamberlain days of the early 30’s, of everyone in it together.
This new hodgepodge of a Party had its baptism of fire in the 1950 election and did as well as any new Party might have expected to – the government’s majority had been reduced from 150 seats to 50, still significant, but it meant that people were starting to take note of the Opposition besides Churchill’s ravings about the Welfare State being a backdoor route for Bolshevism. Though the National leadership never stooped to this, having actively encouraged certain measures, there main point came from what they called the ‘excess’ of Labour’s methods which as a criticism began to pick during the idiosyncratic approach that Morrison began to take to Nationalised industries. Such it was that Eden and Butler were occupying the centre ground, and were looking forward to test their metal in the next election, though not even they could have expected the Suez Crisis to blow up so tremendously in the governments face there was, however, a fly in the ointment to this success – Eden’s health was in decline, having suffered on and off with stomach ulcers since the 20’s, he had during the War developed a dependency on amphetamines to keep working and while British paratroopers were dropping on Egypt he was undergoing an ultimately botched cholecystectomy. Further operations were required to correct the failings of the procedure, but the fact remained that Eden would never regain his full health – as such leadership of the Nationals fell to, in Churchill’s words: “that bloody Butler.”
1955 gave the Nationals a powerful majority in the House of Commons, and Butler were sent for by the King. With Morrison covered in blood, Butler was allowed to reinvent his party as the peacemakers without the connotations of Appeasement and rather than fight over every inch of the Empire and beyond in the name of anti-Communism Butler sped up the process of decolonisation. Butler’s Foreign Secretary, Harold Macmillan, captured the new mood with his ‘Winds of Change’ speech in Nairobi to the applause of the newly independent national assembly of Kenya. Although holdouts remained in Malaya and Rhodesia, by the end of his premiership, Butler had supervised the independence of most the remaining British Empire.
At home, Butler had an economy reeling from the shocks caused by Suez. Petrol rationing had to be reintroduced, and the follow of American dollars into the economy from Harry Truman was switched off. Like Mosely before him, Butler aimed for a British solution to the problem with a European twist. With bombsites still common place in major British city, a construction programme was ordered, sweeping away the last of the Victorian slums and the ruins left by the Luftwaffe with new housing estates, towns and low rising blocks of flats sprouting up everywhere.
Industrially, the Suez Crisis and petrol rationing would have some unintended consequences, as the British automotive industry was forced to adapt to produce leaner, more efficient models like the Dagenham Anglia and culminating with the iconic Leyland Mini. Also, as West Germany began looking to rearm herself in the face of the Warsaw Pact, the sorry state of Sterling made cheap British arms attractive goods for such an eager buyer – this militarised Keynesianism became characterised by the popular term ‘Butskellism’ and was the economic model that Britian came to follow for the next 20 years and the lasting image of the post-War consensus.
The electorate rewarded Butler in 1959 with another respectable majority and the National Party’s experiment had proved it staying power, as had Butler. With few exceptions, he was a well-liked and respected party leader that might have carried on in but the early 60’s would prove an onerous time as the Cold War threatened to turn hot. The Turkish Missile Crisis brought the world close to midnight and though Butler was far removed from the events, the idea that he was as much a prisoner to world events as anyone else turned Butler sour, and his stomach for the fight gone – Butler would manage that fairest of feats for a British Prime Minister as he left Downing Street on his own terms.
• Prime Minister – Richard Austen Butler (1955-63)
• Lord Chancellor – The Lord Kilmuir (1955-63)
• Lord President and Leader of the Lords – The Marquess of Salisbury (1955-57); The Viscount Hailsham (1957-59); The Viscount Dilhorne (1959-63)
• Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Commons – David Eccles (1955-59); Iain Macleod (1959-63)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Oliver Lyttelton (1955-57); Iain Macleod (1957-59); Harold Macmillan (1959-63)
• Foreign Secretary – Harold Macmillan (1955-59); Selwyn Lloyd (1959-61); The Earl Home (1961-63)
• Home Secretary – Selwyn Lloyd (1955-59); Henry Brooke (1959-63)
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth and Colonies – The Earl Home (1955-61); Duncan Sandys (1961-63)
• Secretary of State for Europe – Duncan Sandys (1955-61); Edward Heath (1961-63)
• President of the Board of Trade – The Viscount Hailsham (1955-57); Edward Heath (1957-61); David Eccles (1961-63)
• Secretary of State for Air – Peter Thorneycroft (1955-57); Derick Heathcoat-Amory (1957-59); Alan Lennox-Boyd (1959-61); Geoffrey Rippon (1961-63)
• Minister for Defence – Harry Crookshank (1955-57); Peter Thorneycroft (1957-59); The Viscount Hailsham (1959-63)
• Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Derick Heathcoat-Amory (1955-57); Alan Lennox-Boyd (1957-59); Reginald Maudling (1959-63)
• Minister of Education – Antony Head (1955-59); Derick Heathcoat-Amory (1959-61); Julian Amery (1961-63)
• Secretary of State for Scotland – John Maclay (1955-63)
• Minister of Agriculture – Walter Monckton (1955-59); Christopher Soames (1959-63)
• Minister of Labour – The Lord Mills (1955-59); Julian Amery (1959-61); Keith Joseph (1961-63)
• Minister of Housing – The Lord Mills (1955-59); Edward Boyle (1959-61); Enoch Powell (1961-63)
• Minister of Health – Alan Lennox-Boyd (1955-57); Edward Boyle (1957-59); Enoch Powell (1959-61); Peter Thorneycroft (1961-63)
• Lord Chancellor – The Lord Kilmuir (1955-63)
• Lord President and Leader of the Lords – The Marquess of Salisbury (1955-57); The Viscount Hailsham (1957-59); The Viscount Dilhorne (1959-63)
• Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Commons – David Eccles (1955-59); Iain Macleod (1959-63)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Oliver Lyttelton (1955-57); Iain Macleod (1957-59); Harold Macmillan (1959-63)
• Foreign Secretary – Harold Macmillan (1955-59); Selwyn Lloyd (1959-61); The Earl Home (1961-63)
• Home Secretary – Selwyn Lloyd (1955-59); Henry Brooke (1959-63)
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth and Colonies – The Earl Home (1955-61); Duncan Sandys (1961-63)
• Secretary of State for Europe – Duncan Sandys (1955-61); Edward Heath (1961-63)
• President of the Board of Trade – The Viscount Hailsham (1955-57); Edward Heath (1957-61); David Eccles (1961-63)
• Secretary of State for Air – Peter Thorneycroft (1955-57); Derick Heathcoat-Amory (1957-59); Alan Lennox-Boyd (1959-61); Geoffrey Rippon (1961-63)
• Minister for Defence – Harry Crookshank (1955-57); Peter Thorneycroft (1957-59); The Viscount Hailsham (1959-63)
• Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Derick Heathcoat-Amory (1955-57); Alan Lennox-Boyd (1957-59); Reginald Maudling (1959-63)
• Minister of Education – Antony Head (1955-59); Derick Heathcoat-Amory (1959-61); Julian Amery (1961-63)
• Secretary of State for Scotland – John Maclay (1955-63)
• Minister of Agriculture – Walter Monckton (1955-59); Christopher Soames (1959-63)
• Minister of Labour – The Lord Mills (1955-59); Julian Amery (1959-61); Keith Joseph (1961-63)
• Minister of Housing – The Lord Mills (1955-59); Edward Boyle (1959-61); Enoch Powell (1961-63)
• Minister of Health – Alan Lennox-Boyd (1955-57); Edward Boyle (1957-59); Enoch Powell (1959-61); Peter Thorneycroft (1961-63)
[9] The Shortest serving Prime Minister of the 20th Century and one of the most unfortunate, in the ten months that Lord Hailsham resided in Number 10 he would announce to the House of Commons and the World the death of the King and the President of the United States. The Lord Hailsham was a surprise choice for the National Party to succeed Butler as Prime Minister, but one that is understandable in hindsight. Under Butler, the National Party had been the centre ground and unshakable from that position, but the fact remained that like the Conservative Party before it, she was the home of the Right in British politics and counted on the backing of many an old Tory.
Among these was their architype, the bullish, Old Etonian, classicist and Christian ultra-conservative: Quintin Hogg, The Viscount Hailsham. His rise laid in Butler’s failure to name a successor, and the three-way contest that emerged should have been a cutthroat struggle but for two facts: 1) Macmillan was old and ill 2) Douglas-Home was aloof and out of touch. It remained Hailsham’s to steal, and he did and made for the Palace, only to be greeted by the Princess Elizabeth, her Father, George VI, was on his death bed and the duty to appoint the new Prime Minister fell to the heir apparent. A week later His Majesty had passed away.
Under this cloud, Hailsham acted with characteristic combat and reshuffled the government. When the dust settled the pretext of the government being of the centre ground was over, and Tory Right were in ascendency and they aimed to prove the fact: the suspension of the death penalty was receded, the laxing immigration quotas were tightened and loud noises from the new Chancellor about privatisation of the entire economy. These were bold moves, and excited many, though many found them worrisome. Many of the young and upcoming of the National Party were worried by these announcements in an election year and so close after the ascension of a new Prime Minister and a new monarch. But Hailsham was never one to shy from a fight. And therein laid the problem.
Hailsham was a bruiser and not popular for it. For an unelected peer this was a serious problem, as their only exposure to the man was his appearances at public debates, and a man of such strong opinion as Hailsham attracted equally strong opinions in others. Planning on a Winter election, Hailsham first had to abandon his peerage and enter the House of Commons. A similar enabling bill had been drawn up during Lord Halifax’s day but was never moved into legislation. On the November 10th, the act was passed, on the 14th Hailsham announced the election date of the 30th and disavowed his peerage on the 21st (making him uniquely a Prime Minister without a seat in either House) to hit the campaign trail. It was while at an election debate two days later that he received the fact and made public, that President Richard Nixon had been shot and killed in Miami, Florida.
The virtues of the Anglo-American relationship were brought to the forefront for the first time in years. Credentials of which the Conservative Party had very little. The Leader of the Opposition on the other hand had been to Washington more than once and had the year before met with Nixon in the White House. It was a disadvantage that Hailsham did not need and come not overcome, who while though no anti-American, counted on no warmth to any country not his own.
In the early hours of the morning of the 1st, Quintin Hogg rose to be congratulated on his election to the House of Commons for the first time in thirteen years. It was bittersweet, as by then it was apparent that due to a respectable showing by the Liberal Party that he would not be able to form a government, and by mornings end it would be no trouble for Labour to – come the end of the decade, he would be Lord Hailsham once more and back in the Lords.
• Prime Minister – The Viscount Hailsham
• Lord Chancellor – The Lord Kilmuir
• Leader of the House of Lords – The Viscount Hailsham
• Leader of the House of Commons – Reginald Maudling
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Peter Thorneycroft
• Foreign Secretary – Duncan Sandys
• Home Secretary – The Viscount Dilhorne
• Defence Minister – Julian Amery
• Housing Minister – Margaret Thatcher
• Health Minister – Keith Joseph
• Transport Minister – Geoffrey Rippon
• Education Minister – Edward Heath
• Labour Minister – Iain Macleod
• President of the Board of Trade – Enoch Powell
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth – Christopher Soames
• Secretary of State for Scotland – The Earl Home
• Lord Chancellor – The Lord Kilmuir
• Leader of the House of Lords – The Viscount Hailsham
• Leader of the House of Commons – Reginald Maudling
• Chancellor of the Exchequer – Peter Thorneycroft
• Foreign Secretary – Duncan Sandys
• Home Secretary – The Viscount Dilhorne
• Defence Minister – Julian Amery
• Housing Minister – Margaret Thatcher
• Health Minister – Keith Joseph
• Transport Minister – Geoffrey Rippon
• Education Minister – Edward Heath
• Labour Minister – Iain Macleod
• President of the Board of Trade – Enoch Powell
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth – Christopher Soames
• Secretary of State for Scotland – The Earl Home
morbidteaparty
Putting the moron into oxymoron
- Location
- Westcombe Park
- Pronouns
- he/him
Ramshackle Mac & the Goat
1918 - 1922 David Lloyd George (Coalition Liberal)
1922 - 1924 J. R. Clynes (Labour - Liberal coaltion)
1924 - 1925 Stanley Baldwin (Conservative & Unionist minority)
1925 - 1928 H. H. Asquith (Liberal - Labour coalition)
1928 J R Clynes (Labour interim)
1928 - 1929 Stanley Baldwin (Conservative & Unionist - Liberal coalition)
1929 - 1932 Ramsay Macdonald (Labour - Liberal coalition)
1932 - 1935 Ramsay Macdonald (Labour majority)
1935 - John Simon (National - Conservative Coalition)
1918 - 1922 David Lloyd George (Coalition Liberal)
1922 - 1924 J. R. Clynes (Labour - Liberal coaltion)
1924 - 1925 Stanley Baldwin (Conservative & Unionist minority)
1925 - 1928 H. H. Asquith (Liberal - Labour coalition)
1928 J R Clynes (Labour interim)
1928 - 1929 Stanley Baldwin (Conservative & Unionist - Liberal coalition)
1929 - 1932 Ramsay Macdonald (Labour - Liberal coalition)
1932 - 1935 Ramsay Macdonald (Labour majority)
1935 - John Simon (National - Conservative Coalition)