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Lists of Heads of Government and Heads of State

The Ballad Of Julian Lewis

1976-1984: Jim Callaghan (Labour)
1978 (Minority, with Liberal c&s) def. Margaret Thatcher (Conservative), David Steel (Liberal), William Wolfe (Scottish National), Harry West (Ulster Unionist)
1983 (Majority) def. Ian Gilmour (Conservative), David Steel (Liberal), Jim Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist), Winnie Ewing (Scottish National), Jeremy Corbyn (Independent Labour)

1984-1988: Bill Rodgers (Labour majority)
1988-1992: Michael Heseltine (Conservative)
1988 (Minority) def. Bill Rodgers (Labour), Peter Tatchell & Arthur Scargill (Independent Labour), Cyril Smith (Liberal), Winnie Ewing (Scottish National), Jim Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist)
1992 Maastricht referendum; 55% NO, 45% YES

1992-1993: Bill Rodgers (Labour)
1992 (Minority) def. Michael Heseltine (Conservative), Derek Wall & Lesley Mahmood (Independent Labour), Winnie Ewing (Scottish National), Jim Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist), Alan Beith (Liberal)
1993 Maastricht referendum; 58% NO, 42% YES

1993-2000: David Owen (Labour)
1995 (Coalition with ILP) def. Michael Heseltine (Conservative), Derek Wall & Lesley Mahmood (Independent Labour), Winnie Ewing (Scottish National), Jim Molyneaux (Ulster Unionist)
2000-2007: Ian Lang (Conservative)
2000 (Coalition with SNP and UUP) def. David Owen (Labour), Jean Lambert & John McDonnell (Independent Labour), Winnie Ewing (Scottish National), John Taylor (Ulster Unionist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein)
2005 (Minority, with UUP c&s) def. David Owen (Labour), Peter Hain & Caroline Lucas (Independent Labour), John Taylor (Ulster Unionist), Tommy Sheridan (Scottish Socialist), Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein)

2007-2010: Nick Clegg (Conservative minority, with Ulster Unionist confidence and supply)
2010-0000: Julian Lewis (Labour)
2010 (Coalition with Solidarity) def. Nick Clegg (Conservative), Peter Hain (Solidarity), John Taylor (Ulster Unionist), Annabelle Ewing (Scottish National), Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein), Ian Parsley (New Ulster Movement)

A relatively simple conceit here - Julian Lewis's OTL infilitration of then-Labour MP Reg Prentice's CLP lasts rather longer as the Labour Party endures the crises of the late 70s and expels Militant (along with an adjacent chunk of the Labour Party's hard left), while Maggie's failure results in the Tories being led by Neoliberal Wets hardly conducive to Lewis' own brand of politics.

Bill Rodgers as Labour leader and PM?

Bob pls my loins
 
Bill Rodgers as Labour leader and PM?

Bob pls my loins
Don't want to toot my own horn too much by I've done this as well...
Driving headlong into the Centre: A Prime Minister of Great Britain List:

1974-1976: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1974 (Majority) def: Ted Heath (Conservative), Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal)
1975 Conservative Leadership Election Keith Joseph def: Ted Heath, Geoffrey Howe
1976-1978: Micheal Foot (Labour)
Labour Leadership Election 1976: Micheal Foot def: Tony Benn, Denis Healey, Peter Shore
Liberal Leadership Election 1976: John Pardoe def: David Steel
1978-1982: Keith Joseph (Conservative)
1978 (Majority) def: Micheal Foot (Labour), John Pardoe (Liberal)
Labour Leadership Election 1979: Bill Rodgers def: Peter Shore, David Owen, Eric Heffer

1982-1990: Bill Rodgers (Labour)
1982 (Majority) def: Keith Joseph (Conservative), John Pardoe (Liberal), Eric Heffer (Socialist Labour)
Liberal Leadership Election 1983: David Penhaligon def: John Pardoe, David Steel

Socialist Labour Leadership Election 1985: Pat Wall def: Derek Hatton, Terry Fields
1986 (Majority) def: Keith Joseph (Conservative), David Penhaligon (Liberal), Pat Wall (Socialist Labour)
Conservative Leadership Election 1986: Micheal Heseltine def: Geoffrey Howe, Margaret Thatcher
1990-1994: Ann Clywd (Labour)
Labour Leadership Election 1990: Ann Clywd def: Chris Smith, Bernie Grant
Socialist Labour Leadership Election 1990: Derek Hatton def: Lesley Mahmood
1990 (Majority) def: Micheal Heseltine (Conservative), David Penhaligon (Liberal), Derek Hatton (Socialist Labour)

Conservative Leadership Election 1990: Chris Patten def: Ken Clarke
Socialist Labour Leadership Election 1991: George Galloway def: Derek Hatton, Arthur Scargill
Liberal Leadership Election 1992: Alan Beith def: Ming Campbell
1994-1999: Chris Patten (Conservative)
1994 (Majority) def: Ann Clywd (Labour), Alan Beith (Liberal), George Galloway (Workers)
Labour Leadership Election 1994: Tony Lloyd def: John McDonnell, Sue Slipman, Charles Kennedy
1999-2004: Tony Lloyd (Labour)
1999 (Coalition with Liberals) def: Chris Patten (Conservative), Alan Beith (Liberal), George Galloway (Workers)
Conservative Leadership Election 2002: Emma Harriet Nicholson def: Chris Patten
2004-2011: Emma Harriet Nicholson (Conservative)
2004 (Majority) def: Tony Lloyd (Labour), Alan Beith (Liberal), George Galloway (Workers)
Labour Leadership Election 2004: Barry Gardiner def: John McDonnell, Paddy Tipping, Frank Dobson, Sue Slipman
Liberal Leadership Election 2004: Ming Campbell def: Mark Oaten
2008 (Majority) def: Barry Gardiner (Labour), Ming Campbell (Liberal), George Galloway (Workers)
Labour Leadership Election 2009: Barry Gardiner def: Alan Johnson, Oona King
2011-2016: Barry Gardiner (Labour)
2011 (Coalition with Workers) def: Emma Harriet Nicholson (Conservative), Ming Campbell (Liberal), George Galloway (Workers)
Liberal Leadership Election 2011: Steve Gilbert def: Mark Oaten, Ed Davey
Conservative Leadership Election 2012: Liz Truss def: Andrea Leadsom, Anne Widdecombe
2016-2020: Liz Truss (Conservative)
2016 (Coalition with Liberals) def: Barry Gardiner (Labour), Steve Gilbert (Liberal), George Galloway (Workers), Anne Widdecombe (National)
Labour Leadership Election 2016: Karen Lee def: Emma Hardy, Dawn Butler, Emily Benn
Workers Leadership Election 2017: Frances Curran def: Laura Pidcock, Cat Boyd
2020-: Karen Lee (Labour)
2020 (Majority) def: Liz Truss (Conservative), Steve Gilbert (Liberal), Frances Curran (Workers), Anne Widdecombe (National)

Simple idea really, Foot and Joseph being Prime Ministers one after another sours the British public on the ideas of ‘extreme’ Left/Right ideas which Bill Rodgers capitalises on with his Centrist vision of a Modern Mixed Market Economy. Of course this requires reducing the power of the Unions which angers some of the more Left Wing MPs of Labour who create the Socialist Labour Party. Luckily for Rodgers the Left Wing votes he loses he gains back with Centrist votes.

The 80s are a time of change towards Rodgers vision and a popular Labour Government whilst the Tories descend into infighting. Eventually they get Micheal Heseltine as there candidate but the problems are still there and they lose a third election, this time to the Soft Left Ann Clywd who implements some slightly more radical ideas (but not too radical). Ann loses 94 to Chris Patten helped by George Galloway reviving the Socialists Labour Party (which nearly collapsed under Derek Hatton) into a more Populist Left Wing organisation which succeeds in the places which have felt left behind from Rodgers reforms.

Patten is a competent Prime Minister, but a small recession in 1996 ruins his chances at a second term. Tony Lloyd gets into power in 1999 but due to the Worker’s party fails to gain a majority. His coalition with the Liberals is a competent affair with increased devolution and a number of assemblies appearing but attempts to implement Alternative Voting fail and a reformed Conservatives under Emma Harriet Nicholson beats down Lloyd.

Nicholson enjoys seven years of power, bringing in her idea of the ‘New Society’ a series of Neoliberal reforms that allows the Government to replace public spending with private in certain sectors and to run Britain ‘like a business’. Things go as okay as they can, with continued support for the EU and much more until a worldwide recession in 2010 causes the wheels to fall of the Nicholson train.

Barry Gardiner, the Soft Left superstar takes over and despite advice not to, pursues a coalition with the Workers Party. This doesn’t go well as accusations of Communist infiltration, Anti-Semitism and Eurosceptism run rampant. This leads to Gardiner’s government to collapse and Liz Truss to come in. But the Tories have had there own problems as Anne Widdecombe breaks of from the Tories and creates a National Populist Right Wing Party which saps the Tory vote in a variety of places. Truss is forced to create a coalition with the Liberals but her opinions on Transgender issues and her failed attempts to revive the Nicholson ethos caused her to lose to a revived Labour Party.

Karen Lee, Lincoln MP and one of the members of the revived Socialist Campaign Committee won the leadership election against a field of awkward Soft Lefties and Blairites. Deflating the Workers Party’s hold and bring about an idea of Socialism for the 21st Century, Lee won the 2020 election by a significant majority. Now she’ll have to keep her aim of reviving British Socialism as the future beckons.
 
Post War Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain And Ireland

1945 - 1953: Clement Attlee (Labour)
def: Winston Churchill (Conservative and Unionist), Sir Archibald Sinclair (Liberal Party), Thomas J. Campbell (Irish Nationalist Party), Jim Larkin (British and Irish Workers League), Richard Acland (Common Wealth), Harry Pollitt/James Gralton (Communist party of Great Britain and Ireland), Hugh MacDiarmid (Scottish Workers Republican Party), Anti-Conscription League (Nora Connolly O'Brien)[1]
1950 - 1953: minority with British And Irish Workers League and Common Wealth C&S def: Winston Churchill (Conservative and Unionist), Sir Archibald Sinclair (Liberal Party), Hugh Delargy (Irish Nationalist Party), Jim Larkin (British and Irish Workers League), Richard Acland (Common Wealth), Harry Pollitt/Dominic Behan (Communist party of Great Britain and Ireland), Hugh MacDiarmid (Scottish Workers Republican Party), Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru)
1953 - 1955: Winston Churchill (Conservative and Unionist)†[2]
def: Clement Attlee (Labour), Hugh Delargy (Irish Nationalist Party), John Bannerman (Liberal Party), Jim Larkin (British and Irish Workers League), Richard Acland (Common Wealth), R. Palme Dutt/Dominic Behan (Communist party of Great Britain and Ireland), Hugh MacDiarmid (Scottish Workers Republican Party), Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru)
1955 - 1958: Sir Basil Brooke (Conservative and Unionist)[3]
1958 - 1963: Hugh Gaitskell (Labour)
def:
Sir Basil Brooke (Conservative and Unionist), Hugh Delargy (Irish Nationalist Party), John Bannerman (Liberal Party), Nora Connolly O'Brien (British and Irish Workers League), Lawrence Daly (Scottish Workers Republican Party), Noel Browne (Common Wealth), Dominic Behan (Communist party of Ireland)[4], Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru), Teddy Taylor (Scottish Loyalist League), Bill Lauchlan (Communist party of Great Britain)
1963 - 1968: Tony Crosland (Labour)
1968 - 1970: Barbara Castle (Labour)[5]

coalition with the Irish Nationalist Party & Common Wealth def: Reginald Maudling (Conservative and Unionist), Paddy Devlin (Irish Nationalist Party), Jo Grimond (Liberal Party), Noel Browne (Common Wealth), Nora Connolly O'Brien (The Workers Party), Lawrence Daly (Scottish Workers Republican Party), Dominic Behan (Communist party of Ireland), Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru), Teddy Taylor (Scottish Loyalist League), Bill Lauchlan (Communist party of Great Britain)
1970 Irish Independence Referendum: 68% No 32% Yes [6]
1970 - 1974: Reginald Maudling (Conservative and Unionist)
def: Barbara Castle (Labour), Jo Grimond (Liberal Party), Tomás Mac Giolla (The Workers Party), Charles Haughey (Irish Nationalist Party), Jimmy Reid (Scottish Republican Party), John McQuillan (Communist party of Ireland), Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru), Teddy Taylor (Scottish Loyalist League), Noel Browne (Common Wealth), Dave Cook (Communist party of Great Britain)
1974 - 1975: Brian Faulkner (Conservative and Unionist)
1975 EEC Membership Referendum: 51% No 49% Yes [7]
1975 - 1978: Jo Grimond (Liberal)[8]
minority with Scottish Republican Party/Plaid Cymru/Irish Nationalist Party C&S def: David Owen (Labour), Tomás Mac Giolla (The Workers Party), Charles Haughey (Irish Nationalist Party), Jimmy Reid (Scottish Republican Party), John McQuillan (Communist party of Ireland), Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru), Teddy Taylor (Scottish Loyalist League), Dave Cook (Communist party of Great Britain)
1976 Irish Devolution Referendum: 54% Yes 46% No
1976 Scottish Devolution Referendum: 60% Yes 40% No
1976 Welsh Devolution Referendum: 57% Yes 43% No

1978 - 1988: David Owen (Labour)
1978 def: Jim Prior (Conservative and Unionist), Jo Grimond (Liberal party), Charles Haughey (Irish Nationalist Party), Jimmy Reid (Scottish Republican Party), Tomás Mac Giolla (The Workers Party), Gwynfor Richard Evans (Plaid Cymru), John McQuillan/Dave Cook (CPGBI) [9]
1983 def: Jim Prior (Conservative and Unionist), Charles Haughey (Irish Nationalist Party), Alan Beith (Liberal party), Jimmy Reid (Scottish Republican Party), Proinsias De Rossa (The Workers Party), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru), Dave Cook (CPGBI)
1988 EEC Membership Referendum: 53% Yes 47% No
[10]
1988 - 1997: Michael Heseltine (Conservative and Unionist)
1988 def: David Owen (Labour), Charles Haughey (Irish Nationalist Party), Alan Beith (Liberal party), Margo McDonald (Scottish Peoples Party)[11], Proinsias De Rossa (The Workers Party), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru), Dave Cook (CPGBI)
1992 coalition with
Liberals def: John Major (Labour), Charles Haughey (Irish Nationalist Party), Ken Livingstone (Official Labour Left)[12], Alan Beith (Liberal party), Margo McDonald (Scottish Peoples Party), Proinsias De Rossa (The Workers Party), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru)
1997 - 2007: John Major (Labour)
1997 minority def: Michael Heseltine (Conservative and Unionist), Mary O'Rourke (Irish Nationalist Party), Ken Livingstone/Proinsias De Rossa (Democratic Left of GB&I), Margo McDonald (Scottish Peoples Party), Paddy Ashdown (Liberal party), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru)
1999 coalition with Liberal Party def: Francis Maude (Conservative and Unionist), Mary O'Rourke (Irish Nationalist Party), Michael D. Higgins (Democratic Left of GB&I), Paddy Ashdown (Liberal party), Margo McDonald (Scottish Peoples Party), Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru)
2004 coalition with Liberal Party and Democratic Left: def: Francis Maude (Conservative and Unionist), Michael D. Higgins (Democratic Left of GB&I), Mary O'Rourke (Irish Nationalist Party), Paddy Ashdown (Liberal party), Colin Fox (Scottish Peoples Party), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru)
2007 - 2012: Peter Robinson (Conservative and Unionist) [13]
def: John Major (Labour), Mary O'Roukre (Irish Nationalist Party), Edward Miliband (Democratic Left of GB&I), John Bruton (Liberal party), Colin Fox (Scottish Peoples Party), Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru)
2012 - XXXX: Leo Varadker (Labour) [14]
2012 def: Peter Robinson (Conservative and Unionist), Bertie Ahern (Irish Nationalist Party), Edward Miliband (Democratic Left of GB&I), John Bruton (Liberal party), Colin Fox (Scottish Peoples Party), Eve Myles (Plaid Cymru)
2017 minority with Irish Nationalist C&S def: Jeremy Hunt (Conservative and Unionist), Bertie Ahern (Irish Nationalist Party), Edward Miliband (Democratic Left of GB&I), John Bruton (Liberal party), Jo Swinson (Scottish Peoples Party), Eve Myles (Plaid Cymru)
2019 Irish Independence Referendum: 52% Yes 48% No

[1] A minor party notably for having only 4 MP's and solely concerned with protesting conscription on an all UK basis, it id provided a springboard for Connolly O'Brien to eventually move to and lead the BIWL).

[2] Struck down by a massive stroke and passed away two days later, Churchill was mourned on all sides of the house but there was an element of relief too as his physical and mental ailments were becoming all too apparent.

[3] Regarded as a flexing of the muscles by the Irish wing of the party Brooke was seen as a throwback to the old Patrician days of the Conservative party and his little hidden anti-Catholicism did little but rile up the Nationalist Party and make the Tories seem out of touch.

[4] Palme Dutts quixotic second go at leader did nothing but exacerbate the already existing fault lines between the British and Irish sections of the party, leading to Bevan and the Irish contingent walking out at the 1957 party congress.

[5] Crosland never had an easy relationship with the Left of the Labour party and after a poor showing at the 1968 election was removed via internal coup and replaced with Castle who was able to form a coalition with the Irish Nationalist and the Irish rump of the Common Wealth party. While there were rumblings of a split by the Right Crosland surprisingly counselled moderation, realising that Castle would likely destroy herself catering to her erstwhile allies.

[6] Crosland was right, with a crushing defeat for Irish independence and a successful vote of no confidence soon following. Castle fell on her sword along with Paddy Devlin of the Nationalists. Noel Browne and the Common Wealth were absolutely crushed, retaining only a handful of seats and winding up soon after with the remains of the party merging with either The Workers Party or the Liberals.

[7] ironically it was a referendum that would do for Castle's successor in Number 10 albeit in this case it was Maudling stepping down after losing a vote in parliament on the exact wording of the bill and casting a light on how divided the Conservative and Unionist party were on Europe. The Tories knew their hold on power was on a knife edge and then the Irish Unionists had to go and play silly buggers again, demanding their man be given the top spot or else they would torpedo the Yes vote in Ireland. This in turn blew up in their face when a successful ground game by the the Workers Party and the Nationalists returned a majority No vote in Ireland, just enough to give No the victory. Faulkner was out and the Irish Unionists were firmly put back in their box for a generation.

[8] With the two major parties still at war with each other (although Owen had nearly tamed the Labour Left) the Liberals where able to sneak enough seats to be able to form a very shaky minority with the various Nationalist parties. The price would be more referendums, this time localized ones for devolved governments. The brainchild of Haughey, who saw them as a way for the Irish Nationalists to claw back some momentum after the disastrous Independence referendum, it nearly went to pot with the Irish vote coming closest to No. Still he had done it, helped by a Conservative party not exactly anxious to help its troublesome Irish wing.

[9] Enough water was under the bridge for the Communist Party to merge again, albeit with a much more influential Eurocommunist wing.

[10] Where the Tories failed David Owen ahd succeeded, all it cost was a renewed civil war in the party and defeat to the Conservatives.

[11] A rebranding as it turns out a lot of Scots actually liked the Royals, add to that that many of the newer recruits were ore Nationalist than Socialist. Republicanism is technically part of the party platform but you need to dig deep in the manifesto to find it.

[12] "If you are not for the party you are against the party, and if you are against the party you are not needed here" John Major' forceful oratory at the Labour party conference and his efforts to exile the Trotskyite elements of the party finally bore fruit. Ken Livingstone would take his 12 MPs out of the Labour party and into the wilderness, before finally merging with the Workers Party and CPGB&I to form the Democratic Left.

[13] The Irish Unionists finally put forward a figure that looked promising, socially conservative and tough on law and order Peter Robinson looked just the man to take the Conservative party into the 21st Century. A good media performer, if somewhat stern, Robinson was a good foil for the increasingly tired Major. However there were already warning signs such as a tendency to use a few too many anti-Catholic dog-whistles, threats towards the now fairly popular devolved administrations and a tendency to keep bringing up the background of the new young popular Labour leader.

All of this he probably could have batted away but then the bottom fell out of the world economy and it became clear the Emperor was wearing no clothes. Robinson would hold on with a death grip for the rest of his term but he was just delaying the inevitable.

[14] The son of an Indian father and Irish mother, born in Ireland but raised in Birmingham. Only beaten to the title of youngest ever Prime Minister by Pitt the Younger Leo Varadker took the reins with a massive majority and a country crying out for change. He struggled manfully with the challenge but it is unlikely but the austerity cuts of the previous government came back to bit during his term. Still he managed to push through a number of social changes, such as Equal Marriage and Liberalization of the antiquated abortion laws but this wasn't enough to save his majority at the 2017 election. Confidence and Supply with the Irish Nationalists was the only realistic option open to Varadker and the price was clear. Still he was broadly confidant that this referendum would be easily defeated, just like the last time. What he didn't count on was a masterful populist campaign by Betrie Ahern, channeling the spirit of his mentor Charles Haughey.

And so on a fresh Spring morning the United Kingdom woke to the news that it would soon become a very different place.

 
Noel Browne (Common Wealth)
The only thing more Noel Browne than this is if after several years in the Workers Party, left, started a Democratic Socialist Labour Party, dissolved that and joined Labour, is expelled by Owen and joins Ken Livingstone's group before death
 
The Kingdom of God?-A Presidents List:
1929-1933: Herbert Hoover (Republican)

1929 (With Charles Curtis) def: Al Smith (Democratic)
1933-1941: Huey Long (Democratic)
1932 (Vacant) def: Herbert Hoover (Republican)
1936 (With Burton K.Wheeler) def: Hamilton Fish III (Republican), Upton Sinclair (EPIC-Progressive)

1941-1943: Charles A.Lindbergh (Republican)†
1941 (With Robert A. Taft) def: Huey Long (Democratic), Gerald L. K.Smith (America First), Upton Sinclair (EPIC-Progressive)
1943-1945: Robert A. Taft (Republican)
1945-1953: Jerry Voorhis (Democratic)
1944 (With Frank Porter Graham) def: Robert A. Taft (Republican), Gerald Nye (America First)
1948 (With Frank Porter Graham) def: Douglas MacArthur (Republican), Robert Rice Reynolds (The America Party), Vito Marcantonio (Labor)

1953-1957: Frank Porter Graham (Democratic)
1952 (With Glen H.Taylor) def: Douglas MacArthur (Republican), Robert Rice Reynolds (The America Party), Vito Marcantonio (Labor)
1957-1965: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (Republican)
1956 (With George W.Romney) def: Frank Porter Graham (Democratic), John Gates (Labor)
1960 (With George W.Romney) def: Elliott Roosevelt (Democratic), John Gates (Labor), Strom Thurmond (The America Party)

1965-: Glen H.Taylor (Democratic)
1964 (With Virginia Foster Durr) def: George W.Romney (Republican), Dorothy Ray Healey (Labor), George Wallace (The America Party)

America’s descent into Poisonous Populism can be tracked to the death of Al Smith in ‘32 and the subsequent rise of his running mate, Huey Long to the Presidency. Long takes to the Presidency and injects his brand of Left Wing Populism into the Democratic Party allowing for many Progressives, Populists and former Socialists to seep into the party. Long's policies are popular, but his attempts to balance his Left Wing Progressive support, with his Southern Populist support is a constant balancing act. Whilst this is happening, corruption oozes into the Government as Long gives big jobs to friends, benefactors and allies. But when the '36 election hits, people on the face of it don't notice much. Life seems to be getting better and the Republicans nominating the Conservative Hamilton Fish who manages to anger the Left Wing through his opposition to the Share the Wealth Programs but also anger the Southern Populists through his support for African American Civil Rights doesn't do terribly well, though the real winner of the '36 election is Upton Sinclair as his EPIC-Progressive Coalition does incredibly well and is an indication of the Leftward shift of American politics. It's after the '36 election that wheels fall of the Long Machine, as the Dust Bowel hits hard, Corruption is revealed as Bridges and buildings collapse and this just fuels the forces of Far Right reaction in the nation. It's into this vacuum steps Charles A.Lindbergh who wins the Republican nomination with awkward support from the Conservative faction of the Republicans (the Liberal faction having been cowed by some defections to Progressive parties across the country). Campaigning on Reform, Isolationism and Anti-Corruption, Lindbergh wins quite handily, as Long loses support to America First and EPIC-Progressive Coalition.

Lindbergh though isn't incredibly good at being President, his attempts at appeasing the Right Wing Populist rhetoric that got him elected with the Conservative support from the Republicans means he spends much of his time in office unable to do much of anything. Whilst Reform and Anti-Corruption occur, Isolationism doesn't as eventually America is bought into War against Japan and then Germany in 1942 as the President is forced by the Democrats and Republicans to declare War after several incidents of unchecked Axis aggression. Of course, this angers the America First/Fascist crowd who helped Lindbergh win and during a Lindbergh rally he's assassinated by a band of American Nazi's. After the so called 'Red Week' an orgy of violence and destruction caused by Fascists and sympathisers, Taft imposes Martial Law and so called 'Anti-American' organisations are banned. Taft's couple of years in office are about trying to manage the War Effort as well as trying to push through some of his Anti-Trade Union bills which goes about as well as you expect. It's with no great surprise when Jerry Voorhis wins the 1944 election by a landslide.

A Progressive Democrat, Liberal and Cooperative spokesman (and a massive fan of the Social Gospel) Jerry Voorhis is the man best suited to create what could be best described as a very American form of Social Democracy if anything. Voorhis uses the economy of the War effort to help jump start an economic boom, his dealings with Trade Unions (as well as enshrining the right to form a Union as part of the Constitution much to the chragin of Conservatives across the board) allow them to truly flourish for the first time in a long time (no longer having to deal with constant strike breaking and other elements) and also implement a number of Social Liberal policies...he also bans the Communist Party which appeases the 'Jerry Voorhis may be a Red' Crowd. The Voorhis Government gets along with the Labour Government of Attlee with both influencing the other in different ways (Voorhis would take elements of the NHS to be part of his eventual American Health Corporation scheme). Voorhis wins the '48 election quite handily, as even the bravado of MacArthur doesn't far well against Voorhis's cool charm and popularity amongst working Americans. It's after '48 that Voorhis really makes some enemies.

A man who had an awkward relationship with his Southern compatriots, Voorhis's Second Term would be focusing on Civil Rights and attempts to implement various Civil Rights bills. Of course this angers the Southern Democrats who often ally with more Conservative Republicans members to smack them down. Voorhis's support for Operation Dixie also angers more Conservative voices across the country, as Southern Industry finds itself Unionised which is the start of the slow collapse of Jim Crows Laws as Black and Poor White Americans use help from certain Unions to bring there bosses to account. Voorhis would also call a vote (a referendum is shot down) on entering the War to support South Korea which passed but still would annoy the Anti-Communists who wanted Voorhis to instantly go to War. He also manages to make even more business enemies as he supports a number of Social Democratic South American and Central American countries against the Businesses supporting him. For the most part Voorhis leaves office a popular man but his successor Former Vice President Frank Porter Graham is less lucky.

Relying on support from his odd but fiery running mate Glen H.Taylor to win the Democratic Primary, the more intellectual Graham seems like a duller man compared to Voorhis and wins the '52 election by the skin of his teeth, as angry right wing votes drift away from the MacArthur campaign to the America Party; a gaggle of racists, fascists and the incredibly Right Wing. Graham's few years in office aren't much to right home about, further attempted expansions of Civil Rights, continuing the expansion of Voorhis's Welfare State and funding an increase in CoOps across the nation. But when '56 comes around Frank Porter Graham loses handily to Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as a mixture of apathy to the Democrats, the America Party not running (deciding that Cabot Lodge is better than Graham anyday) and a strong Labor campaign lead by John Gates. Despite there wishes that Cabot Lodge may offer some Right Wing change of some kind (remembering his Pre War years and family names) the team of Lodge and Romney is a more Business focused Liberalism more than anything with Labour Union powers being reduced and Welfare being cut, with Civil Rights changes still occurring and Lodge even appointing an African American to the cabinet.

The America Party manages to gain all the angry Conservatives from the Democrats and Republicans, particularly a number of the State Rights folks like Strom Thurmond. Whilst not strong enough to ever win a Presidential, they become an immense annoyance to Lodge trying to get policies through (Liberals from both parties often have to work with each other despite other differences). Still Cabot Lodge is rather popular, he wins the 1960 Presidential election against the upstart that is Elliott Roosevelt (who just beat Glen H.Taylor in the primaries) and continues his business friendly Liberal rule for the most part. Even moments like the Cuban incident which indicates the end of Voorhis's 'Live and Let Live' towards South/Central American Social Democracies that aren't fully aligned with America. It's in the 60s, particularly the passing of the 1962 Civil Rights act that the boiling pot of Right Wing America spills over. The South had been a hot bed of violence for about fifteen years now but in what many would dub the 'Second Red Week' race riots across the South against African Americans, Union Members and 'Supposed Communists' leads to Lodge having to implement martial law and huge arrests occur. This leads to the remaining Conservative Republicans walking over to the America Party, causing Lodge to have to work with the Democrats more and more. When 1964 occurs, Lodge's former Vice President George W.Romney only just wins the Republican nomination against the insurgent Gerald Ford as the party is squabbling over what there place in the world is. But it doesn't matter, the Civil Rights Cowboy Glen H.Taylor, running on an incredibly Liberal program, almost Socialist in nature manages to capture the feeling of anger and apathy towards the Lodge Government, as Taylor is playing with Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger to crowds of inspired youths, Romney is having awkward talks with business leaders.

It's no surprise when Taylor manages to pip Romney to the post and he is ready to slap down those who will try and stop him finishing off Voorhis's 'Kingdom of God'.
 
Jacobite Dukes of Northumberland

1716-1731: Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton, ‘1st Duke of Northumberland’

Philip Wharton, a young orphaned nobleman, was lured by both Jacobites and Whigs to support their rival causes, principally by giving him titles – the Hanoverian King made him Duke of Wharton, while the exiled Stuart monarch made him Duke of Northumberland. However, his attraction for the factions rapidly palled when he grew up, lost his money in the South Sea Bubble, and turned out to be an incompetent drunkard. His lowest point came when he got his cock out at his second wedding to show everyone what his wife would be getting “in her guts”. Wharton eventually settled on the Jacobite side and joined the Spanish Army, for which he was stripped of his official titles, but he drank himself to death soon after.​

1731-1785: Thomas Wharton, 2nd Duke of Wharton, ‘2nd Duke of Northumberland’

The Dukedom of Wharton was restored to Philip’s young son in the hope that he would turn out like his namesake grandfather rather than his father. However, the inheritance of his family’s huge debts and terrible recent reputation were not conducive to civic responsibility, and the Duke was one of the few English aristocrats to flock to the standard of the Young Pretender (although he is often erroneously blamed for the ‘cowardly’ retreat from Derby and was not in high favour with the other Jacobites).​
He evaded the patrols of King George and escaped to Spain, where he accepted the patronage of the Duke of Berwick and Ricardo Wall to rise in the Spanish Army. Eventually, the ‘Duke of Northumberland’ was appointed as Captain General of the South American colony of Generico (officially named Gente Rico, after the supposed Andean civilisation reputed to be endowed with vast quantities of gold) – and given a 64,000 acre estate, to boot. This estate is now the location of the large town of Nortumbellán.​

1785-1794: Felipe Whartón, ‘3rd Duke of Northumberland’

The eldest son of Thomas Wharton was not so adventurous as his father, and was happy to live out his life in service to the King at Madrid – unfortunately for him, his sinecure as Colonel of a regiment was turned into an active commission when the French Revolution overturned the old order. Wharton did not distinguish himself particularly before his death in the War of the Pyrenees, which was caused by a cannon falling on his foot.​

1794-1826: Tomás Whartón, ‘4th Duke of Northumberland’

The fourth Duke did not use his title, having instead been radicalised by Enlightenment thinking and international events. He lived on the family hacienda in Generico after finishing his continental education, and participated in the War of Independence against the Spanish oppressors of the creole elite. He remains known as ‘El Libertador’ and his statue stands proud in the Plaza 31 de Febrero.​
In 1819, Whartón removed the Fifth Junta to appoint himself Supreme Director of the Republic of Generico, and subsequently won some key military victories, although his autocratic methods and his refusal to pay Admiral Cochrane for his services contributed to his fall from grace. A rebellion against him culminated in his death in a duel with his successor as Supreme Director.​

1826-1867: Osvaldo Whartón, ‘5th Duke of Northumberland’


Osvaldo was the nephew of Tomás, who was too enthusiastic about liberty to have time for children. He continued the family tradition of involvement in politics, but was less quixotic than some of his forebears – he stood for the conservative values of the First Republic, whose Presidency he attained thanks to the bribery and cajolery directed at the voters (11% of the male population) by his claque. During Osvaldo’s tenure in the 1850s, Generico expanded its export portfolio due to the discovery of tin deposits in the foothills of the Andes. Thanks to the Government’s disinterest in any economic activity not based on haciendas, much of the mining industry was immediately bought up by British and American firms, with negative consequences down the line.​

1867-1889: Guisclafredo Whartón, ‘6th Duke of Northumberland’


Osvaldo’s son was cut from very different cloth to his father, and rose to prominence in the Liberal Party (which was neither liberal, nor a party) thanks to the popular interest incited by soap-opera-style family politics. When Guisclafredo became President as a compromise candidate in 1886, he fought against a reluctant Congress for broadening of the franchise (to 12% of the male population), agrarian reform (i.e. breaking up all haciendas larger than 65,000 acres), and domestic control of the lucrative tin mines. This last item, for some reason, attracted the most significant opposition, and a violent dispute emerged between President and Congress. The Generican Civil War was won by the latter, although Guisclafredo is fondly remembered on the left. He shot himself in the closing stages on the assault on the Presidential Palace.​

1889-1923: Ansemundo Whartón, ‘7th Duke of Northumberland’
As it was impossible to effect any policy change in Generico without starting a civil war, the new head of the family wisely decided to join the Army rather than enter politics – out of simple self-preservation. Unhappily for Ansemundo, his ascent to the rank of General coincided with the height of popular disaffection with the Liberal-Conservative coalition which had governed since 1889. He was reluctantly drawn into the dispute by other officers, who included him in the reforming Junta of 1920. He also held office during the Junta of 1921 and two out of the three Juntas of 1922, before executing a strategic retreat from politics to retire to his estate, like a modern Cincinnatus. Unlike Cincinnatus, though, he was brained by a horse within three months.​

1923-1932: Valderedo Whartón, ‘8th Duke of Northumberland’


Colonel Valderedo Wharton inherited his father’s position is society upon his death, and, like him, was drafted into politics on the strength of his name and his sway within the military. Ironically, the Jacobite Duke was appointed President by Socialist revolutionaries in 1925, who had been helped against the resurgent Liberal-Conservatives by the restless Army. Valderedo, although more conservative than his Government, brought in agrarian reform, the creation of a central bank, and a rudimentary labour code during the eighteen months of Socialist governance. At the end of this, he launched a self-coup with the objective of ridding himself of his more radical colleagues. After this coup, Valderedo essentially acted as a dictator modelling himself on Mussolini, building a corporatist economy and a totalitarian state which survived until the Great Depression, at which point the Colonel was brutally assassinated by an anarchist.​

1932-1978: Ildisclo Whartón, ‘9th Duke of Northumberland’


Valderedo left a young son, who went on to be last person entitled to use the Jacobite Dukedom – which he did only briefly, during the Anglo-Generican dispute over the Pitcairn Islands. Ildisclo watched successive governments increase the level of state control of the economy with mounting disfavour, and in 1963 he accepted the Presidential nomination of the Liberal-Conservative Party (having impressed them by subdividing his hacienda into a thriving town without the intervention of state bureaucracy, but instead with the assistance of the discovery of a large tin deposit under the old family home). President Ildisclo served out a term in which he ruthlessly cut back on state spending on welfare and land reform, while also offering major concessions to the foreign business interests which had crept back in since the government of Colonel Valderedo, including the American tin companies, which were made exempt from tax in perpetuity.​
For some reason, Ildisclo failed to balance the books, while also making a lot of people very angry, and the next presidential election was won by the Socialist Party. The inevitable military coup against the Socialists is thought to have been suggested by ex-President Ildisclo, and he was subsequently kidnapped and murdered by Troskyite guerrillas. This act of barbarism brought the unhappy lineage of the Whartons to a final close.​
 
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom since 1945 In A World Where Superpowers and Super Science are Real (From the Goose Green 'Verse or Mavel-1982):



1946-1951: Clement Atlee (Labour). The Atlee Government presided over the rebuilding of a Wartorn Country, Continent and World. Widespread military usage of enhanced, gifted or otherwise superhuman individuals on the battlefield translated into their use at home-with the institutional adaption of superstrength for construction, psychic foretelling guiding policy, biomanipulation for the new National Health Service and ferromancers to work on Britain's infant atomic weapons program. The New Jerusalem was here, heaven on Earth via science, rational planning and metahuman ability. The arrival of the Empire Windrush marked the beginning of mass Caribbean immigration, beginning an ongoing cultural shift. Internationally, the full and formal Independence of Commonwealth of India marked the beginning of the end of the British Empire, whilst the establishment of the League of Democratic States with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a founding member marked a new point in international affairs. As new cities arose from the atom bomb blasted ruins of Dresden and Nuremberg, and the Norwegian Government tried to figure out what to do with the wreck of the Tirpitz, dangerously radioactive, Atlee felt confident to go the polls, having secured prosperity at home and security abroad. But the electorate was in a mood for a change, and the energetic leader of the revitalised Conservatives offered a stark alternative to the increasingly tired Labour Party.


1951-1955: Antony Eden (Conservative). The Death of Nikolai Bukharin shortly after the detonation of the Soviet's first atomic weapon, "Little Nicky", sent shock ways round the world. The ascension of Lavrentiy Beria, the shadowy head of the Soviet Security Service to the position of General Secretary as part of a troika with war hero Mikhail Tukhachevsky and the ageing revolutionary giant Inessa Armand, along with some lightening of Soviet rule over its puppet governments in Poland and East Germany proved to be an only temporary thaw. Whilst no Great Terror, the Targeted Terror of the Beria years left its mark. Conversation and dissent weren't so much depressed-they just simply didn't happen. The murder of Leon Trotsky in 1952 brought this program of repression to the wider world, and a pattern of overseas dissidents dying suddenly emerged. Most were Russian or Soviet exiles, but not all. The British military had not atrophied in the Atlee years, but the Eden government marked the first build-up since the Second World War-all this whilst the British Empire transitioned, slowly and painfully into the British Commonwealth. A strong economy, a tense but still peaceful international situation and his own personal popularity should have assured Eden another majority when he called an election for 1955. His party won one-but Eden was by this point no longer leading it.




1955-1960: Rab Butler (Conservative). Anthony Eden walked with a cane-the result of a close encounter with a German V-2 attack. This was known. His addiction, ever-growing, to opioids, was not. Technically, he was still Prime Minister after the election-but only de facto, and only for hours. Addled by pain, and zoned out on painkillers, it fell to his ally and friend Rab Butler to kiss the King's hand and assume the Premiership, and leadership of the Party. The grubby skullduggery was an inauspicious beginning, and Rab Butler's time as Prime Minister would continue in that vane. Northern Irish Catholics, inspired by the 2nd Civil Rights Movement in the United States which sought to do away with the lingering vestiges of Jim Crow where it survived, took to the streets and polls for rights, jobs and basic decency. The crisis in the North brought the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Ireland, flush with American money and equipment, to the brink of war. It was the stress of this standoff that ended up killing King George VI, monarch of both states, in 1959-exasperating cancer that had only partially been treated by both physical medicine and biomanipulation. Only American diplomacy and the deployment of the Commonwealth Monitoring Force prevented the collapse of the situation any further and resulted in a new settlement being reached in Northern Ireland. The site of the Commonwealth coming to secure peace in the Metropole, and the multiracial, multiethnic makeup of this "New Commonwealth" peacekeeping group, could have salvaged something for the Butler Government. But the American planes they arrived in, the American money that in part funded it, and the American diplomacy that enabled it could not be hidden. Shortly after the coronation of Elizabeth Mountbatten-Windsor as Queen of the British and Northern Irish, a Vote of No Confidence forced a humiliated Butler to go to the polls. The outcome was never really in doubt.




1960-1966: Harold Wilson (Labour). For a Government defined by modernity and a common-sense approach to the world, Harold Wilson always seemed slightly out of place mingling with metahumans, physicists and astronauts. A famous photo of the Prime Minister almost sinking into his chair next to American astronaut Jerrie Cobb became the subject of much gentle mockery, but the fact the he met her and honoured was a major break from the stuffy formality of the Eden and Butler years. "White Heat" might not have been all it was cracked up to be, and it didn't deliver utopia. But Anglo-French nuclear power, League of Democratic States solidarity and a general sense that the world was in some ways getting better, all contributed to the British "swinging sixties"-all aided by the liberal reforms of Roy Jenkins at the Home Ministry. Britain never had it so good, economically, socially or internationally, where the Targeted Terror of the Beria years came to an end and the popular Marshal Zhukov came to power in the Soviet Union in 1961-he would end up remaining in office for another seven years. But as the first of the Queen Elizabeth class Carriers came into service, a potent symbol of British industrial power and fiscal security, despite the blip in Northern Ireland, Wilson grew tired. Equality he had striven for, and in large ways achieved. But this new, more liberated Britain moved too fast for him. Still personally popular, he led his party to victory in 1965-and remained in office until the summer of 1966, when on a warm August day, his successor secured, he resigned his position. He would go down as one of Britain's greatest Prime Ministers, alongside the wartime martyr Winston Churchill and the great reformer Shirley Williams.





1966-1970: Barbara Castle (Labour). An abortive attempt at major constitutional reform and a narrowly dodged coup marked the major events of Barbara Castle's time in office in terms of domestic affairs, although a little-noticed piece of legislation reforming trade unions would have major long-term benefits. Her status as first female Prime Minister would guarantee she'd always be remembered, if for that if nothing else. But it was her planned abolition of the House of Lords and a written constitution which would strip away what little power the monarchy had left which proved a major turning point-and nearly brought centuries of civilian government to an end. Conservative elements in the security services and military, motivated by a combination of social reaction, a loathing for economic radicalism and for some, even a sincere belief that only by their efforts could the British Constitution be saved-albeit it seemed by destroying it in practice. A network emerged, men were recruited and strategies planned. On June 14th, 1968, the plotters broadcast their message, and loyal (or otherwise brought) paramilitaries took position in key locations. But the Army remained in its barracks, the police remained a police service and not a force of occupation. Discontent amongst a handful senior reactionaries did not translate into widespread anti-democratic tendency within the Armed Forces-the faction of serving officers within the military who supported the coup attempt found themselves vastly outnumbered in a service whose ethos was by and large opposed to getting involved in politics. A wave of arrests followed of the so-called "Gang of 68", aided and abetted by a simultaneous American crackdown on far-right elements within its security services and military that sort to undermine the program of "Land Reform and Liberal Republicanism" that had formed the backdrop of "Constructive Engagement". Later events would show the crackdown had not gone far enough, as the yet minor "SHIELD" organisation went by undetected and unexamined. The abortive coup was, however, taken off the front pages by the Sino-Soviet War of 1969. As Vladivostok burned and hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops died of radiation poisoning, China ceased to exist in a barrage of thermonuclear weaponry. The optimist brought on by the Zhukov Thaw, the Soviet and American Lunar Landings and the fact that British democracy had endured what had amounted to a farcical threat died, and the country went to the polls with Barbara Castle optimistic of success, but a tired and far less confident woman than before. But the country was in the mood for a change, with “White Heat” and the promise of technology dying as rockets exploded in East Asia.



1970-1976: Reginald Maudling (Conservative). Reginauld Maulding's Government did not break the post-war consensus, but things certainly changed. With Labour torn apart by factional infighting regarding just what Britain's constitution should be, and if the issues that had led to the "Gang of 68" had truly been resolved, Maudling's Government found itself a small but comfortable majority. Rolls-Royce, The Rover Group, British Telecom and British Aerospace found themselves privatized, and rail cargo likewise. The Jenkin's liberal reforms were not rolled back, but no major liberal reforms in terms of social rights were passed in this period. Environmentalism came to the fore as nuclear autumn set in, and the promised utopia provided by metahumanity and technology floundered in the cold. Even the Soviet and American Lunar bases and the establishment of the Commonwealth Space Station "James Cook" to join the America Liberty and Soviet Mir did little to ease the national miasma. The rise of metahuman terrorism both in Britain and abroad did little to stop the climate of fear, and Britain's own superheroes, the mysterious "Blue Angel" and "Green Knight" amongst the most famous of them became targets of scorn, not admiration. The Blue Angel, Daphne Kane, coming out in 1975 was a watershed moment for the fledgeling British LGBT movement, but for a still mostly vaguely conservative population, the idea of metahumans as allies started exiting the public discourse. Far-right and far-left groups started engaging in activates ranging from protests that resembles riots to full-blown terrorism, in response to a domestic and international system that seemed increasingly atrophied, afraid and unresponsive as a global recession bit. The bombing of a crowded Gay Bar by the "Brothers of Faith" in 1974, a far-right religious group with its origins in Ulster-based extremist Protestanism shook the country, as did the connections to fringe elements within the Conservative Party itself. Civil unrest gripped the country, and by the time things had calmed down and the campaign of letter bombings and random shootings were reduced by a combination of state action and exhaustion, it was 1976. The temporary and extraordinary extension to the Parliamentary Term would never be repeated, and a country that was very different in spirit, more sombre and subdued went to the polls. Maudling didn't run, and his party was being torn apart by the factional disputes caused by the Brothers of the Faith and other such groups, as well as Maudling’s dynamic, forceful leadership. Labour had put themselves back together as the "Democrats, but it would be a while before they could contest elections across the country again. Into the void stepped a third party, and its new dynamic leader.




1976-1980: Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal). Subsequent elections to held under the County PR system. Jeremy Thorpe's Liberal Party won its first election in decades, but not by much. Conservative implosion and the emergence of the Democrats produced a Liberal Party only one short of a majority-and it ended up in coalition with the newly emerged National Party of Scotland which had won a surprising six seats. Thorpe's government was marked by devolution to the 4 Countries of the United Kingdom, the introduction of a new voting system formally known as "County Organised Multiple Member Representation" but more commonly known as "County PR" and the establishment of the Anglican Church. The Environment Act of 1978, passed with Labour support, sought to recapture some of the old grandeur of "White Heat", combining environmental protection with green technology to modernise and revive the economy-matching the Green New Deal of the Kennedy Administration and other such work across the League of Democratic States. Internationally, the establishment of the Commonwealth of Canton in the area surrounding Hong Kong, the Belize Intervention and the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaties marked a return to a sort of international stability, as the tide of Post-War refugees became a more organised and internationalized stream of migration out of China-these were the years that marked the establishment of the Ulster Chinese Community, as tens of thousands of people settled in Northern Ireland. The Year of Lead was a harsh memory, but despite the occasional incident, some of which damaged property but none of which killed, it remained a memory. In the end, it was a scandal that brought down Thorpe and his Government. A married man, throughout the latter half of his time in office rumours, swirled and circulated about Jeremy Thorpe being homosexual. This wasn't illegal, of course, and the country had grown more accepting of such-the Brothers of the Faith's murderous homophobia backfiring on them. But Thorpe was a married man and had always at best avoided answering questions on his sexuality on the grounds of privacy. But when half a dozen openly gay men came forward to the press claiming they had had sexual relations with Thorpe, and offered dates and locations, rumours gave way into something more solid. In South Africa when the story broke, celebrating the formal end of segregation and the first truly universal election in that country, Thorpe returned home in a fog of scandal. He had done nothing illegal, and his televised coming out is perhaps his most famous moment. But he had lied-to his wife, and to the country. He resigned, the SNP withdrew its support and an election was needed. The last 10 years had seen major shifts in Britain and abroad, and the deaths of hundreds of millions in war. As 1980 broke, nothing was the same anymore.



1980-1988: Shirley Williams (Democrat). Shirley Williams ended up being the third of the “Great Transformers” of British Post-War politics. Maudling’s Free Economy and Thorpe’s New Federalism had thrown much into the air, and it was William’s Government which had to fit the pieces together as the 21st Century drew ever closer. Calm and moderate, Williams offered a reassuring presence as the stock market was carefully deregulated, nuclear power plants sprang up like mushrooms, North Sea Oil wealth poured in and the coal industry went into an irrecoverable decline. Whilst in many respects continuing the legacies of her predecessors in office, Williams was really the first Prime Minister to deal with the effects of a changing world and changing economy on the average British citizen-pouring money to re-educate out of work miners, supporting the growth of the British computing industry and generally making sure the general ideas of a prosperous and free society could continue in an ever more interconnected and globalised world. Internationally, Williams struck up a famous friendship with American President George H. W. Bush-the war hero patrician and the British intellectual got along well, despite their different ideological heritages. Bush was, for all that he was the leader of an increasingly right-wing party, came across as remarkably non-partisan in his time in office. Whilst the more statist parts of the Green New Deal were rolled back or semi-privatised, the network of regional “Authorities” remained, and were even expanded as Bush’s technocratic approach to Government overrode his own ideology. Bush believed in smaller Government then Kennedy had, but he also believed in effective Governance, and this made him an ally of Williams, who sort to cut through red tape and unleash the potential of the British people. In her second term, again winning a comfortable majority, international affairs dominated. Arthur joined James Cook, Mir and Liberty in orbit, and British engineers were instrumental in building the American “Inner Planets Craft” known as Anson, which took an international crew from across the LDS on a tour of the Inner Planets of the Solar System. Her second term also marked the start of the Scutum Project-the international project that would eventually result in the Ballistic Missile Defence system that currently covers the LDS and other friendly states. At home, mundane and metahuman medicine found itself dealing with the HIV/AIDs crisis-the famous “Ignorance Kills” campaign only the most dramatic example of the Government’s response. Yet for all her successes at home and abroad, Williams would end up serving her full second term. Always somewhat autocratic and distant in office, by 1988 she was becoming increasingly unpopular within her party, seen as promoting her faction at the expense of all others. Whilst this faction was dominant, this was no problem. But as by-elections and resignations for various reasons whittled her based in the Party away, she became isolated politically. Eventually, backed into a corner, she decided to resign as Prime Minister and leader of the Democrat Party. The Party would remain in power, but under new management.



1988-1990: John Smith (Democrat). John Smith had been a popular and effective Chancellor of the Exchequer, and had achieved international acclaim for his shuttle diplomacy which had prevented war between Iran and India in 1987. But he was doomed to be an ineffective Prime Minister. His Party had done well in Office, but success after a decade of absence, and with some lingering wounds from the Castle Ministry (and it’s aftermath) meant that by the time of the 1990 election, Smith was left with a party which really seemed that it hated being successful. The emergence of the superheroine known as the “Grey Guardian” in this period provided a stark contrast to the Government’s series of gaffes and misjudged policies-particularly her one-woman crusade against those who victimised women and children-leading to the convictions of Rolf Harris and Jimmy Saville amongst others. So, when the country went to the polls in 1990, they had a choice of rewarding the party for what it had done, or punishing it for what it happened. Since the introduction of “County PR”, British politics was a much more competitive affair, with safe seats a thing of the past. It was a vibrant, competitive system-and it would end up with John Smith no longer Prime Minister.



1990-1997: David McLetchie (Unionist). David McLetchie would spend seven years running the country, but not accomplishing much beside remaining in power. His first Government was a majority one, but the newly branded Unionists only had a small majority, and the internal culture since Maudling resisted “Presidentialism” as he and Williams had done. A Europeanist, the McLetchie years saw the construction of the mighty four-track Dublin-Belfast-Carlisle-Liverpool-London-Paris & Antwerp Railway, connecting four countries across two seas into a single rail system-although planning had begun all the way back in the Thorpe era. The European-Commonwealth Strategic Resources and Planning Committee was established-bringing together big business and government in an international manner, whilst also serving to crack down on tax havens and fiscal hideaways. Critics raised the cry of corporatism and state capture-defenders that of increased revenue, job retention and international development. Some raised the idea there was something Soviet about the whole project, but no one really knew what that meant anymore. Alexander Rutskoy, a military man who had made a name for himself by his bravery and moral conduct in what used to be Northeast China, now absorbed into the Soviet Union as the Manchurian SSR, had risen rapidly to become at 43 the youngest Soviet General Secretary in history. But his relative youth and vigour in comparison to the old tyrants before him merely changed the form of the system, not it’s substance. And rumours began at this time that there was something distinctly odd going on behind the scenes in the USSR. Still, Cold War tensions were as normal as they ever were, and the McLetchie Government found success in amongst other things providing material, moral and diplomatic support to France regarding its brief war with Brazil. At home though, economic downturn and sluggish performance hurt the country-and Unionist public infighting hurt the Party. The 1995 election left the Party a minority, and the next two years were a painful slog, although the British (minor) contribution to the American Mars landing of 1996 was a cause for much celebration and talk of the continued alliance between the two states. Still, the Unionist infighting continued, their Minority position only exacerbating the split in the Party. The eventual Vote of No Confidence was a no brainer, and the country went to the polls with the Unionists split and the Democrats still recovering from the recent death of John Smith, the Liberals, this time under a young and scandal-free leader saw their opportunity.




1997-2005: Tony Blair (Liberal). Blair’s time in office was, and is to this day, seen of one of reacting rather than acting. Name three things that happened in those eight years, and four things will come up-six should, but the fact that only four are remembered is important. The Indoor Smoking Ban and the legalisation of Same-Sex Marriage brought relief and happiness to a great many people, whilst the Millennial Centre in London proved a triumphant celebration of Britain’s past, present and future; a wave of new universities being established, the first major expansion since the Castle Government part of securing that future. Overseas, the intervention of British forces as part of a UN operation to prevent genocide in the mixed German-Slavic region of Hungary called Sokovia should be a more rated part of his legacy of peacekeeping, which included election monitoring in the Gambia and anti-piracy operations in South East Asia. At home, the discovery of vast goldfields across the Southern Uplands of Scotland sparked years of negotiations between Westminster, Holyrood, local authorities, private citizens, gold companies and the environmentalist organisations-the fact that the exploitation of the region’s resources is today being conducted in such an environmentally friendly manner is a miracle of modern technology and applied ferromancy. Discovered shortly before the 2000 election, Scottish Gold reinvigorated Scottish nationalism-and brought the NPS back to power in the Scottish Parliament. Though a Scot by birth, Blair was seen by many to be a very English Britain, and it became quite clear that he resented the devolution of powers Thorpe’s Federalism had caused. Though the Liberals under his leadership were famed for their internal discipline, with none of the factional infighting that had torn apart the Smith and McLetchie Governments, Blair himself was increasingly unpopular within his Party. His overbearing micromanagement came to infest the Liberals, and whereas Blairism was once synonymous with calm, collected leadership, by 2005 it had connotations of control, of busybodies. In the run-up to and during the 2005 General Election, Blair's control of his Party slipped, and any semblance of unity slid away. There was no landslide defeat, but the Liberals were firmly booted out-Blair losing his seat amongst them. Blair now divides his time between the United Nations as Special Envoy for Central Africa, and his role as Chief Editor of the Guardian.



2005-2010: Gordon Brown (Democrat). Gordon Brown Premiership was dominated by the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2008. A Supply and Confidence Deal between the NPS and the Democrats had been based upon such a Referendum taking place-the fact that Brown was campaigning as a unionist notwithstanding. Gold, oil, the Commonwealth and the European Confederation dominated the debate, and the Prime Minister, known for his calm stoicism burst into active energy, giving barnstorming speeches about Scotland’s place in the Union, and the Union’s place in Scotland-and as an active, proud Scotsman, he was perhaps perfectly positioned to counter the nationalist rhetoric. When the result came, Remain won with a resounding 60% of the vote. It was a vindication for Brown, and his belief in a uniquely Scottish role with a social-democratic Britain. But it came at a cost-the NPS naturally withdrew their support from Brown’s Ministry. A deal with the Liberals, empowered under new leadership resulted in continued governance and no need for an election, but by and large the Brown Government costed on-lacking the majority to do much of anything. However, it was in Brown’s term in office that Scutum came on line across the League of Democratic States, and a permanent British section was added to the Jamestown Lunar Colony-although this had come after a joint Commonwealth and European Confederation section had been added. But it was the continued expansion of a little know branch of the security services known as MI-7 that proved, quite accidentally, to be Brown’s biggest legacy. When the General Election was called, Brown hoped that preserving the Union would secure him a majority-but whilst he kept his seat and has done to this day as a respected backbencher, voters saw little reason to reward 5 years of mostly stupor with a chance to “get it right this time” in the unfortunate words of one Democrat candidate.



2010-2015: Karan Bilimoria (Unionist). The world changed dramatically during Karan Bilimoria’s time as Prime Minister. The first BAME British Prime Minister, a child of post-war immigration and of the Commonwealth, his time in office saw the emergence of the Avengers as the worlds most powerful alliance of superheroes, first contact with multiple alien species, the disintegration of the United Arab Republic, Iranian troops pouring into Iraq and an attempt by a fascist cult to take over the world. At home, space and computer technology dominated the headlines, with the Skylon/BAE Space Sabre the darling of school children and air forces alike-whilst quantum computing was starting to revolutionise the world of business. It was during Bilimoria’s Premiership that the fact that the Soviet Union was defacto controlled by an AI known as the Central Planning Computer (TKP, to give the Russian acronym) became common knowledge in Government circles, and the first examples of powered armour entered service with the British Armed Forces. “Arc Reactor” fusion power started entering the energy grid and in 2009 Britain became the second country in the world to have an entirely carbon-free energy grid-fusion, fission and renewables providing every Watt of electricity the country needed. Domestically, his Premiership coincided with the “Our History Too” movement, in which celebrated British figures like Churchill were critically reassessed in view of their opinions on, for example, India. Whilst several obnoxious statues were removed-most famously the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol was unceremoniously chucked in a river, a large number of brass plaques went up on or near statues-written by mixed teams drawn from the general public and historians, and of diverse backgrounds. This ended up tied into the “Black Lives Matter” campaign across the world, which tackled the sadly still extant prejudices that the 3rd Civil Rights Movement had been unable to combat, particularly regarding policing. The image of Luke Cage, the Indestructible Hero for Hire, leaving a bunch of bent and broken police pistols in a pile behind him, became a meme almost instantly. In Britain, police misconduct and the discussion surrounding it took a different shape-except in Northern Ireland. There, the Royal Northern Irish Constabulary was still seen as a bastion of Loyalist sentiment, and the debate their rapidly became intertwined with still lingering issues from the late 50s-particularly regarding joint Citizenship and role of the Irish language in the education system. In the end, it took the disbandment of the RNIC and the formation of the new Northern Irish Police, along with the replacement of about a third of its frontline personal to prevent the rioting and protests from descending into full-blown anarchy. But It did not prevent the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second. Distraught by the tribulations of Northern Ireland, the sovereign passed her away in her sleep in the middle of the Ulster Crisis, on August 10th, 2013. It was later said that the shock of her passing was what it enabled the new settlement, but it became the story of the year and probably the British story of the decade. Her funeral was the most viewed television event in history up to that point, only exceeded by the American *Permanent Return to Mars* in 2018. Internationally, the attempted Hydra Coup of 2014 was mostly an American affair, although affiliates caused chaos in Britain and France-including the bloody occupation of Edinburgh which was only ended when Edinburgh Castle itself was bombed by the RAF and stormed by loyal troops. The ’68 reforms had worked-the Unionists had no connections with the Hydra Cult, and no military personal had any connections to it either. However, businessmen connected to the Party had, and the rapid expansion of MI-7 in response to the ever-increasing number and variety of metahumans was seen, in retrospect, to have been reckless and ill-throughout. When Bilimoria took his Party to the polls in 2015, his decisive and effective leadership during years of crisis had to be contrasted with the reality of the crisis and the extent to which he and his party had been responsible for them in the first place. Again, there was no landslide, but the verdict of the public was no matter how noble his conduct had been, the Unionist Party was, as had been in the seventies, hanging out with the wrong crowd. Today, Karan Bilimoria is an international businessman and public speaker, dividing his time between Britain, India, Burma and Singapore, where he has extensive interests.


2015-Present: Ed Davey (Liberal). Ed Davey had been a quiet voice in the background during the latter part of the Blair years-on the left of the Liberals, and generally well regarded. During his years in opposition, he had garnered a name for himself a firm defender of civil liberties-this in a party that had made itself famous as the party of said liberties. He had a reputation as a bridge-builder between the European Internationalist faction and the Commonwealth Internationalist faction-to the extent that a satirical article in Private Eye saying that the Commonwealth should adopt the European Confederation’s Euro came to be closely associated with Davey-it is common amongst some circles to this day to attitude the article as a serious piece written by him. Succeeding Vince Cable in 2010, Davey became famous for the “National Privacy Act”, which over the strong objections of the security services and policing establishment, placed qualitative and quantitative limits on private data that could be gathered by the Government on British citizens-although he was vindicated by the Hydra Rising. His position of a prophet goes some way to explaining the Liberals success in the election-that a comprehensive post-Blair detox that Vince Cable’s time had been unable to accomplish. The introduction of a comprehensive modern tax system, the trial of a Universal Basic Income is the most economically deprived areas of the country and further reforms to what remained of the House of Lords dominated the first year of Ed Davey’s time in the office-the international situation had stabilised to something resembling normal in an environment where humanity was spreading throughout the solar system, superpowers were ever more common and the existence of vampires had recently become public knowledge. But the domestic focus was shattered by the Argentine Invasion of the Falkland Islands. The economic uncertainty in Argentina itself motivated the attack-as did the ill-conceived idea that Britain would not respond as it did. The deployment of the Eagle Carrier Battle Group and the Powerful Marine Battle Group, the destruction of the Argentine Navy, the Tomahawk strikes and brief but bloody battles across the Islands are not for detailed examination, but Britain emerged victorious-and Ed Davey had shown calm, collected and confident leadership. No immediate General Election was called, by a year later the 2017 returned the Liberals with an increased majority. The new tax system had increased revenue whilst generally decreasingly taxes except for the top percentiles, the UBI experiment had shown promise and digital communication, video conferencing and online workshops were starting to make their impact know on the academic and white-collar professions. For Ed Davey and the Liberals, the future looked bright.

That is, until March 28th 2018, when an alien spaceship for the second time in a decade, attacked New York City.
 
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Prime Ministers of India

1947-1955: Jawaharlal Nehru (Indian National Congress)
1951 def. A.K. Gopalam (Communist)

1955-1957: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Indian National Congress)
1957 def. Shripat Amrit Dange (Communist)

1957-1973: Lal Bahadur Shastri (Indian National Congress)
1962 def. Shripat Amrit Dange (Communist (Dangeite))
1967 def. C. Rajagopalachari (Swatantra)
1972 def. Charan Singh (Kisan Dal)


1973-1977: Feroze Gandhi (Indian National Congress)
1977 def. Charan Singh (Bharatiya Lok Dal)

1977-1981: Morarji Desai (Indian National Congress)

1981-1986: Jagjivan Ram (Indian National Congress)
1982 def. Devi Lal (Bharatiya Lok Dal (Democratic)), Vijaya Raje Scindia (Bharatiya Lok Dal (Rights))

1986-1993: Swaran Singh (Indian National Congress)
1987 def. Devi Lal (Bharatiya Lok Dal (Democratic)), Vijaya Raje Scindia (Bharatiya Lok Dal (Rights))
1992 def. Devi Lal (Bharatiya Lok Dal (Democratic)), Chandra Shekhar (Samajwadi Dal), Vijaya Raje Scindia (Bharatiya Lok Dal (Rights))


1993-1997: Pranab Mukherjee (Indian National Congress)

1997-1999: Devi Lal (Lok Dal)
1997 (min.) def. Pranab Mukherjee (Indian National Congress)

1999-2008: V.P. Singh (Indian National Congress)
1999 def. Devi Lal (Lok Dal (People's)), Chandra Shekhar (Lok Dal (Socialist))
2004 def. Devi Lal (Lok Dal (People's)), Chandra Shekhar (Lok Dal (Socialist))


2008-2009: Pranab Mukherjee (Indian National Congress)

2009-xxxx: Madhavrao Scindia (Indian National Congress)
2009 def. Ajit Singh (Lok Dal (Kisan)), Mulayam Singh Yadav (Lok Dal (Socialist))
2014 def. Ajit Singh (Lok Dal (Kisan)), Mulayam Singh Yadav (Lok Dal (Socialist))
2019 def. Ajit Singh (Lok Dal (Kisan)), Akhilesh Yadav (Lok Dal (Socialist))


The death of the great Nehru left the Indian National Congress in disarray. Ultimately, the various factions were brought to an agreement and the Minister of Education Maulana Azad was made prime minister. Not a terribly imposing figure, this meant every cabinet member was given autonomy, which suited them. More dramatic was that he was a Muslim, as Prime Minister of a land where many still blamed Muslims for the horrific brutality of Partition. Yet, Maulana Azad had an undeniably nationalist record. He was a diehard fighter in the independence movement, and as a result he was viewed as a "good Muslim". Nevertheless, due to his religion he played a minor role in the fight over the ratification of the Hindu Code, and during the 1957 election, predominately fought over it, he played a minor role. It was later passed, but chiefly not due to him. Legislation he did help to pass, however, was over national education, establishing funding for a system of national schools. He also played a role in the reorganization of states on linguistic lines. He died soon after the election. Despite having only served for one and half years, and despite being square in the middle of two titans of Indian history, Maulana Azad is beloved. He remains the only Muslim prime minister in Indian history, and in that regard he remains an important symbol. Even Hindu nationalists praise him as a patriot and a "good Muslim". He is also remembered for his role in education, which is directly praised for increasing India's literacy rates.

His successor, Lal Bahadur Shastri, served for a much longer period. His famed rags-to-riches story instantly made him extremely popular. While Nehru was something of a patrician, the same could not be said of Shastri. His term was initially mired with Goa, where nationalist protestors including the great patriot Lohia faced deep and punitive punishments at the hands of the Portuguese fascist regime. After failed attempts at negotiation failed, Shastri chose to invade Goa. This invasion proved to be swift and successful, and the 1962 election, fought on that victory euphoria, proved to be yet another landslide. Yet, in this next term, Shastri was faced with troubles. A war with China proved to be a defeat, and economic troubles finally arrived. These troubles reached their final impact with the 1966 economic crisis, which forced Shastri to take the decision to devalue the rupee. This all served to mean that the 1967 election led the Congress party to lose its majority. Though this was swiftly rectified with a coalition with the "patriotic" Dangeite communist faction, it nevertheless weakened him. Nevertheless, the Indian economy stabilized later on, even if there were disputes over his increasingly domineering stature. It seemed Shastri was heading clear for stable majority in 1972. Then came the Bangladesh Liberation War. Pakistan, under the dictator Ayub Khan, conducted mass arrests of East Pakistani regionalist leaders; this in turn resulted in the declaration of the independent state of Bangladesh, with its own troops to fight for independence. In return, Ayub Khan, a firm believer in Bengali racial inferiority, sent troops to kill and ravage Bangladeshi people as they saw fit, in the Bangladesh Genocide. Ultimately, this proved too much for Shastri to tolerate, and India declared war for humanitarian reasons. This war ended swiftly, with victory for India and Bangladesh. The war crimes of the Pakistani government were fully unveiled to the world. And in India, Shastri was revered as a national hero and was openly compared to the god Hanuman. The 1972 election proved an utterly sweeping landslide, with the Congress party winning 447 seats in a 520-seat parliament. It seemed Shastri was unstoppable. Then he died. Shastri is a titan of Indian history, only second in the national pantheon to Gandhi himself. From his rags-to-riches story to his intervention on behalf of the Bangladeshi people, he is surely one of the great men of history.

His successor was Feroze Gandhi, the son-in-law of the great Nehru. He, however, proved to be unable to control his own party and party members often contradicted him. Despite being a member of the reformist "Young Turk" faction, he proved entirely reluctant to push any of their desired reforms due to cabinet opposition. Furthermore, in 1976, corruption scandals were unveiled which revealed kickback deals, the sale of honours, and an embezzlement scheme, all of which implicated him. He was implicated in multiple sex scandals, and his wife Indira barely defended him over them, resulting in her being viewed as a wronged woman. Furthermore, economic troubles resulted in waves of protests, and the opposition parties gradually began to consolidate. All of this led to the Congress party being reduced to a small majority.

Feroze was induced to resign, after which the Congress party selected old party hand Morarji Desai as leader. He implemented strong controls on India's various film industries, viewing them as purveyors of immorality; this is generally agreed as having deteriorated their quality. He loosened some economic policies, resulting in a small boom. However, he embarrassed India on the international stage by publicly extolling the virtue of drinking one's urine on American television; this was the excuse needed by the Congress leadership to give him the boot.

He was succeeded Jagjivan Ram. He was famously a Dalit, the only such PM in Indian history; though he was maligned as a "stooge" by Dalit leaders like Kanshi Ram, he maintained a high level of popularity and won a standard-level majority in the 1982 elections. He abolished the privy purse, or the stipend to ex-monarchs and their families. He also established some small-level reservations in government jobs for lower castes, and established a commission to look into further such reservations, despite the opposition of his own cabinet. His death in 1986 was met with some relief by his party, concerned over his focus on caste-based reservations.

His successor, Swaran Singh, promptly ignored the commission's report, and maintained business as usual. With economic troubles, he pushed India towards a more free-market economic model, though his moves were relatively minor. He more-or-less continued business-as-usual and travelled the middle ground between his cabinet members, being extremely averse towards ministerial conflict unlike his prececessor. He died in 1993, having been a stable hand on the tiller.

He was succeeded by his finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. He totally upended India's economic model, decisively putting India on the course of free market economics. His economic governance proved award-winning. However, he is best remembered for his egregious corruption scandals, which implicated him and his party. They resulted in the Congress defeat of 1997, the first in India's history, by two seats; with neither the consolidated opposition Lok Dal or the Congress party able to make a majority, the Lok Dal was to govern.

A motley coalition led by an old leader, the Lok Dal faced near-immediate infighting. It proved almost impossible to keep a lid on it. The 1998 budget was a mediocrity, nearly exactly the same as the previous one, due to this sheer inability to stop fighting. Ultimately, the party split when Devi Lal proposed numerous anti-feudal regulations to destroy the remnants of feudalism; though it passed with Congress support, it split away ex-monarchs like the Scindias and their supporters from the party, while socialists led by Chandra Shekhar were disappointed at Devi Lal's acceptance of free market economics and split for that reason. This resulted in the 1999 election.

Congress won, led by V.P. Singh and his incorruptible image. Though he was an ex-monarch and attacked for elitism, he had an answer to this: populist rhetoric and the catchy slogan Raja nahi fakir hai/Desh ki taqdeer hai (He is not a king but a fakir/He is the destiny of the nation). His victory initiated a new era, or at least it was so perceived. Immediately, he initiated a string of new high profile raids against corrupt wealthy people, including Congress supporters, as well as free electricity in certain cities. The constitution was amended to make India more federalistic. When one of his cabinet ministers proved to be corrupt, V.P. Singh threw him out of the cabinet before the press even had its hands on the story. He was truly a man of the people in a way no PM since Shastri ever was. Despite small economic slowdown, he won a new commanding majority in the 2004 election. The economy was fixed. Finally V.P. Singh declared his resignation in 2008 over cancer; he died a year later.

His successor was none other than Pranab Mukherjee. However, when opinion polls showed he would lose Congress its majority if he were to continue as leader, he was forced to resign by the Congress establishment. His successor was Madhavrao Scindia. Though most members of the ex-royal Scindia family were members of the opposition, this man broke from his family by being a Congress loyalist. Like V.P. Singh, he compensated for any perceived elitism due to his birth by pushing an image of being a man of the people. He delegated much of his work to his far more competent ministers, and instead he spent much of his time giving speeches and such. As a result, he maintains much popularity. Despite numerous scandals having emerged against the Congress party, he has not been implicated in any of them due to his distance from day-to-day governance. Nevertheless, his popularity has dipped due to these scandals and a perceived do-nothing attitude, though with his opponents perceived as massively corrupt and nepotistic he won elections due to being perceived as the lesser evil. Whether or not he will be removed by the party establishment remains a question most are asking, with his popularity dipping and fears over it dipping further.

Nevertheless, it is almost certain that Congress will dominate Indian politics, and will continue to dominate Indian politics.
 
Contingency

Lyndon B. Johnson/vacant 1963-1965
Lyndon B. Johnson/Hubert Humphrey 1965-1970

1964: Def. Barry Goldwater/William E. Miller
1968: Def. Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew, George Wallace/Curtis LeMay
Hubert Humphrey/vacant 1970-1973
Ronald Reagan/Gerald Ford 1973-1981

1972: Def. Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie
1976: Def. Henry Jackson/Walter Mondale
Frank Church/George McGovern 1981-1984 (Died in office)
1980: Def. Bob Dole/George HW Bush
George McGovern/vacant 1984-1985
George McGovern/John Glenn 1985-1993

1984: Def. Paul Laxalt/John Tower
1988: Def. George Deukmajian/Newt Gingrich
James Baker/Jack Kemp 1993-2001
1992: Def. Jerry Brown/Paul Tsongas, David Koch/David Nolan
1996: Def. Mario Cuomo/Ann Richards, David Koch/Harry Browne, Jesse Jackson/Bernie Sanders
Jack Kemp/Tom Tancredo 2001-2005
2000: Def. Bob Kerrey/Al Gore, Jesse Ventura/Mike Gravel
Bill Bradley/Mary Landrieu 2005-2013
2004: Def. Jack Kemp/Tom Tancredo, Jesse Ventura/Mike Gravel
2008: Def. Fred Thompson/Michele Bachman, Mike Gravel/Lincoln Chafee
Bobby Jindal/Chuck Hagel 2013-2014
2012: Def. Mary Landrieu/Martin O'Malley, Jesse Ventura/Gary Johnson
Chuck Hagel/vacant 2014
Chuck Hagel/Evan Bayh 2014-2015

David Bonior/Dick Cheney 2015
David Petraeus/vacant 2015
Michael Bloomberg/James Mattis 2015-2016

Michael Bloomberg/Jon Huntsman 2016-2017
2016: Def. Jesse Ventura/various
William McRaven/Kay Bailey Hutchison 2017-2018
Kay Bailey Hutchison/Eric Garcetti 2018

Elon Musk/Michael Flynn 2018-2019
Russ Feingold/Mike Lee 2019

John Brennan/Susan Rice 2019-2020
Charlie Crist/Tulsi Gabbard 2020-

Things in America used to be normal. Publicly, at least. The government definitely always had a bit more of an inkling what was going on...out there. Reagan ending all further trips to the Moon wasn't just a case of fiscal conservatism running wild (or at least, not just that). It was during the Johnson administration we found out exactly what sort of horrors were waiting for us beyond our little blue marble. Well, OK, not quite. We STILL don't know EXACTLY what is going on out there. The leading theory is that whatever it is exists in a few dimensions beyond our own. We can't really comprehend them beyond A) they come from outer space, B) they live on the Moon, C) they want to take over to do horrible things to us and D) the Moon is somehow leading them (this one is a more controversial one and sparks heated debates in the scientific conferences held in the vast network of bunkers that fill the US up).

Now, an enemy you barely comprehend...is hard to deal with. Johnson's first strategy was a 'contingency plan' calling for mass suicides to counter the Moon-things' mental effect (brainwashing in essence). It was never intended to be a final protocol, even by Johnson himself. It just took until Humphrey's term to void that procedure and come up with an alternative agenda: deescalating space exploration to try to avoid drawing too much attention, build up a series of fortifications underground capable of housing a large chunk of the American population, increasing scientific investment and build up a strong defense. Overall this was a consensus agenda-even ideological conservatives like Reagan and Jindal accepted the need for these policies to defend America.

It wasn't enough. From the early 2000's onwards, it was becoming clear they were going to come down here. There was a lot of buzz about them arriving in 2000 and 2012 owing to those years' apocalypse scares. But they didn't begin the invasion until 2014. But when it got started...hoo boy it got intense. Broadcast signals, GPS systems and the Internet in general were subject to mass manipulations-bombarding people with messages demanding they kill themselves or of an otherwise disturbing nature, sending hapless drivers to meet their demise at landing sites, even triggering a nuclear exchange between Russia and China by messing with their detection systems. The biggest damage, though, was caused by the Moon's approach towards the planet. While only of a slight distance (in a cosmic sense), it radically altered the tides and caused major damage to the coastlines worldwide.

It was into this the invasion of the Moon-things began. About a third of humanity was wiped out within the first week. Another third (those of an evidently weak resistance) embraced the invaders as saviors and took to worshiping their strange Moon-centered religion (this included a lot of folks you wouldn't suspect-the Pope leading a salutation to the Moon in the Vatican was not a sight anyone expected to see). For the remaining people, the US government sought to shove them into the bunkers. Unfortunately,, the tunnel networks between them were not yet completed. Additionally, the enemy's control over communication technology made things tricky to coordinate. Furthermore, the invasion was still well underway and over the last six years, dozens of bunkers have been discovered and breached, their occupants massacred or brainwashed to serve 'Him.' Other bunkers were sabotaged by those whose resilience to the invaders was weak-the 2018 coup that ousted Hutchison in the presidential bunker in the Rocky Mountains was one example of this. As of now, life in America is generally one of two things: you are either an eager cultist worshiping whatever perversion of God lives in the Earth's local satellite and serves those who showed you Him or you are a starving, sleep-deprived resident of the bunkers beneath the surface struggling to grow crops under artificial UV light and build pneumatic tubes to the bunkers you are connected with to facilitate communication that cannot be altered.
 
I've noticed an awful lot of these lists (I am somewhat guilty of this as well) feature OTL stable countries having crisis points and revolutions (in an electoral or literal sense). What if someone tried the opposite, e.g. the Third or Fourth French Republics continuing to the present day, Italy still being Japan-like with the Christian Democrats dominant to now, etc.?

The Congo: Africa's Tiger

1960-1973: Patrice Lumumba (Congolese National Movement)
1960 (Coalition with African Mutual Party, CEREA, and various others): collective leadership (National Party for Progress), Antoine Gizenga (African Mutual Party), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (CEREA), various minor parties
1965 (National Unity Government with African Mutual Party): Moise Tshombe (CONACO), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), various minor parties
1970 (United Front with African Solidarity): Moise Tshombe (CONACO), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), various minor parties

1973-1974: Antoine Gizenga (African Solidarity)
1974-1975: Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front)
1975-1985: Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (CONACO)
1975 (Coalition with ABAKO): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), Laurent-Desire Kabila (People's Revolutionary), various Congolese National Movement successors
1980 (Majority): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary), various minor parties

1985-1992: Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front)
1985 (Majority): Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (CONACO), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary)
1987 (Majority): Moise Tshombe (CONACO), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary)

1992-2001: Thomas Kanza (CONACO)
1992 (Majority): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), Laurent-Dasire Kabila (People's Revolutionary)
1997 (Majority): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), Laurent-Desire Kabila (People's Revolutionary)

2001-2002: Justin Marie Bomboko (CONACO)
2002-2005: Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front)
2002 (Majority): Justin Marie Bomboko (CONACO), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary)
2005-2012: Francois Lumumba (United Lumumbist Front)
2007 (Majority): Martin Fayulu (CONACO)
2012-0000: Moise Katumbi (CONACO)
2012 (Majority): Francois Lumumba (United Lumumbist Front)
2016 (Majority): Felix Tshisekedi (United Lumumbist Front)


The Republic of the Congo is Africa's least likely success story. Spending the first decade following its independence waging internal wars over race, religion, region, and ideology, it's a miracle that the Congolese state was able to stay together by 1970, the year Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba declared victory over right-wing militants fighting in the country's interior. Lumumba, although able to establish his nation on the world stage (and cultivate a relationship with the United States during the presidency of John F. Kennedy [1959-1969]) would not live to see it become an economic power. Lumumba would be assassinated by a cab driver during a parade in 1973. His successor, Antoine Gizenga, would lead the United Lumumbist Front (the nation's left-wing political bloc) for thirty-one years. The 1980s and 1990s would see increasing development in the Congo as the Cold War came to a close. By the end of the 20th century, the Congo's formerly convoluted multi-partisan political system had centralized into two big-tent political blocs. According to the IMF, the Republic of the Congo's GDP is roughly on par with that of Switzerland.
 
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The Congo: Africa's Tiger

1960-1973: Patrice Lumumba (Congolese National Movement)
1960 (Coalition with African Mutual Party, CEREA, and various others): collective leadership (National Party for Progress), Antoine Gizenga (African Mutual Party), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (CEREA), various minor parties
1965 (National Unity Government with African Mutual Party): Moise Tshombe (CONACO), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), various minor parties
1970 (United Front with African Solidarity): Moise Tshombe (CONACO), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), various minor parties

1973-1974: Antoine Gizenga (African Solidarity)
1974-1975: Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front)
1975-1985: Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (CONACO)
1975 (Coalition with ABAKO): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), Joseph Kasavubu (ABAKO), Laurent-Desire Kabila (People's Revolutionary), various Congolese National Movement successors
1980 (Majority): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary), various minor parties

1985-1992: Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front)
1985 (Majority): Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (CONACO), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary)
1987 (Majority): Moise Tshombe (CONACO), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary)

1992-2001: Thomas Kanza (CONACO)
1992 (Majority): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), Laurent-Dasire Kabila (People's Revolutionary)
1997 (Majority): Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front), Laurent-Desire Kabila (People's Revolutionary)

2001-2002: Justin Marie Bomboko (CONACO)
2002-2005: Antoine Gizenga (United Lumumbist Front)
2002 (Majority): Justin Marie Bomboko (CONACO), collective leadership (People's Revolutionary)
2005-2012: Francois Lumumba (United Lumumbist Front)
2007 (Majority): Martin Fayulu (CONACO)
2012-0000: Moise Katumbi (CONACO)
2012 (Majority): Francois Lumumba (United Lumumbist Front)
2016 (Majority): Felix Tshisekedi (United Lumumbist Front)


The Republic of the Congo is Africa's least likely success story. Spending the first decade following its independence waging internal wars over race, religion, region, and ideology, it's a miracle that the Congolese state was able to stay together by 1970, the year Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba declared victory over right-wing militants fighting in the country's interior. Lumumba, although able to establish his nation on the world stage (and cultivate a relationship with the United States during the presidency of John F. Kennedy [1959-1969]) would not live to see it become an economic power. Lumumba would be assassinated by a cab driver during a parade in 1973. His successor, Antoine Gizenga, would lead the United Lumumbist Front (the nation's left-wing political bloc) for thirty-one years. The 1980s and 1990s would see increasing development in the Congo as the Cold War came to a close. By the end of the 20th century, the Congo's formerly convoluted multi-partisan political system had centralized into two big-tent political blocs. According to the IMF, the Republic of the Congo's GDP is roughly on par with that of Switzerland.
Very good - a bit different from what I was thinking about but exactly the kind of topic we need more of, as well.
 
I very rarely write scenarios in which the Labour Party does better than OTL, not because I particularly dislike them but just because my political formative years were at a time when the party was so nationally superdominant that it feels almost obscene on a gut level to help them further. However, let's set that aside and try to write what I would see as a potential best-case scenario for the Labour Party while still leaving it somewhat recognisable. One caveat is that the party holding on in 1950/51 might turn out better than this, but that's debatable.

List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom since 1945
1945-1951: Clement Attlee (Labour)
1945 def: Winston Churchill (National), Sir Archibald Sinclair (Liberal)
1950 def: Winston Churchill (Conservative), Clement Davies (Liberal)

1951-1955: Winston Churchill (Conservative)
1951 def: Clement Attlee (Labour), Clement Davies (Liberal)
1955-1957: Anthony Eden (Conservative)
1955 def: Clement Attlee (Labour), Clement Davies (Liberal)
1957-1963: Harold Macmillan (Conservative)
1959 def: Hugh Gaitskell (Labour), Jo Grimond (Liberal)
1963-1968: Rab Butler (Conservative, then Conservative minority)
1964 def: Hugh Gaitskell (Labour), Jo Grimond (Liberal)
1968-1979: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1968 def: Rab Butler (Conservative), Emlyn Hooson (Liberal)
1972 def: Reginald Maudling (Conservative), Emlyn Hooson and Gwilym Lloyd George (New Liberal - joint leadership), Enoch Powell (British Unionist)

1979-1984: Barbara Castle (Labour)
1979 def: Lord Hailsham (Conservative), Stina Robson (New Liberal), Enoch Powell (British Unionist)
1984-1989: Julian Amery (Conservative-New Liberal coalition)
1984 def: Barbara Castle (Labour), Stina Robson (New Liberal), Enoch Powell (Keep Britain British)
1989-1997: Peter Shore (Labour)
1989 def: Julian Amery (Conservative), Stina Robson (New Liberal)
1993 def: Francis Maude (Conservative), Michael Heseltine (Liberal)

1997-2002: Gordon Brown (Labour)
1997 def: Francis Maude (Conservative), Michael Heseltine (Liberal)
2002-2007: Lord Ancram (Conservative-Liberal coalition)
2002 def: Gordon Brown (Labour), Kenneth Clarke (Liberal)
2007-2015: Paul Boateng (Labour)
2007 def: Lord Ancram (Conservative), Kenneth Clarke (Liberal)
2011 def: Theresa May (Conservative), Navnit Dholakia (Liberal)

2015-20??: Jon Cruddas (Labour)
2016 def: John Bercow (Conservative), Norman Baker (Liberal)


Rather than do footnotes, I'll just answer questions - but hopefully you can see roughly what I was going for (the Tories manage to unluckily be in power when all the unpopular decisions are made, Labour benefit from a split opposition vote, etc.)
 
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