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Lists of Heads of Government and Heads of State

SATANLIVESINHOLLYWOODANDELVISISAHACKTHEPOPEISINLIVINGINMYWALLSIAMADDICTEDTOCRACK

1933-1943: Franklin D. Roosevelt/ Henry Wallace (Democratic)
1943-1945: Henry Wallace/ vacant (Democratic)
1945-1947: Henry Wallace/ Joseph P. Kennedy
1947-1957: Joseph P. Kennedy/ Claude Pepper (Democratic)
1957-1959: William Knowland/ George H. Bender (Republican)
1959-1961: George H. Bender/ vacant (Republican)
1961-1969: James Stewart/ Prescott Bush (Republican)
 
GORDON'S ALIVE!: "The Rise, Fall and Further Rise of Gordon Brown"
Reposted from the Ninth HoS List Challenge w/Brown Ministry additions

Career of Gordon Brown


1976-1980: Politics Lecuturer, Glasgow College of Technology
1979: Labour Candidate as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South
defeated by Conservative Candidate Michael Ancram
1980-1983: Current Affair Editor/Producer for STV
1983-2005: Labour Member of Parliament for Dumfermline East
1987-1989: Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Shadowing John Major
1989-1992: Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Shadow President of the Board of Trade
Shadowing Nicholas Ridley, Peter Liley and Michael Heseltine
1992-1997: Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Shadowing Norman Lamont and Kenneth Clarke
1997-2002: Chancellor of the Exchequer
Shadowed by Kenneth Clarke, Peter Lilley, Francis Maude, Michael Portillo and Michael Howard
2002-2009: Backbench Labour MP
2005-2009: Member of 'Compass', left-wing think tank/pressure group
2005-Present: Labour Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
2009: Candidate for 2009 Labour Leadership Confrence
defeated John McDonnell, Alan Johnson, and John Reid
2009-2013: Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
Shadowing David Cameron
2013-Present: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Shadowed by David Cameron, Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsome

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1997-2006: Tony Blair (Labour)
1997 (Majority) def. John Major (Conservative), Paddy Ashdown (Liberal Democrat)
2001 (Majority) def. William Hague (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)
2005 (Minority) def. Michael Howard (Conservative), Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat)

2006-2008: David Milliband (Labour)
2008-2013: David Cameron (Conservative)
2008 (Majority) def. David Milliband (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat)
2012 Referendum on Scottish Independence: 65% NO, 35% YES

2013-Present: Gordon Brown (Labour)
2013 (Majority) def. David Cameron (Conservative), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat)
2017 (Majority) def. Liam Fox (Conservative), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat)
2021 (Majority) def. Andrea Leadsome (Conservative), Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat)


Labour Government of Gordon Brown (2013-Present)

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party
  • Gordon Brown (2013-Present and 2009-Present)
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
  • Harriet Harman (2009-2017) **
  • Sadiq Khan (2017-Present)
First Secretary of State
  • Harriet Harman (2013-2017) **
  • Hilary Benn (2017-Present)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • John Reid (2013-2015) *
  • Ed Balls (2015-Present)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
  • Margaret Beckett (2013-2015) *
  • Harriet Harman (2015-2017) **
  • Sadiq Khan (2017-2019) *
  • Hilary Benn (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • Harriet Harman (2013-2015) *
  • Sadiq Khan (2015-2017) *
  • Yvette Cooper (2017-Present)
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
  • Harriet Harman (2013-2015) *
  • Yvette Cooper (2015-2017) *
  • Ed Miliband (2017-Present)
Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons
  • Ed Miliband (2013-2017) *
  • Chuka Umunna (2017-2021) **
  • Stephen Kinnock (2021-Present)
Secretary of State for Health
  • Andy Burnham (2013-2015) **
  • Douglas Alexander (2015-2019) **
  • Ed Miliband (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Business
  • Ed Balls (2013-2015) *
  • Tristam Hunt (2015-2019) *
  • Emily Thornberry (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
  • Yvette Cooper (2013-2015) *
  • Angela Eagle (2015-2017) *
  • Ben Bradshaw (2017-2019) *
  • Sarah Champion (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Education
  • Angela Eagle (2013-2015) *
  • Stephen Kinnock (2015-2017) *
  • Rachel Reeves (2017-Present)
Secretary of State for Defence
  • Sadiq Khan (2013-2015) *
  • Dan Jarvis (2015-2018) **
  • Ian Murray (2018-2019) **
  • Lisa Nandy (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
  • Hilary Benn (2013-2019) *
  • John McDonnell (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Energy
  • Dan Jarvis (2013-2015) *
  • Ben Bradshaw (2015-2017) *
  • Sarah Champion (2017-2019) *
  • Tristam Hunt (2019-Present)
Leader of the House of Commons
  • Douglas Alexander (2013-2015) *
  • Caroline Flint (2015-2017) **
  • Ed Miliband (2017-2019) *
  • Sadiq Khan (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Transport
  • Caroline Flint (2013-2015) *
  • Sarah Champion (2015-2017) *
  • Lisa Nandy (2017-2019) *
  • Andy McDonald (2019-2021) **
  • Owen Smith (2021-Present) *
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  • Caroline Flint (2013-2015) *
  • Tom Blenkinsop (2015-2017) **
  • Andy McDonald (2017-2019) *
  • Richard Burgon (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for International Development
  • Alistair Darling (2013-2017) *
  • Owen Smith (2017-2021) *
  • Chuka Umunna (2021-Present)
Secretary of State for Scotland
  • Ian Murray (2013-2018) *
  • Alistair Darling (2019-Present)
Secretary of State for Wales
  • Owen Smith (2013-2017) *
  • Stephen Kinnock (2017-2021) *
  • Nick Thomas-Symonds (2021-Present)
Secretary of State for Eviroment, Rural and Food Affairs
  • John McDonnell (2013-2019)*
  • John Healey (2019-2021) *
  • Sadiq Khan (2021-Present)
Minister for Women and Equalities
  • Harriet Harman (2013-2015) *
  • Yvette Cooper (2015-Present)
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
  • Tessa Jowell (2013-2015) **
  • John Healey (2015-2017)*
  • Nick Thomas-Symonds (2017-2021) *
  • Kate Green (2021-Present)
Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster
  • Peter, The Lord Mandelson (2013-2017) **
  • Patricia, The Baroness Scotland of Asthal (2017-Present)
Lord President of the Council
  • Maria Eagle (2013-2015) *
  • Dawn Butler (2015-2017) **
  • Angela Eagle (2017-Present)
Lords Privy Seal and Ministers withour Porfolio
  • Angela Eagle (2013-2015) *
  • Tom Watson (2013-2017) **
  • Tom Blenkinsop (2013-2015) *
  • Angela Rayner (2021-Present)
  • Maria Eagle (2015-Present)
Minister of State for Vaccines and Public Health (2020-2021)
  • Sir Kier, The Lord Starmer (2020-2021) **
* = Shuffled out of Cabinet/Shuffled to different job
** = Resigned/Stood Down from Office
Harriet Harman ** = Retired as Minister and MP
Andy Burnham **= Sought Elected Office outside Parliament
Gordon Brown = Brownite (Soft Left)
John Reid = Blairite (Centre/Centre-Left)
John McDonnell = Left/Hard Left

As far a political miscalculations go, Tony Blair's sacking of Gordon Brown in 2002 marks as perhaps the greatest of modern times, though not for lack of competition. From the moment Brown left No. 11 Downing Street, Blair had immediately put a timer on his leadership, sowing the seeds for his eventual fall after having done what he expected to ensure its longevity by removing his only major rivalry. Effectively, what Blair had done (though it would take several years to be apparent for most) was decapitated the most important part of the New Labour partnership - its economic chief mandarin. While Blair's position at the top would go unchallenged for the next 5 years, he would never have another Chancellor to match Brown, managing to shuffle his way through another 3 before he left office, none of whom managed the economy or Prime Minister's demands on it as successfully. Once more, the Treasury was managing the Chancellor, rather than vice versa, and it would fall back on trusted Thatcherite methods more and more, contributing to the frustration of many with the Blair years as a failure to move on from the Great Handbag.

Brown himself, despite the initial 'Brown Out!' explosion in the press after the sacking, went relatively quietly (excluding private outbursts to friends and close confidents about Blair especially) and preferred to devote his main focus on plotting his political comeback, waiting for the subject on which to pounce. He had less than a year to wait. The Iraq War in 2003 is perhaps the only event more than the sacking itself that is named as responsible for the downfall of Blair, not least because it gave Brown the subject and space to mount his comeback and raise his popularity and profile. Not that Brown was entirely at ease with Iraq as he agreed with the necessity to remove Saddam and for a Labour Prime Minister to be seen to working well with a Republican President, and had to be talked into it by his close acolyte Ed Miliband. Even still, Brown remained quiet and moderate in his criticism in the run-up to war, however when the promised UN resolution authorizing the Invasion failed to materialise and Blair carried on preparations, he became more vocal still - ultimately going on to share a stage with Robin Cook, Tony Benn and Charles Kennedy at an anti-War rally that gave him his highest platform since his removal. Given the Conservative Party's happiness to support the war, Brown was suddenly being spoken about quite seriously as the real Leader of the Opposition.

Although there was plenty of talk in the press about it, there would be no split of the Labour Party like the 1980s, with the Brownites and Hard Left of the Party decamping to join the Lib Dems - Brown had spent too much of his career learning and living with the mistakes of Labour's past. But what was apparent by 2005 was that Blair was living on borrowed time. His failure to achieve a third majority by one MP was a severe blow, and even the Blairites knew it. Although the PM had promised during the election that he would not see out the Parliaments full term, it was too vague and too long await for the Labour Party - the post-election reshuffle had warranted the inclusion of record number of Brownites in the Cabinet was Blair's attempt to hold off any challenge in the immediate future, in fact it just lined up a greater number of knife's for his back. Slowly the screws were applied to the PM, with the killer blow coming from Brown himself during the 2006 Party conference, where at one of the rare fringe meetings of the New Labour Era, the former Chancellor gave a talk that was scathing of his successors (and by association, Blair) to shift away from Thatcherite orthodoxies and support for Public Services beyond the NHS that got wide coverage in the news. Fed up, Blair announced his resignation.

The decision of Blair to go as soon as Brown put the first boot in, rather than wait for others to pile in, at least gave Blair the satisfaction of tainting Brown's chance for the immediate leadership contest. Realising that the blood was still fresh on his hands, Brown realised that he would suffer the same trouble that Heseltine had faced for his part in the downfall of Thatcher in 1990. Brown declined enter the leadership contest on these grounds, which he would cite privately in his 2007 memoir which signalled to many that his star was once more on the wane, however no one was able to factor in the Recession was to have on Britain and the Miliband and Cameron governments that dealt with it.

It was this crisis in the country and his Part that gave Brown the space to renter the top of British politics, as Miliband failed to compensate for the gap left by Blair, and the space left vacant by Brown became obvious to everyone as Conservative and Labour plans for handling the recession were indistinguishable in 2008 and boiled down to Red or Blue austerity. Blue won, and Labour was left groping for a new way that it found with Brown and his Keynesianism for the 21st Century. 2009 was an energetic leadership contest, as with Blairism in full retreat to the Conservatives, the only real competition for Brown came from the Left, as John McDonnell was the perhaps the only person in Labour who had put as much thought into economic policy alternatives for the Party, but Brown's experience as Chancellor and nostalgia for his time proved essential and gave him a wide margin that secured his position as leader beyond doubt - to this date no one has challenged Brown for the leadership since 2009. Unlike Cameron, Brown was one of the great political teachers of his generation: as former advisors and aides, like Ed Balls, Ed Miliband and that had been around him in the 90's and early 2000's had now matured into MPs and Shadow Ministers in their own rights, not mention the elder Brownites like Harriet Harman and Alistair Darling who had stayed in the background since Brown was out of the Cabinet. This gave a loyal, ideologically confident group around Brown who idolized him and all held ranks in front of the opposition.

Brown's virtues that shone in the competition for leader, also to shone through in the competition for the premiership. Compared to Cameron, the Opposition Leader had buckets of experience, clarity of his positions on everything from the EU to expenses reform and no claims about being "the heir to Blair" as Cameron was boasting to be, which made him increasingly popular with the electorate. Luck was also on his side, as first the expenses crisis blew up, which damaged the government for failing to prevent it, even though there wasn't any political party untouched by it. The Prime Minister would also then make the horrible miscalculation of holding the referendum on Scottish Independence with almost contemptuous attitude to the SNP and their place in Scotland itself - only venturing to campaign North of the border when the correlation between opinions polls on Brown and continued Union became unmistakable, but by then it was far too late for the PM to place himself as a true leader in the NO campaign. As well as giving Brown the opening to appear even more of a national leader, IndyRef also allowed Labour to deal a blow to its SNP rivals at a time when it seemed the latter might overtake the former: the No Vote and resignation of Alex Salmond led to a collapse in SNP fortunes that it has yet to recover from.

The end result of this was little surprise to many when Brown won a substantial, though not landslide, majority a year later. It was not the same as '97, but then again the circumstances were not the same - with the economy in the doldrums, public services severely underfunded, and government departments having suffered under some 6 years of budget cuts and austerity. Brown and his Chancellor Ed Balls record on the British economy needs no further praise here as it can be found tenfold elsewhere. The stimulus packages of the 2014 and 2016 budgets refired the UK economy, rejuvenating the traditional areas of the economy like North Sea oil, Welsh and Teesside Steel and a reluctant nationalisation of Rail followed by serious investments in public transport, all were fortified by the 'Green Deal' and serious banking reform that Brown unabashedly borrowed from his jovial rival and Local Government Minister, John McDonnell. Britain's economic security under Brown has also shielded it from the worst of the populism and extremism sweeping politics that has swept the US and Europe - as a result the image of Brown in the eyes of the nation from the dynamic, reforming, solid social democratic Chancellor of the 90's, to a dissident with a higher loyalty to his Party and movement than the Prime Minister of the day, to the Father of the Nation holding it together, stronger, fairer and building on an establish record that had been built up long before he assumed the mantel of leadership.

Earlier this year, Brown was declared the third Labour Prime Minister to win 3 general elections, its first to 3 majorities - a feat that shocked many after the controversies of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It's no secret that the Prime Minister is still relishing the triumph of one upping his former friend's record and its widely expected, despite a declaration that he would not run in a fourth election, that Brown will stay on beat Blair's length as PM and possibly even Thatcher's. As a result, it is with sadness and slight trepidation that Labour and the nation begin to look to the future...
 
The Return of The King
(...of Swing, The Sultan of Swat, The King of Crash, The Wali of Wallop, The Rajah of Rap, The Caliph of Clout, The Wazir of Wham, The Maharajah of Mash, and The Home Run King)

The Career of George H. "Babe" Ruth

1914: Player, Baltimore Orioles (International League)
1914-1919: Player, Boston Red Sox (American League)

World Series: 1915, 1916, 1918
1920-1933: Player, New York Yankees (American League)
World Series: 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932
American League Pennant: 1921, 1922, 1926
American League MVP: 1923
American League All-Star Team: 1933
1934-1935: Player-Manager later Manager, Newark Bears (International League)
Runner Up, Governor's Cup: 1934
Governor's Cup: 1935
Junior World Series: 1935
1936-1950: Manager, New York Yankees (American League)
World Series: 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1950
American Leauge Pennant: 1938, 1944, 1945, 1947
Inaugural Class Induction Baseball Hall of Fame: 1936


By 1933 Babe Ruth, was possibly the most famous man in the world, and was clearly, past his prime. Staring down 40 with two decades of professional baseball and hedonistic living the end was coming. And yet in some ways, his genius could not be denied. He could not play doubleheaders any longer, he sat the bench on many in-season exhibition games, and the press discussed his decent towards Pinch Hitter-dom and his collapse in the outfield, and yet he increased his RBI, hit the first home-run in the inaugural All-Star Game and maintained statistics that for anyone else in the game would have been exceptional. And while the New York Yankees owners had cut his pay, offers were floated by the Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Indians, the Boston Braves, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Cinncinatti Reds all seeing if they could buy him out and set himself up as a Player-Manager.

When the 1933 Season and post-season barnstorming tour were finished Yankees Owner Jacob Ruppert requested a meeting with The Babe, his Agent Christy Walsh and his wife, Claire. The Babe he said, knew he was at the end of his career. And that, for every agreement they had ever signed about self-denial and self-control, inevitably Ruth would find himself back on Booze, Parties, and Hot Dogs. And yet he had pitched the season-ending game, for the first time in years and won. He had hit a respectable, for a mortal, 34 home runs. The Yankees had not gone to the world series or won the pennant, but Ruppert believed Ruth could use his skills, and his knowledge and begin to transition to Management. Ruth had lobbied hard in the Yankees organization and in the press to get the top job that had gone to Joe McCarthy in 1930. But McCarthy had had experience and self-control and Ruth had not. And while Self-Control still seemed to elude The Babe, Ruppert was willing to offer a chance at building up the experience. And so he made his offer, for Ruth to become the Player-Manager of the Newark Bears, the Yankees leading farm team in the International League. Ruth's ego was bruised, and both Christie Walsh and Claire agreed, it was a demotion beyond what Ruth should be willing to hear. But Ruppert told them to keep thinking about it, and that the offer would remain on the table until Spring Training in a few months.

The wait is what proved decisive. Walsh and Claire Ruth would begin to turn almost as soon as the meeting was over, and The Babe himself both began to be pushed by and pull the two of them along. It didn't have to be a long deal. A season or three at most. He could enjoy playing a few more seasons, build up some attention, and when it was over, he could reach out to every team in the majors and have a better resume for the job. He'd prove the doubters wrong and with just a bit of luck, he might even make it back to the Majors in a year, with the dignity and title he really wanted. And so, shortly before Spring Training would have begun, the greatest sports story since the drama of his 1927 comeback season hit the Sporting Press. The Babe was out of the Majors and into a, if not the big seat.

Of course, The Babe's ego meant that he would actively try to be a Player-Manager. The results of which are apparent. 24 Home Runs and a .291 batting average were impressive for a man in his shape, at his age, in the minor leagues, and helped fill the seats across the International League. Sports Writers then and Baseball scholars now agree though that Ruth's focus on playing was a detriment to his developing coaching role. And yet in spite of that, The Babe learned fast, and the Bears have ensured a post-season slot, and making it through the first round of playoff games would give the Montreal Royals a run for their money in the Governor's Cup Championship, winning 3 games and requiring the series to go the full 7 games. In the final game of the Series Ruth would score 3 home runs before declaring to the press after the loss that he was pretty sure he was finished on the field. If the Bears would have him Ruth would only fix himself up as a manager from there on out. Jacob Ruppert looking at the ticket sales that his top AA team had earned was more than willing to give The Babe that chance.

1935 would see ticket sales drop, but it would see Ruth find his footing, he would be ejected from games, he would struggle to put into words the batting skills that had made him a living legend that was pure instinct, but he would also learn to work with his players, work with his coaches, juggle the challenges of the minors where your best talent would be nurtured and built by you and would prove themselves dependable, only to be sent across New York Harbor to the House that he had built, and all the rest of the mundane work of management. It was hard as the limelight faded and attention went down. But he was doing what he loved and found that he was more than decent at it. And then the Bears went into their second post-season under their tenure. They would win at 4 games to 1 the Governor's Cup, smashing the Rochester Red Wings. Victory in hand suddenly Ruth was back in the press as he took "His Kids" to the Junior World Series. There had been talk of canceling the inter-league championship in 1935 but with Ruth there the games were put back on to stunning results in sales. And in the end, with more of the sporting press present than had ever been at the minor-league championships, the Bears under Ruth's guidance would smash the Minneapolis Millers and be crowned the greatest minor-league team in The World/The United States and Canada.

Jacob Ruppert could pat himself on the back for his genius, and saw The Babe off from Yankee Stadium as Ruth and a mercenary team set off on his latest barnstorming tour, bound for the West Coast and then Hawaii, Manila and Japan where Ruth would continue his legend with another stint as a "player-manager." But he and Christy Walsh would spend the tour with much to talk about via coded telegrams. There were quite a few Yankees on the "Bustin' Babes", and they were setting out via train before the World Series was finished. Which was the problem, they weren't needed because yet again Yankees Manager Joe McCarthy had busted out. In the five seasons since taking over the team, McCarthy had produced a World Series win. In 1932. With Ruth on the team. But in 1931, 1933, and 1934 they had finished second in the American League, and while The Babe was off leading The Bears to Victory, 1935 had seen bad luck hit hard and McCarthy had led the team to an even more disappointing third-place finish. Ruppert didn't even have to begin talking to the press about his private thoughts before the Sporting Press had caught on. It was obvious. And in those empty months between seasons when there is nothing but gossip to fill the pages of baseball columns, the whole country could catch on too.

In February there were meetings over cocktails and fine dinners, in private offices and in vacation cottages. Joe McCarthy wasn't going to go down without a fight but The Babe could make a strong case, he had, after all, shown that even if Ruppert didn't think he could manage himself, that he could manage a team. And hell, there were other offers on the table. Sure the St. Louis Browns were a dumpster fire of a team but they were making the offer, and there were sounds that the Red Sox were thinking of doing the same. Ruppert, ever the businessman decided the answer by the end of the month. And a few weeks before the start of Spring Training made his call. At the very least, The Babe would fill seats. And so after pay cuts, and slander, and fading glory, The Babe came home.

The awkward peacemaking between The Babe and Lou Gerhig and the fights that followed would be the stuff of legend, before a final, real reconciliation as The Babe wept, while thoughtlessly but innocently leaning on Gerhig's shoulder as number 4 prepared to walk to the microphones and declare himself to be the Luckiest Man In the World. There would be insults and throwdowns and respect with the wunderkind: DiMaggio and then a few years later Williams. "Red", and "The Scooter", and Dickey and a dozen other grown men who The Babe would only ever call "The Kid" unless he really needed to show he did in fact, in spite of all appearances, know "The Kid's" actual name. And there would be the victories. Some will argue that Ruth could have sat comatose in the dugout and the Yankees with their new burst of talent couldn't have helped but win, and yet it was The Babe who made peace in the locker room stick. It was he who kept egos in check, and it was he who offered strategy and a sort of crass wisdom when needed.

The glory would follow season after season, as the wunderkind turned to elders, as World War II set the world aflame and took talent into the ranks, as new kids like some guys named Mantle and "Yogi" and "Whitey" would show up, and as the color barrier that Ruth had despised came down. (First with Satchel Paige winning the Dodger's a pennant and making Ruth smile all the same while he cursed his loss, and then with Josh Gibson leaving the Homestead Grays to sign with the Yankees in 1949 at Ruth's insistence.) Ruth would turn into an old man, and then to an elder statesman of the game. He didn't drink as much as he used to or eat as much, but he was still The Babe. In the end, ever the showman he would pick a high note to leave on announcing his final retirement after winning one last World Series against the Phillies. The Sunset as it was, was ridden into, where ghost-written books and television appearances, and great seats at any game he ever wanted would follow. All that smoking and processed food would catch up in the end, but Cancer would find Ruth an old man, content and vindicated. The Babe would pass away leaving a sport in mourning in 1959 at the age of 64.
Cross posting my own as well
 
If all the cool kids are crossposting, I might as well. Just a reminder that the deadline for this month's list contest (link in my sig) expires at 4:30 today, so if anyone wants to make a last-minute entry now is the time.

The Other Other Brother
2010-2016: David Cameron (Conservative)
def 2010: (Coalition with Liberal Democrats) Gordon Brown (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrats)
Labour Leadership Election, 2010: David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, John McDonnell, Andy Burnham
def 2015: (Majority) David Miliband (Labour), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrats)
Labour Leadership Election, 2015: Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Dianne Abbott, Dan Jarvis

2016-2017: Theresa May (Conservative)
Conservative Leadership Election, 2016: Theresa May, Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Liam Fox, Mark Francois, Theresa Villiers, Sajid Javid
2017-2020: Theresa May (Conservative leading Deal Government)
def 2017: (Deal Government formed with Pro-Deal elements of Labour) Andy Burnham (Labour), Michael Gove ("Hard Brexit" Conservative Faction), Chuka Umunna ("Hard Remain" Labour Faction), Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrats), Dominic Grieve ("Hard Remain" Conservative Faction), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP)
Labour Leadership Election, 2019: Ed Miliband, Andy Burnham, Katy Clark, Chuka Umunna

2020-xxxx: Ed Miliband (Labour)
def 2020: (Majority) Theresa May (Conservative), Nigel Farage (Free Britain), Jo Swinson (Liberals: The Democratic Movement), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Kenny MacAskill (Scots Wha Hae)

David sipped his G&T, and wondered where it had all gone wrong.

He helped write the manifesto that led to a landslide. A rising star, from the policy unit to DEFRA to the youngest Great Office holder since Owen. His career was such an obvious upward trajectory, there were whispers about him as early as 2008. There was no way he could have lost the leadership contest, the PLP was behind him, and sure it came a little close but in the end he'd snatched enough of Burnham's third preferences to clinch it. Who cared what the dinosaurs in the unions thought? He had the future of the party. Cameron was weak, relying on Clegg to prop him up. They'd break up in a year over voting reform--no way would the Tories want that--and then he, David, the golden boy, would lead Labour back to its rightful home.

And yet. When the time came for an election, all the knives went out. Smears on his father, digging up that stupid comment about terrorism, the banana photo--why had he agreed to that? Sure, let's eat a banana to "neutralise" the old photo from 2008, tah very much Iain now there's two photos of me looking stupid with a banana for the papers to run! It could have been worse, only 18 seats lost and most of them were to the Scots rather than the opposition...but he'd still failed. Too plastic, too out-of-touch, too tied to the unions, whatever it was, he failed. So much for the chosen one.

Things, as they often did, got worse. Cameron's deal with the devil over Europe ended with the devil--by a 2% margin--taking the last trick, and after his successor clambered out of a car-crash of Brexiteers and people who had always been Brexiteers since five minutes ago, she decided to go to the country. The Tories once again sailed out as the largest party, but this time in name only--Burnham's votes were more reliable on the Deal than half the people still nominally under the Conservative whip. If only the de facto leadership of the sensible portion of the party wasn't bloody Chuka, they might have gotten somewhere with that leadership challenge, but instead Brexit sailed over the line with Labour votes.

They wanted him to come back for that challenge, David recalled. At least Tom did, for whatever reason, and one of those Guardian op-ed writers. God only knows why. He'd cocked it up before, why would a second heave help? Of course, he probably could have done better than Chuka...maybe beaten out the loony left, shown that there was still a place in Labour for Rejoin, at least not fucked off immediately afterwards to the Yellow Peril. Too late now to dwell. Besides, it wasn't as if he disliked the result.

The whispers about "the wrong brother" probably started midway through 2011, when Ed was off looking nice on telly teaching kids history and he was having to look less nice shaking his head at what the hoodies did to Brixton. They got louder when he lost, louder still when Ed spent the referendum making himself visible, louder still when Burnham proved willing to capitulate to the Conservatives on more than just Europe. If only it had been Ed, the whispers went, we'd have an authentic leader not a fake pretty-boy, someone who cared about the workers and the environment, a leader who'd sort out the internal divides--did you see his white paper on the leadership election? If only it was OMOV last time, the extremists would get watered down, and us, the party's sensible yet radical middle, would come out top.

The Milifandom (David vaguely remembered Iain using a phrase like that to describe people who liked him, but certainly not as many people) ranged from thirsty Twitterers--god, Ed had gone bright rosette-red when he'd talked about that over lunch--to journalists salivating over policy minutiae. Fair play to them, Ed always knew his stuff, but he liked to think he was his equal and there weren't any glowing reviews about his white papers. Besides, it was not doing policy that saved Ed's veggie bacon in the leadership contest. Keeping to same vague "People's Deal for some, tiny Euro flags for others" rhetoric as Andy meant that the second round could just be a straight popularity contest rather than a factional one, and if there was one thing Ed had right now, it was popularity.

The people banking on a chosen one had got lucky the second time, David smiled. Farage managed to peel more off of the Tories than he did from them, the Scots fell apart after Salmond became the world's least convincing political prisoner, and May? Even without a party falling to bits under her, she wasn't the greatest campaigner. The Conservatives were tired, had little to point to after ten years that couldn't be undermined by some other party, and most of the party's great performers were angling to succeed May more than they were trying to win. Even though Ed got dealt a good hand, he certainly played it well. That thing with the Climate Crisis Stone was a bit funny, but it certainly got people talking. Everywhere he was charming, but never too charming--always a little awkward and geeky, unpolished and real in a way more people liked than he thought.

David hadn't stood for re-election. It'd be too awkward sticking around in a party run by his brother. He'd seen how aggressive the media had been to Ed about it, always trying to get him to play out some sick family drama. Emma would make a decent MP, and he had a few good offers lined up, even if some of his mates were calling him "Captain Tracy" now. Watching the exit poll seemed like a fine way to end his tenure in Parliament.

As Dimbleby read out the total--Labour majority, breakthrough for Free Britain, Johnson decapitated by the LibDems--David grinned and lifted his G&T to the screen in a toast. The country was in good hands.

To family.
 
Bolton did not manage to expel Rosie Duffield from the party until 2035 - she was bringing in money from a market that the party otherwise had difficulty accessing and was generous with donations to the central party. On the other hand, calling for Duffield's expulsion was a good business decision for most of the PLP. So while the party's organisation wanted to keep her, nobody wanted to actually say that.​

The whispers about "the wrong brother" probably started midway through 2011, when Ed was off looking nice on telly teaching kids history and he was having to look less nice shaking his head at what the hoodies did to Brixton. They got louder when he lost, louder still when Ed spent the referendum making himself visible, louder still when Burnham proved willing to capitulate to the Conservatives on more than just Europe. If only it had been Ed, the whispers went, we'd have an authentic leader not a fake pretty-boy, someone who cared about the workers and the environment, a leader who'd sort out the internal divides

TopHalfOfSickos.jpg
 
I think you could easily have fit in the unions as donating to individual MPs too. Some of them are already looking at a move in that direction.

But overall, an entertaining read.

I think so too. My main thought here is 1. Cox and Mogg are very anti specific-types of lobbying and I suspect that includes unions and 2. Pop up unions have done well in situations where mainstream ones have failed. There's been movement on this stuff recently to make unions work better in the gig economy, for instance, but it is entirely possible that by the 2030s the idea of organising through a union just won't be a thing. If you want a strike, you set up a union. If you want an MP, you buy their time. You don't lobby through a union. Especially as, in high octane culture wars politics, you might not trust your union to care about the same issues you do
 
I think so too. My main thought here is 1. Cox and Mogg are very anti specific-types of lobbying and I suspect that includes unions and 2. Pop up unions have done well in situations where mainstream ones have failed. There's been movement on this stuff recently to make unions work better in the gig economy, for instance, but it is entirely possible that by the 2030s the idea of organising through a union just won't be a thing. If you want a strike, you set up a union. If you want an MP, you buy their time. You don't lobby through a union. Especially as, in high octane culture wars politics, you might not trust your union to care about the same issues you do

But if you set up an union for your strike, why wind it down when you're done? Your boss is unlikely to be done with you. And from there to federating with other workplaces that do agree with you on culture issues or share policy concerns isn't too far reaching. Just because the old unions fail to adept don't mean you won't get new ones when there's a call to do the same work again.

Of course some workplaces are deeply split on culture issues and that's where you'd want competitive workplace elections rather than sectorial unions.

But honestly the socially regressive people tend to be tied into an ideological framework that also opposes organized labour of any form most of the time so they don't tend to be at the head of the pack when it comes to joining or forming such organizations anyway.
 
Violently smashing a few of my lists together to try and make something more interesting.

2019-2027: Boris Johnson (Conservative majority)
Mayor of London, MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip

defeated Jeremy Corbyn (Labour), Jo Swinson (LibDem), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Jonathan Bartley & Siân Berry (Green), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru), others
defeated Keir Starmer (Labour), Layla Moran (LibDem), Raheem Kassam (ReformUK), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Jonathan Bartley & Amelia Womack (Green), Mary Lou McDonald (Sinn Fein), Adam Price (Plaid Cymru), Ben Taylor (Insulate Britian), others


2027-2043: Priti Patel (Conservative majority, then minority w/ ReformUK-UUP support, then majority)
Home Secretary, Minister of State for Employment, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, MP for Witham

defeated Keir Starmer (Labour), Siobhan Benita (LibDem), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Amelia Womack & Benali Hamdache (Green), Zarah Sultana (Justice), Raheem Kassam (ReformUK), Colum Eastwood (Réabhlóid), Bethan Sayed (Plaid Cymru), others
defeated Clive Lewis (Labour), Siobhan Benita (LibDem), Raheem Kassam (ReformUK), Amelia Womack & Benali Hamdache (Green), Adam Price (Plaid Cymru), Carl Benjamin (Independents for Britain), Humza Yousaf (SNP), Gemma Bolton (Justice), Steve Aiken (UUP), others
defeated Clive Lewis (Labour), Darren Grimes (LibDem), Amelia Womack & Benali Hamdache (Green), Humza Yousaf (SNP), Richard Boyd Barrett (Dlúthphartíocht), Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru), Carl Benjamin (Classical Liberal), Gerry Carroll (People Before Profit), others


2043-2051: James Cleverly (Conservative majority, then Tory Majority, then Tory-SNP Coalition, then Tory majority)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Chairman of the Conservative Party, MP for Braintree

defeated Nadia Whittome (Labour), Darren Grimes (LibDem), Amelia Womack & Benali Hamdache (Green), Carl Benjamin (Protect Our Values), Amy Callaghan (SNP), Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru), Caoimhín McCann (Ar aghaidh!), Cris Chesha (Classical Liberal), others
defeated Nadia Whittome (Labour), Darren Grimes (LibDem), Tamsin Omond & Benali Hamdache (Green), Hugh Kocan (Plaid Cymru), Adrian Gahan (Sustainable England), Ruark Murphy (Ar aghaidh!), Fiona Ferguson (People Before Profit), others

● Results of the 2047 Scottish Independence Referendum
Should the country of Scotland begin negotiations to become an independent nation apart from the United Kingdom of Great Britain? [Am bu chòir do dhùthaich na h-Alba tòiseachadh air còmhraidhean gus a bhith na dùthaich neo-eisimeileach ach a-mhàin Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn?]
Yes: 54% / No: 39% / Ruined ballots or abstaining: 7%
defeated Femi Oluwole (Labour), Josh Babarinde (LibDem), Shelly Asquith (Justice), Tamsin Omond & Noga Levy-Rapoport (Green), Vaughan Gething (Llafur a'r Blaid Gydweithredol), Phyl Meyer (Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba), Hazel Norton (Ar aghaidh!), Carl Benjamin (Sargon4PM), others


2052-2064: Dehenna Davison (Tory-LibDem Coalition, then Tory Majority)
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chair of the Education Select Committee, MP for Bishop Auckland
defeated Femi Oluwole (Labour), Josh Babarinde (LibDem), Tamsin Omond & Noga Levy-Rapoport (Green), Lluis Bertolin (New Anticapitalist), Hazel Norton (Ar aghaidh!), Theo Sharieff (Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru), Kaiden Lloyd (EURU), others
2nd round: defeated Gaya Sriskanthan (Labour)

1st round: defeated Gaya Sriskanthan (Labour), Tamsin Omond & Noga Levy-Rapoport (England Ecology - the Greens), Oisin Mulholland (Cynghrair Sosialaidd), Jo Wootton (Comhaontas Glas), Rabina Khan (Libdem), Denny O'Dowen (Peace and Freedom), others
● Results of the 2060 Irish Reunification Referendum
Should the countries of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland be consolidated as a single sovereign state independent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain?
[Ar chóir tíortha Phoblacht na hÉireann agus Thuaisceart Éireann a chomhdhlúthú mar stát ceannasach aonair neamhspleách ar Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire?]

Yes: 48% / No: 41% /
Ruined ballots or abstaining: 9%

2063-2077: Saqib Bhatti (Tory Majority, then Tory-leading Civic Emergency Government)
Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding, MP for Meriden
2nd round: defeated Gaya Sriskanthan (Labour)

1st round: Gaya Sriskanthan (Labour), Elle Kelly (LibDem), Tamsin Omond & Rosie Rawle (England Ecology - the Greens), others
2nd round: defeated Jessica Barnard (Labour)
1st round: defeated Jessica Barnard (Labour), Sharan Virk (Libdem), Rowland Bates (Ecologist Front), Denny O'Dowen (Peace and Freedom), James Paul Dubois (Transhumanist), others
Govt. formed with Jessica Barnard (Labour), Sharan Virk (LibDem), Rowland Bates (Ecologist Front), Zakaria Reid (Peace and Freedom), defeated the National Alternative Coalition (Bradley Allsop (Antiprofit), Benny Qigang (Transhumanist), 7 cross-party MPs)

2077-2091: Ben Hawkes (Tory-leading Civic Emergency Government, then Tory Majority)
Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Rights and Privileges, MP for Exeter

Govt. formed with Jessica Barnard (Labour), Callum James Littlemore (LibDem), Lambert Yaxley (Ecologist Front)
2nd round: defeated Jessica Barnard (Alliance '80)

1st round: Jessica Barnard (Labour), Callum James Littlemore (LibDem), Lambert Yaxley (Ecologist Front), Nao Epingham (Common Wealth), Caius Lovell (Remember '66), others
● Results of the 2085 Scottish Incorporation Referendum
Should the Special Administrative Region of the Scotland Republic be adopted as full territories of the United Kingdom of Great Britain?
[Am bu chòir gabhail ri Roinn Rianachd Sònraichte Poblachd na h-Alba mar làn sgìrean de Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn?]

Yes: 29.2% / No: 68.1% /
Ruined ballots or abstaining: 2.7%
2nd round: defeated Daniel Lambe (Opportunities)
1st round: defeated Daniel Lambe (Opportunities), Iras Kepton (Ecologist Front), Neil Pickles (LibDem), Nao Epingham (Common Wealth), others
2nd round: Janus Abergavenny (Opportunities)
1st round: defeated Janus Abergavenny (Opportunities), Neil Pickles (LibDem), Iras Kepton (Rurality Movement), Ansketil Dow (Red–Green–Brown Alliance for UBI), others

2091-????: "Comrade" Capt. Gideon Windsor (Tory-Rurality Movement Coalition, then Independent)
Member of the Windsor Family, Regional Ambassador of the Fabian Society and A Just Britain, MP for Battersea

2nd round: defeated Dr. Curan Ashburnum (Opportunities)
1st round: Dr. Curan Ashburnum (Opportunities), Rosencrantz Mowbray (LibDem), Goneril Bates (Rurality Movement), Athelstan Harrington (National Compact for England), others
● Results of the 2092 Municipality Referendum
Should the Parliament of the United Kingdom and it's auxiliary authorities begin the process of devolution to a regional model based upon Libertarian Municipalism?
Yes: 77% / No: 21% /
Ruined ballots or abstaining: 2%
 
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The darkest timeline.

Fantastic, if grim work overall though
It's not that bad, I think? Yes, Scotland did go through a phase and declared war on England for a bit, but the overton window moves so far to the left the Tories are the ones pushing to abolish parliament and replace it with some sort of Bookchinian wet dream of interconnected city councils.
It's kinda like how @Catalunya made that one list where by 2060 the Republicans are all post-left Anti-statists
 
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It's not that bad, I think? Yes, Scotland did go through a phase and declared war on England for a bit, but the overton window moves so far to the left the Tories are the ones pushing to abolish parliament and replace it with some sort of Bookchinian wet dream of interconnected city councils.
It's kinda like how @Catalunya made that one list where by 2060 the Republicans are all post-left Anti-statists

Posties in charge is in fact the darkest timeline.
 
Eco-Farage

1975-1982: Student, Dulwich College
1982-1986: Commodity trader, Drexel Burnham Lambert
1978-1992: Member, Conservative Party

- voted for the Green Party in the 1989 General
1993: Associate member, Green 2000 campaign group
1994: Green Party candidate for Eastleigh

lost to David Chidgey, Marilyn Birks, Stephen Reid
1995-1999: Private citizen, eurosceptic activist and Political Independent
- voted for Labour in the 1997 General
1999-2004: MEP for South East England, Greens–European Free Alliance
2001: Sponsor, Stop the War Coalition

with Tony Benn, George Galloway, Tam Dalyell, Jeremy Corbyn, Tariq Ali, Harold Pinter, Suresh Grover and Andrew Murray
2004: Respect Party candidate for Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election
lost to Liam Byrne, Nicola Davies, Stephen Eyre, John Rees
2004-2005: Author, Political Independent
2005: Green Party candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow

lost to Oona King, George Galloway, Shahagir Faruk, Syed Dulu
2006-2007: Principal Speaker for the Green Party of England and Wales
(with Siân Berry)
2008-2012: Candidate for Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
defeated Caroline Lucas (elected Deputy Leader), David Icke
declined to seek re-election as leader, endorsed Shahar Ali
2012-2015: Private citizen, author, environmental activist and Guest Columnist for the Daily Mirror
2015: Green Party candidate for South Thanet

defeated Will Scobie, Craig Mackinlay, Russell Timpson
2015-present: MP for South Thanet

'17: defeated Mark MacGregor, Raushan Ara, Jordan Williams
'19: defeated Craig Mackinlay, Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt,
Martyn Pennington
2016: Chairman, Leftist Leave & Grassroots Out! campaigns

Results of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum: 46% Remain / 54% Leave
2016-2017: Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union

appointed by Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn
2017-2019: Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union
appointed by Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn
2021-present: Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
appointed by Leader of the Opposition Clive Lewis

*

Green Party MPs elected and re-elected in 2015
1. Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion)
2. Nigel Farage (South Thanet)
3. Natalie Bennett (Holborn and St Pancras)
4. Carla Denyer (Bristol West)
5. Shahar Ali (Brent East)
6. Jillian Creasy (Sheffield Central)
7. Martin Dobson (Liverpool Riverside)
8. Laura Bannister (Manchester Gorton)
 
History Never Ends

1997-2005 Robert Dole/Christine Todd Whitman (Republican)

1996 def: Bill Clinton/Al Gore (Democratic),Ross Perot/Jack Kemp (Reform)
2000 def: Al Gore/Tom Harkin (Democratic)


2005-2009 John McCain/Fred Thompson (Republican)
2004 def: Bill Bradley/Zell Miller (Democratic)

2009-2010 John Edwards/Ed Rendell (Democratic)
2008 def: John McCain/Fred Thompson (Republican)

2010-2013 Ed Rendell/Janet Napolitano (Democratic)

2013-
2017 George W Bush/Evan Bayh (Hung College)
2012: Barack Obama/Evan Bayh (Democratic),George W Bush/Tim Pawlenty (Republican),Ron Paul/Andrew Napolitano (Liberitarian)

2017-2025 Barack Obama/Elizabeth Warren (Democratic)
2016 def: George W Bush/Marco Rubio (Republican)
2020 def: Chris Christie/Nikki Haley (Republican),Michael Flynn/Joe Arpaio (Patriot)

1996-2010 Tony Blair (Labour Majority)
1996: Tony Blair-Labour [441],John Major-Conservative [133],Paddy Ashdown-Liberal Democrats [56],Sir James Goldsmith-Referendum [1]
1996 Scottish Assembly Referendum: 75,29% For
1996 Welsh Assembly Referendum: 52,01% Against
1997 Greater London Assembly Referendum: 70,71% For
2000: Tony Blair-Labour [436],Francis Maude-Conservative [132],Charles Kennedy-Liberal Democrats [61],Ken Clarke-FBPE [1]
2003 North East England Assembly Referendum: 53,51% For
2003 North West England Assembly Referendum: 52,81%
For
2004 Greater Yorkshire Assembly Referendum: 52,90% For
2004: Tony Blair-Labour [430],Iain Duncan Smith-Conservative [108],Charles Kennedy-Liberal Democrats [92]
2008: Tony Blair-Labour [397],
Andrew Mitchell-Conservative [125],Vince Cable-Liberal Democrats [108]

2010-2013 John Reid (Labour Majority)
2013: John Reid-Labour [344],William Hague-Conservative [141],Vince Cable-Liberal Democrats [120],Alec Salmond-SNP [25],Leanne Wood-Plaid Cymru [6],Nigel Farage-UKIP [1],Caroline Lucas-Green [1]

2013-2018 David Miliband (Labour Majority,Labour Minority)
2018: David Miliband-Labour [302],William Hague-Conservative [161],David Laws-Liberal Democrats [135],Alec Salmond-SNP [46],Nigel Farage-UKIP [9],Leanne Wood-Plaid Cymru [9],Natalie Bennett-Green [1]

2018-present day Liz Kendall (Labour-Liberal Democrat Coalition)
 
list of dnc and rnc chairs
dnc
1977-1982 John C White
1982-1984 Jesse Jackson
1984-1987 Pat Schroeder
1987-1993 Shien Bau Woo
1993-1997 Anna Eshoo
1997-2003 Dwight Pelz
2003-2006 Katherine Hammack
2006-2009 Stephen M Sweeney
2009-2014 David Axelrod
2014-2017 John Hickenlooper
2017-2022 Loren Leman

rnc chairs
1977-1981 Bill Brock
1981-1986 Jack Abramoff
1986-1989 Hal Daub
1989-1994 Newt Gingrich
1994-1998 Margaret Kravchuck
1998-2001 Perry Hooper Jr
2001-2006 Lisa Graham Keegan
2006-2010 Marilyn Musgrave
2010-2014 Eric Cantor
2014-2021 Joseph DePinto
2021- Kim Wyman
 
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How Dare You?

20211202_173328.jpg

2019-2022: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
2019 (Majority) def. Jeremy Corbyn (Labour), Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National), Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat), Arlene Foster (Democratic Unionist), Mary Lou MacDonald (Sinn Fein)
2022-2022: James Cleverly (Conservative)
2022 (Majority) def. Keir Starmer (Labour), Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Mary Lou MacDonald (Sinn Fein), Jeffrey Donaldson (Democratic Unionist)
2022-2022: Michael Gove (Conservative majority*)
*Effective minority accounting for Covid Research Group and Flood Research Group rebellions; government supported by informal arrangements with opposition parties
2022-????: Greta Thunberg, Baroness Thunberg of Dunwich and Uppland (Independent Green leading National Government of Ecological Emergency with Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats*)
*Informal arrangements with SNP continued, contingent upon 2023 independence referendum

Boris' usefulness to the cause of Conservatism became a liability in the cooling months of 2021, as scandal after scandal struck his government and it rarely appeared that the Prime Minister hadn't inserted a digit into the proverbial pie. He did his best to throw caltrops before his successors and after the 1922 Committee finally lost faith in him, the touted competitors from Sunak to Truss stumbled and fell. It was Cleverly who was handed the poisoned chalice, by a very narrow margin.

With only shaky support, Cleverly sought to shore up his position with a snap election in the Spring of 2022. The result was a mixed bag. Labour failed to eat back in the Red Wall to some degree, but alongside the Lib Dems they bounced back hard in formerly safe Tory heartlands. The Conservative majority remained comfortable but there was a sense that the landslide of 2019 had been squandered.

This became clear only a few weeks later, as floods struck England and the awkward Cleverly was horribly outmatched by the scale of the crisis. He lurched between paralysis and radical, uncomfortably statist solutions. The current within Toryism which had rankled at lockdowns and mask mandates was suddenly joined by those who protested evacuations and the promise of higher taxes to pay for ecological adaptation.

Cleverly handed over to an old hand, defeating the accumulated Research Groups divided candidates, and traded fractious party politics for bipartisanism. And in short order, a new government formed, one headed by a figure committed to an Anti-Industrial Revolution to match the ambition of those who started the First Industrial Revolution in Britain...
 
How Dare You?

View attachment 46894

2019-2022: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
2019 (Majority) def. Jeremy Corbyn (Labour), Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National), Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat), Arlene Foster (Democratic Unionist), Mary Lou MacDonald (Sinn Fein)
2022-2022: James Cleverly (Conservative)
2022 (Majority) def. Keir Starmer (Labour), Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National), Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat), Mary Lou MacDonald (Sinn Fein), Jeffrey Donaldson (Democratic Unionist)
2022-2022: Michael Gove (Conservative majority*)
*Effective minority accounting for Covid Research Group and Flood Research Group rebellions; government supported by informal arrangements with opposition parties
2022-????: Greta Thunberg, Baroness Thunberg of Dunwich and Uppland (Independent Green leading National Government of Ecological Emergency with Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats*)
*Informal arrangements with SNP continued, contingent upon 2023 independence referendum

Boris' usefulness to the cause of Conservatism became a liability in the cooling months of 2021, as scandal after scandal struck his government and it rarely appeared that the Prime Minister hadn't inserted a digit into the proverbial pie. He did his best to throw caltrops before his successors and after the 1922 Committee finally lost faith in him, the touted competitors from Sunak to Truss stumbled and fell. It was Cleverly who was handed the poisoned chalice, by a very narrow margin.

With only shaky support, Cleverly sought to shore up his position with a snap election in the Spring of 2022. The result was a mixed bag. Labour failed to eat back in the Red Wall to some degree, but alongside the Lib Dems they bounced back hard in formerly safe Tory heartlands. The Conservative majority remained comfortable but there was a sense that the landslide of 2019 had been squandered.

This became clear only a few weeks later, as floods struck England and the awkward Cleverly was horribly outmatched by the scale of the crisis. He lurched between paralysis and radical, uncomfortably statist solutions. The current within Toryism which had rankled at lockdowns and mask mandates was suddenly joined by those who protested evacuations and the promise of higher taxes to pay for ecological adaptation.

Cleverly handed over to an old hand, defeating the accumulated Research Groups divided candidates, and traded fractious party politics for bipartisanism. And in short order, a new government formed, one headed by a figure committed to an Anti-Industrial Revolution to match the ambition of those who started the First Industrial Revolution in Britain...
I was gonna comment on how the fuck you can protest evacuations, but then I remembered what has been going on for the last 18+ months.
 
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