Why do people keep talking about Lord Halifax as PM in 1940?

[Max Sinister]

IOTL he even once said he couldn't even become PM, since he was a member of the House of Lords. Which obviously contradicts that the PM has to be from the House of Commons. Don't people know that? Or would that problem be easily solved if he really wanted to?

 

[Japhy]

There's no law saying the PM can't be from the house of lords. There had been PM Lord's in the lifetimes of many (honestly in 1940, probably most) members and Curzon had only been blocked from the office by a backroom decision of the King in 1923.

There would of course be difficulties, but it seems a law had been written up to allow Halifax to speak in the Commons in the eventuality and that removes the largest Constitutional hurdle.

Its insane that he could have been, but these things happen when you base a constitution on Vibes rather then old parchment and fancy cursive/typeface.

 

[Alex Richards]

I mean it's a moment of national crisis where the thought was that Chamberlain had utterly discredited himself, Churchill may not have been able to get the backing of the House and Halifax was respected enough to step in until the situation was over. I don't think there was ever an intention Halifax would lead the party into a general election.

 

[Charles EP M.]

The Earl of Home managed to become PM in much less dire straits and 24 years removed from the idea Lords could do it, so if people wanted Halifax they would've bodged a way.

 

[SenatorChickpea]

IOTL he even once said he couldn't even become PM, since he was a member of the House of Lords. Which obviously contradicts that the PM has to be from the House of Commons. Don't people know that? Or would that problem be easily solved if he really wanted to?

I love the implication that the King, the outgoing PM, the two main candidates for the job and their assembled staff had never even considered the issue.

As if, in the famous meeting where Churchill let Halifax talk his way out of the job, Brendan Bracken pacing outside could suddenly have slapped his forehead and sent in a note saying 'Wait, we've all forgotten that he's Lord Halifax! How embarrassing!'

 

[Max Sinister]

Seems I made the mistake of believing a prominent politician's own words. My bad.

 

[SenatorChickpea]

It might have been worth considering whether the politician’s words after he failed to get the job should be weighed against the fact that he very famously was willing to take it at the time.

 

[Walpurgisnacht]

Seems I made the mistake of believing a prominent politician's own words. My bad.

It's alright, Max, millions of people through history have also done this.

 

[Max Sinister]

It's alright, Max, millions of people through history have also done this.

No, nothing is "alright" about politics nowadays.

 

[Max Sinister]

Now it begs the question why he still gave this sorry excuse if everyone well-informed knows how things are.

 

[History Learner]

Now it begs the question why he still gave this sorry excuse if everyone well-informed knows how things are.

Well informed being the key phrase there; it was a cover that sounds plausible to most that haven't done the research on it to know.

 

[Alex Richards]

Now it begs the question why he still gave this sorry excuse if everyone well-informed knows how things are.

It was a very convenient face-saving reason that allowed him to decline the post without either the embarrassment of admitting he didn't think he was as competent or as popular as Churchill, or the shame of just saying 'no I don't want to' when the King is asking you to Do Your Duty.

 

[SenatorChickpea]

It was a very convenient face-saving reason that allowed him to decline the post without either the embarrassment of admitting he didn't think he was as competent or as popular as Churchill, or the shame of just saying 'no I don't want to' when the King is asking you to Do Your Duty.

It also allows a suggestion that he was as good as Churchill, it would of course not fall to him to say that he might have been better, but, alas, he was a member of the House of Lords so he could never have had that job which, by the way, he didn’t really want.