A collection of twenty political counterfactuals from British political history in the 20th Century.
What If…
- Callaghan had gone to the country in October 1978?
- The Russian Revolution hadn’t happened?
- Lee Harvey Oswald had missed?
- Paddy Ashdown had joined the Blair Cabinet in 1997?
- Lord Halifax had become Prime Minister in 1940?
- John Smith had lived?
- And many more…
Stuart contributes a chapter ‘What If…Paddy Ashdown Had Joined the Blair Cabinet in 1997?’
The chapter suggests the consequences of Paddy Ashdown, as leader of the Liberal Democrats, joining the Labour Government following the election victory in 1997.
Excerpt:
WHAT IF PADDY ASHDOWN HAD JOINED THE BLAIR CABINET IN 1997?
Stuart Thomson
Roy Jenkins was the architect of much of the New Labour project, having been a close adviser to Tony Blair both before and after he became Prime Minister. His death brought together in mourning many of his former colleagues from the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Social Democratic Party he had helped to form.
Two of those gather at his memorial service in Westminster Abbey on 27 March 2003 and more than just his passing to consider. Blair and his cabinet colleague Paddy Ashdown, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, had six years jointly in government to reflect upon, and now had to deal with the loss of the man who had acted as a “bridge” between the two of them before entering government. Leaving the service, Ashdown, in particular, was in reflective mood; turning to Blair he said: “Not for one minute do I regret coming into government with you, Tony – but I wish I could have avoided splitting my party.”
Edited by Duncan Brack and Iain Dale, Politico’s Publishing, 2003
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