He was a key ally of Thatcher in the 80's, had a reputation of being her enforcer, so to speak.
Ah, thanks. And don't expect things to end well for Germany after this.
TLIAPOD: A Deck of Strange Cards
- Thread starter DAv
- Start date
He was a key ally of Thatcher in the 80's, had a reputation of being her enforcer, so to speak.
Ah, thanks. And don't expect things to end well for Germany after this.
Not as high as you might think. As you'll see in the next entry, they'll be quite far removed from Tebbit's own personality.
Patrick Macnee
Conservative Party
1988-1994
“Accomplishment is such a patronizing, dangerous word, isn't it? I haven't really accomplished anything.”
1988-1994
“Accomplishment is such a patronizing, dangerous word, isn't it? I haven't really accomplished anything.”
Few expected Patrick Macnee to have become Prime Minister, including Macnee himself. He had served in the Royal Navy during the Second Great War, getting noticed for his coolness under fire and earned a commendation for for his actions during the retaking of the Channel Islands. After leaving the service, he almost went into acting before the local branch of the Conservative Party asked him to take part in local elections. Not having much of an income, Macnee agreed to start working with the Party and soon stood for MP, winning a seat by a comfortable margin.
For the next twenty years, Macnee gained a reputation as a solid backbencher. Intelligent, charming and one of the best experts of Naval matters in Parliament, Macnee became known as a dependable sort, though not standing out too much. This changed in the 1970's when he personally stood against Powell's speech on race and criticised him for his actions. While not alone in doing so, Macnee was the first to act in such a way and gained widespread attention for it. With Powell's downfall, he was given a Shadow Cabinet position that he made the most of, continuing to criticise Marley as well for his refusal to bring women into the Cabinet among other matters.
Made Minister of Defence when Tebbit was made Prime Minister, the two had a rather strained relationship as Macnee was much more moderate in his politics than Tebbit and the former's more relaxed personality clashed with the flinty exterior of the latter. Were it not for Tebbit's assassination, it's quite likely Macnee would have been sent to the backbenches in a cabinet reshuffle sooner or later. His own standing in the party was strong enough so that when Tebbit died, he was pushed for leader and accepted it, becoming interim Prime Minister before being confirmed by the Party itself.
Macnee's leadership was instantly tested with his response to the attack. He agreed to bombing runs of Germany, as well as an attack on Berlin itself. This was a mostly symbolic gesture, but one that nevertheless started to show how bad German defences had gotten. This took place alongside a series of decapitation strikes on Germany's nuclear silos and submarines. Intelligence operations managed to secure the defection of several submarines and the few that didn't were swiftly tracked down and destroyed. The state of German defences made them easy pickings for the overwhelming onslaught of the Allied air forces. Such was the damage done to the Third Reich's nuclear capabilities that there was no hope for any kind of meaningful response. Four years of Civil War and rebellion had destroyed most of the Third Reich's military strength and uprooted its civilians. The sheer strength of the Allied armies in comparison to the devastated and outdated armies of Nazi Germany made them easy pickings for the invading forces.
The Civil War had devastated the country physically and mentally. The Heer were a professional force that had well trained troops and good equipment, but the SS had sheer numbers and fanaticism on their side. The entire German population had been fed a diet of propaganda for decades, believing that their leaders were protecting them from Jews, Communists and all other threats. That the Nazi leadership had torn itself apart seemingly out of nowhere left many despairing over what was happening and as the Allies advanced, their were many reports of suicides of people who couldn't comprehend what had happened to their country.
The onward march of the Allies proved ever more successful, although the chemical and biological agents used by the factions against each other in the German Civil War made it more problematic than it should have been. Many areas were contaminated beyond human endurance and efforts to help clean it up delayed matters significantly. While the Allies were able to overwhelm Nazi forces, they experienced hostility from a population that had been told of the cruelties that would be faced if they fell under enemy occupation for decades. Resistance from most quarters was intense and it got worse the further into Germany the Allies pressed.
Throughout this, Macnee had to deal with the implications of a post-Reich world. While Tebbit had been happy to tie Britain to the Americans as much as possible, Macnee took a different tact. He saw Britain's future not as America's greatest ally, but instead working with France to help rebuild Europe into an independent bloc from the Soviets and Americans. He was much closer in line with orthodox foreign policy strategies shared by the Foreign Office at this time and so focused on that. America would be an ally, not a partner.
As France itself was liberated and the Soviets pushed onto Berlin, the fate of Germany itself needed to be decided. After the disaster at Tunisia, a new conference in Tel Aviv. Under the protection of Palestine and their own intelligence services, the Allied Powers agreed that Germany had to be torn apart, its government put on trial for its atrocities, the full scale of which was still under debate and the German nation itself was to be de-Nazified from top to bottom. Germany itself was to be broken up into dozens of different states based off borders similar to the Holy Roman Empire. No longer would there be a united German nation. Instead, there would be powerless states with permanent allied troops being stationed in each nation and overseeing the administration while properly compliant governments were be put in place.
Throughout the conference, Macnee used his personal charm to work with all representatives well. He was able to calm tempers and work with those of differing ideologies to get the deal agreed upon. He also worked with the French President to convince the Americans to give economic aid to several European nations while they rebuilt after being plundered by Germany for so long. Managing to secure that was a major boost for Britain and France as the government of the latter finally relocated back to Paris.
After the Tel Aviv conference, Macnee returned to Britain and started to invite members of other Parties into government as he hoped for a National Government to help present a show of unity and strength to the liberated peoples of Europe and bolster the thin majority he was working with in Parliament. The hard-left leader of Labour, John Lennon, rejected this, demanding that Macnee hold an election rather than try and hold onto power through a National Government that couldn't criticise him. Remembering all too well Stuart's Premiership, Macnee decided to nip the criticism in the bud by actually calling an election in 1989 and Lennon's bluff.
The following election was something of a novelty due to the fact that Macnee didn't actively campaign himself. Instead, he was seen largely speaking to foreign leaders and attending conferences on the war effort. The strategy paid off as Macnee's statesman actions contrasted with the seemingly petty ones of Lennon in demanding an election at a time of national crisis. Macnee's government was returned with a slightly higher majority and he continued his focus on foreign affairs.
The final days for the Third Reich came with the fall of Berlin, the Soviet forces storming the city in an orgy of bloodshed. Official Soviet propaganda showed the brave Communist troops striking at the heart of the Fascist state and ignored the murder and rape of German civilians. Berlin itself was deliberately damaged as much as possible by Soviet forces, destroying not only the city, but the numerous cultural treasures they had stolen from Europe as well. By the time Berlin actually fell, most of the city was reduced to rubble.
Official resistance all but crumbled after that, several armies surrendering, but numerous die hard Nazis continued fighting until they were killed. With the occupation that followed, Germany was torn apart and placed under new administrative districts along with a strong emphasis on Denazification starting from the lowest levels of society. Trials of captives also began as Nazis were tried for war crimes and the atrocities that Allied nations uncovered. While many knew of the terrible things that the Nazi regime had done, the full scale of the horrors were only uncovered once the Third Reich fell. The industrialised genocide against anyone deemed inhuman by the Nazis sickened many and Germany became the by-word for evil.
With the power vacuum that came from the downfall of the Third Reich came those looking to fill it. America, now with a greater interest in Europe, clashed with the Soviet Union over ideology now that their greatest threat was finished. Macnee pushed forward with a stronger Europe, the Commonwealth being the example to follow with closely intertwined states following a similar economic and defence plan. He started negotiations with France over incorporating their states into a single bloc to resist influence from America or the USSR.
Macnee worked hard throughout the following years, gaining a reputation as a charmer and able to wrangle out deals from differing interests that people could agree to. The Solstice Agreement in the summer of 1992 worked on the negotiations of Robert Marley's Premiership, but helped bring peace to Northern Ireland. This was followed in 1993 by the Guernsey Accords, which set down the path for the future of the European Association. It bound Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal to a military alliance while giving them access to each other's markets at some reduced tariffs.
While Macnee continued to have foreign policy success, domestically, it was felt that he simply wasn't doing enough. The economy had started to stagnate under the pressures of the constant military occupation of Europe and although troops began to be returned from Spain and France in 1994, this was too little, too late for many. Although Macnee remained personally popular, it was felt that his work as a foreign policy focused Prime Minister prevented him from doing the work needed on domestic issues. Little legislation was pushed forward by Macnee during his Premiership and Macnee later confessed to feeling bogged down by the constant juggling of interests between Europe, the Soviet Union and America. Some suspected that the revelations of the full scale of the atrocities committed by Germany caused him to become somewhat depressed as well.
As the map of Europe was redrawn, the trials of Fascist government members carried on and a new conflict grew between the USA and Soviet Union, Macnee looked as if he was becoming more and more listless. That he was facing one of the greatest Parliamentary orators of a generations at Question Time did little to help him. When polls predicted a strong Labour victory in 1994's general election, some noted that Macnee seemed practically relieved at the thought. He continued working onwards though, not stopping until the election was officially lost.
Macnee's Premiership is regarded quite fondly by many British people as it happened during the downfall of the Third Reich and Britain taking a greater role in the world. While the horrific memories of Nazi crimes unveiled during this period are vividly remembered, the Allies themselves suffered surprisingly few causalities during the occupation of Europe as the German Civil War and damage done to the nation left it unable to effectively resist occupation. Throughout the conflict, Macnee presented a strong, but affable leadership that people could have confidence in.
It was only after the war ended and the occupation of Germany begun that people started to question his leadership. The pressures on the British economy were largely out of Macnee's hands, but his decisions to focus on foreign affairs above appearing in Parliament made many think he was getting too distracted from domestic issues. Historically, he is looked upon very favourably for managing to juggle British interests with the other Allies, finalising a peace deal in Northern Ireland, laying the groundwork for the European Association and overseeing the end of the war in Europe competently. The lack of confidence people had for him didn't turn into distaste however and Macnee enjoyed a personal level of popularity up until his death years later.
A look into Macnee's role as Prime Minister can be summed up by a political cartoon during the 1994 election. It depicted two voters, one asking how Macnee could be so popular when he didn't really do anything and his friend pointing out that he'd just answered his own question. Although many would have thought that Macnee hadn't done enough for Britain when he was Prime Minister, it would be unfair to say he did nothing and his actions certainly led to greater prosperity for Britain in later years.
Nice update, and nice Beetles reference, if it's the John Lennon I'm thinking of. A British version of OTL Bush senior, you might say, great on foreign policy everything else, meh.
Ah yes, but how many hats did he expertly throw? 
And John Lennon as Leader of the Opposition - you are truly magnificent.
Will we get maps of this world after you finish?
And John Lennon as Leader of the Opposition - you are truly magnificent.
Will we get maps of this world after you finish?
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Teah, it's that John alright. And can think of him like that, although certainly less stiff.
Ah yes, but how many hats did he expertly through?
And John Lennon as Leader of the Opposition - you are truly magnificent.
Will we get maps of this world after you finish?
Not as many as you might hope.
Haven't really considered maps as such, Germany would be a bugger to do.
Glad you've enjoyed it so far.
Robin Cook
Labour Party/National Government/Labour Party
1994-2003
“The tricky thing about a quagmire is you never know you have walked into one until it is too late.”
1994-2003
“The tricky thing about a quagmire is you never know you have walked into one until it is too late.”
Robin Cook became Prime Minister after the downfall of the Third Reich, representing a clean break from the past as Britain now held a sense of optimism about the future. Although the economy was still slow and starting to lag, there was a feeling that things would be better and brighter in the final years of the millennium. It was not to last.
Things actually got off to a good start with the Cook Premiership. New socially liberal legislation was quickly passed, such as better rights in the work place for women and bringing forward minimum wage. With troops returning from Western Europe as Spain, France and others started to work towards their new democratic future without the need for foreign troops on their soil, although some remained.
For the first three years of Cook's Premiership, it appeared that most concerns were to come from the Soviet Union. It now dominated Europe from the Baltics to Greece with a huge level of control over Scandinavia as well. The German states were to be left out of the European Association as strict military control was kept over the region by the communists and capitalistic states. Tensions started to build as dictatorships were set up in Eastern Europe, these ones based on Soviet doctrine and many others on the peripheral such as Sweden and Northern Italy adopted policies that were more in line with the USSR.
The US wanted to combat the rise in Communist power by establishing nuclear silos in Europe but came into conflict with the EA and Britain in particular. While trying to work against the rise of Soviet influence, Cook felt that the threat posed by the Soviet's nuclear bombs were far greater than Nazi Germany. The military occupation by the Soviet Union of these territories was also putting a great strain on its economy and a stand off ensued with the former Allied powers becoming rivals, although the Soviet Union was the worst for it. Having lost the most in the brief direct conflict with the Third Reich and occupying so much territory while trying to clean it up from the chemicals and other agents which had destroyed the land made it a costly occupation for the Soviets. By the mid-90's, they were negotiating with the other powers on de-escalating tensions.
By that time though, Britain was focusing on other matters. Since the downfall of Nazi Germany, India was also facing its own set of problems. Losing it greatest trading partner effected a government mired by increasing dissension and an overspending on the military led to direct poverty of many of its people. With the Hindutva government unable to feed a sizeable chunk of the population and the Hindu nationalism being a sore point for many, clashes between government forces, protestors and minorities were becoming more and more common.
Desperate to distract the populace and salvage its reputation, the Indian government looked for a war to bolster its position. To do this, they looked to Myanmar, which was experiencing instability due to its own poverty, the military junta cracking down on anyone trying to get into the country. Staging a false flag operation which involved Indian troops being attacked and killed, India gave an ultimatum to Myanmar, believing that it was too politically isolated and that the adjustment of the borders would be accepted by the junta. In this, the Hindutva government gravely miscalculated as both China and Britain stood by Myanmar and backed it against Indian aggression.
Both countries had their own reasons for doing this, as neither really liked the Myanmar government. Although having had strained relations with the isolationist country for some time, China nevertheless couldn't stand back and allow India to gain anymore influence in South-East Asia, fearing an attempt to take away their own sphere should the war be successful. Britain felt similarly threatened in regards to Indian designs in the region and their previous attempts to court or force Singapore away from the Commonwealth. The country had been willing to allow one Fascist country to be appeased before, but never again. The thought of the Commonwealth territory of Singapore being placed under threat of a direct Indian attack was enough to rally many to its defence.
India, for its part, couldn't back down even with Britain and China supporting Myanmar. Its government had put too much stock in the conflict and now would have to see it through or face collapse. So, in 1996, a war would start that no one had expected, no one wanted and would lead to the deaths of millions. The main battlefield would be that Myanmar itself as Chinese and British forces worked together to repel the constant advances made by the Indian army. The skies above China and India were witnesses to mass battles between the country's respective air forces with the mountains on their borders soon littered from aircraft lost in bombing raids.
Although the European Association was a military alliance, Cook didn't call upon the other nations of Europe to aid them for several reasons. First one being, the alliance was focused solely on territory in Europe and French regions in Northern Africa. The second was that Europe was still recovering from the decades of Fascist government and many countries simply weren't able to consider a fight far from their own borders. Not wanting to put the EA at risk of splitting over the issue, Cook declined from pressing it, something that garnered him a good deal of criticism from allies and enemies alike.
Cook also brought in a National Government for the duration of the conflict, not wanting to fight such a conflict without strong support from all parties. As Chinese and Indian armies flung themselves at each other, the Royal Navy fought a grinding war in the Indian Ocean as it sought to establish control over the huge stretches of water. This culminated in the Battle of Simeulue where a joint British and Chinese naval force broke the back of the Indian Navy. This was soon followed by a joint advance through Myanmar where Chinese troops crossed the border into India proper, backed by Commonwealth support.
This prompted the collapse of the Indian government, the Hindutva movement discredited completely as nearly three years of warfare now saw India proper under occupation. A coup took place that saw members of the pro-war faction arrested and done away with before a ceasefire was declared. This also saw India in general erupt into protests and celebrations alike as those loyal to the previous government clashed with the new one. India descended into a low level civil war that weakened its hand further in the peace talks. It eventually had to make huge concessions in rolling back the scale of its military, de-militarising the borders along with China and Myanmar, accepting war guilt and paying reparation to all its opponents. The end of the war was greeted with relief by many and a trial of fire for the new Chinese government, its outcome giving a great boost of confidence and power to the rising democracy, especially as it had carried most of the conflict itself. Myanmar had suffered the most and would go onto receive aid from China and the Commonwealth, soon falling into the sphere of the former.
The successful conclusion of the war at the end of 1999 came as an immense cause of relief and celebration for many. Despite that though, criticism lingered for many years afterwards centred around Cook's decisions during the war, especially around the lack of using nuclear weapons. Cook had refused to consider their use from the outset, believing them to be an overreaction to the conflict and would kill far too many civilians. There was also the long running strain of guilt in the British establishment in regards to its last use of nuclear weapons. Britain had spent over a decade rebuilding its reputation and wasn't fully recovered until Michael Jagger became Prime Minister.
Fear of escalating the situation when India held nerve gas and other such weapons in its arsenal also held Cook's hand. Although too far to actually strike the British mainland, they could still be used against China in retaliation which would have destroyed the alliance between it and Britain. China had started to become a major economic power in the region and world wide as it had managed to recover from the mismanagement of Chiang Kai-Shek and the Koumintang Party. The country had been rife with corruption and a lack of centralisation up until the 70's with various provinces able to outright disobey commands from Beijing without much repercussion. Only once Chiang Kai-Shek died and Chiang Ching-Kou took control did a successful power control policy take effect under the guise of a major infrastructure build up. China had managed to build an effective central government that was taking its first steps towards democracy when the war with India broke out.
With China becoming a rising power within Asia, Cook felt that he couldn't risk destroying relations with it and actively cultivated relations during the war. The handover of Hong Kong was formally delayed during the conflict and only went through on the date of the millennium, formally giving the city back to China. The relationship between China, Britain and, by extension, the EA would grow over time, soon to evolve into the third alliance in a world divided by the Soviets and Americans as it grew closer and increased its members.
Growing closer with China offered some form of compensation for the damage the Indian War had with relations with America. The US Administration of the time saw Britain and the growing closeness with China as a potential threat to its own interests in East Asia. With the European Association having come into being without American oversight, hackles were raised over thoughts that Britain was trying to create its own sphere of influence against American interests. While Britain and America had been allies, the fact that several Ministries had leaned towards the Soviets hadn't been forgotten and there was a level of distrust present.
It was during the war that the American Administration tried to bring Britain and China closer to it rather than each other. While officially remaining neutral during the conflict, America tried to put pressure on Britain and China to agree to make concessions economically in order to receive aid in the war. The offer outraged both parties, especially when it was uncovered that America had made separate offers to both nations in secret. They were rejected and the Soviet Union stepped in with aid without such concessions, directly undermining what America had tried with its blunder. The incident itself was kept hidden by the governments for fear of public backlash, but it only served to hasten Britain's plans on the European Association.
As war leader, Cook had done a competent job with the work before him. He had given concise and skilled leadership when it was called for, managing the interests and the Commonwealth and China well as they both fought hard. Although British forces were the junior partner, Cook's decisions to share military intelligence and hardware with China greatly aided the latter's fighting capability and provided an real boost to them in the conflict. While not inspiring like Churchill or admired like Macnee, Cook nevertheless gave someone the British people believed was doing his best to lead the country to victory.
Once the conflict was over, an election was held as the parties broke apart from the National Government and made their cases. Cook did come under fire for his decisions during the Indian War, but it wasn't enough to unseat him and he returned as Prime Minister with a reduced majority. While his position as Prime Minister had become more uncertain, Cook was determined to see it out, even as he was being challenged more and more by the religious left faction. Splits in the Labour Party began to grow all the more during these years.
Despite this though, Cook continued to focus on British issues, having learned the lesson of the Macnee Premiership. No sooner had the war ended then he pushed forward new housing bills to help demolish and rebuild old council houses that were in long need of replacement. He also pushed forward with greater rights for differing sexual and immigration groups, especially in the workplace and liberalising abortion laws somewhat. The last few were highly contentious in his own party and required the aid of MP's from the Liberal Party in order to pass. His hopes of re-nationalisation of certain industries weren't to come to pass due to lack of funds needed after the war as well as various other bills including a rise in the pensions of veterans. He managed to push through further devolution on Scotland and Wales, their councils now turning into elected bodies that would have limited control over budgets within their respective nations.
It was the split in the Labour Party that would lead to Cook leaving office. After a furious row after the passage of the abortion bill with members of the religious left faction, Cook complained of chest pains and was taken into hospital, suffering a heart attack in the ambulance. Luckily, he was able to pull through, but the strain had nearly killed him. The stresses of office had done too much for Cook to continue and he was forced to resign for his own health and not wanting to pull another Marley. His health working against him, Cook resigned at the start of 2003 as he looked to recover from his years in office.
With Robin Cook having retired, his legacy was soon looked upon by the public and historians. His management of the war was the biggest area of criticism with his refusal to use nuclear weapons or even as the EA to get involved seen as major blunders by many that lengthened the conflict. Indian retaliation wasn't guaranteed and they may have even surrendered after all and the EA could have done with a cause to rally behind. That said, Cook wasn't willing to kill tens of thousands of civilians at the risk of a retaliation on Britain's ally. Europe would suffer for generations from the chemical weapons unleashed by the Nazis and he had no wish to see it unleashed in Asia either. He also worked with China and the Soviet Union in helping India to rebuild after the war, providing emergency aid that would stave off starvation and disease in areas that needed it, also helping in splitting India further.
Cook's record as a domestic Prime Minister was a strong one, although his ambitions of re-nationalising key industries fell by the wayside due to the Indian War. His housing bill proved to be very popular and helped put tens of thousands into modern homes while his equality bills for the groups overlooked by Marley did a lot to further their rights. His Premiership is regarded highly, but marred by his decisions regarding the war and his health cutting it short before he could follow through on various plans he made. His work on Scottish and Welsh devolution also give him a higher standing in those countries that it did among certain sections of England.
Cook's conduct as a Prime Minister of war can be summed up by a political cartoon used to criticise him. It showed the Prime Minister making a speech defending not using nuclear weapons to end the war, while Indian jets were shown bombing Chinese cities behind him. Nuclear weapons would continue to have a dark legacy in Britain, from their use and lack of use, they would remain a highly controversial part of the country's military arsenal as they remained the only country in Western Europe to hold a monopoly over the weapons.
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Foreign Secretary, aye. Had the makings of a good Prime Minister, from what I've heard of him, but it never came to be.
Googled him. The heart attack was based off his OTL one, which, he didn't survive. He was only 59 at the time, shame.
Got it right. Although, he's not going to be too happy to see what happens next.
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Harry Webb
Labour Party
2003-2007
“If you have got the public in the palm of your hand, you can be sure that is where they want to be.”
2003-2007
“If you have got the public in the palm of your hand, you can be sure that is where they want to be.”
The rise of the religious left in British politics stems from Robert Marley's time as Prime Minister. He deliberately selected Ministers to become part of his cabinet who shared not only his political views, but religious ones. They were strong supporters of the welfare state and moderate on economic issues, but also socially conservative. Due to Marley's success and influence, they became ingrained into the Labour Party, becoming a powerful faction in the Party that led to Webb being voted as Prime Minister after Robin Cook's retirement. With Webb came the religious devotion of the faction, the belief that they could do no wrong and that those who opposed them weren't just against them politically, but morally as well.
Webb himself had been born in India and, much like Marley before him, was able to aim for the highest position due to both being born in Commonwealth realms. First entering office as part of the 1971 election, Webb's rise in politics was slower than others before him, being a backbencher for well over a decade until he was given a cabinet post in the second Marley Ministry. From there, Webb was able to become a key member of the religious left faction, serving as Deputy Prime Minister during Cook's Premiership as the Scotsman tried to keep the faction close to him by giving such a prominent role to one of their own.
While the partnership worked well enough, the two began to clash in Cook's later years as his socially liberal bills remained at odds with Webb's own beliefs. It was an argument with Webb's allies which was believed to have triggered Cook's heart attack and the Scotsman would see Webb being voted in as leader of the Labour Party with some alleged bitterness. With one of their own now in the position of Prime Minister, many were interested to see what Webb would do as the religious left were in the ascent.
His first decision, unsurprisingly, was to call for an election. Not wanting to risk being discredited by calls of holding onto power like Stuart had been, Webb called for an election as soon as possible, managing to retain enough of Cook's popularity as well as his own to win a small, but comfortable majority. With his own mandate from the people, Webb looked forward to making his mark on history. Sadly, this didn't come to be and his Premiership would instead lead directly to the disintegration of the Labour Party.
Things would get off to a rocky start when Webb's Ministry attempted to bring forward a bill placing greater restrictions on abortions, rolling back the reforms of the Cook Ministry. This led to a great deal of acrimony within Webb's own party and the bill subsequently failed after months of being locked in parliamentary committees. It was a sign of things to come as the focus on socially conservative measures infuriated the rest of the Labour Party while their failures only made the religious left furious with the rest of the Labour Party.
Foreign policy wise, Webb looked to cement the European Association as an economic force, furthering Cook's work in integrating the economies of the European nations with lower tariffs. He also started to scale down military spending in the face of the collapse of the Third Reich and India, ending forever the threat of Fascism. This was a controversial move as military research had been a key area of development for Britain since the Lyttelton Ministry and it was that area that got the worst of the cuts. There was also the low simmering tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union which, while nowhere near the levels of fear created by the stand off with Nazi Germany, still made several wary. Despite the aid given to Britain by the Soviet Union during the Indian War, Webb and his cabinet cooled relations with the USSR, citing their oppression of religious communities. Webb would oversee the breaking up of India into regional nations, ending the unified republic although hopes of reunification remained high among some. His overseeing the general peace efforts on the sub-continent along with China and the USSR was a real success story of his Premiership.
Through all this though, Webb had to contend with the rising tensions between the Labour Party and the religious left faction. What had begun as ideological tiffs was eventually broiling over into outright dissension in the ranks. Not helping this was Webb's obvious favouritism as far as as appointing Ministers went, supporting those from the religious left faction almost to the exclusion of others in the Labour Party. The government was hampered badly by this infighting as it seemed that would force Webb to finally blink, unless he wanted to become known as the man who destroyed the Labour Party.
Despite this though, Webb carried on, his attitude bolstered by a vote of no confidence that was ill timed and went nowhere. His cabinet looked more like an echo chamber every day as he appointed more towards his Ministry that shared his views. The final break came when he made a veiled threat that should his Party not support him, then they would risk losing the next election, making it clear that he would brook no more criticism. As if galvanised by this, the Labour Party pushed forward another motion of no confidence, this one succeeding and forcing an election.
Forced into an election, Webb had to endure the humiliation of being rejected by his own party while the Conservative Party surged ahead in votes. Believing that the Labour Party would try and sideline the religious left faction after the election, despite the feeling of betrayal that that faction felt. Deciding to get ahead of his opponents, Webb announced the formation of a new party when election night came and the Conservative Party won. The new Christian Labour Party had twenty MP's to it who pulled away from Labour, damaging the party after a severe electoral loss.
The sheer scale of this angered many within the Labour Party beyond belief. The bad blood between Labour and Christian Labour would last for many years and damaged left-wing causes within the country. Webb's legacy can be seen directly as a result of his choice to break away from Labour. His decision led to the division of the British left-wing for years to come as it was to lead to constant clashes between the two factions that focused more on them opposing each other rather than the Conservatives. Webb is widely seen as a man too caught up in his own self-righteousness at best and a traitor at worst.
The most generous assessment of Webb's Premiership can be seen in a political cartoon that depicts Webb trying to walk across a tightrope. The pole he is carrying has weights marked with the names of the various political figures representing the different factions in Labour with more being dropped down from above. That Webb helped amplify the factionalism in the Labour Party due to his own inept choices escaped the artist and would lead to a long period of Tory domination in British politics.
Oh my, things don't look so good for the Labor Party at this point. I'm guessing you'll take this upto the present time?