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[1] ''It was the weather forecast that changed history, but Eisenhower blamed nobody but himself for the failures on D-Day. The Allies of course had lost the proverbial battle, but not the war. Slow but steady Soviet advances, increasing strategic air attacks and a reappraisal of the Mediterranean campaign ensured that Germany would eventually collapse. By Christmas 1945 the war in Europe was effectively over, although the war in the Far East still raged...''

The Eden caretaker ministry was a UK government during the latter stages of the Second World War. It succeeded the Churchill wartime coalition which terminated soon after the defeat of Nazi Germany because the parties could not agree whether to continue until after the defeat of Japan. Churchill resigned as Prime Minister after President Dewey asked him to act as "Chief Negotiator" for the UK-US in the Berlin Conference (leaving his former Foreign Secretary in charge of the UK) as the Soviets having ‘liberated’ most of Eastern and Northern Europe suddenly had a lot more to discuss.

[2] The Eden caretaker government was created for wartime, so after the surrender of the Japanese Empire on January 27, 1947 Eden quickly made preparations for an upcoming election. The date was set for the 10th of April. Conflict within the Conservative Party began shortly after when Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill attempted to regain control of the government, but to the shock of the nation, Eden refused to step down. Churchill attempted to regain his position by the consultation process but was rejected again. Churchill in blind rage crossed the aisle and stood as an independent. Polls showed Labour leading by almost 10 points, but the race began to tighten after Clement Attlee's son was accused of being a homosexual (Which was later found to be false). Labour still led until election day, where surprisingly Eden was able to win 307 seats compared too Labour's 300 and the Liberal Party's 14. Eden entered a coalition with the Liberal Party, returning him to Downing Street.

[3] Eden was being knifed in the back by the magic circle and everyone knew it. When he was finally pushed in early 1950, Eden refused to allow the magic circle the opportunity to instate Rab Butler as PM. Reforming the succession rules, with leadership elections, Eden allowed Harold Macmillan to stand in as acting Prime Minister whilst the battle in the Tory Party raged on. In the end, both Rab Butler and Duncan Sandys where beaten for the leadership by rising star, Edward Heath. Heath would have and uneventful first handful of months until he decided to hold an early election. With Labour under a tired Clement Attlee who refused to let go off the party, Heath cruised to victory with 345 seats.

[4] As the youngest Prime Minister since the 18th century, Ted Heath provided a fresh face for the Government, his personal approval often soaring above that of the party he led (plus regularly appearing on lists of Britain’s most eligible bachelors). However, he would struggle to fully put his mark on the party platform, often battling against his older colleagues, leading to rumours that he was merely a “pretty-faced” figurehead. He was able to make a number of symbolic gestures on his accord; allowing members of the Norwegian, Danish and Benelux royals in exile to sit in the House of Lords. As the Soviet installed European governments started to harden, many wished Heath to go further, but the loudest critic now came from outside Parliament, with former PM Churchill warning of an “Iron Curtain” falling across the Channel. Despite lingering public “socialist” distrust, Labour made up lost ground in the 1955 election and in fact won the popular vote. However, due to the strongest swings occurring in safe Labour seats, Heath managed to retain government. Attlee went back to the drawing board - the Labour platform was popular with the party faithful, but how would they win over the wider public?

[5] With the economy beginning to stagnate, and further tensions with Soviet-controlled Europe, Ted Heath's popularity was slowly dropping. But it all came to a head when Communist rebels in Nigeria stormed Lagos killing Governor-General James Wilson Robertson. Heath quickly sent in the military, but the "Iron Curtain" as it being called began sending weapons to the Nigerians and other independence groups. Heath seeing a possible insurmountable insurrection in almost all of there remaining colonies quickly requested for UN support. The Soviets attempted to veto, but the western powers bypassed it and decided on sending UN Peacekeeping forces into Nigeria and Uganda. At home Anti-Communist Right-wing Party the Nationalists created by Winston Churchill began gaining support, as their Anti-Communist rhetoric began widespread in England. Seeing the change of tides Clement Attlee began heavily campaigning on a fervent Anti-Communist platform. This seemed to work, and on Election day Labour stood 10 seats away from the majority. But Attlee was in a predicament. If he created a coalition with the Isolationist Liberals, it would be seen as a backstab to his Campaign rhetoric. But if he created a coalition with the Nationalist Party he would have a majority but would Isolate his Core Voting base. Clement Attlee decided to create a Minority government after the Conservative failed to create a coalition government with both the Nationalist Party and the Liberals (Both parties needed for the Conservatives to gain a Majority).

[6] Attlee was considered the most despised Prime Minister of the 20th century so far. A power-hungry tired old man, within a year he would be forced out by his own party without the consolidation prize of a lordship. His successor would be the youthful Harold Wilson, a bright, young and energetic man who knew he had good ideas for the country, but was held back by Attlee’s stain on the party. Pushing through revolutionary social programmes, Wilson’s tenure was dominated by him trying to rebuild Labour after Attlee. Losing the 1964 election in a landslide to Ted Heath, Wilson would resign to the backbenches. Whilst he was forming his fourth ministry, Heath had already made his mind up to resign in two or three years, however great cabinet members like Alec Douglas-Home (Foreign), Margaret Thatcher (Home) and Reggie Maudling (Chancellor), Heath was confidence there party was in good hands.

[7] Douglas-Home becomes Prime Minister, following Ted Heath's resignation, he immediately appoints Margaret Thatcher as Chancellor, the first woman to live at No.11, whose first budget is a runaway success. Douglas-Home was highly popular with the electorate and with the party faithful for his masterful handling of foreign relations with both the USA and the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war. He repeats the landslide victory of 1964 in 1968, defeating Labour under the leadership of James Callaghan. Callaghan remains Labour leader as the party is satisfied at a slight increase in seats and vote share primarily at the expense of the Liberal party, which continues into terminal decline, due to the scandalous affairs surrounding their leader Jeremy Thrope.

[8] The aristocratic (even worse – the former Lord) Douglas-Home infuriated the European Soviets more every day of his Premiership. While many in Britain believed it was largely an act, they nevertheless still found comfort in his “traditional English gentleman” persona. Domestically, the Conservative platform proceeded largely as under Heath, with minor relaxation of identity-cards, strengthening of defamation laws (forcing Private Eye amongst others to go underground), slightly faster speed of decolonization, coupled with slightly tougher immigration laws, and further ‘reforms’ of the National Medical Service (the one shining light in Labour’s brief tenure). Internationally, he clashed quietly with President Humphrey who sought détente with the Communist Bloc, but still signed the overdue Partial Test Ban Treaty and enhanced greater cooperation with the “good types from the ‘old’ dominions”. Douglas-Home made history when late in his first term, after a cabinet reshuffle he elevated both Macmillan and Heath back into the cabinet, becoming the first Prime Minister to have (technically) two former leaders serve under him. Despite an expected swing against them in the next election, the experience of the Conservatives held firm. Only the whispers that they were tired and old gave pause for the future.

[9] Douglas-Home’s popularity had dropped off since the 1973 election but was still miles ahead of Labour Leader Jim Callaghan. Callaghan would be couped by Denis Healey in July that year but insisted he would return as leader. The Queen’s unexpected death in 1973, followed by King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding, the coronation and the birth of Prince George did help revive Home’s fortunes. With a slightly fractured party, he would lose 16 seats at the 1977 election.

[10] On New Year's eve 1979, Douglas-Home announced his resignation, intending to hand over power to his anointed successor, Margaret Thatcher whom is duly selected by the Conservative party and is sent to kiss hands with the King in February 1980. Having served 15 years at the top of British Politics, Home enters active retirement in the House of Lords. Thatcher entered a honeymoon period with a Labour party back under Callaghan's leadership following the failure of Healy in 1977, and a Liberal party consigned to history. Thatcher's cabinet reshuffle is notable for the appointment of future Prime Minister John Major as Minister without Portfolio and the appointment of Keith Joseph as her replacement at the Exchequer.

[11] The high spirits for the Thatcher administration quickly led to sharp disapproval. The rising economy of the began to stagnate after Factory Jobs and the coal industry began to show cracks. And after Thatcher led the extremely unpopular vote that would strip the National Medical Service to almost non-existence. Anti-Conservative sentiments came to a head when Labour won an almost 70 seat majority, even defeating John Major and Margaret Thatcher in there Constituencies. Major would later take back his seat though.

[12] Callaghan, along with Australia’s Bill Hayden, is widely credited as the architect of the “Third Way,” which created an alternative to the "ruthless capitalism of the United States and the Bolshevism of the European Soviets". Supportive of worker’s rights with anti-discrimination laws, but coupled with a Prices and Income Accord; supportive of a modern welfare system, with an overhaul of the NMS as Medicare UK, but coupled with economic pragmatism, instituting both decimalization and floating of the pound; supportive of a bi-lateral diplomatic approach, but also conscious of internal issues, with a successful Scottish devolution referendum. With record low-unemployment (which some snidely called “Foot-jobs” after the Employment Minister) and a positive economic outlook, Callaghan went to the polls during what was retrospectively called the 1986 “Summer of Love” where Labour easily overcame an opposition party that was unused to being in such a position, and still trying to define a clear party platform. His re-election speech would be remembered by the party faithful for years to come, “There are times, perhaps once every thirty years, when there is a sea-change in politics… There is a shift in what the public wants and what it approves of. I suspect there is now such a sea-change and it is for Labour.”

[13] Callaghan's second term was moderately successful with the nationalisation of the railways and a good working relationship with President Joe Biden following his election in 1988. However, towards the end of 1987, Soviet Europe erupted into chaos with the ascension of Gorbachev, a moderniser, to the position of Soviet head of state, this led to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990 and the founding of the European Federation in its place. The European Federation was an issue for Callaghan as his Centrist MPs such as Education secretary Tony Blair and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Gordon Brown were strongly in favour of membership, whereas his Left-Wing including firebrand Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner were strongly opposed. The Conservatives, however, presented a united front on the matter, with former Prime Ministers Heath and Douglas-Home and key members of the shadow cabinet such as Kenneth Clarke, in favour of British membership, though this did lead to the resignation of Enoch Powell from the party. With Labour disunited, Callaghan gained a reduced majority of 22 at the 1990 election.

[14] With Callaghan unexpectedly leaving as a successful Prime Minister, after showing a weak opposition performance, it was time to pick a successor. The Moderate and right wings of the party debated between two rising stars to field in the leadership election. Education Secretary Tony Blair and by now Chancellor Gordon Brown (following the death of John Smith) both looked likely to run for the Europhile wing but in the end Brown was decided upon and easily beat Dennis Skinner in the leadership election. On the opposite side of the commons, Portillo would be removed as leader in a coup calling the 1994 Tory leadership election. To the surprise of many, Iain Duncan Smith refused to run suggesting that the new Tory Chairwoman Theresa May could provide the needed leadership. In the end, Ken Clarke and Peter Lilley lost out to May on the second round of voting. With Brown failing to secure EF membership, it fell to the new Prime Minister May to agree an integration agreement.

[15] The 'ageing' Prime Minister decided to retire in 1997 after an increasingly successful economy. John Major succeeded her, but was facing an increasingly popular Labour Party. After Diane Abbott won the Labour Leadership Election, The conservative Party was on hot water. But after a successful campaign and a rising economy, Major wins a 13 seat majority.

[16] Major’s record is often overlooked by modern political-analysts. Although it was his successor who received the credit for the Palm Sunday Agreement, it was Major who set the foundations (plus a dramatic fall in cheap arms into Ireland from Europe). Although it was his successors who received the credit for the U.K.’s entry into the European Federation, it was Major’s reforms to the House of Lords (based on Douglas-Home’s Proportional Representation Model) that removed the final stumbling block. Ironically, he did receive the credit for the introduction of the British National Curriculum, which had been the unfinished passion of Callaghan. Despite his hard work, he could never shake off the criticism that he had forced the resignation of Britain’s first elected female Prime Minister and was just another in a long list of old white men. While Labour had the perfect contrast in Diane Abbott, she was forced to stand down shortly before the 2004 “Super Thursday” election after various pro-Soviet comments became public. Labour returned to a known pair of hands, which paid off as they were returned to power, however, the biggest surprise was the jump in support for the Regional Interests Coalition, a loose collective of locally focused parties, inspired in part by the rise in “Euro-Regionalism” after the fall of the Soviet Union