It seems like the UK went from being basically a two-party system to being a different basically two-party system within one election cycle. What caused this? How did Labour succeed so dramatically and the Liberals fall so suddenly?
Overview
With the failure of any party to receive a majority or form a coalition after the election in March, a new election was quickly called for November 11th. Both the Liberals & the Conservatives have since undergone changes in leadership, with the new PM, Louis Mountbatten, being derided by Labour as a puppet of the elites & the crown. Additionally, the various regional parties are hoping to carry the momentum from their March victories into the November election and gain more seats. The wildcard that has emerged in this election is the sudden return of Oswald Mosley at the head of the Imperial Union, which only managed to gain seats due to vote splitting between the three major Parties.
National Parties
Conservative Party
The Conservatives are running on the achievements of the Macmillan Premiership, touting the economic recovery & growth that has taken place over the last 8 years. The majority of the Party also holds to Macmillan’s One Nation Toryism. However, after Macmillan's inability to carry the Conservatives to victory in March and with the polls showing an even worse defeat awaiting him in November, he resigned, citing "health & old age," but everyone knows that it was to save his legacy from being tarnished with an electoral defeat. The Conservatives haven't done themselves any favors with the surprising ascension of Lord Louis Mountbatten to the Premiership by the Party elites, despite the large popular support for Defense Minister Christopher Lee. While Lord Mountbatten has given the Conservatives a boost among veterans, they have been forced to go on the defensive in every other regard, as they are facing not only a public outcry against their method of choosing their leader, but also devastating attacks from Labour on the "aristocratic tendencies" of the Party.
https://preview.redd.it/iq495bh4xpb81.png?width=211&format=png&auto=webp&s=da7898509dc30936d0177678e4d25ffb038de1a5
Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Labour Party
Labour has been waiting anxiously for this moment for the last 8 years, and now that it is here, they are ready to grasp it. Harold Wilson has continued traveling all across the country, becoming a common image in many public places, from the Underground to stores to parks. While Wilson himself has continued
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n-U0lKVVA4pnGl48j_wmGmiDsQymXkt16C7GKA3X5Os/edit?usp=sharing
I have written up a Google Doc for Theresa May's campaign questions and answers, 25 questions just like every other campaign. I tried my best to make it about what was happening at that time and focused applying Theresa May's strengths and weaknesses into the campaign. I know nothing about modding, how any of this works, but I've got ideas, and a previous post of mine did suggest interest in a UK scenario. I'll follow this up witu a Corbyn scenario for 2017 as well, as I think it is the most interesting election in terms of the two major candidates and the issues during the campaign.
I guess now I'm looking for a programmer. If you want, you could just use the U.S. map and tie the regions of the UK to US states if you don't feel like designing a completely new map. Or if you want to be crazy ambitious, you could include all 650 Parliamentary constituencies. That would be a dream to see.
Here's the idea: There will be 12 regions. Depending on how many parliamentary seats each region has will determine its electoral votes. You can find those numbers on Wikipedia. Playing the game on Proportional will be closer to the UK system than the US electoral college is, so that should be receommended. It's not exact, but I don't know a good way to simulate a House-style election in game without tons of seats being added, and I don't know if anybody's got the time for that.
The main parties will not be competing in Northern Ireland, since they don't in real life for the most part. Instead they will be backing some of the other parties up there that represent similar interests to themselves.
LONDON, ENGLAND -- The first half of the decade has proven a turbulent one for the United Kingdom. The growth of a counterculture movement propelled by the upcoming generation of Britons embracing new music, new dress, and a far different outlook on life from their parents has made life very unusual for many British voters, leaving them put off. For many older Britons, the unfortunate passing of Sir Winston Churchill the month before was symbolic of the end of the old era in British politics. Now, it seemed, the new era would begin.
Abroad, for long the domain of the Conservative Party, the situation has gotten tense. The death of Ambassador Sir Pierson John Dixon in French captivity has left Britain infuriated. There are calls for war on France, and the outrage seems to have left the electorate polarized. There are some who blame the Conservative-Liberal coalition government for acting too slowly to save the Ambassador’s life, but for each of them is a Conservative voter who blames the Liberals for tying the Conservatives’ hands. Labour has benefited in small part from this outrage, but few voters truly turn to the Labour Party for salvation in foreign affairs.
Even so, the new generation of voters seems to resonate more with Labour’s social and domestic slate. This is the first election for the generation born after the end of the Second World War, overwhelmingly embracing the counterculture movement and voting against the ruling Conservatives either out of spite or simply to get the stuffy old party out of office.
As such, the split Parliament has only intensified. Conservatives have lost just over thirty seats, dispersed between Labour and Liberals with most weight to Labour. In Northern Ireland the infamous Nationalist Party has seen final defeat at the hands of the party Ulster Protestant Action. The results, therefore, are:
> Conservatives: 275 seats
> Labour: 229 seats
> Liberals: 112 seats
> Independents/Others: 14 seats
The situation has left Jo Grimond, MP for Orkney and Shetland, in the unlikely position of kingmaker. First to attempt to build a coalition would be the present Prime Minister, David Renton, in whose government Grimond presently serves as Secretary of State for Scotland. Bypassing Labour, Prime Minister Renton contacted Grimond in the effort to maintain the old coalition. Surprisingly, Grimond refused.
Citing the failure of the Conservative-Liberal government in the Parisian hostage crisis, the moribund spee
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Overview
With the United Kingdom now in a recession, a vote of no confidence was passed and a snap election called, which resulted in the removal of PM Jo Grimond from his position and the ascension of Gwilym Lloyd George to PM & Liberal Party Leader. Two months have passed and now election day has come to the nation and the polls indicate that it could be anyone’s to win.
Liberal Party
Incumbent PM Gwilym Lloyd George is desperately trying to main the Liberal Parties hold on the nation by implementing several programs to spur economic growth. However, he is having to wait on many of his propositions. He has written up a tariff bill that he hopes will be passed once parliament reconvenes after the election, it would see the implementation of a 15% import tariff on goods that are made in abundance in the UK & a 10% import tariff on almost everything else. Secondly, he has asked for a loan from the United States, however he has received no response due to the domestic violence that has skyrocketed since the midterms and the ongoing impeachment trial against President Smith. The only policy he has been able to implement was his “Made in Britain” program, which has seen the government give subsidies to to companies that put such a label prominently on their products. He has on left London on a couple of occasions to give speeches in several major cities, however he has given many speeches over the radio and TV, a first for any campaign.
https://preview.redd.it/j6ocsaqu9qo71.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=92e8946c98920336e313cfcd50cced7f7c406837
Gwilym Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Labour Party
The Labour is currently facing divisions from the death of Hugh Gaitskill early in the year, with Wilson voicing his support for one economic policy, and Callaghan immediately contradicting him. Despite this, Wilson has gone on a whistle-stop tour of the nation, giving impromptu speeches amongst crowds of people in the most unusual of places, in the middle of zoos & even in supermarkets, which he has described as “a great egalitarian invention which makes getting necessary, every day goods easier.” He has also, for the most part, been avoiding giving any hard answers to the economy, preferring to focus on social issues.
https://preview.redd.it/f8975rr3aqo71.png?width=250
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Overview
The Liberal Party officially withdrew from the coalition with the Conservative Party, resulting in an election being called for March 10th. With the newfound animosity between the Liberals & Conservatives, it looks as though there will not be any Coalition formed, meaning that one of the three parties will have to win a majority. Another interesting facet is the rise of regional Parties in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Island, potentially adding further complications towards making achieving a Parliamentary Majority.
National Parties
Conservative Party
The Conservatives are running on the achievements of the Macmillan Premiership, touting the economic recovery & growth that has taken place over the last 8 years. The majority of the Party also holds to Macmillan’s One Nation Toryism. However, he has faced heavy criticism for his handling of the South African War, having been accused of “selling out” to the Americans by essentially letting then take over the management of the War. Additionally, his age is being brought into question, as he has just turned 77 and the now commonplace color televisions don’t paint a flattering picture of the PM. Despite this, he still maintains a relatively high level of popularity and may be able to carry the Conservatives to victory just on his own.
https://preview.redd.it/chab3klwhp781.png?width=211&format=png&auto=webp&s=1464cb4a0ba5a2aee426a2d1b12a6763741e6524
Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Liberal Party
The Liberals, led by the energetic Jeremy Thorpe, were looking to be in a prime position to take back Downing Street when disaster struck. Thorpe’s wife, Caroline, died in a car crash on Christmas Eve. Since then, the telegenic Thorpe has been notably absent, remaining locked away in his home. The Liberals are also divided between the Classical Liberals and the so-called New Liberals. While the Classical Liberals tend to be more Conservative on social issues and follow laissez-faire economic policies, while the New Liberals are both economically & socially liberal, although not as liberal as Labour. With their leader absent from the public eye, they have been unable to run a unified campaign, which has only exacerbated the ideological tensions within the Party.
https://preview.redd.it/1u5m8bu2ip781.png?widt
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