John Smith Survives - A UK Timeline

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

May 12th 1994 - The Leader of the Opposition suffers a small heart attack, but is expected to make a speedy recovery. In a statement John Smith says he will stay on as Labour leader and will be making some major lifestyle changes in order to keep his health strong.

The rest of 1994 - Prime Minister John Major's position grows more and more untenable as the Tory sleaze allegations spiral across the Conservative Party;the PM trails Labour in opinion polls by 15 points or more. However, unemployment continues to fall as the economy improves. More good news comes for the UK comes in August as the IRA declares a cease fire.

1995 - More bad news comes for John Major this year as his party loses a string of by elections in the early months of 1995. After shadowed challenges to his leadership, Major declares a leadership election. The first ballot in July has Major leading former cabinet minister John Redwood by only 100 votes. After this devastating blow to his power, Major bows out and Heseltine and Portillo hop in. After Redwood drops out in favor of the right-wing Portillo, Portillo defeats the centrist Heseltine on the third ballot.

      Portillo reshuffles the Tory Party cabinet and throws out many centrists Europhiles and moderates such as Ken Clarke. Surprisingly, this move is viewed positively by the voting public as Portillo is seen as clearing out Major's unpopular ministers, in addition to a fresh charismatic face contrasting with the sleep-inducing Major. Seeing as poll numbers have jumped from a 15 point deficit to a 2 point lead over Labour, Portillo decides to call a snap election to solidify his authority. The Tories run a near flawless positive campaign emphasizing the recovering economy in contrast to Labour's dreary centrist "one more heave-esque" message under John Smith.

October 1995 UK Election

Conservative Party - 313 -23 (40.0%)

Labour Party - 291 +20 (36.6%)

Liberal Democrats - 23 +3 (18.7%)

       Although Portillo lost his majority, he now had a government of his own and a party in his own image. He enters into a confidence and supply agreement with the UUP and forms a minority government. The rest of 1995 goes smoothly for the UK, with Portillo boasting positive approval ratings. Things were not so smooth in the Labour Party where many modernizing mps, such as Tony Blair, were out for John Smith's blood after a fifth straight election defeat. In mid-November, Blair called a vote of no confidence which passed 150-141. The leadership election was on. Only two candidates declared, the incumbent Smith and the ringleader of the rebellion Tony Blair.

       Results of the leadership election are coming soon!

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

Labour Leadership Contest
The Campaign is off!
Smith and Blair begin the long slog of hand shaking and favors in order to become leader of the Labour Party. Smith has moved markedly to left to contrast with the full on right-wing (of the Labour Party) Blair. In somewhat of a surprise, the Socialist Campaign Group rallies hard around Smith's more left wing brand of politics. Blair's attacks write themselves: Smith is a defeated and tired leader who needs to go if the Party is to ever enter government. The race is a pure toss up and predictions are all over the place. At long last on December 15th 1995 at an emergency party conference in Brighton, the result is announced:

Labour Party Leadership Election

Candidate: John Smith        Tony Blair
MP Votes:       48.4%                51.6%
Affiliates:        65.9%                34.1%
Members:       54.0%                46.0%          
Total Result:   56.1%                43.9%

Blair and Smith shake hands when the result is announced. Blair is demoted from Shadow Home Secretary to Shadow Secretary of State for Health; Smith shows he was serious about moving to the left when he replaces several moderate ministers (such as Jack Straw) with those on the left of the party like Kevin Barron. The demoralized Blair announces he will stand down from parliament at the next election. Shadow Chancellor Gordon Brown (with Blair exiting the scene) emerges from the scuffle as a potential frontrunner to the Labour Party Leadership whenever Smith should decide to resign.

Alas, the UK moves on into the latter half of the 1990s with a popular new Tory Government. Will Labour ever win another election many pundits ask.

[Orwell]

May 12th 1994 - The Leader of the Opposition suffers a small heart attack, but is expected to make a speedy recovery. In a statement John Smith says he will stay on as Labour leader and will be making some major lifestyle changes in order to keep his health strong.

The rest of 1994 - Prime Minister John Major's position grows more and more untenable as the Tory sleaze allegations spiral across the Conservative Party;the PM trails Labour in opinion polls by 15 points or more. However, unemployment continues to fall as the economy improves. More good news comes for the UK comes in August as the IRA declares a cease fire.

1995 - More bad news comes for John Major this year as his party loses a string of by elections in the early months of 1995. After shadowed challenges to his leadership, Major declares a leadership election. The first ballot in July has Major leading former cabinet minister John Redwood by only 100 votes. After this devastating blow to his power, Major bows out and Heseltine and Portillo hop in. After Redwood drops out in favor of the right-wing Portillo, Portillo defeats the centrist Heseltine on the third ballot.

      Portillo reshuffles the Tory Party cabinet and throws out many centrists Europhiles and moderates such as Ken Clarke. Surprisingly, this move is viewed positively by the voting public as Portillo is seen as clearing out Major's unpopular ministers, in addition to a fresh charismatic face contrasting with the sleep-inducing Major. Seeing as poll numbers have jumped from a 15 point deficit to a 2 point lead over Labour, Portillo decides to call a snap election to solidify his authority. The Tories run a near flawless positive campaign emphasizing the recovering economy in contrast to Labour's dreary centrist "one more heave-esque" message under John Smith.

October 1995 UK Election

Conservative Party - 313 -23 (40.0%)

Labour Party - 291 +20 (36.6%)

Liberal Democrats - 23 +3 (18.7%)

       Although Portillo lost his majority, he now had a government of his own and a party in his own image. He enters into a confidence and supply agreement with the UUP and forms a minority government. The rest of 1995 goes smoothly for the UK, with Portillo boasting positive approval ratings. Things were not so smooth in the Labour Party where many modernizing mps, such as Tony Blair, were out for John Smith's blood after a fifth straight election defeat. In mid-November, Blair called a vote of no confidence which passed 150-141. The leadership election was on. Only two candidates declared, the incumbent Smith and the ringleader of the rebellion Tony Blair.

       Results of the leadership election are coming soon!

How did the Tory's win they've been in power for nearly 20 years.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

May 12th 1994 - The Leader of the Opposition suffers a small heart attack, but is expected to make a speedy recovery. In a statement John Smith says he will stay on as Labour leader and will be making some major lifestyle changes in order to keep his health strong.

The rest of 1994 - Prime Minister John Major's position grows more and more untenable as the Tory sleaze allegations spiral across the Conservative Party;the PM trails Labour in opinion polls by 15 points or more. However, unemployment continues to fall as the economy improves. More good news comes for the UK comes in August as the IRA declares a cease fire.

1995 - More bad news comes for John Major this year as his party loses a string of by elections in the early months of 1995. After shadowed challenges to his leadership, Major declares a leadership election. The first ballot in July has Major leading former cabinet minister John Redwood by only 100 votes. After this devastating blow to his power, Major bows out and Heseltine and Portillo hop in. After Redwood drops out in favor of the right-wing Portillo, Portillo defeats the centrist Heseltine on the third ballot.

      Portillo reshuffles the Tory Party cabinet and throws out many centrists Europhiles and moderates such as Ken Clarke. Surprisingly, this move is viewed positively by the voting public as Portillo is seen as clearing out Major's unpopular ministers, in addition to a fresh charismatic face contrasting with the sleep-inducing Major. Seeing as poll numbers have jumped from a 15 point deficit to a 2 point lead over Labour, Portillo decides to call a snap election to solidify his authority. The Tories run a near flawless positive campaign emphasizing the recovering economy in contrast to Labour's dreary centrist "one more heave-esque" message under John Smith.

October 1995 UK Election

Conservative Party - 313 -23 (40.0%)

Labour Party - 291 +20 (36.6%)

Liberal Democrats - 23 +3 (18.7%)

       Although Portillo lost his majority, he now had a government of his own and a party in his own image. He enters into a confidence and supply agreement with the UUP and forms a minority government. The rest of 1995 goes smoothly for the UK, with Portillo boasting positive approval ratings. Things were not so smooth in the Labour Party where many modernizing mps, such as Tony Blair, were out for John Smith's blood after a fifth straight election defeat. In mid-November, Blair called a vote of no confidence which passed 150-141. The leadership election was on. Only two candidates declared, the incumbent Smith and the ringleader of the rebellion Tony Blair.

       Results of the leadership election are coming soon!

How did the Tory's win they've been in power for nearly 20 years.

Portillo was a fresh new face and Smith was seen as tired. (see 1992)

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1996 - In the new year the economy chugs right along with falling unemployment and solid economic growth. New election polls so essentially a tied race between Labour Leader Smith and PM Portillo.

January Election Polls
Labour: 40%, Conservative: 38%
Labour: 37%, Conservative: 37%

In Northern Ireland, the IRA honors the cease-fire agreement but peace talks continue to stall. The government sets out there right-wing agenda for the following parliament; however, it is difficult to pass legislation with a hung parliament. Attempts to cut spending on the NHS and other welfare programs are defeated several times. The government does manage to pass Education Act of 1996 which assists special needs students and the Arbitration Act of 1996.

Overseas, Portillo tries to reestablish the special relationship between him and Clinton which Major let fall apart. Portillo stands "Shoulder to shoulder" with the US strikes in Iraq in September and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia.

In non-political news, Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce after many fraught years of marriage and Dolly the Sheep is born.
 

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1997 - As the new Tory government's honeymoon period came to an end in 1997, as issues with the IRA began to take center stage. A string of car bombings in Manchester and London along with the ending altogether of peace talks in Belfast damage Westminster's authority. Mid-summer election polls show the newly energized Labour party 5-10 points ahead in polls.

      Speaking of the Labour party, a move to the soft-left from the center is initiated by Leader John Smith.  Subsequently, party membership swells and Smith adds many high profile soft-left mps to his cabinet such as Angela Eagle. Shadow Chancellor Gordon Brown abandons his promise to stick to Tory spending limits and advocates for more spending and taxes. Many think that this will make Labour unelectable, but after 18 years in Opposition winning an election should be easy.

        On the other side of the house, the Tories remain divided about Europe and innumerable sex scandals drag the party down. The next election, whenever it happens, many pundits say is Labour's to lose.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1998 - As tensions in Ireland continue, scandals in the new year hamper the Tory government. Conservative MP Jerry Hayes is outed by a Sun reporter and rumors about the PM's own sexual history erode his once rock-solid support among the Thatcherite base of the party.

More troubles for the government appear when they lose a string of by-elections making the Conservatives dependent not only on the UUP for support but on the three seats the DUP holds.

1998 marked a slow decline in the fortunes of the Conservative government; for the first time since Wilson the county looks ready to elect a truly left-wing government in John Smith: John Smith at the Labour conference, "A radical new age of the equality and prosperity await us."

Next Election Poll

Labour 42%, Conservative 36%

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1999 - The Troubles are over! (at least for a little bit) After the reopening of negotiations in February, the government successfully worked out a power-sharing agreement between Nationalists and Unionists in Northern Ireland contingent a government agreed by both sides in the Stormont and open crossings between the land border. Unfortunately, this peace was soon overshadowed by ethnic riots spiraling across the north of England over the summer months. Minorities and members of the far-right BNP clashed in Leeds, Liverpool, Bradford, and Manchester. The Tory government, seemingly unwilling to dirty their hands in this politically toxic event, appears paralyzed.
      As cities in the north burn, casualties of officers and rioters alike pile up. In parliament, the Leader of the Opposition asks Portillo what he will do for the riots. In a now infamous blunder Portillo replies, "What is there to be done?"
       The Tory government finally acts, but in perhaps the worst way possible. By coordinating with local authorities, Home Secretary Michael Howard increases the number of police officers and authorizes extreme riot control tactics. The sight of police hosing crowds of people and beating protesters turn public opinion against the law enforcement.
      Sensing blood, John Smith calls a vote of no confidence against the weakened government on August 18th. With by-elections eroding their majority away (even with the UUP and the DUP assistance) and the Lib Dems in no mood to help, the government loses 319-325. "This house has lost its confidence in the government" is yelled by Smith above the raucous commons atmosphere. And just like that the general election is on. The following Tuesday the government announces the general election will be held in six weeks time: Thursday 7 October 1999.
      

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1999 Election Campaign -

Contrary to popular belief, elections don't always solve riots. The West Yorkshire Police place many majority-minority neighborhood on high alert. In Harehills and Hyde Park police arrest 50 men for leading the riots. With the head cut off the rest of the body, the riots die down over September.

In response to the riots, Labour proposes a "BAME Bill of Rights" including police reform and expanded rights for immigrants and non-citizens. Speaking of new policies, Labour has no shortage. The 1999 Labour manifesto theme is "A radical future of prosperity for all". Smith proposes an expanded welfare state, the aforementioned BAME Bill of Rights, a written constitution, devolution, further integration with Europe, rights for LGBT people, reforming (or abolishing) the House of Lords, and expanded worker's rights. Notably, at John Smith's request, Clause IV is not added back into the party constitution.

On the other hand, the Tories slogan of "You can only be sure with the Conservatives" pretty much demonstrates their campaign. More of the same is the name of the game. Portillo pledges to further reduce taxes and regulations as heir to the Thatcher legacy.

The Liberals, lead once agains by Ashdown, appear posied to make limited gains but no real breakthroughs.

On the campaign trail Portillo and Smith battle it out, with each having faced each other over the dispatch box for the past four years. Smith appears as affable and endearing while Portillo comes off more as snobbish to the average British voter. Smith has gone through a whirlwind of change since the disappointment of 1995; after having cut his teeth for four more years in the House of Commons he comes off as not just a dour Scotsman but a real leader.

In mid-September a batch of polls are released:

Labour: 40%, Conservatives: 38% Liberal Democrats: 17%
Labour: 35%, Conservatives: 35%Liberal Democrats: 18%
Labour: 42%, Conservatives: 39%

All three of the polls suggest another hung parliament or an ever-so-narrow Labour majority.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

The Campaign Continues -

In the second half of the campaign, after the big unveilings of party manifestos, the candidates themselves come onto center stage. In one corner we have the incumbent PM, Michael Portillo, MP for Enfield Southgate. On the other hand, we have the Leader of the Opposition John Smith, MP for Monklands East. Michael Portillo is seen as perhaps a case of buyer's remorse by the British public, with him being the epitome of the posh southern Tory. He has never been particularly popular or well liked but, plain and simple, in 1995 the country was not going to elect a socialist.

John Smith, having worked on his public persona after his disappointing defeat, is seen almost as a wise old grandad.

But, as the Tories often have said during this campaign, "the numbers don't lie". And they sure don't: the economy is booming. In early October solid economic numbers were release with high growth and unemployment at only around 5%.

John Smith when asked about the numbers claims, "What is the good of a good economy when it only enriches the rich and the rest of the nation is tearing itself apart?" Smith's reference to the West Yorkshire riots reflect many in the public's dissatisfaction with the government response to those race riots.

As October 7 approaches, the electorate is presented with a choice, more of the same prosperity with the Tories and Portillo, or a progressive new future for the new millennium with John Smith.

The last batch of polls shows an ever-so-slight increase in the Labour lead:

Labour 41%, Conservative 38%, Liberal Democrats 15%: 330 Labour, 270 Conservative

Labour 36%, Conservative 34%, Liberal Democrats 20%: 310 Labour, 270 Conservative

Labour 38%, Conservative 35%, Liberal Democrats 18%: 315 Labour, 265 Conservative

[BigVic]

John Smith losing a GE is surprising.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

John Smith losing a GE is surprising.

Yeah it is, but I guess Kinnock losing in 1992 was surprising as well.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1999 Election Night -

 David Dimbleby - "...and as Big Ben strikes 10, we can announce the results of our exit poll."

 

Exit Poll Results Labour 318 +27 Conservative 284 -29 Liberal Democrats 25 +2

This looks an almost exact reverse from the last election with an average swing of 2.5% from Conservative to Labour. We can expect the first few seats to declare in about 50 minutes. Now we have Labour MP Harriet Harman and Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith in our studio this evening.

Harman: "This looks to be a successful exit poll for the Labour Party, if it is indeed true, it would put us in position to form a government..."

Smith: The Conservative votes seems to have held up well, let us not forget that Labour have failed for the sixth time to form a majority government if this pool is true..."

10:50pm - Sunderland South Result: Lab 63.8%, Con 23.3%, Lib 11.5 = Labour Majority of 17,219 or 38.9%.

Dimbleby - "This is about a swing of 2.0% to Labour, which in line with our exit poll..."

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

Election Night Continued

12:15 am - Labour's first flip of the night comes in Birmingham Edgbaston with a larger than expected swing 8% to Labour.
1:00 am - Labour flips Burton on an another 8% swing.
1:30 am - Labour flips Eastwood on a whopping 10% swing. This seat was far down on Labour's target list.

 Dimbleby - "Many results are now pouring in and we can now see that swings in marginals are much larger than we originally expected. This changes our prediction to a much more favorable result for Labour than our exit poll suggests.

Seats as of 2:00am -

Labour 137 Conservative 78 Liberal Democrats 7

Labour Panelist - "It looks like polls underestimated Labour votes and there is a true yearning for change in the country..."

Conservative Panelist - "If this updated poll is correct, we need some serious new ideas and thinking in the Conservative. I think that should start with Portillo stepping down.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

Election Night Continued

 Seats as of 6:30am -

Labour 324 Conservative 222 Liberal Democrats 25

6:34am - Dimbleby - "We can now declare that Ipswich and Canncock Chase will go to Labour with an increased majority, and now we can official project that Labour will have an overall majority in the next parliament! Wow, this comes as a surprise to all of us at the BBC. I guess you should always remember that the exit poll is just that - a poll."

9:30am - Portillo resigns as Prime Minister - "We have accomplished so much over this past 3 and a half years, and I hope to accomplish more in the future, that is why I will be staying as Leader of the Conservative Party. We need a steady hand to guide us through Opposition and I will do just that until we return to government at the next opportunity."

10:00am - "Portillo has just left Buckingham Palace after meeting with the queen after announcing he will stay on as Conservative Party leader, Mr. Smith is heading there now to be appointed Prime Minister".

(Smith goes to Downing Street for the first time) - "The Queen has asked me to form a government in her name. We have a lot to do over the next parliament and I intend on starting today. I will be appointing my cabinet later today and we will begin drafting a Queen's Speech detailing our ambitious agenda for next week..."

Final Results Next

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

1999 Election Final Results

Labour: John Smith (Airdrie and Shotts)- 341 +50 - 39.4%
Conservative: Michael Portillo (Enfield Southgate)- 258 -55 - 35.0%
Liberal Democrats: Paddy Ashdown (Yeovil)- 28 +5 - 20.2%

Mr. Smith held on to his Scottish seat of Airdire and Shotts with a large majority of 20,000. On the other hand Mr. Portillo held on to his seat with a much decreased majority of 7,600.

The Conservatives lost seats pretty much everywhere but especially in the North where backlash to riots and their policies were particularly strong. The party was reduced to 3 mps in Scotland and Wales apiece. The party lost seats from Blackpool to Plymouth and Edinburgh to Hastings.

With the turbulent election behind the nation, Labour can rule the nation for the next five years with a comfortable majority of 42 seats.

[Transgender for Everybody]

Didn't see the rest of election night, so I saw Portillo on top in the final results and thought that he somehow won another term.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

The end of the Millennium -

As the new Millennium approaches, the newly elected Labour government sets about implementing its far reaching and transformative manifesto. First on their agenda is creating the aforementioned "BAME Bill of Rights". During the Queen's Speech it becomes apparent this is the governments for policy initiative in the wake of the destructive race riots that summer. The Bill has several main tenants -

Immigration Bill of 1999 and Police Reform Bill of 199

 - Increased rights for non-citizens legally in the UK
 - Extensive reform and diversifcation of police forces and tactics
 - Encouragement of appointment of minorities to the House of Lords and the civil service until reaching parity
 - Improved Detention centers for illegal immigrants
 - Codification of birthright citizenship to include anyone born on British soil.

Immediately the Bills had many enemies in the House of Commons but was ultimately passed with some Labour abstentions and help from left-wing third parties. (Bill passed 325-263, and 330-255). Soon, however, it became apparent that the Bills would be delayed in the House of Lords as long as possible due to right-wing backbench Lords. Many in the house decry the immigration Bill as "erasing nationality". Ultimately, of course, the Bill was passed and received royal assent in December. But, the stonewalling by the House of Lords caused Smith to move to drastically reform the House the expedite his agenda.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

2000 House of Lords Reform -
As the new year opens parliament is back in session. The Labour government immediately turns its attention to the drastic reforms to the House of Lords - a long held Labour belief. The bill when drafted contains many major reforms including, abolishing ALL hereditary peerages, shrinking the size from nearly 1,300 to a hard cap at 650 peers, a reformed, more accountable process of selecting lords, and a decreased ability to delay legislation. The bill included a clause to gradually reduce the size over the next two years

After passion the commons relatively easily, unsurprisingly certain Lords again stonewalled the legislation when it reached the House. After much drama and debate the law received royal assent on 14 February, 2000.


The State of The Conservative Party -

After the successful passage of two flagship pieces of Labour legislation, many in the Tory party started asking, "When is Portillo finally going to quit?" The answer from the Leader of the Opposition was "not anytime soon". After much raucous and back-door dealings the 1922 Committee called a vote of no-confidence in Portillo. In a big surprise Portillo actually held on - and by a much bigger margin than anyone suspected (158-100).

Although Portillo stays on as Leader, he is sidelined in Parliament and in public by Smith who continues his ambitious agenda into the winter. In a policy speech in January he lays out the plan for the year 2000 - "In this next year we shall endeavor to write a Constitution to end the 'elective dictatorship', integrate-with the assent of the Irish-into the Schengen, and legislate referendums on devolution for our constituent countries."

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

A Return to Europe

After the successful adoption of the Northern Ireland Peace agreement last spring, the UK Government has called for several amendments to the agreement in order to facilitate the joining of the Common Travel Area (CTA) between Ireland and the United Kingdom into the European Schengen Area. As further integration with Europe was a key plank of the Labour Party's successful election campaign last fall, Smith campaigned hard on this plank although it had opposition on both the far-left of his party and a large chuck of the Conservatives.

As Ireland is a largely Pro-European nation, joining Schengen was hugely popular in Ireland; in the North, the DUP remained opposed but the UUP was in favor. In Britain, the proposal was controversial but the largely remainder government rejected calls for any referendums. 

At a conference in May, British (Smith), Irish (Ahern), and Northern Irish leaders agreed to formally apply to join Schengen. The main result would be to abolish all passport controls between the Isles and the Continent.

The response from the EU was predictable, the Isles could join contingent on all sides honoring the Northern Irish Agreement. Parliament ratified into law the Schengen Act of 2000 in late summer (passing with an interesting coalition of Pro-Europeans, 379-200) and set the entry date for 1 July 2001.

[erſatz-york]

If Smith can get Britain to adopt the Euro, it will become impossible to disentangle Britain from the European Union.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

Devolution:

   As was Labour policy for almost a decade now, devolution was next on Smith’s list of policy initiatives. In the early part of 2000, the Government introduced legislation calling for referendums in Scotland and Wales. Subsequently, the measures passed in late July, in Scotland overwhelmingly and in Wales narrowly. Afterwards, parliament promptly passes the establishment of Welsh and Scottish Assemblies.

   After the passage of several major programs, opinion polling in September for the next election stands with Labour leading:

Labour: 46%
Conservative: 32%
Liberal Democrat: 18%

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

2000 in Review -

In Labour’s first full year in government, they delivered on a series-although not all-of their promises to the British people. Labour’s fortunes are buoyed by a golden economic legacy left by the Tories. The economy remains strong with low unemployment and high growth. The UK managed to avoid the mild recession hitting many other Western countries because of the DotCom bubble. In addition, Smith’s popularity remains high with approval ratings hovering around 65% (although the Labour Party does not poll as high). The bad economic memories associated with the Wilson and Callaghan governments in the 70s wash away.

Chancellor Brown’s deft management of the economy earns him great praise in the party and the public. Finally, Labour is seen as the natural, competent, party of government. Leader of the Opposition Michael Portillo is completely sidelined on the political scene, with him being unable to stem the tide of new largely Pro-European, liberal, legislation. Portillo reshuffles his shadow cabinet to include more moderates and pro-Europeans: a reflection of the shifting political zeitgeist in both Britain and the Conservative Party.

Internationally, the Concorde disaster in July reflected poorly on the planes and there are many questioning the safety of the outdated planes. More importantly, in the United States, George Bush is narrowly elected president against Vice President Gore. Smith, who has a relatively good working-relationship in with Clinton (even though their premierships intersected for little over a year), seeks to maintain the special relationship with the new president. However, as Smith is a committed European, he generally looks more to the continent instead of to America for international affairs.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

The Road to a Constitution

Finally, at long last, with great expectations, Smith unveils his most desired goal: a written British Constitution. In January 2001, PM Smith and Leader of the Opposition unveil cross-party talks on the potential creation of a Constitution. In the Conservative Party a Constitution is seen as a tool to stop the rampant centralization and legislation from the Labour Government. In the Labour Party, Smith has enshrined the thought of a Constitution into the minds of the membership. Smith tours the country, speaking to people, and listening to concerns; Portillo does likewise.

After a few months, the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution is formed to draft a British Constitution. Chairman Harriet Harman and Deputy Chairman Iain Duncan Smith lay out several main tenants of a potential Constitution on the advice of the leadership of the main parties:

-Laying out of a Formal Court System to settle the Constitutionality of Acts of Parliament
-Establishing limits on the Prime Minister via the Cabinet
-Setting the length of Parliament for 5 years (snap elections are still allowed)
-Stripping Monarch of all veto powers
-Setting up completely independent boundary commissions
-Formally stripping the House of Lords of all legislative powers, and reducing to an advisory body
-Hard caps on the size of the Commons and Lords at 650 for both

The Constitution Act in Parliament finally passed after many amendments and motion on 1 September, 2001. The Act provides for a referendum on the Adoption of the Constitution, and ratification of all Devolved Government. The Referendum is scheduled for Thursday 9 May 2002. Devolved Governments - which have their first elections in the spring as well - will choose to ratify or not to ratify the Constitution provided it passes.

[Corbyn is (no longer) the leader of the Labour Party]

2001 in Review

2001 had none of the great, sweeping, legislation that 2000 had. The government turned its attention to an array of smaller, domestic problems. The crisis in NHS funding reached a boiling point and the Treasury, under the direction of Chancellor Gordon Brown, raised taxes in order to pay for increased funding. The public, seeing it was necessary, accepted the hike in taxes in exchange for a better functioning NHS. Pensioners also benefited from the hike in taxes as their stipends were raised.

The economy performed noticeably worse in 2001 than it had the year before, with growth only reaching about 0.8% over the whole year. The stagnation was also accompanied with higher inflation and a bottoming out in the unemployment rate.

In July the United Kingdom celebrated Schengen Day with the adoption of the CTA in the Schengen Area. Tourism rose, giving a boost to many tourism-dependent towns in the UK.

Abroad, the 9/11 attacks surprised many in the UK with the attack’s ferocity and barbarism. Smith called GWB the day of and said, “We stand together as brothers in the fight against terrorism.” Subsequently, Smith committed troops to the US’s Operation Enduring Freedom the following month. The intervention was well-handled and there were few casualties. The Afghani Invasion was popular in the UK with only those on the left-wing of the Labour Party opposing it. After the first phase of the invasion ended in December, the UK withdrew the vast majority of their troops and only maintained a skeleton force in Afghanistan.