By-elections are fun, political obsessives dedicate much of their time analyzing their impact but sometimes all of that politics can get a bit too much and so we must turn to the distinct reality of political fiction. Fiction allows the absurd and silly to come to life, and in the realm of political fiction we have the much beloved alternate history genre. 'What If?' is the central tenet of any counter-factual and today's By-election Bonanza article will explore my favourite 'What Ifs' and how by-elections play a central role in their story.
1) The Unreformed Kingdom – Doncaster
'What if Andrew Jackson, Lord Palmerston and the Duke of Wellington were killed?' poses a question that quickly spirals out of control as you delve into The Unreformed Kingdom, a book that showcases an absurdist depiction of a Britain without the Great Reform Act or Catholic Emancipation, a world in which Jeremy Corbyn is a Radical MP in Chichester and Jacob Rees Mogg is considered a bit of a moderniser. 'Progs' on smart phones allow anyone and everyone to watch public hangings and Birmingham is a desolate hell of smoke and a working class teetering on the brink of revolt, okay so maybe not everything has changed. This book is brilliant, genuinely brilliant. It holds such a sharp wit that allows for subtle humour, bemusing those who get its obscure references to 19th century British politics or 21st century pop culture. Importantly, the book concludes on a by-election.
The 2015 Doncaster by-election is seen as a bit of an anomaly in the world of The Unreformed Kingdom, having a total of 5 candidates rather than the typical contest of one Tory, one Whig and possibly a radical thrown into the mix. The by-election is called after the incumbent MP, the Conservative David Lascelles, resigns following the Whigs attempting to get him out via petition and is re-standing again to have all those petitions reset. He, however, is under threat from his own party as the local mayor of Doncaster, Jeremiah Clarkson, is standing due to his dislike for Lascelles. While initially presenting an easy ride for the Whig candidate, John Cavendish Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, he too is facing a fight from his own side who think he is too inexperienced. The local Martin Winter stands as an independent Whig. Finally, there is the Radical Lewis Tomlinson. All of these names may seem familiar and having had to Google a few I'm blown away by the sheer level of research that has gone into the book. I won't spoil the results but I assure you that the victory speech of the winning candidate will make you chuckle like an idiot.
The Unreformed Kingdom can be bought here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unreformed-Kingdom-Tom-Anderson-ebook/dp/B015TRU2HY
2) Not An English Word – Eastleigh
Lord Palmerston is an obscure figure in British politics but he really shouldn't be. Prime Minister from 1855-1858 and then again from 1859-1865, he is debatably the first ever Liberal Prime Minister, although had started his parliamentary career as a Tory. He passed the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, making it possible for courts to grant divorce and removed divorce from the jurisdiction of church courts. He established crown rule over India. The reason we have the term gunboat diplomacy. He was a juggernaut on the international scene that laid in motion the events of history that has formed our modern world. He was also really lucky, like really really lucky. Imagine, if you will then, 'what if he was brought back?'.
Following the 2015 General Election the Liberal Democrats are decimated. Their leadership was demoralised and their future in tatters, so Nick Clegg, David Laws, Danny Alexander and others got together to enact a great plan. Using an ancient Celtic ritual to reset the clock to 2010 they sought to bring back some figure from the days of old and start winning here. However, Paddy Ashdown disagrees and following a quick scuffle rather than Lloyd George or Gladstone being brought back, Lord Palmerston was instead with a new name: Harry Church. He quickly rises in popularity, becoming a Boris-like figure that is a bit outrageous and silly but a powerful and commanding speaker. However, he becomes far too powerful. The book is hilarious, making intelligent references to his 19th century career, for example he saw the Great Reform Act as necessary but the final point of reform so of course he was opposed in 2011 to the AV referendum. Reading this book will seem like an outrageous Lib Dem fantasy but it is a wonderful modern retelling of Lord Palmerston. One of the butterflies of this 'What if?' is that the in the ceaseless coverage of him, others are forgotten. Nigel Farage is a casualty of this and this is particularly highlighted in the Eastleigh by-election which the Liberal Democrats lose due to a consolidated Tory vote that isn't hit by a surging UKIP vote. Church challenges Clegg to a leadership election and the rest is history...
Not An English Word can be bought here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-English-Word-Tom-Anderson-ebook/dp/B01FCBBAKU
3) A Greater Britain – Birmingham Ladywood
Oswald Mosley is rightfully treated as the fascist scum that he is, a joke for us to ridicule and enable us to stand tall against the rise of evil that spread across Europe and the World in the 1920s and 30s. His political career is treated as a minor footnote, a hooligan who somehow wore a suit and got into Parliament. This, however, is a flawed observation of our history. Oswald Mosley was once the darling of Parliament, a rising star described as "The most polished speaker in the House of Commons." who would go on to serve in Labour's National Executive Council. He used this platform to attempt to reshape the Labour Party under his radical 'Mosley Memorandum' which failed narrowly. Having lost his will with Labour he went onto form the New Party and eventually spiral his way into fascism. Yet in a Greater Britain, the author Ed Thomas proposes that if Mosley had just won a normal election in Birmingham Ladywood rather than a by-election in Smethwick then he would have become Prime Minister.
This is a book that I'd rather not spoil, it is so well researched and comprehensive that it really did convince me that we were only a handful of votes away from the obscure and mocked figure of Mosley becoming our Prime Minister. It’s tense in a way you wouldn’t expect from a book which uses the medium of academic articles to sell its story yet I couldn’t find the time to stop and put the book down. It’s also the only physical book you can actually buy out of the three I’ve mentioned, which is hopefully a draw for the beautiful artwork on the front alone.
A Greater Britain can be bought here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greater-Britain-Ed-Thomas-ebook/dp/B015T7VSXG
I hope that these 3 books will satisfy a hidden itch for alternate history that you may not have known you had, it has certainly grown my desire to continue my ruinous relationship with writing which will likely end in a tragedy itself. Their publisher, Sea Lion Press, has a whole lot more books that I'd highly recommend reading but because I am trying to attempt to keep this all related to by-elections I thought I might as well keep some form of consistent theme.
Thank you so much for reading By-election Bonanza, I've been Adam Lawless and I'll see you in 2 weeks for something that I PROMISE WILL BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO AN ACTUAL BY-ELECTION.
If you enjoyed today’s article you can SIGN UP below to easily access all future posts right in your inbox.