United Commonwealth

[Rhodie]

Suppose Joseph Chamberlain's ambitions for a Commonwealth Federation consolidated as a single country, which in reality never happened, came true. Would anyone like to do some collaborative elections for this?

[Peter the Lefty]

So there would be a single country consisting of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand?  Interesting concept.  I'll get to work on an alternate history.  If that's what the dream consists of. 

[Peter the Lefty]

So there would be a single country consisting of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand?  Interesting concept.  I'll get to work on an alternate history.  If that's what the dream consists of. 

1942: FDR manages to convince Churchill to grant independence to British colonies peacefully after the war, on one bizarre-sounding condition: That the United Kingdom merges with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to form a single British Commonwealth with its capital in London, so that Britain remains a large superpower.  Imagine this dialog:
FDR: Say, Winnie, I have made four failed attempts at convincing you to give independence to your colonies after the war.  
Churchill: And now I guess you're going to make a fifth.  That socialist Wallace has set got you trying to end colonialism, isn't he?  
FDR: Well, I'd be doing it with or without Henry telling me.  
Churchill: It's a lost cause, Franklin.  
FDR: I've got a clever idea.  
Churchill: Dare I ask?
FDR: The mother country lets her forcibly adopted daughter countries have their freedom.  But the true daughter countries join the mother country so that she remains strong.  
Churchill: I beg your pardon?
FDR: Chamberlain dreamed of a United Commonwealth of Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.  The British countries, so to speak.  The populations of all three of the other countries are a mere fraction of yours.  Yet any loss of global influence Britain would see due to decolonization would be easily reversed.  
Churchill: I am not Neville.  He was a mere coward.  
FDR: Does that render any idea he might have had useless?  
Churchill: Well, I suppose not.  
FDR: Take Henry for example.  He has strange religious views.  His political views are well to the left of mine.  I'd dismiss him as off his rocker!  But he's still very intelligent when it comes to agriculture.  
Churchill: Well, I'll consider the idea.  I'm sure the war will inspire a sense of Britishness in our daughter countries.  But there's one problem.  Canada isn't all British.  What would the people of Quebec think?  
FDR: Well, that's your last bit of colonialism.  
(later, at another meeting)
Churchill: Franklin, I've reconsidered.  I like the idea of a united commonwealth.  
FDR: I thought you might.  

[Peter the Lefty]

        Churchill and FDR hold meetings with Australian Country Party leader Robert Fadden and Liberal Party leader Robert Menzies, as well as New Zealand National leader Sidney Holland and Canadian PC party leader John Bracken to get the four on board with the proposal.  After FDR's death in 1945, Truman reminds Churchill of the commitment.  Soon, however, the Labour victory in the election causes problems, as Attlee is opposed to the united commonwealth concept.  In 1949, when both Menzies and Holland are elected to power in their respective countries, hope arises for the plan.  Finally, in 1951, when Churchill returns to power in the UK, the plan starts to go through.  However, when Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurier is approached on the idea, he flatly rejects the proposal, as a Quebecer.  He says that even holding a referendum would "destroy and divide Canada." Britain, Australia, and New Zealand decide to push forward on the plan without Canada, though with the option for Canada joining later still on the table.  All three countries hold simultaneous referendums on a United British Commonwealth in 1952, and they all pass.  
        The Commonwealth is to have a general election at least every four years, with a FPTP voting system, and 800 seats.  Britain is to have 641.  Australia is to have 130.  New Zealand is to have 29.  There are no complaints over this system, since the seats are proportional population-wise.  Next, the dilemma of political parties becomes an issue.  The Labour parties of the three countries merge without a problem.  The lack of British-style Liberal parties in Australia and New Zealand causes Jack Marshall to leave the New Zealand National Party and form the Liberal Party of New Zealand.  It also causes Billy Hughes to form the Australian Liberal Democratic Party.  Both of these parties join with the British Liberal Party to form the Liberal Party of the Commonwealth.  The Australian Liberals and Country Party and the New Zealand nationals join with the British Conservatives to form the Conservative and Unionist Commonwealth Party. Churchill wins the leadership of this new party unopposed.  Attlee is elected as the leader of the Commonwealth-wide Labour Party.  Jack Marshall wins the Commonwealth Liberal leadership. Churchill wins the first general election in 1953, at which point Attlee would resign as Labour leader, to be succeeded by Hugh Gaitskell.  Churchill resigns as Tory leader and Prime Minister and retires in 1955.  Robert Menzies is elected by the Conservatives as his successor.  
        In 1957, Menzies wins the election, but John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservatives win in Canada too, prompting new hopes that Canada may yet join the Commonwealth.  In 1958, Diefenbaker's government holds a referendum on joining, and to the surprise of many, the yes side wins, in spite of a massive no vote in Quebec (over 80%).  The Menzies government is re-electein with an increased majority in 1961.  Thanks to many passionate sovereigntist speeches by French President Charles de Gaulle, nationalism begins to sweep Quebec.  Rioting against perceived "colonialism" becomes rampant throughout the province, and polls show nearly 80% support for sovereignty.  Menzies allows the province to hold a referendum on independence, and the vote is an overwhelming "yes" vote. 

[Peter the Lefty]

Oh, and the three main Canadian parties would've merged with their counterparts.  Here's a list I made of Prime Ministers of this Commonwealth. 
1. Winston Churchill–Conservative–1953-1955
2. Robert Menzies–Conservative–1955-1965
3. Tommy Douglas–Labour–1965-1969
4. Edward Heath–Conservative–1969-1972
5. Tommy Douglas–Labour–1972–1974
6. James Callaghan–Labour–1974-1980
7. Margaret Thatcher–Conservative–1980-1990
8. Michael Howard–Conservative–1990-1996
9. Tony Blair–Labour–1996-2004
10. Helen Clark–Labour–2004
11. Stephen Harper–Conservative–2004-2008
12. Jack Layton–Labour–2008-2011
13. Harriet Harman–Labour–2011 (acting)
14. Julia Gillard–Labour–2011-Present

[Jerseyrules]

Interesting.  I think you should expand this and put it on ah.com and in the main What-Ifs board; it would make a great TL

[Hatman 🍁]

Jack Layton and Tony Blair in the same party? Oh dear. What about Trudeau? He would definitely be a Labourite in this TL.

[Smid]

Jack Layton and Tony Blair in the same party? Oh dear. What about Trudeau? He would definitely be a Labourite in this TL.

According to this Wikipedia article, UK Labor and the NDP (and Australian Labor) are all affiliated, so it's not a stretch of the imagination for Blair and Layton to be in the same party in this scenario.

[Peter the Lefty]

Jack Layton and Tony Blair in the same party? Oh dear. What about Trudeau? He would definitely be a Labourite in this TL.

In this timeline, he'd become President (or Prime Minister, depending on which system they choose) of the Republic of Quebec. 

[Vosem]

Jack Layton and Tony Blair in the same party? Oh dear. What about Trudeau? He would definitely be a Labourite in this TL.

In this timeline, he'd become President (or Prime Minister, depending on which system they choose) of the Republic of Quebec. 

Trudeau was really federalist, though...I can imagine him preferring exile.

[Peter the Lefty]

Jack Layton and Tony Blair in the same party? Oh dear. What about Trudeau? He would definitely be a Labourite in this TL.

In this timeline, he'd become President (or Prime Minister, depending on which system they choose) of the Republic of Quebec. 

Trudeau was really federalist, though...I can imagine him preferring exile.

My god, that is extreme.  My guess is he'd be mad, but he'd get over it and become the dominant figure of Quebec politics for decades. 

[Peter the Lefty]

All right.  Let's say Quebec retains its old parties, but becomes a parliamentary republic.  Prime Ministers of the Republic of Quebec:
1. Jean Lesage–Parti Liberal du Quebec–1963-1967
2. Daniel Johnson, Sr.–Union Nationale–1967-1971
3. Pierre Trudeau–PLQ–1971-1985
4. Robert Bourassa–PLQ–1985-1987
5. Lucien Bouchard–Parti Conservateur du Quebec–1987-1994
6. Jacques Parizeau–PCQ–1994-1999
7. Jean Chretien–PLQ–1999-2004
8. Stephane Dion–PLQ–2004-2007
9. Jean Charest–PCQ–2007-2012.