History Literature / WhatIfGordonBanksHadPlayed

** In addition, the only people in TTL's post-Powell era who allege that [[spoiler:MI5 and other security services were responsible for keeping the turmoil going for the sake of increasing their power]] are conspiracy theorists. The reader, on the other hand, knows that it's all true.

* GovernmentConspiracy: It's hinted that [[spoiler:{{MI5}}]] is behind most of the nastiness, as the increasingly authoritarian government means they have increased power.

* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: After Powell's government succeeds in destroying the trade unions as an effective opposition force (at least for the time being), it does not relish the triumph, instead feeling almost ashamed.

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Several examples. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, two prominent Northern Irish politicians of OTL, die young in this timeline. Iain Duncan-Smith, leader of the Conservative Party from 2001 to 2003, is shown as an Captain in the British Army, among others.

NeedsWikiMagicLove

* KarmaHoudini: Subverted. All the senior Powell ministers responsible for turning the U.K. into a living hell in the late '70s-- [[spoiler:UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher, Airey Neave, Alan Clark, and a few others]]-- end up [[spoiler:either dead or with harsh house arrest sentences]].
** Also subverted in that Powell's aggression, isolationism, racism, and belligerence eventually leads to a full-blown recession by 1980, killing the economic prosperity which was the only reason most of the public put up with his harsh rule.
** Subverted once more, in that early on Powell and his government crush the trade unions as an effective political force. This action causes so much common anger from the unions against the government that [[spoiler:when they all go on strike together in 1980, they are able to endure even with their leaders arrested, and soon succeed in bringing down Powell's authoritarian government]].

* AlternateHistory: Thankfully.
* DayOfTheJackboot

Things go downhill quickly.

* GovernmentConspiracy: It's hinted that {{MI5}} is behind most of the nastiness, as the increasingly authoritarian government means they have increased power.

* AlternateHistory

* ForWantOfANail: Gordon Banks plays for England in the 1970 World Cup quarterfinal, which leads to England winning the match, which leads to a patriotism-based Labour victory in the 1970 election, which results in Ted Heath being discredited as Leader of the Conservative Party, which leads to Enoch Powell emerging as leader and eventually Prime Minister, which leads to [[spoiler:the Troubles in Northern Ireland heating up into borderline civil war]], which leads to [[spoiler:an IRA attack on the Houses of Parliament that decimates the Labour Party]], which leads to [[spoiler:a "state of emergency" being declared which gives the PM and his cabinet massive powers over the press, the judiciary, the army and the observance of human rights along with a huge majority for the Conservatives in the 1977 elections]], which leads eventually to Powell and a couple of inner-circle cabinet members exercising total authority as the U.K. slides into a near-fascist police state with ethnic cleansing and internment camps in Ulster, a war with the Republic of Ireland, and constant unrest, rioting, inter-religious tensions, and government oppression on the mainland. That's one hell of a butterfly.

* GlobalIgnorance: When the 39th President of the United States, [[spoiler:UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan]], is being briefed on the situation in the U.K., he remarks that most of the ignorant American people "probably think Botswana is in Africa", only to be told that Botswana is, in fact, in Africa.

** Also subverted in that Powell's aggression, isolationism, racism, and belligerence toward the Irish come back to bite him when the costs of [[spoiler:fighting a war with the Republic of Ireland]] and maintaining security in the face of terrorist activity from the IRA become a huge burden on the U.K.'s economy. In addition, the mass exodus of Irish people from the country and the increasing take-up of Powell's "repatriation grants" (wherein the immigrants that Powell doesn't like accept money from the government in exchange for going back to their home countries) ends up draining the civilian labor pool, and the lack of security, isolationism and trade sanctions resulting from Powell's policies scare off foreign investment and stifle domestic consumer activity. All this adds up to a full-blown recession in 1980, killing the economic prosperity which was the only reason most of the public put up with his harsh rule.

* ForWantOfANail: A footballer not having a stomach complaint eventually leads to a near-fascist Britain.

* POWCamp: The Powell Government introduces concentration camps to Northern Ireland - and later, the British mainland. Particularly for the crime of "DPM" - 'damaging public morale'.

* TheTroubles: The author finds a way to make them ''[[UpToEleven even worse]]''.

* VillainousBSOD: After [[spoiler:the assassination of Queen Elizabeth II]], Enoch Powell falls into one of these. It enables MargaretThatcher and her allies to take an increasingly powerful role, which ends up making things much worse.