So I've had this sat on my computer for months, but I finally broke the writers block to get the background written up. I'm afraid updates are likely to slow from this point onwards as I go back to work today as a high school teacher
. I will aim to post a set of wikiboxes or a map or some other infodump at least once a fortnight (hopefully once a week) but please bear with me
The
Free State of Scotland is a British constituent country covering the northern portion of the island of Great Britain, part of the British Home Isles. Scotland shares a border with the Kingdom of England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east and the Irish Sea to the southwest.
Scotland emerged as an independent kingdom in the early Middle Ages, and it suffered many invasions by the English to the south prior to the successful war of independence led by King Robert I which saw Scotland remain a distinct state throughout the late Middle Ages. Upon the death of Elizabeth I of England in 1603, King James VI of Scotland became King of England and Ireland, uniting the three kingdoms in a personal union. Following the English Civil Wars, the Restoration and the Glorious Revolution, Scotland became religiously dominated by the Anglican Church as well as saw the emergence of Jacobitism as a political force. In 1707, England and Scotland were united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, although Scotland retained distinct royal and legal institutions separate from those in England and Wales, which contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity. Religiously the Presbyterian Church saw a rise in support amongst the population, whilst the Anglican Church of Scotland merged with the Church of England to form the Church of Great Britain. After the death of King George II in 1751, Scotland became the first part of the Home Isles to proclaim Frederick I as King, whilst officials in England prevaricated over the succession.
Throughout the 19th century Scotland thrived as part of the British Empire, with Glasgow becoming one of the largest cities in the world and Clydeside shipyards becoming the world’s pre-eminent shipbuilding centre. Scotland experience rapid industrial development throughout this period, although the Highland Clearances saw the forced displacement of much of the Gaelic-speaking population overseas to Nova Scotia and the Ohio Country. Scotland would accede to the Union as part of Great Britain upon the signing of the Acts of Union on 4 July 1876. Scotland played a major role in the British effort in both World Wars, providing men, ships and machinery. The shipbuilding industry would expand, but a serious depression severely stagnated the economy for the 1920s and 30s. Scotland became one of the heartlands for the growing Empire-wide Social Democratic movement, known as “Red Clydeside”. A home rule movement emerged in Scotland throughout the early 20th century, which was eventually successful in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, when the country was granted home rule in 1949, and Scotland formally acceded to the Union as a separate dominion on 7 May 1950 alongside Wales.
In the late 20th and early 21st century, Scotland has experienced a cultural and economic renaissance with a resurgent financial services industry, electronics manufacturing, shipbuilding and the oil and gas industry in the North Sea. Scotland’s education system, which place a greater emphasis on a broad education, became the foundation of the reforms enacted by the Trudeau and Carter governments in the Imperial education system. Despite periodic surges in nationalist sentiment, the people of Scotland have consistently voted in favour of remaining part of the Empire in three referendums.
The
2017 Scottish general election was held on 23 March 2017 to elect, under the additional member system, the 137 members of the Scottish House of Representatives, 73 from single-member constituencies and 64 from regional lists.
The governing
National government, led by incumbent First Minister John Swinney, was defeated by the opposition
Independent Labour party, led by Jim Murphy, a former member of the Imperial Parliament. A key issue in the campaign was the Nationals desire to hold a fourth referendum on Scottish independence, which although supported by the
Greens and
Socialists, proved to be an unpopular message with the Scottish people.
The ILP campaigned on a promise of getting back to governing the country, pledging to set up an “Oil Fund” on the Norwegian model, to save the revenue from the oil and gas industry for the future, as well as a promise to pursue more renewable forms of energy generation. The liberal conservative
Reform party campaigned on a promise to increase apprenticeships and reverse cuts to the education system, whilst the centre-right
Unionists mainly ran in opposition to another referendum, offering very few policy proposals. Many voters would bolt from the Unionists to Reform, helping to solidify their position as Scotland’s third party.
Despite failing to secure a majority, as no government has since the 1999 election, the ILP was invited to form a government as the largest party in the House. Jim Murphy would be sworn in by the Lord Lieutenant on 24 March as the thirteenth First Minister of Scotland. In the aftermath of the election result, John Swinney announced his resignation from the party leadership, replaced by deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon.
The
Scottish Parliament is the legislative branch of the Free State of Scotland which was created with the passage of the Scottish Home Rule Act in 1949. The Parliament is a unicameral body consisting of the House of Representatives, with 137 members, 73 elected from single-member constituencies and 64 are returned from eight additional member regions, each electing eight MPs. The original Parliament of Scotland of the independent kingdom existed from the early 13th century until its dissolution in 1707 when Scotland and England merged to form Great Britain. Following a referendum in 1948, in which the Scottish people voted for home rule, the current Parliament was created by the 1949 Home Rule Acts with all the law-making powers of any other dominion legislature.
Prior to 2004 the Parliament met at Parliament Hall and occasionally Holyrood Palace, earning it the metronym
Holyrood, before moving into the purpose built Parliament Building in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh.
The
Monarchy of Scotland is the foundation of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Scottish government, serving as the personification of the Scottish state. Traditionally the Scottish monarchy traces its origins back to Kenneth I MacAlpin in 843, but was dissolved in 1707 with the passage of the Acts of Union before being recreated in 1949 with Scottish home rule. The Scottish monarch is unique within the Empire in that they are styled as “Grace” rather than “Majesty”, a legacy of the pre-Union monarchy. The current Scottish monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, and her son, Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, is the heir apparent.
The
Lord Lieutenant of Scotland is the viceregal representative of the British monarch in their capacity as the monarch of Scotland. The position was established in 1949 upon Scottish home rule due to the fact that the sovereign is shared equally with the other Home Nations and the Commonwealth realms, but resides predominantly in England. The Queen of Scots, on the advice of her Scottish First Minister, appoints a lord lieutenant to carry out most of her constitutional and ceremonial duties. The current lord lieutenant is Sir Gordon Wilson who has served since 28 January 2014. Although in theory the lord lieutenant is not term limited, the convention is that the appointee serves a single five-year term before retiring.