Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes III
- Thread starter shiftygiant
- Start date
- Status
Uhura's Mazda
Banned
its jeremy corbyn singing non-violent christmas carols for 34 minutes
whats not to like
i mean, some of the lyrics were rewritten to be mildly antisemitic, but...
Uhura's Mazda
Banned
Hilary Benn was short of majority by quite a long way. As well as the Momentumite far left, Corbyn's Labour had also kept with it the cohort of die-hard Labourites who would stay with the Party whichever direction it went. The Moderate Party, therefore, needed to enter into a coalition, and the main snag to this was that most of the possible coalition partners had already been part of Corbyn's coalition. As such, sweeteners were required.
A coalition with the SNP would have delivered a razor-thin majority, so Benn resolved to court the Liberal Democrats as well, now led once again by Nick Clegg. The gain of 13 seats in the 2020 General Election had done two things to the Lib Dems: firstly, it had swelled the ranks of the Parliamentary Party with unironic 'Cleggaboos' who had stayed in the Lib Dems during the 2010-2015 period, or worse, had joined just after the 2015 election. Secondly, it had underwhelmed the entire Party, who had hoped to attain their previous numbers of seats against a shockingly divided Right. This was why Tim Farron was forced to resign, and an unwilling Nick Clegg was forced into the leadership role. Clegg was keen to do the whole Coalition thing right this time, and demanded a referendum on rejoining the EU and a referendum on abolishing the House of Lords as the price of his support. Benn had to accept. Encouraged by this 'weakness', the SNP also demanded a second referendum on Scottish Independence. They got it.
To turn our attention to foreign affairs, Britain had been hard done to by the international situation, what with the recession of 2019-20, the War in Arabia and the collapse of the Pound. And to a great extent, this was blamed on Brexit, although it wasn't quite as clear-cut as that. So over the winter of 2020-21, Europe was again the main topic of conversation - in England and Wales, certainly. Only the jollities of Jeremy Corbyn's deeply misguided Christmas album (later to be banned in four countries), Justin Bieber's engagement to a Shetland pony, and, of course, the legalisation of cannabis, lightened the dark mood of the nation. Meanwhile in Scotland, it was more a case of 'here we go again', but the chaos of the last few years in Westminster had put off a proportion of former No voters.
So May came round again, and the Triple Referendum with it. To the surprise of very few, Scotland voted for Independence by quite a wide margin. To the surprise of many, the UK voted narrowly to rejoin the European Union. To the surprise of almost everybody, that House of Lords question was also A Thing.
But the task of overseeing these constitutional reforms was not to be Hilary Benn's. So embarrassed was he at becoming 'The Man Who Lost Scotland' that he resigned straight away as Prime Minister, having served for less than a year.
And now that Scotland was taking an Independent course (after the appropriate negotiations, of course) the SNP were no longer taking their seats, which meant that the Moderate-SNP-Liberal Democrat coalition was no longer tenable. The fun wasn't over yet.
NOTE: I messed up on the Invalid Votes bit and idgaf
The Radverse
The Radical Party
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Open Left Mayoral Selection, 2019
2020 General Election
Jeremy Corbyn
A coalition with the SNP would have delivered a razor-thin majority, so Benn resolved to court the Liberal Democrats as well, now led once again by Nick Clegg. The gain of 13 seats in the 2020 General Election had done two things to the Lib Dems: firstly, it had swelled the ranks of the Parliamentary Party with unironic 'Cleggaboos' who had stayed in the Lib Dems during the 2010-2015 period, or worse, had joined just after the 2015 election. Secondly, it had underwhelmed the entire Party, who had hoped to attain their previous numbers of seats against a shockingly divided Right. This was why Tim Farron was forced to resign, and an unwilling Nick Clegg was forced into the leadership role. Clegg was keen to do the whole Coalition thing right this time, and demanded a referendum on rejoining the EU and a referendum on abolishing the House of Lords as the price of his support. Benn had to accept. Encouraged by this 'weakness', the SNP also demanded a second referendum on Scottish Independence. They got it.
To turn our attention to foreign affairs, Britain had been hard done to by the international situation, what with the recession of 2019-20, the War in Arabia and the collapse of the Pound. And to a great extent, this was blamed on Brexit, although it wasn't quite as clear-cut as that. So over the winter of 2020-21, Europe was again the main topic of conversation - in England and Wales, certainly. Only the jollities of Jeremy Corbyn's deeply misguided Christmas album (later to be banned in four countries), Justin Bieber's engagement to a Shetland pony, and, of course, the legalisation of cannabis, lightened the dark mood of the nation. Meanwhile in Scotland, it was more a case of 'here we go again', but the chaos of the last few years in Westminster had put off a proportion of former No voters.
So May came round again, and the Triple Referendum with it. To the surprise of very few, Scotland voted for Independence by quite a wide margin. To the surprise of many, the UK voted narrowly to rejoin the European Union. To the surprise of almost everybody, that House of Lords question was also A Thing.
But the task of overseeing these constitutional reforms was not to be Hilary Benn's. So embarrassed was he at becoming 'The Man Who Lost Scotland' that he resigned straight away as Prime Minister, having served for less than a year.
And now that Scotland was taking an Independent course (after the appropriate negotiations, of course) the SNP were no longer taking their seats, which meant that the Moderate-SNP-Liberal Democrat coalition was no longer tenable. The fun wasn't over yet.
NOTE: I messed up on the Invalid Votes bit and idgaf
The Radverse
The Radical Party
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Open Left Mayoral Selection, 2019
2020 General Election
Jeremy Corbyn
The House of Lords referendum question is the sort of thing that is destined to be brought up in A-level politics classes until the heat death of the Universe to demonstrate the difficulties of consulting a public who understand very little about the subject they're voting on.
"Post-referendum polling suggested that the electorate failed to realise that the 'upper house' referred to in the question was in fact the House of Lords. This was reflected by the opinion polling conducted prior to the referendum: opinion polls that used the wording of the referendum question produced figures roughly consistent with the final result; opinion polls that referred directly to the House of Lords found the race far tighter, most often opposing its abolition." - Smith and Jones (2032): Government and Politics of the United Kingdom.
"Post-referendum polling suggested that the electorate failed to realise that the 'upper house' referred to in the question was in fact the House of Lords. This was reflected by the opinion polling conducted prior to the referendum: opinion polls that used the wording of the referendum question produced figures roughly consistent with the final result; opinion polls that referred directly to the House of Lords found the race far tighter, most often opposing its abolition." - Smith and Jones (2032): Government and Politics of the United Kingdom.
Uhura's Mazda
Banned
Note that 11% of voters fill in the EU question but not the Lords one. Tells you everything.
And also that Scottish turnout differential: the EU rematch probably would have given the same answer as the last one if it hadn't been for the simultaneous Indy2 ref.
For @Archangel, Because he asked:
A Fluid State: The New Pact.
The New Pact is something of an “oddity” in the post World War 3 world, and in a world full of cyborgs, domed cities and digital terrorists it is telling that it stands out from the crowd. The New Pact infamy comes from the fact it is extremely difficult to classify: its is, in effect, a “nomad nation,” a country without borders, a mobile polity that wanders East Asia. It exists in harmony besides and on top of the shattered nations of central and east Asia: a modern, multicultural society , an economy estimated to be the worlds eighth largest, with diplomatic recognition in thirty three nations. Yet it has no permanent border, no permanent capital; over a week, millions of people come together, forming vast cities and towns, occupying abandoned settlements and facilities. For a month or two there is a flurry of activity; Then just as quickly they disperse, only to reform again somewhere else in the vast expanse of shattered china.
The true reason for these migrations are not currently known; nor has any pattern been discerned from where the Nomad Nation reforms, or for how long: the longest the state has remained formed is eight months; the shortest, two weeks. During these periods, the New Pact engages in a wide variety of commercial and civil engineering activities: abandoned factories are occupied and reactivated, or new ones built from scratch. Dams and reservoirs are dug; Old roads repaired, while new ones a hewn through the landscape. Some scout parties that have entered areas previously occupied by the New Pact have discovered that the Nomad Nation have set up a network of Microwave transmitters through the countryside; others, like a Kazakh army unit that overran an area that had been previously been occupied by Nomads, have discovered vast bunker complexes. The reason for these projects are just as mysterious as the migration itself: while it is clear the Pact is undertaking these improvements for their own gain, these areas are always abandoned afterwards. Any locals that already live in the area are left alone; many are offered the chance to join the pact, and once the Pact has left the area, are free to utilise the infrastructure left behind. Indeed, this may explain in part the local nations acceptance of the roving nation.
The origins of the New Pact are currently hazy: the first mention of the term “New Pact” in china dates back to 1980, where in the build up towards world war 3 China sought to establish its own alliance of satellite states and proxies. China sent diplomatic missions to multiple nations but it is apparent the ploy failed; it is unknown if this “New Pact” is related. The first known encounter with the new pact occurred late during World War 3: Soviet forces, engaged in a recon mission during the ongoing Sino-Soviet conflict, encountered unknown forces near the city of Altay in northern China. Over the few months, the number of encounters with forces flying the flag of the New Pact would increase on three fronts, until New Years day, 1988, when diplomats claiming to represent “the new pact” arrived in Brazil, seeking to establish diplomatic ties. It would be the first official recognition of the existence of the Nomad State.
Equally fuzzy is the society of the New Pact: from observation, it is apparent that it is a multicultural nation, made up of many different ethnic groups from across greater Eurasia. The source of these people is obvious: World War 3 left millions without homes. What is less clear is why they all choose to form the New Pact, and its Semi-Nomadic lifestyle. Brave adventurers who have journeyed across war torn china to the New Pact have found a society that is welcoming, hospitable....and very tight lipped about itself. What little that has been gleaned from observations and surveillance is that the New Pact regards itself as a society undergoing “metamorphosis”, towards as yet unknown ideal. Little is known about the central government of the New Pact, beyond the fact there is such an organ; a few leaders have been identified, but it is unknown where and how they fit in the national hierarchy, which is apparently known as “The Body”.
Diplomatically, the New Pact has worked hard to establish ties with foreign powers, especially Brazil, which it seems to regard as the worlds next superpower. The Nomads diplomatic efforts have leaned towards the benevolent, and most of its efforts have been to establish “friendships” with other nations. Less clear is its relationship with the remnants of the Peoples Republic of China, and the other nations who now lay claim to the Chinese homeland. While the original idea that the PRC and the Pact were related has been dis proven, at least some collusion occurs between the two countries: it has been observed that the Chinese sometimes abandon facilities to allow the Pact to occupy them, then reoccupy them after the Pact leaves. The Pact also engages with the global market; an investigation inter several corporations found twenty seven post WW3 corporations had links to the New Pact, while imports tracked back to the Pact total in the hundreds of billions, covering everything from rubber ducks to advanced cybernetics. The New Pact has even managed to be one of the few nations after WW3 to launch satellites into orbit, the Nomads launching thirty eight satellites of various configurations in 1993, after temporarily reactivating the abandoned Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
While on the diplomatic and commercial stages the Pact offers a face of peace and plenty, on the ground in the land war in Asia, things are very different. The Pact has developed an advanced and powerful military, and is more than willing to use it: the Pact makes up the forth largest combatant in the Kazakh civil war; New Pact forces routinely clash with ASEA troops on the borders of Vietnam and Laos; Pact troops have on several occasions intervened in the ongoing Sino-Soviet conflict, defending against Soviet incursions. Its largest battlefield, however, lies in Korea, where the Pact has apparently occupied North Korean and overthrown the government; North Korean forces, under the New Pact flag, invaded South Korea in 1992.Like everything about the Pact, the reasons for this invasion, and the other conflicts, are unknown: it is speculated the Pact is targeting “foreign” forces which may threaten the heartland it wanders. What is known is that the pact has access to some advanced weaponry: Pact forces make heavy use of advanced teams of combat cyborgs, known as the Xī Rén. These vicious rebuild commando groups are known to operate both inside and outside the Nomad ranges; They make their presence known by the destruction they leave in their wake.
Today, the New Pact consists of the “primary” nation and at least forty three semi-nomadic “enclaves”; population estimates run from ten million people to over a hundred million. It has inspired several “copycats”, such as the Ndibhadule Republic in Africa and the Trainmen in North America; some of these “nomad stateletes” have even declared their loyalty to the New Pact.
Mysterious, fluid and formless, the New Pact appearance has left the world searching for answers: Who are they? Where did they come from? Why do they do what they do?
And most importantly: What do they Want?
SIDE-NOTE: It has been noted, through Surveillance and Communication intercepts, that the Mysterious terrorist group “Vengeance is Mine” has a particular interest in the New Pact: the VIM have targeted New Pact facilities more often than any other nations, and many of the corporations and groups attacked by the terrorist have links to the New Pact. It is speculated that this “interest” may be a clue to the origin of VIM, however, any link between VIM and the New Pact remain as mysterious and unknown as everything else that surround the Pact.
RED DOLL infoboxes
The BYS-1 Military Cyborg
US Army 1st Reconstructed Infantry
Battle of Mount Ararat
1990 US Presidential Election
CML-9 "Southern Cross"
1992 Frankston Dome Riots
Franz K. Hoffenheime
Australian National Police
American Return Legue
Coburg Arcologies
Australian Scientific Industries (ASI)
Strategic Cyborg Corps
Acute Prosthetic Identification Anxiety Syndrome (APIAS)
American Refugee Camps & the Screaming Eagles
Terrorism In Australia Part 1
Terrorism in Australia Part 2
Soviets in Australia and Animation
Poison the Sky: Operation CARTHAGE
The Sun Sets: Fall of the United Kingdom.
Under The Dome: The Redoubt Project
Chart Toppers of the Post apocalypse.
Treaty of Hobart
Flotsam and Jetsam
A Fluid State: The New Pact.
The New Pact is something of an “oddity” in the post World War 3 world, and in a world full of cyborgs, domed cities and digital terrorists it is telling that it stands out from the crowd. The New Pact infamy comes from the fact it is extremely difficult to classify: its is, in effect, a “nomad nation,” a country without borders, a mobile polity that wanders East Asia. It exists in harmony besides and on top of the shattered nations of central and east Asia: a modern, multicultural society , an economy estimated to be the worlds eighth largest, with diplomatic recognition in thirty three nations. Yet it has no permanent border, no permanent capital; over a week, millions of people come together, forming vast cities and towns, occupying abandoned settlements and facilities. For a month or two there is a flurry of activity; Then just as quickly they disperse, only to reform again somewhere else in the vast expanse of shattered china.
The true reason for these migrations are not currently known; nor has any pattern been discerned from where the Nomad Nation reforms, or for how long: the longest the state has remained formed is eight months; the shortest, two weeks. During these periods, the New Pact engages in a wide variety of commercial and civil engineering activities: abandoned factories are occupied and reactivated, or new ones built from scratch. Dams and reservoirs are dug; Old roads repaired, while new ones a hewn through the landscape. Some scout parties that have entered areas previously occupied by the New Pact have discovered that the Nomad Nation have set up a network of Microwave transmitters through the countryside; others, like a Kazakh army unit that overran an area that had been previously been occupied by Nomads, have discovered vast bunker complexes. The reason for these projects are just as mysterious as the migration itself: while it is clear the Pact is undertaking these improvements for their own gain, these areas are always abandoned afterwards. Any locals that already live in the area are left alone; many are offered the chance to join the pact, and once the Pact has left the area, are free to utilise the infrastructure left behind. Indeed, this may explain in part the local nations acceptance of the roving nation.
The origins of the New Pact are currently hazy: the first mention of the term “New Pact” in china dates back to 1980, where in the build up towards world war 3 China sought to establish its own alliance of satellite states and proxies. China sent diplomatic missions to multiple nations but it is apparent the ploy failed; it is unknown if this “New Pact” is related. The first known encounter with the new pact occurred late during World War 3: Soviet forces, engaged in a recon mission during the ongoing Sino-Soviet conflict, encountered unknown forces near the city of Altay in northern China. Over the few months, the number of encounters with forces flying the flag of the New Pact would increase on three fronts, until New Years day, 1988, when diplomats claiming to represent “the new pact” arrived in Brazil, seeking to establish diplomatic ties. It would be the first official recognition of the existence of the Nomad State.
Equally fuzzy is the society of the New Pact: from observation, it is apparent that it is a multicultural nation, made up of many different ethnic groups from across greater Eurasia. The source of these people is obvious: World War 3 left millions without homes. What is less clear is why they all choose to form the New Pact, and its Semi-Nomadic lifestyle. Brave adventurers who have journeyed across war torn china to the New Pact have found a society that is welcoming, hospitable....and very tight lipped about itself. What little that has been gleaned from observations and surveillance is that the New Pact regards itself as a society undergoing “metamorphosis”, towards as yet unknown ideal. Little is known about the central government of the New Pact, beyond the fact there is such an organ; a few leaders have been identified, but it is unknown where and how they fit in the national hierarchy, which is apparently known as “The Body”.
Diplomatically, the New Pact has worked hard to establish ties with foreign powers, especially Brazil, which it seems to regard as the worlds next superpower. The Nomads diplomatic efforts have leaned towards the benevolent, and most of its efforts have been to establish “friendships” with other nations. Less clear is its relationship with the remnants of the Peoples Republic of China, and the other nations who now lay claim to the Chinese homeland. While the original idea that the PRC and the Pact were related has been dis proven, at least some collusion occurs between the two countries: it has been observed that the Chinese sometimes abandon facilities to allow the Pact to occupy them, then reoccupy them after the Pact leaves. The Pact also engages with the global market; an investigation inter several corporations found twenty seven post WW3 corporations had links to the New Pact, while imports tracked back to the Pact total in the hundreds of billions, covering everything from rubber ducks to advanced cybernetics. The New Pact has even managed to be one of the few nations after WW3 to launch satellites into orbit, the Nomads launching thirty eight satellites of various configurations in 1993, after temporarily reactivating the abandoned Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
While on the diplomatic and commercial stages the Pact offers a face of peace and plenty, on the ground in the land war in Asia, things are very different. The Pact has developed an advanced and powerful military, and is more than willing to use it: the Pact makes up the forth largest combatant in the Kazakh civil war; New Pact forces routinely clash with ASEA troops on the borders of Vietnam and Laos; Pact troops have on several occasions intervened in the ongoing Sino-Soviet conflict, defending against Soviet incursions. Its largest battlefield, however, lies in Korea, where the Pact has apparently occupied North Korean and overthrown the government; North Korean forces, under the New Pact flag, invaded South Korea in 1992.Like everything about the Pact, the reasons for this invasion, and the other conflicts, are unknown: it is speculated the Pact is targeting “foreign” forces which may threaten the heartland it wanders. What is known is that the pact has access to some advanced weaponry: Pact forces make heavy use of advanced teams of combat cyborgs, known as the Xī Rén. These vicious rebuild commando groups are known to operate both inside and outside the Nomad ranges; They make their presence known by the destruction they leave in their wake.
Today, the New Pact consists of the “primary” nation and at least forty three semi-nomadic “enclaves”; population estimates run from ten million people to over a hundred million. It has inspired several “copycats”, such as the Ndibhadule Republic in Africa and the Trainmen in North America; some of these “nomad stateletes” have even declared their loyalty to the New Pact.
Mysterious, fluid and formless, the New Pact appearance has left the world searching for answers: Who are they? Where did they come from? Why do they do what they do?
And most importantly: What do they Want?
SIDE-NOTE: It has been noted, through Surveillance and Communication intercepts, that the Mysterious terrorist group “Vengeance is Mine” has a particular interest in the New Pact: the VIM have targeted New Pact facilities more often than any other nations, and many of the corporations and groups attacked by the terrorist have links to the New Pact. It is speculated that this “interest” may be a clue to the origin of VIM, however, any link between VIM and the New Pact remain as mysterious and unknown as everything else that surround the Pact.
RED DOLL infoboxes
The BYS-1 Military Cyborg
US Army 1st Reconstructed Infantry
Battle of Mount Ararat
1990 US Presidential Election
CML-9 "Southern Cross"
1992 Frankston Dome Riots
Franz K. Hoffenheime
Australian National Police
American Return Legue
Coburg Arcologies
Australian Scientific Industries (ASI)
Strategic Cyborg Corps
Acute Prosthetic Identification Anxiety Syndrome (APIAS)
American Refugee Camps & the Screaming Eagles
Terrorism In Australia Part 1
Terrorism in Australia Part 2
Soviets in Australia and Animation
Poison the Sky: Operation CARTHAGE
The Sun Sets: Fall of the United Kingdom.
Under The Dome: The Redoubt Project
Chart Toppers of the Post apocalypse.
Treaty of Hobart
Flotsam and Jetsam
Uhura's Mazda
Banned
The loss of Scotland, Hilary Benn, and a working majority in one fell swoop put the Moderate Party into crisis mode in May 2021. In short order, a snap leadership poll had been organised - with only one candidate, to make the working of Democracy more efficient - and Ed Miliband found himself thrust back into the unwelcome spotlight, with a new generation of comedians called Russell showing the world all those hilarious pictures of bacon sandwiches again. He was the fifth unelected Prime Minister in as many years. And he needed support outside the Moderates if he wanted to stay as PM. Which he decided he did.
A coalition with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party (as they might as well have been called by that point) was out of the question: not only was Labour a hive of unpleasant people with unpleasant views about Israel and Ireland, but the recriminations between the parties were still strong after the split of 2020. Miliband's 256 Moderates would have to find a partner or partners to reach a majority of the 547 non-abstained seats without causing Twitter to literally melt with bile. The Lib Dems didn't have the numbers alone, and there weren't enough sympathetic minor parties to carry a Mod-Lib coalition over the line. The only option was to treat with the One Nation Party - the centrist wing of the Conservatives which had split off in 2018 and governed well enough in the following two years to, er... lose nearly two thirds of their seats.
Greg Clark's successor as One Nation Leader was bearded Welsh heart-throb Stephen Crabb, who, as Leader of the Opposition (a ludicrous title, what with the ONP only having 110 seats) only really had to point to the Corbyn chaos and Benn's kowtowing to ScotNats in order to do a satisfactory job. However, the Right was still in turmoil as the Continuity Conservatives attacked the ONP from the increasingly mainstream 'Alt-Right'. When ex-YouTube personality and incoming Tory MP 'Sargon of Akkad' was appointed to Philip Davies' Frontbench Team, Crabb spent more time on the following edition of This Week castigating his former colleagues than criticising the Government's banning of unattended luggage in public places. This, of course, only made the Moderate-One Nation coalition easier to live with on both sides: both parties hated Labour and the Tories much more than they hated each other, which is really all you can ask for in any relationship.
But although the Parliamentary Parties worked together cordially in a Not-So-Grand Coalition, the general public were not keen at all. So ingrained was the tribalism in British politics that the Coalition was seen as the worst kind of treason. Despite the administration's basic competence (which was a relief, compared to the last few years) their combined polling scores dropped to a low of 15.6% in the winter of 2021-2. There was even talk of the old two-party dominance being restored in the next election, except with both being led by extremists. But the last straw was a string of serious death threats against prominent Government MPs. David Lidington was lucky to survive the letter bomb sent to him by a basement-dwelling neckbearded hipster-fascist in January 2022. Miliband, ever the peacemaker, decided that the only solution was to end this radically unpopular Grand Coalition, and since the coalition arithmetic allowed for no other option, he reluctantly decided to hold an early General Election.
There was one problem: the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, which only allowed for an early election under certain exceptional circumstances. This may have been an acceptable measure back in 2011, but the increasing 'Weimarisation' of British politics had turned it into an obstruction to the good governance of the nation. Crabb, as both Deputy PM and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, presented a bill to replace it with a new 'Quinquennial Act' which bore a frankly lazy similarity to the old Septennial Act As Amended, and after waiting for a favourable uptick in the still-stagnant economy, Ed Miliband called the election for May 2020. The situation did not look hopeful for either the Moderates or the One Nationers, so out of sheer desperation, they formed a reluctant yet reasonably egalitarian electoral alliance. Accusations of 'Red Toryism' and 'Blue Labourism' flew like bullets, but the sensible centre hoped and prayed for the re-election of the Grand Coalition.
On 5 May 2022, they had their answer.
The Radverse
The Radical Party
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Open Left Mayoral Selection, 2019
2020 General Election
Jeremy Corbyn
2021 Referenda
A coalition with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party (as they might as well have been called by that point) was out of the question: not only was Labour a hive of unpleasant people with unpleasant views about Israel and Ireland, but the recriminations between the parties were still strong after the split of 2020. Miliband's 256 Moderates would have to find a partner or partners to reach a majority of the 547 non-abstained seats without causing Twitter to literally melt with bile. The Lib Dems didn't have the numbers alone, and there weren't enough sympathetic minor parties to carry a Mod-Lib coalition over the line. The only option was to treat with the One Nation Party - the centrist wing of the Conservatives which had split off in 2018 and governed well enough in the following two years to, er... lose nearly two thirds of their seats.
Greg Clark's successor as One Nation Leader was bearded Welsh heart-throb Stephen Crabb, who, as Leader of the Opposition (a ludicrous title, what with the ONP only having 110 seats) only really had to point to the Corbyn chaos and Benn's kowtowing to ScotNats in order to do a satisfactory job. However, the Right was still in turmoil as the Continuity Conservatives attacked the ONP from the increasingly mainstream 'Alt-Right'. When ex-YouTube personality and incoming Tory MP 'Sargon of Akkad' was appointed to Philip Davies' Frontbench Team, Crabb spent more time on the following edition of This Week castigating his former colleagues than criticising the Government's banning of unattended luggage in public places. This, of course, only made the Moderate-One Nation coalition easier to live with on both sides: both parties hated Labour and the Tories much more than they hated each other, which is really all you can ask for in any relationship.
But although the Parliamentary Parties worked together cordially in a Not-So-Grand Coalition, the general public were not keen at all. So ingrained was the tribalism in British politics that the Coalition was seen as the worst kind of treason. Despite the administration's basic competence (which was a relief, compared to the last few years) their combined polling scores dropped to a low of 15.6% in the winter of 2021-2. There was even talk of the old two-party dominance being restored in the next election, except with both being led by extremists. But the last straw was a string of serious death threats against prominent Government MPs. David Lidington was lucky to survive the letter bomb sent to him by a basement-dwelling neckbearded hipster-fascist in January 2022. Miliband, ever the peacemaker, decided that the only solution was to end this radically unpopular Grand Coalition, and since the coalition arithmetic allowed for no other option, he reluctantly decided to hold an early General Election.
There was one problem: the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, which only allowed for an early election under certain exceptional circumstances. This may have been an acceptable measure back in 2011, but the increasing 'Weimarisation' of British politics had turned it into an obstruction to the good governance of the nation. Crabb, as both Deputy PM and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, presented a bill to replace it with a new 'Quinquennial Act' which bore a frankly lazy similarity to the old Septennial Act As Amended, and after waiting for a favourable uptick in the still-stagnant economy, Ed Miliband called the election for May 2020. The situation did not look hopeful for either the Moderates or the One Nationers, so out of sheer desperation, they formed a reluctant yet reasonably egalitarian electoral alliance. Accusations of 'Red Toryism' and 'Blue Labourism' flew like bullets, but the sensible centre hoped and prayed for the re-election of the Grand Coalition.
On 5 May 2022, they had their answer.
The Radverse
The Radical Party
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Open Left Mayoral Selection, 2019
2020 General Election
Jeremy Corbyn
2021 Referenda
I thought that, but it seems he used The Duke of Wellington as a template (some of the awards are anachronistic and only appeared after Washington's death), so I'm confused.
I'm not sure if @CanadianTory will love this to bits or scream in despair... 
Anyway...
Canada was unhappy. Paul Martin's Liberals wasn't exactly popular those days. Investigation in its corruption has concluded with the Liberals being found to have an "culture of entitlement". This perception that Canada had a corrupt government brought down Liberal support. Many was talking of the Conservatives taking over under Stephen Harper up to late 2005. And for many Canadians, it was indeed time for change.
But fortune favors the bold. When the divisive American presidential election of 2004 led to the country being torn asunder between separating states and the now radicalising rump, Paul Martin controversially offered a "free admission ticket" to the separating states to join Canada, which they all accepted. In the blink of an eye, Canada went from respectable second-tier power to hyperpower.
Harper accused Martin of "wishing to make us America", and he did have a point. Martin's decision led to Canadians being outnumbered in their own homeland. The ex-American states were territories up to mid-2005 due to massive resistance on the part of the Tories, Bloc Québécois and New Democrats, and from Canadian society as a whole, fearing Americans would take over their country.
And then the rump America rebranded itself "Jesusland", declared itself a "Christian republic" and expressed loudly its wishes to "reconquer its lost lands". This meant war with Canada, which created panic. Also, a very public petition on the part of ex-Americans that collected millions of signatures pleaded for Canada to admit the ex-American states as provinces, vowing to "be good Canadians". It did invoke stereotypes like "we promise to say sorry and eh all the time!", but its the thought that counted in many Canadians' eyes as they warmed up to the idea of Canada-with-US-bits (jovially called "United States of Canada".)
Public opinion turned overnight [even in Quebec!], and Martin rode this to the successful admission of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chesapeake, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Cascadia, California and Hawai'i. "Canada stands united tonight!" declared Martin when the Canadian Constitution was successfully amended to reflect the eleven new provinces.
And Martin's gamble paid off in more than one way. The Tories, a newly-merged party from the moderate PCs and social-conservative Alliance, were under greater tension. Lincoln Chafee and a great deal of other moderate Republicans fitted well as Red Tories [and some as Blue], but it was the more "traditional" Republicans that proved the breaking point.
Stephen Harper resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after months of inter-party conflict and chaos that led the Liberals to regain their lead with "Canadian voters" [polling was done separately for "Canadian" and "American voters" up to after the 2009 election]. Due to a lot of Americans being used to merely being "registered", not actual party members, the resulting leadership election was mostly Canadian voters.
And by a slim hair, they elected Peter MacKay. Blue Tories grumbled loudly, Red Tories celebrated, and "Purple Tories" seethed. A month later, they split off, together with a chunk of Blue Tories as the "Conservative Heritage Alliance". Its new leader Rick Santorum declared "We can bring traditional values to this country!". The Tories' polling plummeted to behind Conservative Heritage, and for a time it seemed that Heritage would take over as the main right-wing party.
Set for a Liberal landslide of unimaginable proportions, Martin called the snap election for early 2006. The first news was the NDP learning what "New Democrat" meant in America and hastily rebranding as the Social Democratic Party.
Peter MacKay seemed to be leading the same party he did back before the merger, a minor and shrinking party. But like Martin, he had his trump card. Several of them. First and foremost was the fact that the American voters that Conservative Heritage was banking on had a distinct "better of two evils" duopolic mentality, a legacy of America's strong two-party system. Successfully portraying themselves to moderate ex-Democrats and most ex-Republicans as the "better of two evils" compared to the Liberals, they took in many new American voters.
Second was the weakness of the Blue Tories. Split between the Tories and Heritage, their political influence dwindled, and MacKay's Red Tory allies successfully pushed for a rebrand back to Progressive Conservative, arguing that "Conservative" on its own in America meant Heritage. Harper despaired as all his hard work had led him to believe he was within grasp to become the next PM of Canada, and then a series of unbelievable events destroyed that belief, and now his own party was explicitly and publicly refuting his legacy in favor of returning to pre-Reform days.
Third was the Liberals' corruption, made worse by the addition of Chicago and fellow machine-politics cities, that made Canadians wary. MacKay's campaign hammered on all three, portraying the Liberals as utterly corrupt, portraying itself as a "sensible alternative" and in Canada only, portrayed the Liberals as "reckless" for getting Canada involved with the American split and offering them the "free admission ticket".
And yet he lost by a landslide as the Liberals won their seemingly-inevitable majority riding off the liberal American provinces voting Liberal. But he has done the unimaginable, got a majority of center-right/right-wing American voters to vote PC, cementing their status as the main opposition party.
Peter MacKay made Progressive Conservatism great again.
[No "swing" because you can't compare this one with the last one, really.]
Anyway...
Canada was unhappy. Paul Martin's Liberals wasn't exactly popular those days. Investigation in its corruption has concluded with the Liberals being found to have an "culture of entitlement". This perception that Canada had a corrupt government brought down Liberal support. Many was talking of the Conservatives taking over under Stephen Harper up to late 2005. And for many Canadians, it was indeed time for change.
But fortune favors the bold. When the divisive American presidential election of 2004 led to the country being torn asunder between separating states and the now radicalising rump, Paul Martin controversially offered a "free admission ticket" to the separating states to join Canada, which they all accepted. In the blink of an eye, Canada went from respectable second-tier power to hyperpower.
Harper accused Martin of "wishing to make us America", and he did have a point. Martin's decision led to Canadians being outnumbered in their own homeland. The ex-American states were territories up to mid-2005 due to massive resistance on the part of the Tories, Bloc Québécois and New Democrats, and from Canadian society as a whole, fearing Americans would take over their country.
And then the rump America rebranded itself "Jesusland", declared itself a "Christian republic" and expressed loudly its wishes to "reconquer its lost lands". This meant war with Canada, which created panic. Also, a very public petition on the part of ex-Americans that collected millions of signatures pleaded for Canada to admit the ex-American states as provinces, vowing to "be good Canadians". It did invoke stereotypes like "we promise to say sorry and eh all the time!", but its the thought that counted in many Canadians' eyes as they warmed up to the idea of Canada-with-US-bits (jovially called "United States of Canada".)
Public opinion turned overnight [even in Quebec!], and Martin rode this to the successful admission of New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chesapeake, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Cascadia, California and Hawai'i. "Canada stands united tonight!" declared Martin when the Canadian Constitution was successfully amended to reflect the eleven new provinces.
And Martin's gamble paid off in more than one way. The Tories, a newly-merged party from the moderate PCs and social-conservative Alliance, were under greater tension. Lincoln Chafee and a great deal of other moderate Republicans fitted well as Red Tories [and some as Blue], but it was the more "traditional" Republicans that proved the breaking point.
Stephen Harper resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after months of inter-party conflict and chaos that led the Liberals to regain their lead with "Canadian voters" [polling was done separately for "Canadian" and "American voters" up to after the 2009 election]. Due to a lot of Americans being used to merely being "registered", not actual party members, the resulting leadership election was mostly Canadian voters.
And by a slim hair, they elected Peter MacKay. Blue Tories grumbled loudly, Red Tories celebrated, and "Purple Tories" seethed. A month later, they split off, together with a chunk of Blue Tories as the "Conservative Heritage Alliance". Its new leader Rick Santorum declared "We can bring traditional values to this country!". The Tories' polling plummeted to behind Conservative Heritage, and for a time it seemed that Heritage would take over as the main right-wing party.
Set for a Liberal landslide of unimaginable proportions, Martin called the snap election for early 2006. The first news was the NDP learning what "New Democrat" meant in America and hastily rebranding as the Social Democratic Party.
Peter MacKay seemed to be leading the same party he did back before the merger, a minor and shrinking party. But like Martin, he had his trump card. Several of them. First and foremost was the fact that the American voters that Conservative Heritage was banking on had a distinct "better of two evils" duopolic mentality, a legacy of America's strong two-party system. Successfully portraying themselves to moderate ex-Democrats and most ex-Republicans as the "better of two evils" compared to the Liberals, they took in many new American voters.
Second was the weakness of the Blue Tories. Split between the Tories and Heritage, their political influence dwindled, and MacKay's Red Tory allies successfully pushed for a rebrand back to Progressive Conservative, arguing that "Conservative" on its own in America meant Heritage. Harper despaired as all his hard work had led him to believe he was within grasp to become the next PM of Canada, and then a series of unbelievable events destroyed that belief, and now his own party was explicitly and publicly refuting his legacy in favor of returning to pre-Reform days.
Third was the Liberals' corruption, made worse by the addition of Chicago and fellow machine-politics cities, that made Canadians wary. MacKay's campaign hammered on all three, portraying the Liberals as utterly corrupt, portraying itself as a "sensible alternative" and in Canada only, portrayed the Liberals as "reckless" for getting Canada involved with the American split and offering them the "free admission ticket".
And yet he lost by a landslide as the Liberals won their seemingly-inevitable majority riding off the liberal American provinces voting Liberal. But he has done the unimaginable, got a majority of center-right/right-wing American voters to vote PC, cementing their status as the main opposition party.
Peter MacKay made Progressive Conservatism great again.
[No "swing" because you can't compare this one with the last one, really.]
Last edited:
Deleted member 87099
Here is the 1966 California Gubernatorial Election in my timeline To Toss A Monkey Wrench: A World Without The Gipper
*shameless advertising*
*shameless advertising*
Here is the 1966 California Gubernatorial Election in my timeline To Toss A Monkey Wrench: A World Without The Gipper
*shameless advertising*
Nice - though Putnam was a rather committed 'FDR (read Conservative) Democrat.'
Deleted member 87099
Yeah, I know, Roosevelt was his boyhood hero. And I realize that he was more of a Yorty type of politician than anyone else. But I figured that the California Republicans were desperate enough to tap him into running. Besides, he's not going to govern like the typical Republican anyway.
Although PRC and the New Pact are not related, they seem like a rogue version of TTL China's FEMA counterpart.
- Status