Hail, Britannia

What happened to Social Credit?
Social Credit has a long history in the UKE and probably was somewhat of a presence in the Imperial Parliament in the 1930s to... 1970s or something.

It probably eventually split between the genuine Douglasites and the "only in it because it's to the right of the Tories", which joined the Heritage people.
Out of curiousity, do you think you'll have anything on electoral reform in the Empire?
Certainly there's a long history there. We'll have to work out something there.
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
As an aside ISTR there being an FBI in TTL investigating the services restoration scandal in Puerto Rico. What does law enforcement and/or the intelligence community look like in the Empire compared to OTL?

I realised I completely ignored this question! Haha whoops :p

I have some notes on what the British intelligence and law enforcement community looks like. But nothing fleshed out in any great detail. The key points are:

The British intelligence community is made up of four key agencies; the Security Service (MI5), the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), the National Signals Agency (NSA; MI8) and the National Intelligence Department (NID; MI10). The former two, MI5 and MI6, function much like their OTL counterparts but also cover the aspects of the OTL American CIA and FBI related to intelligence gathering. The NSA/MI8 is effectively a merged version of the OTL GCHQ and NSA, with a focus on signals intelligence and cyber security.

The NID is effectively the "catch-all" agency within British intelligence, but in many ways is the most secretive of the agencies, and is often described as "spying on the spies". It's main areas of focus are intelligence and oversight of top secret R&D, and "field security" within the intelligence community; protecting other agencies from enemy agents and fifth columnists.

The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) functions much like the OTL UK's Defence Intelligence and USA's DIA, in that it is part of the Department of Defence and focuses on gathering and analysing military intelligence.

Regarding law enforcement, I imagine a slightly more diverse situation than the OTL UK, but less convoluted than OTL America:

The Imperial Police Service (IPS) is the name given to the collective law enforcement police forces, but they are based around dominion borders, such as the Royal Irish Constabulary, the Royal Missourian Mounted Police and the Australian Federal Police.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is tasked with targeting organised crime, economic crime and smuggling.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is tasked with targeting drug smuggling and manufacture, alongside both the SOCA and the FBI.

I've alluded to the existence of an FBI over here, and this stands for the Federated Bureau of Investigation, which much like OTL is tasked with a multitude of crimes including counter terrorism, anti-corruption, organised crime, and law enforcement. But it is mainly an imperial-level agency that handles crimes that cross provincial/state/dominion lines, or occur at the imperial-level.

The final major law enforcement agency is the Royal Protection Service, which is tasked with the protection of the royal family and politicians, as well as investigating threats made against them.​
 
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LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Could you please make one of Northwestern New Jersey if it isn't too much trouble / when you have time?

Of course, that would be the "New Jersey Highlands" constituency. I'll add it to the list :)

North Sydney—Central Coast—Macquarie should be a haven for the Progressive conservatives, however before them it should be very strongly Liberal.
Northern Rivers and Tablelands should be very strong for whatever group the Country Party is in. Earle Page could be a good long serving MIP from the 30s to the 60s.
Surrey and North Hampshire should be Conservative, and definitely not Libertarian.
Just thought of who could be great for Northern Rivers and Tablelands, the current state member for Coffs Andrew Fraser, who's most notable achievement was in 2005 assaulting (mock-strangling) the Roads Minister, the corrupt power-broker Joe Tripodi over lack of funding for upgrades to the Pacific Highway.
I just thought that him assaulting some important Imperial minister over some Parochial issue could be a great plot device.

Thanks for the advice :) Andrew Fraser sounds like a perfect candidate for the seat, probably having held it since the 2001 imperial election.

I made a provisional list of British MIPs a bit ago, and the MIP for Surrey and North Hampshire is Daniel Hannan, who I imagine was originally elected as a Conservative before switching to the Libertarians and managing to get re-elected.
Good god, he's one of my MIPs. I'd of thought that he would've gone to the People's Alliance for Democracy

That actually fits in quite well with what I was thinking @ElectricSheepNo54!!

I think all of your readers appreciate how dedicated you are to this thread and very grateful for all the quality work that keep pouring out. With Christmas, perhaps a Christmas themed post would be interesting.

I also eagerly await the Soviet entries and the entry for my hometown, Hong Kong.

Once again, many thanks for the lovely, lovely posts.

Thanks :D I'm glad you're enjoying the series!!

When are you doing Africa, @LeinadB93 ?

Africa is a pretty big place... You may have to be more specific.

In my advice, it should be called "West and Central Wales" or something, as it takes up all of what is considered "West Wales".

I would say it would be safe-ish Liberal in the past [like, 1950s past], but those days tend Social Democrat, with Plaid Cymru having one or two wins. Definitely not a Tory seat.

Whoops! My bad, I was going off one of our previous discussions.

Thanks :)

What happened to Social Credit?
Social Credit has a long history in the UKE and probably was somewhat of a presence in the Imperial Parliament in the 1930s to... 1970s or something.

It probably eventually split between the genuine Douglasites and the "only in it because it's to the right of the Tories", which joined the Heritage people.

TB has pretty much hit the nail on the head there. Social Credit had a presence in the Imperial Parliament from the 1930s to the 1970s, with the high point being between 1959-1968 when they formed part of the government under Menzies and Javits. Their support collapsed at the 1968 election, and by 1973 had rebranded as the Confederation of Regions, the precursors of the modern Populists.

However dominion parties have stuck around for a bit longer, mainly in Canada (where they didn't implode until 2007) and Missouri, but also other places as well like Oregon and the Ohio Country.

Out of curiousity, do you think you'll have anything on electoral reform in the Empire?
Certainly there's a long history there. We'll have to work out something there.

Oh there is definitely a long history!! My thinking is that from 1876 until the 1890s there is a mixed bag approach to imperial elections. With some dominions using first-past-the-post in single constituencies, others having multi-member constituencies, some used a two-round system (Louisiana) and the Ohio Country used a jungle primary system similar to OTL. Others like Virginia had their legislatures elect the MIPs, usually from amongst their own members.

Under the Vanderbilt and Chamberlain governments there is a move to standardise the electoral system, bringing every dominion into line using a first-past-the-post system, occasionally with instant-runoff voting in place, but generally using single-member constituencies. When the SDP under Kirk come into power in the late 1960s, they lead the push for mixed-member-proportional representation, which is adopted in time for the 1973 imperial election.

Regarding electoral reform in the dominions, some are ahead of the curb. With Missouri and Oregon adopting MMP in the 50s, whilst places like Oregon and Columbia only got round to it decades later. Most dominions have changed their national/federal voting system from FPTP in the late 21st century, and now only Carolina, Jamaica, New England and Sierra Leone still using FPTP. Although movements are prominent in Carolina and New England to change the system.
 
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LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
@LeinadB93 do you mind me making an updated highway map? And can you plz make suggestions for this new map?
I'm not Leinad, but what I would recommend is having more density in more populous areas (e.g. the Great Lakes) and much less in less populous areas (e.g. the High Arctic), where it's far easier to maintain airfields than build massive highways. Also, outside of particularly small waterways, I would avoid bridges and tunnels.
Also, maybe a couple of highway connections to Texas. Nothing too fancy, just maybe one near Texarkana at the OTL I-30 crossing and/or one at or near the I-35 crossing north of the Metroplex.

@ST15RM, I don't mind you having a go at an updated map, but please PM me your ideas.

I'd agree with @wolfram on all of these points. I'm debating the idea of a fixed rail link between Ireland and Wales, as well as across the Strait of Gibraltar, but these would not be motorways.

My suggestion would be to look at OTL highway/interstate maps of the USA and Canada, as well as major motorways in OTL Australia, the UK and Ireland, to get an idea of where they should go.
 
If we're still on a districts kick, here's my home constituency:

Houston-Sharpstown
  • Gene Wu (REF) - 55.4%
  • M. J. Khan (CON) - 22.7%
  • Kendall Baker (CDP) - 18.1%
  • Daniel Biggs (LIB) - 2.3%
  • Other - 1.5%
 
Acadiana; 2015 legislative election; Prince of Acadiana; Cajuns & Cajun French

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
So this is a part of the Empire that I've really wanted to share for sometime. I know that I've promised some further constituency boxes for people, and I will be working on them in coming weeks, but this is definitely one of the most distinctive regions of Empire, and indeed one of the most interesting divergences from OTL in the series.

I hope you enjoy this look at the Bayou State:

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BBC Breaking News

NEW ORLEANS - Flags are flying at half mast across Acadiana today after The Cabildo announced the death of the Prince of Acadiana, Charles-Henri de Bonaparte-Noailles, in the late hours of yesterday evening. The 93 year-old prince, who was hospitalised on 19 November after a serious fall, had been suffering from ongoing health issues over the last two years, including several extended stays at the Hôtel-Dieu in New Orleans. His last public appearance was during the celebrations of his ninety-third birthday in July of this year, and he had delegated many of his viceregal responsibilities, including the opening of the Acadiana State Legislature, to his son, and successor, Jérôme IV.

Charles-Henri was the eighth Prince of Acadiana, and at the time of his death was the longest serving viceregal palatine in the Empire, having reigned since the death of his father Jérôme III in 1971. His tenure as prince saw the worst of the Louisiana Troubles, and he narrowly avoided assassination attempts on three separate occasions in the late 70s and early 80s. Many politicians have attributed the success of the Good Friday Agreement in Acadiana to be due in part to his outspoken public support for the agreement, a rare foray into politics of the politically neutral palatines, and he was a signatory to the agreement in 1999. Charles-Henri's role as viceregal palatine has also come under scrutiny, with the rise to prominence of the Cajun nationalist Parti de la Nation Cajun (PdlNC), which has made public its opposition to the hereditary position. Many have speculated that his death will renew calls for a review of the position of Prince of Acadiana.

The prince's personal life had been marred by tragedy, his first wife died in childbirth in 1963, whilst his second wife passed away in 2004 due to complications from ovarian cancer. Of his five children, three predeceased him, whilst his youngest surviving son was implicated in a coup attempt in the Gabon Republic alongside the current Earl of Kesteven. Despite this, the prince remained an incredibly popular figure amongst Cajuns throughout his life, as a symbol of strength and stability during the Troubles, however his eldest son and successor, Jérôme IV, is less popular than his father and only time will tell if the new prince can succeed in his role.

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The State of Acadiana, occasionally referred to as the Principality of Acadiana or the Cajun State, is a state of the Union of Louisiana, covering the southernmost part of the country along the Gulf Coast, bordered by the Free State of Florida and the Carolinian state of Mississippi to the east, South Arkansaw to the north, the Republic of Texas to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Acadiana is the only part of Louisiana, and the only region of Southern British America, where Francophones make up a majority of the population.

Modern Acadiana was inhabited by Native American for millennia prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, and their legacy can be seen in many place names that are transliterations of those used in various Native American languages, as well as the First Nation territories located across the state. Spain became the first European nation to visit the mouth of the Mississippi in 1528, although Spanish interest in the region faded in favour of Central America. French interest began in the late 17th century, when they established settlements along the Mississippi and the Red River of the South. Natchitoches, in the northwest of the state, was established in 1714 and is the oldest permanent European settlement in the modern state of Acadiana, its strategic location as a river port and crossroads resulted in rapid development and soon other settlements were established, including the capital New Orleans. After the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory west of the Mississippi to Britain, although it was able to retain control of the colony of Louisiana, which covered much of what is now Louisiana and Missouri. In the 1760s, several thousand Acadian refugees made their way to the region after being expelled from their homelands, settling across the south and southeast of the colony and establishing themselves in what would become known as Acadiana. During the 1790s and early 1800s immigrants also came from the colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean, and over the years thousands of ethnic Europeans, free people of colour and African slaves arrived in Acadiana. The influx of Francophones reinforced the prevalence of the French-language in the area, whilst intermarriage between the groups of new immigrants, colonial settlers and Acadian refugees gave rise to the modern language of Cajun French and the Cajun people. Africans, both freed and slave, also brought with them their cultural traditions, which has given rise to a unique Cajun culture.

A bastion of French royalist support, colonial Louisiana initially resisted overtures from the revolutionary French government to join the new republic, and although the authorities publicly declared themselves opposed to the French Revolution, they did not attempt to declare independence due to a fear of the response in Britain's American colonies. However Napoleon's victory in the War of the Third Coalition led to a shift in the mood in colonial Louisiana, and in early 1806 Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau, who had escaped the British at Saint-Dominigue into exile in New Orleans became the colonial governor and declared Louisiana's allegiance to the First French Empire. On 30 April 1806, British American forces launched an attack across the Mississippi to capture the settlement of Saint-Louis, beginning another theatre in the Napoleonic Wars that would be referred to as the Conquest of Louisiana. Lacking a significant military presence, and facing the unlikelihood of reinforcements from Europe, due in part to British naval dominance, the conquest of Louisiana lasted eight months and culminated with the Battle of New Orleans. During the battle de Rochambeau was killed and Pierre Clément de Laussat, his deputy, surrendered the city to British forces. On 18 January 1807, the French tricolore was lowered and the British Union flag raised in its place, although British control would not be formally recognised by France until the 1814 Congress of Vienna formally ceded the territory to Britain. The invasion of Louisiana had seen French royalists take up arms against their neighbours by fighting alongside the British, and in the post-conquest years tensions were high both between Cajuns themselves, and newly arrived immigrants from Britain and Europe. In an effort to ensure the loyalty of his new French-speaking subjects, as well as to repeat the success of the hereditary position of Lord Governor of Quebec, King-Emperor George III granted Louis de Noailles, an exiled French nobleman who led French royalists during the war, the title of Prince of Acadiana as palatine of the territory of Acadiana.

At the time of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, nearly 40% of the state's total population was enslaved, but despite the strong economic interests of the white elite in preserving the institution of slavery, full emancipation was enacted across the state in the following decade. During the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851), Acadiana saw some of the worst fighting, particularly urban warfare within the major cities of New Orleans and Vermilionville, as the secessionist Cajun Republic led by Alexandre Mouton attempted to secede from British control. A major fact in the Cajun uprising was the emancipation of the slaves a decade previous, and the economic impacts it had had on state. The republic was quickly defeated in 1849 when Vermilionville was recaptured by British forces, although its leaders fled into exile in South Haiti, where they established a government-in-exile that persists to this day. In 1861, Acadiana was united with the Arkansaws and the Indian Territory to form the Union of Louisiana. Under imperial law, freed men and people of colour were granted full citizenship and voting rights, however the white-dominated legislature passed laws effectively disenfranchising blacks and peoples of colour, a situation that would continue until the late 20th century.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly following the 1876 Acts of Union, Acadiana was dominated politically by various populist movements, whilst the rights of the black and creole population were reppressed. During the First World War, coastal Acadiana suffered bombing raids from Mexican air and naval forces, and parts of New Orleans were devastated when a Mexican warship bombarded the city. The interwar period saw the controversial tenure of Huey Long as Louisiana First Minister, and the rise to prominence of the Labour Party, leading to an increase in anti-Catholic sentiment and laying the foundations of the later Troubles. The Second World War created many jobs in the state, with the rise of the defence industry, whilst the post-war period saw many Cajuns migrating to other parts of the Empire to escape social oppression. The decades long ethnic and sectarian conflict, known as the Louisiana Troubles, began in the 1960s as a result of a civil rights campaign to end discrimination against blacks, aboriginals and Catholics. The conflict has shaped modern Cajun society, seeing the creation of paramilitary groups like the Cajun Republican Army and deployment of the British Army across the state. Sectarian violence and terrorism characterised Acadiana's history until the late 1990s, when the Good Friday "Saint-Louis" Agreement led to a ceasefire between the paramilitary groups and British security forces.

Modern Acadiana is a region characterised by a diverse multicultural population, having been influenced by a mixture of French, English, Native American and African cultures, making it unique within the Empire. Acadiana remains dominated by Catholics, with a significant Baptist population, and recent decades has seen the rise of nationalist and sovereignist movements, such as the Parti de la Nation Cajun, that advocate for Cajun secession from the Union. The economy of Acadiana is heavily dominated by the agricultural industry, with a growing tourism and film industry, the latter centred around Tremé in New Orleans. Due to the state's location along the Gulf Coast , it has regularly suffered the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes, with one of the worst being Hurrican Katrina that hit in August 2005 and caused extensive damage and flooding in New Orleans and other low lying parts of the state.

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The 2015 Acadiana legislative election was held on 7 December 2015 to elect, under the jackpot majority bonus system, the 141 members of the National Assembly, 86 from single-member districts and 55 from a statewide party list. Under the Acadiana electoral system, the party that wins a plurality of the popular vote receives an additional seat bonus from the party list to give them 72 seats overall, thus ensuring a functioning majority, whilst the second-largest party receives the remaining party list seats.

The incumbent centrist Union Populaire (UP) government, led by Chief Minister Charlie Melançon, was forced to call an early election after several backbenchers threatened to vote with the opposition against the government's proposed budget, partially in opposition over the lack of funding for renewable energy and flood defences. Despite overtures from the centre-left Parti Socialiste (PS), who offered to support the government in exchange for concessions on minimum wage and worker rights, the UP were unable to secure a majority in the National Assembly, and Melançon requested that the Prince dissolve the legislature in preparation for an early election.

In a tight and hard fought election campaign, the UP narrowly polled ahead of the opposition centre-left Parti de la Nation Cajun (PdlNC), but the PdlNC and their focus on infrastructure spending, improved flood defences and continued redevelopment of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina led to significant gains amongst all voters. The UP led a campaign centred around continuity, and focused on diversifying the state economy with increased investment in the growing technology industry. As election day approached, the polls narrowed, with many predicting the two parties to be tied in the popular vote. However a late surge in support for the PdlNC came after leader Jacques Roy pledged not to focus on the independence issue for his first term, resulting in many undecideds choosing to back his party. The results on election night saw the PdlNC secure a majority, whilst the UP were reduced to 45 seats.

Of the other opposition parties, the moderate conservative Alliance Nationale (AN) under Wilbert Tauzin saw a decline in seats and overall votes, largely attributed to the UP's shift to the right on certain issues attracting support away from the AN. The PS saw their support almost double, primarily amongst inner city black creoles, although this didn't translate into a significant gain in seats, whilst the centre-right Avenir Démocratique (AD) managed to hold their four seats dispute losing votes. A major surprise in the results came when Marie Hébert, leader of the Démocrates Indépendants (DI), unseated former Chief Minister Charles Auradou from his seat in Saint-Rose—Lafreniere, doubling her party's representation in the National Assembly.

On election night, Melançon conceded the result and announced his intention to step down as party leader when a successor had been elected. Roy was sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Acadiana the following day.

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The Prince of Acadiana (French: Prince d’Acadiane) is the hereditary viceregal palatine of Acadiana, acting as the viceroy of the state for the British Crown. The title, along with quasi-independent jurisdiction over modern-day Acadiana and the Arkansaws, was first granted to Louis de Noailles, an exiled French nobleman who led French royalist forces to fight with the British during the Conquest of Louisiana. For services rendered to the Crown, and in an effort to ensure the loyalty of his new French-speaking subjects in the conquered territories of colonial Louisiana, King-Emperor George III granted de Noailles the titles Prince of Acadiana and Duke of New Orleans. At the same time de Noailles was created Vicomte de Noailles in the Peerage of America, although this title separated from the Princedom in 1835, and remains extant.

Although historically enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of the British colonial possessions in North America, the influence and power of the prince declined significantly following the Republican Rebellion (1848-1851) when much of Acadiana erupted into full-scale rebellion against the Crown. Although the 3rd Princess of Acadiana, Anne-Marie de Noailles, swayed many to the side of the loyalists, her power, and that of other palatines, was curtailed by the signing of the Anglo-American Compromise, and the creation of the Union of Louisiana in 1861 further reduced her position to that of a ceremonial figurehead. Concerns over her marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte-Patterson, nephew of the French Emperor Napoleon, also contributed to the decline in political power for the family, and upon his succession in 1888 their son, Jérôme I de Bonaparte-Noailles, inherited a relatively powerless position.

The incumbent prince is Jérôme IV de Bonaparte-Noailles, who inherited the position upon the death of his father on 16 December 2017.

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Cajuns, also known as Cadiens, are an ethnic group predominantly living in the state of Acadiana, although smaller populations exist in neighbouring South Arkansaw, Florida and Texas. Although in its strictest definition, "Cajun" refers to those individuals descended from Acadians, French-speakers exiled from Acadia (what is now the New England provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia), it has taken on a much broader meaning to encompass all francophones in Acadiana. The Great Upheaval during the Seven Years' War saw the mass deportation of Acadians from their homelands to the French colony of Louisiana, where many resettled in modern Acadiana and intermarried with the established Francophone colonists. Many Cajuns fought with the French during the Conquest of Louisiana, a theatre of the Napoleonic Wars that resulted in Britain occupying the French colony, and throughout the 19th century they resisted British rule through both passive and armed resistance.

Today Cajuns make up a majority of the population of the state of Acadiana, and are one of the three recognised cultural, ethnic and linguistic groups within Louisiana, along with Arkansawyers and Amerindians. Having been repressed and heavily impacted by Anglophone dominance before and during the Louisiana Troubles, Cajuns now enjoy equal representation within the Louisiana General Assembly and the Louisiana Federal Government. The British imperial government also recognises them as a minority ethnic group.

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Cajun French is a variety of the French language spoken primarily in Acadiana, specifically in the southern, central and eastern parishes, though substantial minorities exist across Louisiana and southeast Texas as well. Cajun French is derived from the intermingling of the dialect brought by the Acadian exiles with the original Colonial French dialect spoken by soldiers and settlers in French Louisiana prior to the arrival of the Acadians in the 1760s. The language also incorporates elements and words of African, Spanish, Native American and English origin, further distinguishing it from the extant dialect of Acadian French still spoken in parts of New England. Considered a single language, there is still considerable regional variation across Acadiana, and even between neighbouring parishes.

Although spoken by most inhabitants of Acadiana, regardless of ethnic origin, some Black Creoles speak Kreyol, a distinct creole language that is a mixture of pre-Acadian colonial French, Spanish, African and Native American languages, and the northern parishes along the Red River of the South have significant English-speaking populations.

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LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
As an idea, what TL Zimbabwe looks like without Mugabe?

Well Mugabe's OTL birthplace is in Mozambique ITTL, so he was born Roberto Mugabe. Given that both Samora Machel and Joaquim Chissano (OTL first and second presidents of Mozambique) would have been born in Capeland ITTL, my guess would be that Mugabe comes to power in the 1970s as Prime Minister of Mozambique when it gained independence from Portugal as a realm in personal union with the Portuguese Crown. In 1986 the country transitions to a Republic, with Mugabe as an executive president, although he was a de facto dictator long before then. A brief war with Zimbabwe (roughly corresponding to OTL Matabeleland, the Midlands and northern Botswana) occurs between 1984 and 1986, followed by the Mozambican Civil War which last from 1987 to 1999 and sees Mugabe removed (he claims to have resigned) from power and the emergence of a multi-party parliamentary republic, with a similar electoral system to OTL South Africa.

Mugabe now lives in seclusion in Kutama in western Mozambique, having been granted immunity from prosecution as part of the civil war peace settlement.

If we're still on a districts kick, here's my home constituency:

Houston-Sharpstown
  • Gene Wu (REF) - 55.4%
  • M. J. Khan (CON) - 22.7%
  • Kendall Baker (CDP) - 18.1%
  • Daniel Biggs (LIB) - 2.3%
  • Other - 1.5%

Looks great :) Better get to work on a map I suppose :p

Actually, @LeinadB93 could you a write up on Texas history lore?

You can find a brief write-up of Texan history here.
 
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LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Here are the first two requested constituencies; Fredericksburg for @Gian and Jersey Shore North for @Pokemon Master. I hope you both (and everyone else) approve of them, I had trouble finding MIPs for Jersey Shore North but I think I picked some appropriate candidates, and hopefully everything seems realistic :)

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Fredericksburg is a borough constituency of the British Imperial Parliament, that elects one Member of the Imperial Parliament (MIP) by the first past the post system of election. The constituency is located in the province of Maryland, part of the Commonwealth of Columbia, and in its current incarnation is a recreation of a previous constituency that existed between 1876 and 1913, which was split due to demographic changes into Fredericksburg North and Fredericksburg South. The modern constituency was created for the 1973 imperial election, with the merger of the two Fredericksburg constituencies as a result of the switch to the mixed member proportional system. The largest settlement in the constituency is Fredericksburg, followed by Silver Spring and Bethesda.

Politically, Fredericksburg has a history as a swing seat between the parties of the centre and the centre-left, and in recent years is considered a marginally Social Democrat seat. Its first MIP in 1876 was Norton Chipman, an Army colonel who served in the Granadine Civil War. He was defeated as the Liberal candidate in 1886 and emmigrated to Leodocia, California where he died. His successor, Alexander Robey Shepherd was a controversial civic leader who's time as an MIP was marred by political corruption and cronyism. After declaring bankruptcy, Shepherd was defeated in a landslide at the 1892 election by Frederick Douglass, and emigrated to Texas shortly after. Douglass was a Black British social reformer and former slave who was elected under the banner of the Social-Liberals as the first black member of the Imperial Parliament. He served until his death in 1895, and was succeeded in the by-election by Charles Phelps of the Imperial Unionists, a law professor at the University of Baltimore. Phelps held the seat until 1906, when he was defeated in a landslide by the Social Democrat candidate Henry MacFarland, a journalist and city councillor, who held the seat until its abolition in 1913.

When the seat was recreated in 1973 its first MIP was Walter E. Fountroy (former MIP for Fredericksburg South), a civil rights leader and Baptist pastor. He was defeated at the 1981 election in by Liberal Michael Barnes, part of the liberal wave that swept the Empire. Barnes, a former marine and lawyer, was re-elected in 1984 and 1988 despite the nationwide dominance of the Conservatives, and served as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee under Thatcher, but was unseated at the 1990 election by insurgent candidacy of Connie Morella, a teacher and educator representing the Progressive Conservatives. Morella would succeed Mark Hatfield as leader of the PCs in 1995, a position she held until 2006, and served as Environment Secretary (2005-2006) in the Hayes Government. She would retire at the 2008 election to take a seat in the Columbian House of Peers, and her resignation allowed the Social Democrat Chris Van Hollen, a former member of the Columbian House of Commons, to take the seat. Van Hollen currently serves as the chair of the Treasury Select Committee.

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Jersey Shore North is a county constituency of the British Imperial Parliament, that elects one Member of the Imperial Parliament (MIP) by the first past the post system of election. The constituency is located in the province of New Jersey, part of the Commonwealth of Columbia, and was created for the 1955 imperial election, with the division of the Jersey Shore constituency into north and south. The largest settlement in the constituency is Lakewood, followed by Middletown and Howell.

Politically, the constituency has historically been a Conservative/Social Democrat swing seat, although since the late 1990s it has been a safe Social Democrat seat. Its first MIP was Conservative James Auchincloss, a businessman and member of the House of Commons of Columbia. He was defeated in 1968 as part of the "Red Surge" by Social Democrat James Howard, an educator who had served in the Royal Navy during WWII. Howard held the seat until 1979, when he was defeated by businessman and publisher Joseph Azzolina in the election that saw Flora MacDonald elected as Prime Minister. Howard would retake the seat by a narrow margin for the Social Democrats in 1981, only to lose it three years later in a narrow defeat to Anthony Villane, an Air Force veteran, dentist and member of the New Jersey Legislative Assembly. Villane served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Home Office between 1988 and 1993, but was defeated in 1993 when the Social Democrat candidate Frank Pallone took the seat. Pallone previously served as a member of both the New Jersey Legislative Assembly and the House of Commons of Columbia, and is currently a ranking member of the Energy Select Committee.

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The interwar period saw the controversial tenure of Huey Long as Louisiana First Minister, and the rise to prominence of the Labour Party, led to an increase in anti-Catholic sentiment and laid the origins of the later Troubles.
To helpfully clarify stuff here, Huey Long himself didn't encourage anti-Catholic sentiment. In fact, he built up support with working-class Catholics, same with his Arkansawyers.

What happened was that Arkansaw and Acadiana was basically made more connected via Long and Labour's infrastructure projects, leading to tensions that eventually boiled over. Before, the two were always seen as "doing their own thing". Long could be said to have 'made' Louisiana with his infrastructure spending by drawing the two halves [and of course, Wichita] together.

After Long, Labour became much less favourable to Catholics [helped by the influence of Wichitan William H. 'Alfalfa Bill' Murray], and well, combined with the increased connectedness of Louisiana and the growth of an educated and politically-conscious populace [Louisiana was really, really poor before Long in OTL and ATL], sectarian tensions bubbled over and eventually burst, creating the Louisiana Troubles.

This is something that historians could argue was in a sense, 'inevitable'.
 
Aside from Quebec and Acadiana, are there any other hereditary palatines in the Empire?

Also, are there other hereditary (noble) titles in the rest of the Empire?
 

Gian

Banned
I'm guessing the reason why you wanted to establish the Lousiana Troubles by keeping the Acadians there instead of Nova Scotia was because you wanted to transplant the Northern Ireland Troubles to the New World.

Am I right?
 

Fantastic work as usual. Where are the Landrieus? I would have thought they'd be prominent. Are they in Louisiana national or imperial politics? Also, the Prince of Acadiana is a very interesting title. Are there more such positions in other unique parts of the empire?

edit: What happened to the post of the Nordic monarchs?
 
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LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
If you're doing requests, could you do Westchester (or whatever it's called in this TL. North York?)?
I'd like to see who represents me. Springfield, Missouri.

@Peyton, Springfield, MO ITTL is located in North Arkansaw, part of Louisiana.

I'll add them both to the list:
  1. Fredericksburg (OTl Washington D.C.; for Gian)
  2. Jersey Shore North (not sure about name; Monmouth & Ocean counties of New Jersey; for Pokemon Master)
  3. Beverwijck—Rensselaer (OTL Albany and NY Capital; for Stuyvesant)
  4. North Wales (for Analytical Engine)
  5. Okeechobee—Everglades Norte (not sure about name; for JwEX)
  6. Georgetown and the Rappahannock Valley (OTL Fredericksburg; not sure about name; for FleetMac)
  7. Long Island East (for Noravea)
  8. Tallahassee (for Nazi Space Spy)
  9. Berowra—Central Coast—Macquarie (Northern Sydney one; for AustralianSwingVoter)
  10. Northern Rivers and Tablelands (OTL Northern Rivers and New England regions; for AustralianSwingVoter)
  11. Surrey and North Hampshire (for AustralianSwingVoter)
  12. Northumberland (for XO Mapping)
  13. Central and West Wales (for Turquoise Blue)
  14. New Jersey Highlands (for miner)
  15. New Rochelle—Greenburgh—Westchester (for Upvoteanthology)
  16. Ozark Highlands (for Peyton)

To helpfully clarify stuff here, Huey Long himself didn't encourage anti-Catholic sentiment. In fact, he built up support with working-class Catholics, same with his Arkansawyers.

What happened was that Arkansaw and Acadiana was basically made more connected via Long and Labour's infrastructure projects, leading to tensions that eventually boiled over. Before, the two were always seen as "doing their own thing". Long could be said to have 'made' Louisiana with his infrastructure spending by drawing the two halves [and of course, Wichita] together.

After Long, Labour became much less favourable to Catholics [helped by the influence of Wichitan William H. 'Alfalfa Bill' Murray], and well, combined with the increased connectedness of Louisiana and the growth of an educated and politically-conscious populace [Louisiana was really, really poor before Long in OTL and ATL], sectarian tensions bubbled over and eventually burst, creating the Louisiana Troubles.

This is something that historians could argue was in a sense, 'inevitable'.

Indeed :)

It's worth pointing out that Louisiana was very much a "space-filling" dominion, as it covers some incredibly diverse ethnic, linguistic and cultural areas which for much of their histories were very disconnected from each other. Compare that to the Ohio Country, which saw the gradual coming together of white settlers, Native Americans, other immigrants and former slaves to form the modern dominion around the Great Lakes, and is seen as a much more natural process.

So Long, although considered controversial by modern standards for his cronyism and borderline dictatorial style, was very popular amongst rank and file Cajuns, Arkansawyers and Amerindians, and the infrastructure projects he initiated helped to tie the disparate regions together. The resultant intermingling between the three ethnic groups in Louisiana had the unfortunate, and in some people's view, inevitable side effect of increasing ethnic and sectarians tensions that bubbled over into The Troubles.

As a side point the five states of Louisiana are: Acadiana in the south, the Arkansaws (north and south) stretch northward between the Mississippi and the Arkansaw River, Sequoyah in the southeast of the old Indian Territory, and Wichita in the far west. Acadiana is majority francophone Cajun, whilst Sequoyah is majority Amerindian (mainly Five Civilised Tribes). Wichita is home to a mixed population of Arkansawyers (white + black anglophones) and Amerindians (basically everyone else from colonial Virginia and Carolina - most aboriginals from Columbia and New England ended up in the Ohio Country), but the latter narrowly beat out the former. I have an interesting (IMHO) idea for the Arkansaws, based off of OTL United Canada, where they are two states but have a joint government based in Saint-John (OTL Little Rock) with two Co-Premiers, one from the north and one from the south...

Fantastic work as usual. Where are the Landrieus? I would have thought they'd be prominent. Are they in Louisiana national or imperial politics?

Thanks :D

The Landrieu family are generally more prominent at the federal and imperial levels. Moon Landrieu was Mayor of New Orleans in the late 60s and early 70s, and I was thinking potentially a member of the Acadiana National Assembly, the Louisiana General Assembly and maybe even a former Acadiana Chief Minister.

Mary Landrieu is the former First Minister of Louisiana (2008-16), whilst Mitch Landrieu is a list MIP for the Liberals.

Aside from Quebec and Acadiana, are there any other hereditary palatines in the Empire?

Also, are there other hereditary (noble) titles in the rest of the Empire?
Also, the Prince of Acadiana is a very interesting title. Are there more such positions in other unique parts of the empire?

Well I haven't really fleshed everything out fully, but at the moment Acadiana and Quebec definitely have hereditary palatines, as does Sciotoshire (OTL southern Ohio), all of which are styled as "Prince", or in Quebec's case "Prince and Lord Governor". I don't think it is a particualrly widespread position within the Empire, and the only other parts I've been tempted to see with palatines are Alaska (a Grand Duke) and Pennsylvania (Duke and Lord Governor; surviving Penn family). So that would take it up to 5 palatines.

The extent to which the "Indian states" of Ashinaabe, Indiana (both in the Ohio Country), Wichita, and Sequoyah (in Louisiana) are considered to be "palatine regions" varies, as they all have Westminster-style governments but the latter two exist separate and above the tribal nations. In Anishinaabe the position of Governor is usually a chief of one of the recognised tribes with the region, but is appointed by the Ohioan Viceroy, whilst Indiana has a "Grand Chief" who is elected from amongst the chiefs of the tribes/nations within the territory. So Indiana is the closest the Native Americans have to their own palatine.

I'm guessing the reason why you wanted to establish the Lousiana Troubles by keeping the Acadians there instead of Nova Scotia was because you wanted to transplant the Northern Ireland Troubles to the New World.

Am I right?

Yeah pretty much. I thought earlier home rule for Ireland would generally negate many of the issues that led to the OTL Troubles, and I've seen ALT versions in the Maritimes but never involving the Cajuns and Louisiana. So it's partly and interesting avenue to explore, whilst also being a potentially likely outcome of TTL's political evolution of Louisiana.

edit: What happened to the post of the Nordic monarchs?

It'll be up either today or tomorrow. The only reason I posted Acadiana is because I'd managed to get it finished, whereas the Nordic monarchs just need some finishing touches.
 
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Well I haven't really fleshed everything out fully, but at the moment Acadiana and Quebec definitely have hereditary palatines, as does Sciotoshire (OTL southern Ohio), all of which are styled as "Prince", or in Quebec's case "Prince and Lord Governor". I don't think it is a particualrly widespread position within the Empire, and the only other parts I've been tempted to see with palatines are Alaska (a Grand Duke) and Pennsylvania (Duke and Lord Governor; surviving Penn family). So that would take it up to 5 palatines.

What about Maryland, with the Calverts as palatines?

*checks Wikipedia*

Hmm, the title of Proprietor of Maryland ended up with an illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert IOTL before the revolution.
 
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