Hail, Britannia

[Pokemon Master]

Anything about the UKE [or UE? Not sure, TBH] that you want to know? I can give some information about broadly most of it.

I want to see a lot more of Columbia.

 

[Turquoise Blue]

I want to see a lot more of Columbia.

Well, we are planning to do more on that in the near future!

 

[LeinadB93]

Can we have some more info on the territories and dependencies of the UKE? And also possibly of New Zealand ) This is my favourite TL on the forums at the moment, keep it up!!

Funny you should mention the British territories and dependencies, as I've just been working on a big table of information about them that I will share today or tomorrow.

And thanks I'm glad you're enjoying it!

I don't know much of the territories or dependencies, sorry.

But New Zealand, we have went over it a bit. Really, not much has seriously diverged there compared to OTL. There's an United Party, a Social Democratic Party and Te Paati Maori and others, like a Libertarian party affiliate that has some SDP defectors [like Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble], Social Credit was likely stronger back in its heyday, stuff like that. Nothing really that divergent.

But hey, we're always open to ideas!

My current party list for New Zealand:

ACT - Right-wing; classical liberalism, right-libertarianism
Alliance - Left-wing; democratic socialism
Green - Left-wing; Green politics, environmentalism, techno-progressivism, technocentrism
Internet MANA - Centre; Collaborative e-democracy, internet freedom, privacy, copyright reform, indigenous rights
Te Paati Māori - Big tent; indigenous rights
New Zealand First - Centre-right; New Zealand nationalism, conservatism, populism
Social Democrats - Centre-left; Social democracy
United - Centre-right; conservatism, classical liberalism​

I want to see a lot more of Columbia.

All in good time! I've got an update looking at New York City that I'll post today or tomorrow

 

[LeinadB93]

Totally stealing the format from @Nazi Space Spy and credit to @CanadianTory for the Canada piece:

Same-Sex Marriage Legalised in Westralia

PERTH - In a landmark decision the Westralian House of Assembly has voted 50-41, with 6 abstentions, in favour of ratifying the Marriage and Civil Partnerships Act passed by the Imperial Parliament in 2013. The vote which took place at 14:00 WST (07:00 BST) saw the governing Labour–Ararat Left coalition joined by members of the Liberal party to support the bill, whilst the opposition Nationalists, Jewish Home and Country Alliance voted against. The 6 members of the Patriotic Socialist party abstanied from the vote.

In a joint press conference First Minister Tzipi Livni (Labour) and Deputy First Minister Eitan Gabel (Ararat Left) described it as a "proud day for Westralia" and the beginning of a "new era of inclusiveness", whilst Opposition Leader Troy Buswell (Nationalist) described it as "a betrayal of voters and traditional values" and Gila Gamliel (Jewish Home) said in an interview to the Yiddish-language network Kol Ararat that it would strengthen the independence movement in the Jewish-majority territory of Ararat.

The Same-Sex Marriage Bill, which won't come into force until 1 January 2018 to allow for passage through the Senate and any legal challenges, means that Westralia has become the 25th dominion to legalise same-sex marriage, leaving Fiji, Jamaica, Mauritius, Sierra Leone and the West Indies as the only parts of the Empire where same-sex marriage is not completely legal.

In Other News​

- Around 50 people have been killed, and dozens more seriously injured, after a devastating mudslide hit parts of the Sierra Leonean capital of Freetown late last night. A night of heavy rain saw a hillside in the Regent area of the city collapse, burying buildings and turning roads into "churning rivers of mud". The Royal Sierra Leone Militia has been deployed to render assistance to the hundreds and thousands of people left homeless or without running water and power. First Minister Julius Maada Bio (Socialist People's) has praised the emergency services for their rapid response in a televised address from the city and thanked "our brothers and sisters across the Empire for their unwavering support in this time of crisis". In London, the Home Office and Dominion Office have both pledged funds to Sierra Leone to support the recovery and reconstruction process. Analysts have pointed out that the death toll could have been much higher, as prior to Sierra Leone's accession to the Union the Regent area was one of the worst shanty towns in the country, although funding from the imperial government and international investments have improved the infrastructure considerably.

- Celebrations are being held across India to mark the 82nd anniversary of their legislative independence from the British Empire, and the 70th anniversary of India's adoption of the Statue of Westminster, which severed the last remaining legislative links between India and Britain. In a ceremony at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Badishah, Maharaja Karan Singh of Kashmir, led the national celebrations. The Badishah praised the country as a "beacon of democracy and tolerance" whilst the Prime Minister has called on "all Indians to take this opportunity to shape the future of the nation and participate in India's development". Although there have been reports of growing religious tensions in Balochistan and Bengal between Hindus and Muslims, the anniversary celebrations have been largely peaceful.

- The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Michelle Rempel, announced in a press conference early this morning that her party would be balloting members on a proposal for the PCs to officially join the Canadian Alliance, the electoral grouping of centre-right parties in the Canadian Parliament. She said that discussions with Reform Party leader, and leader of the opposition, Brad Wall have been "productive" and showed that the two parties could "find common ground". If successful the merger would put the Alliance on 123 seats to the governing United Democratic Federation's 144, and would increase pressure on First Minister Gerard Kennedy's shaky government.

 

[Wayside]

What's the demographic makeup/geographic organization of Westralia? Like, is Ararat the only majority-Jewish area, or do they make up a general majority of the population?

 

[CanadianTory]

Good, goooood. Soon Canada will be in Brad Wall's safe hands.

 

[LeinadB93]

What's the demographic makeup/geographic organization of Westralia? Like, is Ararat the only majority-Jewish area, or do they make up a general majority of the population?

Westralia has a population of about 3.9 million ITTL, with the Autonomous Territory of Ararat (OTL Kimberley region) having a population of about 1.5 million. My demographic breakdown tells me that the Jewish population of Westralia is 1.4 million, with 1.1 million of them living in Ararat and the rest in the Perth metropolitan area and along the southwest coast, although there would probably be small pockets of Jews in most major towns and cities.

They've generally integrated very well to the Westralian population, and Liberal/Reform Judaism is the major strand, although there are substantial Orthodox groups in Ararat, hence why both the First Minister and Deputy are Jewish and no one bats an eye. Basically they make up 37% of the population no government has existed since the 1960s without a Jewish party as coalition partner.

Good, goooood. Soon Canada will be in Brad Wall's safe hands.

All in good time my friend

 

[LeinadB93]

Can we have some more info on the territories and dependencies of the UKE? And also possibly of New Zealand ) This is my favourite TL on the forums at the moment, keep it up!!

As @finnz has asked, and I was already working on it anyway, here's the full breakdown (with flags) of the Overseas Possessions of the United Kingdom and Empire of Great Britannia. All of the remaining 23 British overseas possessions are the parts of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or been integrated into Britain proper; 20 overseas possessions have permanent populations, whilst the other 3 are home to military bases or research outposts. They are divided into three types of overseas possessions: Crown Dependency, Overseas Territory and Associated State.

The Crown Dependencies of Jersey, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Heligoland are self-governing possessions of the Crown, and do not form part of either the U.K.E., the Overseas Territories or the Associated States. Internationally they are considered "territories for which Great Britannia is responsible", rather than sovereign states, and are internally self-governing, with the Imperial Parliament having responsibility for defence and foreign affairs. Additionally, the British Monarch holds a distinct title in each crown dependency; "Duke of Normandy" in the Channel Islands, "Lord of Mann" on the Isle of Man, and "Lord of Heligoland" on Heligoland.

There are 17 Overseas Territories, historically known as Crown Colonies, and they are best described as territories with "self-government subject to consent". Overseas territories are not considered part of Britain's integral territory, although they share the Queen-Empress in her role as head of state of the United Kingdom and Empire of Great Britannia, and not in right of each territory. The Governor of each territory is appointed on the advice of the British Government, not the territorial government, and is usually a non-native retired military officer or civil servant. Unlike the Viceroys in the Home Nations, the Governor is also responsible for liaising with the British Government. Territories are the only overseas possessions where the Imperial Parliament retains legislative power over internal affairs, although it is only used as a last resort.

The 2 Associated States are considered to be halfway between a dependent territory and a sovereign state, and although they are considered separate under international law they are not treated as sovereign states. Associated states have full control over their constitution, and thus internal self-government, with the Imperial Parliament retaining responsibility for external affairs and defence. The British monarch remains the head of state, but the Governor is appointed on the advice of the local Prime Minister and has only constitutional powers. In this regard they are in a similar constitutional arrangement to the Home Nations and the Imperial Parliament, except associated states have no representation in the latter.

All overseas possessions elect a single non-voting delegate to the Imperial Parliament at every imperial election, and although they are prevented from voting in the Imperial House, they may sit and vote on any of the committees. Historically many current British Dominions were overseas possessions prior to their Admission to the Union: Hong Kong, Andaman and Nicobar, Mauritius and Malta were all overseas territories or crown colonies whilst Puerto Rico and Singapore were both associated states prior to 1964. The most recent territories to become home nations are Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands, which merged into a single home nation and was admitted to the Union on 22 July 2019.

There are movements in nearly all of the overseas possessions that advocate for Accession to the Union as a new dominion or outright independence. Labuan is home to the highest profile debate, with the territory currently being governed by the pro-dominion party. There are also movements for the annexation of territories to already existing dominions, such as Bermuda to Virginia, Carolina or Columbia, and Vanuatu and Norfolk Island to Australia. The island territories of Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Ashmore and Cartier Islands were previously British Imperial possessions before they were annexed to Westralia in 1970. Movements also exist in Micronesia and the Mariana Islands in support of merging the two possessions into a single larger territory that would then seek dominion status.

 

[Steve Brinson]

John Lomax's Texan Experience is a documentary series produced by the Public Education Broadcasting Corporation of Texas. Its format is episodic - once every two weeks, they release half an hour of documentary about a historical Texan person, place, event, or organization. Most of the episodes talk about obscure topics, like turn-of-the-century Afro-Texan politician William McDonald, or the Prohibition Party of Texas.
Many people - reportedly, including President Martinez - see John Lomax's Texan Experience as a far-left program. Certainly, John Nova Lomax - whose father was reportedly surveilled by the Texas Department of Domestic Intelligence - is a liberal, one who in his Houston Press articles regularly criticized even Reform politicians from the left. But (if you will permit me to be partial) he has, thus far, quite successfully kept that out of the show. What, in my opinion, rankles many of the program's critics is its willingness to demythologize some of their sacred cows - like John H. Reagan, who as President sold arms to Carolinian rebels, or the Texas Rangers, who committed acts of what would now be called ethnic cleansing.
Anyway, here's the episode scheduled for Saturday:

John Lomax's Texan Experience
The Other Johnson #101
Saturday, August 19, 03:30 am on KUHT 8.2

Duration: 0:56:46

Description: In this hour-long documentary, John Lomax explores the life of Sam Johnson, the father of Lyndon Johnson and a notable politician in his own right. In The Other Johnson, John follows the rise and fall of Johnson, from his beginnings as a lawyer in the Hill Country to his tenure as Prime Minister. Then, he shows Johnson's later career as a trusted lieutenant for Robert Thomason, a political adviser and supporter of his son, and his eventual decline into poverty and death.

 

[LeinadB93]

I don't have any infoboxes ready ATM, but the basic history is that Spain undergoes a full Revolution (1863-1868), an converts to a republic significantly earlier. Britain gets involved in the conflict, I outlined some of the history in the Gibraltar post, but the Caribbean War sees the Spanish royalists in exile over Cuba and Santo Domingo, whilst Puerto Rico gets "purchased" by Britain for a nominal fee. It largely evolves as it did in OTL under American governance, but largely falls into the sphere of influence of Hispanophone Florida which pushes for its accession as a dominion, which it achieves in 1964 by merging with the Virgin Islands.

So I have sort of hinted at this sequence of events, and mentioned parts of it in the Gibraltar post. But here is the Spanish Revolution and three major theatres of it.

The Spanish Revolution, also known as the Glorious Revolution, was a period of armed military conflict, alongside social and political upheaval, throughout the Spanish Empire that lasted from 1863 to 1868. The Revolution resulted in the exile of Queen Isabel II to Cuba, the establishment of the First Spanish Republic and the independence of the Catalan countries. It would also lay the seeds for the Spanish Civil War seventy years later and play a role in the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

Spanish liberals and republicans had long hoped to place one of their own as Prime Minister, however the weakening of Spain's position as a global power, coupled with the loss of much of the colonial empire and the vacillation of Queen Isabel II between liberal and conservative positions led many to begin to see the monarch as the source of the country's difficulties.

The Revolution began on 16 August 1863 when, in a coordinated action, naval forces mutinied in Cadiz and Generals Francisco Serrano and Juan Prim denounced the government and began a rebellion in Madrid itself. The unrest quickly spread across the south of country, forcing the Queen and the Royal Court to flee Madrid for the relative safety of Valladolid. The flight of the Queen led to the Cortes declaring the throne vacant and although overtures were made to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Prince Amadeo of Savoy no willing candidate emerged, leading to the declaration of the Spanish Republic with Francisco Serrano as President. The offer to Prince Leopold would be a direct cause of the later Franco-Prussian War.

Royalists in Spain would find little support internationally, France found itself occupied with the ascendancy of Prussia over the German states while Britain was loath to involve itself in another conflict so soon after the Granadine Civil War. Portugal and Savoy offered material support for a time, but refused to directly engage the growing revolutionary army. The Queen and Court relocated frequently as revolutionary forces overran royalist positions, and by 1868 controlled only parts of Galicia, Leon and Asturias, based in the city of Santiago de Compostela.

The Revolution officially came to an end on 27 September 1868, when royalist, republican, Catalan and British ambassadors met and signed the Peace of Lisbon; recognising the sovereignty of the First Spanish Republic and Catalonia, and provided safe passage to the Queen, her Court and any royalists unwilling to swear allegiance to the new republic to Havana. It would also recognise the existence of the Kingdom of Spain-in-Exile in Cuba and Santo Domingo, although Continental Spain would not recognise that government for its entire existence. Britain's acquisition of the East Indies would lead to the First Philippine Revolution as the native inhabitants of the Philippines sought independence.

The Caribbean War, also known as the Caribbean Theatre by modern historians, was the theatre of the Spanish Revolution that took place in and around the Caribbean Sea, predominantly in the Spanish West Indies, which at the time consisted of what is now Cuba, Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico. The Caribbean War began when revolutionary forces in the three territories of the Spanish West Indies rose up against the royalist colonial government, in support of the revolutionaries in Continental Spain.

Historians now consider that the Caribbean revolutionaries had overestimated their support amongst the local population; Cuba was against anything that would disrupt the lucrative trade with Florida, Santo Domingo was loathe to see a return to the violence that characterised the break up of the Granadine Confederation and Puerto Rico was relatively happy with the existing government. However distractions in mainland Spain led to the Caribbean War becoming a long, drawn out affair as royalists and republicans engaged in guerrilla warfare in the towns and countryside.

The British Empire would join the war on the side of Royalist Spain on 4 June 1868, after the HMS Maine was sunk in Havana Harbour, although historians have been unable to identify the culprits behind the sinking. British forces moved quickly to isolate revolutionary forces, occupying the entire island of Puerto Rico and evicting republican troops from the major cities in Cuba and Santo Domingo. The Caribbean War came to an official end on 27 September 1868 with the signing of the Peace of Lisbon, which saw the establishment of an exiled Spanish Monarchy established over Cuba and Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico sold to the British for a nominal fee and the exile of revolutionary forces from the West Indies. The Kingdom of Spain-in-Exile would last until 1941, when it was dissolved into the Kingdom of Cuba and the Kingdom of Santo Domingo, ruled by two of Queen Isabel II's great-grandsons.

The Catalan War of Independence, known as the Catalan Restoration War by 19th century 'romantic' historians', was a military conflict, considered part of the wider Spanish Revolution that was fought in the Catalan-speaking regions of the Kingdom of Spain from 1865 to 1868.

The territories of the former Crown of Aragon had long chaffed under rule by larger Castille, and later Spain, from Madrid, and during the early stages of the revolution many Catalans pledged their support to the revolutionaries in Andalusia. A leading figure in the revolution in Catalonia was Alfons, 7th Count of Cardona, and as it became clear the republican nature of the revolution in the rest of Spain many Catalans recoiled from the idea, largely attributed to the memory of the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon.

On 21 April 1865 the Spanish Royalist garrison in Barcelona was defeated and captured, and Alfons was crowned as King Alfons VI of the Catalans by the Archbishop of Barcelona. Alfons VI quickly secured foreign support from both France and Savoy, marrying his son and heir to a member of the House of Savoy, and although the First Spanish Republic did not recognise Catalan sovereignty until March 1868, their forces fought alongside the Catalans in many of the fiercest engagements in eastern Spain. The Battle of Calatayud was one of the fiercest in the entire revolution, and the Catalan victory began a period of stalemate in the War of Independence as neither royalists nor republicans could dislodge the Catalan forces.

Although the war is considered to have ended on 19 March 1868 with the recognition of Cataln independence by Francisco Serrano, as with the rest of the Spanish Revolution it did not officially end until Catalan delegates signed the Peace of Lisbon.

The Gibraltar Intervention represented the British Empire's only intervention into mainland Spain during the Spanish Revolution, other than the evacuation of the Spanish Court in September 1868. It began shortly after the sinking of the HMS Maine in Havana and the murder of three British citizens during a crackdown by revolutionary forces in Tangier. Named for the military fortress of Gibraltar, the Intervention saw British forces seize control of the Spanish Maghreb territory, including the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and the occupation of parts of Southern Andalusia.

The Intervention culminated in the Battle of Marbella in August 1868, where the British took the city and successfully repelled three Spanish attempts to retake it. The fall of Marbella and the threat of a British strike northwards towards Granada and Seville, the headquarters of the revolutionary forces, was a key factor in the republicans suing for a ceasefire and the eventual Peace of Lisbon. Britain retained ownership of the Maghreb territories, and would occupy southern Andalusia for 44 years before returning it to Spain.

 

[CanadianTory]

More land for Britain is always a plus

 

[Wayside]

So, does this mean the Spanish State infobox has been retconned?

 

[LeinadB93]

More land for Britain is always a plus

But of course

So, does this mean the Spanish State infobox has been retconned?

Yes I'm afraid it does. I've got a few bits and pieces looking at the Spanish State and post-War Spain that I'll share next week.

Oh and please don't anyone think I've forgotten about Columbia and New York! The city-province of New York and Long Island is having an election on saturday so I'm saving the post till then so you can see the outcome of the election

 

[Gonzo]

I have to say that I haven't really followed this before, but having read up on what is here in this thread and what has been made and create before in this series, I have to say that I am greatly enjoying this thread and the world building it is giving to this -verse.

 

[LeinadB93]

I have to say that I haven't really followed this before, but having read up on what is here in this thread and what has been made and create before in this series, I have to say that I am greatly enjoying this thread and the world building it is giving to this -verse.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it

Anything in particular anyone would like to see more of?

 

[Gonzo]

Anything in particular anyone would like to see more of?

Something related to Ireland would be interesting.

 

[Analytical Engine]

Anything in particular anyone would like to see more of?

Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and England please.

 

[Mustard]

So I have sort of hinted at this sequence of events, and mentioned parts of it in the Gibraltar post. But here is the Spanish Revolution and three major theatres of it.

Interesting that the Union Flag which was used before 1801 is still used in this timeline in 1868. Did something happen which delayed Ireland joining the UK?
Oh, and tremendous work, as always.

 

[LeinadB93]

Something related to Ireland would be interesting.

Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and England please.

All in the pipeline I assure you! Updates about Ireland, Wales and Scotland have been done and are currently awaiting writeups.

Suffice to say, Ireland avoids many of its OTL problems and is politically dominanted by Éire Aontaithe and Sinn Fein, with a strong Unionist party. Scotland calls itself a "Free State" and is a two party system between Independent Labour and the National party. Wales is a principality and a three-way battleground between Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberals.

I've alluded to Cornwall having a status as a "Grand Duchy", and it and Wales are the only Dominions of the Empire to have a head of state other than the Queen, although they still recognise her in her position as Empress of All Britain.

England requires a bit more fleshing out, but the generaly gist is the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) versus the Conservatives with a strong third party Liberal Union.

Interesting that the Union Flag which was used before 1801 is still used in this timeline in 1868. Did something happen which delayed Ireland joining the UK?
Oh, and tremendous work, as always.

Well Ireland is self-governing from the 1790s so doesn't get integrated in 1801, although the British Empire retains a tighter hold on both Ireland and America than OTL Canada got post-1867. So the Union Flag remains its 1707 design. Then in 1876, Great Britain, Ireland and British America unite to form the United Kingdom and Empire of Great Britannia, creating the modern (OTL post-1801) Union Flag with red diagonals being added to represent Ireland and British America (their flag involves diagonal red stripes).

Thanks

 

[FleetMac]

Anything in particular anyone would like to see more of?

I would love to hear more about either of the World Wars (I imagine No.2 obviously has more meat to it, though IIRC the First ITTL is a bit more global in scale than OTL).