Hail, Britannia

Outstanding idea - gets away from the Starship Trooper 'service means citizenship' quasi facist approach and ensures that no matter who your daddy you you will serve. (UK TAVR, HK Regiment The Volunteers, HK Auxiliary Police)
As someone who would have been excluded due to medical reasons (bad eyesight, slightly double jointed and tires quicker due to a lower than normal muscle tone), I surprisingly agree as Granddad was in the Navy and a Great-Grand Uncle fell during WW1.

If done right it could be started in school or as after Secondary education as a life skills and development class teaching skills such as First aid, fire warden training, logistics, finance, etc.

If you include a physical and other tests to discover if you are able to serve in the military in anyway, you could cut down on the training time for the full recruits (just refined what they already know at the start and then teach the new stuff) and for the partial recruits could focus them on other areas to finish their conscription term.

In such a scenario, I personally wouldn’t be a full member of the military but I could potentially be fully trained in battlefield first aid or could be an expert in logistics of a military supply chain, etc.

This would likely also bind the general population to the forces as they would understand to a degree want was required to be a full member of the military and give the entire population more possibilities in life.
 
In such a scenario, I personally wouldn’t be a full member of the military but I could potentially be fully trained in battlefield first aid or could be an expert in logistics of a military supply chain, etc.
I understand and empathise with your view. I think in a civilized society such the Empire there will always be room for alternative forms of public service other than as combatants. In France, during conscription, working in hospitals (including psychiatric units) was an options available to those who could not in good conscience take up arms. IN WW11 mobilisation in the UK was almost total with those not conscripted in the armed forces being directed to industrial labour, the mines and the land - and of course unmarried women were subject to the same rules.

On a personal note, as we mark the end of WWII on 16 august (VJ day)I remember my parents who both served in the army in North Africa, Italy and the Near East and also my parents in law - my wife's father was a SSVC territorial in Singapore and spent more than three years building railways in Thailand and Burma and his wife was interned in Changi from the fall of Singapore until August 1945. Without the service and sacrifice all those who fought for democracy, we would not be here today.
 
(this is not a request, just a question) Now that 2015 and 2018 are done, if you make more infoboxes and maps of British imperial elections, do you think you'll start with Nov 2011 and work through the list of elections backwards, or start in 1876 and work chronologically?
 
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I'm currently working no a Mosaic Earth, and I'm not sure what to take from this TL. America and Australia are mostly full, but the rest o& the world is free. I'm currently contempalting Gibranltar and New Ararat; any others you'd suggest?
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Outstanding idea - gets away from the Starship Trooper 'service means citizenship' quasi facist approach and ensures that no matter who your daddy you you will serve. (UK TAVR, HK Regiment The Volunteers, HK Auxiliary Police)
If done right it could be started in school or as after Secondary education as a life skills and development class teaching skills such as First aid, fire warden training, logistics, finance, etc.

If you include a physical and other tests to discover if you are able to serve in the military in anyway, you could cut down on the training time for the full recruits (just refined what they already know at the start and then teach the new stuff) and for the partial recruits could focus them on other areas to finish their conscription term.

In such a scenario, I personally wouldn’t be a full member of the military but I could potentially be fully trained in battlefield first aid or could be an expert in logistics of a military supply chain, etc.

This would likely also bind the general population to the forces as they would understand to a degree want was required to be a full member of the military and give the entire population more possibilities in life.
I think in a civilized society such the Empire there will always be room for alternative forms of public service other than as combatants. In France, during conscription, working in hospitals (including psychiatric units) was an options available to those who could not in good conscience take up arms. IN WW11 mobilisation in the UK was almost total with those not conscripted in the armed forces being directed to industrial labour, the mines and the land - and of course unmarried women were subject to the same rules.

All good points that broadly cover the reasoning followed ITTL for the introduction and continuation of National Service.

On a personal note, as we mark the end of WWII on 16 august (VJ day)I remember my parents who both served in the army in North Africa, Italy and the Near East and also my parents in law - my wife's father was a SSVC territorial in Singapore and spent more than three years building railways in Thailand and Burma and his wife was interned in Changi from the fall of Singapore until August 1945. Without the service and sacrifice all those who fought for democracy, we would not be here today.

Indeed. Never Forgotten.
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
I was wondering what the state of climate change and the environmental movement is TTL? I did a quick search through this thread and didn't note anything directly addressing it but apologies if I just missed it

Hmm... my gut feeling is that action on climate change has been "more" effective than OTL and that environmental movements are generally stronger. You can see the later from the British elections where the Greens have been getting about 5% of the vote.

My thinking is that, with a stronger Soviet sphere post-Cold War and a tighter Commonwealth, backed by British finance, TTLs Kyoto Protocol is a bit beefier with more teeth. The Commonwealth has been more usccessful at combatting climate change and reduce emissions, as British money and investment to the country became tied to eco-targets.

Just some thoughts. But I'm sure there are more knowledgable people out there than me :)

On the topic of WW2: IOTL the US Navy's shipbuiling strategy generally consisted of building large numbers of a single ship class for every warship type (27 Cleveland-class cruisers, 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers, and 175 Fletcher-class destroyers, to give three examples), and only switching to new designs late in the war. Would TTL Royal Navy take the same approach, or would they mimic the more varied strategy of the OTL Royal Navy?

I defer to @FleetMac for most Naval matters, but my gut feeling is that they would follow the more varied strategy of the OTL Royal Navy. But there would likely be significantly more vessels built than OTL... of

Who are the current First Ministers and opposition party leader(s) of England, Cornwall, and Ireland? Also, who is the mayor (or whatever the equivalent position is) of London?

Yvette Cooper, Julia Goldsworthy and Mairead McGuinness are the incumbent First Ministers for England, Cornwall and Ireland respectively. The Mayor of London is Sadiq Khan, but ITTL the Mayor is comparable to an OTL Canadian Premier and functins within a Westminster parliamentary system.

(this is not a request, just a question) Now that 2015 and 2018 are done, if you make more infoboxes and maps of British imperial elections, do you think you'll start with Nov 2011 and work through the list of elections backwards, or start in 1876 and work chronologically?

Most likely November 2010 and work backwards.

Lemme guess, John Monds?

Obviously :)
 
Brittany

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
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Brittany, officially the Duchy of Brittany, is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the French located in the west of the country, bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Bay of Biscay to the southwest, Poitou to the south, Anjou-et-Maine to the east, and Normandy to the northeast. Since 2018, Brittany is the only region of Metropolitan France to be granted extensive home rule, although there are movements in several other regions for equal status. Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is recognised by the Celtic League as one of the six Celtic Nations, retaining a distinct cultural identity from the rest of France.

Inhabited since antiquity, Brittany is home to some of the world's oldest standing structures, and formed part of the Roman Empire from 51 BCE into the 3rd century CE. Throughout the 4th and 5th centuries CE, tribes of Ancient Britons, ancestors of the Celtic peoples began to arrive in the region from Great Britain. These migrants gave Brittany its name and the origins of the Breton language. In 851, the region emerged as an independent kingdom, the first unified Breton state, before collapsing in the early 10th century due to the turmoil caused by Norseman invasions and a succession dispute. The Duchy of Brittany was first established in 939, after the explusion of the Viking armies, as a nominal tributary state under the Kingdom of the Franks, though the Duchy was politically unstable throughout the 10th and 11th centuries.

Beginning in 1158, Brittany came under the control of the Angevins, who reigned as Kings of England, as part of their empire spanning most of western France. However this proved to be ephemeral, as following the collapse of their empire in 1204, the French Crown regained its influence and Brittany became a vassal state for the next three centuries. The independent nature of Brittany began to come to an end in 1488, after the death of Duke Francis II and the forced marriage of his daughter and heir, Anne, to King Charles VIII of France. The Ducal crown became united with the French Crown in 1532 through a vote of the Estates of Brittany, after the death of Queen Claude of France, the last sovereign duchess. Following the French Revolution, the Duchy, along with the other historic provinces of France, was replaced by the system of départements.

As part of a reorganisation of French local government in the 1950s, départements were joined into administrative regions, with Brittany reconstituted as a single region for the first time in 150 years. A nationalist movement, seeking greater autonomy within the French state, emerged in the post-war years, gaining considerable support amongst Bretons. A new cultural revival movement emerged during the 1960s and 70s, championing the distinctive Breton culture and language. In 1982, France adopted a policy of "decentralisation" towards its regions and overseas territories, granting Brittany significant powers over taxation and spending. However, the nationalist movement continued to grow, with many calling for "total home rule" - on par with a British dominion or a Texan state.

On 1 December 2017, a controversial referendum on Breton independence was held in Brittany - with nearly 60% in favour of independence on a turnout of 43%. Although the vote was subsequently nullified by both the Frenct Court of Cassation and the Breton regional court. The 2017-2018 Breton secession crisis culminated in the passage of the Breton Statute of Autonomy through the French States-General in November 2018, which reconstitued the region as an autonomous country withn France - the "Duchy of Brittany" - and enshrined in law Breton autonomy on all matters except foreign and defence affairs, though with the caveat of alignment with the rest of Metropolitan France. The Statute came into force on 11 December 2018, and the modern Duchy of Brittany officially came into being - with an autonomous bicameral States-General and the Ducal Crown recognised as being in personal union with the French Crown. On 29 September 2019, King Jean IV of France formally swore an oath - in Breton - before the States-General as the first Duke - Yann VII - since the 15th century.
 
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Hmm... my gut feeling is that action on climate change has been "more" effective than OTL and that environmental movements are generally stronger. You can see the later from the British elections where the Greens have been getting about 5% of the vote.

My thinking is that, with a stronger Soviet sphere post-Cold War and a tighter Commonwealth, backed by British finance, TTLs Kyoto Protocol is a bit beefier with more teeth. The Commonwealth has been more usccessful at combatting climate change and reduce emissions, as British money and investment to the country became tied to eco-targets.

Just some thoughts. But I'm sure there are more knowledgable people out there than me :)

It was the continuing Soviet regime that concerned me, as the Soviets and their satellites were famously some of the most environmentally destructive regimes in history. Also, by the 1970s and '80s OTL (so I assume it's broadly the same TTL) the Soviet Union's only export to the West was oil and natural gas so they might be suspicious of environmental regulations which might damage that ("the Soviet way of life is not up for negotiations" etc.).
 
It was the continuing Soviet regime that concerned me, as the Soviets and their satellites were famously some of the most environmentally destructive regimes in history. Also, by the 1970s and '80s OTL (so I assume it's broadly the same TTL) the Soviet Union's only export to the West was oil and natural gas so they might be suspicious of environmental regulations which might damage that ("the Soviet way of life is not up for negotiations" etc.).
Given how the Soviet Union has liberalized politically ITTL, I'm pretty sure they'd be more environmentally conscious now.
 
[QUOTE The wikibox on Scotland says it's a "recognized regional language", but how many people actually speak it?
[/QUOTE]
Fit like and foo y’a dee’in? *
It depends on how you classify ‘language’. There’s no single identifiable such in present day Scotland. There are several individual dialects with their own identifiable pronunciations. For example, In Aberdeenshire and surrounding parts, Doric is the spoken dialect with many words and usages unique to this area. It’s often incomprehensible to outsiders ( the BBC had to subtitle the documentary series on Peterhead fishermen), I guess this would be enough to justify the description. There are several other regional language groupings including the main Lowland dialect of Lallans. (*Doric greeting broadly equivalent to : How are you all today?)
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Which other regions are clamouring for autonomy within France? Are they mostly overseas parts of France, or do they also include parts of the metropole as well?

In terms of Overseas France - they are generally quite happy with the arrangement at present. The Union of the Overseas (Union des Outre-mers; UOM) is a broad-tent party advocating for Overseas issues, but there is little to no support for a change in level of autonomy in any of the territories.

However, in Guangzhouwan, the nationalist Guangzhouwan Independence Party (Parti pour l'Indépendance du Guangzhouwan / Guangzhouwan Duli Dang; PIG / GDD) campaigns for independence as a city-state. Although not as financially powerful as Hong Kong or Singapore, many citizens believe France has mismanaged the city, and that an independent Guangzhouwan could become an economic power along the Chinese coast. Support is moderate.

In the Metropole, regionalist autonomy movements exist, but they are more comparable in strength and popularity to the OTL movements in the UK (Yorkshire, Northumbria, Mercia etc.). Normandy, Alsace and Provence although have autonomist movements represented in their regional legislatures, and there are some pan-Occitan politicians at the local level, but they have generally failed to make a breakthrough at the national level.

It was the continuing Soviet regime that concerned me, as the Soviets and their satellites were famously some of the most environmentally destructive regimes in history. Also, by the 1970s and '80s OTL (so I assume it's broadly the same TTL) the Soviet Union's only export to the West was oil and natural gas so they might be suspicious of environmental regulations which might damage that ("the Soviet way of life is not up for negotiations" etc.).
Given how the Soviet Union has liberalized politically ITTL, I'm pretty sure they'd be more environmentally conscious now.
Maybe, I suspect it really depends on the international situation too. I'm going to believe that it's better than OTL until @LeinadB93 tells us otherwise

My thinking is that action on climate change is more successful here; what with a liberalised Soviet Union (and associated diversified economy) plus a more developed (read industrialised ala OTL USA) Brazil, democratic China, beefier Commonwealth etc.

When the ecological movements begin to take off in the 1990s, Britain, the Commonwealth and Europe lead the way in global environmental agreements. British investment in the Commonwealth (particularly in environmentally friendly industries) is a major draw, and so you end up with TTLs Kyoto Protocol being a lot stricter and effective. The Soviets (and there sphere the CSTO), while heavily reliant on oil and natural gas exports, see the way the wind is blowing and diversify there industries (maybe becoming a leader in renewable energy markets), although the post-Communist world still lags behind the rest of the developed world.

Egypt is a global leader in hydroelectric power - see the Qattara Sea, *Aswan Dam (name change?) and the associated environmental projects in those areas. India is probably still problematic, due to a desire to industrialise etc like OTL.

If that makes sense?
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
How many countries are monarchies? Could we possibly get a list?

According to my notes; there are 96 monarchies in the world to 45 republics.

So, it was recently revealed that a good chunk of the Scots-Language Wikipedia was written by an American teenager who knows nothing about the language. That makes me wonder what the status of Scots is ITTL. The wikibox on Scotland says it's a "recognized regional language", but how many people actually speak it?
The wikibox on Scotland says it's a "recognized regional language", but how many people actually speak it?

Fit like and foo y’a dee’in? *
It depends on how you classify ‘language’. There’s no single identifiable such in present day Scotland. There are several individual dialects with their own identifiable pronunciations. For example, In Aberdeenshire and surrounding parts, Doric is the spoken dialect with many words and usages unique to this area. It’s often incomprehensible to outsiders ( the BBC had to subtitle the documentary series on Peterhead fishermen), I guess this would be enough to justify the description. There are several other regional language groupings including the main Lowland dialect of Lallans. (*Doric greeting broadly equivalent to : How are you all today?)

That's brilliant x'D

Scots ITTL is regarded as a dialect/variation of English. While Scottish Gaelic is a separate language.
 
My thinking is that action on climate change is more successful here; what with a liberalised Soviet Union (and associated diversified economy) plus a more developed (read industrialised ala OTL USA) Brazil, democratic China, beefier Commonwealth etc.

When the ecological movements begin to take off in the 1990s, Britain, the Commonwealth and Europe lead the way in global environmental agreements. British investment in the Commonwealth (particularly in environmentally friendly industries) is a major draw, and so you end up with TTLs Kyoto Protocol being a lot stricter and effective. The Soviets (and there sphere the CSTO), while heavily reliant on oil and natural gas exports, see the way the wind is blowing and diversify there industries (maybe becoming a leader in renewable energy markets), although the post-Communist world still lags behind the rest of the developed world.

Egypt is a global leader in hydroelectric power - see the Qattara Sea, *Aswan Dam (name change?) and the associated environmental projects in those areas. India is probably still problematic, due to a desire to industrialise etc like OTL.

If that makes sense?

Yeah, it does. After all, OTL the world came pretty close to taking major action on climate in the 1980s under Reagan and Thatcher so having had a better response than OTL isn't as far-fetched as people think.

I'd forgotten that the Qattara Sea was from this TL, I'd definitely assumed it was from Our Fair Commonwealth (which I intend as a compliment to you both...).
 

LeinadB93

Monthly Donor
Yeah, it does. After all, OTL the world came pretty close to taking major action on climate in the 1980s under Reagan and Thatcher so having had a better response than OTL isn't as far-fetched as people think.

Indeed :)

I'd forgotten that the Qattara Sea was from this TL, I'd definitely assumed it was from Our Fair Commonwealth (which I intend as a compliment to you both...).

A high compliment :D
 
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