Our Fair Country: The Commonwealth of New England

[Danishbro]

I have a white south african freind. I dont think poorly of them at all and I dont know any fellow kiwis that do.

I’m not a kiwi, but I’ve heard that former white Rhodesian’s are somewhat looked down upon there because of the preception that they all had a Black African cook and a housemaid, and a driver, etc. Like a silver spoon in the mouth, at the expense of natives. And then that perception is sometimes also cast on White South Africans.

Like I said, I’m not a Kiwi (unfortunately) this is just something I read on an expat forum long ago.

 

[Gladsome]

why keep a boring neo-british flag? i don't exactly understand that logic but anyway.

Not everyone finds them boring. I find tricolours excessively boring, except for a few examples.

 

[CosmicAsh]

why keep a boring neo-british flag? i don't exactly understand that logic but anyway.

Many people still feel an attachment to Britain, and it's not like they are a dumpy island in the North Atlantic. Britain remains a global superpower.

What is the current flag's nickname? Like England has the Union Jack, the US has the stars and stripes, Canada (in OTL) has the Maple Leaf- Does New England have the 'Starry Circle?

The even more boring "Union Flag." Each star represents a province, and they are all equal because they are arranged in a circle.

Which still makes no sense.

Well, realistically with a POD in the 17th century, the butterflies would be so massive that the world today would be nearly unrecognizable from OTL. If realism was the ultimate goal then none of the people ITTL would be the same as OTL. But I think the parallelism is an equally important part of telling this particular 'story'.

I subscribe to the multi-verse theory, so it's basically scientifically impossible to rule out this universe existing. Lame excuse I know, but it's the one I'm sticking to. Hate to say it, but there's tons of other wonderful timelines out there that will cater to that. If it's an issue here, feel free to go read those instead, I am sure they are just as good!

 

[ETGalaxy]

I subscribe to the multi-verse theory, so it's basically scientifically impossible to rule out this universe existing. Lame excuse I know, but it's the one I'm sticking to. Hate to say it, but there's tons of other wonderful timelines out there that will cater to that. If it's an issue here, feel free to go read those instead, I am sure they are just as good!

I mean, it's kind of impossible to predict what someone would look like after a POD so it is completely plausible for "doppelgängers" to exist in alternate history timelines as long as the circumstances are right for that person to have a similar personality and career.

 

[ZacharyK]

When I first read the article I was like "It's nice he's still alive ITTL", and then, all of a sudden, I realised he's still alive in real life, too...

 

[CosmicAsh]

After reading @Alternate History Geek's timeline "Orange Tempest" I really wanted to write the effects here. This is totally not canon and just an exercise in a different writing style for me. Some of this (weather reports) are fully inspired (and lifted) by the original work. I would have asked permission to use it, however the author hasn't been online since 2016 I doubt I will do more than this, it's a nice one off. Enjoy!

​

From the National Hurricane Center website (www.nhc.noaa.gov), 19 September 2010:

Hurricane IGOR

ZCZC MIATCPAT1 ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
BULLETIN
HURRICANE IGOR ADVISORY NUMBER 48
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112010
1100 PM AST SUN SEP 19 2010

...CENTER OF HURRICANE IGOR PASSES DIRECTLY OVER BERMUDA...OVER 202 MPH WIND GUST REPORTED ON THE ISLAND...


SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...32.4N 64.8W
ABOUT 10 MI...15 KM NW OF BERMUDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...170 MPH...275 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 355 DEGREES AT 16 MPH...26 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...917 MB...27.08 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

NONE.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* BERMUDA

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO BERMUDA...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE BRITISH EMPIRE WEATHER BUREAU.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IGOR WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 32.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 64.8 WEST. IGOR IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 16 MPH...22 KM/HR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST WITH SOME INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED ON MONDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF IGOR WILL BE PASSING AWAY FROM BERMUDA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...AND CONTINUE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE ISLAND ON MONDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 170 MPH...275 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IGOR IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME WEAKENING IS LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

IGOR IS AN EXTREMELY LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 275 MILES...445 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 645 MILES...1040 KM. THE OFFICIAL WEATHER OBSERVING SITE IN BERMUDA RECENTLY REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND OF 172 MPH...277 KM/HR...WITH A GUST TO 191 MPH...307 KM/HR. AN ELEVATED OBSERVING SITE IN BERMUDA RECENTLY REPORTED A WIND GUST TO AT LEAST 202 MPH...325 KM/HR...HOWEVER...THE SITE'S ANEMOMETER WAS DESTROYED BY THE WIND GUST BEFORE IT REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY...WHICH IS ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY 210 MPH...340 KM/HR.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 917 MB...27.08 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER BERMUDA THROUGH MONDAY. WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH BY MONDAY AFTERNOON.

RAINFALL...IGOR IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 20 TO 30 INCHES OVER BERMUDA THROUGH MIDDAY MONDAY. THIS WILL BRING STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS TO BETWEEN 72 AND 80 INCHES OVER BERMUDA.

STORM SURGE...AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO PRODUCE MASSIVE COASTAL FLOODING ON BERMUDA. THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY EXTREMELY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST...SHIFTING TO THE NORTHERN COAST EARLY MONDAY MORNING.

SURF...LARGE SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO...THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...HISPANIOLA...THE BAHAMAS...THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS...BERMUDA...THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES...NOVA SCOTIA...NEW BRUNSWICK...AND NEWFOUNDLAND THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THESE SWELLS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND RIP CURRENTS. PLEASE CONSULT PRODUCTS FROM YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.


NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY...200 AM AST.
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...500 AM AST.

$$
FORECASTER PASCH

NNNN

--------------------

Bulletin issued by Weather New England (www.weather.ne), 20 September 2010:

Hurricane IGOR

HMRNEN BVI02 SPTN
BES13 QVWS DDHHMM
BULLETIN
HURRICANE IGOR ADVISORY NUMBER 06
WEATHER NEW ENGLAND/ENVIRONMENT CANADA SPANISH TOWN B.V.I. BE03201ER
1100 PM NES MON SEP 20 2010

...IGOR HAS SHIFTED TRACK AFTER HITTING BERMUDA, TURNING TOWARDS NEW ENGLAND AND RAPIDLY GAINING STRENGTH...

CURRENT CONDITIONS
LOCATION...36.5N 65.5W
ABT 450KM N OF BERMUDA
ABT 670KM SE OF NANTUCKET PLYMOUTH
ABT 765KM S OF CAPE SABLE NOVA SCOTIA
MAX SUS. WIND 265KMH
MOVEMENT NW 320DEG 80KMH
MIN CENTRAL PRESSURE 923MB...DECREASING


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
====================
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

WEATHER NEW ENGLAND HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE WARNING FOR ALL OF LONG ISLAND...CONNECTICUT...RHODE ISLAND...PLYMOUTH...EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS BAY...NEW HAMPSHIRE...MAINE...NOVA SCOTIA...ALL MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS OF NEW ENGLAND

WEATHER NEW ENGLAND HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR ADIRONDACK...WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS BAY...VERMONT...NEW BRUNSWICK...PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

ENVIRONMENT CANADA HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR NEWFOUNDLAND

THE BRITISH EMPIRE WEATHER BUREAU HAS CHANGED THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR BERMUDA TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS ISSUED BY WEATHER NEW ENGLAND

HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
*LONG ISLAND
*CONNECTICUT
*RHODE ISLAND
*PLYMOUTH
*EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS BAY
*NEW HAMPSHIRE
*MAINE
*NOVA SCOTIA

TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
*WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS BAY
*ADIRONDACK
*VERMONT
*NEW BRUNSWICK
*PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

OUTLOOK
====================
IGOR WILL MOVE NORTHWEST AT 80KMH AND WILL TURN NORTH TUESDAY BEFORE MAKING A TURN NORTHEAST BY WEDNESDAY...WEATHER NEW ENGLAND...ENVIRONMENT CANADA...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...BRITISH EMPIRE WEATHER BUREAU...ALL CONVERGE ON IGOR MAKING LANDFALL ON NANTUCKET...MARTHAS VINEYARD...OR CAPE COD ON TUESDAY.

====================

Hurricane Igor remains the costliest, deadliest, and most notable natural disaster to have ever hit New England. The hurricane first hit the island of Bermuda before making a sudden and unexpected turn in its track. The small island did little to stop the ferocity and strength of the cyclone, and it barreled towards New England as a Category 5 Hurricane. While New England had always had hurricanes hit her shores, they were mostly ones that had already traveled through the United States or weakened to the point where the highest was only a Category 3.

The nation was not put into Igor's crosshairs until a few hours after it left Bermuda, and the threat of a Category 5 hurricane barreling down the country caused Prime Minister Kirk to issue mandatory evacuation orders for many of Plymouth's outlying islands. Plymouth's Government also issued a slew of evacuation orders down Cape Cod, but many choose to ignore the warnings. The Long Island Provincial Government moved important documents and years of historical proceedings to New Haven, Connecticut in anticipation of the storm, and the New England Navy was put to sea, heading south towards Chesapeake Bay.

From Thousand Year Storm: Hurricane Igor and its Aftermath, by Meryl Fitzgavin:

...The worst damage, of course, was on Bermuda, where the storm had been stronger and moving slower than at any of its other landfalls. Nearly every building on the islands was destroyed, and several of the smaller islands were completely wiped off the map, including, perhaps most sadly, Nonsuch Island, where, despite the precautions taken to protect the species after 2003's Hurricane Fabian, every single nest of the critically-endangered Bermuda petrel on the island chain was destroyed, dealing the already-rare species a crippling blow and playing an important role in the decision the following year to take several of the remaining pairs coming back to the devastated island cluster into captivity to ensure the safety of the chicks...

...Igor's sudden turn to the northwest and sudden, massive acceleration towards New England, defying the best and the brightest of the National Hurricane Center and Weather New England, was extensively studied to allow the humiliated forecasters to improve in future upon their abysmal performance in the face of Igor. In retrospect, the high-pressure system that had forced Igor to the west was easy to see, and in fact was taken into consideration when deliberating upon the likely path that Igor would take after moving to the north of Bermuda; the forecasters' fatal mistake, however, was to assume that Igor would hit the southeast side of the high-pressure area, and be forced east, whereas Igor actually came in far enough west to hit just above the system's southernmost point on its southwest side, and was consequently forced directly towards the New England coastline at a very high rate of speed...

From Rebuilding New England: The Duty of Empire, by Mark Walters:

...With a record breaking 18 metre storm surge, coastal New England was devastated. All minor islands of Plymouth were devastated, with all except Martha's Vineyard totally devoid of buildings and most settlements wiped off the map. The high winds hammered the buildings that were not swept away. Much of Cape Cod was devastated, with the popular LGBTQ+ resort town of Provincetown swept off the map by the storm surge. Downtown Plymouth was similarly hit, with the old Province House swept away in the floods. The damage to the Province was widespread, with only relatively unpopulated areas being located on higher ground, causing devastation in the low lying cities and towns. Plymouth itself was cut in twain after the powerful storm washed out part of the Cape's land mass, making the northern tip an island...

...The Federal Government evacuated Boston and moved to Albany, with the Provincial Government of Massachusetts Bay electing to evacuate to Springfield. With storm surges expected to swamp the entire capitol city, a full-scale panic erupted when the evacuation order was given just 35 hours prior to expected landfall. The government ordered every train car from Connecticut to assist in the evacuation of Boston, with the majority of the people being brought to shelters in both Worcester and Springfield. Many more were sent down into Hartford, which quickly overwhelmed the motorways and the rail lines. Prime Minister Kirk made hourly updates broadcast nationwide. Canadian Prime Minister Bill Graham and U.S. President Victor Ashe were in constant communication with the New England government...

...The devastation to Boston was immense. Much of the Back Bay was levelled and Beacon Hill was unrecognizable. The once proud symbol of New England Democracy, Parliament House, was destroyed by the 14 metre storm surge. The entirety of the Boston Underground was rendered unusable pending a cleanup, and several bridges collapsed and failed. Suburban Boston also had untold millions of pounds of damage inflicted upon it, and nearly every government building was destroyed in some capacity. The sole government department still in operation immediately after the storm was the Ministry of Health, located in Hartford, Connecticut...

...The storm then brought damage to New Hampshire and the Maine coast. Casualties were high among unsuspecting residents, the most notable of which was former Prime Minister George Bush and his wife, former Maine Lieutenant Governor Barbara Bush, whose who opted to remain at their home in Kennebunkport, Maine. The entire compound had been washed away by the storm surge...

...Igor also flattened several hundred coastal towns and villages across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, where some rural Acadian and First Nation communities were hard hit and contact not made for several weeks after landfall...

...Prime Minister Kirk was unequipped to deal with the unfolding disaster. The Royal New England Navy was turned around after the storm passed, to help with relief efforts. With much of eastern New England's infrastructure destroyed, it was impossible to reach the hardest hit coastal cities and towns let alone rural areas. New England's poor airport network compounded problems, and the Prime Minister was forced to ask for aid from the United States...

...With all rail passenger cars in Connecticut for the evacuation of Boston, and rail services east of Worcester impossible to take place, New England's rail network fell apart. Springfield, Massachusetts Bay, became the epicentre of the relief efforts, with aid from the United States first entering Adirondack and then having to be brought over to the city. With only one rail line servicing the region, aid was slow and piecemeal. With the Port of New Haven open, but no open railway links, aid could not go to New England's second largest port city. As the death toll mounted, the federal government continued to struggle with aid and connecting with the country's citizens...

...By the time the damage was assessed and rudimentary overland transportation by trucks and the military had been established, martial law was declared in Rhode Island, Plymouth, and eastern Massachusetts Bay. Aid from the Federal Government was nonexistent as it simply did not have the capacity to respond. The Rhode Island Provincial Government was the first to ask British Prime Minister Ian Duncan Smith for aid, which quickly spread to Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and Maine...

...After Britain agreed to intervene in the aid efforts, the Commonwealth of Nations also passed an emergency resolution for rebuilding efforts in the country. Conservative leader Michael Jarjura in the House of Commons called for a motion of no confidence against the newly elected Kirk government for "gross incompetence and negligence towards the lives of New Englanders"...

...In any other election the ultra-Conservative Jarjura would not have come close to a general election victory, but his strong approach to wanting to rebuild from the storm caused the Conservative to take a landslide victory that made Prime Minister Kerry's loss seem tame...

 

[Spens1]

I Honestly Prefer the old New England red ensign

Many people still feel an attachment to Britain, and it's not like they are a dumpy island in the North Atlantic. Britain remains a global superpower.

true but its still a rather dour flag tbh. Granted i say this as an Aussie who looks at our flag and thinks, ok cool, what exactly does this have to do with us other than our british past. Theirs nothing really distinctively New English (is that the right denonym) about it, at least that's my opinion.

 

[Spens1]

Not everyone finds them boring. I find tricolours excessively boring, except for a few examples.

I know but its a bit similar when half the countries are still rocking the jack, then again i guess Britannia is still a superpower so it is to be expected.

 

[magicmikey]

Many people still feel an attachment to Britain, and it's not like they are a dumpy island in the North Atlantic. Britain remains a global superpower.

Does this make Diefenbaker a New Englander ITTL?

 

[JanSmuts321]

In my opinion a Union Jack in the canton of a flag makes it automatically 3 times more aesthetically pleasing but that's just me

 

[Unknown]

Geez, I don't want to even think about the death toll in New England from Igor ITTL...

 

[The Professor]

true but its still a rather dour flag tbh. Granted i say this as an Aussie who looks at our flag and thinks, ok cool, what exactly does this have to do with us other than our british past. Theirs nothing really distinctively New English (is that the right denonym) about it, at least that's my opinion.

Well, the southern cross and Australian Commonwealth Star...

The ring of stars on the Newnglish () flag represent New England. Adding a pine tree might help tho.

 

[Gladsome]

true but its still a rather dour flag tbh. Granted i say this as an Aussie who looks at our flag and thinks, ok cool, what exactly does this have to do with us other than our british past. Theirs nothing really distinctively New English (is that the right denonym) about it, at least that's my opinion.

The history of a flag's use is as important as what is on it. Many Australians support their current flag because it is the flag that they have lived under and their soldiers have bled for for decades. Such a history encourages a certain sentiment to one's flag. The same is true of the French Tricolour and the American Stars and Stripes.

 

[Spens1]

Well, the southern cross and Australian Commonwealth Star...

The ring of stars on the Newnglish () flag represent New England. Adding a pine tree might help tho.

Yeah at least add the pine tree.

 

[Spens1]

The history of a flag's use is as important as what is on it. Many Australians support their current flag because it is the flag that they have lived under and their soldiers have bled for for decades. Such a history encourages a certain sentiment to one's flag. The same is true of the French Tricolour and the American Stars and Stripes.

That is true, there certainly is history because of the world wars and in this universe with the UK still a superpower. Idk its just a dour flag though (like someone got super lazy and was like you know what, we're putting a jack in the corner and some stars, that'll do).

I digress though, i get the reasoning behind why it would come out like this (like i could see our own flag referendum having like 30% turnout to be honest).

 

[JLUK1234]

Holding a referendum on a constitutionally important issue and getting 30% turnout is an abomination.

 

[YoungKitchener]

I absolutely love that Hamilton flag. Any chance we could get a closer look in large?

 

[ZacharyK]

Holding a referendum on a constitutionally important issue and getting 30% turnout is an abomination.

It is an abomination indeed, but unfortunately it can happen sometimes. Here's an example from Poland; there was a rather important referendum in 2015 regarding single-member constituencies, financing of political parties and tax law interpretation, yet the turnout was an astounding...
7,8%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_referendum,_2015

 

[Analytical Engine]

It is an abomination indeed, but unfortunately it can happen sometimes. Here's an example from Poland; there was a rather important referendum in 2015 regarding single-member constituencies, financing of political parties and tax law interpretation, yet the turnout was an astounding...
7,8%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_referendum,_2015

That makes Switzerland look like Belgium in terms of turnout.

 

[CosmicAsh]

Sorry everyone been really busy! Here's a quick thing I did at lunch!