With Hawaii being an independent kingdom ITTL, does New Englander
James Dole still have a career?
What's certain is that Dole Pineapple won't exist in its OTL form.
Yes he does. New Englanders were the first whites to settle in Hawai'i in earnest as missionaries. James Dole would go on to found the Dole Pineapple Company in New England and would own a large number of plantations in Hawai'i. The company would go bankrupt after the land was appropriated at reduced cost by the Hawaiian government, and is barely remembered today.
Absolutely brilliant world you've got here, I can't imagine putting the amount of effort you have into fleshing out every detail and even making TV clips. Coincidentally, when I first stumbled upon this a few weeks ago, I was about to embark on a road trip along the length of your New England, from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Boston. Being Nova Scotian myself, I'm curious about some more details on the role NS has played, especially in light of your latest PM being the intrepid speaker from down the way:
- Did Peter MacKay get up to anything in New England's Conservative party?
Thank you! It's a labour of love!
Prior to losing re-election in 2016, Peter MacKay was the Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and considered by many to be a party elder, having served in the House of Commons since 1993 and often called a future Prime Minister.
- What about Robert Borden, around the WWI (or Great War as it were) era? On that note, was there any kind of conscription crisis-type event between British and French New Englanders?
Robert Borden served as the Leader of the Opposition to Prime Minister Henry Lodge's government from 1910 to 1915 before being ousted in a leadership spill by Eugene Foss. After Foss went on to lose the 1919 election, Borden once again led the Opposition to Sir Charles Hughes from 1920 to 1935, when he resigned citing advanced age and ill health. He is considered New England's "Best Prime Minister that never was."
- Again in that era, was there a Halifax Explosion? If so, is any New England MP currently criticizing a late night host for making jokes about it like our latest inept provincial government is IRL?
There indeed was a Halifax Explosion. It was far worse because Halifax was not only the location of a Royal Navy depot, but also the main northern port of the sizable New England Navy. The blast grounded two New England destroyers, and a naval munitions warehouse was destroyed, which caused a
second explosion, further increasing the damage. The death toll was around four thousand with around fifteen thousand non-fatal injuries.
As for late night hosts,
Jimmy Kimmel Live has been dropped by NECN, and the Prime Minister has personally spoken out against the jokes, as it remains the deadliest disaster in New England's history.
- Going back even further, what about Charles Tupper?
Sir Charles Tupper was the 16th Governor General of New England, the first New England-born Governor General, the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1878, and served in the Morton I cabinet (1884-1887). He also was active in Empire affairs, being New England's liaison to London for sometime.
- Lastly regarding NS, would you be able to point me to the part in the greater "Our Fair Country" history that presumably deals with how and why les Acadiens were not expelled, hence leading to the greater francophone population in NE?
There is currently no establish lore about why the Acadians were not expelled. I wouldn't expect anything about pre-Confederation New England history until the Autumn at earliest.
As for the rest of the country:
- Since Justin Trudeau is popping up in NE's govt you mentioned that his family had immigrated from Quebec around the depression. Did PET get up to anything in politics in NE then? Partisanship aside, I can't imagine Justin becoming an MP without his father's reputation, considering his own background.
Pierre Trudeau served as the enigmatic Minister of Culture in the government of Edmund Muskie (1969 - 1980), and would later build the Brooklyn political machine (derided as Trudeau Hall, after the infamous Tammany Hall in neighbouring New York City) that would see Trudeau rise to become the Mayor of Brooklyn, a position he would hold until his death.
- With JFK being lucky enough to avoid tragedy, what of RFK and JFK Jr? And for that matter, what of Joe Kennedy Jr? Without WWII wouldn't he have survived to become the golden boy of the Kennedys?
Robert F. Kennedy was very active in provincial politics, becoming Premier of Massachusetts Bay for much of the 1970s. He broke with his brother on many issues, and started the Kennedy family down the path to join the Labour Party, something his brother never forgave him for. JFK's son, JFK Jr. would be active in federal politics, but never even made it to the frontbenches.
Joe Kennedy Jr. was indeed a federal MP at the same time as Jack, but he was unable to convince the party to have him rise in leadership. His brother offered him a ministerial position, but he refused out of pride and would resign from politics shortly after his brother's electoral victory.
- What earned George Bush Sr the rare achievement among NE PMs of a knighthood?
To put it mildly, he bombed the shit out of Argentina.
I know I asked a lot of questions so by all means take your time if you're able to answer them! I'd love to see how deep this lore truly goes.
It's no problem! Thanks for asking! I love lore-building questions like these!
How do the La'anuis succeed to the throne over the Kawānanakoas?
During the Liberal Revolution the House of Kawānanakoa fell out of favour and King Kalākaua II stepped down, with the throne passing to the young Queen Kalokuokamaile. Her daughter is Queen Owana. Prince Kūhiō does lay claim to the throne of Hawai'i, and he has some decent support in the islands to re-take the throne.
Given how much more expensive goods are, I'm guessing that mechanization technology such as automization is going to be a big hope for the future. Also, which stores differ from OTL?
Automation is indeed seen as a huge cost cutter in the future, however in the United States at least, there is a large, burdensome amount of regulations on automation (thank Social Labor), and unions strongly oppose it.
@Kanan What's Tulsi Gabbard up to ITTL?
She is a resident of American Samoa.