Our Fair Country: The Commonwealth of New England
- Thread starter CosmicAsh
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While New England is part of the Commonwealth, the Peerage in New England has been a subject of huge debate. There are titles unique only to New England, but they are currently dormant with only a few living nobility. The titles that do exist were given out for Loyalty during the American Revolution, service to the Empire prior to full New England independence in 1931. Since then, no new titles have been bestowed and most heirs and claimants renounce them due to the general antipathy towards them among the centre and left of the country. It was a political scandal, for example, when Prime Minister George Bush (1980-1990) accepted a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his personal service in ensuring a Commonwealth victory over Argentina during the Falklands War. It had almost cost the Conservatives the election. This type of outburst is the reason why the Peerage in New England is dormant. New England does have ~50 Peerages.
Knighthood is still granted, but it is not usually given to politicians for the aforementioned reasons. The British Honours system is used otherwise.
The oldest, and still active, peerage is the Earldom of Merrimack in New Hampshire. First awarded to William Stark in 1789, it is currently held by Christopher Stark of Manchester, New Hampshire.
I'll make a full list of all the Earldoms ect. if there is any interest.
Party: Majority View/Minority View. Description.
Progressive: Centre-Left/Left. Believes in economic progress that is a shared responsibility, funded by wealthier Commonwealth nations to raise up all of the other nations that lag behind. Currently the largest party in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and New England.
Prosperity: Centre/Centre Right. Takes a more laissez faire approach to economics. Believes in supporting businesses across the Commonwealth and removing all current (minimal) trade barriers. Supports inter-Commonwealth immigration (mostly for cheap labour; but they do a great job of dressing it up). Basically, the party of business.
Justice: Left/Far-Left. Supports social justice across the Commonwealth. Believes that the Commonwealth can be used as a tool for advancing human rights and development in the lesser off countries. Wants further integration in the Commonwealth to form a unified government that would take care of the needs of all. Supports the establishment of a Commonwealth Supreme Court and the eventual unification into a Superstate.
Imperial: Centre-Right/Right. Essentially British Conservatives. They disapprove of the Commonwealth name, normally referring it to as the British Empire, much to the ire of the Centre of the party and other left-wing politicians. They support strong cooperation between all of the countries, and despite their love of the name British Empire, it ends at that. They have no official party line or politicians who support British supremacy over any other country, and want equal standing between the Commonwealth. Surprisingly strong across Asia.
United Loyalists: Right/Centre-Right: A bit more to the right than the Imperials, they don't hold on to the British Empire name, and are popular in areas where the Imperial brand is a tad tainted, such as Africa. The party stands for loyalty to your home country, and the Commonwealth, shaking the image of the Imperials being loyal only to Britain. They are mostly from Africa and the Caribbean. They are unique on the right in supporting a Commonwealth Supreme Court, often teaming up with the Justice Party to try and advance the bill through Parliament.
Anti-Colonialism: Far-Left/Revolutionary. It's in the name. They are against the Commonwealth by all means, and abstain from the Commonwealth Parliament. They view it as an imperial relic, and one that should be dissolved. There are some that do agree to sit in Parliament, but demand that the dynamics be changed to less benefit the main benefactors of the colonialism (United Kingdom, New England, Australia, New Zealand), and to benefit the so-called "developing" countries.
Empire's Guardians: Fascists. Think Nazis, except British.
Indigenous Rights: Centre-Left/Left. Less a party and more a Parliamentary grouping. These folks are the ones who believe that the rights of the indigenous population (Maori, African, Native Americans, ect.) are being abridged, or need to be looked after. They are the most successful politically, as they are able to make their voices heard and have resulted in a parliamentary censure of Empire's Guardians MCPs and sanctions against Rhodesia after it passed a law widely seen as anti-Black, which they promptly reversed.
Canada left in protest over the War in Burma, something that the population was unified against. It was really only used as a threat, and the British never expected Canada to actually go through with it. When they did, it was a true geopolitical shock.
Count me as one. It's always a bit weird to think of a Yankee peerage, considering for all the sincere Anglophilia New England has even in OTL, it was always pretty big on the middle-class, the House of Commons, and a general equality of one person to another since its founding. Even New Hampshire and Maine's respective royalist-granted, proprietary beginnings under John Mason and Ferdinando Gorges gave way to self-governance of a Corporate-colony type in the vein of the other New Englander colonies once enough Puritans from Massachusetts moved into them, and made NH collectively unite under a self-governing charter in 1639 due to lack of governance from Mason and Maine becoming the Parliament-charted/Puritan-dominated Lygonia with the very few Gorges colonists unable to do more than complain.
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I'll start working on it shortly.
You've pretty much explained why the Peerage of New England is so awkward in general and resented in the Commonwealth. There's still a very strong sense of independence in the country and a whole "Go it alone" feeling. I have it mentally pegged at about ~5-10% of the titles actually being held, otherwise they are just words on paper somewhere in Westminster and maybe somewhere else in some filing cabinet in Boston.
Ah, that definitely works for how I see it, then! I know even New England would deal with peerage stuff sooner or later as it stayed a part of the British Empire, it's just nice to see it retains much of the independent New World spirit with the rest of the Americas.
White Africans are people of European descent who live across the continent of Africa, concentrated in Southern Africa. Many White Africans are descended from settlers during the Age of Imperialism, where most of Africa was owned by European powers, but a sizable number are recent immigrants from Europe and South America seeking economic opportunities in the rapidly growing economies across Africa. South Africa, which hosts the largest concentration of White Africans, for many years sponsored a "White-Only" immigration campaign abroad, offering large incentives for immigrants to move to the racially segregated country. The success of attracting large numbers of Whites from Europe and the Americas resulted in a large White population, although these are only estimates as South Africa does not publish any data on its demographics.
The presence of people of European descent in many African countries is an issue, given they have a disproportional amount of economic and political power, leading to some calls that they are oppressing the indigenous African population. All African democracies (except South Africa) are multi-racial and have no racial barriers to participation. White Africans are considered to be the leaders of the new Neocolonialism era, where they are able to secure investments from European and North American countries, who increasingly own mineral rights, railways, and other aspects of the economic sphere. Many critique this move as a way for White Africans and Europeans to regain control over the African economy, which had been lost during the African Independence Wars of the 1970s and 1980s.
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If you mean why the population is greater, it's probably because it has more land and control over the populous Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
@edricwashington is correct. Columbia is the largest province of Canada, due to its favourable climate, much more fair than the rest of Canada.
I'm loving the giant Dedham.
Conveniently, I was just finishing up a Town & City map of New England. Areas in white are incorporated municipal areas, while areas in grey are unincorporated regions, having limited self government and relying on the county for most basic services.
Thande
Donor
The country-rank wikibox is one of the most underrated and underdone AH wikibox types IMO, nice work. There's a lot of manoeuvre to sneak in unexpected things like 'wait, where is country X' (if it's broken up/been conquered), or a recognisable country in a recognisable position but with a totally unfamiliar flag.Well, it's not a direct answer but this is the answer:
Here you are~ </s>
But yes; I wonder how the positions are filled, whether by appointment by the PM, legislative vote, or popular vote. Or some mix of two or all three.
I'll answer this question about a typical suburban family (most people in New England live in suburbs) who live in the town of Granby, Massachusetts Bay.
The Taylor Family live in Granby, a wealthy suburb of the City of Springfield, in a 115 m2 home on ~0.25 hectares of land. It is a three bedroom, one and a half bathroom home which boasts a living room, kitchen, and dining nook, along with a small den. It has a two-car garage and could currently sell for about £380,000 ($530k USD) due to its large lot size and location in a desirable suburb of a large city, as well as being in walking distance to the Springfield City Transit light-rail line. (Their street, Gladstone Road, directly connects to Chicopee Road, where the tram-line runs)
The day will typically begin with John Taylor arising around 4:30 AM, to go about his morning routine and be out the door around 5:20 AM to catch the 5:25 AM tram Southbound to downtown Springfield. Mr. Taylor is a mid-level manager at a software manufacturing firm, (The "Knowledge Corridor" between Springfield, MA and Hartford, MA is often called the "Silicon Valley of the East Coast" due to its high concentration of highly skilled workers, and high-tech manufacturing plants) and makes £43,000 ($60k USD) a year. He will arrive in downtown Springfield around 5:55, and a quick walk to his office will see him working by 6:00 AM.
While this has been going on, Melinda Taylor will wake up at 5:30 AM and get ready for her work day. The family have two children, Christian (5) and Sarah (17) both of whom have their own bedrooms. Mrs. Taylor might put together a breakfast for her children, but she must be out the door by 6:30 AM to travel to her job in Greenfield, MA. Like many New Englanders, she will drive there using a newer compact car, taking the motorway. The commute will be around an hour, so with luck she will get to her job at a consulting firm around 7:30 AM. Here, she is the Vice-President and well known in her field, and she makes £65,000 ($90k USD) a year.
As a legally married couple, the Taylors together make £108k ($150k USD) a year, and are required to file as such. Their total yearly Federal Tax Burden is £32,719 ($45,443 USD). £5,940 ($8,250 USD) goes to fund New England's Universal Healthcare System (5.50%), £6,210 ($8,625 USD) goes to fund New England's old age pension service (5.75%), while the rest £20,383 ($28,309 USD) is the New England income tax. The Taylor's will also pay £9,664 ($13,422 USD) to the Province through the Provincial income tax, and pay £467 ($648 USD) to the town through the Municipal income tax. There are no deductions of any kind in the Federal, Provincial, or Municipal taxes with the sole exceptions of the "Provincial and Municipal Income Tax Adjust," wherein your Federal taxable income (for the income tax only) will be adjusted down minus all the money you paid to the province or your municipality, and a downward adjustment of your total gross income minus Healthcare & Pension taxes paid. The Taylor's are also responsible for paying the Municipal Property Tax on their home. The mill rate of Granby, Massachusetts Bay is 17.8 mills, and their house is assessed at market value. Thus, they need to pay £6,764 ($9,394 USD) a year to the town. In total, they will pay £48,494 ($67,352 USD) in direct taxes, and have £59,506 ($82,647 USD) left over.
Back to the family. Like most New England towns, Granby maintains its own school district, funded jointly by the town (75%) and the province (25%). In Massachusetts Bay, it is a Charter Right for every child to have an education, and to be transported from their home to the educational facility. The public school system is very broad, where you can enroll your child into Daycare (Ages 1 to 4) and then Kintergarden (4-5), from which they will begin their journey throughout the educational system, beginning at Elementary School (Grades 1 through 6), to Middle School (7 through 8), then High School (9 through 12). This ends the mandatory school period graduating with a High School Degree completing their basic education, but all persons have the option of continuing to Preparatory School (13 through 14) where they can obtain their Associates Degree at a school of their choice. Due it not being mandatory, Preparatory Schools are run by the province. Any education over this must continue on to a University where they can earn a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degrees. There are public and private version of all of the preceding schools available.
The starting time structure for schools is sequential, the earliest to start are the Daycare and Kintergarden classes. Families will need to drop their child off at Daycare, which has a window to drop children off from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM, while Kintergarden starts at 7:30 AM and runs until 4:00 PM. It is here at 7:00 AM that Christian Taylor will board his bus for Kintergarden and be sent off to school. Elementary School begins at 8:15 AM and runs until 3:15 PM. Middle School begins at 8:45 AM to 3:45 PM, and High School runs from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Sarah, being in High School, and working an after-school job, is able to drive herself into school. At her job, a simple service one at a local restaurant for under-21 minimum wage (£10.25 ($14.23 USD)), nets her £5,170 ($7,180 USD) a year working part time. Like her parents, she must pay taxes, but because of her low income they are very minimal. £582 goes towards funding Healthcare & Retirement and £11 goes to the municipality, for a total tax burden of £570 ($791 USD). Federally, there are no taxes on incomes up to £10,000 and in Massachusetts Bay there is no taxes on incomes up to £5,000.
8.5 Hours is the standard workday in New England, with labour laws mandating a paid 30 minute lunch break if one works more than 5 hours in a day, and overtime (1.65x normal pay) begins over 50 hours of work in a week, salaried or otherwise. Mr. Taylor gets out of work at 3:00 PM (his high position affords him an hour lunch) and is able to normally catch the 3:15 Northbound Tram, being home by 3:45. His wife will get out of work around 3:00 PM, and the commute home on the motorway is about an hour, arriving home at 4:00 PM. Christian will be dropped off around 4:20 PM, and Sarah will get home around 5:00 PM.
Many New Englanders will spend the evening on mobile devices, laptops, computers ect. or watching television, be it the news or otherwise. Most families will eat dinner at home, but its not unheard of to go out once a week for a meal.
Life is very similar for those who live in urban areas, except car ownership in major urban areas is more a luxury than a necessity, as there are many more public transportation options. Those who live in rural areas must drive much farther to their work, and don't have any public transportation options. Some long-distance commuters will use commuter rail to go from a suburban or rural locality into a large city, but this really only takes place for those who have extremely well paying jobs in Boston or Brooklyn. These commuters will go to great lengths to move to a lower-tax province (Connecticut for Brooklyn workers and Plymouth for Boston workers), as the highest income tax rate in Massachusetts Bay is 14% on incomes over £1 million, and 13% on incomes over £2.5 million in Long Island. By contrast, Connecticut only charges 13% on incomes over £1 million, and Plymouth has a flat tax of 6.5% on all incomes over £2,000. Plymouth also forbids municipalities to levy income taxes, meaning a very high earning couple (£450,000 ($625k USD)) would pay £221k ($307k USD) in taxes in Plymouth but would pay £237k ($329k USD) in taxes by living in Boston.
These hefty taxes do mean that healthcare is a right afforded to every New England resident, with no limits on care. When both John and Melinda retire, they are given a non-taxable pension (federally) of £37,000 ($51.4k USD) a year. The New England Social Insurance Agency is one of the few pension funds that maintains an account per federal taxpayer into which money collected from the Pension Tax is deposited in and is not transferable unless the person in question dies, which then is deposited into the Agency's general operating fund. Assuming she works for 40 years at near her current salary, Melinda would contribute £150k ($208k USD) into her personal pension fund, with her employers also putting in £150k. This brings her account to £300k ($416k USD). Assuming an even split, and Melinda living for the average 25 years after retirement, she will receive £462,500 ($642.3k USD) in pension benefits. The remaining balance on her account (£162,500) is paid for out of the general fund, which comes from the income tax.
I previously posted the Ministers of the 51st New England Ministry. While these are just the ministers, each shows the cabinet-level position that they sit at the head of. For simplicity's sake, I will list them all below. Legally, all Ministers are appointed by the Governor General (though the Prime Minister is the one who recommends them for the position, and the Governor General does not appoint anyone without the input of the Prime Minister) but the Senate has the ability to hold a Vote of Affirmation, whereby they can veto, or remove, any cabinet Minister they see fit - this is part of the Senate's ability to act as a check on the House of Commons. In the House of Commons, the Ministers can obviously resign, be dismissed by the Prime Minister, and be removed from their post during a successful Vote of No Confidence. There is no direct way for the House of Commons to strike down an individual Minister, and likewise, there is no way for the Senate to strike down an entire Ministry.
Both the House of Commons and the Senate have the ability to strike down Deputy Ministers individually. All Ministers and Deputy Ministers must come from the House of Commons. Senators are barred from service in any Government ministry, as it could taint their supervisory role.
Each Ministry is divided into Departments. Department Presidents (as they are called) must not serve in the Federal or Provincial Parliaments. They are appointed by the Minister responsible for the Ministry, and are tasked with running their specific section of the Ministry. Luke Bronin, MP for Hartford and Minister of Health, previously served as the President of the Board of Health, itself a Department of the Ministry of Health. I've included a diagram below of this flow.
Prime Minister's Office
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of National Defence
Ministry of Revenue
Ministry of Science & Technology
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Ministry of Commerce & Trade
Ministry of Transportation
Ministry of Immigration
Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of Bilingual Affairs
Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Ministry of Small Business
Ministry of First Nations Affairs
Ministry of Women's Affairs & Minorities
Ministry of Fisheries & Oceans
Thanks! I noticed that there really wasn't a lot of them out there, I couldn't find one in a quick search I did on the website, honestly. It took some thinking to get everything right to how I loosely want the world to shape out, and there's still probably a bunch of errors. Granted, I did this because I was making country boxes and when I got to the population ranking, I realised, I really had no clue! So I did this more for myself so all past (that I'm updating) and future boxes have at least that right.
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Thande
Donor
I nearly made one once where the gimmick was that 'what if all Indian states and Chinese provinces were independent countries' but I gave up due to the fact that they don't have flags in OTL and it would be too much work to come up with flags for all of them at once.
First, a huge huge thanks to the Q-BAM team for all the hard work they did and the folks who submitted various historical patches that I needed to use, and @Skallagrim for the colour scheme, I'm super happy with how this came out.
So here it is, a world map with (some) subdivisions marked. I plan on doing more work in the future, but for now this is all I have, and it shows the state of the entire world, as I currently have it envisioned. I triple-checked, and both the population wikibox and the world map do align, so every country is accounted for in both this post and the previous post.
So here it is, a world map with (some) subdivisions marked. I plan on doing more work in the future, but for now this is all I have, and it shows the state of the entire world, as I currently have it envisioned. I triple-checked, and both the population wikibox and the world map do align, so every country is accounted for in both this post and the previous post.
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What struck out at me the most for some reason was Austria holding the Bohemian Forest Region and German South Moravia still. Also looks like Germany retained Danzig.
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