Our Fair Country: The Commonwealth of New England
- Thread starter CosmicAsh
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I can't honestly imagine such a world.
Not a perfect page, but I tried.
Also credit for this concept
https://www.reddit.com/r/Kaiserreic...uber_alternatehistoryhubs_video_on_if_pelley/
Not a perfect page, but I tried.
Also credit for this concept
https://www.reddit.com/r/Kaiserreic...uber_alternatehistoryhubs_video_on_if_pelley/
hopefully i'm not posting over anything when i send this. a few months ago i started a new and updated version of the OFC qbam from whenever ago with all the updated borders and a shot at covering the provinces in mexico and the central african federation (unfortunately, there wasn't a lot to go on for the latter, and the former was a nightmare trying to line up the provinces. in any case, hopefully this'll be a good reference guide for people yet to see the map (as unlikely as that is).
The Commonwealth of Nations is a political and economic union composed of former portions of the British Empire. Formally adopted on 11 December 1931, the Commonwealth of Nations first consisted of the United Kingdom, Canada, New England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. As the United Kingdom granted more political independence to her colonies, all joined the Commonwealth of Nations under their pro-British governments. After the Indian Conflict saw Britain grant all of India independence in the mid 1950s, the Socialist Republic of India became the first country to formally withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations. After the violent overthrow of the government of Tanganyika in 1974, the new revolutionary government denounced the Commonwealth as a relic of Imperialism. During the African Independence Wars of the 1970s/1980s, the founding members of the Commonwealth of Nations agreed to form the Commonwealth Parliament, and would cede various legislative authority for the purposes of greater inter-Commonwealth commerce and easier movement between countries.
The Commonwealth has been steadily losing member nations as African countries gained independence or transitioned to an anti-British government. While the Commonwealth once hosted all of Britain's former colonies in Africa, now only three African-majority countries on the continent itself remain, Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Swaziland. Namibia and Northern Rhodesia have an African plurality and remain within the Commonwealth. Accra and Rhodesia have a European plurality, while Natal is the only European-majority country in Africa.
Natal joined after South Africa became a Republic under a heavily Apartheid government and then began the systematic relocation of African peoples, to which the Commonwealth of Nations ejected them from the organisation, and recognised the Declaration of Independence of Natal, after nearly four million Zulu had been displaced or killed. South Africa still does not recognise this secession, and claims Natal as the Province of Natal. Similarly, Namibia declared independence from the Apartheid government, which the Commonwealth again recognised and sent soldiers to protect the province. Many Commonwealth Parliament debates revolve around the policy towards South Africa, an international pariah state with nuclear weapons, as well as the ever-present refugee problem in Natal, Rhodesia, and Namibia.
Canada and Nigeria were the most recent members of the Commonwealth of Nations to leave, doing so under protest of the continuing War in Burma. In 2008, the Commonwealth agreed to let several British Crown Colonies to hold representation in the Parliament, after they were similarly granted representation in the British House of Commons in 2006.
The current Commonwealth Parliament consists of 445 members from 40 countries and 9 Crown Colonies. The leading Coalition (also sometimes called the Government, despite the Parliament not being organised in a Westminster system) is composed of the Progressive, Prosperity, and Justice Parties. MCP John Tsang (Progressive-Hong Kong) is the current leader of the Coalition. The Opposition is headed by MCP John Bredenkamp (Imperial-Rhodesia). Other parties not in the Coalition or Opposition are the Anti-Colonialism Party, the fascist Empire's Guardians, and Indigenous Rights.
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The 2015 Commonwealth Parliamentary Election took place on May 5th, 2015 across the Commonwealth. It was the second election since the departure of Canada and Nigeria, and the first in which their seats were not counted in the electoral roles, causing the total number of members to drop to 455.
After a strong campaign on the efforts of the United Loyalists, under the new leader John Benjamin, they saw strong gains across the Commonwealth, taking enough seats to become a majority in Plymouth (New England), Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), Tasmania and Northern Territory (Australia), the first time the party saw a majority outside of Africa.
While many expected the Progressive government headed by John Tsang to fall, as his leadership had been becoming increasingly unpopular, he was able to maintain the status of largest party, due to a strong turnout in the Caribbean and in Oceania, as well as commanding a surprise majority in Northern Rhodesia and after campaigning hard in Ceylon, became the second largest party there.
If Tsang's government did not fall, it would be at the hands of the scandal plagued John Brendenkamp, who was banned from the United States earlier in the year over fraud charges, and had his assets in that country frozen. MCPs refused to hold a vote for control of the party leadership during an election, and many regarded the poor performance of the Imperials owing to their leader.
With Nigeria having left the Commonwealth in 2009, the Anti-Colonialism Party had lost most of their MCPs, but under Tilyenji Kaunda the party has seen a rebirth, mostly in southern Africa, where they had captured a majority in Lesotho and Swaziland. He had attempted to make inroads into Sierra Leone, but was rebuffed after a controversial ruling that the party was attempting to make sitting in the Commonwealth Parliament a requirement, removing abstentionism from their officially supported policies.
The fascist Empire's Guardians saw a surprise collapse in their vote share, losing all 4 MCPs who were not located in the United Kingdom, Northern Rhodesia, or Rhodesia. The party has increasingly been denounced for their policies, fueled by an increased focus on them through social media.
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The Commonwealth Parliament itself was an institution that was first born in the 1946 Imperial Conference. While the formal references to the British Empire still remained through this time, the informal "Commonwealth of Nations" had been around since the 1910s, and only referred to those countries of (supposed) equal standing. I/e the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, New England, and Canada. The 1946 Imperial Conference indicated that there should be a deliberative body to deal solely with the affairs of the Empire. To this end, the first meeting of the Imperial Parliament (as it was known) took place in 1947, and again in 1950. These were highly informal and had no real structure. It was also highly unbalanced, with the United Kingdom holding 54 seats, and the combined seating of South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, New England, and Canada was 33 in 1947, which dropped to 30 in 1950, as South Africa was ejected from the Commonwealth/Empire by this time for the imposition of radical apartheid policies.
It was South Africa that prompted the first beginnings of change. Britain was gearing up for an intervention into South Africa, specifically Natal, to stop the genocide of the native population promulgated by the Apartheid Government. At the 1953 Imperial Conference, the decision was made to formally begin the procedure of codifying the powers of the Imperial Parliament, how it was elected, and even the very nature of the British Empire, and how the various portions of it interacted with one another. While on paper fully sovereign, should there be any notifications to London about a new trade agreement signed between Canada and New Zealand? If there was a military aspect of it, could they use the Suez?
The political framework of Empire was forged by Prime Minister Clement Attlee (1943-1959). Eager to bring political representation to the masses, and to finance the needs of his own ambitious agenda, Attlee saw a chance to bind the Empire together indefinitely, and chartered a progressive, Labour-influenced Constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It abandoned the "Imperial Parliament" name, offered equal representation on the basis of population, and was the most progressive civil rights document of the era. By virtue of being a signatory, all men, women, and children anywhere under the Commonwealth flag would be treated the same, granting the right to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of communication (specifically marked towards telecommunications, separate from speech), right to a fair trial, and most significantly, the ability to formally bring a case against the signatory government should one of these be breached, which would be submitted to the British House of Lords, the final court of appeal for the entire Commonwealth, which it remains today (The current controversy is over the establishment of a Commonwealth Supreme Court, which would further divest the United Kingdom from it's perceived Imperial position).
While this level of government was widely applauded, there was also taxes and revenue that needed to be accounted for. It was determined that the "economic advanced economies" of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and New England would be the primary financiers of Commonwealth operations, which they remain today. Their funding gets used in the operation of the Commonwealth, including the Commonwealth games, aid operations, economic assistance, and some money is returned to the United Kingdom for defence maintenance. Notably, few of the Commonwealth countries have naval forces, instead they have a Royal Navy station in their country which operates at the request of the Commonwealth Parliament, itself which commands at the request of the local government authority. Given the fact that this is still the British navy, they can revoke this at any time and refuse to follow through the orders, but this has never happened.
Back to the Parliament. With the Constitution chartered and ratified by the "core" countries (again, UK, Aus, NZ, NE, Can) the Commonwealth Parliament sat on a provisional basis from 1957 to 1958, where it discussed and deliberated the rules of the chamber, remarkably similar to that of the U.S. Senate, as the Commonwealth Parliament did not have a function of "Government forming" nor early elections. All elections are done on a fixed term basis, although they can be held up to 4 months earlier should the planned election date clash with that of a Commonwealth member. The Parliament's first official session, held in London, was in May of 1960 after all self-governing colonies, dominions, ect. had formally adopted the Commonwealth Constitution (Sierra Leone was the last, in 1959). The Commonwealth Parliament was quick to formally adopt the naming "Commonwealth of Nations," and resounding passed a resolution that "dissolved" the British Empire. This truly was something only done on paper, and from that day forward the Commonwealth of Nations was the new official name for the British Empire, much to the ire of many politicians on the right, who to this day continue to call it the British Empire. Historians judge the British Empire as the largest, most powerful, and most successful Empire in human history, one that is still in place. While Britain can no longer be considered dominate, she still rules the waves, and her economic impact on the world stage places the Commonwealth as the world's second most powerful nation, behind that only of the United States. Only a brief period (1960s-1980s) did the Soviet Union truly rise to claim the #2 spot.
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 promptlyreversed.
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Barack Obama is the current whip of the Liberal Party in the Canadian House of Commons, serving as an MP for Beaconsfield North-Vancouver in Columbia. Obama is the first person to be born in Hawaiʻi to sit in the House of Commons, and is one of the 49 MPs born outside of Canada. Obama was born to a Kenyan father and an American mother in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi where the two were studying at the University of Hawaiʻi. Obama lived much of his childhood in Hawaiʻi, as well as spending four years in Indonesia, before immigrating to Canada where his mother briefly attended school at the University of Columbia at Beaconsfield in 1979. Obama attended school at the University of Columbia, graduating with a degree in political science with a focus on international relations. He worked as a law clerk for many years, before teaching law at a private university in Vancouver, Columbia.
In the early 2000s, Obama moved back to his adopted home city of Beaconsfield where he worked for his local MLA, before being persuaded to stand for election in one of the new electoral divisions allocated to Beaconsfield, which would merge with the small suburb of Vancouver to the north. Using his connections with working for this MLA, Obama was selected (and won) the election to the federal House of Commons, where he has sat as an MP since 2004. After the resignation of Earl Blumenauer, Obama rose to the position of Liberal Party Whip, and is considered to be a rising star in the Liberal Party.
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What is Pramila Jayapal up to ITTL? Canadian federal NDP MP from Seattle I'm guessing? (shit, I probably just said it right there lol)
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I guess I made an Infobox for her...
Pramila Jayapal (born September 21, 1965) is an Canadian politician and activist from the Province of Columbia who currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Seattle Central as a member of the New Democratic Party. She is the first Indian-Canadian woman to serve as an MP in her riding.
@Kanan What do you think?
...
I guess I made an Infobox for her...
Pramila Jayapal (born September 21, 1965) is an Canadian politician and activist from the Province of Columbia who currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Seattle Central as a member of the New Democratic Party. She is the first Indian-Canadian woman to serve as an MP in her riding.
@Kanan What do you think?
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Richard Ray Larsen (born June 15, 1965) is the member of the Canadian Parliament for Everett and a member of the New Democratic Party. He was first elected to the Canadian Parliament in 2000 and was re-elected in each of the four subsequent elections, most recently in 2016.
@Kanan is this ok?
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