The Union Forever: A TL
- Thread starter Mac Gregor
- Start date
2014: Foreign and Domestic Developments
2014
Foreign and Domestic Developments
Foreign and Domestic Developments
At the start of the year, the American economy entered a recession for the first time in over a decade. While the causes of the downturn were disputed, a number of experts pointed to the Bank of the United States raising interest rates to combat inflation as the catalyst. Low consumer confidence and a growing deficit caused by defense and space spending also likely contributed.
On February 24, several British South Pacific colonies were united into a new dominion styled the Union of Melanesia. With its capital located on the island of Fiji, this loose confederation allocated considerable autonomy to its various states include the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Nauru. Despite this decentralization, many doubted whether such a sparwling new polity would be able to hold together.
In April, SolCo became the first private company to send a manned craft in a free return trajectory around the Moon. A pilot and two lucky tourists, German millionaires Rolf and Oda Specht, spent over five days in space and observed the far side of the moon and the earth rising over the lunar horizon.
In the Netherlands, a coalition government headed by the Christian-Progressive Party (CPP) took power for the first time since the early 1970s with Lisanne Dreesens becoming prime minister. The CPP had gained the support of a large segment on Dutch young people, many of whom were influenced by the ongoing Rainbow Revival. Interestingly the CPP’s reform minded coalition had a distinctive republican and anti-imperialist streak. This was a cause for concern in neighboring Germany, where the government worried about the Netherlands commitment to the Association of European States.
In the summer, music influenced by the Anwani genre from East Africa began to make inroads into western markets, the latest manifestation of the Swahili Renaissance. While never truly displacing domestic varieties, Anwani music would have a big impact on artists in Europe and the Americas for years to come.
The XXV Summer Olympiad was held in Istanbul. Not wishing to be outdone by their geopolitical rival Persia, who hosted the previous games, Turkey spent billions upgrading the city’s infrastructure including a new airport and highways. However the single largest improvement was the 5 km long Intercontinental Tunnel under the Bosporus Strait linking Europe to Asia. The games were well received and provided a political boost for President Muhtar Katirci and his pan-Turkish National Party.
In the U.S. midterm elections, the Republicans lost control of both houses of congress after 12 years of political dominance. The recession was easily the single biggest issue and voters largely blamed President Rowland and the Republicans for their economic misfortunes.
After decades of research, the American conglomerate California-Electric announced a breakthrough in the production of lithium-air batteries. These lithium batteries allowed a current flow by reducing oxygen at the cathode and adding oxygen at the anode. These were several times more efficient than the existing lithium-ion batteries then in use. However, it would still be several years before lithium-air batteries began to appear in the market place.
By the end of the year, rebel forces had captured nearly all of the Republic of the Umbangi. When the capital fell in early December, Den Ayandho was installed as the republic’s new president. Ayandho and his allies in the All-African Alliance had benefited greatly from an influx of Chinese munitions and financial aid. Umbangi’s previous government went into exile in South Africa. Nigeria which had spent considerable blood and treasure to try and prevent such an outcome, now found itself with hostile nations on its western and eastern borders.
Last edited:
Weapon Profile: Mk II Light Cataphract (Lynx)
Mk II Light Catsphracts, Lynx
Weight: 8.1 Tons
Crew: 3 (Commander, Driver, Gunner)
Armor: up to ½ of an inch
Main Armament: 1.5 Inch L/20 Infantry Gun [1]
Secondary Armament: .30-45 Winchester M1902 General Machine Gun
Engine: 4 cylinder, inline
Operational Range: 45 miles
Speed: 11 mph
In Service: 1909-1947
The Battle of Gaudeloupe made the US Army painfully aware of the Mk I Ocelot’s short comings . However, prototype catsphracts from Studebaker and Liberty fared poorly in testing meaning that the US had no ready domestically produced catsphract for the American Expeditionary Forces getting ready to deploy to Europe. Yet the Prussians already had a fairly good catsphract in the form of the Panzerkampfwagen II, already vetted by American observers attached to the Royal Prussian Army in Europe. Knowing the Americans were having issues with their catsphract formations and in need of money, the Prussians offered the Americans a license to make the Panzerkampfwagen II in the United States.
It was officially adopted as the Mk II Light Catsphract Lynx. There were some minor differences between the Panzerkampfwagen II and the Mk II Lynx. The armor thickness was a slightly lighter on the Lynx with the switch to standard from metric. The Lynx also had a slightly more powerful engine. The major difference between the two was the armament. The US adopted a light infantry gun for use in the Lynx instead of designing a new gun as the Prussians did.
Learning from the mistakes of Guadeloupe and talking to veterans from the 1st Catsphract Battalion, the army expanded the Cataphract Corps and gave more time to train together before being sent into battle. The Lynx’s first taste of battle was during Operation Sledgehammer, where it played an important role in the capture of Nuremburg. The Lynx would go on to serve in many other battles in Europe, helping bring the war to a successful end.
Production of the Lynx did not end until 1913 with a total of 2,100 Lynx being made. The Lynx would be the main catsphract in service with the US Army well into the 1930s till the Mk V Bobcat started to enter service in numbers large enough to replace the Lynx. The last Lynx wasn’t retired till it 1947 when the Cuban State Militia finally upgraded their Lynxes for the Bobcat.
[1] Based off the Canon d’Infanterie 37 modele 1916 TRP. Benjamin Hotchkiss returned to the US at some point ITL and brought a small team of arms engineers with him. Yet the company Hotchkiss started in the US grew and was known for light artillery pieces as that was all the US was really willing to buy till President Custer’s military reforms. Because of this the US has a small but fairly talented pool to work with come said reforms.
Weight: 8.1 Tons
Crew: 3 (Commander, Driver, Gunner)
Armor: up to ½ of an inch
Main Armament: 1.5 Inch L/20 Infantry Gun [1]
Secondary Armament: .30-45 Winchester M1902 General Machine Gun
Engine: 4 cylinder, inline
Operational Range: 45 miles
Speed: 11 mph
In Service: 1909-1947
The Battle of Gaudeloupe made the US Army painfully aware of the Mk I Ocelot’s short comings . However, prototype catsphracts from Studebaker and Liberty fared poorly in testing meaning that the US had no ready domestically produced catsphract for the American Expeditionary Forces getting ready to deploy to Europe. Yet the Prussians already had a fairly good catsphract in the form of the Panzerkampfwagen II, already vetted by American observers attached to the Royal Prussian Army in Europe. Knowing the Americans were having issues with their catsphract formations and in need of money, the Prussians offered the Americans a license to make the Panzerkampfwagen II in the United States.
It was officially adopted as the Mk II Light Catsphract Lynx. There were some minor differences between the Panzerkampfwagen II and the Mk II Lynx. The armor thickness was a slightly lighter on the Lynx with the switch to standard from metric. The Lynx also had a slightly more powerful engine. The major difference between the two was the armament. The US adopted a light infantry gun for use in the Lynx instead of designing a new gun as the Prussians did.
Learning from the mistakes of Guadeloupe and talking to veterans from the 1st Catsphract Battalion, the army expanded the Cataphract Corps and gave more time to train together before being sent into battle. The Lynx’s first taste of battle was during Operation Sledgehammer, where it played an important role in the capture of Nuremburg. The Lynx would go on to serve in many other battles in Europe, helping bring the war to a successful end.
Production of the Lynx did not end until 1913 with a total of 2,100 Lynx being made. The Lynx would be the main catsphract in service with the US Army well into the 1930s till the Mk V Bobcat started to enter service in numbers large enough to replace the Lynx. The last Lynx wasn’t retired till it 1947 when the Cuban State Militia finally upgraded their Lynxes for the Bobcat.
[1] Based off the Canon d’Infanterie 37 modele 1916 TRP. Benjamin Hotchkiss returned to the US at some point ITL and brought a small team of arms engineers with him. Yet the company Hotchkiss started in the US grew and was known for light artillery pieces as that was all the US was really willing to buy till President Custer’s military reforms. Because of this the US has a small but fairly talented pool to work with come said reforms.
Weapon Profile: Mk III Light Cataphract (Wildcat)
Mk III Light Catsphracts, Wildcats
Weight: 8.9 t
Crew: 2 (Commander, Driver)
Armor: up to ¾ of inch
Main Armament: M8 1.5 inch Autocannon[1]
Secondary Armament: .30-45 Winchester M1902 General Machine Gun
Engine: V-8, liquid cooled
Operational Range: 80 miles
Speed: 21 mph
In Service: 1927-1949
By the mid 1920s the Lynx was starting to get a little long in the tooth as catsphract design had been improving across Europe since the end of the Great War. Improvements in armor, armament, engines, and a house of other advances had been made since the Great War in Europe. This was as many European nations were replacing their Great War Catsphracts with newer designs. Further European nations were starting to field newer medium catsphracts and replacement light and heavy catsphracts. But during the 1920s the government was controlled by the Democratic Party who was unwilling to spend large sums of money on the defense of the nation. Even with this, they didn’t want to allow the United States to far behind and granted small amount of funds for new light and medium catsphract projects in 1925.
With funding in hand, the army started design work on the first totally designed from the ground up catsphract since the failure of the Ocelot the name of the game was it had to work. This was not a catsphract designed to break to mold but to give the Catsphract Corp a modern light catsphract that could work on the field of battle. It used as many off the shelve pieces as it could. The V-8 engine was selected from Conestoga as it was known to be powerful yet reliable. The M8 was a modified Air Corp weapon that had been designed as anti-bomber weapon but rejected by the Air Corp.
During testing of what would become the Mk III Wildcat some minor flaws were uncovered but they weren’t enough to kill the project. Once corrected the Mk III performed well in testing and was everything the army wanted in their new catsphract by 1927. Yet the problem of funding came up again. Congress was unwilling to pay for the whole sell replacement of the Lynx. A total of 78 Mk III Wildcats were made with the three prototypes in that figure by the time production came to an end in 1929.
Even through there were only 78 Wildcats made by the United States it was important catsphract even through it is largely forgotten today and never saw combat. It proved that the US could design a good catsphract that even through a little behind the latest and greatest that Europe had to offer could had when toe to toe with them on largely equal terms. Only one of the Wildcats had survived to the present day with this Wildcat being restored by the US Army Catsphract Museum at Fort Grant for display.
[1] OTL Colt-Browning 37 mm autocannon
Weight: 8.9 t
Crew: 2 (Commander, Driver)
Armor: up to ¾ of inch
Main Armament: M8 1.5 inch Autocannon[1]
Secondary Armament: .30-45 Winchester M1902 General Machine Gun
Engine: V-8, liquid cooled
Operational Range: 80 miles
Speed: 21 mph
In Service: 1927-1949
By the mid 1920s the Lynx was starting to get a little long in the tooth as catsphract design had been improving across Europe since the end of the Great War. Improvements in armor, armament, engines, and a house of other advances had been made since the Great War in Europe. This was as many European nations were replacing their Great War Catsphracts with newer designs. Further European nations were starting to field newer medium catsphracts and replacement light and heavy catsphracts. But during the 1920s the government was controlled by the Democratic Party who was unwilling to spend large sums of money on the defense of the nation. Even with this, they didn’t want to allow the United States to far behind and granted small amount of funds for new light and medium catsphract projects in 1925.
With funding in hand, the army started design work on the first totally designed from the ground up catsphract since the failure of the Ocelot the name of the game was it had to work. This was not a catsphract designed to break to mold but to give the Catsphract Corp a modern light catsphract that could work on the field of battle. It used as many off the shelve pieces as it could. The V-8 engine was selected from Conestoga as it was known to be powerful yet reliable. The M8 was a modified Air Corp weapon that had been designed as anti-bomber weapon but rejected by the Air Corp.
During testing of what would become the Mk III Wildcat some minor flaws were uncovered but they weren’t enough to kill the project. Once corrected the Mk III performed well in testing and was everything the army wanted in their new catsphract by 1927. Yet the problem of funding came up again. Congress was unwilling to pay for the whole sell replacement of the Lynx. A total of 78 Mk III Wildcats were made with the three prototypes in that figure by the time production came to an end in 1929.
Even through there were only 78 Wildcats made by the United States it was important catsphract even through it is largely forgotten today and never saw combat. It proved that the US could design a good catsphract that even through a little behind the latest and greatest that Europe had to offer could had when toe to toe with them on largely equal terms. Only one of the Wildcats had survived to the present day with this Wildcat being restored by the US Army Catsphract Museum at Fort Grant for display.
[1] OTL Colt-Browning 37 mm autocannon
Another great installment Jim Smitty.
Can you resize the picture? It is displaying huge on my phone.
Can you resize the picture? It is displaying huge on my phone.
Have to select a resized picture.
Here is the link to the same pic but a smaller one in size: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ght_Tank,_T1E3.png/640px-Light_Tank,_T1E3.png
Oldred, thanks for the suppport! Please let me know if you have any questions, requests, or suggestions. Cheers!
Last edited:
Obviously better than in OTL. No Mexican Revolution, no Central American civil wars, more democratic and stable developlment of South America.
Regarding Latin America, Lalli is correct that on the whole Latin America is more democratic and stable than OTL. However don't forget that this came at the cost of two sizable wars during the 1940s and 1970s. An interesting development in the last 3-4 years has been the continued spread of Ecoism. Many pundits have pointed out that Latin American nations with Ecoist governments usually take a more independent stand from the United States concerning foreign policy.
2015: Foreign and Domestic Developments
2015
Foreign and Domestic Developments
Foreign and Domestic Developments
A civilian AAC in Connecticut
In January, the Civil Aeronautics Authority, the federally chartered corporation that overseas air travel and safety in the United States, published new regulations regarding civilian use of aerial autocrafts (AACs). AACs had already been used, often illegally, for surveying and photography. These new guidelines opened up new legitimate business opportunities such as parcel delivery and wildlife monitoring. However, some advocate still thought the regulations as to restrictive.
Amid much fanfare on March 30, Czar Alexander IV and Prime Minister Mitya Kuznetsov watched the launch of the first component of Russia’s Lunar Orbital Space Station from the viewing stands at the Empress Elizabeth II Cosmodrome. Named Yedinstvo “Unity”, the station’s construction served as a powerful reminder of how far Russia had come in the 11 years since the end of the civil war. The Russian economy had mostly recovered to prewar levels, and the recent rapprochement with Germany had allowed the military to focus on other threats. Still, ongoing antagonisms with the Turkic League, Technocratic Union, and Persia’s Organization for Mutual Cooperation kept imperial forces tied down along thousands of miles of contested borders.
In the United Kingdom, a close general election saw the end of Prime Minister Reginald Thorneycroft’s government. A new coalition composed of Liberals, Democratic Laborites, and Irish Democrats led by Claudia Hunter, the nation’s first female prime minister, came to power largely due to voter dissatisfaction about the stagnant economy.
Bombay, India hosted the 2015 World’s Fair. Prime Minister Mohandas Nithya spent considerable capital preparing the bustling metropolis for the event. While the exhibition received positive reviews more than one observer remarked that the Indian Republic’s focus on developing a unique national identity centered largely on Hinduism had retarded its development when compared to the more western leaning Commonwealth of Madras to the south.
In August, a symposium on the concept of computer “deep learning” was held in Nagoya, Japan. Deep learning entails using computing systems modeled off the neural structure of living beings’ brains. By using algorithms based on examples instead of action specific programing, computers are able learn “unsupervised.” This allows for much better computing of nonlinear processes. The application of this technology was already having a huge impact on a number of fields including voice recognition, and would continue to develop over the coming decades.
Over the course of the year, the Technate of China secured deals to greatly expand shipyards and port facilities in Debarwa, Chiveve, Boma, and Dakar. In exchange, Alliance for Africa nations agreed to grant China naval basing rights. While the Chinese maintained that these were merely for peaceful purposes it did give the Technocratic Union a toehold in the Atlantic and western Indian Oceans. Many interpreted this as the latest manifestation of Yang Zhanshu “long plan” of power projection.
In the fall, the National American Handball Association (NAHA) approved the creation of two expansion teams, the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina and the Santiago Iguanas in Cuba. An attempt to sell the Indianapolis Indians to Sacramento was squashed after the Indianapolis city council agreed to construct a new arena.
Computer scientists at Hiedelberg University estimated that by the end of the year, globtrix traffic would surpass 1 zettabyte of information, roughly equivalent to 152 million years of high definition video.
In November, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Lisanne Dreesens and her ruling Christian-Progressive Party (CPP) passed a bill granting complete independence to Dutch Guiana in the lower house of the States General. However, in a surprising move the Senate rejected the bill after an unprecedented appeal by King Willem V. This most uncharacteristic display of monarchial interference sent thousands of young Dutch people into the streets. Miffed by the bill’s defeat, the provincial government centered in Paramaribo unilaterally declared independence as the Republic of Suriname on December 1. In one of his first moves in office, Surinamese President Gert Sardjoe announced a complete break with the Association of European States, infuriating German officials over losing their only outpost on mainland South America. The entire episode did much to exacerbate political and generational tensions in the Netherlands.
Flag of the Republic of Suriname
Last edited:
I wish I knew why handball never caught on in the US OTL, its a fun sport to watch and I'm pissed because I really only get to watch it every four years during the Olympics.
But I still feel that a crash between the US and its alliance and the Chinese is only a matter of time.
Sooner or later I will finish up the armor for the US ITL, but I have been busy with my own TLs and planning more.
But I still feel that a crash between the US and its alliance and the Chinese is only a matter of time.
Sooner or later I will finish up the armor for the US ITL, but I have been busy with my own TLs and planning more.
New Zealand 1980-2000
New Zealand 2000-2010
New Zealand: 2010-2015
List of Prime Ministers of New Zealand
Sir William Fox (No Party) (1861-1862)
Alfred Domett (No Party) (1862-1863)
Sir Frederick Whitaker (No Party) (1863-1864)
Sir Edward Stafford (No Party) (1864-1869)
Sir William Fox (No Party) (1869-1872) *
Sir Francis Dillon Bell (No Party) (1872-1875)
Sir David Monro (No Party) (1875-1877)+
Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet (No Party) (1877)
Sir William Fitzherbet (No Party (1877-1878)
Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet (No Party) (1878-1886)
Sir George Maurice O'Rorke (No Party) (1886-1889)
Sir William Steward (Liberal) (1889-1892) **
Sir George Maurice O'Rorke (Liberal) (1892-1897)
Sir Robert Arthur Guiness (Liberal) (1897-1901)
Richard Seddon (Liberal) (1901-1906) +
Sir Robert Arthur Guiness (Liberal) (1906-1911) ***
Sir Frederick Lang (Reform) (1911-1920) ****
Sir William Newport (Reform) (1920)
Sir Rupert Scrivener (Liberal) (1920-1922)
Vincent Brimble (NZ Whig) (1922-1923) *****, V*
Nigel Plaskitt (Liberal) (1923-1926)
Malcom Terris (Reform) (1926-1934)
Nigel Plaskitt (Liberal) (1934-1937)
Malcom Terris (National) (1937-1940) V**
Terrance Dicks (Liberal) (1940-1950)
Richard Irvine Hurst (National) (1950-61) +
Lawrence Williams (National) (1961-1963) V***
John Robinson (National) (1963-1964)
Margaret Lewis (Liberal) (1964-1968) V****
Sir Nigel Hughes (Liberal) (1968- 1976) X
Sir Robert Irvine Hurst (National) (1976-1983) X*, X**
John Partridge (Liberal) (1983-1990) X***
Ronald Levin (Liberal) (1990-1993) X****, XV
Jacob Hewit (Liberal) (1993)
Audrey Bevin (Social Democrat) (1993-1995) XV*, XV**
Jacob Hewit (Liberal) (1995)
Jonathan Braxton (National) (1995-2000)
Michael Mateparae (National) (2000-2004) XV***
Christopher Brown (National) (2004-2006)
Denis Hewit (Liberal) (2006-2010) XV****
Lawrence Cartwright (2010-201X)
*Title officially changed from "Colonial Secretary" to "Premier"
** First Official Political Party, the Liberal Party, Founded in 1891
*** Title officially changed from "Premier" to "Prime Minister" after New Zealand Achieved the status of Dominion
**** The Second Official Political Party, the Reform Party, Founded in 1911
***** The Third Official Political Party, the New Zealand Whig Party, Founded in 1921
V* This is the first coalition government, NZ Whigs and Reform Party
V** The Reform and NZ Whigs combined to form the National Party
V*** Forced out of office by vote of no confidence
V**** First female Prime Minister
X Lost an election due to his opposition to New Zealand's involvement in the war in India
X* The son of former Prime Minister Richard Irvine Hurst
X** In 1980 Prime Minister Robert Irvine Hurst along with a number of other Commonwealth leaders are knighted
X*** Legislature Reform Act of 1984 passed
X**** First Jewish Prime Minister
XV Stepped down after scandal
XV* First Social-Democrat Prime Minister
XV** Removed by a vote of no confidence
XV*** First Ethnic Maori Prime Minister
XV**** Brother of Prime Minister Jacob Hewit
+ Died in Office
2010 Election
Assembly
Liberal: 63
National: 42
Maori: 10
Ecoist: 10
Senate
Liberal: 17
National: 8
Maori: 7
Ecoist: 3
Government: Liberal
The late 2000's economic boom lead to a significant win for the ruling Liberal Party, which gained enough seats in the 2010 election to form its own government without forming a coalition with the Ecoists. They managed to do this by adopting several planks of the Ecoists into their own platform, with a particular emphasis on clean energy. After the 2010 election win, PM Dennis Hewit, in his late 60s, decided to step down from the Prime Ministership, but was given the position for secretary of trade. The Liberal Party would select the 53 year old Lawrence Cartwright to succeed Dennis Hewit as PM. Cartwright was a combat veteran of the Pacific War, and gained his first seat in Parliament in 1983 with the Partridge government. He served as the Veterans Secretary during the governments of Jacob Hewit and Audrey Bevin. He was elevated to the position of Prime Minister from the position of Foreign Secretary. He was popular within the party and with the public, and it was believed that he would lead the party into the future.
The loss of the 2010 election did a number on the morale of the National Party, causing an internal power struggle. On one end of the party you had the moderates, referred to as the "Old Nationals" (ON), who supported free trade, safe immigration, and membership in the Commonwealth. On the other end of the party you had the radicals, referred to as the "Young Nationals." (YN) The Young Nationals wanted stronger limits on immigration, and trade that harmed "vital domestic industry." They also wanted to call a series of referendums; first on whether to remain a constitutional monarchy or become a republic, second on whether or not to remain in the Commonwealth, and third on whether to petition for membership in the LAR. The ON were ardently against these policies, and in 2011 an internal party vote removed the ON party leader Ron Danforth, and replaced him with the YN leader, Jeremy Baldwin. As leader, Jeremy Baldwin lead his faction of the party to incorporate their goals into the party platform. However, the ON protested this coup by breaking off from the National Party and forming the Conservative Party.
After the 2011 National Party Breakup
Assembly
Liberal: 63
National: 24
Conservative: 18
Maori: 10
Ecoist: 10
Senate
Liberal: 17
Maori: 7
Conservative: 5
National: 3
Ecoist: 3
Government: Liberal
At first the Cartwright was doing well, with the PM's approval rating going up during the Ryuku Islands Crisis. In 2013 Parliament Passed the Crypto-Currency Act, which placed regulations on the usage of Crypto-Currencies. It required that goods purchased with Crypto-Currencies were subject to National Sales Taxes. As for the currencies themselves, they were given the same legal classification as corporate stock, which allowed the government to collect capital gains tax upon the sale of crypto-currencies. The Law also created a new secretary position that would be in charge of monitoring digital currency markets. What the act did not do is classify crypto-currencies as legal tender, meaning that taxes and other government fees could not be paid with them.
The downturn int he U.S. economy in 2014 also negatively impacted New Zealand. This was because of large amounts of investment dollars that went into the tech and clean energy industries came from the United States, which resulted in New Zealand entering a recession as well. Cartwright refused to call an election in 2014 in hope that the economy would turn around before the mandatory election date in 2015 came up. However it didn't, and the Liberals lost their majority in Parliament. The Ecoists gained seats by promising government subsidies for Clean Energy. The Nationals gained seats by promising to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. And the Conservatives gained seats by touting the failure of Liberal Leadership.
This left Parliament in a stick situation. The Liberals could no longer form a government on their own. Even if they formed a coalition with the Ecoists they would be short 3 seats. The Conservatives made refusal to form a government with the Nationals a part of their part's platform and bylaws, and just spent the whole election attacking the Liberals for their poor performance, so they couldn't form a coalition with them. There were efforts made by the Liberals to form a coalition that including the Ecoists and the Maori, but the Maori Party had a strong history of partnering with the ONs, who were now the Conservative Party, and didn't care much for the Liberal Party's stances on Social Issues. In 2015, what has become known as the "Deal with the Devil" occurred. Jeremy Baldwin offered a temporary coalition with the Liberals in exchange for a promise of a plebiscite on declaring New Zealand a republic. Against the judgement of other party leaders, Lawrence Cartwright agreed.
Legislation calling for the plebiscite scheduled the vote for late June of 2016. The legislation also required that if the result of the vote was in favor of becoming a republic, a subsequent vote would be held 6 months later on whether to become a Presidential Republic, or a Parliamentary Republic.
2015 Election
Assembly
Liberal: 49
National: 30
Conservative: 25
Maori: 10
Ecoist: 11
Senate
Liberal: 12
Conservative: 7
Maori: 7
National: 5
Ecoist: 4
Governing Coalition: Liberal-National
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I submit this New Zealand Political Update for approval, and leave the result of the Plebiscite on becoming a Republic up to the discretion of the Timeline's author.
New Zealand 2000-2010
New Zealand: 2010-2015
List of Prime Ministers of New Zealand
Sir William Fox (No Party) (1861-1862)
Alfred Domett (No Party) (1862-1863)
Sir Frederick Whitaker (No Party) (1863-1864)
Sir Edward Stafford (No Party) (1864-1869)
Sir William Fox (No Party) (1869-1872) *
Sir Francis Dillon Bell (No Party) (1872-1875)
Sir David Monro (No Party) (1875-1877)+
Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet (No Party) (1877)
Sir William Fitzherbet (No Party (1877-1878)
Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet (No Party) (1878-1886)
Sir George Maurice O'Rorke (No Party) (1886-1889)
Sir William Steward (Liberal) (1889-1892) **
Sir George Maurice O'Rorke (Liberal) (1892-1897)
Sir Robert Arthur Guiness (Liberal) (1897-1901)
Richard Seddon (Liberal) (1901-1906) +
Sir Robert Arthur Guiness (Liberal) (1906-1911) ***
Sir Frederick Lang (Reform) (1911-1920) ****
Sir William Newport (Reform) (1920)
Sir Rupert Scrivener (Liberal) (1920-1922)
Vincent Brimble (NZ Whig) (1922-1923) *****, V*
Nigel Plaskitt (Liberal) (1923-1926)
Malcom Terris (Reform) (1926-1934)
Nigel Plaskitt (Liberal) (1934-1937)
Malcom Terris (National) (1937-1940) V**
Terrance Dicks (Liberal) (1940-1950)
Richard Irvine Hurst (National) (1950-61) +
Lawrence Williams (National) (1961-1963) V***
John Robinson (National) (1963-1964)
Margaret Lewis (Liberal) (1964-1968) V****
Sir Nigel Hughes (Liberal) (1968- 1976) X
Sir Robert Irvine Hurst (National) (1976-1983) X*, X**
John Partridge (Liberal) (1983-1990) X***
Ronald Levin (Liberal) (1990-1993) X****, XV
Jacob Hewit (Liberal) (1993)
Audrey Bevin (Social Democrat) (1993-1995) XV*, XV**
Jacob Hewit (Liberal) (1995)
Jonathan Braxton (National) (1995-2000)
Michael Mateparae (National) (2000-2004) XV***
Christopher Brown (National) (2004-2006)
Denis Hewit (Liberal) (2006-2010) XV****
Lawrence Cartwright (2010-201X)
*Title officially changed from "Colonial Secretary" to "Premier"
** First Official Political Party, the Liberal Party, Founded in 1891
*** Title officially changed from "Premier" to "Prime Minister" after New Zealand Achieved the status of Dominion
**** The Second Official Political Party, the Reform Party, Founded in 1911
***** The Third Official Political Party, the New Zealand Whig Party, Founded in 1921
V* This is the first coalition government, NZ Whigs and Reform Party
V** The Reform and NZ Whigs combined to form the National Party
V*** Forced out of office by vote of no confidence
V**** First female Prime Minister
X Lost an election due to his opposition to New Zealand's involvement in the war in India
X* The son of former Prime Minister Richard Irvine Hurst
X** In 1980 Prime Minister Robert Irvine Hurst along with a number of other Commonwealth leaders are knighted
X*** Legislature Reform Act of 1984 passed
X**** First Jewish Prime Minister
XV Stepped down after scandal
XV* First Social-Democrat Prime Minister
XV** Removed by a vote of no confidence
XV*** First Ethnic Maori Prime Minister
XV**** Brother of Prime Minister Jacob Hewit
+ Died in Office
2010 Election
Assembly
Liberal: 63
National: 42
Maori: 10
Ecoist: 10
Senate
Liberal: 17
National: 8
Maori: 7
Ecoist: 3
Government: Liberal
The late 2000's economic boom lead to a significant win for the ruling Liberal Party, which gained enough seats in the 2010 election to form its own government without forming a coalition with the Ecoists. They managed to do this by adopting several planks of the Ecoists into their own platform, with a particular emphasis on clean energy. After the 2010 election win, PM Dennis Hewit, in his late 60s, decided to step down from the Prime Ministership, but was given the position for secretary of trade. The Liberal Party would select the 53 year old Lawrence Cartwright to succeed Dennis Hewit as PM. Cartwright was a combat veteran of the Pacific War, and gained his first seat in Parliament in 1983 with the Partridge government. He served as the Veterans Secretary during the governments of Jacob Hewit and Audrey Bevin. He was elevated to the position of Prime Minister from the position of Foreign Secretary. He was popular within the party and with the public, and it was believed that he would lead the party into the future.
The loss of the 2010 election did a number on the morale of the National Party, causing an internal power struggle. On one end of the party you had the moderates, referred to as the "Old Nationals" (ON), who supported free trade, safe immigration, and membership in the Commonwealth. On the other end of the party you had the radicals, referred to as the "Young Nationals." (YN) The Young Nationals wanted stronger limits on immigration, and trade that harmed "vital domestic industry." They also wanted to call a series of referendums; first on whether to remain a constitutional monarchy or become a republic, second on whether or not to remain in the Commonwealth, and third on whether to petition for membership in the LAR. The ON were ardently against these policies, and in 2011 an internal party vote removed the ON party leader Ron Danforth, and replaced him with the YN leader, Jeremy Baldwin. As leader, Jeremy Baldwin lead his faction of the party to incorporate their goals into the party platform. However, the ON protested this coup by breaking off from the National Party and forming the Conservative Party.
After the 2011 National Party Breakup
Assembly
Liberal: 63
National: 24
Conservative: 18
Maori: 10
Ecoist: 10
Senate
Liberal: 17
Maori: 7
Conservative: 5
National: 3
Ecoist: 3
Government: Liberal
At first the Cartwright was doing well, with the PM's approval rating going up during the Ryuku Islands Crisis. In 2013 Parliament Passed the Crypto-Currency Act, which placed regulations on the usage of Crypto-Currencies. It required that goods purchased with Crypto-Currencies were subject to National Sales Taxes. As for the currencies themselves, they were given the same legal classification as corporate stock, which allowed the government to collect capital gains tax upon the sale of crypto-currencies. The Law also created a new secretary position that would be in charge of monitoring digital currency markets. What the act did not do is classify crypto-currencies as legal tender, meaning that taxes and other government fees could not be paid with them.
The downturn int he U.S. economy in 2014 also negatively impacted New Zealand. This was because of large amounts of investment dollars that went into the tech and clean energy industries came from the United States, which resulted in New Zealand entering a recession as well. Cartwright refused to call an election in 2014 in hope that the economy would turn around before the mandatory election date in 2015 came up. However it didn't, and the Liberals lost their majority in Parliament. The Ecoists gained seats by promising government subsidies for Clean Energy. The Nationals gained seats by promising to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. And the Conservatives gained seats by touting the failure of Liberal Leadership.
This left Parliament in a stick situation. The Liberals could no longer form a government on their own. Even if they formed a coalition with the Ecoists they would be short 3 seats. The Conservatives made refusal to form a government with the Nationals a part of their part's platform and bylaws, and just spent the whole election attacking the Liberals for their poor performance, so they couldn't form a coalition with them. There were efforts made by the Liberals to form a coalition that including the Ecoists and the Maori, but the Maori Party had a strong history of partnering with the ONs, who were now the Conservative Party, and didn't care much for the Liberal Party's stances on Social Issues. In 2015, what has become known as the "Deal with the Devil" occurred. Jeremy Baldwin offered a temporary coalition with the Liberals in exchange for a promise of a plebiscite on declaring New Zealand a republic. Against the judgement of other party leaders, Lawrence Cartwright agreed.
Legislation calling for the plebiscite scheduled the vote for late June of 2016. The legislation also required that if the result of the vote was in favor of becoming a republic, a subsequent vote would be held 6 months later on whether to become a Presidential Republic, or a Parliamentary Republic.
2015 Election
Assembly
Liberal: 49
National: 30
Conservative: 25
Maori: 10
Ecoist: 11
Senate
Liberal: 12
Conservative: 7
Maori: 7
National: 5
Ecoist: 4
Governing Coalition: Liberal-National
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I submit this New Zealand Political Update for approval, and leave the result of the Plebiscite on becoming a Republic up to the discretion of the Timeline's author.