Same United Kingdom as last time, might have to edit things for different player countries:
Nationstates Name: Cybernetic Socialist Republics
Nation Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital: London
Territory: United Kingdom
Population: 85.5 Million
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Welsh
Flag:
National Anthem (optional):
JerusalemHead of State: Queen Victoria II
HoS Picture:
Head of Government: Prime Minister Rebecca Long-Bailey
HoG Picture (If different from HoS):
Legislature Name: Parliament of the United Kingdom
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): Labour Party (House of Commons & House of Lords Majority)
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is made up of two chambers.
The Lower Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the House of Commons, made up of 630 Members of parliament (MPs) representing a district in each of the 'countries' making up the United Kingdom. They are elected whenever the Prime Minister recommends the monarch holds an election, or 5 years after the last election, which ever period comes first. Political parties run candidates for each seat & the leader of the party that wins the most seats gets the first opportunity to become the head of government, the prime minister, by getting a majority of voting MPs, to vote for the 'speech from the throne' that is presented to the monarch to read at the opening of the parliamentary session. At which point, the 'prime minister' is permitted to form a 'cabinet', by recommending individuals for the monarch to appoint to run 'ministries'. In practice, the monarch acts purely on the advice of the prime minister and in accordance with the confidence of the house of commons.
The Upper Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the House of Lords. After two rounds of reforms in the last 40 years, the modern House of Lords is a different body from what it once was, but its role is perhaps of greater importance than its' had in generations as a result. The House of Lords is made up of 315 members. 210 of which are elected through elections held every five years under a system of national proportional representation. 105 are selected by sortition from a list of eligible 'experts & stakeholders' representing a variety British companies, unions, universities, other non-governmental organizations & the Church of England. The House of Lords essentially serves as a home of 'sober second thought' to keep the House of Commons in check during attempts to pass legislation outside of its manifesto promises.
GDP Nominal: ~6.512 Trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 76,610
GDP (PPP): ~7.567 Trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: 89,025
Currency: British Pound
Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:
"And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon Englands mountains green?"While a large portion of The United Kingdom's sustained population growth can be attributed to decades of child-rearing friendly policies, the United Kingdom has achieved an annual 1% rate off growth largely through immigration, both in the form of high-skilled immigrants & refugees. While this has proven an economic boom, its also put driven up housing demand, which is lead to governments overriding the wishes of locals in the name of increased densification. Combined with cultural shifts both real & imagined, the European Union has been scapegoated as the cause of increase migration, fueling anti-EU sentiment. This isn't to say that the United Kingdom just lets anyone in, which is quite the source of controversy in of its self For anyone but the highest skilled migrants or those from an EU member state, the process involves being transported to one of multiple third-states part of The United Kingdom's 'Responsibility to Develop' Alliance & living there until given an opportunity to legally enter the country. Needless to say this strikes many liberals as draconian.
"And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?"Though the British economy can be pointed as a model for low inequality & high economic growth, it is certainly not an economy without its losers. Small businesses struggle to compete with large conglomerates both privately and publicly owned, with the primary ambition of most start ups being to find a way to provide services to larger companies or even be outright purchased by them. Landlords have it difficult too, as competition between councils to provide more services or see's Land Value Taxes constantly climb, squeezing out small landlords for larger, corporate ones. A minimum wage was never implemented, instead poverty is fought through a combinations of a 'negative income tax', child benefits & the Universal Food Coupon. This isn't to say that there is a lack of wealth redistribution in the United Kingdom, or that its a play ground for the rich. On the contrary, the private sector now makes up a minority of the british economy, as the majority is either owned by state corporations or publicly traded corporations with significant employee ownership fund stakes. Britain's economic growth is strong, driven by tech informtion technology, colloquially called Britain's "A.I. Fish & Silicon Chips". Absolute Poverty is low & wealth inequality is decreasing, but the economy is highly impersonal & income inequality is growing, leading to Brits to search for 'meaning', often in some form of Nationalism, left-wing or right wing, civic or ethnic, while at the same time growing increasingly competitive with one another for the fruits of economic growth.
Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:
"Bring me my Spear, O clouds unfold, Bring me my Chariot of fire!"The sinking of the HMS Hermes during the Falklands war & the four year occupation of sovereign British territory had a profound impact on the British psyche. For Decades since the end of WW2, the United Kingdom was solidly quietly but assuredly into decline. It lost its empire, it shrunk its military & its economy stagnated. It seemed fully willing to fade into retirement as a global power & let the United States take the reigns. But four years of a ceasefire enforced by the United States Navy snapped Great Britain out of its slumber. It even lead to a grudging reproachment with Europe, specifically France as a partner to work with and learn from to build and maintain strategic independence from the United States. It forced a reassessment of the British economy to make it capable of feeding such a military machine & it least lead the United Kingdom to build an military capable of deter
any of the world's superpowers from attempting to bully it. This isn't without negative consequences, national service & siege mentality has created a volatile domestic front & British intelligence services have been given free reign in supporting 'questionable' activities in the middle east & central Asia, its nearly certain that British training, money & equipment is indirectly tied to Islamist attacks on Russia & the USA alike. Most frightening of all, perhaps, is that national security apparatus' comfort with that fact.
"Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem"The Inward-Looking Left-Wing Nationalism of the late Prime Minister Shore has by necessity shape-shifted into a globally committed internationalism upheld by both Labour & Conservative Prime Ministers when it became clear enough that The United Kingdom's metaphorical household would collapse in on its self if efforts weren't made to reach out into the world and not only address threats but bring back lessons & material that'd make it possible to 'reinforce' what they still had. As a mere great power, with a population far less the that of both the United States and Russia, never mind the PRC, Britain has sought international organizations to use as stilts to prop it up, from the United Nations to the European Union to its own Responsibility to Develop Alliance, when its able to mobilize their support, the United Kingdom is capable of functioning like a Quasi-Superpower. Consequently, the power of the United Kingdom is directly proportional to the strengthening of these global institutions & that strengthening requires more thab money & military might but unifying ideological direction. Having been governed by triangulating figures for the better part of the last 40 years, The current government of United Kingdom believes that it has such a vision to carry into the world, whether or not it'll be effective, or if it'll cause the United Kingdom to fall off its metaphorical stilts is an open question. Isolationists on the right consider this an attempt at the resurection of a socialist international, while anti-imperialists on the left consider it an attempt at resurrection of the British Empire.
Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here):
~300 000 Regular
~360 000 Reservists
British Army
Royal Aerospace Force
Royal Navy
Tanks: 852
Vehicles: 108 812
Self-Propelled Artillery: 284
Towed Artillery: 504
Rocket Artillery: 164
Fighters: 480
Dedicated Attack: 116
Transports: 124
Trainers: 876
Special Mission: 104
Helicopters: 1,104
Attack Helicopters: 208
Aircraft Carriers: 3
Submarines: 40
Frigates: 16
Destroyers: 24
Mine Ships: 18
Patrol Vessels: 56
Amphibious Assault: 4
Other Military Information: During the Falklands Occupation, the British government committed to a gradual decoupling from the United States defense industrial base through domestic investment, cooperation with non-United States allies & a focus on weapons exports. While links with the United States are still strong, as of ~2020 the United Kingdom has accomplished strategic autonomy from the United States.
Military Changes:
The Type 43 destroyer program is resurrected in 1982
A Sister-ship to the French
Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier goes into service in 2001
BAe P.1216 Saker is developed, brought into service in ~2005
BAe P.125 Peregrine is developed, brought into service ~2015
BAe Nimrod AEW3 project isn't cancelled.
Two Nuclear Powered Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers enter service in 2017
Strong project partnerships/equipment overlaps with EU & RTD Nations
Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL +
Responsibility To Develop Alliance:
Brazil
Pakistan
Sierra Leone
Ivory Coast
Guyana
Egypt
Kenya
Tanzania
Rwanda
South Sudan
South Africa
Arabia
Darfur
History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP):
"Between Harold Wilson and Tony Blair, Peter Shore was the only possible Labour Party leader of whom a Conservative leader had cause to walk in fear." Patrick CosgraveThatcher (1979-82)- Michael Foot declines to run for the leadership of the Labour party in 1980, endorses Peter Shore, who elected to the leadership of the Labour party.
- The Falklands War starts with Argentine seizing South Georgia and the Falklands Islands. The United Kingdom liberates South Georgia, but the HMS Hermes is sunk in an naval engagement around the Falklands.
- The British government secures a 5 year lease from the United States for the Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, but the United Stats Navy intervenes to pressure both sides into a ceasefire afterward.
- The Conservatives drop spending on the military to 5% of GDP, but spin it as setting a 'floor' on military spending.
- The Conservatives fall into third place in polling behind the Labour Party & the Liberal-SDP Alliance, a wave of Tory MPs in at risk seats defect to the Liberal Party, costing the conservatives their majority and forcing an election.
- Princess Diana and Prince Charles have their first born, a daughter, who they name Victoria.
Shore/Jenkins/Steele (1982-1986)- Labour wins a plurality of the seats and is forced into a coalition agreement with the SDP-LIberal Alliance, the agreement has five pillars: The introduction of Employee Ownership Funds, a Points-Based Immigration system, House of Lords Reform, local rates reform, a commitment to joining a European Single Market
- Right to buy legislation is introduced, aiming to sell off public housing to tenants.
- The British government cancels plans to sell a second round of its shares in British Aerospace, instead purchasing a few more percentages back to get a majority stake and rolling the HOTOL single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane project into it.
- Another attempt at reorganizing & investing in the semiconductor industry is made, as the United Kingdom looks for international partners, notably in the United States and Taiwan.
- Increase clandestine efforts by MI6 to support the Afghan Mujahideen in fighting the soviets & support the Pakistani nuclear program.
- A modified version of the Hirsel Lords reform is introduced, as 2/3rds of the House of Lords, is put up for proportional election every 5 years, with the final third appointed through a commission of parties represented in the commons.
- Male-preference primogeniture is abandoned for equal succession
- a Points based immigration system is introduced, with points set by a board in contact with stakeholders in housing construction & sectors in need of high-skill labour
- local rates are replaced with land value taxations, with the rate set to equal whatever a local government spent.
- Employee Ownership Funds are introduced, requiring medium & large businesses within the United Kingdom to setup of Employee Stock Ownership Plans & foreign companies to set up subsidardies
- A plan to close down & sell off the coal mines under the control of the National Coal Board is leaked to the press, with the plans contents confirmed. The leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers leads the Union into a strike, even as the British government criticizes them for failing to hold a vote over it
- After year of training and stalled peace talks over a ceasefire, the United Kingdom launches Operation Monroe in October of 1986, successfully taking the Falkland Islands back.
- Attempting to ride of the momentum of the war victory before the miners' strike carries into the winter, Labour triggers a general election.
Shore (1986-1991)- Labour wins a relatively narrow majority, with the SDP-Liberal Alliance to avoiding collapse in the face of a recovering Conservative Party due to some protest votes over Labour's coal policy
- The Social Democrats and Liberal Party narrowly vote to merge to for the Liberal Democrats but its left leaning MPs end up going Labour & right leaning MPs joining the Conservatives.
- Promising not to 'Sacrifice socialism in Britain for socialism in one sector' the government announces an acceleration of the National Coal Board privatizations & closures, along with its expansion to other subsidized sectors outside of high-tech industries.
- The coal strike is broken, with legally minimum redundancies paid upon the closure of coal mines.
- As right to buy purchases slow down, full privatisation of housing commences, with the funds received directed to the National Investment Bank.
- Labour introduces welfare reform, with existing welfare programs are merged into a Negative Income Tax with work & training requirements.
- National Service is reintroduced for both domestic & military roles for both men and women, years of mandatory service are waived for married couples with children.
- Agricultural reforms are introduced, with a plan convert subsidies into a combination of market-rate loans & Universal Food Coupons.
- The HOTOL program receives renewed funding In partnership with the European Space Agency due to its potential usefulness for satellite deployment & as a research platform for hypersonic missile technologies
- The British governments signs on to agreement with Taiwan in the semiconductor sector, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in Taiwan & a sister company, British Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in the UK under a parent company "Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Company" based in Taiwan.
- The United Kingdom launches a cooperation with the French Government to build two sister ships to the aircraft carrier
Charles de Gaulle- A faction of the Labour party, opposed to a variety of market-friendly reforms & the governments commitment to nuclear energy, leaves to form the Green Party, the move includes MP defects & Labour only retains a majority thanks to the former SDP members who rejoined the party.
- Intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
- Prime Minister Shore leads Labour into the next election intending to run a highly Eurosceptic campaign, but the party's Eurosceptics are alienated members of the Labour Left & his Labour Right allies are strongly pro-europe.
Heseltine (1991-1995)- Infighting in the Labour Party over European policy contributes to another campaign with an unclear European policy, this time defeated by the clear pro-Europe Michael Heseltine lead conservative party that narrowly misses a majority, is propped up by the Liberal Democrats in a supply agreement.
- The Heseltine government introduces a childcare benefit that compensates women for wages they could have earned had they entered the workforce, paid for largely by reducing Negative Income Tax payments.
- National Service is expanded to function both as a path to immigration & citizenship for foreigners & a source for public service labour.
- The British government signs on to the Maastricht treaty and joins the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
- Implements a variety of privatizations intended to open up British firms to foreign investment, along with the sale of public ownership stakes to employee funds.
- Increases deregulation of business ownership and employment practices on the advice of the business sector.
- United Kingdom supports a UN effort for an intervention in the Rwanda genocide, but primarily uses it as a means to strengthen aid and economic ties with Tanzania
- The UK withdraws from the ERM after a run on the pound. Heseltine remains on as leader, but infighting over Europe exasperated by a hard-pro Europe line from his Liberal Democrat partners leads him to trigger an year early election in 1995 in an attempt to reestablish his authority.
Blair I (1995-1999)- Tony Blair, having become labour leader after the death of John Smith, wins a landslide majority over Micheal Heseltine's Conservatives throughly divided by infighting over the european union & a collapsed vote for the Liberal Democrats.
- Both the Bank of England & the National Investment Bank are given independence.
- An automatic windfall tax is instituted as a funding mechanism for the National Investment Bank.
- As part of an expansion 'tough on the causes of crime' policies, prisoners are given the opportunity to receive training while incarcerated &/or are put into work programs.
- Princess Victoria is in Manchester during the 1996 IRA bombing, visits young victims & the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Blair II (1999-2003)- The United Kingdom carries out a military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War, signs the "Responsibility To Develop" Act, putting a floor on foreign aid funding of 0.7% of GDP while prioritizing nations that the United Kingdom has engaged in military interventions on behalf of
- The United Kingdom aids the United States' intervention in Afghanistan through its strengthened ties to the pakistani government due to the recent success of their nuclear program.
- A drastic expansion of specialist schools is introduced, connecting them to British businesses & designing their education around their requirements.
- The House of Lords faces another reform, which replaces the appointed positions with a variety of professionals in different fields selected by sortition.
Blair III (2003-2005)- Labour wins another majority as the conservative party is split by infighting over whether the UK should adopt the euro, keep the status quo with Europe or leave the European union entirely.
- Brazil joins the Responsiblity to Develop Alliance as a key regional partner.
- A variety of reforms are made to the Labour Party to embed trade unions, building societies, credit unions, consumer unions & cooperatives into the party structure
- PPL Therapeutics, of fame from the cloning of Dolly the Sheep, is rescued from bankruptcy through nationalisation, prompting the start of a biotechnology 'reorganization' seeking to replicate the success of the reorganization Semiconductor sector in the 80s.
- Blair resigns, paving the way for Chancellor Gordon Brown to become leader of the Labour Party & Prime Minister unopposed.
- Princess Victoria graduates from Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a fast jet pilot.
Brown I (2005-2007)-The situation in Sudan starts to sour, as the United Kingdom finds its intervention increasingly relying on aligning with de facto independent separatists forces in South Sudan
- The first test flights of the HOTOL program start, while so far infeasible for commercial usage, it gradually finds a role in the deployment of military & spy satellites.
- 'Jerusalem', without lyrics, is adopted as a secondary National Anthem.
- Brown calls an election, aiming to win his own mandate.
Brown II (2007-2012)- Labour wins a single digit seat majority over the conservatives even thought they are the defeated by them in the popular vote due to conservative vote, inefficiency & vote splitting with the liberal democrats
- In response to 2008 financial crisis, large section of the Bank of England's quantitively easing programs involves funding the National Investment Bank's establishment of a Social Wealth Fund separate from the employee ownership funds.
- United Kingdom draws down its already reluctant commitment in Afghanistan to the absolute minimum.
- The UK works with France to call for a mediated end to a spike in ethnic conflict in Kenya, comes to agreement to improve supply of its intervention in southern Sudan and Darfur
- The United Kingdom backs South Sudanese independence and starts a process intended to shift peacekeeping responsibilities in Darfur to African countries, specifically those its most closely aligned with.
- After the overthrow of the Egyptian government during the arab spring, the MI6 passes the Egypt's intelligence services British support for Egypt's position in controversies over the Nile provided that Egypt proves a friend to British interests.
- Value Added Tax is increased & a variety of tax credits are phased out in an effort to increase revenue & shrink the deficit.
Cameron/Clegg (2012-2015)- David Cameron's Conservative party wins enough seats to form a coalition government with the Liberal democrats, after years in power & discomfort with recent economic policies
- Referendums on both Alternative Voting and Scottish Independence are held and soundly defeated.
- Introduces a large swathe of new service fees for public services that'd been previously been free in an effort to boost revenue & control costs to prevent the abuse of services.
- Corporate Income Taxes start being phased out in favor of a smaller increase in employee ownership fund contributions
- Conflict with coalition partners over the prospect of a referendum on the European Union among other issues leads to Cameron calling an early election in 2015
Cameron (2015-2019)- David Cameron wins re-election over the David Miliband led Labour Party, securing the first majority for the Conservative Party since Thatcher in 1979
- Defeat of David Miliband sees the Labour Party comes under the control of the "Neo-Shoreites".
- A referendum on European Union Membership is held with inconclusive results that lead to court battles over the counting of overseas votes, the courts confirm a very narrow Remain victory.
- The United Kingdom implements deregulatory reforms to reduce business & labor regulations towards the European Union's minimums.
- A process to convert the United Kingdom's pollution regulation system into fees charged to polluters & that pay for a Universal Environmental Benefit starts.
- A Brexit Party is created and threatens to run candidates in the next general election if the Conservatives don't make the next election a referendum on brexit
- David Cameron resigns in the face of a largely ungovernable conservative party, with Theresa May selected by the party as a soft Brexit compromise
May (2019-2020) - Pro-EU Conservatives and Pro-Euro Adoption Labour MPs join to form The Independent Group for Change
- With the defection of much of the Labour right, the remains of the Labour Party becomes definitively "Neo-Shoreite".
- Labour leaves the Socialists and Democrats party grouping in Europe and the Socialist International to join DiEM25 & the Progressive International
- The Brexit Party wins the most seats in the 2019 European Election in the United Kingdom, with Labour in second.
- Prime Minister May is forced to call a lockdown In late march due to COVID weeks before a General election must be called, with allowances made for mail-in voting.
- The Conservatives adopt a 'second referendum' as policy in an effort to stop losing support to both Eurosceptics & pro Europeans, splitting the party further.
Long-Bailey (2020-2024)- The Independent Group for Change, the Brexit Party & the Liberal Democrats eat into the opposition vote decisively allowing for Rebecca Long-Bailey to lead the Labour party to a majority election victory with just under ~35% of the popular vote.
- Princess Victoria serves in carrier strike group flying the BAe P.125 Peregrine
- The HOTOL program produces its first commercially viable single stage to orbit spaceplane for commercial launches.
- Private schools are made to convert into cooperatively owned specialist schools or state schools
- In response to the Bolsonaro Administration in Brazil's efforts to approve additional logging in the Amazon Rainforest, the United Kingdom adopts a variety of covert & overt measures to undermine his government
- Under the Freedom of Information Act, documents about a program to direct HOTOL program expenditures towards development of technologies useful for 'submarine launched hypersonic cruise missiles' are released.
- United Kingdom warns outgoing Bolsonaro administration & the brazillian military to respect the results of the 2022 elections.
- King Charles dies from COVID-related complications
- An election is called, while the Independent Group for Change's merging with the Liberal Democrats decreases vote spliting, the Brexit Party, renamed as the Reform Party, has continued to split the conservative party vote.
Long-Bailey II (2024-)- Labour wins a landslide majority with the Reform Party securing a position as the second largest party & therefore the official opposition.
- A reworded "Jerusalem" is adopted as the National anthem of the United Kingdom in the run up to the coronation of Queen Victoria II
Do not remove - ALPHA777