| |||||||
| Anthem | "Jerusalem" | ||||||
| Capital (and largest city) |
York | ||||||
| Language | English, German | ||||||
| Ethnic Groups main |
English | ||||||
| others | German | ||||||
| Demonym | Northern English | ||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy, democracy | ||||||
| Prime Minister | Christopher Rhodes | ||||||
| Established | 2002 | ||||||
Original borders of North England
North England is a country located in the centre of Great Britain and roughly in the northeast of England. It is a puppet state of the German Empire and was created in 1945 after the defeat of the United Kingdom in WW-II. Its capital was in York. It was re-united with the rest of Britain in 1993 and briefly existed in 1995-6, before finally being recreated in 2002.
History[]
Creation[]
Occupation zones for Britain had already been decided in 1941. However no country had decided how to stabilise the zones after the United Kingdom was defeated. When defeat came in 1942 the area of North England was controlled by the German military, along with Scotland. In 1945 a puppet government was created and the capital was set up.
Revival[]
Although having a unique currency (the pound, which had not been adopted by the south), the country struggled financially as it was tied economically to the German Empire. The empire itself was experiencing problems after the war. These were resolved in the mid 1950's.
After this Northern England began to grow a significant sense of self-identity. Although it was generally thought that the area wanted an eventual re-unification, many people were reasonably content with the status quo. The terms of the Osborne Conference meant that Britain could not re-unify for 50 years.
Re-Unification and Collapse of Order[]
In 1993 a referendum was held to decide the future of the country. 84% of voters voted for joining with the south, 11% voted against and 5% did not vote. On March 11th, the north and south were re-united. Scotland and Wales were still in the process of referendum at this point, although joined a month later.
A coalition was eventually fromed between the Workers Party and Labour, who were marginally opposed to each other.
Worringly to most politicians, the votes showed a clear geographical divide. Most socialist votes came from the south-east and Wales, wereas most conservative votes came from the south-west and north of England. Upon announcement of the coalition, riots sprang up in these areas. Lightning bolts were painted on government buildings. The riots were crushed but fears of more uprisings remained.
By 1995 the government had failed to improve the economy. Pro-independence movements were growing in strength quickly. Parliament had failed to pass any significant acts.
In March an MP campaigning for independence for the south was shot dead in suspicious circumstances. Terrorists from the north were blamed, and a rift was shown in parliament. In April, a referendum was approved for the north to leave the union. It was finished July and was successful.
Scotland too voted to leave the union, and by winter riots were springing up between rival factions. The police refused to fire on protesters in York and Liverpool. On December 15th, the seat of government in York was burnt down triggering virtual warfare between factions in the city. These events were mirrored in the rest of the country. By the end of the year the League of Nations had declared North England a failed state.
Recreation[]
After the end of the civil war in 2002, North England was recreated, minus Liverpool and some other small border changes. It has generally managed to recover from the war and is considered stable.
Politics[]
Although the official head of state is the German Kaiser, this is rarely acknowledged and often dismissed. North England has a political structure similar to the United Kingdom. There are various MPs from regions who are elected every five years. Whichever party receives the most votes wins, through a system of proportional representation. The leader of the winning party becomes Prime Minister.
Culture[]
North England has managed to retain much of its culture and traditions. Yorkshire is often considered the most influential county in the country. Popular cuisine and sport have lasted and been preserved for many years, although some German aspects have crept in. Handball is becoming popular in North England as well as some German foods.