Alternative History
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History of Cleveland 1984 to 2005

Upon the abandonment of the mines in early 1984 the Cleveland police force incorporated all surviving territorial army personnel into the new armed police units. These militant units initiate martial law in Cleveland and the surrounding areas in mid 1984. Marshall law lasted until 1991 when a parliament of local representatives was established, based in the town hall of Middlesbrough, elections were scheduled for 1995.

1984

In May 1984 the temporary government announces several decrees:

  • All non- or low-radiated park lands, gardens, and open spaces are to be turned over to agriculture. It has been ascertained by the local allotment associations the a patch of land ten feet by ten feet can feed a family of five when planted properly.
  • The irradiated area around the coast of the former town of Hartlepool will be left to return to the wild, any remaining survivors will be evacuated to the small towns south of Middlesbrough. However the port facilities will be rebuilt as they will be the main port for Cleveland.
  • Every person in the counties of Cleveland, Durham and North Yorkshire who are healthy and between the ages of 18 and 40 shall serve a minimum of six months in the armed services.
  • Quarantine zones are to be set up around the nuked cities of Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and York ranging from 30 miles for Newcastle and Sunderland (200 kilotonne blasts) and 20 miles for Durham and York (100 kilotonne blast) as well as an exclusion zone around each city where the heaviest radioactive fallout is located. Any population still living in these area are to be evacuated to less radiated areas.
  • Exclusion zones to be planted with trees to help bury any radioactivity and reduce the amount making its way into watercourses, planting started in 1990.
  • A project of building and renovation of housing across the area will begin immediately to resettle evacuees from irradiated areas.
Ray mallon

Prime Minister Ray Mallon

Princess anne

1995 Elections

The first elections take part in the Tees Valley, there are 20 MP's. The new government is Royalist with the Prime Minister being named as former Cleveland Police Officer Ray Mallon. Princess Anne become a the constitutional monarch Queen Anne II. Under proposals by the new government the name of the area reverted to its ancient name of Cleveland and become a constitutional parliamentary kingdom, Middlesbrough is named as the capital. Its new motto is incorporated as Resurgemus, Latin for 'We shall rise again'.

1995 census

In 1995 the non-radiated parts of the former counties of North Yorkshire and Durham become part of the Kingdom of Cleveland.

The total population of the Kingdom of Cleveland stands as 104,271. With an approximated 735,000 deaths from the coastal tsunami, radioactivity, starvation, social unrest, disease and general accidents.

In 1999 many of the coal mines in Durham are reopened by royal decree, these start producing coal in early 2000 and by 2002 are producing 50,000 tonnes of coal per year.

2000

To celebrate the new millennium a group of ship builders from Dormanstown begin work on an exact replica of HMS Bark Endeavour to ship of famous local Captain James Cook, it is their intention to sail from Whitby, North Yorkshire to Sydney, Australia once the ship is complete. It is expected that the ship will be ready for service in 2010.

2000 elections

Prime Minister Mallon's Royalist party wins second election with eight seats, however with a reduced majority. The Labour party becomes the opposition party with Tony Blair as its leader with five seats, the Conservative party comes in third with two seats.

One of the first things PM Mallon does is to re-institute the former UK National Parks of the North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales. However due to explosion of a 100 kilotonne nuclear weapon in the North Yorkshire Moors an area 30 miles across is excluded from the national park.

2001

In 2001 the government of Cleveland announces that the old Victorian street houses in the centre of Middlesbrough, particularly Gresham and Middlehaven wards will be progressivly demolished and families resettled to renovated semi-detached houses in newer areas of the town. In the areas cleared new public building will be built. These include a Royal Stock Exchange, Crown Court, and Royal Bank of Cleveland.

2004

NRCO towns

5th May 2004 - NRCO towns of Dunforth, Ouseburn, Flaxby, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Tadcaster vote to become part of the Kingdom of Cleveland adding 19,458 to the population of the kingdom.

12th May 2004 - all NRCO towns in the former county of North Yorkshire join the Kingdom of Cleveland, adding 5623 to the population of the Kingdom of Cleveland.

22nd May 2004 - the final NRCO towns of Appleby, Kirby Stephen and Hawes voted to join the Kingdom of Cleveland, adding another 2789 to the population of the Kingdom of Cleveland.

1st June 2004 - 15 new MP's join the Cleveland parliament from the former NRCO territories.

2005 census

With the addition of the former NRCO towns in 2004, the population of the Kingdom of Cleveland is 398,274. Deaths due to cancer and birth malformations caused by the radioactivity are beginning to reduce dramatically over the past five years.

Health Secretary James Shanley declares that the overall health of the people of Cleveland is actually higher now than it was at the beginning of 1983 due to the changes in general diet, lower alcohol intake levels, increased exercise levels and is mainly due to the fact that the amount of smokers in the country is now practically zero.

2005 elections

Prime Minister Mallon's Royalist party wins third election with a large majority of 22 seats, the Labour party is second with six seats and the Conservative Party with four seats and there are three independents.

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