In debt to its enemy and ally alike, the Franco-British Union is left empty handed with the conclusion of WW2. America breathes down its neck, demanding its pound of flesh to pay off its own debtors. Capricious politicians in Washington threaten FBU stability with one of their many, many mood swings, while colonials demand independence with ever greater voices. They find willing backers in their fight for freedom in Moscow and Tokyo. It is the task of the London to stave off the inevitable collapse of the FBU Empire as long as possible, lest actors within the country take matters into their own hands.
Peace in Our Time! - A TRO Inspired Franco-British Union Quest
- Thread starter Fission Battery
- Start date
- Alt. History
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 245
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 93
-
Statistics (57 threadmarks, 140k words)
User Total Fission Battery 57 -
Loading…
-
Loading…
-
Loading…
-
Loading…
Introduction, The General Election of 1948
===
Introduction, The General Election of 1948
===
It was Spring 1947 when the guns finally fell silent across the world. The hammer and sickle flag flew high across Europe. From Moscow to Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and Istanbul, and everything else in between. The Axis laid dead, defeated by the millions of men and women of the Red Army. Beneath their banner hundreds of millions of people have been liberated from fascist and reactionary regimes as the old order is swept aside. The proletariat of Europe cried out in celebration at the Soviet Union's momentous triumph over the Hitlerites that threatened to crush the continent beneath their heels. The leadership of the Axis regimes were publicly tried in the city of Nuremberg, all sentenced to death by a panel of Soviet officers, party members, and judges for their numerous crimes against humanity and world peace. Hitler, Petain, Horthy, Mussolini, and many, many others executed by firing squad.
Their trials was the most popular radio broadcast in world history, and remained the number one film reel exported by the Soviet Union for many years to come. The BBC unfortunately did not have a crew in Nuremberg to record themselves. Much to their chagrin they had to request transcripts and reels from the Soviet embassy, which did not respond to the BBC's calls as they were too busy celebrating. Premier Bukharin was considered by many as the most popular man in Europe, second only to Grand Marshal Tukhachevsky and perhaps Jesus Christ. The mood on the continent could be described as nothing short of exuberant across all walks of life, save the fascists, though the opinion of the dead is hardly a concern in matters of public polling. There were a great deal of arrested, imprisoned, exiled, and dead fascists under Soviet occupation as they tore up the regimes, root and stem. In their place were new governments formed with Moscow's official approval. Moscow proved polite enough to not interfere too much with the inner workings communist parties under its wing. Across Europe new people's and socialist republics were proclaimed under the careful guidance of Moscow, adding to the growing ranks of the Soviet Union's allies. If anyone could be considered an undisputed victor of the Second World War, it would be the Soviets.
Them and the Japanese, but many in London were momentarily pretending Asia didn't exist to cope. The Diet had fended off attempted coups by the military and reigned in the Emperor to secure democracy's undisputed place in Japan. It achieved the impossible to forge a liberal empire not unlike Britain, founded on the principles of Pan-Asianism and Wilsonian National Liberation. Well, except for the puppet regimes it carved out of China or its numerous military bases all over the South Pacific. Just like Britain, truly. In the course of the war it had liberated Southeast Asia from empires too busy losing in Europe to fight off the Japanese. That allowed it to establish a collection of allied regimes closely tied with Tokyo. Somehow managing to break America's nose in the many knife fights in the Pacific. America's industrial capacity meant little when it was dead beat broke and run by a dysfunctional government that refused to lift a finger to solve its myriad of issues. Instead Washington desperately waited for the market to correct itself well into the 40s.
Many wondered where it had all gone wrong. The war was a long, arduous affair drawn out by the refusal of the Allies to cooperate with the Soviets or each other. Britain's demands to coordinate their efforts fell on deaf ears as America insisted that London handle Europe itself. Only a token American force led by General Patton was sent to North Africa to help protect it from the Axis's advance. It was only once the war had been lost that Washington realized the full scope of their mistake. Their only lifeline for quick profits laid in British hands. The Soviet's calls for cooperation were ignored by Washington, while London constantly fumbled the bag over and over again. Churchill repeatedly failed to strike a rapport with Bukharin or Foreign Minister Andrei Zhdanov, or cede any Soviet requests during preliminary discussions about post war Europe. It was no surprise that by the end of the war the Soviets decided they'd put up with enough nonsense from their Anglo-American counterparts. Britain's refusal to recognize any Soviet regimes sealed the deal. Victory over the Axis belonged to the Soviets, and them alone. Leaving London and Algiers to play host to a collection of exiled monarchs and former heads of state.
Suffice it to say that in London the mood was quite dour, one would even dare say it was downright unpleasant and glum. V-Day had come and gone with barely a peep of excitement. Crowds anxiously milled about when they heard the news, expecting a sense of relief that never came. The war was over certainly, yet many in Britain felt like they had been on the losing side. Which they had been according to the terms of Treaty of Vancouver they signed with Japan. The Nazis were defeated but Britain had nothing to show for it, except debt and the world's largest empire. That was little consolation to the average person on the street. Rationing continued with no end in sight. Britain's other half in the Franco-British Union was faring little better. French Algeria seethed with rage that they had failed to liberate the Metropole. Algiers, and thus London, refused to recognize the Soviet and French Resistance organized elections which saw the Communist Party and SFIO win an overwhelming majority of the vote as valid.
Why? Well, the Soviets had quite rudely ignored Britain's demands that London supervise the elections directly. The Soviet backed French Commune refused to bend a knee to London or recognize the Franco-British Union as valid. Moscow had left the phone on the counter, dial tone buzzing away with no answer in sight. It was an unprofessional petty slight that was incompletely uncalled for by the Soviets. A practical slap in the face to London by Bukharin. It's not like Britain had given millions of pounds to Hitler even up until September 1939 to fund a genocidal war against the Soviets. After all, the Foreign Office was busy burning proof of that! All claims to the contrary were expertly countered by the BBC metaphorically putting their fingers in their ears while yelling at their Soviet correspondents i.e. Labour, as the Soviets didn't care to answer the BBC's questions.
Yes, that old Hitler chap didn't turn out quite as expected. The years of war had soured many Britons on the man for rather understandable reasons, though the Daily Mail held strong in its commitment to the late dictator. The Nazis refused to play ball with Britain, and now the world had been thrown into complete chaos. Centuries of European dominance had been upended in a few short violent years. New, dangerous ideas were finding fertile ground across the world when the empire was most vulnerable: democracy, self determination, national liberation, communism! It was 1919 all over again but with freikorps to stop it! The League of Nations had failed completely in its job of securing peace and European hegemony. The Soviets and Japanese had broken the back of Europe's empires and humbled America, showing the oppressed peoples of the world a way forward that didn't involve kowtowing to British grain magnates. Africans and Asians suddenly thought they had the right to own their own resources rather than some foreign conglomerate!
The only consolation for the diehard imperialists was the FBU had retained control over its African and Indian colonies, mostly. Bengal was liberated by Japan, forcing London to finally grant the Raj dominion status. Rationing, debt, poverty, all of it could presumably be fixed by spending money London didn't have to squeeze more blood from the continent. The average Briton or Frenchmen cared little for that though. It was no prize to see their sons conscripted to garrison a colony in Africa. American promises of manpower mattered little when Washington and Wall Street were breathing down London's neck looking for debt repayments and economic concessions to pay off its own war reparations to Japan. All of which came to the forefront during the first post war election of 1948.
===
The Clown Show
The national government that had maintained unity during the war finally ruptured as factions began bickering and pointing fingers at each other. Churchill was forced to step aside as head of Tories to let his protege Anthony Eden take charge of the party ahead of the election. Labour lambasted the Tories for their many failures before and during the war. Clement Attlee pulled no punches in blasting the Tories apart. The Liberals remained hanger ons as always, attempting to eke out seats for themselves with mild success according to polling, though only in ridings with a weak Labour presence. Their policies were unclear or unappealing to the average voter. Talks of mergers were considered in backroom dealings, between British parties or potentially with French parties. Splinters threatened party unity while party whips harassed wayward party members to keep discipline intact.
Algeria was undergoing political upheavals as well. Literal ones too with car bombings and assassinations becoming commonplace among rival factions. The Vichy collaborator Admiral Darlan worked to outmaneuver Free France figure General De Gaulle to secure the support of the conservatives, settlers, military, and Vichy exiles. Tensions were running a bit high between Free France and Vichy figures, though both put aside their differences to murder communist organizers. Monarchies got in on the violence too. Orleanists, Bonapartists, and Legitimists feverishly killing each other to determine which of their chosen candidates would get to marry the already married Princess Elizabeth. The possibility of symbolically and literally uniting the crowns of Britain and France appealed to many of them, though they remained a violently outspoken minority position.
As the junior partner in the Union, French Algeria would be sending their representatives directly to London rather than receiving their own separate national parliament. Its population was slightly higher than Scotlands, and with far fewer Europeans to boot. Much to the chagrin of many settlers, Muslims were allowed to run for office, though native parties were crushed underfoot by the French military and local police. It was a bloody affair to say the least. The outcome would shape the initial post war policy for the new Union going forward. Concerns in the Foreign Office were very high too as America conducted its own election. Always the fickle beast, the results in Washington could have a larger impact on the FBU's future than its own election. But that was entirely out of its control, up to the whims of fate and the American people. Nobody was sure which was more unreliable than the other…
===
This is the 1948 general election. It's key to shaping the initial post war consensus in Franco-British politics. The votes are weighted to represent the electorate's vibe.
French political parties will be unable to form a majority government on their own, no matter how many votes they may receive. They must always form a coalition if they want to form a government. The nationality in brackets indicates where they're running and drawing their support base from. As the Union is relatively new there's yet to be cross national party mergers and cadet branches.
There's two rounds of voting to decide government policies. The first is the general election to determine which party or coalition wins power. The next is determining foreign and domestic policy through a mix of write-ins and selecting options, and if you'll actually follow through with campaign promises. Generally it's a bad idea to elect, say Labour, then implement austerity and privatization without the party threatening to revolt or splinter.
Parties may form a coalition with each other if the option is provided below their name. Players tick the box to merge them when voting for them. If players do not want to form a coalition then they do not need to include the option. If one party is in favour of a coalition with another party, but the other one isn't then this represents a confidence and supply agreement.
Players can only vote for 2 parties, 1 British and 1 French, but as many Coalition partners as they want.
[X] Party X
-[X] Coalition: Party Y
That means Party X will invite Party Y into the government if it wins.
[X] Party X
No coalition sub-vote means Party X will not seek out Party Y, but will still accept a confidence and supply agreement from Party Y.
-[X] Coalition: Party Y
That means Party X will invite Party Y into the government if it wins.
[X] Party X
No coalition sub-vote means Party X will not seek out Party Y, but will still accept a confidence and supply agreement from Party Y.
[ ] Labour (British), Clement Attlee
-[] Coalition: Radicals
Promising sweeping changes to the FBU, they plan to implement many social democratic policies to improve general welfare and labour reforms, while maintaining a pragmatic foreign policy to keep the empire together. They are distrustful of America's demands. They've yet to gut themselves on the altar of appeasing capital. Ostensibly neutral on the Soviets, they are in favour of banning the Communist Party to appease the French electorate.
All votes for Labour count as 1.5 votes.
[ ] Tory (British), Anthony Eden
-[] Coalition: Liberals
-[] Coalition: Christian Democrats
Promising less than radical change, the Tories plan to implement limited Keynesian economic policies to appease the masses, while working hard to keep businesses happy through tax breaks, private-public partnerships, and limited privatization. Maintaining the empire and FBU's position as a great power is paramount to their foreign policy, keeping America as a friend at arm's length. Limited austerity measures will the "fat" where possible, leaving services like schooling in a mix of private-church-public hands.
All votes for the Tories count as 0.8 votes
[ ] Liberal Party (British), Archibald Sinclair
-[] Coalition: Tory
Its economic policies of free market reforms and relatively free trade are less appealing than they were decades ago. The party has little to offer the war weary people of the FBU, besides in the realm of foreign policy. Sinclair had spent his pre-war career arguing in favour of collective security action against the growing dictators on the continent. In the unlikely event of a Liberal led coalition, the League of Nations will be placed front and center in their foreign policy. With little hope of winning on their own, they're prepared to form a coalition with the Radicals and Tories.
All votes for the Liberal Party count as 0.8 votes
[ ] Conservative Bloc (French), Francois Darlan
-[] Coalition: Tory
A collection of centre-right to far right parties bludgeoned together into a semi-cohesive bloc under the leadership of Admiral Darlan. De Gaulle is a major figure in it. It is republican aligned, pro-church while remaining secular, and favours a strong hand in economic affairs, while giving tax breaks to small businesses and landowners. It refuses to recognize the Commune of France as a legitimate government and wishes to offer asylum status to Vichy collaborators fleeing Europe.
All votes for the Conservative Bloc count as 1 vote
[ ] Christian Democrats (French), Robert Schuman
-[] Coalition: Tory
The centre-right that refuses to align itself with the admiral or general, distrusting the strongmen militarists. Their policies are the usual sort where charity is expected to substitute public welfare and a friendly relation with the church. They are oppossed to secularism and wish to create a Catholic republic. It's a socially conservative, centrist party. Schuman voted to give Petain dictatorial powers in 1940, but left the government shortly afterwards. He's generally tried to downplay that decision, and focus on party policies.
All votes for the Christian Democrats count as 1 vote
[ ] Radicals, Rene Pleven
-[] Coalition: Tory
-[] Coalition: Liberals
A collection of centre-left social liberals and conservative liberals that are generally socially conservative, but in favour of government intervention into the economy and strongly support secularism. It is strongly anti-communist. Rene Pleven, the party's leader, believes strongly in the FBU and League of Nations to maintain Europe's relevance in global politics.
All votes for the Radicals count as 1 vote
[ ] Monarchist (French), Orleanist
[ ] Monarchist (French), Legitimist
[ ] Monarchist (French), Bonapartist
The gaggle of violent counterrevolutionaries still upset over 1792. They are not unified in the least. They want nothing more than to kill each other then their opposition so that their preferred candidate can marry the already married Princess Elizabeth. For actual policies they take inspiration from the defunct French Action that supported the Vichy regime. Disorganized, they are a vocal minority without much support, but perhaps the FBU will convince people to join the thrones. They will not cooperate.
All votes for the Monarchists count as 0.5 votes
[ ] Communist Party (French)
Heavily suppressed by French authorities, they've nonetheless risked life and limb to run candidates in the election. They promise a return to the Metropole by dissolving the FBU to recognize Paris as the legitimate government. Their economic and social policies are extremely radical, arguing for equal rights for women and colonized peoples, collectivization of land and enterprises, independence for Algeria, and the dismantlement of the French Empire. It takes its marching orders from Paris and Moscow.
All votes for the Communist Party count as 0.5 votes.
===
QM Note:
Welcome to Peace in Our Time!
I've been thinking about running a Franco-British Union quest inspired by mods like The Red Order, @Spartakrod's The Dual Order, and @StarMaker764's The Long March for a few months now. The world history shares many similarities with TRO/TNO, though it's not exactly the same. I wasn't sure what the set up would be because I didn't feel comfortable using Reds!, so it wasn't until later that I hashed out a rough idea for a timeline during a discussion with Starmaker. I played around with the idea further until I realized it was a golden opportunity to have a sort of unique spin on the idea of a Franco-British Union. It is not the unstoppable juggernaut it's normally depicted as, instead it is a hastily thrown together union ruling over a bloated empire and flat broke. It's not even the sole leader of its bloc. It has to share that position with America.
This will be slightly tongue in cheek, however it is not unserious or a comedy. I aim to have a somewhat dark comedic tone without being disrespectful to the topics covered. The FBU is the villain of the story.
Players must navigate the FBU through a three sided Cold War as co-head of the Anglo-American bloc. The FBU must try to hold onto its vast colonial empire for wealth and profit while reacting to crises as they appear or are directly caused by player policy decisions. There's many points of tension across the globe that can flare up into regional conflicts. Players will be able to set policy during certain crises while other times they can only pick from a select few responses. They should reflect the ideology of the ruling coalition. Deviating too much from the party platform may have negative repercussions for the current government. Failures during crises will reflect poorly on the current government. It's not just the public whose concerns have to be taken into consideration. The military, civil service, and old boys' clubs all have a say in the affairs of the country. If all seems lost they will take matters into their own hands.
Last edited:
Foreign Office Memo, Regarding the 1948 American Election
Memo from the Foreign Office,
Regarding the Ongoing Election in America
Dated the 15th of June, 1948
Our dear friends in Washington look like they're in the hot seat at the moment. It's not looking good for the incumbent Democrats, but it's too early to call, especially since the election won't be for another six months. You know the Americans though. They turn campaigning into a complete media circus that lasts the better part of the year. Nonetheless it looks like trends are emerging that may give a good idea what the outcome may be in November.
I'll help refresh your memory on the current situation given the shake ups in America. The current parties running presidential candidates are the Patriot Party, the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Dixiecrats.
It seems that General Patton's taken to fighting in Capitol Hill along with numerous other officers. They currently lack a coherent party program, but well defined gut feeling that appeals to a number of Americans. They want to militarize American society through major investment into industries and businesses. He's not shy to use his war time celebrity status to catapult him to the national stage. His great achievement of helping us kick the Huns out of North Africa. I doubt his odds without us holding his hand like we did in Libya. They lack any seats in Congress or the Senate, but show no sign of slowing down. If he wins that'd be very good for us. He's said he'd give full throated support to allies to defend against all enemies. While he was referring to the Japanese, we won't turn down investments sent our way.
The Republicans have pivoted back towards isolationism in the wake of their defeat. They have the audacity to blame us for distracting them during the war. They argue that token forces and supplies they sent us could have been better spent in the Pacific Theater. Perhaps there were shipments we missed because I don't recall Britain receiving much of anything from America. Regardless, Robert A. Taft has secured the party's support in his bid for presidency. He promises to demobilize the military, normalize relationships with neutrals and new states, get trade going again, implement some minor tax reforms, and likely coup a couple countries in Latin America. He wants to pull American forces out of Britain, Spain, North Africa, and Somalia. Taft expects us to open up our market to American businesses if we want to see investment. Not that they have much money to throw around either. Worse still, the establishment seems to be favouring him.
The Democrats have decided to revive their old bag of the New Deal, and double down on it. They've taken the official stance that America lost the war because the New Deal was blocked by corrupt, backwards institutions. It's the first bit of common sense we've seen out of Washington in nearly a decade. We expected Harry Truman to win the nomination as a compromise candidate between branches, but Estes Kefauver won it with his aggressive attacks on party defeatists and incumbents. He promises a clean slate for the American people, including minorities. The decision was a bold one, which split the party. The Democrat machine is working hard in its traditional safe holds, but the disgrace of being the ruling party that signed the Treaty of Vancouver has tarnished their reputation. Nonetheless their message does appear to be resonating with Americans, if one assumes flyers posted count as votes. They've taken a strong international stance on foreign affairs. We wouldn't see as much military support out of them like we would from the Patriots, but the renewed confidence in our mutual agreements will go a long way in stabilizing our economies.
The Dixiecrats are unpleasant fellows from the American South. The holdovers from America's little spat with itself eighty years ago. They've run their own candidates in several Democratic strongholds over the issue of minority rights. It seems that they believe its their god given right to lynch black men in the street. Any other policy concern appears to be secondary. They're unable to win the presidency, but are running Strom Thurmond for the sole purpose of flexing their ability to disrupt the Democrats. They're the very definition of a spoiler option.
Oh yes, there's also the Communist Party I suppose. The victory of the Soviets over the Nazis has only emboldened them, but Hoover's goons continue to harass them. The party leader Earl Browder isn't running for president. In fact he's reached out to Kefauver to offer his support to the Democrats. They plan to run joint tickets between the two parties in select districts. It's quite novel for such a small party. We won't see much out of him, though there is a concern that they may influence the Democrat's foreign policy. We can't afford to have Washington recognize the regimes in Italy and France as legitimate. We'd be put in a very awkward position to say the least.
That concludes the summary of the ongoing situation. We won't know the results until well after our own election. Let's hope that we take the win to continue providing sane, sensible government policies. Britain- The Franco-British Union, apologies my office is still getting used to that term, requires firm leadership to guide it. We can't risk untested politicians gaining power and running us aground when we've still got a chance to pull out of our funk. Thankfully the British people will make the right decision at the polls. The French, well, they're in God's hands now.
- Foreign Minister
Regarding the Ongoing Election in America
Dated the 15th of June, 1948
Our dear friends in Washington look like they're in the hot seat at the moment. It's not looking good for the incumbent Democrats, but it's too early to call, especially since the election won't be for another six months. You know the Americans though. They turn campaigning into a complete media circus that lasts the better part of the year. Nonetheless it looks like trends are emerging that may give a good idea what the outcome may be in November.
I'll help refresh your memory on the current situation given the shake ups in America. The current parties running presidential candidates are the Patriot Party, the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Dixiecrats.
It seems that General Patton's taken to fighting in Capitol Hill along with numerous other officers. They currently lack a coherent party program, but well defined gut feeling that appeals to a number of Americans. They want to militarize American society through major investment into industries and businesses. He's not shy to use his war time celebrity status to catapult him to the national stage. His great achievement of helping us kick the Huns out of North Africa. I doubt his odds without us holding his hand like we did in Libya. They lack any seats in Congress or the Senate, but show no sign of slowing down. If he wins that'd be very good for us. He's said he'd give full throated support to allies to defend against all enemies. While he was referring to the Japanese, we won't turn down investments sent our way.
The Republicans have pivoted back towards isolationism in the wake of their defeat. They have the audacity to blame us for distracting them during the war. They argue that token forces and supplies they sent us could have been better spent in the Pacific Theater. Perhaps there were shipments we missed because I don't recall Britain receiving much of anything from America. Regardless, Robert A. Taft has secured the party's support in his bid for presidency. He promises to demobilize the military, normalize relationships with neutrals and new states, get trade going again, implement some minor tax reforms, and likely coup a couple countries in Latin America. He wants to pull American forces out of Britain, Spain, North Africa, and Somalia. Taft expects us to open up our market to American businesses if we want to see investment. Not that they have much money to throw around either. Worse still, the establishment seems to be favouring him.
The Democrats have decided to revive their old bag of the New Deal, and double down on it. They've taken the official stance that America lost the war because the New Deal was blocked by corrupt, backwards institutions. It's the first bit of common sense we've seen out of Washington in nearly a decade. We expected Harry Truman to win the nomination as a compromise candidate between branches, but Estes Kefauver won it with his aggressive attacks on party defeatists and incumbents. He promises a clean slate for the American people, including minorities. The decision was a bold one, which split the party. The Democrat machine is working hard in its traditional safe holds, but the disgrace of being the ruling party that signed the Treaty of Vancouver has tarnished their reputation. Nonetheless their message does appear to be resonating with Americans, if one assumes flyers posted count as votes. They've taken a strong international stance on foreign affairs. We wouldn't see as much military support out of them like we would from the Patriots, but the renewed confidence in our mutual agreements will go a long way in stabilizing our economies.
The Dixiecrats are unpleasant fellows from the American South. The holdovers from America's little spat with itself eighty years ago. They've run their own candidates in several Democratic strongholds over the issue of minority rights. It seems that they believe its their god given right to lynch black men in the street. Any other policy concern appears to be secondary. They're unable to win the presidency, but are running Strom Thurmond for the sole purpose of flexing their ability to disrupt the Democrats. They're the very definition of a spoiler option.
Oh yes, there's also the Communist Party I suppose. The victory of the Soviets over the Nazis has only emboldened them, but Hoover's goons continue to harass them. The party leader Earl Browder isn't running for president. In fact he's reached out to Kefauver to offer his support to the Democrats. They plan to run joint tickets between the two parties in select districts. It's quite novel for such a small party. We won't see much out of him, though there is a concern that they may influence the Democrat's foreign policy. We can't afford to have Washington recognize the regimes in Italy and France as legitimate. We'd be put in a very awkward position to say the least.
That concludes the summary of the ongoing situation. We won't know the results until well after our own election. Let's hope that we take the win to continue providing sane, sensible government policies. Britain- The Franco-British Union, apologies my office is still getting used to that term, requires firm leadership to guide it. We can't risk untested politicians gaining power and running us aground when we've still got a chance to pull out of our funk. Thankfully the British people will make the right decision at the polls. The French, well, they're in God's hands now.
- Foreign Minister
Last edited:
Vote closed
Results of the 1948 Election, & Domestic Policy
Military deployed to Algiers
===
Results of the 1948 Election
===
The election was extremely tight, more than anyone expected. Party members, civil servants, news reporters could only guess who would win as the day to the vote grew closer. The election season was a very active affair by all parties involved, exciting by British standards certainly. Practically disruptive, given the amount of posters and placards placed everywhere. Nobody in Britain could forget the fact that an election was underway. Some would say democracy in action was filled with overbearing pompous politicians, and those that did so knew to keep their mouths shut during campaigning season. Seemingly everyone became a party member overnight, if only in spirit. The rejection of Churchill from party leadership coupled with a keen awareness of their vulnerability forced the Tories to campaign harder than they otherwise would have. Labour didn't back down from the challenge, campaigning hard for their extremely popular policies.
Corsica saw similar excitement leading up to the election. Algeria was another matter entirely. The campaigning started strong with the Conservative Bloc securing the support of much of the right, seemingly shutting down the Christian Democrats as voters flocked to Darlan and De Gaulle's rallies. The two military men themselves competed for control over the bloc, despite their rather similar political views. There was only room for one generalissimo within the party. There were disputes between rival cliques, particularly between Free French and Vichy collaborators, and even those that felt Darlan betrayed Petain and those that felt De Gaulle betrayed France. There were several assassination attempts on both men by junior officers and paramilitaries, but all failed.
That was nothing compared to the chaos unraveling in other parties. Self proclaimed monarchists appeared to be seized by near religious zeal, tearing out their hair on stage and screaming to the heavens before awe struck (or scared) audiences. In any ordinary election they would be on the political fringe, vocal like a shreking banshee to gain attention but nowhere near popular enough to win any votes. It is unclear why the Bonapartists appeared to pull ahead of rival monarchists. Perhaps it was their claim that they were modernizers while their rivals weren't. Perhaps it was the age of their preferred candidate compared to others, young and similar in age to Princess Elizabeth. Perhaps it was simply name recognition. Whatever the case may be, it was definitely the murder. The amount of dead rivals was startling to many in London, and even Algiers. Reports of political assassinations were dismissed by many, save for those doing it.
Then the communists got involved. They didn't sit idle either, mobilizing a large amount of support from the Arabs. Fears began to circulate that they were being backed by the Soviets financially and militarily. Accusations were thrown around that Communist French agents had slipped into the country while disguised among the fleeing fascists. While unclear if that was indeed the case, a worrying amount, i.e. any, of French men and women supported the communists. They got into street fights with the monarchists and conservatives, which escalated into impromptu shooting matches and running gun fights. Their campaign had ceased to be a bid to win an election, but the opening shots of a revolution to liberate Algeria from centuries of French tyranny.
Which would not do at all. London and Algiers were in agreement on that when martial law was declared across Algeria. There were concerns that the monarchists could prove to be a thorn in the governments' side, however those were put aside when the Bonapartist claimant Louis Napoleon VI made several public radio broadcasts and speeches declaring his support of De Gaulle and the Conservative Bloc. Louis had served as a resistance fighter in France during the war, having worked with De Gaulle on a number of occasions he held the man in high regard. All Bonarpartists were ordered to support the military and vote for the Conservative Bloc. It was seen as very encouraging by them to see their claimant take such a strong decisive stance against revolutionaries.
French officers quickly with the support of deputized paramilitaries began sweeping offensives into communist strongholds, killing and arresting many in a bloody murderous operation that left hundreds dead. The communist revolution in the cities was crushed, though fighting continued in the countryside for some time after. Moscow and Paris would condemn the Franco-British Union for its violent suppression of political activists, but London pretended it wasn't home by ignoring them. It wasn't on friendly terms with Paris, why start now?
The election day in Algeria came and went, securing a hefty majority for the Conservative Bloc, followed by the Radicals claiming the remaining votes. In Britain it was a much closer race. Nobody could call it until the eleventh hour as riding seemed to flip back and forth, until finally all the votes had been counted. Labour won more seats than any single party, but unfortunately for Attlee he was not facing a single opponent. The Tories and Liberals together possessed enough seats to match Labour. The inclusion of the Radicals into the proposed coalition alongside the Conservative Bloc's supply and confidence promise pushed them over the line.
In all truth however Labour could have formed a minority government. King George VI didn't want a minority government though, much less a Labour one. He wanted a government friendly to the crown's interests, one that could be trusted to maintain Tory policies for another four years. Who better to ask than the Tory themselves? His Majesty called upon Eden to form a coalition government, which Churchill's protege eagerly accepted. The Tories found themselves backed by every other party in parliament. They were all united by a singular purpose: deny Labour power.
Election Result: Tory-Liberal-Radical Coalition with Conservative Bloc support
Prime Minister: Anthony Eden
===
Their first act was the banning of the French Communist Party and Algerian Communist Party across the FBU. Labour fully supported the move. The security risk presented by the communists' demands had to be dealt with. Nobody wanted the FBU to break apart, or at the very least give away rightfully stolen colonies. It'd signal the death knell of the empire itself. The quick work of the military had helped prevent the worst from passing.
For Sinclair's support, he found himself awarded the Foreign Ministry. His party's domestic policies were unappealing to the average person. The votes showed that Labour was popular, unacceptably popular. The people wanted their proposed reforms, and by god they were gonna get a watered down version if the Tories had their say in the matter. The Liberal's adversity to government funded anything was politically toxic. That's where the Tories found more support domestically from the Radicals, who were still far to the left of them politically but could find common ground on moderate to even lukewarm reforms.
However the details of the government's program had to be hashed out. Tories took center stage over domestic affairs, while the Liberals were granted a degree of leeway in drafting foreign affair policies. Radicals made their voices heard in both conversations. The Bonapartists that had supported the Conservative Bloc were also hoping that Princess Elizabeth could hurry up and divorce her husband already, but they weren't in government so their requests were ignored. Nobody had promised them anything, but that didn't stop them from feeling owed something.
===
Government Policies
This is where players craft government policy. This is broken up into two sections: domestic and foreign. They will be handled in separate votes. There are several suggested planks for issues to tackle, but it is entirely written in. It's up to you to decide what the government will focus on. Assume that ministries will continue to function, and issues will continue to fester, if they don't receive any particular focus. There will be subsequent posts regarding specific topics, mostly foreign affairs.
Tariffs are handled in Foreign Policy. FBU's nuclear program will be in its own post. Colonies will be its own post.
===
Domestic Policies
Opposition: Labour won a significant amount of votes. It will be fighting the government for concessions.
Debt: The FBU is paying war reparations to Japan. The payments are expected to end by 1999. The FBU is repaying Britain's WW1 loans from America, in addition to WW2 loans. This is expected to be paid off by 2020. Until then these are a constant strain on the government's finances.
Suggested Planks & Public Opinion
Do not feel confined by these options. In fact feel free to ignore them entirely. This is not an exhaustive list of possible planks. You may write in planks for any policy you want to give focus on.
Healthcare: the proposal to create a state funded national healthcare service is very popular, even among Tory voters. It was floated even before the war. Can the treasury spare such expense?
Demobilization: people want their sons to come home already, end conscription, or don't, maybe pay them more or browbeat them into shutting up. If they are demobilized they're probably gonna be jobs, not a lot of those going around at the moment.
Rationing: people want an end of rationing. Issue is that ending it could lead to disruption in supplies and wild fluctuation in prices. It can't hurt to keep it going a while longer, not unless Britain finds a cheap provider or funds agriculture and fishing.
Education: children have come home since the bombs stopped falling. They're finding underfunded schools with unclear, often conflicting curriculums. Which is fine because they don't vote, but their mothers do. Maybe the church can handle it?
Language: some are proposing the FBU become officially bilingual, similar to proposals in Canada. All civil servants would be required to speak and write English and French, and all government services, including court cases, would be offered in either English or French. Others think it's a silly waste of money given how small the Francophone population is compared to the Anglophone. French will train French civil servants, English will train English, simple.
Measurements: some are also suggesting we bite the bullet and standardize measurements. France used metric, while Britain used imperial. Which system shall reign supreme, if any?
French Businesses: the French want special exceptions from certain regulations along with tax breaks to protect them from larger better funded British businesses. If the government does not do this the Conservative Bloc will rescind its support.
Gay Status: France had long since decriminalized homosexuality. Those laws are still on the books in Algeria and Corsica. While Britain still had "sodomy laws" that criminalized homosexuality. A suspicious number of notable figures have in fact moved to Algeria, possibly to enjoy the legal grey zone that currently existed in. How should the matter be dealt with, if at all?
Elizabeth's Marriage: force her to get divorced to marry Napoleon the VI or ignore the Bonapartists' strange demands?
There is a 500 word limit on plans.
===
Please vote by plan. There is a moratorium.
===
Last edited:
World Map, 1948
World Map, 1948
Faction Map, 1948
Red: Soviet bloc
Gold: Japanese bloc
Blue: Anglo-American bloc
Faction Map, 1948
Red: Soviet bloc
Gold: Japanese bloc
Blue: Anglo-American bloc
Last edited:
Vote closed
1948, Foreign Policy
===
Foreign Policy
===
This is the second half of crafting policy: foreign. There are several suggested planks for issues to tackle, but it is entirely written in. It's up to you to decide what the government will focus on. Assume that ministries will continue to function, and issues will continue to fester, if they don't receive any particular focus. There will be subsequent posts regarding specific topics.
FBU's nuclear program will be in its own post. Colonies will be their own post.
===
Foreign Relations
Debt: The FBU is paying war reparations to Japan. The payments are expected to end by 1999. The FBU is repaying Britain's WW1 loans from America, in addition to WW2 loans. This is expected to be paid off by 2020. Until then it is a constant strain on the government's finances.
League of Nations: It's still kicking. Sinclair wants to revitalize it as a vehicle for international diplomacy and British soft power. He wants to expand its membership, increase its funding, and give it some real teeth if possible. It's a tough sell when everyone thinks it's a club for Franco-British allies.
Japanese Co-Prosperity Sphere: Frosty to say the least, namely on the Franco-British side of things. Japan's riding high off its victory over the Allies, so much so that there's little resentment towards them. Japan knows it won. The FBU embassy in Tokyo remains open, if empty, and the same is true for the Japanese embassy in London. The Republic of China continues to send diplomats to the League of Nations, much to London's annoyance.
Soviet Union bloc: In a surprising move, Moscow wishes to re-normalize relations with Britain to keep the peace in Europe. They do mean Britain specifically, refusing to recognize the FBU's claims to Metropole France as legitimate. The Soviets believe that the League needs serious reform if it's going to function as more than a FBU social club.
America: It wants its money. It will get its money. It's also stuck with the FBU as its only major ally. America's been locked out of both the Asian and European markets. It now has to compete with Japanese companies in South America. A fact which is extremely unnerving to many in Wall Street and Washington. It wants access to the FBU's market in Africa. The closed imperial system won't be tolerated by it, though London can always ignore Wall Street's demands. The FBU's still got some life in it yet. America has declared its intent to join the League of Nations, but has yet to ratify the treaty to join. It'll be up to the incoming administration to handle.
The Empire: Canada is seething with humiliation and rage, Australia is scared for its life, New Zealand is protesting its annexation into Australia, South Africa is fighting between Boers and Anglos over who gets to be head racist, Egypt's king is spending a portion of the national budget on sports cars, India is suffering another famine and is very concerned about the rival India on its border, Ireland is still miffed about being a dominion, Palestine is on fire, and Africa resents being ruled by foreign powers. Nonetheless, the empire expects guidance from London, or more accurately answers to London.
Iberia: Spain is allied to the FBU to prevent the Soviets from invading to finish it off. Portugal is in a similar boat. Spain requests funds to help it recover from the civil war. It also requests that the BEF remain stationed in its borders to scare off the Soviets. Portugal is in the League of Nations. Spain is not a member of the League of Nations. Regardless they're both allies.
Neutrals: South America refused to join the war. They made a tidy profit selling goods to Britain during the war. They're also the only countries still in the League of Nations besides the FBU and its dominions. They're keenly interested in trading with anyone with money. Iran made a hefty profit selling oil to the Axis and Allies alike. The planned invasion of Iran didn't get off the ground. The FBU still owns its shares of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Iran is also keenly interested in trading with anyone with money.
===
There are pressing issues that must be dealt with in addition to planks. These are not write-ins. They must be included in the plan, but do not count towards the word limit.
===
Soviet League Membership: The Soviet Union was a former member. It was expelled by Britain before WW2 in response to the Soviet invasion of the Baltics and Eastern Poland. Moscow maintains it was to shorten up their frontline against Germany and prevent more territory from falling to Germany. Regardless, Bukharin wishes to join as a gesture of goodwill. The Axis is defeated, Moscow believes that now is the time to bury the hatchet so that Europe can recover from the war. However they will not accept being a simple member state. They want premium membership. That means higher authority in the League, similar to Britain. That includes the authority to invite nations, subject to British veto, and immunity from expulsion. That also means they'd have the ability to veto invitations by Britain and proposal to expel members.
[ ][SOV] Allow
[ ][SOV] Reject
===
Soviet Bloc League Membership: The Soviet Union also wants its new allies to be allowed into the League, including France and Italy. While numerous governments in exile living in London are easy to ignore, millions of French voters crying out in rage are not. The Republic of Italy will be furious too. The Republic of China will be outraged if the People's Republic of China and Mongolia are accepted. Nanjing still has claims on Mongolia.
[ ][SOB] Allow all except France, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, Poland, PRC, and Mongolia.
[ ][SOB] Allow all except France, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, and Poland
[ ][SOB] Reject
===
Italian League Membership: The Kingdom of Italy left the League under Mussolini. He's gone, so the new republican regime in Sicily and Sardinia wants back in to improve its legitimacy. This would mean baring the Socialist Republic of Italy from the League. We already don't recognize them anyway, so that probably isn't an issue.
[ ][ITA] Allow
[ ][ITA] Reject
===
Spanish League Membership: It's still recovering from the civil war and renewed communist insurgency in Catalonia. Franco knows how ineffectual the League is in practice, but understands the optics of it. He wants investments into his country to convince him to join it. We technically don't need Spain in the League, but it sure would reflect poorly on us to not have an ally in the club that we started.
[ ][IBE] Invest in Spain so it joins
[ ][IBE] Reject
===
Anglo-America Bloc Name: The bloc currently needs a name. Something to really tie the whole thing together. "The Allies'' isn't quite as catchy. The Anglo-American bloc isn't quippy either. It's been narrowed down to two options.
[ ][AAB] Commonwealth Alliance of Nations
[ ][AAB] Entente Treaty Organization
===
Suggested Planks & Public Opinion
Do not feel confined by these options. In fact feel free to ignore them entirely. This is not an exhaustive list of possible planks. You may write in planks for any policy you want to give focus on.
Increased Funding to League of Nation Agencies: Its many agencies have been left underfunded, on account of the whole world war. Its work focused on preserving cultural heritage sites, artifacts, organizing transnational health initiatives, relocating displaced peoples, and women and children welfare.
Anglo-American Relations: We need to hash out tighter security agreements. American soldiers are garrisoning Australia, Iceland, Sri Lanka, and parts of Africa. People in America are getting mildly miffed about the costs involved. We need to get our act together, without throwing ourselves on our swords for the sake of the American economy.
The Commonwealth: The independent dominions that have diplomatic relations of their own, but are still closely tied to London. There's ideas to draw them close together, economically or perhaps politically. The idea of a custom union or pegging currencies to the pound has been floated around. Travel was still relatively paperwork free between members of the Empire. Its manpower reserves were FBU's manpower reserves. Perhaps a conference to make everyone feel better? Oh, and maybe some famine relief too for India, if the budget can spare it.
Germany War Reparations: The DSR has yet to officially renounce the Treaty of Versailles in all its articles. Perhaps London can press its dual claims to war reparations owed by Germany to Britain and France. The Socialist Republic of France has already forgiven its share of remaining reparations.
Haitian Slave Debt: The Socialist Republic of France forgave this debt. It's a good thing London doesn't recognize Paris's decisions as legitimate. As the continuation of France, Haiti's debt is transferred to London. It likely won't pay, but that's what gunboats and marines in the Caribbean are for.
Unrecognized Countries: London doesn't recognize a significant portion of the world's countries as legitimate at the moment. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and establish relationships with them.
There is a 500 word limit on plans.
===
Please vote by plan. There is a moratorium.
===
Foreign Policy
===
This is the second half of crafting policy: foreign. There are several suggested planks for issues to tackle, but it is entirely written in. It's up to you to decide what the government will focus on. Assume that ministries will continue to function, and issues will continue to fester, if they don't receive any particular focus. There will be subsequent posts regarding specific topics.
FBU's nuclear program will be in its own post. Colonies will be their own post.
===
Foreign Relations
Debt: The FBU is paying war reparations to Japan. The payments are expected to end by 1999. The FBU is repaying Britain's WW1 loans from America, in addition to WW2 loans. This is expected to be paid off by 2020. Until then it is a constant strain on the government's finances.
League of Nations: It's still kicking. Sinclair wants to revitalize it as a vehicle for international diplomacy and British soft power. He wants to expand its membership, increase its funding, and give it some real teeth if possible. It's a tough sell when everyone thinks it's a club for Franco-British allies.
Japanese Co-Prosperity Sphere: Frosty to say the least, namely on the Franco-British side of things. Japan's riding high off its victory over the Allies, so much so that there's little resentment towards them. Japan knows it won. The FBU embassy in Tokyo remains open, if empty, and the same is true for the Japanese embassy in London. The Republic of China continues to send diplomats to the League of Nations, much to London's annoyance.
- Recognizes: Japan, RoC, and Thailand as legitimate governments
- Doesn't Recognize: Azad Hind, Indonesia, Burma, Union of Indochina, and the Philippines
- Undecided: London has yet to decide its view on Manchukuo, Yunnan, and Guangdong
Soviet Union bloc: In a surprising move, Moscow wishes to re-normalize relations with Britain to keep the peace in Europe. They do mean Britain specifically, refusing to recognize the FBU's claims to Metropole France as legitimate. The Soviets believe that the League needs serious reform if it's going to function as more than a FBU social club.
- Recognizes: USSR and Finland
- Doesn't Recognize: France, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, Poland, and PRC.
- Undecided: Germany, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Scandinavia, and Mongolia
America: It wants its money. It will get its money. It's also stuck with the FBU as its only major ally. America's been locked out of both the Asian and European markets. It now has to compete with Japanese companies in South America. A fact which is extremely unnerving to many in Wall Street and Washington. It wants access to the FBU's market in Africa. The closed imperial system won't be tolerated by it, though London can always ignore Wall Street's demands. The FBU's still got some life in it yet. America has declared its intent to join the League of Nations, but has yet to ratify the treaty to join. It'll be up to the incoming administration to handle.
The Empire: Canada is seething with humiliation and rage, Australia is scared for its life, New Zealand is protesting its annexation into Australia, South Africa is fighting between Boers and Anglos over who gets to be head racist, Egypt's king is spending a portion of the national budget on sports cars, India is suffering another famine and is very concerned about the rival India on its border, Ireland is still miffed about being a dominion, Palestine is on fire, and Africa resents being ruled by foreign powers. Nonetheless, the empire expects guidance from London, or more accurately answers to London.
Iberia: Spain is allied to the FBU to prevent the Soviets from invading to finish it off. Portugal is in a similar boat. Spain requests funds to help it recover from the civil war. It also requests that the BEF remain stationed in its borders to scare off the Soviets. Portugal is in the League of Nations. Spain is not a member of the League of Nations. Regardless they're both allies.
Neutrals: South America refused to join the war. They made a tidy profit selling goods to Britain during the war. They're also the only countries still in the League of Nations besides the FBU and its dominions. They're keenly interested in trading with anyone with money. Iran made a hefty profit selling oil to the Axis and Allies alike. The planned invasion of Iran didn't get off the ground. The FBU still owns its shares of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. Iran is also keenly interested in trading with anyone with money.
===
There are pressing issues that must be dealt with in addition to planks. These are not write-ins. They must be included in the plan, but do not count towards the word limit.
===
Soviet League Membership: The Soviet Union was a former member. It was expelled by Britain before WW2 in response to the Soviet invasion of the Baltics and Eastern Poland. Moscow maintains it was to shorten up their frontline against Germany and prevent more territory from falling to Germany. Regardless, Bukharin wishes to join as a gesture of goodwill. The Axis is defeated, Moscow believes that now is the time to bury the hatchet so that Europe can recover from the war. However they will not accept being a simple member state. They want premium membership. That means higher authority in the League, similar to Britain. That includes the authority to invite nations, subject to British veto, and immunity from expulsion. That also means they'd have the ability to veto invitations by Britain and proposal to expel members.
[ ][SOV] Allow
[ ][SOV] Reject
===
Soviet Bloc League Membership: The Soviet Union also wants its new allies to be allowed into the League, including France and Italy. While numerous governments in exile living in London are easy to ignore, millions of French voters crying out in rage are not. The Republic of Italy will be furious too. The Republic of China will be outraged if the People's Republic of China and Mongolia are accepted. Nanjing still has claims on Mongolia.
[ ][SOB] Allow all except France, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, Poland, PRC, and Mongolia.
[ ][SOB] Allow all except France, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, and Poland
[ ][SOB] Reject
===
Italian League Membership: The Kingdom of Italy left the League under Mussolini. He's gone, so the new republican regime in Sicily and Sardinia wants back in to improve its legitimacy. This would mean baring the Socialist Republic of Italy from the League. We already don't recognize them anyway, so that probably isn't an issue.
[ ][ITA] Allow
[ ][ITA] Reject
===
Spanish League Membership: It's still recovering from the civil war and renewed communist insurgency in Catalonia. Franco knows how ineffectual the League is in practice, but understands the optics of it. He wants investments into his country to convince him to join it. We technically don't need Spain in the League, but it sure would reflect poorly on us to not have an ally in the club that we started.
[ ][IBE] Invest in Spain so it joins
[ ][IBE] Reject
===
Anglo-America Bloc Name: The bloc currently needs a name. Something to really tie the whole thing together. "The Allies'' isn't quite as catchy. The Anglo-American bloc isn't quippy either. It's been narrowed down to two options.
[ ][AAB] Commonwealth Alliance of Nations
[ ][AAB] Entente Treaty Organization
===
Suggested Planks & Public Opinion
Do not feel confined by these options. In fact feel free to ignore them entirely. This is not an exhaustive list of possible planks. You may write in planks for any policy you want to give focus on.
Increased Funding to League of Nation Agencies: Its many agencies have been left underfunded, on account of the whole world war. Its work focused on preserving cultural heritage sites, artifacts, organizing transnational health initiatives, relocating displaced peoples, and women and children welfare.
Anglo-American Relations: We need to hash out tighter security agreements. American soldiers are garrisoning Australia, Iceland, Sri Lanka, and parts of Africa. People in America are getting mildly miffed about the costs involved. We need to get our act together, without throwing ourselves on our swords for the sake of the American economy.
The Commonwealth: The independent dominions that have diplomatic relations of their own, but are still closely tied to London. There's ideas to draw them close together, economically or perhaps politically. The idea of a custom union or pegging currencies to the pound has been floated around. Travel was still relatively paperwork free between members of the Empire. Its manpower reserves were FBU's manpower reserves. Perhaps a conference to make everyone feel better? Oh, and maybe some famine relief too for India, if the budget can spare it.
Germany War Reparations: The DSR has yet to officially renounce the Treaty of Versailles in all its articles. Perhaps London can press its dual claims to war reparations owed by Germany to Britain and France. The Socialist Republic of France has already forgiven its share of remaining reparations.
Haitian Slave Debt: The Socialist Republic of France forgave this debt. It's a good thing London doesn't recognize Paris's decisions as legitimate. As the continuation of France, Haiti's debt is transferred to London. It likely won't pay, but that's what gunboats and marines in the Caribbean are for.
Unrecognized Countries: London doesn't recognize a significant portion of the world's countries as legitimate at the moment. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and establish relationships with them.
There is a 500 word limit on plans.
===
Please vote by plan. There is a moratorium.
===
Last edited:
Vote closed
1948, Colonial Policy
===
Colonial Policy
===
This is the unexpected third part of crafting policy: colonies. In the future this may be part of domestic or remain its own section to avoid eating up space for domestic policies. There are several suggested planks for issues to tackle, but it is entirely written in. It's up to you to decide what the government will focus on. Assume that ministries will continue to function, and issues will continue to fester, if they don't receive any particular focus.
FBU's nuclear program will be in its own post following this. Once that's done it'll wrap up government policy decisions. It'll be followed by the results of the numerous votes.
===
Colonies and Occupations
There are pressing issues that must be dealt with in addition to planks. These are not write-ins. They must be included in the plan, but do not count towards the word limit.
===
Somaliland: Somaliland was an Italian colony occupied by Britain during the war. It's still under occupation in fact. There are debates over how to handle it. It could be turned into a mandate and award to the FBU to legalize the occupation as a legitimate government. It could be turned over to Italy, if it's allowed back into the League of Nations. London could also do away with the diplomatic formalities and just declare it a protectorate.
[ ][SOM] League Mandate, assigned to the FBU
[ ][SOM] Give to Italy as a Mandate
[ ][SOM] Declare it a Franco-British protectorate
[ ][SOM] Break it up.
===
Libya: Another Italian colony occupied by British and French forces. Italy specifically wants it back. It has a small population of Italian settlers. Italy wants to relocate refugees from Sicily and Sardinia to Libya. It wants direct control over it as a protectorate, but can tolerate the legal fiction of a League mandate. London could also keep it for itself.
[ ][LIB] League Mandate, assigned to the FBU
[ ][LIB] Italian League Mandate
[ ][LIB] Italian protectorate
===
Ethiopia: Occupied by Italy during WW2, it was liberated by Britain, then immediately garrisoned to 'keep the peace' for the remainder of the war. The war is over, yet British troops haven't left yet, but haven't shot anyone yet. The monarchy in exile is requesting his government be restored to power. That's certainly an option. There's other more dramatic ones. Moscow and Tokyo will be outraged if the FBU turns Ethiopia into a mandate or protectorate.
[ ][ETH] With a heavy heart, yes, restore its independent government. It will be left in debt to London to pay for the occupation and "rebuilding"
[ ][ETH] Turn it into a League Mandate, assigned to the FBU
[ ][ETH] Break it up into separate ethnic states
[ ][ETH] Indefinite protectorate status
===
Palestine: It's currently on fire. Zionists are fighting Arabs and Franco-British soldiers in the streets. Arab militias are forming to defend themselves. Leaders on both sides condemn the violence, while either supporting it or dodging assassination attempts by their own side. London did sort of promise the Zionists a Jewish state. Both Britain and France spent the last twenty years encouraging their Jewish populations to move overseas so they can pretend Jews don't exist, and surprisingly more than a few decided to oblige them. Zionists have gotten restless though. They won't stand the status quo any longer. They want statehood. Failing that, some position that elevates them above Arabs, Mizrahi Jews, anyone else in the region.
There's a number of options on the table. Any one of which the Franco-British Union will bravely pick, then expertly run away, having caused a significant amount of damage.
[ ][PAL] Two State Solution: divide the region between Israel and Palestine.
[ ][PAL] Half a State Solution: Create a coastal Israel but keep Palestine as a mandate
[ ][PAL] One State Solution: Palestine, Zionists will be equal to Arabs and Mizrahi Jews
[ ][PAL] One State Solution: Multi-Ethnic Federation with special representation to Zionists
[ ][PAL] Merge with Syria, maintain the mandate.
[ ][PAL] Maintain the Mandate.
[ ][PAL] Give Palestine to Jordan, Crown Abdullah I King of the Jews
[ ][PAL] Give Palestine to America. Wash London's hands of the whole thing
===
Collaborators: A significant number of people have fled Europe ahead of the Soviet advance and in subsequent years. They consist of not only high ranking members of the fascist regimes, but rank and file party members, military officers, small business owners, farmers, and civil servants. The foot soldiers of fascism that know they won't make it through a Soviet occupation with their career or lives intact. London has already helped resettle a number of them in Algeria, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.
However an even greater number has reached Spain by land, a couple million in fact. They're requesting Franco-British aid in resettling elsewhere. Spain is hoping that we take them off their hands too. If Italy is given Libya they'll resettle their share of refugees in North Africa. If they aren't resettled they'll likely immigrate elsewhere, likely America, Dominican Republic, and Argentia.
[ ][COL] Ignore them. Give Spain some aid to handle it themselves.
[ ][COL] Resettle in Algeria. It will significantly boost the European population even further
[ ][COL] Resettle in Kenya. The British settlers could always use more company, even if they won't appreciate all the French and Itlians.
[ ][COL] Resettle in Algeria and Quebec. Surely Canada won't mind a few hundred thousand French fascists settling in its borders.
[ ][COL] Why pick? Didn't we just establish an agency to help with that? Resettle them all over the empire: Algeria, Kenya, Quebec, etc. Wherever there's space for racist Europeans, they'll find a home there, even at the expense of the locals.
===
Suggested Planks & Public Opinion
Do not feel confined by these options. In fact feel free to ignore them entirely. This is not an exhaustive list of possible planks. You may write in planks for any policy you want to give focus on.
Colonial Administration: The administration is a complete mess. France ran their colonies with large bureaucracies that relied little on local proxies, save for those that joined the colonial civil service. Britain did that to an extent, however it preferred tributary statutes, protectorates, and proxies filling in the gaps of its administration. That means Britain's colonies were a legal and administrative patchwork, run like mini-empires themselves. In contrast, France had a large number of civil servants in it. This difference in systems, along with the chaos caused by the war, means the administration in significant portions of Africa and the Middle East are a complete mess. Belgian's administration in Congo is understaffed. There are a few ideas on how to solve the issue, if it requires solving at all.
The status quo of disjointed administrations can go on. As it stands, Algiers also has more influence over French colonies than London does. We could cut costs by firing French trained colonial bureaucrats in favour of breaking up the administration into a patchwork of local proxies. We could also bite the bullet to rationalize the British colonial civil service across British Africa. It'd put quite the strain on the Colonial Office, but would rationalize the system and create jobs for civil servants. There was the novel idea by the French to turn all their former colonies into overseas territories, which would shift the cost from the Colonial Office to the Home Office. They'll gain the right to form local assemblies that have no power, but give the illusion of reform. The idea of carving out dominions is currently unacceptable for the time being. They must remain colonies. Oh yes, and people aren't quite thrilled about the costs of colonies, but when have the people ever mattered in these things?
Territorial Borders: So, it turns out colonial borders are a complete mess too. London's incorporated French, Dutch, and Belgian colonies into its administration. Colonies the size of postcards have independent administrations right next to even smaller colonies with their own parallel civil service. French Equatorial Africa and West Africa still exist as federations. We could take inspiration from this to form regional federations between our colonies to unify the administrations into mega pseudo-states. It'd potentially streamline and rationalize the costs to combine them together. However it'd mean regional politicians in Africa will start talking to each other more. Can we really afford that? We could take the other route by breaking up the French colonial federations into separate states. It could potentially cut down on costs, but end up creating more parallel institutions where none previously existed. Feel free to draw arbitrary borders on a map to get your idea across.
There is a 400 word limit on plans.
===
Please vote by plan. There is a moratorium.
===
Colonial Policy
===
This is the unexpected third part of crafting policy: colonies. In the future this may be part of domestic or remain its own section to avoid eating up space for domestic policies. There are several suggested planks for issues to tackle, but it is entirely written in. It's up to you to decide what the government will focus on. Assume that ministries will continue to function, and issues will continue to fester, if they don't receive any particular focus.
FBU's nuclear program will be in its own post following this. Once that's done it'll wrap up government policy decisions. It'll be followed by the results of the numerous votes.
===
Colonies and Occupations
There are pressing issues that must be dealt with in addition to planks. These are not write-ins. They must be included in the plan, but do not count towards the word limit.
===
Somaliland: Somaliland was an Italian colony occupied by Britain during the war. It's still under occupation in fact. There are debates over how to handle it. It could be turned into a mandate and award to the FBU to legalize the occupation as a legitimate government. It could be turned over to Italy, if it's allowed back into the League of Nations. London could also do away with the diplomatic formalities and just declare it a protectorate.
[ ][SOM] League Mandate, assigned to the FBU
[ ][SOM] Give to Italy as a Mandate
[ ][SOM] Declare it a Franco-British protectorate
[ ][SOM] Break it up.
===
Libya: Another Italian colony occupied by British and French forces. Italy specifically wants it back. It has a small population of Italian settlers. Italy wants to relocate refugees from Sicily and Sardinia to Libya. It wants direct control over it as a protectorate, but can tolerate the legal fiction of a League mandate. London could also keep it for itself.
[ ][LIB] League Mandate, assigned to the FBU
[ ][LIB] Italian League Mandate
[ ][LIB] Italian protectorate
===
Ethiopia: Occupied by Italy during WW2, it was liberated by Britain, then immediately garrisoned to 'keep the peace' for the remainder of the war. The war is over, yet British troops haven't left yet, but haven't shot anyone yet. The monarchy in exile is requesting his government be restored to power. That's certainly an option. There's other more dramatic ones. Moscow and Tokyo will be outraged if the FBU turns Ethiopia into a mandate or protectorate.
[ ][ETH] With a heavy heart, yes, restore its independent government. It will be left in debt to London to pay for the occupation and "rebuilding"
[ ][ETH] Turn it into a League Mandate, assigned to the FBU
[ ][ETH] Break it up into separate ethnic states
[ ][ETH] Indefinite protectorate status
===
Palestine: It's currently on fire. Zionists are fighting Arabs and Franco-British soldiers in the streets. Arab militias are forming to defend themselves. Leaders on both sides condemn the violence, while either supporting it or dodging assassination attempts by their own side. London did sort of promise the Zionists a Jewish state. Both Britain and France spent the last twenty years encouraging their Jewish populations to move overseas so they can pretend Jews don't exist, and surprisingly more than a few decided to oblige them. Zionists have gotten restless though. They won't stand the status quo any longer. They want statehood. Failing that, some position that elevates them above Arabs, Mizrahi Jews, anyone else in the region.
There's a number of options on the table. Any one of which the Franco-British Union will bravely pick, then expertly run away, having caused a significant amount of damage.
[ ][PAL] Two State Solution: divide the region between Israel and Palestine.
[ ][PAL] Half a State Solution: Create a coastal Israel but keep Palestine as a mandate
[ ][PAL] One State Solution: Palestine, Zionists will be equal to Arabs and Mizrahi Jews
[ ][PAL] One State Solution: Multi-Ethnic Federation with special representation to Zionists
[ ][PAL] Merge with Syria, maintain the mandate.
[ ][PAL] Maintain the Mandate.
[ ][PAL] Give Palestine to Jordan, Crown Abdullah I King of the Jews
[ ][PAL] Give Palestine to America. Wash London's hands of the whole thing
===
Collaborators: A significant number of people have fled Europe ahead of the Soviet advance and in subsequent years. They consist of not only high ranking members of the fascist regimes, but rank and file party members, military officers, small business owners, farmers, and civil servants. The foot soldiers of fascism that know they won't make it through a Soviet occupation with their career or lives intact. London has already helped resettle a number of them in Algeria, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.
However an even greater number has reached Spain by land, a couple million in fact. They're requesting Franco-British aid in resettling elsewhere. Spain is hoping that we take them off their hands too. If Italy is given Libya they'll resettle their share of refugees in North Africa. If they aren't resettled they'll likely immigrate elsewhere, likely America, Dominican Republic, and Argentia.
[ ][COL] Ignore them. Give Spain some aid to handle it themselves.
[ ][COL] Resettle in Algeria. It will significantly boost the European population even further
[ ][COL] Resettle in Kenya. The British settlers could always use more company, even if they won't appreciate all the French and Itlians.
[ ][COL] Resettle in Algeria and Quebec. Surely Canada won't mind a few hundred thousand French fascists settling in its borders.
[ ][COL] Why pick? Didn't we just establish an agency to help with that? Resettle them all over the empire: Algeria, Kenya, Quebec, etc. Wherever there's space for racist Europeans, they'll find a home there, even at the expense of the locals.
===
Suggested Planks & Public Opinion
Do not feel confined by these options. In fact feel free to ignore them entirely. This is not an exhaustive list of possible planks. You may write in planks for any policy you want to give focus on.
Colonial Administration: The administration is a complete mess. France ran their colonies with large bureaucracies that relied little on local proxies, save for those that joined the colonial civil service. Britain did that to an extent, however it preferred tributary statutes, protectorates, and proxies filling in the gaps of its administration. That means Britain's colonies were a legal and administrative patchwork, run like mini-empires themselves. In contrast, France had a large number of civil servants in it. This difference in systems, along with the chaos caused by the war, means the administration in significant portions of Africa and the Middle East are a complete mess. Belgian's administration in Congo is understaffed. There are a few ideas on how to solve the issue, if it requires solving at all.
The status quo of disjointed administrations can go on. As it stands, Algiers also has more influence over French colonies than London does. We could cut costs by firing French trained colonial bureaucrats in favour of breaking up the administration into a patchwork of local proxies. We could also bite the bullet to rationalize the British colonial civil service across British Africa. It'd put quite the strain on the Colonial Office, but would rationalize the system and create jobs for civil servants. There was the novel idea by the French to turn all their former colonies into overseas territories, which would shift the cost from the Colonial Office to the Home Office. They'll gain the right to form local assemblies that have no power, but give the illusion of reform. The idea of carving out dominions is currently unacceptable for the time being. They must remain colonies. Oh yes, and people aren't quite thrilled about the costs of colonies, but when have the people ever mattered in these things?
Territorial Borders: So, it turns out colonial borders are a complete mess too. London's incorporated French, Dutch, and Belgian colonies into its administration. Colonies the size of postcards have independent administrations right next to even smaller colonies with their own parallel civil service. French Equatorial Africa and West Africa still exist as federations. We could take inspiration from this to form regional federations between our colonies to unify the administrations into mega pseudo-states. It'd potentially streamline and rationalize the costs to combine them together. However it'd mean regional politicians in Africa will start talking to each other more. Can we really afford that? We could take the other route by breaking up the French colonial federations into separate states. It could potentially cut down on costs, but end up creating more parallel institutions where none previously existed. Feel free to draw arbitrary borders on a map to get your idea across.
There is a 400 word limit on plans.
===
Please vote by plan. There is a moratorium.
===
Last edited:
Vote closed