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Engagement to Europe
New England's Engagement to Europe was a rapid affair. The Five Day War shook the international community in its scale and outcomes. New England was now a force to be reckoned with in the region, while for Australia and the United States, the defeat was a humiliation on a scale they had not seen since the Second Word War. After the war, there came a period of occupation by the New Englanders which ended after agreements establishing the Macdonald Line were agreed upon in 2034.
As the decade wore on, New England began to play a greater part in international affairs. The establishment of the Pacific Union in 2038 was a major milestone in the development of the region and gifted New England a chance to be a guardian in the region against the stratagems of Australia, Japan and the United States. At home, the nation continued to mature, and took the death of its first King in its stride. Michael's passing after twenty-three years on the throne was a major milestone and the ease of the succession reinforced the bond between the crown and the people as had never been seen before.
The Aftermath of War
For Australia and the United States, defeat in the Five Day War was a major embarrassment, and setback their geo-political plans by decades. The Americans in particular were aggrieved by the loss of their fleet and the deaths of over five thousand servicemen. In the days after the war, contingency plans were drawn up by the Pentagon to strike New England's major cities and military forces, but these were vetoed by the US President who feared an outright war with Europe and instead believed that avenging the deaths of the military personnel could be archived in more subtle ways.
Indeed it was Europe that proved to be New England's saviour in the war. While the New Englanders had carried the day in the field, it had been because they were well armed with weaponry supplied by the Europeans, and had the backing of the Union on the international stage. The origins of this alliance go back to 2018 when New England signed the Treaty of Common Interests with the EU. This was further reinforced by the Economic and Trade Compact in 2024, which supplied New England with arms in return for commodity exports and providing a carbon sink for Europe's polluting industries.
By 2032, a series of agreements with Europe gave New England some protection against Australia and the United States. In a scene not too dissimilar to events in 1914, New Zealand was obligated to go to war if New England called for aid. If New Zealand were attacked, Europe was in turn obliged to come to her aid. The situation risked spiralling into outright war in a matter of days if it were not managed correctly. But cool heads would prevail and peace came to the region. The war cemented the existence of New England for the foreseeable future and led to another round of agreements that culminated in the establishment of the Pacific Union in 2038.
At home, New England went through a major crisis as a result of the war. A significant majority had opposed the war, and were now against the occupation of Australian territory. First Minister, John Tudor justified the occupation, claiming that Australia would not try to restart hostilities when the bulk of the fighting would take place on their own soil. Indeed calls for a resumption of fighting to regain the territories were heard from right-wing hawks humiliated by the war and hoping for a reversal of fate. Tudor faced a number of opponents at home from the leader of the New England Alliance to the Anglican Archbishop of Armidale. To these people, the occupation was seen as unethical, duplicitous and a burden of the economy. Tudor refused to yield. In a speech to the House he declared that the troops would stay until:
"The safety of this nation can be guaranteed for all time, against the aggression and stratagems of our neighbour and their masters"
As part of any agreement, Tudor wanted the United Nations to administer the Macdonald Line until both sides could agree on a suitable plan for the administration of the area. He rejected calls to annex the territory, claiming it would serve no one and would only antagonise the United States into acting unilaterally to attack New England. Finally, in 2034, the United Nations agreed to take on the administration of the territory, where peacekeepers remain today. The agreement has been renewed every ten years, and is due again in June 2054, when the United Nations has indicated that it will not accept a continuation of the status quo.
Tudor was vindicated when his government was returned with a minority in the 2036 General Election. A coalition with the Democratic Conservatives kept Tudor in power, but the hawkish attitudes of the government died away. Instead of digging his heals in, Tudor was forced to negotiate on the matter of prisoner transfers, repatriations, and the trial of personnel who had committed crimes during the occupation. The combination of these, plus the more radical aspects of domestic policy left the government deeply unpopular by 2037.
Alliance
The 2030s saw the coming together of the four great alliances that currently exist. The first sign of closer integration came when New England's currency, the Crown, was tied to the Euro in December 2032. The currency had been in free fall since the war, and pegging came as a desperate attempt to shore up support for the currency and to prevent rapid inflation. The next sign of closer relations came with the Treaty of Aachen, which was signed on the 25 January 2033. The Treaty committed New England as the centre of European interests in the south-west Pacific and in turn the European Union promised to defend New England against the US and Australia. This completed the setting up of the dominos that would fall if New England were invaded again. At the end of the line came the prospect of nuclear war, which with its mutually assured destruction prevented any player from attempting to upset the balance any further.
The EU was the greatest proponent of regional unions, which in turn owed their economic and military security to the Europeans. By 2040, five major regional alliances had been formed along side a number of bilateral agreements with larger states. New England became part of this system when it joined the Pacific Union in 2038. With this act, New England and New Zealand became the local guardians of European interests in the Pacific by protecting French and British territories and giving their inhabitants access to superior education, medicine and employment opportunities. Smaller independent nations of the pacific also gained a measure of protection from larger foes and were able to focus on building their economies and people.
By 2040, New England and Australia had re-established regular diplomatic relations, and normalisation became the objective of governments on both sides throughout the 2040s. The Australasian Council had re-assembled in 2034, and over the following six years both nations began to work out the protocols that would govern encounters between them for the years to come. The first great test of the relationship was not in politics or by military force, but instead the first ever Australian Rules football game played between New England and Australia in 2038. Coming just six years after war, emotions were still raw. A good game was played, which Australia won 12.8 (80) to 9.5 (59). Over the next year, other sporting codes began to play matches between the two nations, and with it, the acrimony began to fade away.
End of an Era
In 2033 the King had dropped a bombshell when he revealed that he was suffering from cancer of the liver. The cancer was highly aggressive and well advanced when it was picked up by doctors. A valiant effort to save the King was launched at once, and it succeeded in putting the cancer under control for many months. The remission proved to be short lived, and in May 2035, the King fell seriously ill again. Surgery in June 2035 managed to again remove much of the cancer, but the King was now so weak he could no longer exercise his reign without great effort. A regency council was formed on the King's order before he went into surgery and remained in place for the remainder of his reign. The last months of the King were particularly saddening, and the support to his family was a great boost to the monarchy in New England.
King Michael's death in January 2036 marked a major change in New England's history. The hero of Civil War and the founder of the kingdom was gone, and with him passed the final connection to the old world of peoples suffering under the weight of economic rationalism to a new world of opportunity, fairness and respect. The crown passed to Prince James, who began his reign after the witan in the days following his father's death. James was a dramatically different figure to that of his father. While Michael was conservative, staid and staunchly agrarian, James was sophisticated, outgoing and very urbane. He had affairs and liaisons with several women, and it was later revealed that two illegitimate children came of these relationships. Yet despite their vastly different personalities, James kept his promise to rule as his father had done, and the governance of New England continued on in much the same way as it had always done.
In 2040, the King faced his first (and as history would show, his only) general election as a reigning monarch. The government had become deeply unpopular through its coalition with the Democratic Conservatives. Hard nosed policies aimed at young apprentices, elderly health benefits and revelations of the treatment of civilians in some occupied areas came together to cause the government much grief in the lead up to the election. A split with the Democratic Conservatives proved to be the last straw, and in the general election, the government was routed from office. Bill Howlett came into office, leading the SDLP back into government for the first time in eight years. Howlett's term would be soured by poor economic management and scandals involving several ministers. But all this paled into insignificance when the King suddenly took ill in late 2043. A series of strokes, brought on by the side effects of his earlier drug habits, left the King incapacitated and unable to reign. A regency council was assembled again for the second time in a decade to administer the Kingdom, and New England went into the future with an air of uncertainty.
| Timeline of New England History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Five Day War |
Engagement to Europe 2032 - 2043 |
Succeeded by: Recent Times |
| History of New England | ||
| Timeline: Pre-History · Colonial Times · Proudly Australian · Winds of Change · Shadows of Dissent · Civil War Transitional Government · New Found Nation · Toil and Trouble · Five Day War · Engagement To Europe · Recent Times |
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| Topics: Military · New State Movement | ||
