Difference between revisions of "Isselmere-Nieland"

Revision as of 03:34, 31 July 2006

United Kingdom of Isselmere-Nieland
Ríupeð hOntaic an hUísmór-Nígúlad
Isslamensk-Nylensk Sameinuðu Kóngsríkin

Flag
Never so far as you wish it was.
Map n/a
Region	Lethe
Capital Royal Palace Parliament	Daurmont Wentworth Palace Pechtas Castle
Head of State	HRH King Henry V
Head of Government	The Rt Hon Geoffrey Middleton, Prime Minister
Unification Anguist Detmere Nieland	27 October 863 19 May 985 21 September 1014 25 June 1562
Holidays Official Coronation Day Union Day Constitution Day Unofficial Day of Happy Regrets Toel's Day	19 May (985) 25 June (1562) 24 March (1986) 15 February (999) 12 December (1349)
Constitution	Constitution Act, 1986
Political Order	Constitutional monarchy
Government	Parliamentary democracy
State Type	Devolved unitary state
Legislature English Anguistian Nielandic	Bicameral parliament Parliament Párlamaed Parlamentet
Legal Tradition(s)	Mix of common and civil law
Spoken Languages Official Unofficial	English, Anguistian, Nielandic Several
Five largest megalopoleis Greater Daurmont (Isselmere) - 46.7 million Chilton-Mithesburgh-Grimsby Downs (Anguist) - 38.3 million Paskenby-Felsingburgh-Sleethaven (Nieland) - 32.5 million Fennerby-Blackridge-Gorman (Detmere) - 27.9 million Cosgreave-Thistlemoor-Coalsport (Isselmere) - 26.8 million
Area Total % Water	862,863 km² 28.1% water
Population (2006)	5,035,862,417
National Animal English	Sterna sterna canescens Hoary tern
National Flower English	Rosa chinensis Yellow rose
National Tree English	Quercus huisensis Huise oak
Economy	Frightening
CHDI (May 2006)	0.988 (2nd) – very high
GDP (USD, 2006) Total Per capita	$197,564,490,240,247.91 $39,230.44
Currency	1 lethse (IN£; INP) = 100 pence (p)
Time Zone	GMT/UTC -0100
International Abbreviations	UKIN
Maritime Craft Naval Auxiliary Civilian	HINMS RINFA (IN)SS
National Anthem	The Road to Prosperity
Internet TLD	.ukin
Calling Code	+92

The United Kingdom of Isselmere-Nieland (UKIN), formerly the United Kingdom of South Lethe, is a sovereign North Atlantic devolved unitary state in southern Lethe, the largest of the Lethian Islands located midway between Iceland to the north and Ireland to the south, bordering the Principality of Gudrof to the southwest, the republics of Wingeria and Hoblingland to the north, the Lethian Sea to the east, and the Solquist Sea to the west. The UKIN is often referred to as Isselmere-Nieland, or more rarely as the United Kingdom, primarily to avoid confusion with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and other united kingdoms.

The UKIN is a constitutional monarchy. Its present dynasty, the House of Glaines-Oldmarch, dates back to the Act of Settlement, 1557, although the Isselmerian line along the combined patrilineal-matrilineal ancestry dates back much earlier. The current quasi-federal state emerged from the Constitution Act of 1986 that separated the UKIN into the four autonomous regions of Anguist, Detmere, Isselmere, and Nieland. Constitutionally, Anguist and Detmere are still part of the Kingdom of Isselmere.

Historically, Isselmere-Nieland has been aloof from most international matters, but in recent years circumstances have forced the United Kingdom into a more active and interventionist role in world politics. The UKIN is currently a member of several alliances, most importantly the Organisation of Maritime Powers and the Woodstock Pact.

The UKIN is a socially progressive country with a very highly developed economy. Isselmere-Nieland is noted within Lethe for its publishing and automotive industries, although its information technology and shipbuilding sectors have achieved some foreign successes.

History

• For the origins of Isselmere-Nieland, please see the History of Isselmere-Nieland.
• For the history of Parliament, please see Parliament, A History.

Modern History

Isselmere-Nieland has found itself embroiled in several wars over the past century. During World Wars I and II as well as the Korean War, the country’s small armed forces fought alongside those of the British Empire to the extent that many thought the smaller island kingdom was part of its southern neighbour. In more recent years, the United Kingdom became involved battles between the Organisation of Maritime Powers (OMP), of which the UKIN is a member, and other alliances.

The first contemporary war in which the UKIN fought was an absolute disaster. On behalf of the OMP, the government sent an entire fleet to Arabia in an effort to contain forces operating between North Africa and the Persian Gulf only to lose it off the Horn of Africa to hypersonic ordnance dropped by high altitude, high speed bombers, the practicality of which had been neglected by engineers from the Royal Shipyards and Lyme and Martens. Consequently, the UKIN had to leave the battle to its more powerful brother states. Approximately 104 vessels and over 30,000 lives were lost in that one engagement.

In the next battle, this time in defence of Sarzonia against Cam III, the UKIN was much more successful. With Sarzonia being threatened by orbital bombardment, the Isselmere-Nieland Orbital Defence Force moved to engage Cam III space assets, leading to the withdrawal of the aggressor nation from the conflict.

Subsequently, the UKIN threw its weight behind the effort to protect Feline Catfish from a host of states purportedly seeking to prevent nuclear proliferation. Once again, the effort was completely unsuccessful, with the UKIN and other nations considered aggressors. The involvement of Automagfreek led to the dispersal of many of the two parties and the “war” collapsed into a battle of threats and counter-threats, culminating in Feline Catfish’s reclusion.

The next conflict in which the UKIN involved itself was the Bausch Rebellion. A Sarzonian colony, Bausch sought to separate from the Incorporated States following the passage of gay rights legislation. In the end, the situation was resolved before the Isselmere-Nieland armed forces became heavily embattled.

Another civil war erupted in Sarzonia, this time led by the Restore Sarzonia Task Force (RSTF). The RSTF had similar aims to the Bauschian rebels and had succeeded in capturing President Mike Sarzo. Pacitalian special forces and a Hamptonian special contingent succeeded in disrupting the RSTF plans. Meanwhile, the RINN managed to lose four battleships to a much smaller rebel force, a defeat that continues to serve as a reminder to both the Royal Shipyards and RINN. Twenty thousand lives were lost in that engagement.

The UKIN swiftly fell into another internecine conflict, the Inkanan Civil War. The then Democratic Labour government sought to assist the Inkanan monarchy against the Confederate insurgency alongside Sarzonia. Supporting the Confederacy were Doomingsland and the Generic Empire, although neither nation was overtly involved. The Royal Isselmere-Nieland Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and Royal Isselmere-Nieland Marines (RINM) struck against the Confederate forces, but many air assets were either destroyed by a sudden long-range assault by the Doomingsland air force. On the ground, the RINM Pathfinders were annihilated in running battles with the Confederate Army before completing any of its missions whilst the RINN had to beach many of its roll-on/roll-off vehicle carriers to provide the main RINM assault group with the armoured support to fend off ever increasing numbers of Confederate land forces. After the war, the UKINDF hierarchy blamed the restrictions imposed upon it by the royal Inkanan government. Both the Democratic Labour government and its Union (i.e. Conservative and Liberal) successors determined that incompetent leadership was the cause of the UKIN’s second greatest defeat. The dead numbered at least 35,000.

More recently, Isselmere-Nieland embroiled itself briefly in another war, mostly of words, to ensure the independence of Czardas before a combined force of CAD members compelled that nation to submit.

Geography

The UKIN dominates the southern third of the main island, Lethe. The Ungforth Marshes have historically protected the northwestern frontier of the United Kingdom from the Republic of Wingeria, whilst the north and northwest borders face Hoblingland. The Lethian or East Irish Sea washes upon the eastern coastline as the Solquist Sea crashes upon that of the west. To the southwest of the UKIN is the small, sovereign Principality of Gudrof.

Physical Geography

Isselmere-Nieland possesses a stark natural beauty. The physical geography of the United Kingdom is full of many important features, some beautiful, some distinctly unhealthy. These are the aforementioned Ungforth Marshes forming the northern reaches of Anguist, the Quismond Mountains dividing Nieland from Isselmere, Mount Thurbel standing alone in the middle of Isselmere, and Lake Bormunst, a circular body of water in northeastern Detmere.

For many travellers, the Ungforth Marshes are certainly unhealthy, but for the experienced and prepared researcher, they do have a charm all their own. Beyond being a perfect breeding ground for midges, the Marshes are home to a wide assortment of strange fauna. Amongst the unique mammals and birds is a diminutive, endangered species of deer, known to nineteenth-century sportsmen and contemporary animal watchers as the Ungforth or Barley-tail deer (Rangifer angfortensis). Peat bogs comprise most of the marshlands that were used by early Anguistians and Anglo-Frisians for human and animal sacrifices and executions.

Next upon the natural features itinerary are the Quismond Mountains. The mountains are an extinct chain of volcanoes that remind the inhabitants of Lethe's fiery origins. The range has endured many millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, and glaciers, reducing many of its members to mere shadows of their original height. Even so, the mountains do make a comfortable home to the ash pika (Ochotona quismondi) and the Apphelian ibex (Capra appeligensis).

Apart from the Quismond Mountains, quite literally, is Mount Thurbel. Thurbel is the highest natural point in the UKIN (2427 m), is a dormant shield volcano. Studies have indicated that Thurbel is the remnant of the eruption from which Lethe emerged. Consequently, it is a subject of great interest to local vulcanologists, but since the mountain no longer even smoulders, most tourists avoid it, to their misfortune. Despite Thurbel's inactivity, it feeds many nearby geothermal springs reputed to have therapeutic qualities and which create a veritable botanical paradise around the mountain. Many Isselmere-Nielanders unable to venture south during the dreary winter months visit the natural baths and are understanably loath to acquaint casual travellers with the tradition.

Last in the list, but certainly not last in importance, is Lake Bormunst. Created by a meteoroid impact briefly (geologically speaking) after the eruption that formed Lethe, the lake and its surrounding area are an important region for mineralogical exploitation. Before industrialisation, Lake Bormunst had been home to a species of trout (Salmo argenti), but mining and overfishing led rapidly to its extinction.

Much of Anguist and Detmere, as well as the north and northeastern provinces of Isselmere are ridden with moors. Historically, these wetlands have provided the inhabitants with a ready source of fuel from peat and a cultural focus. The east of Detmere and northeast of Isselmere are riddled with lakes, whilst the Solquist Sea coast of Nieland is riven with fjords, and several deep rivers running from broad lakes into the sea. The majority of the United Kingdom is gentle hill country broken by river valleys and a few wide plateaux.

Climate

Isselmere-Nieland has a sub-arctic-to-temperate climate thanks primarily to the Gulf Stream. The UKIN receives precipitation of one form or another most of the year, with skies being overcast up to three-fifths of the year. The western coast facing the Atlantic Ocean, comprising the regions of Anguist and Nieland, receives the most rain, sometimes as much as 3000 mm per year. The southern and eastern coasts along the Lethian Sea typically expect about 2600 mm annually. Unsurprisingly, all three national languages have many words for precipitation and cold that they share liberally amongst one another.

Although the weather does tend towards the wet, it is highly variable, mostly due to strong winds blown in by the North Atlantic Current. Travellers are advised to dispense with umbrellas and to adopt raingear such as macintoshes instead.

During the summer months, the UKIN can be infested with midges, especially in northern Anguist near the vast moors of the Ungforth Marshes. The midges are more of a nuisance than a health hazard, but they can be disconcerting to first-time visitors.

Many Isselmere-Nielanders are greatly concerned about the possibility of global warming as many communities and industries are located along the country’s shores. The government's Meteorological Institute is studying the matter closely.

Land Use

At present, 34.1 per cent of the land is considered arable, with a further 2.3 per cent being actively cultivated, and 63.6 per cent of the United Kingdom's territory falling into the broad other category of urban areas, barren terrain, etc.

Population

Blessed by history with stable government and by fate with remoteness from much Continental European strife, Isselmere-Nielanders tend towards conservatism and isolationism, despite often being known for their ebullient good humour when meeting strangers. These contradictions – socially progressive but culturally conservative, isolationist but welcoming – may perplex some travellers to the United Kingdom, as will the wet weather and the importance of regional identity to some Isselmere-Nielanders.

Demographics

The majority of Isselmere-Nielanders (89.1 per cent) reside in urbanised areas, a trend that is increasing with every year. Despite agricultural subsidies intended to keep rural communities intact and to maintain farm production, economic successes and the rapid increase of mechanised farming techniques since 1908 have contributed the decline of rural populations.

Sex, gender, and marriage

Like their Continental co-religionists — the Calvinist Netherlands, Lutheran Scandinavia, and Catholic Spain, Italy and France — Isselmere-Nieland takes a practical view regarding matters of (biological) sex, gender, sexual preference, and transsexuality. As in those countries, not all Isselmere-Nielanders approve of the official governmental opinion, but tolerance if not out-and-out acceptance is by far the norm.

Within the United Kingdom, there are 0.95 males on average to every female, with an approximately equivalent male-to-female birth ratio. Females have a lower infant mortality rate than males (2.87 per thousand as opposed to 3.1 for males) and live on average about 6.2 years longer.

In matters of sex and the law, the State has striven towards equality of treatment. The year 1885 saw the first female barrister. Women across Isselmere-Nieland received the vote in 1917 in an effort to bolster wavering support for involvement in World War I. Until 2006, both men and women were subject to National Service. Sexual selection of foetuses is strictly prohibited by law as is their genetic modification unless such is to correct a known defect. Abortions or terminations are legal and are either performed within hospitals or clinics. These three instances are governed by the Reproductive Rights and Technologies Act, which first appeared as the Abortion Act, 1971.

Since 2004, homosexual and transsexual civil marriages (marriages conducted by civil rather than religious authorities) are considered on equal terms with heterosexual marriages. With the Disestablishment Act, 2004, the State admitted that it cannot oblige any religious institution to perform homosexual marriages owing to the rather rigid separation of Church and State outlined by that statute. HRH Prince Edmund, brother of King Henry V, married his longtime lover shortly after the passage of the Disestablishment Act. Polygamy, whether polygyny or polyandry, is still illegal.

The State officially recognises yet does not fund sex change operations, termed sexual reconfiguration in government literature. Sexual reconfiguration, which includes elective cosmetic surgery on sexual characteristics (i.e. breast implants), is open only to persons who have attained the age of majority and whom are deemed to have sufficient mental capacity to understand the certain changes and potential risks involved in such surgery. Since this policy was introduced in 2001, there have only been two instances wherein the State has challenged an individual's right to sexual reconfiguration.

According to the last census, 1.72 per cent of the population has undergone full sexual reconfiguration, a further 0.14 per cent are awaiting the operation or are considering it, another 9.46 per cent are homosexual, 5.53 per cent are bisexual, and 1.49 per cent are avowedly asexual, including members of the clergy and religious orders.

Ethnicity

Isselmere-Nieland is a multicultural society that prides itself on tolerance. Consequently, ethnicity is a difficult topic to contend with in the United Kingdom. Broadly, the population according to the latest census (2001) falls into the following general categories:

• White: 82.7%
• Black: 6.2%
• East Asian ancestry: 5.9%
• South Asian ancestry: 5.2%

The lines between the White, Black, and Asian ethnic groups are vague owing to the degree of inter-marriage between the groups, as will be evident below, with the census either reflecting self-identification by the respondents or the opinion of the census-taker. Most people within Isselmere-Nieland identify themselves either as Isselmere-Nielanders or with their region of birth or residence.

The comparative absence of ethnic diversity found in many other states has been attributed to the weather.^[1] Indeed, Isselmere-Nielanders tend to holiday elsewhere, particularly in Sarzonia and other warm sunny climes, whenever possible.

White Isselmere-Nielanders comprise a diverse group from all over the European peninsula and islands, the Near East and North Africa, the Americas, Oceania (i.e., Australia, etc.), and from such nations as Sarzonia in more recent times. This category also includes descendents from Northern peoples such as native Greenlanders and Inuit peoples. Intermarriage between these subgroups as well as the other three ethnic groups is common.

Black Isselmere-Nielanders began arriving with the United Kingdom's involvement with the slave trade from the mid-seventeenth- to the late-eighteenth-centuries. Slave owning within Isselmere-Nieland was not common. The United Kingdom served mostly as a depot for British and American vessels returning from the Caribbean and North America, but some servants of African descent did establish themselves within Isselmere-Nieland, occasionally with great success, of whom Stuart Kendall is the foremost example. Slavery, and indentured servitude for all groups, ended in 1793.

Voluntary Black immigration to Isselmere-Nieland began with a trickle starting in the late nineteenth-century that became a steady but light flow in the 1960s, mostly from Britain's former empire in the Caribbean and Africa. This influx of new settlers did spark racialist tensions within cities (Cottersfield Riots) that the King Robert V and the government of the day were swift to denounce. With the steady improvement of the economy, an ambitious educational plan (that some critics have argued is avowedly assimilationist), immigration from other more developed countries, and intermarriage with the predominant White as well as the Asian communities, inter-community strife has declined to negligible levels.

East and South Asian immigration has typically followed that of Black Isselmere-Nielanders. Immigration to Isselmere-Nieland by Chinese, Korean, and some Japanese settlers began at the turn of the twentieth-century. Declarations against a Yellow Peril by several political parties, notably the Conservatives and Labour, led to a brief cessation of East Asian immigration from 1904-1933. Japan's war with China from 1932-1945 changed opinions towards Chinese immigration, as did the Korean War for Korean immigration in the 1950s. Inter-marriage has played a significant role in the East Asian communities, leading to the diminution of the small Japanese- and larger Korean-Isselmere-Nielander communities to almost nought. The older and much larger Chinese-Isselmere-Nielander community has maintained some of its identity, although some Chinese-Isselmere-Nielanders feel its retention has been at the cost of becoming a museum culture or tourist attraction. From 1970, most East Asian immigrants came from Hong Kong, South Korea, and other more developed economies.

Settlers of South Asian descent from the Indian sub-continent as well as Britain's imperial holdings in Africa and the Pacific have likewise become an essential part of Isselmere-Nielander culture and the United Kingdom's economic success. Immigration began in force in the early twentieth-century, tailing off during and between the two World Wars before recommencing at some pace following the division of British India into Pakistan and India. Since 1980, immigration has mostly been from other developed and more developed countries. Inter-marriage between South Asians and the other ethnic categories is quite common nowadays, especially within the urban burghs.

Culture

Religion

Despite the disestablishment of the Reformed Church of Isselmere in 2004, religion still plays an important role in the lives of the majority of Isselmere-Nielanders. Towns and cities throughout the country are embroidered with churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, gurdwaras, and other sites of worship. Organised religions are gradually losing ground to alternatives, notably agnosticism, atheism, deism, and neo-paganism.

As the table to the right demonstrates, the majority of Isselmere-Nielanders consider themselves Christian. The largest Christian community is that of the formerly established denomination the Reformed Church of Isselmere (RCI), a Calvinist denomination, finding its greatest number of followers in Detmere and Anguist. Most Nielander Christians belong to the RCI or the Lutheran Church of Nieland, which was formerly the established church of Nieland. Isselmere plays host to a large number of sects that emerged from the RCI following the Reformation, which is covered in greater detail in the History of Isselmere-Nieland.

The Jewish community in the United Kingdom has diminished significantly in the past half-century. From the largest non-Christian faith to one of the smaller communities, demographers have traced the relative decline of the Jewish faith to the declining birth rate amongst those of European descent and the prevalence of other faiths amongst immigrant groups since 1954.

By contrast, the Muslim, Sikh, and Buddhist communities in Isselmere-Nieland have experienced a marked growth since 1945 as immigration from within and outwith Europe has increased. Buddhism and Islam have both received a number of converts from other religions, particularly Christianity.

Still, the most telling rise has been in the number of self-styled agnostics and atheists, deists, and traditionalists practising neo-pagan religions. The number of free-thinkers has blossomed since the Disestablishment Act, 2004. Statisticians believe the numbers to be grossly inflated by disenchanted followers of many religions or simply the disinterested.

Celto-Germanic neo-pagan cults and covens have grown rapidly from their origins during the Romantic reaction to the changes of the nineteenth-century, but most Isselmere-Nielanders tend to view such groups derisively, especially in Anguist.

Language

The predominant first or mother language amongst Isselmere-Nielanders is English (88.56 per cent), followed distantly by Punjabi (2.27 per cent), Cantonese (2 per cent), Nielandic (1.72 per cent), Arabic (1.47 per cent), Anguistian (1.4 per cent), Mandarin (1.38 per cent), and a variety of Slavic languages (1.2 per cent). English, Anguistian, and Nielandic are the official languages of Isselmere-Nieland.

English is the de facto and de jure lingua franca for the entire United Kingdom and its possessions. All schoolchildren are required to receive instruction on the English language from their fourth year of formal education, as specified within the Constitution Act.

Arts

Sport

Organised sport in Isselmere-Nieland is relatively recent, arising in the late nineteenth-century, but extremely popular. Association football, known simply as football in the UKIN, is the favourite sport of Isselmere-Nielanders, with Rugby football, in particular Rugby union, a close second. As in many countries throughout the world, football and Rugby union have local cognates in a host of ball sports played for many centuries between different groups, but until the "importation" of standardised rules for the aforementioned games, local sports were primarily ceremonial and customary in nature.

Golf has made great strides in Isselmere-Nieland as well, as has ice hockey in recent years, even though both are considered "seasonal" sports (summer and winter, respectively).

Education

Education, along with social equality, is a fundamental subject for Union and regional government policy. Within the UKIN, the Union government outlines general policies and establishes certain curriculum standards through framework legislation, but it is commonly the responsibility of the devolved governments to enact and administer those policies and to regulate and institute the specifics governing education. Educational institutions are predominantly public (i.e., State funded), yet private institutions are permitted to operate so long as the students' basic educational requirements are met.

Broadly, there are four educational levels: early childhood education (ECE), primary education, secondary education, and higher education. All public levels are funded by both the Union and regional governments. Levels frequently consist of component stages or phases, during which teachers and parents monitor and assess the student's advancement. Compulsory education lasts from about five years of age to sixteen years of age, but most Isselmere-Nielander children continue on until the age of majority (eighteen years of age) and beyond.

Unlike many school systems, the Isselmere-Nielander educational year, which begins in September, may last until the middle of the subsequent August, depending upon the weather. Technological advancements have permitted distance education (tele-education), but most parents — and odder still, most students — would prefer the children to attend school even during the miserable winter months. Free nutritional hot or cold meals are served thrice daily for students in compulsory education that are well attended by the student body.

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is typically provided for children aged from two to five years of age. It is a non-compulsory stage that is well-supported by both parents and the State. Early childhood education programmes in Isselmere-Nielander universities blossomed with the introduction of the stage in 1961, which has been cited as one of the reasons for the UKIN's strong economic development and the social and educational success of many working class children.

In 1973, Parliament, in conjunction with industry, introduced a new crèche stage aimed at helping working single mothers return to the job sooner. Taking in children of twelve months of age, or in some instances younger, the phase has proven very successful.

Secondary language education may begin in nursery school. Both Anguist and Nieland offer bilingual education in their respective regional languages, and all four regions offer bilingual education in a number of other modern languages, including Latin and Pacitalian.

Primary Education

Primary education is first compulsory educational level. Prospective students ought to be five years of age before beginning their studies, although provisions permit children of four years of age who will turn five in the course of the school year to attend if they pass an initial assessment examination. Primary or elementary education usually comprises six years of learning (Years 1-6) and consists of two stages, a two-year Introductory Phase (Years 1-2) followed by a four-year Elementary Instruction Phase (Years 3-6).

Secondary language instruction begins at the primary level, typically by the third year but often before. Should primary instruction be predominantly in a language other than English, instruction in English grammar and language will begin by Year 4 in both public and certified private educational institutions.

Advancement to the subsequent Year is wholly dependent upon the student's demonstrated capabilities. The State-wide rate of failure (i.e., retention rate) is listed as 2.3 per cent across the entire six-year level. Students granted enhanced advancement (i.e., bypassing a school Year) comprise 1.8 per cent of all primary education students, with many gifted students opting for enriched programmes instead.

Secondary Education

Students tend to begin secondary education at eleven years of age. Secondary education consists of three phases. The first two stages are of three years each (Forms 1-6), lasting generally until the official school-leaving age of sixteen years or the end of the currently attended school year, whichever comes last. The final stage provides a further two years of education to prepare students either for higher education or to train them for a skilled vocation.

The first two stages are taught within high schools or similar private institutions. The first is the Initial Assessment Phase (IAP; Forms 1-3). Beginning with this phase, pupils not currently enrolled in a modern language are required to choose one for their next six years of study. The IAP ends with comprehensive Student Aptitudes General Assessment (SAGA) examinations. SAGA examinations are intended to indicate the particular strengths and weaknesses of each student, directing him or her towards programmes best suited to his or her talents. Pupils are not, however, streamed towards either academic or vocational programmes at this stage.

At the start of Form 3, students are requested to note which optional subjects they will take in the next phase of their education, the Academic Evaluation Phase (AEP; Forms 4-6). (After the SAGA examinations, students may re-visit and re-select their choices.) This second stage prepares students for another set of examinations, leading to a Certificate of Secondary Education (COSE).

Before November 1968, results from the COSE examinations stream pupils towards one of four types of college that make up the third phase of secondary education:

• academic, which prepares the student for an academic or general studies college;
• general, which allows the pupil the choice of attending an academic, general, or technical college;
• technical, which readies the student for administration, business, engineering, or the sciences; and,
• vocational for training skilled workers, technicians, and junior managers.

Since 1968, there are but two COSE examinations — general and technical — leading to either a general or technical college. Placement in one or the other college is not absolute and competent students may transfer between institutions, albeit not persistently.

The Collegiate Phase (Forms 7-8) culminates in a series of examinations leading to one of two Certificates of Advanced Secondary Education (CASE). Like the COSE examinations, before November 1968 there had been three options, general, technical, and vocational.

Concerns about the reliability of SAGA, COSE, and CASE examinations in determining the true capabilities of the examined pupils led to the establishment in 1968 of the UKIN Secondary Examinations Appeals Board that studies and rules upon appeals and complaints laid before the various boards and ministries of Education.

Tertiary and Quaternary

Tertiary and quaternary education serves many purposes, such as replenishing the liberal professions, advancing research in the arts and the sciences, and training senior technicians in other skilled careers. Secondary school graduates who have received their CASE or mature students who have obtained its equivalent — a Certificate for Adult Continuing or Higher Education (CACHE) — may proceed into higher education.

The type of institution of post-secondary education to which a prospective student might apply is typically dependent upon the sort of CASE or CACHE he or she has secured, although the prospective student may take proficiency examinations in order to either enter or transfer to a different institution. Each institution of higher education may decide its own procedures for selecting prospective students, so long as such methods conform to meritocratic standards and are not in and of themselves contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Private religious-based establishments are permitted to require prospective students to be of a specific faith if it can be reasonably assumed that (a) different belief system(s) would be too disruptive or contrary to the main focus of the institution.^[2]

Establishments of post-secondary education fall into two broad categories — general and professional education — that are further sub-divided into institutions offering either short or long curricula. These institutions are:

• polytechnics (polytechnical institutes)
• university institutes;
• universities; and,
• institutes.

University colleges and universities provide general instruction whilst university institutes and institutes train skilled professionals. Whereas university institutes, universities, and institutes fall under the rubric of higher education, university institutes are typically considered vocational or professional establishments.

Since 1993, both public and private institutions of higher education require the payment of tuition. In public institutions, the measure was meant to counteract both the declining educational budgets wrought by the economic recession of the late 1970s to late 1980s and the rising maintenance and resources costs in all fields. Still, public tuition is heavily subsidised, with the State paying up to 85 per cent of tuition costs for all students, whilst those requiring financial support or studying in certain fields may also receive grants, stipends, or low-interest loans from Union and/or regional governments. Private tuition and registration costs are monitored by regional and Union governments to ensure the primary motive for cost is to maintain or improve the quality of education. The State subsidisation of private tuition is very uncommon.

Polytechnics

Polytechnical institutes or polytechnics are the most numerous institutions of higher education, providing short two- to three-year programmes of instruction in general studies in the arts and sciences as well as some related vocations. Typically, polytechnics are independent establishments not affiliated with universities, although polytechnics graduates may continue their education in the latter institutions. Polytechnics may grant associate degrees or diplomas of university studies, but a small number have been accredited to offer baccalaureate degrees.

Most polytechnics are publicly-funded and -operated bodies typically administered by alderdoms or municipalities, but there are some private institutions as well. Such private establishments are usually run by and for the upper classes and receive little, if any, public funding, most of which is used to maintain the grounds. In recent years, two such elite polytechnics, Kenilworth and Wittering-Houlten, became acquisitions of the State when falling registration and mounting costs to upkeep the ancient buildings and gardens became insurmountable obstacles to their continued operation. Other private polytechnics are primarily operated by corporate collectives keen to promote pariochal paternalism.

In accordance with the Disestablishment Act, 2004, spiritually-based polytechnics, unlike religious primary and secondary schools, may not receive any public funding or donations from any governmental body, including the monarchy. Such institutions are, however, well-attended by scions of the aristocracy.

University Institutes

Unlike the polytechnics, university institutes or institutes of technology are commonly connected with a parent university. University institutes offer professional programmes to train nursery school instructors, skilled technicians and workers, production line engineers, junior managers, medical and dental assistants, or to prepare students who might wish to transfer to a university after graduating.

A typical university institute programme is of two-years duration, although some programmes may require three years of study before completion. University institute graduates receive diplomas (e.g., Diploma of University Studies in Automotive Maintenance) that may permit access to a university.

University institutes may request prospective students to fulfill certain entrance requirements, especially for early childhood education, medical and dental assistant, and line engineer programmes. Generally, these requirements are similar to those requested by the university institute's parent university. Most public university institute programmes depend on the marks the candidate received on their CASE examinations and their final three school years.

Universities

Universities form the highest level of official, degree-granting tertiary education, with several of the larger or more prestigious universities offering quaternary (post-doctorate) programmes. Many of the older universities are governed in accordance with a royal charter administered by the Council of State, whilst newer universities were established by either public or private bills.

The general duration for university programmes are as follows, each period being cumulative:

• Baccalaureate: 3 years
• Magister (i.e., Master's): 2 years
• Doctorate: 5 years

Institutes

Institutes are typically post-graduate (i.e., post-magister or, more frequently, post-doctorate) specialist training institutions. Such institutes are centres for applied and/or theoretical research, such as the Royal Institute for Epidemiology, or are professional training academies, such as the Royal Isselmere-Nieland Society of Physicians and Surgeons and the Isselmere-Nielander Advocates' Society Library.

Politics

The UKIN is a quasi-federal representative constitutional monarchy founded upon the primacy of law embodied within its written constitution, statutes enacted by Parliament and enforced by the judiciary, and traditions passed down through the centuries. Elections to Parliament and bodies of local government are through direct universal adult suffrage.

Constitution

Since 1986, the United Kingdom of Isselmere-Nieland possesses a written constitution that consolidates much of the broad host of laws and other documents as well as codifying some of the conventions that have become an essential part of parliamentary ceremony. The two constituent kingdoms of the United Kingdom, those of Isselmere and Nieland, became a hyphenated whole reflecting the political union of the crowns arising from the Act of Consolidation, 1562. The Act united the kingdoms' parliaments, with selected members of the Storting of Nieland joining those of the Isselmerian Convention of Estates in Pechtas Castle.

As the centuries passed, antipathy towards the Act of Consolidation grew, particularly within Nieland in spite of the generous degree of autonomy granted to that nation. Demands for the re-establishment of the Storting grew in strength when the Austrian Empire was forced to accede to Magyar pleas for a measure of independence with the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Pressures on the monarchy increased further with the Versailles Treaty of 1919 and the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. Agitation for greater freedom spread to Anguist and Detmere throughout the twentieth-century culminating in a welter of riots during the 1960s.

Parliament, on the urging of King Robert V, finally addressed the concerns of various peoples in August 1977 with the formation of the Constitutional Commission. The Commission studied a variety of possible formulae before deciding eight years later upon the creation of a federal state and the devolution of the Kingdom of Isselmere. Anguist became the Principality of Anguist whilst Detmere officially became a Grand Duchy, leading to a revision of the line of succession. Under the terms of the proposed Constitution, the Crown Prince (or Princess) became His/Her Royal Grace the Grand Duke (or Duchess) of Detmere, whilst the second in line to the throne became the Prince or Princess of Anguist. The eldest relative of the House of Oldmarch often serves as the Lord High Commissioner of Nieland, whilst the eldest sibling of the reigning monarch typically becomes the Lord High Commissioner of Isselmere, although day-to-day administration is usually left to Lords Commissioners.

Promulgation of the Constitution Act, 1986 solidified the position of the monarchy and codified the rules of succession. The United Kingdom of Isselmere and Nieland ceased to be a quasi-binary state and became a quasi-federal entity composed of four autonomous regions:

• the Grand Duchy of Isselmere, consisting of the larger part of the Kingdom of Isselmere;
• the Principality of Anguist, comprising much of the lands of the ancient Kingdom of Anguist;
• the Grand Duchy of Detmere, composed of most of the lands held by the Kingdom of Detmere in 1014; and,
• the Kingdom of Nieland, with the territories it possessed in 1562.

Since the promulgation of the Nielander Language Act, 2005, the United Kingdom of Isselmere-Nieland has three official languages, English (Isselmere-Nielander), Anguistian, and Nielandic. The Union Parliament still sits at Pechtas Castle (as does the Isselmerian Assembly, albeit within smaller chambers), and the judiciary united at the highest level.

Monarch

As a constitutional monarchy, the law and Parliament and not the monarch alone is sovereign. Even so, for ease of reference, the Constitution Act, 1986 refers to the monarch, styled the King or Queen of Isselmere-Nieland, as the Sovereign. (For convenience sake and convenience only, I will subsequently refer to the Sovereign solely with the male pronoun and terminology.) The King is addressed as His Isselmerian and Nielander Majesty, or simply His Majesty. Isselmerian or Nielander dukes, foreign royals, and select foreign heads of state — namely, President Sarzo of Sarzonia and Grand Admiral Jim of Jimnam — may refer to him as Your Grace.

The King is the Lord High Steward of Glaines and Oldmarch, the royal houses of Isselmere and Nieland respectively, a title which a Regent assumes should there either the heir be a minor or if there is no clear successor. Regents are typically the Queen Consort or the eldest brother of the former king, who serves as head of state in conjunction with a Regency Council. The composition of the Regency Council is outlined in the Constitution Act, 1986.

The title of Lord Protector of Gudrof is a conceit since most of the former Kingdom of Gudrof, except for the province of Upper Gudrovia, is now a sovereign principality ruled by a cadet branch of the House of Glaines-Oldmarch. Gudrof, which was only tentatively part of the kingdom through marriage since 1653, separated peacefully from the United Kingdom of Isselmere and Nieland in 1899. Gudrof and Isselmere-Nieland still maintain close and amiable relations.

The Crown Prince is the Grand Duke of Detmere and the second in line to the throne is the Prince of Anguist.

Parliament

Parliament, comprising the monarch and two chambers or Houses of Parliament, the Senate (Upper House) and the House of Assembly (Lower House), is the supreme legislature of the United Kingdom. Barring certain matters falling under exclusive royal prerogative or under ministerial responsibility, legislative authority rests with Parliament.

Before the proclamation of the Constitution Act in 1986, Parliament was sovereign, theoretically able to repeal any law adopted by previous parliaments and to promulgate any new laws that the current parliament desired, albeit in practice constrained by the unwritten, living constitution and the judiciary. No Parliament could force its successors or assigns to abide by any act without recourse to repeal.

From 1986, Parliament's powers are constrained by the Constitution and by the Supreme Court of Isselmere-Nieland, which is charged with determining the constitutionality of bills and acts presented before it. Since the Constitution Act formalised and codified existing conventions and customs, the statute was not considered unconstitutional, despite the claims of several groups such as the Loyal Monarchist Party and the Council of Peers.

Another question of sovereignty exists within the Constitution Act, that of the appellation of the current monarch. The Constitution Act refers to the King (or Queen) as the Sovereign as the gender-neutral term in preference to the alternative, Monarch, since the latter term has traditionally been used for preceding kings and queens whereas sovereign more precisely defines the King's role as the apolitical permanent representative of the State as well as the source of law. Isselmere-Nielander kings and queens still have greater legislative and executive authority than other constitutional monarchs due virtue of not having abused their powers in the past.

Most legislation may be initiated by either House, with the exception of bills of supply (money bills), which must tabled by the government and presented before the House of Assembly first. In theory, the Sovereign-in-Parliament alone may make laws by granting royal assent to bills passed by both Houses, with the Sovereign presiding over a joint session of Parliament in the Hall of Congregation of Pechtas Castle, declaring with each bill he promulgates "The King/Queen wills it." In practice, this ceremonial acceptance of the legislature's will is typically performed monthly by the monarch's appointed representatives, the Lords Commissioners.

Every bill passed by Parliament must possess three signatures, those of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the President of the Senate, and the Sovereign or, should there be a Regency, that of the Regent and the President of the Regency Council. Government bills must also bear the signature(s) of the initiating minister(s), as private member bills must be signed by the respective initiating Member(s) of Parliament.

The Sovereign may reject a bill in its entirety, a very rare occurrence, or may make suggestions on sections therein. If a bill on a matter other than one affecting the nature of the monarchy or of royal prerogative is presented to the Sovereign by the legislature three times, the bill is considered to have royal assent.

The Sovereign may prompt the Houses to initiate legislation on matters falling outside of royal prerogative in a Royal Audience held before a joint session of Parliament. King Henry V (r. 2004-present) did so to request the Houses and particularly the Government of the day to repudiate the order for the Europa dreadnought.

Political parties

Despite the relative antiquity of the Isselmere-Nielander Parliament, parties are a relatively recent occurrence. The origins for contemporary political groups began at the end of the seventeenth-century. Before the Act of Toleration, 1684 settled the vexatious religious questions brought by the Reformation, parties tended to be loose cliques that supported one another for immediate ends rather than an identifiable political platform. By 1712, a consistent set of political leanings led to the formation of the Loyalist or Court Party that protected the interests of the nobles, the landed gentry, and the monarch (in that order) and its antithesis, the Town or Liberal Party that sought to advance the cause of the burgesses and the towns. Although these parties in some fair measure duplicated the separation between the House of Peers and the House of Assembly, the division between the groups deepened in both chambers. Party discipline was not rigidly enforced at the time, however, with every vote essentially being a free vote based on each member's individual inclination.

Present-day parties mostly arose in response to several of the following forces: the French Revolution, industrialisation, Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto Socialist uprisings in Continental Europe in 1848, the Paris Commune of 1871, and the electoral reform movements of 1849, 1884, and 1915. Only in the latter half of the nineteenth-century did these groups gain the form and discipline that made them parties in the present-day sense of the word.

At the Union level today, there are four main parties (those receiving more than five per cent of the popular vote) and four minor parties. By popular vote in the last general election, these are the:

• Union Conservative Party of Isselmere-Nieland (UCP-IN; 41.9%)
• Labour Party of Isselmere-Nieland (LP-IN; 36.5%)
• Liberal Democratic Party of Isselmere-Nieland (LDP-IN; 12.1%)
• Green Party of Isselmere-Nieland (GP-IN; 7.2%)
• Independence Party (IP-AN; 1.4%)
• Social Democratic Party of Isselmere-Nieland (SDP-IN; 0.9%)
• Loyal Monarchist Party (LMP; 0.9%)
• Isselmere-Nielander National Front (INNF; 0.2%)

More information on these parties is provided at Parliamentary parties.

Government

The Council of Ministers is the seat of most executive authority, with royal prerogative comprising the remainder. The Sovereign or his or her Lord(s) Commissioner(s) may preside over plenary meetings of the Council of Ministers, but only in an advisory capacity. In truth, the Prime Minister is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Government. The Prime Minister is chosen by the Sovereign from members of the House of Assembly, which may reject the royal selection in favour of a candidate of its own choosing. The Prime Minister, on consultation with the Sovereign, then appoints the other Ministers.

The General Council of Judicature (GCJ) administers the operation of the national and nationally-appointed judiciary. The GCJ serves as the supreme disciplinary body for judges and justices throughout the UKIN.

Despite these three bodies, it is the Council of State that is the de jure voice of the nation. The Council of State consists of the Sovereign or his or her Royal Commissioner(s), the Council of Ministers, the Council of Peers, the General Council of the Judicature, and the Privy Council. Formerly, the Temple Council, which governed the Reformed Church of Isselmere, was part of the Council of State, until the Church was disestablished in 2004. As noted above, the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, is the de facto government. The Council of Peers advises the Sovereign on matters concerning the nobility, while the General Council of the Judicature advises the Sovereign on judicial issues. In practice, the Sovereign has little or no influence on the GCJ and custom, as well as the Constitution, has made the Sovereign subject to the advice of the Council of Ministers. The Sovereign may also obtain the advice of his or her Privy Council, although generally that body is composed of active senior government ministers.

As stated above, the Privy Council is generally considered part of the royal retinue. It is chaired by the Lord Advocate, who must not be confused with the Advocate General. Within the Council of State, the Privy Council defends the rights of bodies bearing royal charters, such as public universities, certain municipalities (royal burghs), and Crown corporations.

Law

The law within the United Kingdom is a mixture of common and civil law, emerging through customs and traditions widely upheld by the monarchy, Parliament, and the legal profession through statutes and statutory instruments, by precedent, and by judicial review of administrative matters. The monarch is considered the source of law, being the personification of continuity and of legitimacy. It is the duty of the legal profession, of barristers, solicitors, judges, and jurisconsults alike, to uphold legal standards and to defend the rights of the monarch's subjects. Parliament, the regional and provincial legislatures, and local authorities draft and order the implementation of laws, subject to judicial review. Precedent serves to ensure consistency and continuity, as well as to fill any gaps that might exist within current legislation.

Legal Profession

The legal profession in Isselmere-Nieland consists of lawyers, judges, and magistrates. All members of the legal profession must receive formal legal training in order to occupy their respective posts. It is, however, permissible for a private citizen or a foreign national to act as his or her own counsel if the individual in question so desires.

The origins of the legal profession date back to the Middle Ages. Early legal proceedings in the four kingdoms of Anguist, Detmere, Isselmere, and Nieland were infrequent, almost informal affairs presided over by the local magnate every month or perhaps seasonally. Bereft of any knowledge of Roman law, trials tended towards the mystical, with guilt or innocence decided upon by one's fortitude or simple luck. The increasing complexity of life forced the law and the legal professions to evolve. In order to maintain some consistency in their rulings, as well as to recall from whom they had to collect fees, wealthier magnates including the kings began appointing reeves and bailiffs (geréfan in Anglo-Frisian, báilemaoir in Anguistian) from those who had received some rudimentary education from church schools. These minor officials grew in importance with the incorporation of Anguist into Isselmere forced Latin into the role of lingua franca between the remaining Anguistian hierarchy and the newly imposed Isselmerian aristocracy.

Whilst the Catholic Church unwittingly advanced the ideas of centralised authority and of written laws, the Norse brought with them the concept of trial by jury. The magnates within the Anglo-Frisian kingdoms of Isselmere and Detmere were slow to adopt juries, with the notable exception of those nobles and their officials in the former kingdom of Anguist, who were forced to accept the scheme as the sole means of understanding their new tenants.

Since the Royal Courts Act, 1692, lawyers and judges must receive formal legal training in order to occupy their respective posts.

Judicature

The judicial and penal systems mix regional and Union control. Criminal law and parts of civil law are the province of the Union government to ensure consistent penalties and policies throughout the courts within the United Kingdom, but the regions and provinces are generally responsible for crimes committed within their boundaries. Crimes committed within more than one region or against the Union (i.e. matters involving Union officials and/or property) are administered by the Union courts.

Cases are tried before provincial or regional courts save certain matters reserved for Union and specialised courts. As noted above, the judiciary of Isselmere-Nieland is governed by the General Council of Judicature. The Union judicature consists of the Supreme Court of Isselmere-Nieland; the Union courts of justice, known as the Court of Four Regions (also known as the Four Corners Court); and, the Court of the Lord Constable, the courts martial appeals court. The Council of State performs some judicial duties as well as the penultimate court of administration in the land.

Penal Law (Civilian)

High treason: Commission of acts against the state that aid and abet foreign powers, whether in time of war or peace, including but not limited to spying, attacking an officer or official of state, sedition, insurrection, campaigning for the violent overthrow of the monarchy. Life imprisonment or death by hanging (the latter penalty re-established by the Bradshaw Law (2005)).

Low treason: Debasing the currency (includes speculation against the currency in times of economic crisis); foreign propaganda (during times of war); hate crimes; slavery or indentured servitude; sorcery (has not been removed from the lawbooks despite falling into desuetude); threats against the state, its officers and/or officials, and/or property. Varies, but between five years to life imprisonment.

Homicide consists of several crimes, ranging from manslaughter to crimes against humanity.

• In Isselmere-Nielander law, manslaughter is considered homicide without intent, wherein an individual's actions, despite an absence of intent, contributed to the death of another.
• Negligent homicide covers situations in which the person behaved in a callously indifferent manner that directly contributed to another's death.
• Murder in the third degree requires the accused to have intentionally caused grievous harm to another that contributed to said person's demise, whether or not death was the actual intent.
• Murder in the second degree involves an active intent by the accused to end another's life.
• The charge of murder in the first degree is lain against an individual who has plotted to end another's life. Life imprisonment or death (hanging or lethal injection; re-introduced with the Bradshaw Law (2005)). The accused need not have had a specific victim in mind for this charge to be laid; the intent to kill any person is sufficient.

Rape falls under five categories.

• Statutory rape covers all forms of sexual intercourse between an individual capable of granting legal consent and a person incapable, whether due to age or mental incapacity, of giving such consent. The penalty for statutory rape is typically between two and five years, with a maximum being ten years.
• Forced consent (sexual assault in the third degree) covers all forms of sexual intercourse between a person in a position of trust and/or of authority such that the complainant might reasonably assume that his or her livelihood or character might be damaged should consent not be forthcoming. The penalty for forced consent is at least five years, with a maximum penalty of ten years.
• Violation covers any sexual act for which consent has not been given, including sexual acts committed whilst the aggrieved party is unconscious. The penalty is the same as that for forced consent.
• Violation under threat (sexual assault in the second degree) covers all forms of forced sexual intercourse in which no other forms of violence are presumed to be inflicted upon the complainant, but that the accused made threats that might lead a reasonable person to assume further violence might ensue. Violation brings with it a penalty of ten to fifteen years.
• Grievous violation (sexual assault in the first degree) covers all forms of forced sexual intercourse in which violence played a role before, during, or after the actual sexual assault. The penalty for grievous violation is fifteen years to life imprisonment.

In trying the accused, the State may refer to up to three categories of rape, with the punishments running concurrently. One such case was that of R. v L. Mason (1987) when the accused, Lionel Mason, an instructor at Portclieve Primary School, was charged with sexual assault upon a twelve year-old pupil. Mason was sentenced to five years for statutory rape, seven years for forced consent, and twelve years for violation under threat. The sentence would have been more severe, Justice Ulmsbridge noted, had Mason not plead guilty.

Administrative divisions

The UKIN is divided into four autonomous regions (Anguist, Detmere, Isselmere, and Nieland), which are subdivided into twenty-nine provinces and further into 349 alderdoms or counties. Below the alderdoms are districts, burghs or municipalities, and wards.

The four regions each have their own viceroy (Lord High Commissioner) and legislature, which are responsible for the subordinate jurisdictions therein. The provinces are in turn governed by Lords Lieutenant appointed by the respective Lord High Commissioner and by elected provincial councils. Both the regions and the provinces are permanent administrative divisions that may not be altered save by Act of Parliament ratified by popular referendum.

Anguist

The Principality of Anguist abuts the North Atlantic, facing Iceland and the Arctic Ocean, sharing borders with Nieland to the southwest, Isselmere and Detmere to the east, and Lower Whingeing to the north. Anguist is the home of Anguistian language and culture as well as the Royal Shipyards of Isselmere-Nieland. The Principality is the smallest of the UKIN's autonomous regions by area and third largest by population, with its six provinces containing 15.4 per cent of the UKIN's total. The capital is Mithesburgh (Anguistian Cérmidhe).

Detmere

The Grand Duchy of Detmere is the easternmost region within the United Kingdom. The Grand Duchy's northern and northeastern borders face Hoblingland, the Tichonian Sea separating the UKIN from Ireland washes over Detmere's eastern coastline, whilst the southern and southwestern frontiers meet northern Isselmere. Detmere's northwestern borders face Anguist. Detmere is the second smallest region by size and the least populous as well, with 14.7 per cent of the United Kingdom's population. The capital of Detmere is Semling.

Isselmere

The Grand Duchy of Isselmere, which is the larger of the three regions that comprise the Kingdom of Isselmere, is the most densely inhabited and largest of the four regions with 38.2 per cent of the population. The Grand Duchy is separated from Nieland to the west by the heavily eroded Quimpot Mountains that run much of the length of that frontier. Anguist faces Isselmere to the northwest, as does Detmere in the northeast. The Tichonian Sea forms the border of much of the east and south of the Kingdom. The boundary between the Grand Duchy and the small sovereign Principality of Gudrof is to the southwest. The capital of Isselmere is Daurmont.

Nieland

The Kingdom of Nieland is the largest and second most populated region within the UKIN. With 31.7 per cent of the citizenry, Nieland is the buffer between its larger eastern neighbour and the two smaller regions of Anguist and Detmere. Nieland is home both to a strident independence movement and to many of the UKIN's publishing and information technology (IT) firms, a fact which worries many non-Nielander Union politicians. The capital of Nieland is Felsingburgh (Nielandic Felsingborg, Anguistian Cérglanís).

Symbols, Customs, etc.

Holidays

Union and Regional Animals

United Kingdom and Isselmere: Hoary tern (Sterna sterna canescens)
Anguist: Barley-tail deer (Rangifer angfortensis)
Detmere: Silver-backed trout (Salmo argenti) — extinct
Nieland: Apphelian ibex (Capra appeligensis)

Union Hymn

The Road to Prosperity
As waves crash down on Lethian shores,
Strong soldiers guard the northern moors
And brave sailors ride the ocean’s crests
With love of Our (King/Queen) in their breasts

Our fields are bursting with ripe grains,
God bless these nigh-incessant rains!
The fish leap into our fishers’ boats
Our beasts and folk fat on farmers’ oats!

This country great, this (King/Queen) so fine
O, so grateful am I that they’re mine!
These forests plentiful, these burghs wealthy!
’Tis fair to walk, the roads are healthy!

The road to prosperity’s a treacherous one,
But in this land it can be done
Our hearts are true and minds are keen,
Guided by Our Noble (King/Queen)!

Economy

The Isselmere-Nielander economy is modern, highly automated, and post-industrial. Private enterprise dominates all sectors, although certain strategically important fields, such as naval construction and nuclear resources, are operated by State monopolies established by royal charter, or Crown corporations.

For much of the United Kingdom's contemporary history, the State's economic policy has been protectionist. Involvement in the Woodstock Pact and steady growth has led to a reduction in tariffs in recent years, but since policy-makers have linked such practices with the country's economic success as well as the high savings and investment ratio among Isselmere-Nielanders, the Union and regional governments are reluctant to abandon protectionism all together.

Crown corporations like the Royal Shipyards (RSIN) — but not the Isselmere-Nieland Nuclear Energy Commission (INNEC), which is a government agency — do often have a limited private presence with some publicly-traded stock or other securities owned by domestic and some foreign investors, and are administered and operated at arms-length by the State.

Owing to massive investment in education, social equality, and defence by Union and regional governments, the book publishing, automotive, and information technology sectors have blossomed.

Primary sector

The primary sector of industry involves itself in the harvesting or extraction of natural, unprocessed materials. Primary economic units can be as small as an individual farm or fishing boat, or as large as Union Petroleum and Gas Operations (UPGO), which works most of the oil and gas fields within the United Kingdom and its 200 nautical mile (nm) economic exclusion zone. Larger primary economic units, such as those involved in mining or other forms of extraction, often engage in some processing.

Secondary sector

Firms involved in processing materials are the secondary sector of industry. Manufacturing industries and associated primary sector firms in the United Kingdom provide 27 per cent of the total gross domestic product (GDP), providing employment for an equivalent percentage of the labour force. Manufacturing firms run from heavy industry such as Cholmondsley-Dewar metallurgical conglomerate, to the important transportation sector led by the massive Royal Shipyards, to light industry of electronics manufacturers such as Turing-Babbage.

In Isselmere-Nieland, manufacturers and service industries often form cartels that provide the parent company with the secondary and tertiary (service), and sometimes even the primary, economic units necessary to finance, build, market, and service their goods. These cartels vend ancilliary products such as insurance.

The transport and arms manufacturing sectors dominate the United Kingdom's stock exchange, the Bírsa. Four key manufacturers from these virtually interchangeable sectors are listed below:

• Detmerian Aerospace Dynamics (DAS) provides its designs mostly for domestic customers, though the firm has achieved some foreign successes with its DAS-3 Sea Fury and DAS-2 Spectre designs. The company's corporate offices are located in Fennerby, Detmere.
• Isselmere Motor Works (IMW) of Thistlemoor, Isselmere, is a major producer of civilian and military land vehicles as well as marine and aircraft engines. IMW has established foreign centres of production in Russkya and Rusokaria.
• Lyme and Martens Industries (LMI) was formerly a major manufacturer of uncrewed vehicles, but its markets have fallen by the wayside with the growth of products from Clan Smoke Jaguar's industries and other foreign firms. LMI's headquarters is in Ponsonby, Detmere.
• The Royal Shipyards of Isselmere-Nieland (RSIN) is the largest nationalised industry in the UKIN and a noted manufacturer of warships. Though now outclassed in terms of foreign sales by Sarzonia's Portland Iron Works (PIW) and Praetonia's Imperial Praetonian Shipyards (IPS), the RSIN is still strongly supported by the Royal Isselmere-Nieland Navy (RINN) and the Jimnam Grand Navy (JGN). Its headquarters are in the northern city of Grimsby Downs, Anguist.

Tertiary sector

The tertiary or service sector finances, promotes, and provides service to all three sectors of industry. Service industries, led by book publishing and information technology firms, comprise the largest proportion of both the gross domestic product (70.8 per cent) and the labour force (69 per cent). The high savings and investment by Isselmere-Nielander citizens and firms necessitated by high import tariffs and taxes on foreign investments has benefited both them and domestic banks and credit unions, which use the funds they receive to further promote domestic firms.

• Turing-Babbage Integrated Technology Services, plc (TBITS) is the UKIN's largest information technology (IT) company. Many of its hardware components may be found in everything from the latest generation fighter jets to little Tommy or Sara's toys. T-BITS head offices are in Stettering, Nieland.
• Umberton and Throckmorton (U&T) are the largest publishers in the UKIN, produces textbooks and educational multimedia for all instructional levels. U&T was once the primary publisher of religious texts for the Reformed Church of Isselmere (RCI) as well as other Christian sects and other faiths. With the RCI's disestablishment, U&T has removed itself from the religious market. Since 1915, U&T have supported young writers with the Great Authors in the Making (GAMUT) award. For each category, a jury of twelve authors and six publishers judge the works. The GAMUT is most frequently awarded to challenging and innovative works of fiction and non-fiction. U&T's central offices may be found in Cailliecross, Daurmont, Isselmere.

Defence

The defence of the realm falls to the United Kingdom of Isselmere-Nieland Defence Forces (UKINDF) under the direction of the Defence Council of the Council of State, although the Ministry of Defence manages the day-to-day administration of the Defence Forces. The UKINDF has a unified command structure at the service level consisting of a Department of the Defence Forces and the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff. Each of the services is headed by a secretary of state for the service as well as the acting service chief. The UKINDF comprises four services, the Royal Isselmere-Nieland Navy (RINN), the Isselmere-Nielander Army (INA), and the Royal Isselmere-Nieland Aerospace Force (RINAF).

On 15 April 2006, Parliament passed the Deactivation Act that ended the requirement for all able-bodied citizens to serve at least one year of National Service, whether as a conscripted soldier, an employee of the Department of Public Works, or part of an approved, similarly community-spirited programme.

Defence Council

As noted above, the Defence Council is the supervisory body of the Defence Forces, with day-to-day command falling to the relevant ministers and secretaries of State as well as the service chiefs.

Chair: Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, HM the King

Vice-Chair: Lord President of the Council of State, the Right Honourable First Minister of the Treasury (Prime Minister)

Vice-Chair: Minister of Defence

Heads of Department (in order of precedence):

• Minister of State for the Defence Forces
• Minister of State for Defence Procurement
• Secretary of State for the Navy, First Lord of the Admiralty
• Secretary of State for the Army
• Secretary of State for the Air Force
• Secretary of State for the Orbital Defence Force

Heads of Service (in order of precedence):

• Chief of Defence Staff
• First Sea Lord, Chief of Naval Staff
  • General Officer Commanding, Royal Marines
• Chief of General Staff
• Chief of Air Staff
• Chief of Orbital Defence Staff
  • General Officer Commanding, Royal Space Marines

Personnel and Funding

The table below indicates the resources each service has, along with the Joint Service contingent involved in medical support and certain other non-combat endeavours.

Royal Navy

The RINN is the UKINDF in miniature, albeit without a manned space component. Composed of over 17,000 ships of all types, the Royal Navy has both an army in the million-strong Royal Isselmere-Nieland Marines (RINM) and an air force — the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) as well as the RINM Marine Air Service (RINMAS) — with just over 58,000 aircraft of all sorts. With vessels ranging from the massive Europa-class heavy command battleships (BBCN) to small coastal patrol vessels, the Royal Navy purports to have one of the largest fleets in the world.

As noted above, the Royal Navy is administered by a secretary of state known as the First Lord of the Admiralty and the three most senior naval officers, the Sea Lords. The First Sea Lord is the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS). As such he or she is the serving commander of the Royal Navy and as such is responsible to both the Government and the King. The Second Sea Lord is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The CNO is responsible for planning, training, and personnel development, and as such is responsible for the Royal Navy whilst it is at sea. The Third Sea Lord is the Chief of Naval Resources (CNR), who liaises with the Defence Procurement Agency for product development and acquisition. Harbours and bases fall under the supervision of the CNR as well, as is systems maintenance.

Organisationally, the RINN possesses two navies, the Navy of the White that guards the UKIN's coastline and immediate interests and the Navy of the Blue that defends the State's broader strategic interests. Beneath each navy are fleet groups of several fleets, such as the Home Fleet Group with the 1st (Isselmere) and 16th (Detmere) fleets. The fleets are further sub-divided into squadrons, such as the 1st Expeditionary Squadron comprising of two expeditionary (task) groups. Administratively, similar unit types are collected into divisions; for instance, the 14th Destroyer Division of the 4th (Northern Gap) Fleet.

The defence of the realm rather than the acquisition of new territories is, however, the Royal Navy's primary purpose. Towards that aim, the RINN operates the Coastal Defence Force (CDF) and the (Naval) Strategic Defence Force (SDF). The CDF is a network of coastal artillery stations and units that work in conjunction with the INA. The FAA, which is responsible for coastal maritime patrol (MARPAT) likewise works closely with the RINAF to secure the State's coastlines and economic zones. The SDF is the umbrella organisation for the State's ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) contingent.

Travellers' Provisos

The Isselmere-Nielander love of cultural conservation can be overstressed, but not by much. Architecture within the UKIN varies from early medieval to the ultra-modern, often within the space of a few city blocks. Sightseers should not be unduly concerned that the older monuments and edifices they wish to visit are currently under restoration, particularly during Lethe’s short spring and autumn, as there are many others from which to choose. Visitors might remark upon the prevalence of book shops, which often rival the number of tea houses and coffee bars in many Isselmere-Nielander towns and cities, and might be astounded by being asked what book one is currently reading.

As a conservative people, Isselmere-Nielanders observe traditions that might appear strange to the newcomer, such as the Day of Happy Regrets and Toel’s Day, both of which have caused great consternation among many foreign observers that the locals understandably find hilarious. Travellers to the United Kingdom are recommended either to plan their holidays around such occasions or to simply succumb to the spirit of the day.

Please note:

• Isselmere-Nielander English sounds like Scottish English spoken with an Icelandic accent. In other words, imagine Björk speaking like a Glaswegian, or vice versa, really.
• There are three national languages in the UKIN: English, Anguistian, and Nielandic. Except if one encounters a radical Anguistian or Nielander nationalist, one is advised to steer clear of the latter two languages. Should one encounter a radical nationalist, it is best to simply steer clear altogether.
• Since 1986, the UKIN consists of four autonomous regions (regions, Anguistian úlaeð, Nielandic svæði): Anguist, Detmere, Isselmere, and Nieland. Do not refer to the UKIN as Isselmere even within Isselmere, for there one is likely to receive a long lecture about the United Kingdom’s history. Elsewhere, one might receive a punch in the mouth.
• Tourists must be aware that despite the often miserable weather, public inebriation is viewed with opprobrium and will almost undoubtedly land one in gaol.
  

Footnotes

1. ^  Isselmere-Nieland Statistics Office, "Whither Immigration?", Census 2001 (Daurmont, Islm.: The Office, 2002), 302.
   
2. ^  Paxton v. Grenleigh University, 43 Detmerian High Court of Appeal Reports (DHCAR) (2nd series) 331, (1987) 4 Supreme Court of Isselmere-Nieland Reports (SCINR) 897.
   

	Topics on Isselmere-Nieland
Category | Factbook Categories: Administrative divisions | Constitution | Defence Forces | Festivities | Government | Languages | Laws Subjects: Capital | Coat of arms | Currency | Economy | Education | Football | History | Lethean Islands | Religion Monarchy: History | Royal Family Government: Council of State | DPA | Lords Commissioners | The King | Parliament | Prime Minister | Storting of Nieland Firms: Detmerian Aerospace | Isselmere Motor Works | Lyme and Martens | Royal Ordnance | Royal Shipyards | Turing-Babbage | UPGO Products: Isselmere-Nieland Defence Industries