Bristle Island

Bristle Island, one of the Coastal Provinces in the Gemeinde of Sober Thought, was formed by the merger of two now defunct jurisdictions. Historically, North Island maintained a separate identity from Sober Thought longer while South Island was much more ready to join a wider federation and engage in the national adventure.

Although sharing the same island and geography, South Island was blessed with many more natural resources and got an early start with the fine natural harbour of Drewburgh. Over time, however, the advantage South Island enjoyed relative to Sober Thought as a whole declined and it came to resemble the slow-to-join North Island in political economy. During the merger, politicians tried to adopt or blend the best elements of both former provinces.

Geography

To state the obvious, the province consists of one large island and a large number of insignificant specks of islets offshore in the Bay of Roses and Great Sea. All of Bristle Island’s coast is rippled with merlon-like fjords and crenel-like peninsulas. However, the northern reaches of the island tend to be much rockier and bleaker while the southern parts have lush valleys, treed plains and protected harbours.

Economic geography

Originally, the province’s economy was based on the primary industries of fishing on the coast (especially in North Island), logging in the interior and fruit farming in the valleys (especially in South Island). These continue to employ people, but are much less important than other sectors of the economy. The traditional fishing industry in particular provides an uncertain and declining employment.

Extractive activities under the general heading of primary industry developed later, starting with coal found near Picton, on the southwest coast and under the continental shelf. Combined with iron ore found near Sheldon and limestone found near the border between the northern and southern parts of the province, these provided the ingredients for domestic steel production and secondary industry. Of course historically these benefited only South Island with scraps left for North Island. Today, the discovery of fossil fuels offshore near the coal seams has opened up a new industry which provides much needed money and jobs.

Tertiary or services industries developed around Drewburgh in South Island and, to a much lesser extent, the then-provincial capital of Paidrig in North Island. Drewburgh with its suburbs expanded from its humbler beginnings to become the regional port, centre of culture and metropolis. It is busier than all other ports in the region combined (even excluding the CDF Naval Service) and contains almost as may people as the entirety of North Island. A sense of history, a highly educated population and good transportation connections have all helped to boost the tourism industry, particularly in the southern part of the province.

Quaternary industries or government services dominate the southern island, especially since the merger of the two provinces. See the Education and Defence sections below for further details.

Demographics

The new province contains 4.6% of the national residents, putting in the middle ranks of the country’s provinces in terms of population. The southern part of the island is growing through natural increase, foreign immigration and regional in-migration from the north, Potato Island and Braunekuste (especially English-speakers).

Such ethno-linguistic diversity as there is remains concentrated in the southern portion of Bristle Island. There are pockets of French- and German-speaking fisheries workers on the south coast (and ethnic Irish people in the north), Gaelic-speaking foresters and subsistence farmers in the interior speakers, and Slavic-speaking ore miners near Sheldon. None of these languages has official status, but primary and intermediate schools in these areas are offered for free for the purpose of teaching heritage languages.

While no official statistics are collected on religion, Catholic Christianity is more common in the north, and various Protestant denominations sprinkled with a leavening of non-Christian religions are more common in the south. These reflect ethno-linguistic divisions more than a real religious divide, since Gaelic speaking ethnic Scots are more likely to be Presbyterians, ethnic north Germans Lutherans and Chinese speakers Buddhists.

The age pyramid of the island as a whole is balanced, but it is skewed towards older people in the north and younger people in the south. This is because many young single residents move from Paidrig and the peninsulas to Drewburgh or onto the mainland for employment. They sometimes return to raise families when they are older, and often return to retire because of the low cost of housing here. Furthermore, the youth of Sober Thought as a whole – not just the Coastal Provinces – are drawn to the many institutions of higher learning in southern Bristle Island.

Government

Long discussed plans for a union of all Coastal Provinces failed to meet the approval of the electorate in several referenda held under Community law and with provisions similar to that of governing provincial adhesion. While the ultimate goal of a single Coastal Province proved elusive, during the campaigns a recognition of common identity grew among residents of the northern and southern parts of Bristle Island.

The governments and residents of the island decided to go ahead with the merger on substantially similar terms as the rejected larger union. The formerly separate provinces of South Island and North Island were merged into the new province on January 1, 2006.

Federal representatives

Bristle Island now has eleven electoral districts for the federal House of the Federation: Bristle Island South, Drewburgh (three districts), Elizabeth, Fowler, Paidrig, Picton, Presqu’ile, Ruisseau au Coin (pronounced locally as RUSE-o-coin) and Sheldon. In addition to these MHFs elected by simple plurality, three MHFs represents the province as a whole and are assigned to represent votes not properly reflected in the district results.

The new province gets two representatives in the federal Upper House or House of the Provinces. In keeping with the practice of the former North Island, the provincial Premier chooses one of the representatives while the Leader of the Opposition chooses the other.

Provincial government

The Bristle Island provincial legislature, with two immediate predecessors, has tried to adopt the best practices of each. Fortunately, it has started by adopting several commonalities to both defunct legislatures: the styling “House of Assembly” and “Premier,” the use of single member districts, responsible government and a unicameral organisation. These were all adopted without controversy because they required no compromise by either section of the newly merged province.

In a nod to South Island, the districts are much more equal in population than they had been in North Island so that the Paidrig constituencies were no more populous compared to those in the peninsulas. However, because there are only 46 districts (each with about 0.1% of the national population) in the merged province, they are larger in area than they had been in either previous province which had a combined total of 90 districts.

In a nod to North Island, the MHAs collectively elect the leader of the majority party or coalition as Premier and the leader of the second largest party outside the coalition as Leader of the Opposition. The Opposition Leader is considered as part of the provincial cabinet for parliamentary purposes, and this helps create a sense of responsibility and moderation which is more common in an electoral system of proportional representation.

A true compromise was reached on taxation policy. Property taxes and fees collected by temporary residents like students and tourists used to provide enough money for government services at the national average for an independent South Island. Property taxes, housing costs, income and wealth all used to be low in an independent North Island. The average property tax rate is a blend of the two separate ones, and the fees for out of province students and visitors increased dramatically. Since many young residents in the south formerly came from the north, this represented a wash for most northern families.

Municipal government

The capital city and metropolis is Drewburgh which elects a mayor at large and twenty four local councilors. Next most important is the former North Island capital and northern metropolis of Paidrig which is governed by a Mayor and ten City Councillors elected at-large. Picton and Sheldon in the south are chartered under the federal constitution and each elect a mayor at large and twelve district councillors every four years.

Before and after the provincial merger, South Island had a number of provincially chartered municipalities which had informal delegated power. Towns developed every sixty kilometres or so along the coast and along the interior railway, and between the capital city and its smaller mining cities. The dozen or so provincially chartered towns elect a mayor and eight councillors every three years.

In rural areas of the former South Island, ten counties act like chartered municipalities but without the legal protections of a chartered. County commissioners are elected every three years and are supported by 8-12 councillors (depending on the size of the county). Within those counties are coastal fishing villages, interior lumber camps and farming valley hamlets. They are not governed in the conventional sense, the services being provided by the county, provincial agencies or private enterprise.

Prior to the provincial merger, North Island’s provincial government informally delegated much of its power to unincorporated peninsular towns which acted as a regional service centres for isolated outports accessible primarily or exclusively by sea. In anticipation of the merger, North Island chartered these areas as municipal governments under federal protection. They now elect mayors and councillors in the same manner as larger Paidrig.

Shared jurisdictions

Education

Secondary school graduation rates are high in the south but lag in the north so the merged province has continued the bursaries to graduates of North Island intermediate schools to attend secondary schools in Paidrig and the peninsular towns. Otherwise, outport children could not continue their education.

Tertiary education graduation rates are above the national average and used to be the highest in the country before the merger. While some might conclude North Island is dragging South Island down, this is not entirely true since many students who graduate from southern institutions were born, raised and received their secondary education in North Island.

The province boasts many public and private institutions of higher learning, most of them located in and around Drewburgh:

• Université des Iles (general, French, public)
• University of Bristle Island (general, English, public) – former U of SI campus in Drewburgh and former Paidrig University campus
• Sober Thought Oceanographic Research Institute (specialist, English, public)
• Islands Theological Institute (specialist, English, private Protestant)
• Mining Institute of South Island (specialist, English, private)
• Professional Institute of South Island (specialist, bilingual, private)
• St. Andrews University (general, English, private Presbyterian)
• St. Barbara Catholic University (general, bilingual, private Catholic) – satellite campus at former Catholic University of North Island in Paidrig
• Bristle Island Commercial College, four and formerly three campuses (specialist, English, public secular)

Bristle Island runs a similar scholarship program to the federal one, aimed at people who want to stay in the province and show academic potential. While it is not nearly as generous as that of the independent North Island, eligibility requirements now mean students studying in the south are not discriminated against as out-of-province students.

Similarly, the former North Island private Catholic education policy of charging high tuition fees offset by each parish getting to send one student on full scholarship and the diocese ten has been adopted by the newly enlarged St. Barbara University. Sadly, enrolment at the Paidrig campus of this institution has dropped precipitously since its students now have options to study in the more cosmopolitan city of Drewburgh with no reduction in their bursaries.

Transportation

Drewburgh and Paidrig’s international airports are partially funded by the federal government, which also uses portions of them as air bases. Drewburgh is an important spoke in the routes offered by CommunitAir and private airlines, and serves as the hub of regional network of smaller jet and propeller driven airplanes.

Similarly, Drewburgh Harbour has been developed as the primary naval base for Sober Thought’s armed forces. The city maintains a regular ocean ferry service with the mainland and Potato Island. While less important than its southern neighbour, Paidrig offers a good natural harbour and supports a modest commercial fishing fleet and small naval vessels like frigates and fast patrol boats. Minor ports exist at several peninsular towns and Sheldon.

Heavily subsidised railway lines operated by STferro link the chartered municipalities in both sections of the island. The federal government contributes to the main highways linking the major cities but the provinces is responsible for the entirety of the remainder of its stunted road system which rings the coast and occasionally ventures inland.

Defence

Citizens resident in the province volunteer parttime to be soldiers in the Civil Guard and form the backbone of Bristle Island's emergency measures and civil defence system. In times of national emergency, they may be mobilized for national or international purposes by act of the House of the Provinces. When on national or international service, they form part of the 5 series divisions of armoured infantry under CDF Land Service command. A headquarters company serves for troops on provincial service and the Coastal Provinces' brigade on federal service.

Since the use of the Bristle Island Civil Guard is shared, so to is the cost. The province pays the troops while the federation provides the equipment and training. Officers up to and including Commander must pass federal courses before they apply for provincial promotion. Ranks of Vice Marshal and above are granted strictly by the Community Defence Forces themselves.

In each wave of one hundred million national population, the new province raises just under five battalion equivalents of combat, combat support and service support troops from the following regiments:

Bristle Island Armoured Regiment

• Created by the amalgamation of the North Island Horse and the South Island Cavalry
• Equipped with light tanks
• One battalion raised in every even-numbered population wave
• Two thirds of battalions based in the former South Island

Bristle Island Dragoons

• Created by the amalgamation of the North Island Dragoons and the South Island Dragoons
• Equipped with tracked armoured personnel carriers
• One battalion raised in every odd-numbered population wave
• Two thirds of battalions based in the former South Island

North Island Mounted Rifles

• Equipped with wheeled APCs
• One battalion raised in every odd-numbered population wave

Drewburgh Mounted Rifles

• Equipped with wheeled APCs
• One battalion raised in every even-numbered population wave

Bristle Island Engineers

• Created by the amalgamation of the North Island Engineers and South Island Engineers
• Equipped with mine countermeasures, assault weapons and mechanical tools as appropriate
• One headquarters, two combat engineering and three maintenance engineering companies each wave
• Two companies based in the former North Island

Bristle Island Transport Regiment

• Created by the amalgamation of North and South Island military elements
• Equipped with soft skinned vehicles
• One headquarters and two field companies raised in each wave
• One company based in the former North Island

Bristle Island Health Regiment

• Created by the amalgamation of medical and allied health elements
• Surgical, dental, public health and ambulance companies suitably equipped
• One headquarters and three field regiments raised in each wave
• Half of the companies based on peninsulas of the former North Island

Exclusive jurisdictions

Civil law and law enforcement

Even before the provincial merger, provincial civil law in both parts of Bristle Island was unremarkable from their other provincial counterparts. Furthermore, case law was routinely cited without regard to the border, so very little legislative change was required. A new series of consolidated civil statutes has served to knock the dust off both legal traditions and start the new on off on the right foot.

Law enforcement has proved more problematic. The former North Island Constabulary was not commonly armed and it relied more on persuasion and social control than weaponry or brute force to ensure people remained law abiding. In contrast, the South Island Police was armed and looked much more conventional.

After much negotiation and compromise, the following solution was devised: the Bristle Island Constabulary would be fully armed but bear the name of its unarmed predecessor. The traditions of the northern force would be carried on by the unarmed auxiliary to the BIC, and many of the peninsulas opted for the latter. In Paidrig, many residents and police were quietly relieved because they had felt the advantage and ability to rely on unarmed constables had long been outstripped by the emergence of big city crime.

Health

Each of the three southern chartered cities, some of the counties and most of the chartered towns have public hospitals. Four religious-based hospitals also exist in the south of the province. In the north, there are only three fully-fledged hospitals: one secular public, one Catholic private and one Protestant private. The peninsular towns usually support one or two smaller medical clinics of varying degrees of efficacy.

Rural residents in the south have benefited enormously from the island-wide adoption of the former North Island’s public health service. Provincial doctors, dentists and nurses proactive visit the northern outports and southern villages to promote health before it becomes illness.