The Real New England
Revolution
“Are we worried? No. I don’t care if we were kicked out of the area before- the population will accept us this time around.”
-John Major, then British Prime Minister, following the Washington Accord of 1991.
Prologue
Denial- a politician’s
favourite weapon. Sometimes, the denial is true- other times, the denial is
horribly off the mark. Regardless, many use it as a tactic to keep their
government in power, other times; it’s used to make sure that the government
doesn’t have to do any work. Of course, more often than not the truth of the
situation comes out, and oftentimes, it leaves the government with egg on their
faces.
In this case, it’s no
different. The British- who in an earlier story reclaimed New England- are in
huffy denials that the local population doesn’t like them. They are certain
that this time around they’ll get it right in New England and that nothing can
go wrong this time.
Of course, reality then sets
in. New England- arguably the heart of leftist America- hated the British from
the moment they set foot on their soil. Like the Poles, the New Englanders
won’t accept anyone ruling over them except New Englanders, especially the
British, where memories of the American Revolution are fresh in their
collective minds, and if the New Englanders had any say in the matter, the
Redcoats would never again set foot in their country.
Now, before I move on, recall
that other story- The
Fall of the American Republic. In 1991, the Cold War finished with
the complete destruction of both the United States and the Soviet Union.
Anarchy ruled the day for most of North America, until the December 8
Washington Accord redrew the map and re-established order. The 1991 Crisis was
a big deal in North America and a year of revolutions took its toll on the
public, who wanted nothing more than the restoration of order. Thus, the
British became “the necessary evil” which would be kept until the timing was
right for another Revolution that could take them out.
I’ll be honest- when I wrote
the first American story, I envisioned the British taking New England simply
because of the name of the area, but even then I didn’t intend to keep them
there for very long. The British Government is the polar opposite of many of
the attitudes that exist in New England, being that Britain is more to the
right and that traditionally New Englanders looked to the left. Also, British
control of New England would create a host of other problems for other
countries in the area- Quebec would be almost practically landlocked because of
British control of Cabot Strait, the strait that separates Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland. Also, Rome- who control Upstate New York- would be limited to a small
area of coastline to receive its ships, and the presence of the British- their
rivals- to the north of them posed considerable problems for their ships. Thus,
Rome and Quebec would have a vested interest in “getting rid” of the British in
New England. It may seem odd that Quebec would aid New England, but considering
the circumstances and not to mention Quebec’s very leftist attitude and the
fact it is just as anti-British as the New Englanders, it makes a lot of sense.
Whether or not the two can remain friends is another matter, but for now it
serves its purpose.
A few other things to mention
before I go on- although this isn’t European, it’s still being grouped in the
“Redrawing Europe” series since it involves nationalism and a European power
(Britain). Also, soccer’s New England Revolution, who will play a part in this
story, inspired the name of this piece. I will also be using this piece to set
up Part 2 of this piece, which will cover the other US “nationalisms” that the
Washington Accord did not cover, such as Cascadia, Tennessee and California.
Chapter
1: The Second Shot Heard ‘Round The World
1991 was a watershed year for North America. After a year of chaos destroyed the old North American world order, a renewed sense of optimism emerged after the December 8 Washington Accord finally settled North America’s many issues and restored peace. Prosperity again returned to the continent, as well as a renewed sense of self-determination that was absent from previous decades.
However, not everything went smoothly. In New England, rumblings for a new Revolution was taking place shortly after the locals learned that Britain would reassume control over their area. They wouldn’t do anything immediately because the locals were burned out from all that rioting, but an underground movement to liberate New England began in 1992, just waiting for the right moment for which to strike at Britain.
It was not supposed to be this way. Originally, the British, Romans and Casarans- the three powers that brokered the Accord- called for an independent state to be created in New England. However, nationalistic British politicians soon won over the British Government who couldn’t wait to restore the “Great British Empire” in the area and teach the Americans a lesson for kicking them out. They would try to be nicer this time around to maintain control, but they at least wanted the knowledge that they “would win back America.” Reluctantly, the Accord agreed, granting the resumption of British control over what was termed “New England”.
At first, New England was incorporated as part of Britain’s metropolitan area, and, like other parts of the British Empire at the time, sent representatives to Westminster. However, the appearance and mass approval of several separatist parties in New England forced the British- now under Tony Blair- to reconstitute the area as an autonomous region, like they had done with Scotland and Wales. The “Home Rule Experiment”, as the process came to be called, gave the British some initial successes, since many New Englanders liked the idea that they had more control over their own affairs, but there were still some New England groups who believed the reforms didn’t go far enough.
It would all come to a head when, in 2001, Britain’s best-recognized soccer club, the Manchester United Red Devils, played an exhibition game in Boston against the local New England Revolution. The game was meant to be a show of goodwill, where the British would show that they are really “friends of the American people”, but on both sides of the Atlantic the game was exposed as a sham. On one side, many New Englanders blasted the British for choosing to promote its own culture (and its own sports teams to boot) instead of trying to accommodate New England sports tastes, such as baseball or football, as they say should have been expected for a goodwill gesture. At the other end, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said, “this is nothing but a (BS) attempt at friendship. A silly little game won’t solve all the problems Blair is trying to cover up.”
Still, the game received massive publicity, with the game at Foxboro Stadium drawing football-like numbers for the first time ever for soccer (normal soccer capacity at Foxboro is half what is available for football’s Patriots). Most of those seats were people who wanted a glimpse of Manchester United for the first time, but a large minority were several of the separatist groups in New England. The game itself was mostly a rather turgid affair, with ManU’s players well out of shape and only showing flashes of the brilliance they are known for, which allowed the horribly outclassed Revolution to stay with the Red Devils. At halftime, the score was 1-1 off goals from New England’s Joe-Max Moore and Manchester United’s Andy Cole.
The score remained 1-1 for most of the second half, with more turgidity than the first half until the dying moments of a game that would be remembered for centuries. In the last minute of injury time, where the game could be over at any moment, Moore broke in alone on Manchester goalie David Seaman and fired a shot into the top-right corner of the net. The crowd watched with Moore as Seaman’s valiant leap couldn’t reach the ball, giving the Revolution a massive upset victory over Manchester United. The whistle to end the game sounded seconds afterward, making the crowd erupt into the kind of hysterics the world feared. Many of the New England separatist groups started massive protests both inside and outside the stadium, pelting the Red Devils with eggs and tomatoes (“so much for goodwill”, said David Beckham- the crowd’s favourite target- a year later). Manchester United needed well over three hours just to leave the field, and another five to fly off back home. However, ManU’s problems were only a fraction of what the British would face in the wake of the Revolution’s 2-1 victory.
Protests became daily following the game as New England’s collective confidence soared. Knowing that they could defeat the British at their best game- soccer- the New Englanders suddenly didn’t fear the British Army. Local militias again sprang up as they had during the American Revolution, all of which attacked any British soldier they could lay their hands on. Home Rule was suspended in 2002 amidst the violence, and Blair sent in 10,000 British troops to quell the rebellion. The militias- using the best in guerrilla tactics- played a war of attrition against the British, resulting in the ultimate eviction of the British troops later in the year.
Chapter
2: The Creation of the State of New England
The defeat of the British sent shockwaves to the European nations. Rome officially recognized the new state and formally declared its support for New England, offering to help them build their nation. Other nations followed suit, such as Byzantium and the Visigoths, who also offered aid in a show of international goodwill. The British, expectedly, did not, and prepared for a full-scale invasion of New England to polish off (in their words) “the thugs”.
Word of the British invasion forced the hand of several governments in North America, who were afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. New York, Carolina and Arkansas all declared their support for New England and joined the anti-British coalition being set up by Rome. By March 2003, an unexpected ally emerged just north of New England in the form of Quebec. The Quebecois move shocked several in North America, considering their hatred for anything English. However, their motives eventually became clear- British control of the Cabot Strait effectively landlocked the country, and if they could be able to drive the British out of at least New England (and perhaps set up an alliance with the very similar-politically-minded New Englanders), they’d be able to gain better access to the sea. The Quebecois involvement quickly soared to second behind the Roman contribution, setting the stage for the real confrontation in April of 2003. The resulting battle- The Battle of Cape Cod- resulted in a resounding victory by the New Englanders over the British due to some deft aerial and naval planning by the New England forces (using a lot of Roman and Quebecois technology), and several other minor battles- all of which Britain lost- sealed the fate of Blair in New England. On May 1, 2003, the Republic of New England was born, with former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared President. A week later, the British signed the Treaty of Lexington that officially ended any British claims to New England and for the handover of everything in New England to the new New England government.
Epilogue
Since the formation of New England, the political landscape that emerged from the 1991 Washington Accord has threatened to fall apart. The New England experience gave hope to Americans all over the continent hope that they too could throw off the European yoke and draw the map of North America themselves. It also exposed the failing of the principle idea of the Accord- that the North American situation could correct itself quickly after such a destructive year. Stability could be reached in some areas that had a tradition of some form of nationalism, (such as New England) but in others, where nationalism has barely (if ever) been thought about, nation formation was still a long time in coming.
“The
Real New England Revolution” Part 2