Somme Republic (1962: The Apocalypse)

Doomsday
Also see- Warsaw Pact targets in Western Europe.
 * The targets hit were at-

The Somme Republic
There would mostly be a problem with the radioactive fall-out from other regions of the UK, Belgium and France that would cause much trouble.

The nuclear winter lasted between October 1962 and March 1963. A nuclear summer then lasted between April 1963 and September 1964. A famine and a localised cholera outbreak hit the region during late 1963 and early of 1964. Limited aid was provided by Ireland and Denmark, thus alleviating a possible major crisis.

The mayor of Amiens, Jean-Paul Giroux declared martial law in his town and became emergency dictator in the June of 1963. Relatios were qiuckly with the near by towns Bucquoy, Abbeville and Bray-sur-Somme. Arras joined the union in the July of 1963. With the help of the Mayor of near by Abbeville, Anton D'Estaing, used the remaining local police, French troops and 25 American airmen to enforce rationing, resorce sharing and martial law under the mayor of Amiens until 1969.

Calais
Calais was a now damaged port in the Par-de-Calais. The local port manager René Gilbert took controle of the city on September 15th 1963. Like Normandy, it only needed 6 months of martial law to stave off refugee flows and looting. It would join the Somme Republic on July 5th, 1965.

1965-1974
Jean-Paul Giroux was replaced after his death by heart attack in late 1969 by a 11 person Comarnd Council-


 * 1) Maria Christine Cresson
 * 2) Édith Emma Lagarde
 * 3) Odette Bonino
 * 4) Salonge Defoe
 * 5) Hugette Georgette Ricola
 * 6) Jacques LeBlanc
 * 7) Thérèse Claudette Géricault
 * 8) Théodore de Lisieux
 * 9) Yevette Dusseaulx
 * 10) René Gilbert
 * 11) Anton D'Estaing

Maria Christine Cresson was the defacto leader.

Fist Contact
First contact was made with the Interim regime in Normandy Republic (which held only an area around the Cotentin Peninsula), Denmark, Mortain city state, Alençon city state, Ireland and Kingdom of Lille-Wallonia in early 1965.

Fishermen from the Republic of East Anglia, Normandy, the Somme Republic and Socialist Durhamshire all landed in the DRR and Frisia there during a bad gale, more by good luck than planning in 1973, since most nations wrongly reckoned on the Dutch Remnant Republic and the Frisian Republic were either uninhabited and/or badly overrun by either or both hostile German or Flemish tribesmen. This lead to the starting of political relations amongst these nations. Kentshire, East Anglia, the Normandy and Somme Republic and Lille-Wallonia would become close allies as time passed.

The Journeys of Discovery
In the October of 1975 traders and explorers made contact with Brittany, Normand and Northern France.

1975-1990
Living-standards would rise steadily after the agricultural, fiscal, medical and social reforms of 1982. The Some Franc become the national currency in 1984.

1991-2002
Free elections have taken place every 4 years ever since 1992.The council of 10 was dissolved in the nation's peaceful transition to democracy. Caen, Rouen and Amiens developed since 2000 in to national centers of political, industrial, economic and cultural power.

Kent, Normandy Lille-Wallonia and Sussex have been close friends with the Somme Republic since 1989. Regional relations are good, except with Central Germany and the Southern English Republic. Political relations are particularly good with Northern France, Tunisia, Confederation of Greater Carolina, Lower Saxony The United Netherlands Republic since 2001, and the Amazigh Tribal Confederacy since 2002. It also joined The English Channel Republic on June 5th, 2002.

The ultra nationalist/religious-conservative party "Death to perverts, rapists, pedophiles and traitors" (French: Mort aux pervers, des violeurs, des pédophiles et des traîtres) was set up in Le Treport on March the 5th, 2008 after a 5 year investigation into a local pedophile ring lead to the arresting of 2 men, both of whom were duly hung on March the 5th, 2008. The hainging was a special, one off job, that was done under an emergency law due to the public's exstreem concern over the issue. Officaly the death peanalty is banned.

Present day


Relations with Cornwall, Sussex, Wessex, Gloucester Town, the PRUK, Brittany, the Channel Islands and Normandy have become ever closer since the singing of the 2004 free trade deal.

Former refugee camps

 * 1) La Neuville-lès-Bray
 * 2) Mers-les-Bains
 * 3) Ailly-sur-Somme
 * 4) Amiens

Politics


Free elections have taken place every 4 years ever since 1992.

The election results of 2012 were as follows:
 * French Conservative, 7
 * Union for French Democracy, 6,
 * Union for the New Republic, 5,
 * Independents, 5,
 * Socialist Party of France, 3,
 * DeGallists, 3,
 * French Liberal, 1,
 * Le Mouvement Normand, 1,
 * Green, 1,
 * Death to perverts, rapists, pedophiles and traitors,1,
 * Others, 0.

Army
The armed forces abandoned the use of bows and swords in favour of rifles and pistols imported from Sussex and Lille-Wallonia in 1998. The army is a volunteer force of 1,800.

Weapons
A few Colt 45 pistols, French Darne machine guns,Tommy gun, Stokes mortars, Enfield No. 2 Mk I Revolvers, 0.55 Boys Anti-tank Rifles and Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I (1903) rifles are used.

Economy
It is largely dependent on agriculture, especially peaches, dairy goods, fish and wine. Other recent exports include telephones, farm tools and and furniture.

Wind and water power
A major wind-farm was built at Évreux in 1999, but a earlier ad-hock one was built to meet local needs in 1989.

Bio-fuel
Small amounts of alco-flue has been made since 1987.

Agriculture
Normandy is a significant cider-producing region, and also produces calvados, a distilled cider or apple brandy. Other activities of economic importance are dairy produce, flax, horse breeding, fishing and seafood.

The bocage is a patchwork of small fields with high, dense hedges, typical of western regions. It was created where the fields and meadows are enclosed by earth banks carrying hedges or rows of trees and where the habitation is generally dispersed in farms and hamlets. Several crashed East German and Canadian fighter pilots were found hiding in remote forested places and out-houses for the first few years after WW3 had occurred.

Lower Normandy is still predominantly agricultural in character, with cattle breeding, cheese and wine the most important sectors.

Agricultural exports include producing dairy produce, peaches, fish, grapes and apples. It is noted for its cheeses, especially Camembert. There is a major peach cannery in south Normandy at Gacé.

Wine and cider
Fer Servadou grapes are the main source of the country's wine industry the Pays d'Auge is the mane producer of and is the home of  calvados wine. The 2 major processing plants are in Mézidon-Canon and Gacé. Production recommenced in 1964 and took off in 1970. It is exported to Kentshire, East Anglia, North France and Southern England ever since the trade deal of 2004.

Manufacturing
This includes the major telephones, farm tools and and furniture industries, which are all concentrated around  Évreux, Amiens, Rouen, Cean and Cherbouge. Upper Normandy contains a higher concentration of light industry.

Transport
Travel is mostly by horse, sailing boat and bicycle, since there are only a few alcohol driven motor vehicles in the republic.

Railway rolingsock consists of-
 * 4x Maldegem stoom 3 steam locomotive
 * 4x CFV3V-MF33 steam locomotive
 * 3x Steamtram SNCV steam trams
 * 3x Belpaere type steam locomotive
 * 12x passenger carriages
 * 8x freight carriages
 * 12x coal trucks

There is also easy access to and from the UK using the ports of Cherbourg, Caen-Ouistreham, Le Havre and Dieppe via a twice daily steam ferry to Brighton and Ryde.

Education
Schooling is mandatory between the ages of 5 and 16.

A small technical collage opened in Rouen during 2008 and A small agricultural collage opened in Amiens during 2012.

Media
Cherbourg, Cean,  Rueon, Abberville  and Amiens all launched local local monthly newspapers in 1989. A nation wide 5 page annual news pamphlet went in to in circulation since 1998. Posters are nailed up in rural places as and when they are needed. Radio Amiens began broadcasting in 2010 on 95.5 fm and radio Normandy began broadcasting from  Cherbourg, Cean and Beyuex in 2012 on 96.5FM.

Healthcare
Lung and thyroid cancer are no longer major issues, and are markedly less than they were before 1985. Radiological cancer was a major killer during the 1960's and 1970's.

Water Sources
Most water is drawn from the local rivers, lakes and wells.

The arts
The Provençal artist, Paul Signac, and the UK bard, William Shakespeare, are popular in the nation.

Sports
Rugby and Boule/Peronk are the national sports

The Death Penalty
It has never had, used, condoned or wanted one. They regard capital punishment as evil.