Economics in the Federal Republic of Herefordshire and Worcestershire (Mercia- UDI 1995)



The economy relies on 4 sources- retail, growing tourism, agriculture, mining and the limited and sporadic output from both the Longbridge car plant and Wednesbury light industrial estate.

Agriculture
Main agricultural goods include wheat, apples, wool, beer, cider, beef, cattle and sugar beet.

Mining
The coal mine partly reopened in 1998 output varies from 10 to 15% of pre- closure levels depending on demand. The Hey-on-Wye’s Coppermine opened in a nearby hill in 2004 as an unprofitable, but defiant attempt at self-sufficiency. 10.5 tonnes of copper and 100 to 150 short tonnes of coal are produced each year. Some lignite has also been descovered near Pershore, but it is unvabuley small. The state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. controle all mines in the Federation's territory.

Manufacturing
The sector largely hinges on the Longbridge autoworks and the various products of the light industrial estate at Wednesbury. West Bromwich is also an inportant manufaturing zone.

Retail
This trade is focused around the shopping areas of Worcester, Dudley, Dudley port, Merry Hill town, the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Hagley and Stourbridge.

Banking
There are no significant banks in the nation, but HSBC and Lloyds of London have not closed their branches in the rebel state, unlike most western banks, due to political and fiscal concerns. The rebel state’s Federal State Mint and Federal Treasury Bank Vault are in a south Hereford suburb.

Tourism


Dudley Castel, Dudley Zoo, The Hey-on-Wye Book Festival, Hereford Cathedral and Hereford's Wye Bridge are the nation's leading tourist attractions.

Tourists and some light freight use the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Dudley No. 1 Canal and Stourbridge Canal.

Trade

 * The leading market for thier goods is the Netherlands and the C.A.R.


 * Most of their imports are from Venezuala and the Neterlands.

Finance

 * 1) 1996- 1 Mercian Pound= 1£
 * 2) 1998-1 Mercian Pound= 0.90£
 * 3) 2000-1 Mercian Pound= 0.80£
 * 4) 2003-1 Mercian Pound= 0.51£
 * 5) 2006- 1 Mercian Pound= 0.50£
 * 6) 2008- 1 Mercian Pound= 0.80£
 * 7) 2011- 1 Mercian Pound= 1£
 * 8) 2012- 1 Mercian Pound= 1.10£

The détente survived that floods and lead to the de facto ecanomic and transportation assimilation of the nation in 2007. The Mercian Pound was pegged to the £ between 2008 and 2010, but then broke it's fiscal linkage and thus was re-floated during the European Economic Crisis of 2010-2012.