The British Archipelago 2032

The shock victory of the Scottish Nationalists in an independence referendum held in 2014 emboldened separatist movements in the British Isles and beyond. Across the English channel, the European Union broke up under the strain of a vast debt crises, leading to the separation of Catalonia from Spain and the break up of Belgium and Italy. Seeing many new states succeeding, regionalist movements in what was left of the United Kingdom began to campaign more vigorously for outright independence.

Wales or Cymru was the first to secede and most observers expected Northern Island to follow However, in a hard fought referendum, the Northern Irish chose continued union with England, perhaps due to worries about dominance by their southern neighbour, Eire.

It was in fact the southern region of Wessex which chose independence. Following the return to office of a Labour government determined to shore up its support in its Northern English Heartlands, the Wessex Nationalists began to win seats on a platform of outright independence and an end to southern taxes going to projects in the North of England. After a the first Wessex Nationalist M.P's took their seats in the hung parliament produced by the 2022 general election, an independence referendum became impossible to avoid.

Wessex proved very successful as an independent nation, with a strong infrastructure which had previously supported London. This encouraged Northumbria and Kernow (Cornwall) to follow.

The latest nation to emerge from the break up of the U.K was Devon, which was until 2030 still part of England, but geographically isolated by Wessex. In a four choice vote, the residents were offered continued union with England, joining Wessex, becoming part of Cornwall or independence from all three. The disputed result saw Devon opt for independence by a very narrow margin of only two percent. England refused to recognise the result and still claims Devon as part of its territory.

Perhaps hoping to lessen the influence of what is still the most powerful Nation of the British Archipelago on their borders, Wessex and Kernow have signed a three way protection treaty with Devon. Although military intervention by England looks unlikely at present, the current armed conflict in the former Italian states may bode ill for the future.

(All done in Paint.net. Flags are those generally accepted as being the emblems of those countries or regions.)