Commonwealth of Sainte Genevieve

The Commonwealth of Sainte Genevieve is an island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, about half-way between the northeast coast of Scotland and the southwest corner of Norway. Once a former British subject, Sainte Genevieve has been a parliamentary republic since its independence in 1949. Rossport is its capital and largest city. Its coordinates are 59˚8'5.40" N, 0˚16'37.78"E

Preshistory
Recovered artifacts have shown that human settlements on Sainte Genevieve were first established between 600 and 150 BC. The first written mention of the island was from a series of visits by Norsemen beginning in approximately 424 AD. In these records, the word most frequently used to describe the island was "þorp," an Old Norse word meaning "small settlement" or "village." In addition to Norsemen, Swedes and Danes also visited the island, and several groups of them stayed behind to live. The last recorded Norse visit to the island was in 770 AD, and anthropologists have estimated that the island's population reached 5,000 by 800 AD.

Though a society thrived on the island during the Middle Ages, the entire island was deserted when Scots landed there in 1224. What happened to the inhabitants remains a mystery to this day. The explanation that most historians agree upon is that a series of harsh winters, an illness or a famine affected the island, and those who survived left to Norway or Scotland. That there are no records describing these supposed events is not alarming, since the 350-year period when Norsemen visited the island has only produced six surviving accounts. The unexplained disappearance of an entire society has played a major part in the development in Sainte Genevieve's folk history.

"Discovery" and Early Settlement
It is presumed that the island remained uninhabited, or inhabited by only a few people, for the next few centuries. The island was "rediscovered" over 300 years later, when a ship carrying forty-two French traders sailed into what is now Rossport Harbor seeking shelter from a winter storm. They landed on the island's shores on 3rd January 1560, and remained there until 23rd April. In their records, they referred to the island as L'Île de Sainte-Genevieve, after the Patron Saint of Paris whose feast day falls on 3rd January. Despite French presence on the island lasting only three months, the name they bestowed upon it has remained.

Sainte Genevieve in Century 21
In his customary New Year's Day speech in 2001, then-President Christoper St. Bernard put forth his proposal for Sainte Genevieve's "Objectives for the First Decade of Millennium Three." Among the objectives were to reduce old age poverty and dependence on non-renewable energy in the country. Though it was welcomed by the people and by Parliament, President St. Bernard eventually became the subject of criticism for not working to accomplish the objectives he set. National Party MP Leonard Judge in particular criticized the President for making such lofty goals when the expiration of his term as Head of State was approaching.

In summer 2001, the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain led the State Council to restrict food imports and visiting Britons from entering the country. Though this decision gained considerable media attention in both countries during July and August, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States shifted public interest away from the issue, and the restriction was quietly repealed in December 2001.

President
See Also: President of Sainte Genevieve

The President serves as Head of State of the country. While this is largely a ceremonial role, certain important executive duties are afforded the President. The President is elected by the people to a six-year term, which may only be renewed once. Elections take place in March or April of every sixth year, and the new President is sworn in on 1st June. The President's official residence is the Áras an Uachtaráin (an Irish term meaning "House of the President") in Rossport.

Seven people have served as President. Most recently, Margaret O'Hanlon was elected to her first term in 2003. Ms. O'Hanlon is Sainte Genevieve's first female President, and also its first President to be unmarried during her administration.

Parliament
See Also: 15th Parliament of Sainte Genevieve

The Parliament of Sainte Genevieve is the country's unicameral legislature, comprised of 50 members. The structure and procedures of Parliament are outlined in Sections 3 and 4 of the Constitution. Article 31 of the Constitution states that MPs are elected by Single Transferrable Vote to five-year terms. Each constituency returns between three and five MPs, and there can be no greater than seventeen constituencies.

Parliament is led by an elected Speaker. Although he or she is nearly always the member of the ruling political party, the position of speaker is non-partisan. To insulate the Speaker from retribution by his or her constituency, he or she is automatically reelected into the next Parliament if he or she wishes, though not necessarily in the position of Speaker. The Speaker typically refrains from debate, instead serving as a moderator, and the Speaker may only vote on legislation in case of a tie.

If Parliament withdraws its support of the current State Council with a resolution of no-confidence, the Prime Minister has thity days to either resign or convince the President to dissolve Parliament. The Prime Minister may request the President dissolve Parliament, though the President may refuse. If the President refuses to dissolve Parliament, a new State Council must form within thirty days. Should Parliament be unable to form a new State Council, it shall be dissolved immediately.

Government
The Government of Sainte Genevieve is called the State Council. The President oversees the State Council, though the true head of government is the Prime Minister. Pending consent of Parliament, the President appoints, discharges, and determines the number of ministers in the State Council.

Members of Parliament in Opposition also form a "Shadow State Council," in which minority MPs function as unofficial ministers of the Opposition.

Political Parties
Sainte Genevieve has five major political parties currently represented in Parliament, as well as several smaller parties which operate at a local level.

Secular Republic
See Also: Secular Republic Movement

Sainte Genevieve's most infamous political organization is the Secular Republic, or SR Movement. As its name suggests, the SR seeks to end the status of the Roman Catholic Church as the country's official church, and to reform (or in some cases, eliminate altogether) Section Six of the Sainte Genevieve Constitution. The SR was founded in 1980 after Parliament failed to pass a resolution to amend Article 62, which establishes the Church's current status. It was registered as an official political party on 26th June 1983. The political goal of the SR is not unique; other mainstream political parties have supported such a change. What sets the SR apart is its willingness to eliminate the constitutional status of the Catholic Church by extralegal means, if necessary.

Though the SR originated as a civic organization, it has expanded into a more imposing political body in recent years. In 1995, Marcus Hightower became the leader of the SR, and membership increased by 230% during his first ten years in that position. It was during these ten years that the SR began to use intimidation and political bullying in efforts to accomplish its objective. The SR's status as a political party was revoked in 1999.

Administrative Divisions
The country has a two-tier structure of local government, the upper of which consists of six county councils and three city councils. The three cities, Dungannon, Farset and Rossport function as county equivalents, and are administered separately from the counties that surround them. The county and city councils are responsible for the primary and secondary schools inside their borders, as well as certain medical facilities, parks, etc. Prior to the Law Enforcement Consolidation Act 2001, each county and city had its own patrol division of the national police service. After the Act went into effect, however, the nine divisions were consolidated into five. County councils who share patrol divisions with their neighbors now elect independent police commissions for administrative purposes.

The lower level consists of town councils, usually made up of three to twelve elected members. Though not governmentally independent from the counties, the town councils do exercise authority over smaller matters such as local road maintenance, waste management, and library facilities. In less-populated areas, neighboring towns often pool resources to create borough councils. Though one municipal corporation may exist in a borough, towns retain their respective identities.

Existing within the local level are villages. Villages are small, unincorporated settlements, and typically have fewer than 300 inhabitants. Villages have been absorbed into town and borough councils, and some villages in County Rossport that were once remote have since been incorporated into Rossport City itself. Those villages that are not part of a larger municipal corporation are administered at the county level.

Military
Sainte Genevieve is protected by a small, but well-equipped military. Originally, Sainte Genevieve's army and navy were two distinct entities, but were merged into the Sainte Genevieve Unified Armed Forces (SGUAF) in 1987. The 2,700 men and women serving in the armed forces are trained at the Commonwealth Military Academy, a faculty of Sainte Genevieve University. Military service is voluntary and open to any Sainte Genevieve citizen of good character who is at least twenty years of age.

Though Sainte Genevieve prefers to keep itself out of international conflict, the SGUAF has been present in a number of international aid missions in the past half-century. Most recently, approximately 120 officers and personnel were dispatched to Croatia during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s.

Currency
The currency used in Sainte Genevieve is the Sainte Genevieve Pound, often abbreviated £ or SG£ to distinguish it from the British Pound Sterling. The Sainte Genevieve Pound was one of the last European currencies to decimalize, following the passage of the Currency Reform Act 2004, which went into effect on 1 January 2007.

Demographics
Sainte Genevieve's 2004 census reported a resident population of 407,890. This is a small increase over the 1999 result of 404,223. Sainte Genevieve suffered from large-scale emigration from approximately 1925 to 1960, and has only recently seen its population grow. The majority (68%) of Sainte Genevieve residents reported being of Irish ancestry. The complete breakdown of responses is as follows:
 * Irish: 68.22%
 * Scottish: 9.67%
 * British (English/Welsh): 5.51%
 * Nordic/Scandinavian (Icelandic/Norwegian/Danish/Swedish): 5.35%
 * French: 3.88%


 * Other/None/Not Given: 5.57%

Approximately 16.6% of people in Sainte Genevieve are below the age of 18, and 16.5% are over age 65.

Religion
Over four-fifths (82.4%) of Sainte Genevieve residents are Roman Catholic, and the Roman Catholic Church is the State Church in the country, as outlined by Article 62 of the Constitution. Freedom of religion is a guaranteed right in Articles 63 and 64, however. The remaining Sainte Genevieve residents are mostly members of other Christian religions. Less than 1% are members of non-Christian religions, and less than 3% did not declare membership in any religion.

Language
English is the official language of the Commonwealth, and is understood by 99% of the population. Other languages spoken in the country include French and Irish.

Education
Education in the Commonwealth is divided into four levels: Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and Tertiary. School-age children must be enrolled in school by the 1st of September after their sixth birthdays, though the Ministry of Education and Social Services recommends that children attend one to two years of preparatory education before beginning school.

Pupils enter Primary level (1-5, or occasionally P1-P5) the autumn following their sixth birthdays, and remain in primary for five years. Instruction in maths, natural sciences, English language, English grammar, reading skills, music, art and social sciences are mandatory in all primary schools. Some schools also have foreign language classes (most commonly French and Irish), and Catholic schools offer religious education. Beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, technology education will be required curriculum. Most primary schools are gender-mixed, and follow the traditional September-May schedule. At the end of the fifth year of primary, students are required to sit for a competency exam. Promotion into the lower secondary level is contingent upon successful completion of this exam.

Lower Secondary level (6-8, or L1-L3) beings in September of a pupil's eleventh birthday, and lasts three years. In addition to the traditional selection of required classes, pupils complete coursework in the mandatory ICE (Industry and Career Education) program, which is designed to introduce them gradually to a variety of technical and career-oriented skill sets. In most schools, lower secondary level pupils may select elective classes which interest them. Foreign language education is mandatory in lower secondary level, with the most popular languages being Irish, French and Norwegian. Schools operated by the Catholic Church hold the Rite of Confirmation during the final year of lower secondary. While all pupils enrolled in Catholic schools must complete the coursework required for Confirmation, participation in the Rite itself is at the discretion of the parents.

Following successful completion of a second competency exam, pupils begin the Upper Secondary level (9-12, or S1-S4) soon after their fourteenth birthdays. It is in this level that pupils traditionally take on the title of student. The four-year upper secondary level actually consists of two separate programs: one for university-bound students, and the other for students planning on careers, military, police, or institute study after completion. A large portion of upper secondary's first year is determining which students will follow each program. This is accomplished by individual, group and family counseling sessions, aptitude tests, and exposure to the various options available to students. Students must declare their intent by the end of the first year. Students electing to pursue University Preparation Program attend courses tailored to prepare them for the University entrance exam, such as trigonometry, world history and geography, chemistry, biology, physics and economics, among others. Students not preparing for university are given hands-on training in various career paths in addition to their regular studies. Regardless of program, all students take a final competency exam. These include the University Entrance (UE) Exam, Compulsory Education Completion (CEC) Exam, Military Academy Admissions (MAA) Exam, Institute of Criminal Justice (ICJ) Exam, and Institute Entrance (IE) Exam. Successful completion of any of these entitles the student to a Certificate of Educational Achievement, and a host of additional rights and privileges that accompany it.

Education is compulsory through the end of the upper secondary level. Sainte Genevieve has two universities: the Sainte Genevieve University in Rossport and North Sea Catholic University in Dungannon. A network of technical training institutes also teach tertiary-level study. A large number of Sainte Genevieve students attend tertiary institutions in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Culture
Culture in the Commonwealth has been shaped by centuries of English, Scottish and Irish influence.

Literature
The most famous Genevievan writer is Charles St. John (1877-1936). Best known for his collections of short stories, St. John's first and most popular novel The Fox is taught in university literature classes throughout Western Europe and North America.

Poetry
A poetic style endemic to Sainte Genevieve is the Eighty-One. Eighty-Ones are poems with nine lines, each line with nine syllables. The poems are usually read quickly, and are often found in primary and secondary school readers.

Music
The musical scene in the Commonwealth is built on the Celtic musical traditions of the Scots, Irish and Bretons.

Media
Sainte Genevieve has one state-sponsored broadcast network, RTSG, which operates two television channels and three radio channels. Three newspapers also circulate in the country: Sainte Genevieve Independent, Rossport Times and Dungannon Daily News.

International Relations
Sainte Genevieve is the only country to retain the title of Commonwealth after transitioning to a Republican form of government.

Relations with the European Union
The opportunity for Sainte Genevieve to enter the European Union has been presented to the people by referendum twice, and to the Parliament once. In 1982, the Parliament voted 44-5 to remain outside the EU (then called the European Community) due to Parliament's desire to remain outside Cold War politics. In 1995, after the collapse of the Iron Curtain, the people voted 74%-26% to halt Sainte Genevieve's accession process. Parliament agreed not to raise the issue again for at least five years. In 2002, accession was again blocked, though by a much more modest margin of 63%-37%. In more recent years, proponents of European integration have gained additional support amongst the population, though widespread euro-skepticism remains.

A 2007 poll conducted by RTSG news showed most Sainte Genevieve citizens oppose EU membership, much like its neighbors Iceland and Norway.

Relations with United Kingdom
Like most countries formerly under British rule, Sainte Genevieve enjoys warm relations with the United Kingdom. In 1954, just five years after having won independence, Sainte Genevieve President Thomas O'Riordan invited Queen Elizabeth II to visit Sainte Genevieve, though the newly-coronated Queen was forced to decline due to previous engagements. Relations between the two countries cooled due the election of Séan Donovan to the office of President in 1967. Donovan, a Sainte Genevieve-born Irishman, expressed sympathy toward Irish Republicans on numerous occasions during his political career. During his twelve years as President, Donovan strengthened the ties between Sainte Genevieve and Ireland, which many in the British Government took as an insult.

Since the mid-1980s, the United Kingdom and Sainte Genevieve have returned to a much more cordial relationship. Occasional disputes over sea-rights provoke political debate and sometime heated dialogue between Rossport and Westminster, however. Sainte Genevieve vehemently opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in which the UK played a major role.

Relations with United States
Though diplomatic relations between Sainte Genevieve and the United States have existed since 1950, the two countries are not particularly close. Winston Churchill's use of the term "special relationship" to describe Anglo-American relations sparked a great deal of criticism, and even parody among members of Sainte Genevieve's Parliament.

Ireland
As stated above, Sainte Genevieve and Ireland have consistently enjoyed a friendly relationship. In the 1840s and 1850s, during the Great Famine in Ireland, large numbers of Irish emigrated to Sainte Genevieve via Great Britain. Sainte Genevieve, which was still a sparsely-populated, agricultural colony at the time, benefited greatly from the influx in workers and families. The countries frequently participate in international exchanges, and the most popular destination for Sainte Genevieve's students studying in other countries is Ireland. In 1996, RTSG news used surveys and census data to estimate that 77% of the people in Sainte Genevieve had at least one Irish grandparent, and 58% had at least two.