Glitch (The Write Awards 2013 Winner)

A Brief History of Albion

Extract taken from: Aalis Dupont, ‘A Brief History of Albion; From England to Albion,’ University of Paris Periodical (3004) p. 5-8

On the tenth year anniversary of what was to be the downfall of Albion most have reached the unanimous consensus that England's decent into an insular and secretive dictatorship began with the economic downturn of the early 21st Century; nearly one hundred years ago. The ensuing result was a rapid decline of a society of relatively liberal ideals into an oppressive state reliant on fear for the upkeep of control.

It is impossible to deny the importance of economy in the building of Albion society. The first step on the road to dictatorship was the growth of hysteria surrounding the topic of immigration. Xenophobia and racism became veiled under concerns for saving money. Wildly exaggerated stories, perpetuated by the media, detailing instances of immigrants abusing the welfare system created an untruthful perception of foreign presence. By 2020 England, as a nation, ranked immigration as the greatest threat to economic recovery. This paranoia led to a growing atmosphere of racism with groups such as The English Defence League, The British National Party and The UK Independence Party receiving vast swathes of new membership.

Violent crimes against racial minorities assumed a frequent presence and racially motivated bullying from playgrounds to workplace was rife. In 2024 the coalition between UKIP and BNP deemed it necessary to release a raft of policies designed to alleviate the growing animosity towards any deviation from British culture amongst the public; beginning with the withdrawl from the EU. These policies culminated in the 2025 ban on all immigration into England. By 2026 all existing immigrants were deported. The final policy was issued a year later, 2027, banning all citizens who could not trace their family back to five generations born in the United Kingdom thus beginning a chaotic and logistically complex movement that transformed the landscape of racial diversity to what it had been in the early 19th Century. It is clear to see that the beginnings of Albion were deeply routed in xenophobia at its most extreme extent. The connection between economic downturn and the exacerbation of xenophobic fears has been explored in greater detail by Aureole. (A book that compliments the ideas expressed throughout the duration of this book.)

The first recorded discussion over the juxtaposition between the extreme patriotism and a name of Germanic origin was noted in 2026. (England coming from the Old English name Englaland, meaning "land of the Angles"; a Germanic tribe that settled during the Early Middle Ages.) Albion became the favoured name for the country as it is the oldest known name for the group of islands. The Celtic origin was deemed "more British," and by 2029 the country had officially changed name.

Isolation, created by the racist policies of the newly named Albion, provoked an increasing reliance on the Government as resources and political support began to dwindle from former allies. This opened up the eventual path to dictatorship. All that remained was to obliterate the final barriers of liberal thinking.

In the 2030’s Albion closed its doors to the rest of the world. The motive behind this is debated depending on whether one views the creation of Albion as an intentional course of action or the result of a continuous and unpredicted evolution of radicalism. The creation of autarky in Albion can be attributed to a reaction against the growing judgement from other influential countries or as a deliberate attempt to achieve greater control over the population.

Regardless of opinions towards why Albion became an autarky the results are clear. The limited resources of the island and the abruptness of the change plunged the population into extreme poverty. Famine and general hardship led to a high mortality rate and a depleted population allowing the Government even greater control. The surviving population were separated into townships in order to manage the distribution of rations. Around this time came the removal of the internet, mobile phones and all other communicative connections to the outside world. The arrival of these measures against communication in conjunction to the creation of townships lends itself to the view that Albion and its oppression was created with intention and not by accident.

As the 2030s loomed Albion began to permanently sever ties. Geography of the world was banned from the curriculum in 2029. In 2032 mere discussion of the outside world was banned. It is estimated that those born after 2042 would have had no knowledge of life outside the borders of Albion. Communication with the outside world did not resume until 2094 with the famed rebellion led by the 'Glitch' movement of which Alexa Stalacre, the fifth Prime Minister of restored England, was an influential member of.

Plunged into a repression of technology, society began to lapse into prejudice. Chapters on this book will delve into the different groups that became the focus of Albion's oppression. Chapter Four considers feminists who were viewed as "against nature," and began to be executed for voicing concern over the equality of gender. "New Wave Sexism" culminated in 2045 when women were once more declared property of their husbands and fathers and all investigations into domestic violence were ended. Attempts to estimate the number of women killed by husbands and fathers in the years of Albion’s reign have proved inconclusive. Chapter Five focuses on the LGTBQI community with particular attention towards how the inability of same-sex couples to reproduce led towards their depiction of 'criminals of the state' and eventual incarceration.

By 2050 Albion had firmly cemented its control. A repressive and often violent culture subdued its citizens into regressive ideals and values. The name, or perhaps names, of the key figures in the Government are to this day unknown. The secrecy of Albion continues into modern studies of the period. Albion remains a faceless Government despite the enlightenment of the previously ignorant population.

The culmination of this cruel, ignorant and despicable society came in the 2038 instigation of the countdown system. The most ambitious attempt at social engineering history has ever witnessed and the focus for the latter chapters of this book…