Alea Iacta Est

This document is still in draft, and is now published so that players can make comment. Details on it may change before I consider them finalised.

Since I planned part of this, some time ago, some of it has already gone out of date (A UK General election is likely before the latest it could possibly be, for example). The inevitable divergence from the real world has already started...

2008

Politics (USA): John Kerry (Democrat) narrowly beats Republican candidate Condoleezza Rice for the Presidency of the United States of America. Although his softer stance on foreign policy is popular for a while, his reaction to continued terror attacks is seen by many as lacking in conviction and the next four years see the gradual growth of nationalist paramilitary groups.
Media (UK): Analogue television transmitters in some regions are turned off, requiring all viewers to use a set-top box or a digital television.

2010

Politics (UK): General Election results in a hung parliament resolved by a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition.
Media (UK): A new protocol for digital televisions standardises the way in which viewers watch otherwise encrypted television channels. As the value of TV advertising falls, some of the major commercial channels find mixed success switching to a subscription or pay-per-view basis.

2011

Politics (UK): After concern about big business having undue influence over the elected government, The Integrity of Parliament Act tightens regulations for interaction between politicians and the private sector. The following months see several high-profile resignations and even a few criminal trials. Public opinion is that the corporatisation to be found in other countries has been averted, although something may soon have to be done to counter the economic growth of those nations.
Media (UK): The TV License is replaced by a subscription to watch the BBC channels. TV in itself is free, although there isn't much on.

2012

Politics (USA): Condoleezza Rice becomes the first woman (and the first African-American) President of the United States, denying President Kerry a second term. A number of state independence parties manage to put members in Congress and even one in the Senate; with a slight Democratic majority in each House the President makes a number of controversial deals in her first two years.
Media (UK): The last of the analogue television transmitters is turned off. Either by set-top box or native ability, televisions now receive around 60 terrestrial channels, around a quarter of them in High Definition.

2013

Politics (China): China's new President, Mao Li proposes a range of new measures to 'protect' the People's Republic from Western-style capitalism. Commentators in the West consider his policies at best a step back, at worst very dangerous, but he has the support of his government, outwardly at least.
Communications (UK): Some time behind schedule, the deployment of the new generation telephone network is finished. Broadband is now the default service on all telephone lines and the market in internet-ready home electronics peaks. The service itself just keeps getting faster.

2014

Politics (UK): General Election installs a Conservative government, although their majority is small.
Politics (International): The People's Republic of China claims that Siberia should be a Chinese territory, citing new-found archaeological evidence. It demands that Russia cede large areas of land from the Chinese border almost to the Arctic Circle, warning that it will otherwise consider the land unlawfully occupied. Russia refuses, and despite warnings from the UN, China commits a huge ground force to an invasion. UN Security Council talks prove inconsequential since both of the involved nations effectively have a veto.
Communications (UK): Fourth generation mobile telephone network goes live, offering always-on data connectivity of comparable speed to the first incarnation of ADSL. As WiFi networks grow, it becomes common for handsets to switch networks depending on cost and availability, and a new generation of wirelessly networked PDAs and mobile phones becomes cost-effective and reliable (for those in built-up areas).

2015

Politics (International): Meetings of the UN General Assembly fail to find a satisfactory solution to the Siberian Conflict. The UN continues to lobby for a diplomatic solution. NATO and various UN member nations heighten military readiness.
A British submarine gathering intelligence in the Pacific near the East China Sea is sunk by the Chinese navy. The PRC claims that it was a mistake and while their apology is a little half-hearted the UK accepts it; despite this the USA claims it an attack on a NATO member and uses it as justification to commit troops in support of the Russian Federation.

2016

Politics (USA): Some of the mid-western states speak out against the war, openly expressing disapproval for the President Rice and her administration. Demonstration and rioting is widespread during the run-up to the Presidential election; National Guard units in certain states refuses to help police riots. President Rice does not stand for a second term and a late replacement Republican is easily beaten by former diplomat James Mitchell. Tense negotiations begin between the Federal government and many of the states, with whispers of secession in the background.
Politics (International): The Siberian ground war continues. NATO members vote and agree to support the USA, causing many more nations to commit troops, generally without much popular support at home.

2017

Politics (International): With a large portion of Siberia under Chinese control, the People's Republic offers a ceasefire. The offer has undertones of a threatened nuclear strike, forcing an uneasy truce, although subtle troop reinforcements continue.
Politics (USA): Isolated outbreaks of anti-war rioting provide cover for renewed terrorist activity. Increases in government spending on security quickly filter down to the populace, with increased taxes and deficiencies in other public services. As foreign investors look elsewhere, the country slides into a deep recession.

2018

Politics (UK): General Election results in a hung parliament once more, this time leading to a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition government.
Politics (USA): The day after his Secret Service detail leaves, former President George W. Bush is shot and killed by a lone gunman at his home in Texas. The Department of Homeland Security is called on to repeal Public Law 103-329 and reinstitute lifetime protection for past Presidents.