Scotland (1983: Doomsday)

History
Doomsday

Scotland was spared the nuclear ravages of it's neighbour to the south, England. Only two major nuclear strikes occur, one 200 KT device in Glasgow, which hit to the west of the city and spared the majority of the populace and one 200KT device to the capital city of Edinburgh this impacted in the general area of Leith Docks and caused a massive firestorm that swept the city over the next two days renedering it totally unihabitable.

The majority of UK military bases in Scotland got hit with tactical nuclear weapons with a yeild of 5-15 KT

Navel bases
 * HMNB Clyde (HMS Neptune), Argyll and Bute
 * Rosyth Dockyard (HMS Caledonia), Fife
 * DM Beith, Beith, North Ayrshire
 * HMS Gannet, Prestwick, South Ayrshire
 * RM Condor formerly HMS Condor, Arbroath, Angus

Royal Air Force bases
 * RAF Kinloss, Moray Firth
 * RAF Lossiemouth, Moray Firth
 * RAF Leuchars, Fife
 * RAF Buchan, Petershead, Aberdeen
 * RAF Benbecula, Benbecula, Western Isles
 * RAF Prestwick, Ayrshire

Due to the destruction of all governmental, military and police organisation the country quickly fell in chaos, to the west and south the former Republic of Ireland began developing the Celtic Alliance taking in the former north of Scotland and the Western Isles, however to the south of Glasgow the land remained chaotic.

Scottish Municipal Alliance
After the devastation of Doomsday, a few Scottish towns banded together to provide for one another. As the alliance developed in Peebles it became increasingly powerful and grew to dominate the surrounding towns. They built an armed forces and set about expanding.

When they discovered the town of Lockerbie in 1986, it was absorbed. However this was the alliances downfall. Lockerbie, though it had a large population, had descended into anarchy. Eventually a government was set up that only kept the city civil by uniting it with preaching against the Communist terror. After Lockerbie's annexation this hatred spread throughout the Alliance causing conflict and death. Lynchings of those with Communist sympathies became widespread and these were only put down with military force. Eventually the Alliance fell, torn apart by violence in late 1989.

Scottish Republic
The Republic was born in Peebles out of anti-Communist sympathisers. They crushed the former Alliance and bought it to heel. It then became extremely isolationist and when a Celtic ship caught in a storm docked in one of their ports the Celts were quickly ejected. Anti-Celtish sentiment spread through the population. Communists and Celt sympathisers were chucked out of the country or put into camps. The country was however still democratic and tended to have coalition governments. In the fevered political climate the New Party was born. Vehemently Anti-Celt and Anti-Communist, they struck a chord with the population. In a general election they got a majority and set about purging Celtic influence from their culture. So much money was put into this that the economy collapsed. The Scottish Republic suffered a civil war between two factions which began in 1995.

Scottish Republic and Kingdom of Scotland
A Royalist-Republican Civil War broke out, the New Party swiftly forgotten.


 * The Scottish Republic was a democratic nation that still pandered to the ideology of the former English Parliment, which did not make it popular with the Scottish independents.


 * The Kingdom of Scotland was an interim state for when the monarchy was restored, Under King James VIII (although his last name was Stuart he had no links to the Royal house of Stuart) and as well as the old ideology of Monarchy it was also highly anti-republican.

These two nation duked it out into the late 1990's and the war only came to an end with the assent of a third nation.

After the collapse of the Kingdom of Scotland, King James VIII fled east into the Scottish wilds near the current Northumbria border, nothing has been heard of him since the winter of 2007, he is assumed dead.

Scottish New State
The Scottish New State was anti-democracy, anti-republican, anti-monarchy, anti-Celt and anti-Communist. The nation was born out of a neutral zone to the North of the two battling sides. The neutral zone was home to vast prison camps where prisoners of war were stored. The remnants of the New Party had a stronghold here and began drawing escaped prisoners to them, using small aircraft to bombard prison camps with propaganda.

In 2003, the Great Rebellion began. The prison camps revolted and the Scottish New State was established in the Neutral Zone in 2005. They now had access to a hardy, tough, experienced and large army. In two years the two other states were brought to heel and the age of Scottish fascism had begun.

The leader at the time of the rebellion was Donald James Abbot who took power with the title of Chairman, however he died of a suspected heart attack at the base of operations in Pebbles in 2008 (rumours soon spread among the population that he had been assasinated) he was succeded by his deputy Stuart Michael Macintire.

The Fascist State

The New State government was not interested in the diplomatic overtures of the Celts. They once again kicked out Celtic traders and Celt sympathisers. They then went on to 'encourage' minority ethnic groups to leave. Many went south to Cleveland, Northumbria or Rheged or west to the Celtic Alliance in Stranraer.

In mid 2007 the police and military were officially merged and a culture of observation grew. To increase revenues, the Guilds were set up and each was to control a certain aspect of the economy. Over time these Guilds came to dominate Scottish politics.

Ur Alba
The New Scottish State changed its name on January 1st 2011 to Ur Alba (or New Scotland) it is thought hat the name change was implemented to bring the old Scottish language back into general use, it is now the official language of the country, and also to try an distance itself from the old administration of the former Chairman Donald Abbot who was thought to be too controlling and was trying to turn Scotland into an almost Fascist state.

The Guilds of Scotland
The Guilds of Scotland were set up in 2007 by the former Chairman Donald Abbot, these guilds regestered every craftsman and placed them into a specific guild, if a craftsman are not registered they cannot legally work in the Scottish New State.

To become a member you must be born in the area covered by the former country of Scotland (including the Celtic Alliance controlled north) or must be of Scottish decent (have three previous generations born in Scotland)

Originally founded as a version of the trade union movement they have now turned into a more cartel (some say almost mafia type) based system.

There are many Guilds in Scotland these include:


 * Merchants Guild.
 * United Farmers Guilds (including the Wheat Guild, Barley Guild and Oat Guild).
 * Carpenters Guild.
 * Stonemason and Brickmakers Guild.
 * Armourers Guild.
 * Foresters Guild
 * Fishermans Guild
 * Irrigation Guild
 * Linen Guild
 * Wool Guild

Discovery
The Scottish New State had been known to the Celtic Alliance for years. They had kicked out all Celtic traders in one of their many revolutions. Contact with the South only came after the Celtic Alliance opened relations with Cleveland. After that, more and more nations were discovered. They swiftly realised they could not survive isolated.

They were not interested in the overtures of the Celtic Alliance, fearing their ultimate annexation. However, to the south was a variety of smaller states, equally disinterested in the influence of the Celts. In recent years, the New State has toned down some of their more vehement policies which they had pursued such as 'elimination' of immigrants and those of impure heritage. They have done this in an attempt to win favour with their cousins to the north and south.

Transition to Democracy
Under pressure from its neighbours to the South, Chairman Stuart Macintire announced a series of changes to the the New State. First of all the Chairman must stand for election every five years by the Chamber who can veto any of the Chairmans decisions by a simple majority. A democratic vote for members of the Chamber is to be introduced, but the vote has certain privileges attached and recognises the Guilds as the power in Scotland.

Government
The Scottish New State is run by the Chamber. With the leader of the Chamber being the Chairman.. The Chamber is made up of representatives elected from each Province of the Scottish New State.

The Chamber
There are currently 20 representatives in the Chamber (known as members of the Chamber or MC), each is elected from his or her province every five years by a simple majority vote. In practice many provinces are more corrupt than others, many only having one person to vote for. To become a member of the Chamber the people must be twenty years old, a member of a Guild of Scotland and be of Scottish decent.

Electoral reforms
On the 1st of December 2010 the general election countrywide elected 17 members of the new Chamber. With two from each former province (each province was divided into two parts)

Names of their current representatives and guilds are are:

Although the names of the Scottish New State are the roughly the same as the former constituancies of Scotland they do not cover the same area. Many such as Livingston and Midlothian only cover a tiny part of their former range.
 * East Lockerbie - Mary Johnstone : Wheat Guild
 * West Lockerbie - John Phillips : Brickmakers Guild
 * East Dumfries - Cameron MacDonald : Barley Guild
 * West Dumfries - Maria MacDonald : Barley Guild
 * Tweeddale - Sarah Maxwell : Farmers Guild
 * Peebles - Anna MacPhearson : Wool Guild
 * East Clydesdale - Callum MacDuff : Foresters Guild
 * West Clydesdale - Angus Monroe : Miners Guild
 * East Roxburgh - Stuart Macintire (Also the current Chairman) : Armourers Guild
 * West Roxburgh - Andrew Lewis : Stonemasons Guild
 * East Midlothian - John Sutherland : Linen Guild
 * West Midlothian - Alistair Drummond : Foresters Guild
 * East Carrick - Gavin Buchanan : Miners Guild
 * West Carrick - Neil Cambell : Irrigation Guild
 * East Livingston - James Stewart - Deputy Chairman : Merchents Guild
 * West Livingston - Alison Ferguson : Carpenters Guild
 * North Ayrshire - Kyle Mackay : Fishermans Guild
 * South Ayrshire - Arlean Frazer : Linen Guild
 * East Kirkcudbrightshire - Malcolm MacKinnon : Fishermans Guild
 * West Kirkcudbrightshire - Fiona Fletcher :  Oat Guild

The Chamber meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Venlaw Castle on the outskirts of Peebles.

The Chairman
The Chairman is voted in every five years, they are voted in by the 20 members of the Chamber, from the 20 members of the Chamber. The Chairman rules a virtual dictator however in recent years the ultimate power of the Chairman have been reduced. These recent changes to the system do not turn Scotland into a democracy but instead place power in the hands of the Guilds, especially the Armorers and Merchents Guilds.

There have been two Chairmen of the Scottish New State

Donald Abbot was originally the leader of the New Party at the time of the civil war between the Scottish Republic and the Kingdom of Scotland he was also the leader at the time of the Great Rebellion in 2003, extremly hardline against anyone not of Scottish decent. Many people thought he was a borderline fascist, although very few voiced these fears, and those who did 'vanished' shortly after. Donald Abbot died in Peebles of a suspected heart attack in 2008, rumors began almost immediatly that he had been assasinated.
 * Donald Abbot - 2005 to 2008

Stuart Macintire had been the Deputy Chairman when Donald Abbot died, he was at home on the outskirts of Peebles when he died so any suspision of involvement in the death of the Chairman was not voiced.
 * Stuart Macintire - 2008 to present.

Since coming to power in 2008 Chairman Macintire has introduced many new laws and has begun to make the Scottish New State a more democratic country. He is known for his more moderate attitude to non-Scots. Many citizens in the Ur Alba believe him to be the best leader for the times. In 2011, under the leadership of Chairman Macintire, the Scottish New State changed its name to Ur Alba in another step away from the Fascist regime of the former Chairman Abbot

The next election of the Chairman is due in 2012.

Military of Ur Alba
The military of the Ur Alba is disproportionately large, the army numbers over 18,000 (with a civilian population of approx 42,000). A political refugee who made her way to the Celtic Alliance called it 'The Prussia of the 21st century, an army with a country'. Though primitive, armed mostly with crude firearms built in workshops, their numbers are enough to present a real threat. The Ur Alba is seperated into seperate divisions these being


 * 5 divisions of Light Cavelary consisting of 100 men each
 * 5 divisions of Heavy Cavelary constisting of 100 men each
 * 25 divisions of General Infantry constisting of 500 men each
 * 10 divisions of Special Service Infantry consisting of 500 men each

After the taking of the town of Ayr in September 2010, Ur Alba now had access to a port town on the Irish Sea and began developing a new Navy, mainly consisting of small converted trawlers. Plans are also underway for a North Sea fleet based in North Berwick.

The new Scottish Navy has plans to build, or buy from other nations, new specialist vessels for its new fleet.

2010-11 Offensive
In late May and early June 2010 reports being filtering through to the authorities in the town of Stranraer in the Celtic Alliance of a large number of military units gathering in the western part of the New Scottish State.

On the 22nd August 2010, under the flag of the New Scottish State approximatly 3000 men cross the border of the former A74 heading into the sparcely occupied unclaimed land west of the New Scottish State, they took the small southern town of Dumfries within 3 days due to their massive numerical advantage.

With a small occuping force holding the town, the main battleforce moved westwards reaching Dalbeattie by the 1st of September, although the town held out for over two days it too was taken by the 4th of September. Due to the town holding out many major building in the town were burned by the occuping forces. Here the forces held for over a week before moving again west and north, during this week the Celtic Alliance moved 1500 troups from the Isle of Man to the Stranraer area expecting the New Scottish State to try and take the town from the Celts.

However instead of heading further west and confronting the Celts, the battleforce turned north and began travelling up the former A713 heading for the coastal town of Ayr. The leaders of the town of Ayr, after being warned by the Celts of the oncoming battleforce, surrendered without a shot being fired on the 20th of September.

By late September the military of the New Scottish State had set up a fronter along the former A713 and A762. This involved setting up watchtowers every mile on the west side of the roadway and clearing one lane of the road to assist transportation of materials.

By the 7th of October a pallisade had begun to be built along the west side of the old roadway, made of split trees from the Galloway forest. The pallisade is 8-10 foot tall with a ditch 6 foot deep and 4 foot wide in front of the pallisade. Gateways have been set up every 10 miles for access to the celtic side of the new frontier. The pallisade was completed in mid November 2010.

It has been nicknamed by the Celts The Macintire Wall.

On the 28th September 2010 Chainman Macintire declares to the Chamber that the unclaimed lands to the west of the New Scottish State are under Scottish control.

Information from the newly occupied Scottish lands are sketchy as best, however it is known that many non-Scots and opposition forces members are being rounded up and put into camps around the small town of Glenlee.

It is estimated that the 2010 offensive nearly doubled the land area of the New Scottish State, however due to the extreamly sparce population of the area the numbers of people now under Scottish control in the occupied land is only about 1700 people.

On the 1st of October, in a major move, the Chairman of the New Scottish State contacts the Celtic Alliance government via the leaders of the town of Stranraer. Over longwave radio he discusses the camps set up near Glenlee, and he asks that a ship is sent by the Celtic Alliance to Kirkcudbright Bay and that the New Scottish State will transport all non-Scots to the ship for removal from the area as he claims Scotland is for the Scots only.

Knowing the history of Scotlands treatment of non-Scots the Celts agree and the ship is due to arrive on the 3rd of October.

Early on the Morning of October 3rd 2010 the Celtic Alliance ship Hibernia enters Kirkcudbright Bay, two small fishing boat aproach the ship, once alongside a contingent of New Scottish State army personnel board the ship and search it, making sure that there are no military personnel aboard.

Captain Adams of Hibernia meets with the leader of boarding party and discuss how many persons he will be expecting, Captain Adams is surprised to find out there are 572 people ashore and the Scots are expecting them to board in one day. Through the rain and mist, and across the bay, he see's several fishing boats making their way to the ship. People begin boarding shortly after 9am and continue loading until all 572 people are aboard. New Scottish State troops leave the ship at 6pm. Hibernia leaves Kirkcudbright Bay just after sunset on the 3rd of October.

12th December 2010

In recently declassified documents it has emerged that during the summer of 2010 a division of 500 Scottish infantrymen made an excursion to the east of the New Scottish State, in late August the team entered the destroyed city of Edinburgh.

Radiation levels within the city itself are discovered to be relativly low due the nuclear blast occuring over the nearby port town of Leith (and the fact that the wind was offshore at the time of the blast). The majority of the old town appeared to have burned shortly after the nuclear detonation and then collapsed over the following 25+ years, the New Town district of the city however appeared to have been heavily damaged in the blast and then also burned. In the following years the city has become almost totally overgrown with vegatation.

While exploring the city the soldiers were surprised to find an apparently working railway line running through the city and heading in the directions of the Northumbrian town of Berwick Upon Tweed and Glasgow in the Celtic Alliance, it is unknown who has rebuilt the line.

The Scottish soldiers entered the partially burned remains of Edinburgh Castle and found that the main Castle was almost intact, on entering the crown room they discovered the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish crown jewels) intact and still in their display cases. 100 men are left at the Castle to rebuild it as a garrison, guard the Honours and to continue to explore the destroyed city to try and salvage anything they can.

The remaining 400 men move along the east coast as far as the port of North Berwick, they leave a small contingent of 50 men to make the case to the locals for the New Scottish States expected take over of the area in the summer of 2011. the remaining men returned to the New Scottish State, throughout the exploration of the area they find small farming and fishing settlements and individual farmsteads but no major towns or any sign of major organisation.

It is expected that in the spring thaws that the New Scottish State will take over the majority of the area explored during the summer.

17th December 2010

Celtic Alliance troops doing their final patrol before retreating to Stranraer for the worse of the winter weather. Near the abandoned town of Newton Stewart they discover that some of the buildings have been repaired and inhabited however no people are discovered, notes are made to revisit the area in the spring.

Unknown to Celtic Alliance troops they did not realise is that the town has been re-inhabited by the 2nd Scots infantry Brigade (about 150 men) of the New Scottish army, they are using it as a unofficial border crossing point between the Scottish State and the Celtic Alliance on the former A75.

News
Proclamations of the Chairman

Terrorism in Scotland

Diplomatic links with Rheged

On the 18th November 2010 several representatives approch the Procurators office of Rheged to begin negotiations for the formal declaration of an offical border between Rheged and the New Scottish State as well as developing trade routes into Rheged, this has been carefully welcomed by Rheged.

Initial reports are that the New Scottish State would like a de-militarised zone running along the old Scotland/England border with 5 miles either side of the border evacuated of civilians into their respective countries and a offical border crossing set up on the old M6 at the town of Gretna (all other crossing points will be closed).

Diplomatic movements towards Northumbria

After initial good relations with Rheged the New Scottish State approached Northumbria in late November 2010 with a similar proposal as Rheged for a border with the New Scottish State sometime in the new year.

As currently the border between the two countries have a large distance between them and the diplomatic approach seems to signify that the New Scottish State is planning to move in to the areas it officially claimed earlier in the year to have a more hands-on manangement of the area.

Despite the diplomatic moves, Scottish informants have noticed that several hundred Northumbria infantry soldiers have moved into defendable positions along the current Northumbrian border.

February 2011 - the Witain of Northumbria has been informed that Ur Alba troops have set up a base of operations in the border town of Coldstream, they are expected to open the border crossing by late February and it is hoped that it will be jointly run by Northumbria/Ur Alba troops.

20th December 2010

In a move that has angered the Chairman and government of the New Scottish State, the Celtic Alliance has relesed the members of the 'Freedom for Scotland' movement they had in custody without charge. Despite the diplomatic links that have built up recently between the two nations, the Celtic Alliance refused to allow the 'Freedom of Scotland' movement members to be extraditied back to the New Scottish State for trial on terrorism and mass murder charges.

The reason the government of the Celtic Alliance gave for the non-extradition was the treatment and later execution of the other members of the 'Freedom for Scotland' movement that the Scottish government had captured.

29th January 2011
Johnathan MacDonald, leader of the Ur Alba military announces that the 15 divisions of General Infantry, 2 divisions of Light Cavelry, 2 division of Heavy Cavelry and 2 divisions of Special Service Infantry (total of 3900 men) have taken control of the towns of Selkirk, Jedburgh, Kelso and Hawick to the east of Peebles ahead of the scheduled May invasion. They plan to consolidate their positions before moving east to the coastline. The taking of these towns were considered to be peaceful as there were no shot fired by either side, however this was mainly due to the fact that the populations of the towns were small and were in the middle of an influenza outbreak.

The Northumbrian Witain has been informed that Ur Alba army personnel will be arriving in Coldstream in early to mid Feburary to set up a border crossing with Nortumbria

He has also informed the Celtic Alliance that he will expand Ur Alba from the current boundry of the A713, or 'The Macintire wall', further west to the A714 taking in the Galloway Forest in early 2011. A border crossing has already been set up in Newton Stewart and Girvan.

A new border structure is being built, it has already been nicknamed 'The MacDonald wall'.

10th February 2011
The Northumbrian Witain has been informed that on the 9th of February Ur Alba troops began arriving in the border town of Coldstream. It is expected that the border will be guarded by Scottish troops from the 11th.

It has also been announced that the Ur Alba military has also occupied the towns of North Berwick (where a small contingent of Ur Alba troops had stayed overwinter), Dunbar, Eyemouth, and Haddington giving Ur Alba a coastal access to the North Sea.

13th February 2011
The Chamberhouse has announced that the newly occupied lands to the east and west will have representation from January 2012, it has been divided up into new provinces these being:

East
 * North Selkirkshire
 * South Selkirkshire
 * East Lothian
 * East Berwickshire
 * West Berwickshire

West
 * Wigtownshire

In addition to these new provinces, the existing provinces of Midlothian and Livingston will be expanded back to cover the same area as pre-DD.

18th February 2011
1000 men from the Ur Alba army have marched up the ruined Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle, releving the troops that stayed there over winter, many buildings around the castle have been demolished to make the Castle more defendable, the ruins of the former city will be slowly demolished to make way for new buildings, however any buildings of historical or military value will be rebuilt. The new town district of Edinburgh will be flattened and let to grow over due to the mild radioactivity in that area.

Buildings that will be rebuilt
 * Edinburgh Castle
 * St Giles's Cathedral
 * Royal Scottish Academy to be renamed Ur Alba Academy
 * The Scott Monument
 * Bank of Scotland Building to be renamed Bank of Ur Alba
 * Paliment House, possible relocation of the Chamberhouse if as expected Edinburgh becomes the Capital of Ur Alba
 * The city walls will be rebuilt from materials from demolished buildings

9th March 2011
In order to make the Government of Ur Alba more democratic and in order to distance themselves from the former New Scottish state the Chairman Macintire announces that when his term is up in 2013 that a free and full general election will take place to find his successor from the members of the Chamber.

He also adds that from 2015 a general election will take place for the members of the Chamberhouse, each house will last five year maximum, each member will still have to be Scottish by birth and be a member of a guild.

14th March 2011
After the vote on Rheged to join the Kingdom of Northumbria the entire southern border of Ur Alba is now with the Kingdom of Northumbria, the border at Gretna will be manned with both Ur Alba and by the 1st of May by Northumbrian troops.

'Freedom for Scotland' movement
Although details of the 'Freedom for Scotland' movement are sketchy some are becoming clearer.

The Celtic Alliance has questioned the three members of the 'Freedom for Scotland' movement that claimed asylum in the Alliance shortly after the terroist explosions in central Peebles on the 5th of November 2010.

From the three members currently in Celtic Alliance custody several details have come to light

There are approximatly 50 members of the movement currently in the New Scottish State, the movement is calling for:


 * Free and fair elections for all the positions in the Chamber.
 * A general election for the position of Chairman every three years.
 * A reduction of the powers of all the Guilds of Scotland.
 * Removal of the death penalty.
 * Removal of rules against non-Scots working, trading and living in the territory of the New Scottish State.

They state that they will continue to attack military and governmental organisations and instillations until their demands are met.

The leaders of the movement have taken the names of the failed 1605 Gunpowder plotters as code names, they are:


 * Guido (or Guy) Fawkes - who sent the message to the Dublin newspaper.
 * Sir Robert Catesby
 * John Wright - real name John MacDougal, executed 27th November 2010.
 * Thomas Wintour
 * Thomas Percy - real name Michael Phillips, relesed from CA hands 20th December 2010
 * Robert Keyes
 * Thomas Bates
 * Robert Wintour
 * Christopher Wright - real name Michael Wood, executed 27th Novemember 2010.
 * John Grant - real name Paul Weir, relesed from CAs hand 20th December 2010
 * Sir Ambrose Rookwood
 * Sir Everard Digby
 * Francis Tresham - real name Phillip Johnstone, executed 27th November 2010.

On November 6th 2010 Chairman Macintire declares the 'Freedom for Scotland' movement an illegal terrorist group and says that any person being a member of the group or assiting the group will be arrested and held indefinately on charges of treason against the state

Economy
The economy was quite weak but is starting to build as are most economies in the former UK. Like most states, the economy is mostly agricultural, though a thriving arms trade keeps the industrial side afloat. After the discovery of countries like East Britain, which have a very weak and ill-armed military, the Ur Alba had found a whole new market for their armaments. The economy is mostly nationalised, but in the hands of the Guilds, each of which controls an aspect of the economy e.g the Guild of Wheat who controls wheat production.

Law and Order
Scotland is run very like a police state. The police are often accused of arbitrary and often unneccesary violence but are mostly acquitted as they are tried by a jury of police officers.

However the tyranny is not the worst it could be. In recent history there have been no stories of people disappearing during the night as was common in the early years of the Scottish New State.

There are however powerful deterrents, punishments like public flogging, hanging by the wrists, the stocks, and the death penalty. The death penalty is rarely used since the population is low enough that the government doesn't want to kill their populace, however in extreame curcumstances it has been used, most infamously for the execution of the 'Freedom for Scotland' movement members captured after the destruction of the Chamberhouse in November 2010.

Since the death of the former Chairman Donald Abbot, the more barbaric punishments such as public flogging and hanging by the wrists have reduced drastically, however the use of the stocks have begun to become more used as they have been found to be a more useful deterent as they do not actually harm the prisoner so they can work immediatley after their punishment.