The Anglosphere Hanse
Taking a break from the Tory party blues to discuss the Anglosphere
Over at Anglosphere
Union Now! they have a fully worked out
constitution
for a United Commonwealth. This would be a federal union
for the commonwealth, which the British monarch would actually have
more power over than she does now over the UK, and all Anglosphere Nations
are joined in a mutual harmony. It’s a fun fantasy.
Slightly unrealistic aspects include:
- Transfer of nuclear weapons to the U.C.
- Power to raise taxes and armed forces.
- Monarchical vetos over legislation, which can only be overridden
by referenda.
I’m an anglosphere nut, but even I wouldn’t go along with this.
The
Anglosphere Challenge
Hanseatic League, a loose federation of medieval city-states in
Germany and the Baltics. This federation eventually failed when it
came into contact with the first prototypes of the nation state.
An updated Hanse, with modern nation states as members, is
a far more viable model for a united Anglosphere than an attempt to
replicate the failed European Union model or even the successful
United States. The EU failed because of a lack of a common demos. So
would a federal Anglosphere Union.
So I’m going to try to put together a competing Anglosphere
Constitution - as another fun fantasy. It will be based around the
ideas of:
- Variable geometry - the institutions of the Union will be
coalitions of the willing, not just on defence but also trade and any
other matters. - No obligations - the Union will impose no obligations on it’s
members, beyond administrative contributions. - No joint responsibility - no member of the Union will have to
accept responsibility over the actions of another. - It should be a network rather than a heirarchy. Or rather, it
should be a set of multiple networks. Its place of business will be a
forum rather than a legislature.
Stephen Gordon said:
Mar 27, 06 at 8:57 pmDaniel:
Sorry to leave this as a comment. I couldn’t find your email.
This Sunday night we, the bloggers of The Speculist, are interviewing James C. Bennett for our Fast Forward Radio podcast. As you are no doubt aware, Mr. Bennett is the author of The Anglosphere Challenge: Why the English-Speaking Nations will Lead the way in the Twenty-First Century.
Because the Anglosphere meme has penetrated deep into the blogosphere, I thought we should attempt to gather questions, comments, or even criticisms from bloggers who have written on the subject.
Written questions or comments are appreciated, but I’d prefer to add your actual voice to the show. So, if you have any questions or comments I’d really appreciate you calling in. Our number is:
(318) 775-0127
Or you could avoid long distance charges and skype to that same number:
http://www.blog.speculist.com/archives/000700.html
Please include your name/alias and the name of your blog in your audio comment. This phone number will usually be answered by a machine - no live body most of the time. If you’d like to do more than leave a message - actually chat with me about the Angloshere Challenge, please write me with a time you’d like to call.
Thank you.