[SolarCross]

I propose to found a society dedicated to renewing the fabulous but nearly defunct commonwealth for improving the prosperity and security of all its members. In the initial phase I see the society as mainly a think tank developing analysis and strategic praxis for the renewal of the commonwealth. Later it may organically develop into a significant civil society with the resources needed to do promotional work, development work, lobbying and even some security duties.

To be a member initially you should be:
- tangibly connected to any commonwealth country by ethnicity, citizenship or heritage.
- believe in the potential for the commonwealth to be an association of peoples working for the common good.

[fuser]

What's up this new hobby of yours apart from libertarianism? No one (well, almost anyway) is interested in this inane concept. I doubt you will be able to find 10 supporters for the concept to be able to form a private club.

[SolarCross]

What's up this new hobby of yours apart from libertarianism? No one (well, almost anyway) is interested in this inane concept. I doubt you will be able to find 10 supporters for the concept to be able to form a private club.

It will be more than a hobby, I hope. Maybe I won't find 10 people here but there is a big world out there, I'll be looking elsewhere for founding members anyway.

[Potemkin]

What's up this new hobby of yours apart from libertarianism? No one (well, almost anyway) is interested in this inane concept. I doubt you will be able to find 10 supporters for the concept to be able to form a private club.

Right-wing British people are always good for a laugh, fuser. Just sit back and enjoy the show....

[mikema63]

Really? To what possible end? All the commenwealth seems to be it the uk pretending it still has an empire.

[SolarCross]

Really? To what possible end? All the commenwealth seems to be it the uk pretending it still has an empire.

Since 1949 the commonwealth is a voluntary association of sovereign nations, politically it is very different to the empire. There are 53 members at present and there are 6 more nations applying to join. As to the ends there are many, but an increasingly important one is mutual defence against the emerging political hegemonies of the EU, USA, Russia and China. Many people around the world are potentially threatened by one or another of these great powers, the commonwealth could be a basis for a new non-aligned movement such as was founded by India's Jawaharlal Nehru for mutual defence against these hegemonies.

[fuser]

non-aligned movement still exists.

[Rei Murasame]

The question is, why should anyone in East Asia join a union headed up by the United Kingdom, when the UK is not committed to entering into defence agreements with those people, and actually would have political problems with many of the members?

For example, why should India not join the EAC which will arise out of ASEAN+3 and the East Asia Summit, and instead put all of its hopes into the British Commonwealth?

And why would capitalists in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, even want to allow that? And why would the European Union allow it? It would be economic warfare, wouldn't it?

[SolarCross]

Some documents with which prospective members should familiarise themselves.

Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles - 1971

The Charter of the Commonwealth

[SolarCross]

Rei - The commonwealth is a voluntary association, if a member wants to leave they can any time they like, so what's the problem? Pakistan left because the commonwealth recognised the independance of Bangladesh, then later they got over it and came back. South Africa left because other commonwealth members were giving them the cold shoulder because of apartheid, when they gave up on aparthied they came back.

If India joins the EAC there is no problem for the commonwealth, is there?

The idea of freetrade is somewhat part of the commonwealth idea so i don't know what kind of capitalist could object to a renewed commonwealth. So who exactly would be starting an economic war? It won't be the commonwealth.

[KlassWar]

What's up this new hobby of yours apart from libertarianism?

Apparently UKIP isolationists want to revive the British Empire.

If India joins the EAC there is no problem for the commonwealth, is there?

It would be a problem pretty damn fast if the Commonwealth were to become an actual trading bloc with a customs union because any Commonwealth countries also aligned with other trading blocs would act as a gateway for all those external trading blocs. It would also brutally incentivize every commonwealth country to enter trade deals with as many foreign trade blocs as possible in order to profit from being the gateway to the commonwealth market. Political/security integration between Commonwealth countries is also a complete nonstarter because they're often part of different security blocs.

And that's in a nutshell why the Commonwealth can only be decorative and can't be fashioned into something useful.

[KlassWar]

(doublepost, nuke)