No longer a forum herald
I'd like to see something like this work, although looking up the town's population trend (going down) tells me they don't have a chance.
However, if Follow the Leader kicks in...
Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)
^ If Follow the Leader kicks in all I have to say is...
Italy, welcome to 1859.
^ Given the size of Filettino, it would probably be more accurate to say the 14th century.
Maybe we can get Germany to balkanize and bring back the Holy Roman Empire.
edited 4th Sep '11 11:25:46 AM by Pentadragon
I'm declaring my bedroom to be a sovereign nation. Hoperia.
Sounds stupid, right? Yeah, because Hoperia's economy, trade, and transport would collapse without help from my parents, let alone Britain.
Space Wizard
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
So if your bedroom is your state territory, what do you declare the capital? Also, have you already made arrangements to join the United Nations?
edited 4th Sep '11 11:31:30 AM by Lock
Programming and surgery have a lot of things in common: Don't start removing colons until you know what you're doing.
No longer a forum herald
His capital is the bathroom, so he can rule while sitting upon his ivory throne. 
Back on subject, if the town is rural as it seems, it may have enough farmland to be self-sufficient. There's a lot of farmland in central Italy, if I remember my history (thanks to a certain dictator), so it could work that way.
edited 4th Sep '11 11:40:36 AM by TotemicHero
Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)
@ Lock. Well, the Republic of Hoperia's capital is "Bedford". i.e. the bed. I don't have an en-suite bathroom.
The UN will have to send peacekeeping forces as my nation is constantly invaded by my mother.
^ Declare war and conquer the Nation of Mother!
Declare war? On Mother?!
No way. They have the ability to cut off food aid, communcations via disabling internet, and restrict movement of my citizen!
KVLFON
Is this that one city that by some oversight was omitted from the Italian unification treaties? Or some other?
"Atheism is the religion whose followers are easiest to troll"
I changed accounts.
It never ceases to astound me how the people who are always in the absolute worst position to do so love to declare independence from a much larger and more powerful entity...
I am now known as Flyboy.
Pretty much my point with the whole "making my bedroom a nation-state".
Hoperia's economy would collapse as there is no defined trading standards, nor anything to trade.
Unless Britain will give me chocolate for a couple of t-shirts.
I changed accounts.
Well, you could always go looking for a deserted World War Two naval fort off the coast of Britain...
I am now known as Flyboy.
Decemberist
Thinks about invading Hoperia.
edited 4th Sep '11 2:44:51 PM by whaleofyournightmare
Dutch Lesbian
@ USAF. Hoperia has no defined transit network. The nation has to rely on an inefficient vehicular service known as "Dad's Car".
Oh yeah? Well, Hoperia has a standing army made of 100% of the population! They are heavily armed with the best weapons ever to grace the nation! A cricket bat.
edited 4th Sep '11 2:48:39 PM by Inhopelessguy
Decemberist
A cricket bat? Really? I am from the North remember, I've been hit by lead pipes.
However, bad idea is bad for this town. Its not like the time before Garibaldi.
Dutch Lesbian
... and Hoperia is the smallest nation in the world. The international backlash would be huge, as you represent the 'interests' of Britain.
But anyway, my point is that the town will collapse immediately. It's better to merge than to isolate and die.
I changed accounts.
![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
Oh, what a brilliant military you have, hopey! Because melee weapons will naturally hold up in the modern age of assault rifles.
Really, does this town have anything going for it? Or is it just that Italy sucks (again)?
I am now known as Flyboy.
But I have international law on my side. If Whale was to attack Hoperia, he would also be representing the 'interests' of his nation, i.e. Britain. This would cause a huge international backlash - after all, Hoperia is a poor and harmless nation.
Well... it might not seem like much... But they are coming closer and closer to openning a Pandora box in Italy.
Some people in the North might be thinking "Lets do it too" and before you know it the Vatican controls 30% of Rome (Ok maybe there is no hope for the papal states but u get the idea).
edited 4th Sep '11 3:01:06 PM by Baff
I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.
Does that guy know that San Marino's defense is handled by Italy? Basically, if Filetinno retains 'independence' they'll still have to depend on Italy for some things. Because they're too small to survive in today's world without help from a larger entity with more resources.
In any case, it just seems like they're mad they're being merged with another neighborhood without any input on their part. Doing something crazy like declaring independence has clearly brought the issue a lot of attention. Maybe they're hoping to get a better negotiating ground or something?
the problem is Filettino only managed to gain tourist because Uniqueness value
if other town declare independence, its not Unique anymore.
when every independent town realize they also must pay administrative cost and implement austerity, they will rejoin Italy.
To be fair, I cant blame em for it, though. Nobody in their right mind thinks austerity measures ever end well.
Maybe Italy will pull a China and dissolve into many, many Kingdoms constantly warring on each other.
I give up trying to understand the geopolitics of 2011.
The authorities in Filettino, 100km (70 miles) east of Rome, are protesting against austerity measures.
It has only 550 inhabitants and under new rules aimed at cutting local administration costs it will be forced to merge with neighbouring Trevi.
Town mayor Luca Sellari, who stands to lose his job because of the eurozone crisis, came up with the idea.
He created his own currency, called the Fiorito. Banknotes have his head on the back, and they are already being used in local shops and being bought as souvenirs by tourists who have started to throng the normally quiet streets.
The mayor says there is enormous enthusiasm about declaring the independence of the new principality.
There has been such an outcry by small towns across Italy at the government move to abolish local councils and merge them with larger towns that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition may be forced to backtrack.
In the meantime the new Principality of Filettino - complete with coat of arms and website - is suddenly enjoying international fame.
TV stations from as far afield as Russia have been running news features about Filettino.
After all, the mayor says, Italy was once made up of dozens of principalities and dukedoms. As he says, the landlocked republic of San Marino still manages to survive, so why not Filettino?
They've even invited Emanuel Filiberto
to be their ruler.
edited 4th Sep '11 11:08:23 AM by Pentadragon