The Commonwealth

Is it still relevant in this day and age? Yes the Commonwealth nations represent some 2 billion people on this planet and 54 nations (3 of those are nuclear powers) but does that make it relevant

We could make it relevant by relaxing trade and labour restrictions. Or we could use it as a tool to promote high economic standing in all member nations and help one another out. It's not relevant in a military scenario is all.

I don't have an indepth understanding, but as far as I know it's not particularly relevent, when compared to other organisations.

However, I believe there are benefits to being part of it? So I don't think it should be dissolved or anything like that. I think it's fine just chugging along as it is.

Well the Monarchy still exists, so it'd be rather awkward not to have the Commonwealth yet still have the monarchy. Besides, if UK doesn't want to be fully absorbed into the EU, it might as well be part of more economic unions rather than less.

The glory is Mozambique, they were part of the Portugese Empire, but when the Commonwealth rules were written, they went on and on about Parliamentary Democracy and forgot to mention you gotta be ex British Empire, so Mozambique qualified and joined.

I'd think it's exactly as relevant as the people under it think it is.

I think breadloaf's idea of having it as an economic alliance would work. I don't see why it couldn't be military, too...

What does the Common Wealth do with each other, besides have sports competitions with each other?

Well, depends what time period you want to ask about it's done different things. It was a successor to the Empire, so at first it was just "We're still together, no really!". Then it was somewhat of a military alliance but we didn't have anyone to fight so it slowly shifted into a political "let's make ourselves all the same kind of parliamentary democracy". With free labour movement and economic freedom between the members. Then after South Africa messed up the whole thing, with Thatcher arguing that Apartheid and whites in power was okay because the Commonwealth shouldn't interfere in domestic politics... it was just economic cooperation. But then countries didn't like having a one-way "British people get to vote over here but we don't get to vote over there" and "British people get to skip the immigration line but we get nothing to Britain", so we dropped all the labour freedom... it was one-way anyway. Then now we seem to be dropping economic ties.

So yeah it's losing relevance and maybe it doesn't need to be around.

But if we wanted to start a new economic union, there is historical precedence here and we can utilise the Commonwealth to create a "Eurozone"-ish tie between Commonwealth countries. We create provisions for people to meet certain economic milestones and then you get a higher level in the economic ties. For instance, Canada/UK/Australia (off the top of my head, there's others so don't be insulted if I didn't mention you) would have zero tariffs and zero labour restrictions because they're so similarly well off.

If it didn't require subservience to the British monarch I don't think I'd mind being a part of the Commonwealth.

Nobody wants the US in their clubs, though, because we're the fat kid and we eat all the food at the club meetings.

^ You don't need to be under the Queen to be a part.

Still, we wouldn't be invited, I think. Nobody wants us to join their organizations anymore.

~shrug~

Britain should do whatever it needs to do with the Commonwealth to fix its economy, help out its former colonies, and get back into a position of true relevance in the EU.

Well, in the event that the UK does leave the EU, making an EU like alliance with the Commonwealth does make sense. (Now that I'm thinking of it, it seems a tad strange to me that it didn't already happen, given the ties.)

You can join. Join now for free! All you have to do is submit a cash gift of $999 million to each of the member nations and you can be part of the Commonwealth today for absolutely nothing!

Then imagine the benefits you can enjoy:

• You have to talk to the British at Commonwealth meetings once every so often. Who doesn't like talking with the British? Maybe you get to watch some Doctor Who together.
• Play in the commonwealth games. I hear they have a torch. Don't like playing with fire? Then you are not human.
• Be friends with Uganda. Yay Uganda!
• Bitch about how it is irrelevant.

Hey, I think we have enough territories to make an American Commonwealth! We could invite the Phillipines to join us!

(This is actually the party position of one of Puerto Rico's parties. They think it would be best to join us a commonwealth rather than become a state.)

On the off-chance that they actually let us join, everyone would start complaining about how the US drowns out all the other members—probably including even Britain herself.

We'd be like the middle sibling everyone picks on, then.

The middle sibling thats bigger then eveyone else.

The "commonwealth puerto rico" idea wont really work though, as A. there ALREADY a "common wealth" and B. Theres no such thing as a common welath of the U.S. according to the constitution.

premeptive apology for terrible spelling. i really need to sleep now. CURSE YOU TV TROPES! YOU STOLE MY SLEEP AGAIN!

edited 28th Oct '11 8:54:31 PM by Joesolo

Well, that can be changed. That's why we have these things called "amendments." But yeah, I think all the territories and a good chunk of the actual US would have to want that. Also, I fail to see how an English Commonwealth existing prevents an American Commonwealth from forming. It's not like they've got dibs on the word Commonwealth. (Plus, you know, we choose another name and still have the same legal status.)

But back to the currently existing Commonwealth, India is part of it, right? Any idea how they would feel about closer economic or political ties?

I would imagine they'd be all for it. A lot of their jobs market comes from evil outsourcing and they produce a lot of products for the First World. So I can only imagine they would love trade restrictions to drop and possibly even labour restrictions.

That sounds like a really bad idea.

Well, not for us. If all the Indians get their jobs from the Commonwealth, it no longer becomes affordable for American companies to go over there.

Well, sure, if the Commonwealth wants to screw themselves over, but that would mean I sure wouldn't want to join anymore.

It gets outsourced there whether or not we want to anyway. Free labour movement at least means we'll just nab all the expensive and top notch Indian workers in response.

If the Commonwealth were turned into something with more relevance, and I worked, British people would probably be happier with it than they currently are with the EU or America. I find that Commonwealth countries are more likely to be genuinly liked by British people than non-Commonwealth ones.

@ USAF: Actually, if the USA really wanted to, they could join the Commonwealth of Nations, due to the Original Thirteen Colonies, along with nations including:

• Afghanistan: British protectorate or other control for much of 1823 to 1929
• Myanmar (Burma): British Colony until 1948
• Egypt: British protectorate until 1922; English is commonly used as a language of instruction and administration
• Iraq: British Mandate of Mesopotamia until 1932
• Israel: Part of the British Mandate of Palestine until 1948. Israel's eligibility was declared in 2006 by the Commonwealth secretary-general.