[erudyk_29]

I would be more sold on Botswana and Namibia entering the union, I don't know all that much about the region, but to my understanding Botswana and Namibia are both wealthier, more developed and most importantly, more stable and peaceful than their southern neighbour. I think there's definitely a path to becoming a highly developed nation for South Africa and that whole region as you mention, and perhaps joining some kind of trade/economic union with the Commonwealth could help hurry that process along. I do worry that losing a ton of people to migration could hurt their economies significantly however, along with the challenges that come with high levels of immigration to the more developed members.

Perhaps a system of member and observer states, in which there was a path to attaining member status upon reaching certain development thresholds? With initial member states being Canada, Australia, UK and NZ. Alternatively, while the EU provides freedom of movement within the Schengen Area, there are a 3 EU countries (Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria) which are not in the Schengen Area and thus, require passport checks upon entering/exiting the country even to other EU nations.

 

[archited]

Yes, I think, like the EU, the rules of entry would have to be laid out ahead of time (and even for countries like Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in the EU instance) and would require establishing goals related to stable governmental institutions, conformance with Law and Court standards, conformance with regards to education standards, etc. Like the John Lennon song "Imagine, all working to a unifying goal. With the one-nation principal for the Round One entrants, other nations could apply for membership over time and encouraged to do so -- maybe a couple of decades down the road when the advantages of membership would be more obvious..

 

[David A]

Yes, we have a common language, common history and some common culture but the distances from Canada to places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are a big problem.

Most likely there will eventually be some again renegotiated agreement that will be similar to the existing CUSMA agreement, but that certain politicians who like to win can somehow claim is better.

 

[HappyJazzz]

Yes, we have a common language, common history and some common culture but the distances from Canada to places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are a big problem.

Most likely there will eventually be some again renegotiated agreement that will be similar to the existing CUSMA agreement, but that certain politicians who like to win can somehow claim is better.

This delusion of reuniting the Commonwealth also completely overlooks the facts that a few of the more desired players are already taken..

Remember the AUKUS deal? The one that failing state Canada and never should have been independent New Zealand got iced out of?

Does anyone genuinely think that Australia and the UK would ditch that for Kanada's Kumbaya Klub?

 

[erudyk_29]

The one that failing state Canada and never should have been independent New Zealand got iced out of?

Bruh.

Canada has its issues but its a G7 nation, and boasts some of the highest standards of living in the world. It's far from a failed/failing state, that's a moniker reserved for the Syria's, Afghanistan's and South Sudan's of the world. It's hard for me to take anything you say seriously if you genuinely consider Canada a failing stat.

What's your problem with New Zealand?

Also,

This delusion of reuniting the Commonwealth also completely overlooks the facts that a few of the more desired players are already taken..

Remember the AUKUS deal?

AUKUS deal is a defense pact, not a political union. It has absolutely nothing to do with what we're discussing and doesn't have to change at all. By your logic you couldn't be in the EU and NATO simultaneously, most members of the EU are in NATO because they're completely different agreements that don't conflict with one another in any meaningful way.

Australia would likely be the toughest to convince to join, however the UK would most likely be on board, Brexit has been a complete disaster, with most Brits, even those who voted for it and initially supported the movement realizing how much of a disaster it has been. It has left Britain relatively politically isolated within Europe, so it would make sense for it to look to its former colonies with which it shares a language, legal and political system among others. New Zealand is a smaller country that would definitely benefit from the bigger bargaining power that comes with being in a larger union.

Yes, we have a common language, common history and some common culture but the distances from Canada to places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are a big problem.

True but let's not forget all of the countries were once one, The British Empire. The world has done nothing but get more and more well connected over the past century or so since it began dissolving, we were all part of the same country back when the fastest form of communication was the telegram and even before that, letters by sailing ship, now we have the internet. We were united with them when it took many weeks to get between London and Toronto, now it takes a matter of hours.

How can we say that these countries are too far to have in an EU style union when they were pretty much the same country a century or more ago.

 

[EdmTrekker]

This is the wrong thread but allied with the other post above. I like the concept behind CANZUKSA (a political integration of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and South Africa into a free-trade bloc that would then be composed of 62 States that would include the existing political states and provinces of those nations plus the addition of all of the Caribbean Commonwealth Nations from Guyana in South America and up the Atlantic ring nations of the Caribbean to the Bahamas and Bermuda plus the inner Caribbean nations of Jamaica and Belize; also included would be Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Island Group and other Pacific Islands closely associated with Australia and New Zealand; and in Africa the actual nation of South Africa plus the countries of Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana and Eswatini. Modeled along the lines of the European Union some other factors of this mega-nation would be 4th largest Economic power behind only the U.S., the E.U. and China but with the resource- and population-base to pass all of them over time. It would already be 1.82 times larger than Germany, 1.92 times larger than Japan, 2.28 times larger than India, and 4.84 times larger than South Korea -- all measured by Economic prowess. In land area it would be larger than Russia with near immeasurable raw resource potential and the technical know-how to develop those resources internally. With open access to the sea fronting both the Atlantic and the Pacific from all quarters it would become the world's premier sea-faring power. All of these nations are already pretty much friendly, one with the other. Politically aligned with the U.S., the E.U. and allied nations of the world, it would quickly become a world power that could influence world peace.

The Commonwealth is a waste of public dollars for meet and greets. Canada needs to focus on CETA the EU-Canada FTA where a bevy of countries in Europe have still not ratified the Agreement. That and let China in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_and_Progressive_Agreement_for_Trans-Pacific_Partnership and that includes the UK, NZ, AUS, CAN.

 

[David A]

Distance does matter a lot, particularly in a time of increasing transportation costs and more concern about all the fuel used in transportation.

Usually those extra costs are only offset by places with much cheaper production costs.

It took a great deal of political will and military power to maintain the British Empire because of this great distance and the UK eventually realized the cost of was more than they wanted to bear.

Better trade with places like Australia, NZ and South Africa are not a bad idea and could be beneficial for everyone, but they will not replace our bigger and closer trading partners.

 

[HappyJazzz]

Bruh.

Canada has its issues but its a G7 nation, and boasts some of the highest standards of living in the world. It's far from a failed/failing state, that's a moniker reserved for the Syria's, Afghanistan's and South Sudan's of the world. It's hard for me to take anything you say seriously if you genuinely consider Canada a failing state.

By the government's own words, Canada is a post national state, little more than an economic union amidst larger economic unions.

The big problem right now is the Canadian union has been engaging in ever escalating economic civil war for the past decade, and entities that engage in civil wars routinely fail and collapse, particularly those that can't defend themselves from external threats...

What's your problem with New Zealand?

Its nothing personal, I'm sure the hobbits are lovely people. They simply lack sufficient resources to have any true autonomy on the current world stage.

Better to think of them as a city state with a really big yard than a country.

AUKUS deal is a defense pact, not a political union. It has absolutely nothing to do with what we're discussing and doesn't have to change at all. By your logic you couldn't be in the EU and NATO simultaneously, most members of the EU are in NATO because they're completely different agreements that don't conflict with one another in any meaningful way.

Sure, but these alternate alliance fantasies are almost entirely driven by anti-American spite. Do you really think the yanks wouldn't put the screws to their military partners if they started entertaining economic or political alliances that intend to undermine them?

Australia would likely be the toughest to convince to join, however the UK would most likely be on board, Brexit has been a complete disaster, with most Brits, even those who voted for it and initially supported the movement realizing how much of a disaster it has been. It has left Britain relatively politically isolated within Europe, so it would make sense for it to look to its former colonies with which it shares a language, legal and political system among others.

Pretty much everything the Brits have done on the world stage since WW1 has been a complete disaster. Why so many Canadians are hellbent on keeping their horse hitched to that flaming wagon is beyond me... There is the potential within Canada to be ten times the nation they are.

New Zealand is a smaller country that would definitely benefit from the bigger bargaining power that comes with being in a larger union.

Like being an Australian province?

If NZ wants to step up and prove they have what it takes to be a real country, they could demonstrate by annexing New Caledonia

 

[policyenthusiast]

Bank of Canada reduces policy rate by 25 basis points to 3%, announces end of quantitative tightening​

Quantitative tightening (QT) is a contractionary monetary policy tool applied by central banks to decrease the amount of liquidity or money supply in the economy. A central bank implements quantitative tightening by reducing the financial assets it holds on its balance sheet by selling them into the financial markets, which decreases asset prices and raises interest rates.

Close enough, welcome back COVID-era inflation!

 

[Airboy]

California's AG has approved a petition to to gather signatures for leaving the union.

 

[policyenthusiast]

California's AG has approved a petition to to gather signatures for leaving the union.

That is unbelievably funny. They need 1.2% of California residents to sign in order to create a committee assessing the feasibility of secession, and the feasibility report wouldn't come out until 2028.

It's not going to happen, but I desperately want it to.

 

[trevorhayden]

Just to keep America on its toes.

 

[Airboy]

Be interesting to see how fat they can get the signatures. Stick to the cities and not the rural areas.

 

[archited]

I am here and it is getting talked up plenty. Some people are actually giddy at the prospect.

 

[HappyJazzz]

Be interesting to see how fat they can get the signatures. Stick to the cities and not the rural areas.

Where can one sign this petition? I fully support separation of California from the continent!

As satisfying as it was seeing Hollywood burn to the ground, it wasn't quite thorough enough...

Towing the whole land mass a couple thousand km west would be a great next step tho