Lamb Island residents see chance of nationhood arrive

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/18/lamb-island-nationhood-secession

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Starting a new country is no easy feat, but this Saturday a small Australian island will take a vote that may change the course of its future.

The residents of Lamb Island, which sits off the coast of Brisbane, will on Saturday take a vote to decide whether or not they will secede from Australia and become an independent constitutional monarchy.

“It started out as a sitting on a deck with a friend of mine and just having a general gripe about lack of provision of services and then I thought, ‘why don't we secede?’” says Tony Gilson, the Lamb Island resident who initiated the vote and runs the island’s convenience store.

Gilson says the main reasons for taking the vote are slow police response times and a sense that the local council, Redlands City, has not paid enough attention to the island, which has a population of just over 400.

“Lamb Island is a fantastic community and the residents here should all be proud of themselves,” he says.

If successful, the new monarchs will be King Barton Bulwinkel, 89, and Queen Margaret Bulwinkel, 86, the island’s longest-term residents, who have lived there for 53 years. A new currency will also be created and a subsequent plebiscite will be called to decide on the exact form of the constitution.

Gilson wants to stress that while the issues the island has faced are real, the vote is also about having fun and will not jeopardise the island’s residents. The new state’s relationship with Australia will remain amicable and will not affect residents access to pensions and other provisions.

If they become a republic they will need to nominate official and secondary languages, and Klingon and Elvish have been flagged as possibilities.

Gilson has also been lobbying hard to try and gain support overseas to help the fledgling nation. He emailed George Takei to invite him to hold Star Trek conventions on the island if it becomes a successful republic, although Takei has not responded. He also tried to contact Angelina Jolie to see if she would stop by while she was in Australia for her latest film.

There are also positive plans for government on Lamb Island that Gilson says could be an example for the prime minister, Tony Abbott’s leadership. There will be portfolios for social justice and equity, climate change, and a minister for women.

“I even sent out a message to Kevin Rudd saying foreign affairs was available if he wanted it,” he says.

And as an island nation in control of their own borders, Gilson says they will not be turning or towing back any boats that land on their shores.

“We’re a very diverse community, very tolerant and we pride ourselves on inclusiveness,” he says.

If Lamb Island decides to secede, it will become the latest of a number of principalities that have decided to break away from the mainland.

The Principality of Hutt River located within Western Australia was established on 21 April 1972. It briefly declared war on Australia in 1977 after repeated requests from the Australian Tax Office to pay taxes, but the crisis was resolved and the war ended bloodlessly shortly after.

The Principality of Wy is in Mosman, Sydney and is led by Prince Paul Delprat, who seceded after a local council dispute on 15 November 2004.

Gilson says he is hopeful that the Lamb Island vote will also succeed. The vote is scheduled for this Saturday between 10am and 2pm, to coincide with the island’s bowls and recreation club Oktoberfest celebrations.

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