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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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 Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:55 pm Post subject: What's so good about being in the Commonwealth? |
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What's so good about being in the Commonwealth?
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Visits from the Queen, the opportunity to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph, a much better chance of winning a gold medal in the shot put because Russia, Germany and the US don't compete in the Commonwealth Games. The benefits of being in the Commonwealth are limited, and President Musharraf is unlikely to be quaking at the threat to suspend Pakistan from the 53-member body. He has, in any case, been here before. When he seized power in a military coup in 1999, Pakistan was suspended for five years.
It is easy to be cynical about the Commonwealth. The threat of suspension is largely symbolic. There will be no Commonwealth task force despatched to inflict shock and awe on Islamabad; no trade sanctions; we'll still play them at cricket; they might even win that shot put gold. Bizarrely, Pakistan's athletes would not be banned from the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 if the country were suspended. The only practical effects would be an end to the funding of projects designed to encourage economic liberalisation and good governance - a perverse response to bad government - and a ban on Pakistan attending meetings of Commonwealth heads of government.
"Being in the Commonwealth gives you clout on a global level," says Eduardo del Buey, the Commonwealth Secretariat's director of communications. "You're better off being one of 53 member states than being alone."
The Commonwealth is a club based on shared values - peace, democracy, egalitarianism. When it suspends a member it is, in effect, saying that country no longer shares its values. Del Buey says Pakistan was keen to be readmitted in 2004, and that suspension is damaging - though Fiji has been suspended since last year's military coup without too many people noticing.
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah for the common person it's not much. There's some weird thing where if your nation doesn't have an embassy or something you can use the British embassy but mostly it's just a little club that says "hey, we used to be part of the British empire and we play cricket". |
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loose_ends
Joined: 23 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| aren't work visas and/or student visas easier to get for commonwealth citizens when moving to another commonwealth country to work or study? |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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| You get as your head of state an in-bred old woman, unelected of course, who is also the head of a religion. What's not to love? |
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halfmanhalfbiscuit
Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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There used to be a distinct advantage in terms of having privileged access to markets eg NZ lamb and butter to the UK but that finished a long time ago now.UK became a member of the EU in 1973.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations#Benefits_of_membership
Membership of the Commonwealth of Nations gives the right to abode and right to join the armed forces in the UK.Not a lot really,but the former would be a great convenience.If though an Indian went to Canada,it doesn't seem that Commonwealth ties really mean much,if anything. |
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Leslie Cheswyck
Joined: 31 May 2003
Location: University of Western Chile
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 12:58 am Post subject: |
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You get to have your flag with the Union Jack in it somewhere.
Yeah, baby! |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:35 am Post subject: |
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Coincidence.
The students at my school were giving presentations today. One student gave his on the Korean flag. It was fairly interesting. The relevant comment was that Australia doesn't have a 'real' flag because they just use the English flag. |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:32 am Post subject: |
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That Korean boy does have a point.
in 1965, Canada traded its flag with the Union Jack for the maple leaf one we see today.
Australia and New Zealand still use the Union Jack with a bunch of stars on a blue background.
<yawn> |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:42 am Post subject: |
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| The only good thing about the Commonwealth is that different citizens of each respective member country can get work visas very easy to live and work in the other, and it seems the ability to immigrate to each other's countries is easier as well - compared to Americans anyways. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:48 am Post subject: |
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| You get as your head of state an in-bred old woman, unelected of course, who is also the head of a religion. What's not to love? |
Actually, being a monarchy is not a requirement for Commonwealth membership. India and most of British Africa are republics. Maybe a few other places as well. |
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