Post: #1

I came across this article on the CBC website and think that its a pretty good idea and makes sense in today's globalized economy. Its sounds reasonable and the founder of the movement make good points: if the EU has become so integrated that a person from Spain can work in Germany and vice versa, then why can't people from the Commonwealth who share much more in common do something similar? Personally, I wouldn't mind being able to fuck off to Oz during the winter months and work in my trade, or maybe even just move there. I think that it would be a win-win situation for all of those involved, a welder from the UK could come over to Canada to work in the oil sands or go to Oz and work in the mines. Kiwis and Canucks working in finance could move to London to reach potential that they couldn't in their home countries. What do you guys think of such a proposal?

Quote:When James Skinner moved from the United Kingdom to Australia, he fell in love with Melbourne, landed a great job, met a great group of friends, settled down in his new home — only to leave because permanent residency was much harder to obtain than he anticipated.

Skinner, who now lives in Vancouver, says he fears the same experience could happen again.

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"We are virtually the same people," he told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff, referring to countries within the Commonwealth.

"The only thing that divides us is the cover of our passports."

Skinner, who is the founder and executive director of the Commonwealth Freedom of Movement Organization, is calling on politicians in Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand to loosen restrictions on visas and work permits between the four countries.

He says citizens within the European Union can work and reside indefinitely in each of the 28 member states, and a similar policy occurs between Australia and New Zealand.

There's no reason why something similar can't happen between Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, he argued.

"We've had that Commonwealth tie for generations and decades in the past, we've stuck together through thick and thin, [we] share the same head of state, the same native language, the same respect for the common law," he said.

"It's not something completely out there that we're proposing."

The Commonwealth Freedom of Movement Organization's petition has already gathered nearly 25,000 online signatures.

Skinner says he plans to send the petition to politicians in New Zealand and Australia, and then to the Canadian and British governments, pending elections in each respective country.

Post: #2

The countries are fairly similar in the grand scheme of things so I think it could work. As a filthy burger loving American who thinks all countries that aren't America arenbasically the same, of course.

Post: #3

Should be the whole of the commonwealth. Free movement to the Maldives and South Africa too sounds good.

Post: #4

If only I could change my citizenship...

Post: #5

This was proposed following WW1 to try and consolidate the British Empire, however it was only for the White Commonwealth. It was deemed unworkable because of opposition from Québec and the Afrikaners of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Afrikaners don't have a country any more and the Québecois are probably more concerned about US power than British power now but it won't work as most English people don't know the difference between England and the UK, never mind what the Commonwealth is.

Post: #6

Global fattie exchange!

Post: #7

(03-19-2015 04:51 PM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Global fattie exchange!

I ran across this article today: Australian Woman Passes Out Drunk In Canada And Gets Frostbite, hopefully we don't take in too many of these idiots, she basically sums up everything that is wrong with Anglo women (stupid smile, foul mouth, drunk, etc). The photos of her frost bite are fucking brutal, she almost lost a couple of fingers. Also, I don't know what the hell she was doing in Prince Albert, that place is an absolute dump!

Post: #8

(03-19-2015 03:14 PM)scotian Wrote:  why can't people from the Commonwealth who share much more in common do something similar?

I thought they could.

Post: #9

(03-19-2015 05:24 PM)germanico Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 03:14 PM)scotian Wrote:  why can't people from the Commonwealth who share much more in common do something similar?

I thought they could.

There are some youth mobility work agreements between the countries, which is why you'll meet a lot of Aussies, Kiwis and Brits working on the ski hills in the Canadian Rockies, once you turn 31 though you lose that eligibility and the process is a lot more complicated.

Post: #10

It could be a good idea, the Schengen area is slowly eroding the national identities in exchange of a greater "european" identity. I can see the Comonwealth doing something similar, altough i do not know if the current Canada administration would be more inclined to the EU than the Comonwealth.

Post: #11

I think Can-Aus-NZ would work better as these countries have higher and relatively comparable immigration standards. It is a strange situation currently where the UK is cracking down on immigration it can control (primarily Commonwealth countries) to make numbers look better while it is powerless to curb EU immigration (which is the main issue from a societal/economics standpoint).

Post: #12

I'm pretty sure the US government would take issue with such a thing. The likes of ISIS have support within the UK, Australia and Canada and it poses a security risk. We already have enough problems in the UK as a result of the EU free movement act.

All the psychos and common criminals can slip in and out of any country and the police do not inform the target country who then discover after the fact; a murder or serious other crime is committed. All in the name of free movement steeped in human rights and employment.

Post: #13

I say go for it.

It probably wont change things too much, as its piss easy for anyone who wants to go between these countries already. Canadian girls always talk about moving to Oz but not many of them actually do. Guys its the same.

The people who want to live in these countries already have or will. This will just make things easier.

I lived in Oz for a couple years and would not mind going back. Not to live, but if I could do a season or two in Sydney or Tasmania without having to find a local job that would be great.

I would prefer to see Canada/USA freedom first though.

Post: #14

(03-19-2015 07:00 PM)Laner Wrote:  I say go for it.

It probably wont change things too much, as its piss easy for anyone who wants to go between these countries already. Canadian girls always talk about moving to Oz but not many of them actually do. Guys its the same.

The people who want to live in these countries already have or will. This will just make things easier.

I lived in Oz for a couple years and would not mind going back. Not to live, but if I could do a season or two in Sydney or Tasmania without having to find a local job that would be great.

I would prefer to see Canada/USA freedom first though.

feel free to join all you want!

Post: #15

This'll last about five minutes when the US's economy finally hyperinflates and everyone hits the exits looking for something other than the US dollar to trade with.

Post: #16

You can probably already do this. Most 1st world countries allow up to 6 months of visiting, without any other visas. Just keep moving like you are suggesting.

Post: #17

(03-19-2015 07:48 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  This'll last about five minutes when the US's economy finally hyperinflates and everyone hits the exits looking for something other than the US dollar to trade with.

They aren't the only country recklessly printing money. Most of the western nations have followed suit.

Almost everyone is trying to devalue their money to keep their exports competitive.

Post: #18

As I understand it, the EU Freedom of Movement of Peoples mandates that preferential treatment be given to citizens of the EU above global ones.
For example, a German mechanic would be selected over an Indian doctor.
Considering that it's one of the latchkey principles of the union, I can't see this getting off of the ground in the UK, especially considering the rising anti-immigration sentiment being stoked in the rise to the general election.

Post: #19

(03-19-2015 07:04 PM)ManVsMachine Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 07:00 PM)Laner Wrote:  I say go for it.

It probably wont change things too much, as its piss easy for anyone who wants to go between these countries already. Canadian girls always talk about moving to Oz but not many of them actually do. Guys its the same.

The people who want to live in these countries already have or will. This will just make things easier.

I lived in Oz for a couple years and would not mind going back. Not to live, but if I could do a season or two in Sydney or Tasmania without having to find a local job that would be great.

I would prefer to see Canada/USA freedom first though.

feel free to join all you want!

Most Canadian wouldn't want to join the US but I'd be okay with it, as I"m sure most people in Alberta would. If Alberta became a state, we'd keep much more of our oil revenues, as one author has recently argued

Quote:Western separatism is an old theme in Alberta, but Peter Zeihan is bringing it back into the spotlight. Zeihan's new book is mostly about the United States and its place in the world, but he's dedicated an entire chapter to Alberta. ''Alberta as a U.S. state would not simply be rich — the richest in the Union, in fact — but would have a vibrantly well-financed and diverse economy.'
- Peter Zeihan, The Accidental Superpower
It's there that he lays out the economic case for why Wild Rose Country should bid farewell to Confederation and join the United States. "Alberta as a U.S. state would not simply be rich — the richest in the Union, in fact — but would have a vibrantly well-financed and diverse economy that would put its former (and a lot of its new-found) countrymen to shame," writes the American author in The Accidental Superpower.

Post: #20

There used to be a lot freer movement into the UK from Commonwealth countries, but successive governments restricted it.

Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962

Quote:The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Before the Act was passed, citizens of British commonwealth countries had extensive rights to migrate to the UK. In response to a perceived heavy influx of immigrants, the Conservative Party government tightened the regulations, permitting only those with government-issued employment vouchers, limited in number, to settle. The leader of the opposition in the parliament at the time, Hugh Gaitskell, called the act "cruel and brutal anti-colour legislation".

The Act was amended by the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968, before being superseded by the Immigration Act 1971.

These Acts resulted from widespread opposition to immigration in Britain from a variety of political groups, but most notably the Conservative Monday Club, whose Members of Parliament were very active and vocal in their opposition to immigration.

My dad came to UK in the early 1960s from India with an employment voucher, and he was one of the lucky ones. The doors to UK from India were shut around 1971. Also, UK doesn’t allow sponsorship of siblings. The majority of British Indians under the age of 45 are UK born and raised, and these guys all are pretty mainstream. I never knew any IRTs when I was growing up in UK.

Many Australians on temporary work visas used to do bar work in London, but nowadays the bar person will probably be Polish.

Post: #21

I would consider it between Canada NZ and Aus, but not interested in open boarders between UK and NZ/AUS.

I was born in UK but only lived there for about 6 months before moving to NZ. I have no desire to go back there nor do I like the idea of opening ourselves up to the walking problems in the UK.

Post: #22

Even if this does go through (which I highly doubt), it won't make much of a difference anyway. A passport holder of any one of these countries can already easily travel between them.

Post: #23

(03-20-2015 08:53 PM)Sooth Wrote:  I would consider it between Canada NZ and Aus, but not interested in open boarders between UK and NZ/AUS.

I was born in UK but only lived there for about 6 months before moving to NZ. I have no desire to go back there nor do I like the idea of opening ourselves up to the walking problems in the UK.

One thing that interests me is how Brits are received in Canada compared to Oz, in Canada people with a British accent are often thought of as being more sophisticated and smarter, whereas in Oz there's legitimate Pom discrimination.

Post: #24

I really don't know why the US and Anglo Canada never became one country. 90% of Canadians already live within earshot of the border anyway.

Post: #25

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/nation...ice=mobile

Sort of related to this, no need for new thread.

Does this mean any Joe Schmoe Canadian can freely go to China for a decade? Or just qualified business people and family? Never been to China before...