Via Tim Worstall, this:
Donestk was founded in the 19th century by John Hughes, a Merthyr Tydfil steel worker who had landed a contract from the Tsarist government to provide steel plating for the navy.
Now residents of the city have responded to pro-Russian protests for autonomy from Kiev with an internet vote that rejects Russia’s claims in favour of a turn to the Queen and London.
It calls for the restoration of the original name Hughesovka or Yuzovka and requests London rule.
After the Bolshevik revolution, the city was renamed Stalino and finally called Donetsk in 1961.
A total of 7,000 people had voted by Sunday with 61 per cent voting to secede to Britain and a further 16 per cent voting to make the city an English-speaking autonomous region inside Ukraine.
“We demand a referendum on the return to Yuzovka to its original bosom – a part of Great Britain,” the preamble declared. “Glory to John Hughes and his town. God Save the Queen.”
I read in Colin Thomas’s book on Hughesovka / Stalino / Donetsk, Dreaming a City, that the name “Stalino” preceded the era when everything was named after Stalin, and initially was intended to identify the town with its main industry, steel.
Well, no stranger than Hong Kong being British. Oh, wait….
This is a splendid plan, but they might find modern Britain not too distinct from their recent past, and heading towards the truly grim past. However, let them have the British tax rates and regulations in force at the time of the foundation of the city, with the Common law of the time prevailing.
And are they actually voting to be Welsh? Surely not even those chaps in Patagonia have done that, but they would probably be shot for treason in Argentina.
Well Merthyr Tydfil used to be called “Little Moscow” in my youth, so perhaps these folks are a tad confused?
Nuthin wrong with being Welsh Mun, as long as you’re not too English about it.
well this would extend the time of sun in the current british “empire”.
Well, just as long as a place is found for Shakhtar Yuzokova in the Premier League.
Newrouter, probably not, with Pitcairn, as the Pacific extremity, Diego Garcia in the indian Ocean, with Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus being fairly close in latitude and longitude to Hughesovka, then Gibraltar, St Helena, Ascencion and Tristan da Cunha in mid to South Atlantic before the Falklands provide plenty of daylight in the Northern Winter and then the Caribbean bits, Montserrat, BVIs, Caymans and Anguilla I think that the sun still shines somewhere on the Empire at any time.
Surely a more pertinent question is whether it is always raining somewhere in the Empire?
Surely the empire just needs to hold London for that.
Very well – they can adopt the constitutional customs of Sark (the old ones – not the democratic ones the Barclay brothers had imposed).
“Shall we have an income tax or an sales tax?” – how about NEITHER (Sark, with no natural resources, had neither).
As with Tolkien’s Shire (in the Lord of the Rings) families looked after their own affairs (and did not attack each other – after all police forces were not compulsory in England and Wales till 1856) owning loyalty (but nothing much else – in peacetime) to their “feudal” overlord – who spends most of his (or her) time looking after their farm, or in their rose garden.
This town could do a lot worse.
As for democracy…….
Guernsey has that now – first the parish councils elected an island government (instead of just having traditional local worthies – as was the case in the 19th century) now the people directly elect the government.
What has it produced?
A 20% income tax – introduced as an emergency measure for World War II (but it never went away….) and a 12% tax on both employees and employers to pay for government “insurance schemes”.
“Surprise Surprise” the “insurance schemes” are getting into trouble (and the Agenda 21 “recycling” scheme is turning out to be very expensive….) so there is a official talk of a sales tax (on top of the income tax, and the “insurance” taxes and….).
“But Paul the people do not want a sales tax so as Guernsey is not a democracy……”
Oh my dear people you really do not understand “democracy” – sadly the people have no say in the matter at all.
Indeed the once leading candidate for Chief Minister of Guernsey has withdrawn – as he does not want to be the puppet (the puppet of the OFFICIALS) who introduces the sales tax (on top of the income tax and ……).
As far back as 1835 defenders of elected councils in England and Wales promised that if they replaced the “evil” Tory Closed Corporations (basically dinning clubs) in the towns and cities, the Rates (the local property tax) would come down.
Of course the “Rates” went UP – regardless of how the people voted the Property Tax went UP in such cities as Manchester (so much for “Manchester Liberalism”).
After all now the local authorities “represented the people” (so they could get away with taxing them more).
Well, just as long as a place is found for Shakhtar Yuzokova in the Premier League.
They could take the place should should have been vacated by Chelsean when Abramovich and Mourinho would have been expelled for what they did to Anders Frisk.
Today’s Matt is superb.
Perhaps Chelsea should simply be expelled because of what Putin has done to Crimea?
No Michael, Chelsea has to annex Fulham. The World has had one football war too many.
“…when Abramovich and Mourinho would have been expelled for what they did to Anders Frisk.”
Is there any evidence they were behind the death threats to Fisk?
If teams can be punished for what racist fans say, then teams can surely be punished for death threats.
And Mourinho grossly slandered Frisk.
I think the Hughsions Hughites? Hughsovitches? Simply want to be governed by someone very, very, far away who is unlikely to want to visit their new satrapy. The Ukraine has a history of being seriously over governed and they’d like to try ‘under’ for a while.
Bill, I’d like to try that, too. Where do I sign up?
For a detailed consideration of when the sun mighgt set on t’Empire, see http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/
I’m with Laird. Until now, undergovernment has been the thing here in north Texas, but with the growth of the Obama-fueled .fedgov, the trend towards Stalinism is one the Donetskovians would recognize all too well.
Are either the author of this piece or the people of Donetsk having a laugh. If the latter aren’t, are they really up to speed on just how bad things are in Britain right now? I’d go with Moscow if I were them. Putin and Lavrov are really starting to impress me.
Then please pack your bags and head to Moscow yourself Richard, because if those are the kind of person who impress you, I’d hate to think what you would like to see Britain become.
Looking around the world for rulers who impress me I have come up with the Prince of Lichtenstein and ….. well that is about it really.
The Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand are O.K. – but they are not really determined anti Progressives.
The sort of person who would gather the population together buy them all a beer (YES this is rather less difficult when your population is the size of Lichtenstein) and explain why the Welfare State can not go on as it is.
Also when confronted by the “international community” demanding that you just be a “constitutional” monarch (i.e. have no constitutional role at all – it is Orwellian language) put the matter to the people – saying you will just leave if the people want you to have no role in the checks-and-balances of political institutions (rather than be a figurehead who signs any Bill put in front of them – no matter if the Bill is directly hostile to Christianity or to national independence).
If you have beliefs then stand for them – or stop going on about your love of country and your religion (and on and on).
As for Mr Putin….
He is a vicious gangster.
He has got rid of dissenting media (think if Mr Obama sent his “Community Activists” to shut down Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and Talk Radio), withdrawn Mr Yeltsin’s promise of trial-by-jury, nationalised national resources (Mr Obama attacks the Koch brothers – but he has not stolen their oil and gas and sent them to Siberia, at least not yet), ended the direct election of Governors (think Obama appointing the Governors of all 50 States) and on and on……
No not impressed.
Paul, you’re out of touch with recent developments Over Here. Obama doesn’t need “Community Activists” to suppress political dissent; he uses the Internal Revenue Service.
Paul, I’m not impressed by any “rulers”, and frankly I don’t want one. However, we could do with a few leaders. Unfortunately, they seem to be in very short supply right now.
Sadly a lot of Presidents have used the IRS Kim.
Yet another reason why the IRS should be abolished.