Good morning, fellow Anglospherish…
From Tory MEP Daniel Hannan’s blog in The Telegraph comes a post, “The Borders of the Anglosphere“:
The Anglosphere, for anyone who still doesn’t know, is a modern name for the community of free, democratic, English-speaking nations. Where the EU is based on state-to-state accords, the Anglosphere is chiefly formed of organic links between businesses, independent institutions and citizens. The characteristics of the Anglosphere are parliamentary government, free elections, an independent judiciary, a limited state and the common law.
So, who qualifies? While the borders of Europe are endlessly disputed, there is far less debate about which countries are in the Anglosphere. The US and Canada, obviously, Britain and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. But then who? Some Commonwealth states qualify on almost all the criteria. Singapore isn’t exactly multi-party, and is a tad authoritarian, but it is clearly a country based on the rule of law and the separation of powers. Sri Lanka gets in, I’d have thought, plus the more stable Carribbean states. Gibraltar, of course, and the Falkland Islands. But all these are tiddlers. Is the Anglosphere white man’s club, with a couple of hangers-on?
The answer depends on whether we include India. If we do, whites and Christians are a small minority of the Anglosphere population. So, do we?
Yes.
It continues here.
From one of the respondents to that article:
“I am impressed that you included Ireland. That disguises the WASP motherlode.”
Comment by Steve K | April 16, 2008 at 8:59 amWhy not just come out and say he wants Ireland back in Commonwealth?
Screw that, we need a new East India Company and Gurkhas walking down Connaught Place.
Comment by 73man | April 16, 2008 at 9:20 amI would have said that white (practising) Christians are in the minority in the UK, never mind anything else.
Sri Lanka as an automatic pick? There are far worse countries out there, but you could hardly put it either on an equal footing with the other “automatic” countries on that list.
Silly article really. Would have been far better to talk about India, if that is what he really wanted to do, rather than dress it up in the nonsense of an Anglosphere.
Somebody order a sub-editor?
Comment by JD | April 16, 2008 at 9:30 amA football aquaintance of mine routinely complains that Irish terrace culture is getting “too European” and less Irish before he goes on to chant in an English style.
Comment by Obsessed! | April 16, 2008 at 10:52 amShane what’s the story with the IT blogs? Is daylight savings time just a joke to you guys?
Comment by Steve K | April 16, 2008 at 11:17 amWe have no need for your frivolous time-changing ways. You’ll all come back around to our time sooner or later. Mid-autumn, to be precise.
Comment by Shane | April 16, 2008 at 11:26 amInteresting to hear Brian Cowen delivering his panegyric for Patrick Hilary entirely as gaeilge.
Comment by Ivor | April 16, 2008 at 2:51 pmCorection - he’s now doing it over in English.
Comment by Ivor | April 16, 2008 at 2:52 pmEven a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.
Comment by Green Ink | April 16, 2008 at 4:15 pm