"Should the USA Join the Commonwealth? " Topic

piper909 once wrote:

I would personally love to see the USA in the Commonwealth, like Canada, with all the advantages of mobility and employment/residency common to other English-speaking nations with shared traditions, culture, and legal/political systems. We need more integration and unity among our kinsmen, not less.

Do you agree?

Oy

Dan

No.
Yorktown.

Yes. ABCANZ

I agree with Winston.

I love both the United States and Great Britain. I love them so much, I think they should remain as they are. So I'm against joining the Commonwealth.

No.

Why would they want us now?

Both have their strengths and weaknesses, so I think we complement each other rather well. For that reason, no.

Why bother? The Commonwealth of Nations is a chattering club – imposes no legal obligations on members, no trade advantages for joining. Other than allowing access to competing in the Commonwealth Games, no noticeable impact from joining.

It's about as useful as la Francophonie or the Organisation of American States -i.e., it's an echo chamber for politicians who like to hear their own blether.

I don't think we can afford many/any more "elites", so no.

Living in a Commonwealth nation, I would agree with Phil Hall. Sorry but I wouldn't want you at present time.

Only if it would make shipping to and from Canada more reasonable, from the few comments I have seen about shipping between Canada and the UK we are better off the way we are.

We voted in 1776

""Should the USA Join the Commonwealth?""

As in the Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania?

Yes, Winston Smith for Lifelong Overlord!

I thought a war was fought a while back over this very issue?

No, but not because I am anglophobic. In the first place, if the U.S. became a member, we'd find some way to screw it all up. In the second place, I believe there is still an operative clause in the Commonwealth membership agreement that requires Commonwealth nations to permit free immigration from any other member nation, and the U.S. can definitely do without that. ; we certainly do not need anymore than we already have to contend with.

"I don't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member".

No, but commonwealth states are welcome to apply for admittance to the Union. Just don't try to Brexit…we don't allow it.

Why would you bother?

New Zealanders are having their rights to live and work in the UK cut back since Brexit. (Actually I think it started before Brexit) So I doubt that you would get rights or advantages out of joining.

I wrote the original comment that was hived off (unknowing to me) to form this topic, so I have to stick to my guns and vote "yes."

Yorktown, 1776, phhhhtthhpp!! (Big raspberry) Accidents of history, squabbles between two siblings. If the Confederacy had won independence, would you expect such obstinacy from Southerners today if anyone proposed a new, closer association?

I say, bear no grudges, and bury the past. English-speaking nations have more in common than not, and a joint economic bloc and closer ties would only benefit us all. This ain't about King George!

The real problem is that the UK probably wants us at arm's length these days….

What mobility and employment/residency common to other English-speaking nations?

The irony is that it is easier for citizens of ex-Axis countries to live in the UK than citizens of the Commonwealth countries who saved England's backside in WW1 and WW2.

Well, that's a shame, to hear things like this from Commonwealth members. I guess I'm living in a past where a Commonwealth passport meant Britons could freely emigrate to Australia or Canada or NZ (and vice-versa), whereas Yanks were a totally foreign species. If that's changed, I say, "Boo!"

When people shout, "If you don't like it here [the USA], then leave!" they don't realize how difficult it really is for Americans to legally live and work abroad on a long-term visa without either a LOT of money at their beck and call or some connection with an employer willing to bend over backwards to grease the work visa bureaucracy. Or being slave-labor college students qualifying for special temp worker permits. Or marrying into residency status. Or going underground. Heck, it's almost impossible for an average person or couple to even retire to such places, even being financially independent (but not a millionaire).

Anyway, I still think it's a shame and regrettable that we all can't share more open borders and policies. And I can think of worse destinies than for the US to have gone the way of Canada (without any Revolution). And spell words with extra "u's" and complain about a Parliament instead of a Congress.

There are no advantages, and I don't see what the Commonwealth gets out of it.

Of course, we may be trying to turn the Commonwealth into more of a concrete thing post-Brexit…

Well said that man!

The commonwealth games would be a bit one sided :-(

No

No

A mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement would be more of a priority.

Besides which the commonwealth nations have nothing in common and no wealth, joining would be of no advantage to the US.

The USA is going to have more in common with Mexico and other Hispanic countries in the not too distant future than other Anglo nations, that is a demographic certainty.

No. And I want my country to leave it.

Hell NO! Any benefits would flow from us to them and all their problems would flow back to us.

Should not the question be…

Should the Commonwealth join the USA?

Let's be real, the commonwealth combined is a fraction of the USA. No offense meant.

Simply not true.

One single Commonwealth Country – India, has twice the population of the USA.

The economy of the Commonwealth as a whole is growing at 7.2%

At those kind of rates, it will eclipse the USA in a decade or so. And we have more oil….

Piper used 'kinsmen' in the original posting.

While that was certainly true initially and perhaps
remained so for over a century, and remains so for
certain societal/ethnic practices, 'kinsmen' today
would include the millions of migrants here over the
years who don't have the same social/ethnic background
(like my Hungarian grandmother, German grandfather,
etc.) and traditions.

I am really an Anglophile and my dream vaction would
be to sail over on the QEII, spend 3 months traveling
the White Isle and return.

But I'm afraid any merge would really be Unbeneficial
to the Commonwealth, given our society's predilections.

I have to agree with Ed, but I know where Piper is coming from.

There are some options for residency in the UK at least, for those people able to prove that they a British historical connection through either British Parents or Grandparents. (Not sure what the current law is as it changes often).

Personally, I think in the age of DNA testing, this should be extended to anyone that has a majority Scots, Irish, Welsh, or Anglo genes.

Well, I like most American things apart from the beer. And as it used to be part of the empire, I say let them in.

I think most UK citizens would be very surprised at how different the US is in so many ways.

About 4 million Brits visit the US every year.

People I know weren't surprised as such, they were expecting it to be different.

We also have a lot of American TV here so the US isn't a mystery.

> We also have a lot of American TV here so the US isn't a mystery.

Does not compute…

I don't know – I think the topic has run its course….

I think the Editor has a bit of an agenda going on …

nope.

Doesn't seem like there is much in that deal for the US.

No.

Oceania! Get your 2 minutes of Goldstein here!

I think the best description of the American Revolution (and the War of 1812) is a son telling his father something really rude and moving out.

While the US and the UK are pretty good friends (now), I'm not sure that Commonwealth membership is something that the US would even want. Pretty sure that the US already has no-visa-for-tourism agreements with all the Commonwealth nations, and Commonwealth membership doesn't come with a trade agreement.

No thank you I am sure there is some fine print about throwing your young men into Barbwire in it.

no thanks! BBC is enough for me!
Just wish I could watch Murdoch mysteries series 8 and up!

darn Canadians censorship!

There's this

canzukinternational.com

Took many posts for someone to bring up the very first thing that came to my mind… Oceana.

Also, no.