The Commonwealth

[StevieBee]

Something different beginning with C to chat about....

Something that rarely rears its head is The Commonwealth. Should we be making more of it?

It strikes me that there seems to be some mutual love out there amongst the commonwealth nations for one another. Even with the Aussies, there's outward distain between nations but I suspect a suppressed or begrudging respect for one another. We seem to 'get' Canada more than others and vice-versa. New Zealand may as well be UK south. Cyprus too (north and south).

Not suggesting the UK is the epicentre of all this just that there this unspoken connection between commonwealth nations that seems to be ignored for most of the time.

[Bibbs]

The UK binned the Commonwealth off to join the EU project.

Not sure there is anything the UK makes that Aus would be interested in (and visa-versa, now Ford and Holden have closed).

[Cold]

Bibbs said:

Not sure there is anything the UK makes that Aus would be interested in (and visa-versa, now Ford and Holden have closed).

But what about Uggs, Fosters and Jason Donovan?

[Bibbs]

Cold said:

But what about Uggs, Fosters and Jason Donovan?

Made in China, Brewed in Fulham, lives in London.

[CourtAgain]

I don't think the countries in the Commonwealth want to be reminded of being parts of the Empire, or want to return to such times. With UK even unable to supply basic PPE to its own hospitals, I don't think there's sufficient clout or appeal to take the Commonwealth countries back under our wing. Jamaica wants out, Australia too and there have been numerous referendums. The world will be a different place after the end of CV19, but trade agreements with said countries may prove difficult.

[98elise]

CourtAgain said:

I don't think the countries in the Commonwealth want to be reminded of being parts of the Empire, or want to return to such times. With UK even unable to supply basic PPE to its own hospitals, I don't think there's sufficient clout or appeal to take the Commonwealth countries back under our wing. Jamaica wants out, Australia too and there have been numerous referendums. The world will be a different place after the end of CV19, but trade agreements with said countries may prove difficult.

If Australia want out then why are they vote to remain part of the commonwealth?

[s2art]

CourtAgain said:

I don't think the countries in the Commonwealth want to be reminded of being parts of the Empire, or want to return to such times. With UK even unable to supply basic PPE to its own hospitals, I don't think there's sufficient clout or appeal to take the Commonwealth countries back under our wing. Jamaica wants out, Australia too and there have been numerous referendums. The world will be a different place after the end of CV19, but trade agreements with said countries may prove difficult.

This sounds like complete BS to me. Are you confusing the desire to keep the Queen as head of state with being in the commonwealth?

[s1962a]

https://thecommonwealth.org/member-countries

Didn't realise there were so many!

[Sway]

CourtAgain said:

I don't think the countries in the Commonwealth want to be reminded of being parts of the Empire, or want to return to such times. With UK even unable to supply basic PPE to its own hospitals, I don't think there's sufficient clout or appeal to take the Commonwealth countries back under our wing. Jamaica wants out, Australia too and there have been numerous referendums. The world will be a different place after the end of CV19, but trade agreements with said countries may prove difficult.

Numerous referendums, yet none have left...

Does that really demonstrate that countries don't want to be part of the Commonwealth? I suppose the referendum in 2016 showed we really wanted to be part of a federal EU?

[Truckosaurus]

s1962a said:

https://thecommonwealth.org/member-countries

Didn't realise there were so many!

Indeed. And the entry criteria have changed so it is not just former British colonies but countries with links to any other member hence places like Mozambique being in there.

[so called]

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I was 15 at the time and remember being a little surprised at the strength of my feelings over it.

After the referendum, people on the street were talking about 'going back to the Commonwealth' as if they had been waiting for us to come back.
Yes, sure they've been waiting 47 years.

[carl_w]

so called said:

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I think the NZ farming industry was rather upset too.

[Cold]

Bibbs said:

Cold said:

But what about Uggs, Fosters and Jason Donovan?

Made in China, Brewed in Fulham, lives in London.

And what about the boots and the beer?

[so called]

carl_w said:

so called said:

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I think the NZ farming industry was rather upset too.

Yes, from memory, NZ was uppermost on the news but I remember the reports of smaller Caribbean countries etc., and the overnight loss of market.

[Sophisticated Sarah]

so called said:

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I was 15 at the time and remember being a little surprised at the strength of my feelings over it.

After the referendum, people on the street were talking about 'going back to the Commonwealth' as if they had been waiting for us to come back.
Yes, sure they've been waiting 47 years.

It was a disgusting betrayal. Both the EU and the Commonwealth would have been better if we stayed as we were.

[ATG]

Sophisticated Sarah said:

so called said:

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I was 15 at the time and remember being a little surprised at the strength of my feelings over it.

After the referendum, people on the street were talking about 'going back to the Commonwealth' as if they had been waiting for us to come back.
Yes, sure they've been waiting 47 years.

It was a disgusting betrayal. Both the EU and the Commonwealth would have been better if we stayed as we were.

The UK wouldn't have been and neither would the EU.

[s2art]

ATG said:

Sophisticated Sarah said:

so called said:

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I was 15 at the time and remember being a little surprised at the strength of my feelings over it.

After the referendum, people on the street were talking about 'going back to the Commonwealth' as if they had been waiting for us to come back.
Yes, sure they've been waiting 47 years.

It was a disgusting betrayal. Both the EU and the Commonwealth would have been better if we stayed as we were.

The UK wouldn't have been and neither would the EU.

I am not so sure. I think Heath misdiagnosed the UK's problems, and thought the EEC was the solution. In reality we needed a dose of something like Thatcher. Maybe without joining the EEC we would have got there sooner.

[so called]

s2art said:

ATG said:

Sophisticated Sarah said:

so called said:

I remember being very angry at the way we dumped Commonwealth countries.
So many small countries industries relied on the UK Market and we just dumped them.

I was 15 at the time and remember being a little surprised at the strength of my feelings over it.

After the referendum, people on the street were talking about 'going back to the Commonwealth' as if they had been waiting for us to come back.
Yes, sure they've been waiting 47 years.

It was a disgusting betrayal. Both the EU and the Commonwealth would have been better if we stayed as we were.

The UK wouldn't have been and neither would the EU.

I am not so sure. I think Heath misdiagnosed the UK's problems, and thought the EEC was the solution. In reality we needed a dose of something like Thatcher. Maybe without joining the EEC we would have got there sooner.

Yes, and while Thatcher was following the rules Mitterrand and Kohl were laughing.
We would have been better staying out.

[AW111]

Can we pleeease not turn this into yet another brexit thread?

[so called]

AW111 said:

Can we pleeease not turn this into yet another brexit thread?

Not talking about Brexit, talking about how, as a 15 year old, I remember being angry about how we stuffed some of our Commonwealth friends back in the day.
Of course, time heals and many of those members will be and are happy to negotiate a good trade deal with us.