Rebellious Aussies Start Their Own Monarchies

[Gunner_Mania]

Sky News has brokered peace talks in an international dispute, albeit a border row that has yet to attract the attention of the United Nations. It involves a renegade Prince, a declaration of independence, and a local council in Australia. And if it sounds an odd state of affairs, welcome to the world of micro-nations. Perhaps it has something to do with Australians' traditional disregard for authority, but the country has become a hotbed for revolutions. There are now so many mini-states which reject Aussie rule, that a university recently organised a conference, and invited representatives of such entities as The Empire of Atlantium and The Principality of Dubelbeka. The oldest, the Principality of Hutt River in Western Australia recently celebrated its fortieth anniversary. The fact that so many Australians want to do away with the monarchy, and no longer have Queen Elizabeth as their sovereign, does not seem to have deterred others from going into the Royalty business. Prince Paul of Wy, formerly known as Paul Delprat, established his Principality in a suburb of Sydney six years ago. The population is five. The ruler, his wife Princess Sue, and their three children. They declared independence because they were fed up with bureaucracy at their local council which had denied them permission to build a new driveway to their secluded home. Prince Paul has since acquired robes, several crowns and thrones, many of them rescued and refurbished from the local dump. And he has become such a popular figure in the local community of Mosman, that he has even been named as their Citizen of the Year - even though he insists he is not one of their citizens. "I don't feel eccentric, I feel very logical and pragmatic." His wife agrees: "I felt we had to do something to people know that we'd been treated unfairly and we're not just going to go away." Their stubbornness may be about to pay dividends with signs that the council may be willing to accede to their demands. In fact, when Sky News contacted Mosman Council for a comment, they immediately insisted that they would send the Mayor to hold peace talks. Councillor Anne Connon duly arrived in her robes, and was presented with a ceremonial key to the Principality, and a glass of champagne. There were earnest discussions in case such gifts could be seen to be influencing the planning application. The Mayor denies that her tolerance could encourage others to secede: "As long as they pay their rates we don't mind." Prince Paul denies that he pays his rates - he merely offers a "grant" to support art in the community, but clearly the council doesn't care as long as he hands over the money. The Prince wants to have good relations with his larger, more powerful neighbour. "Australia is one of the most tolerant countries in the world and it would only be a liberal democracy like Australia that would really welcome and tolerate the sort of oddities of which micro-nations are a part." His Imperial Majesty George II agrees. Three decades ago, George Cruikshank and two school-friends established the Empire of Atlantium. It now claims to have 1,300 citizens from more than a hundred countries, some of whom have purchased the empire's own banknotes, coins and stamps. Atlantium has its own calendar and its main province Aurora is about twice the size of The Vatican, in the midst of the New South Wales bush. However, the Emperor makes do with a one bedroom apartment in Sydney. "I'm very glad to say that I don't have any delusions of grandeur. I don't go about insisting people give me good seats in restaurants. "However a lot of our citizens do take these things seriously because they do actually refer to me in writing and in person as 'Your Imperial Majesty' or 'Your Excellency' and they get a bit of a thrill out of the fact that there's this head of state that they can communicate directly with in this way." He acknowledges that Atlantium is not a sovereign state, but says "it's a vehicle at how a future world government could be constructed". The Emperor has adopted a look which is reminiscent of an early 1980s Soviet republic, but his attempts to turn his state into a tourist attraction are very much capitalist in nature. But he's a benevolent dictator, saying that some American micro-nations he has encountered "take themselves too seriously". When Prince Paul of Wy isn't dealing with affairs of state, he runs the renowned Julian Ashton School of Art. He is a fine artist and you may have seen some of his work in the feature films "Age Of Consent" and "Sirens". It explains why he has naked portraits of the actresses Helen Mirren and Elle McPherson in his living room. Alongside them is a portrait of Prince Paul on horseback, riding across a beach where a dozen naked women are sunbathing. You can see why Fantasy Royalty has its attractions.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Australia-Despite-many-Wanting-To-Do-Away-With-Monarchy-Some-Aussies-Starting-Micro-Nations/Article/201005415636741 :clap:

[achilles]

Perhaps it has something to do with Australians' traditional disregard for authority, but the country has become a hotbed for revolutions. However, the Emperor makes do with a one bedroom apartment in Sydney. "I'm very glad to say that I don't have any delusions of grandeur. I don't go about insisting people give me good seats in restaurants. "However a lot of our citizens do take these things seriously because they do actually refer to me in writing and in person as 'Your Imperial Majesty' or 'Your Excellency' and they get a bit of a thrill out of the fact that there's this head of state that they can communicate directly with in this way." He acknowledges that Atlantium is not a sovereign state, but says "it's a vehicle at how a future world government could be constructed".

:yay: :aha: