In the wake of Donald Trump’s near decisive victories in the Super Tuesday Republican Primaries, Google revealed that the search query “how can I move to Canada?” has increased by over 1000%.
The expression of such sentiment is nothing new, it isn’t exclusive to one side, nor is it merely the domain of frustrated plebs. Ayn Rand developed the concept of “Going Galt” which explicitly employs this idea – removing your productive capacity, and even yourself physically, from society – as an action of last resort against rampant socialism. Conversely, Karl Marx argued that the working class of one country had more in common with the working class of another, than they did with the more monied classes of their own country.
What if, on this one concept, both Rand and Marx are correct? Why don’t we have a separate country or countries for people on the socialist/progressive side of politics and a separate country or countries for those on the conservative/classically liberal/cultural libertarian side? The concept of basing a country on the concept of shared nationality is close to death in the West, anyway. Why not found countries based on ideas, instead. (Hang on, this sounds awfully familiar..)
Designate different countries or regions of the world to which people from either side of the political aisle can migrate, and let them run their countries according to their chosen political philosphies, without all the angst. It would become a universal principal that no person has the right to change the political system of their country of birth, but if they want to live under a different political system, they can move to the appropriate part of the globe. Nor would another country have the right to tell another how to run its affairs. The political system of a country would be entirely of its citizen’s choosing – all its citizens. A smorgasbord of political systems across the globe. Free choice, and just the right place, for everyone, for every persuasion.
For those who more or less fall on the right hand side, I envisage a country run on a Federalist system, with a very small central government whose only duties consist of national defence and maintenance of national highways. (Hang on, this sounds awfully familiar..) It is likely that different regions of said country may divide into conservative/Christian, bogan, and classically liberal/cultural libertarian regions, or states, which all get along and mix a little, but overall couldn’t care less what the other regions do, so long as they do it in their region. I suspect a large number of non-white people would actually like to migrate to this country, and a shockingly large number of gay people, too.
For those on the left, I predict their countries, with all the open borders, wealth redistribution and gender fluidity they can handle, will descend into tribal warfare within the first month, and be starved to death before the year is out.
Of course, I am sure that those who consider themselves “progressive” would be predicting this exact scenario for us redneck bigots. I for one am prepared to give it a shot.
Let’s see who is right.
Photo by Gage Skidmore 