Meeting of the Mini Me brigade

[The Hen]

Meeting of the Mini Me brigade
April 17, 2010 - 4:22PM


Self-proclaimed Prince Paul Delprat of the Principality of Wy. Photo: AP

They are kings of their castles and their own tiny nations - and they're meeting on a tiny Australian island to talk tactics.

Self-proclaimed Prince Paul Delprat of the Principality of Wy was one of the speakers during Australia's first conference of micronation leaders on Dangar Island, 60km north of Sydney.

Micronations are communities created by people who secede from their countries in order to start their own.

Or, as PR-inside.com put, they are the latest fad for the wealthy.

The Institute of International Law, as stated in its Brussels session in 1936 says: “Recognition of a new Nation is a free decision by which one or several Nations corroborate the existence on a determined territory of a human society, politically organized, independent of any other nation, capable of complying with International Law and their decision is made public, recognizing the new Nation as a member of the International Community.”

PR-inside reported that it was thought a newly created micronation would "command a far higher return on investment than plain island real estate. The added value is created by the supplemental rights that are created with the purchase".

The website reports that the United Nations has received dozens of requests for recognition from various micronations over the years. For the most part these requests are simply filed away and conveniently forgotten.

Wouldn't it be fun to be wealthy enough to consider being a micronation.

[Miles]

My main concern would be protecting the wealth. Just who is going to be accountable for national security?

[Gob]

Send a couple of boatloads of Somali pirates after them, see how clever they think they are then!

[The Hen]

Damn true. I wouldn't want to be any where near one of them.

(And then the whole plan comes unstuck.)

[Scooter]

There was someone a few years ago who claimed to have established a gay homeland on some island in the Pacific. Would have a "right of return" for every gay person on the planet, they even issued passports. Not sure how they would deal with it if more than a few people took them up on the offer because they didn't even have a local source of fresh water.

[Gob]

Interesting tale, I'll see if I can find out anything..