Yesterday I read "A Time for Audacity" by James Bennett. It is a short book, and I finished it in one sitting.
It also changed how I thought about the proposed "Commonwealth Union" of the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
I expected the book to be based on nostalgia. It's not. Rather, it essentially makes three related points
1. A union of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand would give all of those countries a continent-sized amount of land, population, natural resources, cities, and so on... it would provide scale that none of those countries have alone
2. Those four countries share common government additions that they do not share with any other potential union. The parliamentary system is different from either the European technocracy or the American constitutional system.
After reading this book, the membership of the UK in Europe seems as odd as the UK joining the United States... except without even the advantage of a common language.
The book is divided into three parts, outlining the union, giving an FAQ of how the union would work, and a number of stories of how the union would impact peoples lives.
My only criticism is that Bennett does not address the common argument for the European Union: that it assures peace between the great powers of Europe. This is a common pro-EU argument, and (as the Commonwealth Union would require the UK to leave the EU) it was not addressed.
A great book! Highly recommended!
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