What do you do when your nation seems destined to fail? Lyonnesse is a failing, perhaps already failed, state. True, it is not an Afghanistan, a tribal society which shrugs off the template of a modern state; nor is it a Somalia, tearing itself apart in an anarchic flurry of violence.
No, Lyonnesse is failing quietly, dully, dismally, sinking into economic stagnation under the weight of poor government, an apathetic population, and pointless, petty politics.
Lyonnesse, until recently Britain's oldest colony, has of late achieved independence, freedom, that sweet and wonderful condition sought by so many worldwide. And what did we do, on throwing off the shackles of imperialism? Did we build a just society, ensuring that all citizens of of our Republic are equal? Did we become an example to all small nations as to how a former colony can better its erstwhile master? Did we even display competence, ability, passion, patriotism or imagination in using this most precious of resources, self-determination?
No, we wasted it, frittering it away as we scrabbled among ourselves, each of us demanding "what I deserve". And now, the wolves are at the door, ready to snap away our freedom. This time, it is not foreign perfidy, nor Britannia's sons with their long range guns that will take away our right to govern ourselves. It is our own failure to see this land not simply as somewhere we happen to live, as the place where we carry out our humdrum existence; but rather as a golden chance to build a just society for all, to truly give example to small nations everywhere as to how to be truly independent.
This blog is ultimately pointless, but it is the only way that I can ask aloud "Could we not have done better?"
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