In the wake of the so-called Brexit vote – in which British voters narrowly voted to split from the European Union – many have been wondering if the UK’s exit from the EU will spark further exits. Could Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly to remain part of the EU break away from Britain to join the EU as an independent nation? What about Northern Ireland? Questions abound in the US as well.
Most eyes are on Texas, where a petition on the White House petitioning website gathered over 100,000 signatures in 2012, and a possible Texit. NBC News reports, “For many Texans, secession is a long-held dream. Just two months ago, at the Texas Republican Convention, state delegates had a tense floor debate around a motion to secede that had passed through a special committee. It failed, but represented how far the idea had come from the fringe. The latest secessionist calls have just stirred up more buzz. The Texas Nationalist Movement, a 12-year-old group that wants the Lone Star State to be politically, culturally and economically independent, is now calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to support a British-style vote there.”
Some activists in New Hampshire are calling for an NHexit, with the first rally for the cause being held on June 26 – just 4 days after the Brexit vote. Other NHexit rallies are planned for Independence Day across the state. With NHexit gaining momentum, it seems rather fitting for the Startup Societies Summit, hosted the International Coalition for Human Action, to be held in Portsmouth, NH over Independence Weekend. The Summit featured speakers advocating for everything from intentional community and economic development zones to using decentralized alternatives to government issued currency and regulations. Between speakers, the conversations were on the various ways to achieve more freedom and independence from larger more oppressive governments.
That really is the overarching theme of discussion among most advocates of liberty, though the question is asked and answered in a variety of ways. Can liberty be achieved via ballot initiative? Must there be a constitutional amendment to declare independence? Must one work within the political sphere to achieve more freedom? If so, must one get elected in order to be effective? If you ignore government agents, will they ignore you?
There are a variety of ways to advocate for freedom, not everyone is going to agree on which manner is best, and real freedom allows people the ability to pursue liberty in the manners they choose so long as they do not aggress against another person. Real freedom sometimes requires people to think outside of the box; after all when Thomas Jefferson and the other members of the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence 240 years ago, no colony had ever attempted to declare independence from the British crown!