On 15 June 2015 I put together a proposal for the creation of an organization to begin the process of forming a micronation based on realistic expectations. You can read my proposal here (and if you agree with it download the PDF linked at the bottom of the page, read it, follow the instructions, and send in your signature):
In short, the proposal calls for the creation of an organization committed to studying and implementing a micronation based on practical considerations, and supported both financially and ideologically by a core group of members willing to make a statement in support of the concept, and make a modest contribution to the cause. No self-appointed El Presidente, no King, no Emperor, no land grabs, etc.
I believe it can be done. Sadly I seem to be alone in this regards at least when it comes to finding support. To date I have been unable to find 10 people who will even sign the document declaring their non-binding support for the project. A bit discouraging I must admit.
As a result I have moved on. I have given up on Liberland (as it would appear most people have as well), and frankly I have given up on the Find a Free Country Project for much the same reasons. I simply lack the ability to motivate people. Instead, I decided to act on my own. I moved to Israel, and I am in the process of establishing my life in Israel, and my business in the Republic of Georgia. This may not result in a “free market utopia”, but I have decided to do my best to cut out a little place in the world for myself without troubling myself with any further thoughts of Liberland, micronations, or getting like-minded people to cooperate to find a free country.
Then I was watching a documentary on crazy weapons of WW II. One of them was the Habakkuk. A wildly improbable project designed to create a floating platform built of ice in the Mid-Atlantic in order to better defend Allied shipping. The initial experimentation was not promising. Icebergs are impractical, and ice as a building material difficult to work with and not durable. Then someone in the USA created reinforced ice-crete. Suddenly ice became a reliable material to build with since ice-crete is easier to work with, and more sturdy, durable, and long-lasting than regular ice. And ice-crete is ridiculously easy to make: it is just a mixture of wood shavings and saw dust mixed with water and freeze.
The Habakkuk
With the discovery of ice-crete the project became viable again. The British proceeded with plans to build a giant aircraft carrier built primarily out of ice that could never be sunk (with the technology then available). No it was not going to be the speediest of vessels, but it was doable.
For more information on this bizarre project:
The project was canceled as the war came to a close. There was simply no military need for such a “ship” even though it was viable and affordable. In the absence German u-boats prowling the shipping lanes the project simply made no sense.
But the technology was sound. And it still is today. Probably even more so since refrigeration techniques are even more advanced than they were in the 1940s.
So it would appear that it is possible to create a floating city based upon the Habakkuk concept using ice-crete as the primary building material (sheathed within sheets of steel or perhaps other materials — material sciences have also come a long way since the 1940s — perhaps there is a cheaper and even better material to use). Now, this system would clearly be limited. For those looking to set up shop in the Caribbean or some other warm climate this might not be the greatest option. But I suspect off the coast of Ireland in summer would be just fine since that was where it was initially intended to be located, and as winter sets in I suspect the vessel could easily move farther south perhaps off the coast of France, Spain, or even Portugal. I don’t know about you, but that does not seem to be hellish to me.
This is just one option on how to create a micronation. But it seems like a very viable one compared to some of the other options I have seen (gigantic cruise ships, immense offshore barges, converted offshore drilling platforms, creating offshore islands from unclaimed shallow waters, etc. all being designed using more traditional building technologies).
It could be done if enough people joined together to explore the various options. What are your thoughts?
Of course it is possible in theory, but in reality I can’t see many people being seriously interested in living permanently on a floating object (and this is even assuming that the object would have more or less every important amenity, which would obviously cost a lot of money), I would expect that even of those who did agree to it, the majority would abandon it within months or a year at most and return to land.
With ice-crete I suspect it could be bigger than the largest cruise ship at a fraction of the cost. It could be built with the concept of expansion, modification, and conversion, at least internally. Yes you would be giving up some freedom of movement but could exchange for other freedoms. You could be just offshore from some lovely places and able to easily visit them. I would rather live on a large free market cruise ship floating off the coast of Ireland, France, etc. against living in a socialist country with no economic opportunity or freedom. I guess the real issue would be: would people invest in order to take advantage of such benefits such as no immigration laws? No income tax? No kleptocracy to steal what you make, and side with competitors. No import duties? I know google has been exploring the idea of setting up offshore work platforms to be able to hire more foreign employees, but seems to have abandoned the idea (I suspect due to political pressure). I am not sure costs would be any greater than in creating additional space in Hong Kong, or Singapore. It could end being a tourist destination for locals looking for duty free shopping, offshore casinos, etc.
What about food? Water (I suppose you could build a desalination system of some sort)? Waste disposal? Medical care (and supplies)? Etc., you would be dependent on the good will of the very countries you don’t want to live in for your project’s success, which also brings up the question of how the project would be treated legally, since I somehow doubt that the USA, France, etc. want to see a bunch of “free market cruise ships” sailing around the Atlantic Ocean making money and not giving them a (big) cut, but even assuming that all of the problems could somehow be worked out, I would still rather live in Singapore and pay the 20% income tax than live on a cruise ship with thousands of people and pay no income tax.
Who can say. Facts on the ground may preclude any action. As for supplies this will be a fairly autonomous vessel, bigger and more independent than a cruise ship (which has all those things you described), but ultimately you are going to be dependent upon someone. Here in Israel if you want to eat beef you must import it.
Also, I am not suggesting anyone rush and do this or anything else. Just interesting. I here so many people talk about how they can’t do anything, so that don’t do anything. It is difficult to do things when you are alone, isolated, etc. That is how our leaders want us to be. We need to stand up and act.
I agree that is that the majority of politicians want, but I just don’t think that this cruiser idea is the way to go about it, I much prefer the idea of moving to a free country (or at least one that is heading in that direction).
The Kingdom of Ourania is interested in your ideas and wishes to work with you in conjunction regarding Larson C iceberg We also have La Incarnacion island in S pacific among others to work with you
Interesting. Let me know how we can help.
The Kingdom of Ourania now has three islands since the previous post that it will accept immigration to No taxes for individuals or corporations
Would you like to provide more information about this?