14
ISSUES: Citizenship
Chapter 1: Citizenship in the UK
plural nationality and of how to give
expression to dual identities such as
English-British. It is no small irony that
minority groups who are all too often
seen as harbingers of fragmentation
could prove to be exemplars of the
union.
The minimum I would wish to urge
upon a centre-left that is taking
English consciousness seriously is
that it should not be simply nostalgic
and should avoid ethnic nationalism,
such as talk of Anglo-Saxonism. More
positively, multiculturalism, with its
central focus on equal citizenship and
diverse identities and on the renewing
and reforging of nationality to make
it inclusive of contemporary diversity,
can help strengthen an appreciation
of the emotional charge of belonging
together.
10 June 2016
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The Conversation Trust (UK)
Will you become a citizen
of Asgardia, the first nation
state in space?
Aiming to open up access to space technology, protect
Earth from cosmic threats and foster peace, proposals
for a new space nation have been unveiled.
By Nicola Davis
P
roposals for the “first nation
state in space” have been
unveiled by a team of
scientists and legal experts, who say
the move will foster peace, open up
access to space technologies and
offer protection for citizens of planet
Earth.
Dubbed “Asgardia” after one of the
mythical worlds inhabited by the
Norse gods, the team say the “new
nation” will eventually become a
member of the United Nations, with
its own flag and anthem devised by
members of the public through a
series of competitions.
According to the project website,
Asgardia “will offer an independent
platform free from the constraint of
a land-based country’s laws. It will
become a place in orbit which is truly
‘no man’s land’”.
Initially, it would seem, this new
nation will consist of a single satellite,
scheduled to be launched next year,
with its citizens residing firmly on
terra firma.
Speaking to
The Guardian
through
an interpreter, the project lead Igor
Ashurbeyli, said: “Physically the
citizens of that nation state will be on
Earth; they will be living in different
countries on Earth, so they will be a
citizen of their own country and at
the same time they will be citizens of
Asgardia.”
