Reimagining the Anglosphere

How a free movement zone between the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand could work.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Indonesia, November. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images,)

The United Kingdom’s messy exit from the European Union might not lend itself to the suggestion that London joined another supranational body. But Western unity is more important now than at any other point since the Cold War. Given that the U.K. and the U.S. already have their long established “special relationship,” and that both nations enjoy good relations with the rest of the developed Anglosphere, it’s worth considering what a free movement zone with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (CANZUK-US) would look like. 

How would a free movement zone work?

CANZUK-US would more or less copy one of the “four freedoms” that comes with being a member of the European Union: Any EU citizen can travel to any other country in the union to visit, study, or work without a visa. Moving from one EU country to another is, legally speaking, no more difficult than moving from one U.S. state to another.

A free movement zone would mean that citizens of the CANZUK-US countries would need to present only their passports to enter other countries in the zone, after which they would be allowed to stay for however long they wanted for any reason, so long as they register with authorities and pay any tax liabilities they incur (just as citizens already living in that country do).

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    I like this idea. I suppose I’d still want the US to be checking the border to make sure that people coming from the UK weren’t terrorists (kind of a trust but verify that the UK polices their border the way we do). I’d certainly like freedom of movement to be the rule rather than the exception. And of course on national sovereignty grounds, any nation in the agreement could withdraw at any time for any reason.

    At the same time, if you had to win a contest to “float an idea that will hit every red flag in the paleocon populist's imagined global conspiracy” the only thing that you could have done worse than this would be to suggest an open border with all of Latin America.

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  2. Very Old Grumpy Guy

    Seems like a good idea - that is why it will never happen. "Them damn Canadians/Kiwis/Aussies/Limeys are taking our jobs!". It would benefit the UK the most. Without something like this, they are destined to go back to being their pre-Maastrict economic back water selves.

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  3. Hartzlk

    I don't know, I just can't get excited about this idea. I love my Canadian coworkers, don't get me wrong. But it would be way more interesting to me to build more on our common history with our neighbors to the south. There would be even bigger problems than anything listed for this idea, but... way more interesting. XD

    Okay guys, we'll have an open border agreement with Mexico, and then have an agreement where we help patrol Mexico's southern border. It's a lot smaller, see.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Ben Connelly

      Actually, that’s a good point. It is a lot smaller…

      I’ll have to think this one more

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  4. Avatar photo
    Shannonrobertson903

    Glad this discussion is happening. To those who fear all Canadians want to rush the US border, think again. Nice place to visit. Most of us would never want to live there. Plenty of opportunities and good ideas to share between CANZUK-US parties. More trade would be good. Details of such an arrangement would bedevil, most likely, but I still think the discussions should be, and be ongoing.

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  5. Murphyslawky

    An open trading zone for the Commonwealth+the US would be a force to be reckoned with in the world.

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    1. Daniel.Moseley

      The movement of skilled English-speaking workers into the US is very different from the situation at the southern border.

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    2. Avatar photo
      John Gustavsson

      Trade is good, but movement is the best way to strengthen ties between citizens.

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  6. Avatar photo
    J. Eric

    Interesting idea. Thanks

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  7. Bobby D

    I’m not seeing the benefit of this to the US. The movement of people is going to flow mostly from Canada, UK, NwZealand, and Australia to the US. Our country already has too many people.

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    1. Avatar photo
      TerrBear

      How does the U.S. have too many people?

      If anything we need more. We need more younger people who will work and innovate and pay the taxes that will pay for the entitlements that continuously grow and expand, along with all the debt accumulated to prop it up. It's a lot more doable and palatable to increase taxpayers than it is to reduce the amount of spending on entitlements. How has that worked out for us?

      We need more legal immigration. Significantly more. Humans are a innovators, creators, workers, friends and kinds of other positives - not simply burdens or inconveniences (though we are may sometimes be that as well). I wish we could open the gates and speed up the process - not just for the Anglosphere but for the educated, entrepreneurial, wealthy, or innovating lot from anywhere who are willing to be full-throated participants in the American Idea.

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      1. Bobby D

        Well, that's a bind we've created for ourselves. That said, our nation is definitely too crowded. I live in a community about an hour from NYC that used to be quiet town in the central Jersey countryside. But it's becoming increasingly overrun with people. The population has increased 25% in the past 7 years, without any concomitant upgrades to the road network. A simple trip to the grocery store has become an ordeal. Meanwhile, more than 1500 new apartment units are under construction, which will add another 10% to the town's population. And my property taxes have doubled in less than a decade, as we need to invest in all manner of upgrades to host the increasing population.

        At the end of the day, I'd rather have a cut in entitlements than a $50,000/year property tax bill to pay for people whom I wish had never moved to my town.

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  8. Bdecicco2001

    Considering that the Tories will ride the UK into the ground over Brexit, this idea is a long strech.

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  9. Token Liberal

    Doesn't this seem just a little racist? Or a lot? Forming an alliance based on being "Anglo"? An actual alliance based on race?

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    1. Avatar photo
      John Gustavsson

      As others have said, I'm not talking about race, nor do I consider "anglo" to be a race. If it is a race, it's not a race that I am part of (I'm Scandinavian).

      There are other English-speaking countries, but with the exception of Ireland they are low-wage economies. Free movement between high and low-wage economies is just a terrible idea, even if you have a common language.

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      1. Token Liberal

        Thanks for that. I did not get the impression that race, or probably more accurately, ethnicity, is the motivating idea. But, the fact that this group consists of England and four former colonies run mostly and historically by people who came from England at least gives that appearance, eh?

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    2. R8rsfanjeff

      Did I miss the part where all the BIPOC residents of the Commonwealth have to stay put in thier countries of birth? Or did you fail to notice that the UK and Canada are just as diverse as the US, if not more so?

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      1. Token Liberal

        No, but "Anglo" sphere? It just sounds like joining together due to a generally similar ethnicity in the majority cultures. As much as I like all of the countries and cherish our great relations with them, I do think that getting together based on this is in the end, racist.

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        1. R8rsfanjeff

          It’s unfortunate that you’ve been caught up in the mindset of viewing things through a race based lens, but you’re here so I assume there’s hope for you yet.

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          1. Token Liberal

            But I'm not caught up in that mindset, at least I don't think so. But yet this struck me. If Europeans Union countries are out, how about Iceland, Norway and Switzerland? Not to mention pretty much everyone in those countries speaks English....

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    3. Mike

      Anglo is the language not the ethnicity. Franco is the analogous term - think of the diversity of the francosphere.

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    4. Avatar photo
      TerrBear

      Be careful you don't hurt yourself in that wild leap.

      There is nothing racial stated or even implied - except to those actively looking for it. Substitute "race" with "primary language" if that makes you feel better. No one suggests this would not apply to any citizen of any race/ethnicity. Race is irrelevant in this concept. The British PM's family would be welcome. So would Canadian's NDP leader's. Gustavsson said absolutely nothing otherwise. I mean....really? Race is your takeaway here?

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      1. Token Liberal

        Anglo sounds like a race thing, like "Anglo-Saxon", without the Saxons. There are plenty of other countries that speak English, many as their official language. Some that come to mind : Ireland, Phillipines, Jamaica... Somehow these and other English speaking countries got left out of the Anglosphere, which is not the name I gave it.

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        1. Bobby D

          Of the countries you names, only in Ireland is English the principal language used in everyday communications. And Ireland is excluded because including Ireland would effectively expand it to the rest of the EU.

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        2. Mike

          I take my point back, you’re right. English is also one of India’s official languages. There must be a better term for this natural grouping of nations who come out of the same cultural and philosophical traditions. It’s built on language and kinship, which is certainly historically ethnic. But the sense of kinship survives even as the ethnic mix of the populations change.

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        3. Avatar photo
          TerrBear

          "Anglo" is not racial. Even Quebecers call English-speakers "Anglais" or "Anglos." Two of your three English-speaking examples are not even remotely economically compatible with the U.S. - which the article describes as a reason for suggesting freedom of movement and a mobile workforce. So, race remains irrelevant.

          Incongruously offering "but what about race" increasingly leads to either a laugh or a cringe, depending on whether it's from a lefty or a righty. Both get eyerolls.

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          1. Token Liberal

            I know. So many things get called racist. It is ridiculous. I hesitated to post for that reason. But when the proposed grouping consists of England and four former colonies that gained independence while being run by former English colonists, Anglo seems to be used as a racial term. If that's the case, then the Anglosphere is racist, as in based on race. How else is New Zealand in and Ireland out?

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  10. Avatar photo
    Cthocas

    I'd been coincidentally thinking about the oddness of NZ's inclusion in Five Eyes just the other day, it being roughly as populous and important as a flyover state. And now here's a discussion of letting this remora nation ride along into another agreement with countries that actually do something.

    Ultimately, I feel it's important to exclude NZ from such a Anglophone "Schengen Area" because the Z in CANZUK makes for a very dumb word. I'm sorry, Kiwis; aesthetics are very important, and that Z is not making for a cool acronym. Also, I'm not sure American immigrant policy could handle the sudden influx of Uruk-hai.

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    1. Mike

      Also, i take exception to your inference that NZ doesn’t do anything. You misunderstand our value to the world: when people are totally sick of the bullshit of their own country they have a late night urge to move to somewhere that’s at the other end of the world, but is still comfortable. That’s us. People don’t actually move, but it’s important to people living in the chaos of Trump or Johnson or Truss or McCarthy that they have an option.

      Also for people who like Canada but don’t like the cold, or who might like Australia but don’t like snakes, sharks and stingrays, here we are. Like Britain but even smugger. And warmer.

      It’s not what we do, it’s what we are that’s important.

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    2. Mike

      I might be biased but I think Britain creates a bigger acronym problem. CANZUK sounds like what? And what are the aurals around CANZUK-US said quickly? I submit that it’s Britain that puts the yuck in CANZUK.

      By the time this actually happens the UK will be a misnomer as Scotland gears up to leave, welsh independence gathers force and Ulster unites with Ireland as a way of benefitting from EU membership. You’ll need us kiwis then because otherwise all you’d have is ECA, which is pretty anaemic.

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      1. Avatar photo
        John Gustavsson

        Wales will never be independent, and almost certainly neither will Scotland. They're both heavily subsidised by England.

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        1. Mike

          My point was slightly tongue in cheek, but you’re probably right about Wales. However, Scotland was a big beneficiary of the EU and the last vote was close. Since then Westminster has done nothing but damage. I think the Scots would fancy their chances.

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        Cthocas

        give us Jeremy Wells and it's a deal

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        1. Mike

          How about Jacinda instead?

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          1. Avatar photo
            Cthocas

            ….nah, that’s okay.

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    3. Avatar photo
      TerrBear

      What if - and just hear me out here - The Flight of the Conchords wrote a song and made a music video justifying both inclusions into Five Eyes as well as this free movement agreement?

      And what if they made another song picking on the Aussies, like in their classic episode, "Unnatural Love?"

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZb4vwMV8lY

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      1. Avatar photo
        Cthocas

        I admit I had foolishly discounted how extraordinarily funny New Zealanders are. FotC, Taika Waititi, Taskmaster New Zealand, etc.

        But this may just be grounds for annexation, or at least a swap. We'll give the Pacific...Minnesota? in exchange. I think America's gotten just about all the funny it can out of Minnesota, and we ought to seriously consider trading up.

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