[FT][SG][DS] Structure of the NAC

<snip>

>> Certainly now Canada maintains much of it's "integrity" as a major
>> contributor to the UN because of it's independance from US (and UK
for that
>> matter) foreign  policy.  When Canada becomes just a part of the NAC
>> political entity, we would lose that political independance and
thereby our
>> status as sort-of-neutral...
>
>True. Which is an interesting point - what did we get in exchange? 
>(That is to say, if we made this sacrifice to help the USA, I'm sure 
>we'd have been thrown a bone or two by the Crown). 
> 

I have perhaps a different vision of what the NAC is than some other
people
seem to.  It sometimes comes across that people think of the NAC as some
kind of Mega-United Kingdom, with all the various components directly
controlled from the capital - very Federal system, presided over by the
Monarch and with suitable Lords of this and that (ie the Lord Governor
of
the former US colonies after the UK and Canadian forces arrive to
restore
order post civil war).

I see it rather differently - that the NAC is more along the lines of a
cross between where the EU is going now and NATO.  I can't see Canada
out
of the blue giving up our sovreignty just 'cause the US needed help
after
their civil war.  There was obviously something to be gained by it for
us.
With the free trade block in North America toasted by the war, obviously
there would be economic benefit to banding together - particularly as
Europe seems to have maintained it's integrity to some degree around
that
time.  But what would we really stand to gain by subsuming our nation
into
a giant version of the UK, run (at least initially) by and for London? 
I'm
sure it wouldn't have happened that way.  So, how about an organization
of
separate nations that gets together out of common interest, sets up a
free-trade economic block, sets up a joint military structure (like
NATO,
but moreso) taking the best of what each contributing part had to offer
but
maintaining some degree of national character (heck, the US, Canadian
and
UK militaries aren't THAT different, anyway...), and setting up a single
council / parliament / governmental structure to sit on top of the heap
-
like the EU.  Canada remains nominally Canada, sends representatives to
the
NAC parliament, and we surrender direct control over foreign trade,
foreign
relations, and National Defense.  As for the UK, maybe the UK government
is
dismantled, and the countries that make up the UK represent themselves
in
this over-parliament.	  Same with the regions of the US.  I remember
back
a few weeks there was discussion about what might have happened to the
US
after its civil war, when the constituent bits joined the NAC.	People
suggested that it be broken up into larger geographic areas than the
present states, based on areas of cultural/historical commonality or
something.  Maybe each of the states would join separately - they each
do
have some independance in law now, anyway (with each state having its
own
constitution).	The Canadian provinces as they exist now have never had
an
independent existence - ok, there were separate colonies here prior to
the
formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, but the modern legal
entities
that each province represents don't have any legal status separate from
Canada (well, maybe - we'll see what happens now that the seperatists
just
won another provincial election in Quebec...).	A number of the US
states'
constitutions pre-date the formation of the US, I believe, so there'd be
some claim to say if the US fell apart, those areas would revert back to
their previous existances...  Who knows, I'm not a constitutional
lawyer,
though I've read the US Constitution a few times.

We end up with each region (Canada, UK, four or five mega-states in the
US,
plus others as they join later ?? - and perhaps the colony worlds as
they
become viable) each controling things like education, health care, local
administration, cultural affairs, etc etc etc and having taxation power
-
like the Canadian provinces do now - with the NAC parliament taking
control
of only a few BIG areas (foreign affairs, national defense,
international
trade, etc).  

Anyway, that's it for me for now - stretched my $0.02 out a bit...

Thoughts, anyone?

Adrian