Who decides when somewhere attains statehood? Athelstane Aamodt shares some lessons from the past
In the classic 1949 Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico , a small part of London (Pimlico) declares itself independent from the rest of the UK on the basis that the residents discover an old manuscript that reveals that where they live is actually part of the Duchy of Burgundy. The new-found independence of Pimlico causes all sorts of problems and after many Ealing-comedy-type shenanigans, Pimlico—predictably —re-joins the UK.
The basis for the film is alleged to come from a real incident in Canada when in 1943 the maternity ward of a hospital was temporarily declared not to be part of Canada by the Canadian government so that when Princess Juliana of the Netherlands gave birth, the baby (Princess Margriet) was born on Dutch territory, and would not lose her right to the Dutch throne. Scenarios—real or imagined—such as these raise interesting legal and conceptual issues.
How does somewhere become a country?
Given the recent referendums on independence held in Iraqi Kurdistan and Catalonia, who decides when somewhere attains statehood?
