Sirocco marks second anniversary, Anderson warns of micronational inactivity

Alston, NCD, Nov 4 – Sirocco has surpassed the longevity of the Glorious Dictatorial Republic of Andersonia by reaching its second birthday today.

At midnight the national anthem was played, while later on in the morning a large breakfast was held in Alston this morning to mark the occasion. Throughout the day there have been celebratory messages, videos and a general feeling of patriotism throughout the nation.

Premier Daniel Anderson spoke tonight live on SBC National Radio on several topics. Discussing the importance of maintaining activity, he stated that:

A micronation is not an easy thing to maintain. Much planning must go into the creation of an independent state, from the writing-up of a constitution to the issuance of banknotes. And even then, after the hard yards have been put in the past, the state must be maintained or it is doomed to falter and ultimately fall apart. How many times has it happened that a micronation has started off with magnificent fanfare and all the promise of something akin to a micronational superpower only to forget itself and slide into the pit of failed states?

He also went on to discuss the evolution of Sirocco itself.

Two years ago we had a very rudimentary government with little else of note to add to our nation’s portfolio. All we had was a flag, a coat of arms, a constitution now being replaced with a more modern version, some ministers and four large but extremely disorganised provinces. We thought we were great.

Today we know that the Sirocco of yesteryear looks nothing like the Sirocco of today. We have established a broad base of government departments, companies, provinces, people, and of course our now-famous culture. Our legislature now reflects our provinces and dependencies, not the individual ministries. We have currency praised by many as an example of some of the best of micronational money. We have a range of people of all descriptions in both New Zealand and South Africa. We have several companies enriching the Siroccan economy and improving our quality of living. We have a unique Siroccan culture, a well-known blend of trams, power poles, roads, the 1950s, computers, toasters, dirigibles and, in the case of our friends in Zona, feudal Japan. We have a reputation for astoundingly good television and graphic design. This is Sirocco today.

Also stressed was the importance of maintaining individuality in an increasingly “carbon copy” community.

But don’t be like everyone else. Take for example the MicroWiki community. It is full of socialist nations that by and large are carbon copies of one another, with the usual installation of the hammer and sickle, the Internationale, the People’s whatever and so on. If that’s what you yearn for, then fine, but I can assure you that you won’t get far. Have something that makes you stand out. Look at Zealandia, a pseudo-Sweden of the South Seas. Then there is Sandus, a highly religious state, and while they may be at odds with many of us from time to time, none of us can say that they are a stereotypical socialist state. Juclandia too is different, if just because there’s more stuffed animals than real people hanging around. Individuality is something we should all strive to have. After all, how many micronations do you see around that have a strange attraction to military regalia, or tramcars, or teddy bears speaking in heavy Russian accents?

Anderson rounded off the speech by urging micronationalists to work hard on their creations.

…with some hard work your micronation may well just be one of many micronations with plenty to do in the future.

Anderson spoke with the Times after the speech and spoke of his happiness of Sirocco reaching its second anniversary.

“It’s absolutely fantastic that we have come this far. A lot of time and effort has gone into making Sirocco what it is today, and I am confident that by the time our third anniversary rolls around next year we will have improved on our current state by a great amount.”

Zealandian leader Hakon Lindstrom congratulated Sirocco on its second anniversary.

“I’d like to congratulate the Siroccan people and trams on their achivement. We have had our ups and downs and fights and wars but we have a tight relationship much like Australia and NZ.”

Festivites are winding down in Alston tonight but are expected to resume to an extent tomorrow.

You can listen to the Premier’s speech here.