In 1977, on April 1st, King Richard Booth declared Hay-on-Wye to be an independent kingdom. Since then there has been a Republican uprising (during which King Richard's head was cut off in effigy) - but now there seems to be a doubt as to whether we were ever really independent at all. We might even be part of Powys!
Prompted by the example of our Scottish cousins, we will therefore hold a referendum to proclaim our independence, on 18th September.
Our manifesto is as follows:
We want a new postcode, HOW1, to show we are not part of Powys or Herefordshire.
Scotland will benefit from the oil fields; Hay could benefit from the revenue of the car park. Instead of it flowing out to the coffers of the County Council, we would retain the money for the benefit of the Kingdom of Hay
Hay, the powerhouse of the International Book Economy, also recognises that local shops rather than corporate chains are the way forward. A Kingdom that celebrates eccentricity is a state that prospers.
An independent Kingdom of Hay will be able to negotiate with Herefordshire County Council to keep our trade routes open. Due to the present deplorable state of that county's roads, we propose to send a raiding party to commandeeer a road mending lorry, and ensure that visitors can reach our Kingdom easily.
As Putin sent tanks into the Crimea recently, so we are also expecting a military response from the Welsh Assembly, proportional to our threat to the integrity of the Welsh nation. So we are expecting, at any moment, the arrival of the Welsh Guards' regimental goat! People of Hay! Guard our borders! Don't let that goat into your gardens!
(This blogpost was brought to you by the Independent Kingdom of Hay Referendum Committee. God Save King Richard and Prince Derek!)
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4 comments:
As an English incomer, I am surprised at the Welsh not having risen in anger about having Hereford and Shrewsbury post codes. I'm tired of correcting addresses which tell me I'm in Herefordshire.
Why?
I have no idea how it's arranged now, but when post codes were first invented, the first part of the post code took the letter to the nearest main post office, which in our case was Hereford, from where they would be delivered locally. So even though we're in Wales, the letters went through Hereford first. It ought to be possible to show that we're in Wales now - and it actually matters for things like how much house insurance we pay.
HURRAH!!
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