FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
Do you have a question about the Kingdom of Playland? Please see the below list.
If your qustion is not here please write to us... |
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(The Prime Minister and Lord Protector of the Kingdom of Playland, The Rt Hon A. Teacher MP, answers your questions) |
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1. Is the Kingdom of Playland a real nation? |
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By definition we are a nation. The Cambridge University Press dictionary defines nation as:
‘ - noun [S] a large group of people of the same race who share the same language, traditions and history, but who might not all live in one area’.
Playlanders can be of any race but we do share a common language (ESOL), traditions, belief and history. Our nationals all hold Playland passports and we are gradually being recognised by other nations.
According to the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, a nation needs only four things to exist:
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a permanent population |
- Playland's population is on the increase. It has embassies in UN recognised nations which issues Playland passports.
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a defined territory |
- Though the Playland Island is disputed as being actual territory, the New Territory, surrounded by the Lithuanian Highlands definitely is.
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a government |
- Playland has a cabinet of ministers headed by me, the Prime Minister and Lord Protector.
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a capacity to enter into relations
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- Playland regularly communicates with other nations and has signed treaties of mutual diplomatic recognition. |
In 2006, Lonely Planet published its first guide to 'Micronations' More....
While the Kingdom of Playland was founded after this book went to press, most of the nations which have mutually recognised Playland as a nation are. These include The Aerican Empire, The Republic of Molossia, Principality of Sealand and the Copeman Empire.
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2. Where is the Kingdom of Playland? |
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The original location of the Kingdom of Playland was primarily in cyberspace with a tiny territory (a cardboard box) surrounded by Northern Lithuania. Despite the existence of organisations as diverse as eBay, casino-on-net, paypal - where people can shop, gamble, bank and even train their dogs (sitstayfetch.net) many had difficulty accepting a nation in cyberspace. Playland, keen to be recognised began negotiations to extend its territory on the dry land of planet earth (terra firma).
The Kingdom of Playland today exists both in cyberspace, Playland Island, and as an enclave, the New Territory, in the Lithuanian Highlands, about 130 km east of the region's capital, Panevezys. The nation is represented by embassies in several UN recognised nations including Lithuania and Portugal.
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3. What are your current land claims, if any? |
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The New Territory, at 15 acres, is approximately equal in size of Liberty Island, New York, USA. It is held by 'The Convention for the Extension of Playland Territory', a 99 year leasehold agreement similar to former lease of the New Territories of Hong Kong to Britain.
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4. What is your current population? |
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On terra firma we have issued 23 passports, with a waiting list of several more.
The population of Playland Island was said to exceed 1,400 in July 2006.
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5. How can I get a Playland passport? |
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Unlike some micronations, the Kingdom of Playland does not issue passports to anyone who asks for one. Naturalisation will only be considered after a special application has been made to the Playland Government and the individual expresses his/her agreement with the Playland constitution. Read...
The application will then need to be approved by government. Due to national security, only in exceptional circumstances does the Kingdom of Playland issue passports to persons considered to be senior citizens (i.e. Aged over 16).
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6. Who drafted the Playland Constitution? |
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The first and current Playland constitution was drafted by government ministers at the Kingdom of Playland Embassy to Portugal on 12th July 2006. The ministers were:
The Rt Honorable Carolina Sousa MP
The Rt Honorable Scotti Joao Pinto Ribeira MP
The Rt Honorable Tobias Pereira MP
The Rt Honorable Carolina Silva MP
The Rt Honorable Smartie Albuquerque MP
The Rt Honorable Telmo Micaelo MP |
Proceedings were supervised by HM King William II and me, as Prime Minister and Lord Protector of the Kingdom of Playland.
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7. Your Constitution states that citizens should obey all rules. What rules? |
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Even after we are recognised as an independent state on terra firma our nationals will continue to be free to hold dual citizenship. By obeying all rules, we mean all the rules of the Kingdom of Playland as well as respecting the laws of the countries we are citizens of. Failure to do so will be considered as an act of high treason and lead to revoking of Playland nationality status.
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8. If the common thread linking your people is that they are learning English, are you not concerned that once they have learned English they will just leave? |
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Emigration is a worry for many nations. When Lithuania was accepted into the European Union it was estimated that a third of the population would leave. If a third of our people achieve a level of English where they have nothing more to learn then, as a teacher, I will be very satisfied.
All nationals of the Kingdom of Playland have the right to surrender nationality at any time but my inclination is to believe that our nationals will not forget their roots. The success of the Kingdom of Playland is a combined interest and not a personal goal.
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9. What is the actual date of founding your state? |
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If the term state refers to ‘a nation that has a relatively strong influence in the United Nations General Assembly’ we are not quite there yet. Our nation was officially founded on 10th July 2006. The first constitution was drafted on 12th July 2006.
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10. Is it true that you're trying to organise a fun activity for your students and not, in fact, any sport or political or nationalist group? |
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It is true that the Kingdom began as a fun activity for English learning students. In the first week of our foundation however, we had already developed the first draft of our constitution and received diplomatic recognition from the Aerican Empire. Whilst we prefer to remain apolitical and on friendly terms with other democratic nations, we believe strongly in children’s and youth rights and the political ideology of our national heroine Astrid Lindgren. While we are patriotic to our nation we abhor the idea of nationalism.
Someone once said:
’the patriot loves his own country and wants to improve it, the nationalist hates everybody else's and will not admit that his own has any flaws.’
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11. Can what you are doing be called nationalism? |
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What is nationalism? If it is as defined in the above quote then no. Playlanders do not understand the meaning of the word ‘hate’ and they are the first to learn from their mistakes. If nationalism on the other hand means wanting to be recognised in a world where you are ‘seen and not heard’, then yes.
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12. I have been watching your fight to be listed on Wikipedia for a couple of days now. It seems they don't want you there. |
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Yes this is a disappointing occurrence and yet more evidence of our struggle for recognition. We have attempted entry in a list of micronations on wikipedia.org on several occasions but later find that somebody has deleted our entry. Our younger nationals here on terra firma have been saddened to see the entry removed. We wish Wikipedia or its users no harm.
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13. Does Playland have a military force? |
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No. Our constitution states that Playlanders will not kill or hurt anybody. Being primarily in cyberspace means that it is more difficult for other nations to attack us and so we do not see a need to teach our nationals how to kill. Our Minister of Security, Ežytė Šaltkalvė MP, normally settles all disputes with a woof.
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14. The average age of your nationals is twelve. Does it not worry you that your nation will eventually face a scenario similar to the one in William Golding's novel 'Lord of the Flies'? |
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Forgive me if I am mistaken but in William Golding’s novel, a bunch of half- starved boys were stranded on a desert island with hardly any resources for survival. Playland on the other hand is now an established nation with law-abiding nationals. We have a constitution to which we have sworn allegiance and failure to do so will be treated as a high act of treason. The New Territory is rich in natural fruit and modern supermarkets are just a cycle ride away. Other than the age of the characters in the book being similar to the average age of Playlanders I fail to see the comparison between Lord of the Flies and The Kingdom of Playland.
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15. What religion does the Playland Church in Brazil Town adhere to? |
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It doesn't! The church in Brazil Town is really just a private sanctuary where people can go, sit and think or pray in peace. Playlanders are free to choose their own religion and providing that they do not try to influence others with their beliefs are left in peace. As a nation we do not discriminate.
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16. Who is King William II? |
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His Majesty King William II is our non-executive Head of State. He is Playland’s second king, who succeeded William I after two minutes. He's a quiet soul who shies away from public attention. He depends on me as Lord Protector of Playland to approve any decisions made by our government. He lives with his wife Queen Kate at the castle in the Secret Forest on Playland Island. His Majesty is a keen collector of Playland art. More...
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17. How can I visit Playland? |
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Everybody is free to visit Playland Island! While we do issue passports for recognition on visits to other nations we do not impose visa restrictions on anyone to visit our New Territory. All visits however can only made by prior arrangement. More...
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18. Where is 'Terra Firma'? |
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Terra firma is the dry land of planet earth (not the sea, air or cyberspace).
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Reproduction of any of this material without written permission from the Playland Government is prohibited.
© 2006 The Kingdom of Playland, All rights reserved. |
