Posted March 30, 2019 07:16:53What is a “free” country?
I don’t know about you, but I have never really considered what it means to be a “freer” country in any way, shape or form.
But I do know that a country is free if its government is “neutral”.
That is, if it is not overtly anti-foreigner, anti-British, anti-“foreigner”, anti-immigrant, or anti-“free”.
For instance, if you live in a country where you are not a citizen, or where you can’t vote, you are free to leave.
And I don’t mean you can vote or vote for another party.
I mean you are completely free to go wherever you want.
In Australia, a country can be “free to leave” even if the government is pro-immigration, pro-business, pro-“foreigners”, pro-“immigrant”, pro-Chinese, pro—anything that is not explicitly anti-government.
This has been an issue of debate in the UK for a while, with the British government recently deciding to rebrand itself as the “British government for Brexit”.
This means that there are now a number of things that can be described as “free”, including free movement, free education, free childcare, free healthcare, and free internet access.
These are just a few examples of things you can be free of in a non-British country, such as being able to vote in local elections, or being able travel freely around the country without a passport.
So, what is “free”?
Well, the most obvious definition of “free country” is that a nation is free to choose to be “neutral”, that is, do not make policies that affect foreign citizens.
The word “neutral” has a different meaning in Australia, as it refers to a country that is a member of a bloc of countries where the laws are in line with Australian law.
Australia is not a member country of the EU, which means that our laws are subject to European laws.
However, we have been a part of the European Union for almost a century, so we are not bound by the same rules as other countries.
What does “free of” mean?
A country is “unfree” if it has not been “neutralised” by the government.
When this happens, the government can effectively “un-free” you.
For example, if your Australian passport has expired and you have no access to work or school, your Australian citizenship is no longer valid.
If you are a student who wants to study in Australia and your passport is being held up for some reason, you can apply to the Australian High Commission to have your Australian passports removed.
There are other ways in which the government might be un-free to “unun-unun” you, such by requiring you to pay a fee to get your Australian identity papers reinstated.
That way, the Australian government can ensure that you are “free from any potential liability for acts of violence”.
And this is only a small part of what it would take to be an “unfreedom”.
As we know from the example of the UK, the “freeing” of a country also means that it is free of its own political, economic and cultural systems.
You would be free to move to another country, or to travel elsewhere in the world.
It is therefore not unusual for Australians to be free from a country’s “unofficial” foreign policies, such the policies of the United Kingdom, which has been widely criticised by human rights groups.
Are there exceptions to “free countries”?
Yes.
An exception is a country in which it is legal for foreign nationals to “register and travel”.
Registered and travel means that you can live, work and travel in Australia.
Many people consider this to be the “gold standard” of free countries, as long as the government has not actively campaigned to exclude or exclude foreign nationals.
Since Australia is not part of a group of countries, its laws are not subject to the same standards of “neutrality” as other non-members.
As such, it is “safe” for people to come to Australia without passports, and to travel freely.
A “free and open” society is one in which citizens have full access to the media, to social media, and the internet.
Australian citizens are also free to “vote” in local and federal elections.
Free movement and access to university and medical care are two other examples of areas where the government does not discriminate against foreigners.
Do I have to live in Australia to be part of “freedom”?
No.
Because the definition of freedom is not strictly one of political or economic interest, it has been described as a “freedom to be”.
What happens if I