Principality of Hutt River

I have a bit of a penchant for monarchic states so a recent article on the Principality of Hutt River on Reason.com caught my attention. From the article:

Hutt River’s secession and heraldry are neither a political statement nor a publicity stunt. They resulted from one man’s determination to save his wheat farm from ruinous government mandates. In 1970, after fighting a losing battle to repeal a stifling wheat quota, Leonard Casley and several of his neighbors declared independence from Australia. “We seceded to protect our lands,” says Casley, “to stop our lands from being taken from us.”

For more than four decades the self-made monarch has matched wits with irritated bureaucrats and politicians. So far, he’s come out ahead.

The article is an interesting read on what led Prince Leonard to reach the point of seceding from Australia. Reason focused on the libertine issues that led to the formation of the Principality: the wheat tariffs, the actions of the Australian government, the legal maneuvering by the Prince to secure his lands within international and common law. I find all that impressive. The declaration of war and cessation of hostilities to establish his sovereignty was ingenious. A couple other articles detail the events (here and here) and it is worth noting that, while it may be viewed as only existing "on paper", the Principality of Hutt River nonetheless still exists. I offer my best wishes to Prince Leonard and the success of his Principality.