When the sun will literally set on what's left of the British Empire

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Access / Meta

  • Several readers reported being blocked or timing out on the original site; an archive link was shared.

UK Power, Hong Kong, and Chagos

  • Strong disagreement over whether the UK “failed to protect” Hong Kong:
    • One side argues Britain abandoned treaty obligations and could have done more (e.g., pushing harder on autonomy, not returning all of Hong Kong, or exploring ROC/Taiwan options).
    • Others argue the UK had almost no leverage against the PRC, and any serious confrontation would have been suicidal militarily and economically; offering migration paths (BNO visas) was the realistic limit.
    • The early end of “50 years of autonomy” via the National Security Law is cited as treaty violation that the UK cannot meaningfully enforce.
  • On the Chagos Islands:
    • Some see the UK’s deal to give them up as symbol of decline and unnecessary loss of strategic territory (“unsinkable aircraft carrier”), plus betrayal of islanders.
    • Others welcome shedding a legally and politically costly remnant with little benefit to the UK itself.

Is the British Empire Really Gone? Commonwealth, Monarchy, and Soft Power

  • Debate over whether countries like Canada and Australia are still “the empire”:
    • One camp: sharing a monarch and cultural institutions makes them de facto continuation.
    • Counterpoint (well supported in-thread): these are fully independent realms with their own “King of X”, their own constitutions, and only ceremonial/then-ignored residual royal powers; key episodes (King–Byng, 1975 Australian crisis, Australia Act 1986) cited as breaking UK control.
  • Some argue the UK remains a mid-sized but still significant power (nukes, G7 economy, cultural/financial influence); others insist it is “non-world power” clinging to nostalgia.

.io TLD and Post-Colonial Internet Fallout

  • Question raised about what happens to .io if the British Indian Ocean Territory ceases to exist.
  • Explanation:
    • ccTLDs are tied to ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes; if the territory/code is retired, .io should eventually be phased out (multi‑year sunset).
    • Precedents exist (e.g., .yu); but .su (Soviet Union) persists due to political resistance.
    • Some expect .io to vanish as a ccTLD; others predict it will be grandfathered or converted to a generic TLD given its heavy use and revenue potential.

French (and Other) “Never-Setting” Empires

  • Several notes that France still spans time zones (French Guiana, Indian Ocean, Pacific territories), so the “sun never sets” trope still loosely applies.
  • Side discussion on:
    • France’s longest land border (Brazil, via French Guiana).
    • Measurement quirks of borders (coastline paradox, river thalwegs, differing survey methods).

Legacy of the British Empire: Benefit vs Atrocity

  • Extremely polarized views:
    • One stance: former colonies “universally benefited” (law, administration, infrastructure, trade, etc.); decline of the empire seen as civilizational loss, with US hegemony as its informal successor.
    • Strong rebuttals: point to genocides, famines (Ireland, India), the opium trade, partition violence, and long-term social damage (including colonial manipulation of caste and sectarian divisions). For many, dissolution is framed as a moral victory.
    • Nuanced middle positions: some domains (e.g., settler colonies like Canada/Australia) clearly ended up wealthier; others were exploited and left unstable. The Commonwealth’s persistence is cited both as soft-power legacy and as possible “Stockholm syndrome.”

Contemporary Perceptions of the UK

  • One commenter expresses deep pessimism: sees the UK as culturally and economically spent, over‑policed online, and on a long decline since WWII.
  • Multiple responses counter that:
    • The UK still sits mid‑pack or better among rich countries on growth and income, with issues similar to other Western states (ageing, debt, fertility).
    • Social‑media narratives exaggerate its dysfunction; problems are real but not uniquely catastrophic.

Residual “Empire” Through Finance

  • Final note that even if territorial empire ends, some see a de facto British “empire” persisting via global banking, tax havens, and financial networks centered in the UK and its dependencies.