Republic of Phillip

Republic of Phillip
Flag Official emblem
Motto: Macklemore
Anthem: Händel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks: 1. Ouverture
Map of the US counties in which Phillip has territorial claims
Capital	Orue
Largest city	Port Phillip
Official languages	English Spanish German
Ethnic groups	77.0% Caucaisan 15.4% Hispanic 7.6% Other
Religion	Church of Phillip (official)
Demonym(s)	Phillip
Government	Representative Democracy
• President	Iyan Seeker
• Vice President	Madison Marcos
• Minister of Mint	Ben Fitzgibbins
Legislature	National Assembly
Establishment
• Constitution ratified	9 January 2023
Area
• Total	72 km2 (28 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	39 (April 2023)
• Density	0.5/km2 (1.3/sq mi)
Currency	Phillip dinero (PHD)
Time zone	GMT+2
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy

The Republic of Phillip is a micronation that was established on 9 January 2023 by a group of friends in Florida. Phillip was founded with the goal of creating a small-scale advanced political society. The nation was originally based only in Hillsborough County, Florida, but over time has expanded to include territory as far north as Brooks County, Georgia. The land that makes up Phillip is divided between four regions and seven territories, most of which are considered to be disputed with the United States of America. The nation's capital is Port Phillip, which is also its most populated city. The land that Phillip claims was previously a part of the United States. Parts of its land, such as the city of Origen, were a part of multiple other micronations in the past.

Phillip is a representative democracy that has two separate branches of government. The President and their cabinet make up the first branch and the National Assembly, which acts as the only court in the country, makes up the second branch.

Etymology

The name "Phillip" originated in the early planning stages of the nation. Originally, founder and current President Jaxson Renny claimed that it was the name of his mailman, but later it was confirmed to be the names of three of his Pokémon that he caught on popular mobile game Pokémon Go.

The phrase “Republic” was added to the official name to indicate that Phillip is a democratic country where the people vote for their representatives.

History

Pre-micronational history

The land that Phillip claims was bought by the United States from Spain in 1819. Development of the region started in 1845, but the earliest Phillip land claim that was developed was the city of Origen in 1960.

First micronational claims

Libereco Wall between the Norfolk Empire and Tamcoop

Before Phillip was founded, sections of it were a part of micronation created by founder Cooper Norfolk in 2016 called the Republic of Tamcoop. This claim was held undisputed up until 2017 when a short-lived independence movement claimed a portion of the land to create the Genasian Republic. After the independence movement fell apart, the land was returned to Tamcoop.

On 26 June 2019, a new state called the Norfolk Empire invaded two parts of Tamcoop to create a capital city for their new empire. A wall was constructed between the two nations and the Norfolk Empire developed on the land, creating a naval port and other military bases. The invasion was not recognized by Tamcoop, who still claimed full control over the land. After the Norfolk Empire fell into a period of inactivity, the land was reclaimed by Tamcoop.

Phillip founded

On 9 January 2023, interim president Jaxson Renny decided to create the Republic of Phillip with a group of close friends and family. Renny started Phillip because he thought it could be a fun activity for his friend group. The first ever election was held on the 12th of January 2023 in which acting President Renny and his party won the majority in government.

The first month of Phillip went relatively well until a dispute arose between Vice President Luke Fitzgibbins and politician Cooper Norfolk. Fitzgibbins had for multiple weeks been attempting to pass a bill in the National Assembly that would restrict suffrage for citizens above the age of twenty. Norfolk, who has a seat in the Assembly, was vehemently opposed to the bill, going as far as to create a political party dedicated to blocking it. Norfolk struck made an agreement with members of his party in the Assembly to vote how he told them to, essentially giving him control over more than 70% of the assembly.

In response to this, members of President Renny's government threatened the PNF with several law suits and a civil war. The political dispute continued until the 13th of February 2023, when both sides signed the "Norfolk-Fitzgibbins Agreement". The agreement stated that in return for a promise form Fitzgibbins to not present legislation relating to the restriction of suffrage, Norfolk would disband his party. After the signing of the agreement, the Butter Butta Bentley Party was able to take back a strong majority in the Assembly.

Government and politics

Phillip is a republic and a representative democracy with two separate levels of government. The first consists of the President and their cabinet, the Minister of Mint, governors of the subdivisions, and the mayors of the cities and towns. The second consists of the representatives of the National Assembly. Citizens of the subdivisions are ruled by governors, which are appointed by the President.

The constitution serves as the guiding document for all legal and judicial practices within the country. It was written by Cooper Norfolk and Luke Fitzgibbins and has been in effect since the country was established.

Presidential Cabinet

The President is the highest position to be held in Phillip. It's not the most powerful, because other branches keep its power in check, but it is the most prestigious. There are no term limits for public offices in Phillip and a term for all positions is three months long. The current President of Phillip is Iyan Seeker of the Butter Butta Bentley Party. The President of Phillip is allowed to; shut down the government, pass or deny bills, pass executive orders, appoint members of the government, banish citizens who have committed treason, and veto declarations of war from the General of the Military.

Iyan Seeker
President

Madison Marcos
Vice President

Ben Fitzgibbins
Minister of Mint

The second most powerful position in Phillip is the Minister of Mint. They control the distribution of Dineros and their respective value in comparison to whatever it is pegged to. They are also the only person who is allowed to print currency in Phillip, so the health of the entire economy is under their jurisdiction. The Minister of Mint is elected by the people to ensure that the President or the members of their cabinet have an influence in the process of printing money. The current Minister of Mint is Ben Fitzgibbins, who was elected on 23 January 2023.

National Assembly

The National Assembly of Phillip is the legislative branch of the government of Phillip. The National Assembly is the only legislative body in Phillip and has eight elected seats, two from each of the regions, with the exception of the Alemana Region, and one representing all the territories collectively.

Representatives can write bills to be voted on in the National Assembly. Once a bill is approved by the majority of the assembly, it moves on to the President. They can then decide to either pass or veto the bill, sending it back to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly also acts as the nation's only court. In court cases, the representatives will act as the jury. The National Assembly is led by the Supreme Judge, who acts as the Speaker of the Assembly and a judge.

Ministries

Ministries are created by the President in order to manage certain areas of the government. Currently, Phillip has nine ministries:

• Ministry of Mint - led by Ben Fitzgibbins, is responsible for controlling the distribution of Dineros and controls the taxation of the subdivisions
• Ministry of Fish & Wildlife - led by Owen Itzen, is responsible for protecting the fish and wildlife of Phillip
• Ministry of Agriculture - led by Madison Marcos, is responsible for regulating agriculture in Phillip
• Ministry of Elections - led by Cooper Norfolk, is responsible for administering fair elections
• Ministry of Transportation - led by Riley Cook, is responsible for providing the Military of Phillip with vessels of transportation
• Ministry of Energy - led by Yokum Williams, is responsible for regulating energy usage in Phillip
• Ministry of Sports - led by Nick DeVorb, is responsible for creating sports leagues in Phillip
• Ministry of Citizenship - led by Cooper Norfolk, is responsible for admitting new citizens to Phillip
• Ministry of Corporations - led by Nick DeVorb, is responsible for regulating business in Phillip
• Ministry of Art - led by Owen Itzen, is responsible for regulating and supporting art in Phillip

Parties and elections

In Phillip, elections for the President and representatives of the National Assembly are held every three months. Originally, elections were to take place monthly, but that was quickly changed after representatives in the Assembly passed a bill extending the terms of elected officials. Phillip operates under a multi-party system with "winner-takes-all" elections.

The two largest political parties in Phillip are the left-wing Progresivos De Fe led by Representative Owen Itzen and the right-wing Butter Butta Bentley Party led by former President Jaxson Renny. The Butter Butta Bentley Party believes in creating a Theocracy in Phillip with the Pope of the Church of Phillip being the leader, while the Progresivos De Fe believes in Social democracy and transitioning the nation's economy into a Nordic model. There is one other smaller political party in the country, the Richardson Party which believes in Totalitarianism.

Below is a list of the political parties in Phillip.

Party			Logo	Party Leader(s)	Spectrum	Ideologies	National Assembly	Cabinet
	Butter Butta Bentley Party	BBB		Jaxson Renny	Center-right	Theocracy, Nationalism, Feudalism, Serfism	3 / 8	3 / 13
	Richardson Party	RS		Madison Marcos	Far-right	Totalitarianism	2 / 8	2 / 13
	Progresivos De Fe	PDF		Owen Itzen Austin Itzen Nick DeVorb Riley Cook	Centre-left	Progressivism, Social democracy, Isolationism, Nordic model	1 / 8	6 / 13
	Independent	I	None	None	None	None	2 / 8	2 / 13

Geography and climate

Forest in the Traqueto Territory

Phillip claims just shy of 72 km² of territory, most of which consists of uninhabitable swampland, forests, and farmland. Phillip is larger than the European microstate San Marino, but smaller than most other internationally recognized country.

Most of Phillip sits on a peninsula within a peninsula. Most of the country is flat with a minimal change in elevation. Phillip does not have access to international waters but has access to the Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, and Tampa Bay through several of its disputed territories.

The highest point in Phillip is in the Nueva Andalucia Territory and is only 75.5m above sea level. The lowest point in Phillip is in the Alemana Region and is -0.3m deep.

Subdivisions

Most of Phillip’s land claims lie within Hillsborough County, Florida. The nation also claims multiple territories in Manatee County and Pinellas County, Florida and in two other counties along the Georgia-Florida border. There are more than sixty separate pieces of land that have been consolidated into seven territories and four regions. The largest subdivision is the Csonka Territory, which takes up almost 26.9% of Phillip's territorial claims. Each region has a governor that is chosen by the President. It was decided when writing the constitution that Governors of subdivisions would be a ceremonial role without much political power, but they can levy taxes in their subdivisions. Due to the fact that there are no inhabitants in any of the territories, there is one governor for all of them. During elections for the National Assembly, each region, with the exception of the Alemana Region, has two seats available to run for, while the territories have one. Citizens of their region can vote on their own representative, but the representative for the territories is decided by everyone.

Slightly more than 87% of Phillip's territorial claims are considered to be disputed with the United States of America. Most of the disputed claims are of uninhabited territories that were recently annexed and have not been visited by a representative of Phillip. The Military of Phillip is currently planning multiple military operations in order to officially conquer these disputed territories.

In the constitution, there are three different types of subdivisions;

• Regions: Populated subdivisions with permanent residences
• Territories: Large areas of land with no permanent residences
• Dependencies (dependent territories): Land claims that are more than 85 km away from the Capital of Phillip. They have full autonomy and may act as a Republic with a President and National Assembly.

Name	Flag	Emblem	Governor		Population
Regions
Port Phillip				Jaxson Renny	12
Greater Lukous				Cooper Norfolk	11
North Phillip				Vacant	8
Alemana				Owen Itzen	6
Territories
Nueva Galicia				Cooper Norfolk	2
Csonka				Cooper Norfolk	0
Achtflüsse				Cooper Norfolk	0
Nueva Andalucia				Cooper Norfolk	0
Weedon				Cooper Norfolk	0
Alafia				Cooper Norfolk	0
Sziget				Cooper Norfolk	0

Climate

Phillip has a humid subtropical climate, so it experiences hot and humid summers and cool winters. The area that Phillip is located in is very susceptible to hurricanes, rough rainstorms, and flash floods.

Economy

Currency

The Phillip dinero (PLD) is the official currency used by the Republic of Phillip. The value of the Phillip Dinero is tied to the price of six Jolly ranchers. The Minister of Mint is in control of the distribution of Dineros and respective value in comparison to whatever it is pegged to. They have a council known as the Jolly Parliament that includes a member from each political party to give a second opinion on their decisions.

The Phillip Dinero isn’t in circulation currently because no bank has been formed within Phillip.

Culture

Language

The official languages of Phillip are English and Spanish. English is the primary language because all of the population is fluent. Spanish is also an official language because 100% of the cities of Tarkis and Orue speak the language. German is also spoken by residents of the city of Estado Libre.

Religion in Phillip (February 2023)

  Church of Phillip (33.3%)

  Catholicism (23.1%)

  Non-affiliated (18.0%)

  Other (10.3%)

  Christianity (10.3%)

  Methodist (5.1%)

Religion

The Church of Phillip is the official religion of Phillip, even though only 33.3% of the country affiliates with it. The religion was created in 2022 by founder and former President Jaxson Renny, who made it the officially recognized religion during his short tenure as acting President. The majority of Phillip’s citizens affiliate with either Christianity or Catholicism. There is also a notable Atheist population within the country, located entirely within the city of Calabaza.

On 27 March, President Renny approved the “Crimes Against the Church of Phillip Bill”, which made it illegal for citizens to critique the Church of Phillip and “not [be a part of] the Church of Phillip”. The law also allows the Pope of the Church of Phillip to decide punishments for citizens who are suspected of committing crimes against the Church. His decision led many in the nation to fear persecution based on their religious affiliations. During the time this law was in effect, zero cases of religious persecution were reported, and President Renny even reportedly allowed Catholics to practice in secret.

On the last day of President Renny's term, he decided to pass a law guaranteeing citizens the freedom of religion, effectively nullifying the "Crimes Against the Church of Phillip Bill". Still, there is no explicit separation of church and state in Phillip's constitution, which has allowed the Church of Phillip to influence the decisions of several politicians within the country.

Sports

Citizens of Phillip enjoy playing "Goofy Ahh Ball", a game made by citizens before the establishment of the country. The sport is a combination between Rugby, Soccer, and Tennis. "Goofy Ahh Ball" has no official league but is played amongst citizens frequently.