"Why does 'The Van Diemonian Club' exist and what is it?" you may ask. The Van Diemonian Club exists to help maintain and promote the notion of a Tasmanian nation.
A country consists of a nation and a state, the state being the governing body and the nation being the people, a 'people' unified by an identity (whether that's ethnic, religious, cultural, by some unifying idea, or a combination of different things). Australia has many nations, not just the different 'first-nations', but also the different nations attached to the states and territories that make up Australia.
Whilst the states of Australia do have some autonomy and this autonomy can help to protect local identity, it is not enough to prevent demographic replacement (from both inside and outside of the country), self-flagellation over historical ills, and the importation of internationalistic ideas, from erasing these nations. Tasmania, being small, is especially vulnerable to this. Whether it's on purpose or oversight, such erasure must be resisted, and that is why the Van Diemonian Club exists. By unifying under a national identity, Tasmanians will be able to stand up, address the issues that face Tasmanians (such as housing), and forge our own path instead of being dragged down by the rest of the world, by continental Australia, and all those who see Tasmania as nothing but a bag of money.
"What can be done then?" you may ask. Tasmanians must look out for other Tasmanians. This means buying from local shops, giving to charities that support Tasmanians or giving to those Tasmanians in need directly, but also promoting the idea of the Tasmanian nation.
We must see ourselves as a people of a nation, not just as "international individuals" who have no right to a national identity. We must learn and care about our collective heritage, as we are links in a great chain, not merely atoms floating in a void. Learning about your own family history and your ancestral right to be a part of this great nation is also good. We must look out for our own and celebrate our nation in the same way that those we import do, or we will cease to be.
In short, we must create a Tasmania which promotes strong and healthy communities, promotes and defends basic freedoms -- such as freedom of speech and freedom of self preservation --, and promotes and defends it's heritage and history from thosse who whih to debase it's people. If you would like to join, please contact me at [email protected].