WITH two dots of red and green in a sea of blue, Brighton and Hove looks like a separate country on the political map.

And now more than 12,000 residents are declaring independence from the UK on the social media site Facebook.

The People’s Republic of Brighton and Hove has gained more than 12,000 ‘likes’ in a week, designed a flag and is now coming up with a constitution, passports and a national anthem.

Peter Styles, 43, the republic’s ‘Minister for Miscommunication’, explained: “My friend Jason Smart was so exasperated on election night that he set up the page, and it went a bit viral.

“It’s a support group for people who didn’t like what they saw on the constituency map.”

Though the page was light-hearted, creative residents soon came up with artwork, policies and even a flag inspired by the popular television series Game of Thrones.

Under their plan, Green and Labour voters in the surrounding Conservative constituencies would be classed as expats, while Conservative voters would be given the right to stay.

Meanwhile, people in Kemptown have asked for aid parcels of gin, seagull relaxation tapes or even a full invasion.

One Lewes resident offered fireworks and an army of bonfire society members if their constituency could be “liberated”, and people as far away as Scotland have requested asylum.

Peter welcomed participation, saying: “This is a grassroots movement, and people can do with it what they like.

“People have requested T-shirts, badges and passport holders, but the plan is not to turn it into a retail franchise.”

Although a takeover bid for Kemptown was unlikely, he said: “A cultural invasion would take up less energy.”

He added: “Let’s not over-egg the pudding.

“At the moment it’s a thing, and hopefully it will continue to grow.”

  • Both Jason and Peter write for the popular satirical comedy night the Treason Show, and are planning a comedy event to raise money for the Brighton Open Air Theatre. Their show will be a primary school-style sing-along featuring “30 songs you thought you never wanted to sing or play”, including the Home and Away theme and I Believe I Can Fly by R Kelly.

Background

The People’s Republic of Brighton and Hove might be a purely fun idea but there are some pretty small countries to compare.

The principality of Monaco is squeezed into 200 hectares and is the second smallest country with fewer than 40,000 people.

Technically the smallest country is Vatican City in Rome, the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.