The French, for example, declared that all the French footprints were available for colonization by anybody who wanted to be French, and was prepared to accept a carefully put together document which outlined what being French meant. It was a brave idea, slightly let down by the fact that despite a nationwide debate it appeared that no two Frenchmen could agree exactly on what being French did mean. Although another school of thought held that arguing about what made you French was part of what made you French.
The Long Earth, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (via lametisse)
[I just started listening to the sequel, The Long War today. Excited to hear of the next book, The Long Mars.]