can anyone make and argument that the commonwealth is a place?

Question

we were in the middle of a board game between the guys and the girls and gthe task was to describe a person with out saying names or places. The women said i am the leader of the commonwealth....and the men all said cheat...as the commonwealth is a place...or at very least places....which is a cheat... anyone agree with the guys and why?

Answer 1

I disagree.

1. The Commonwealth of Nations is a "community of sovereign states" established for their common well-being. It is an association, rather than a territory. To refer to it as a place is like calling the Women's Institute a person.

2. It is not even the only commonwealth in the world - there are many:
a) the Commonwealth of Independent States,
b) the Commonwealth of Australia,
c) the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,
d) the Commonwealth of Dominica,
e) the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
f) the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
g) the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
h) the Commonwealth of Virginia
i) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
j) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth

3. If they are still unconvinced, tell them that you will concede if they can state (immediately, without researching) which member state of the Commonwealth of Nations was never a British colony of any sort. If they can't, then they have to concede [it's Mozambique, which joined in 1995].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique

4. If they insist on another Commonwealth question, then - which five countries have had their membership temporarily suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations (either through unilateral withdrawal or formal action) and how many times each? Answer: South Africa (once 1961-1994), Pakistan (twice 1972-1989 & 1999-2004), Fiji (three times 1987-1997, 2000-2001, and 2006-present day), Nigeria (once 1995-1999) and Zimbabwe (once 2002-2003, then it permanently left).
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/34493/140633/timeline/