all the same?

[Tom Buchanan]

this question is not meant to offend any of my fellow forumites "across the pond", but is England and great Britain the same? How about the U.K.? Only went to the 7th grade and I think I failed geography.just curious....Thanks

[Steve Stas]

Och,I suspect a Claymore coming from a forumite name of alistair any minute now.

steve stas

[Norman Atkinson]

Tom,
Great Britain is a place like Brigadoon and only in the imagination.
We have Britain and the British Aisles which is what one walks down to get married and is carted up when one is dead.

We have England where St George got killed a dragon and Ireland which is Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom( you're joking) and Eire where St Patrick got cross and chased out all the snakes and Scotland.
Scotland is a place where the Irish live and the Scots live in England and the English live in Spain.
Really, it is quite simple.

Again, your surname is Buchanan and as such you are entitled to wear the distinctive Buchanan family tartan and a kilt and a plaid and examine the contents of a sporran and on maturity be taught by one of the falmily elders what you can wear under your kilt.
Again, you are entitled to kill and eat one haggis annually on Burns Night.
As you must be well aware having failed your geography that you would be unwise to utter
'Clarior, hinc honos' which is the clan cry- and I not surprised at them crying.

It translates " Brighter, hence the Honour"

So there.

Norm

[Alistair Hosie]

Britain is an island i.e the british isles. Within the island is 4 countries Scotland Wales and England and Northern Ireland is within the British isles too so England is not Britain or indeed the UK just a country within the U K , albeit the largest populated but not in landmass as Scotland and Wales out do it in landmass together but seperately I guess Scotland and England are about the same regards.This is a common fault that many people make don't feel bad when I lived in Germany for 5 years I was constantly referred to as an Englander and not correctly a Schotter which I am as a Scotsman.Scotland has always had it's own currency seperate legal system education system etc but Over the past few years we have our own parliament along with Wales so we decide our own local issues of running the country ourselves larger common matters such as defence etc we decide in London together which should make the understanding of the different nations clearer in the future.However we have many English people living in Scotland and I am proud to say some of them are my best Friends Alistair

[Timleech]

The 'British Isles' is England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and I suppose the Isle of Man. Not sure if it includes the Channel Islands which are off the coast of France, but which are sort of slightly British but not in the EC.
The U.K. is 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland', ie the main British island + most of the top part of Ireland.

Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales

England is England, Scotland is Scotland, etc...

England, Scotland and Wales are countries with varying degrees of government based in London.

Ireland is a separate Island, most of which has its own government in Dublin and is *definitely* not in the UK, but the North Eastern part is part of the UK and governed from London until they can stop squabbling amongst themselves when they might get their own parliament back but would still be in the UK. Except that some local functions are dealt with locally or even shared with the Irish (Dublin) govt.
Lots of people in Ireland (the country) want the Northern bit to be governed from Dublin as well, some people in the North want that as well but some very definitely don't.

All clear now?

Tim

[lynnl]

Well said! ...I think..(??)

By the way, what all constitutes the United Kingdom these days?

(edit) Ooops, never mind, the answer was on its way.

[Norman Atkinson]

Correctly,
England,Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom.

Wales joined England in 1307. Scotland and England were joined in the Act of Union at the death of the first Queen Elizabeth in 1603 ie the end of the Tudors and the start of the House of Stuart- James 6 of Scotland and 1st of England. Ireland started its unity in 1541 but here it sorts of splits up into Eire and Northern Ireland and separated in 1924.

If we want to be pedantic, the town of Berwick on Tweed which is now in Northumberland is still at War with Germany since 1914.

My original version was far more interesting. The best , however, is '1066 and all that' an excellent book.

Any wiser?

Norm

[Tom Buchanan]

thank you,gentlemen.I can see that I had every right to be confused!

[Your Old Dog]

Thanks Tom, I was interested in all that too but didn't have the "stones" to ask the question and risk un-leashing a barrage of literary content of which most would soar well enough over my head that I wouldn't know wether to curse them or thank them !

I speak the Kings English too, but it's Martin Luther's