Make Britain a country?
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Original post by Sheepish153
Yeah..lazy..or emotive. He can't exactly say "Great UK"! I'm not sure the south really cares whether the north is joined to them or not. Just a few political groups (one in particular) that can't let go of the past :/
Great UK :') If anything it's more Mediocre UK for the meantime XD Welcome to MUK tourists!
Ooh so it's all well and good there then?
Original post by lucas13
so you are proposing kicking out northern ireland, the uk already is the country, wales and scotland arent proper countries now anyway, this is all pretty irrelevant anyway due to it all being part of the eu.
Perfectly summed up!
I would rep but I'm out
Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
Great UK :') If anything it's more Mediocre UK for the meantime XD Welcome to MUK tourists!
Ooh so it's all well and good there then?
Ooh so it's all well and good there then?
Not exactly "well and good".
see: "They took our fleg"
Original post by Sheepish153
Not exactly "well and good".
see: "They took our fleg"
see: "They took our fleg"
Ah
At least Irish people aren't assumed terrorists anymore though, at least not by mass media (There's hope for Muslims then, who's next, Australians? That's a conversation for a different thread)Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
Ah At least Irish people aren't assumed terrorists anymore though, at least not by mass media (There's hope for Muslims then, who's next, Australians? That's a conversation for a different thread)
At least Irish people aren't assumed terrorists anymore though, at least not by mass media (There's hope for Muslims then, who's next, Australians? That's a conversation for a different thread)Probably for a different thread, yes
...Australians are assumed as terrorists?!Original post by Sheepish153
Probably for a different thread, yes ...Australians are assumed as terrorists?!
...Australians are assumed as terrorists?!You never know... with the diversity of creatures over there we'd never know what hit us. I'm convinced Australia is building an army of kangaroos, dingoes, scorpions spiders etc.
We wouldn't stand a chance!
Only if Cardiff is the capital.
Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
You never know... with the diversity of creatures over there we'd never know what hit us. I'm convinced Australia is building an army of kangaroos, dingoes, scorpions spiders etc.
We wouldn't stand a chance!
We wouldn't stand a chance!
This is why Australians are awesome :L
Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
Considering Wales has a language of its own and has been fighting against England to keep their land
Only a minority speak Welsh. I don't know what you mean about 'keeping their land'.
Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
Scotland doesn't really like England either
Not true.
Original post by Snagprophet
Only a minority speak Welsh. I don't know what you mean about 'keeping their land'.
Not true.
Not true.
The welsh government has put a lot of effort into keeping that language too!
Do English people even like England? XD
Original post by Sheepish153
Are you implying that it doesn't function as it is? and what about Northern Ireland? Everyone always forgets us
I know. horrible isnt it
I may be wrong here, but considering how England, Scotland, Wales and NI are all part of the UK, they are all one political sovereign state. I don't recall ever hearing about wales deciding to increase their defense budget (though i am from ni and don't hear much about events in wales in general). I think for all intent and purposes such as international affairs, Britain is already one country (state would be a better word i think) and has been since the act of union ( both acts of union). Though ofc there is different regional cultures and traditions throughout it.
That's my view anyways
Also i am equating Britain and the UK to be one and the same
That's my view anyways
Also i am equating Britain and the UK to be one and the same
Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
The welsh government has put a lot of effort into keeping that language too!
Doesn't make it useful. Most people aren't interested in it.
Britain* already is one country in the same sense that the USA, Germany, Spain, India, etc. are all countries. The fact that we also use the word "country" for the primary subdivisions of the UK, doesn't change the fact that the UK itself is just as much a country as any other.
I think reversing devolution would not be a popular move. I think it would be more sensible to have some kind of devolution settlement for England. That way at least the country would be organised in a more consistent way while still allowing the existing devolved regions to retain their current autonomy (or perhaps even expanding it).
* by which I mean the UK, not specifically the island of Great Britain
I think reversing devolution would not be a popular move. I think it would be more sensible to have some kind of devolution settlement for England. That way at least the country would be organised in a more consistent way while still allowing the existing devolved regions to retain their current autonomy (or perhaps even expanding it).
* by which I mean the UK, not specifically the island of Great Britain
I'm not excluding NI, it's just a separate landmass and personally I think it functions better as a devolved power. Britain would function as a series of devolved regions rather then just Scotland and Wales having one but England not. In most cases people are detached from the south of England (particularly London) and like the north of England have way more in common with Scotland/Wales then the south.
I know it's never going to happen that Britain will become a single unified state, but I think to consider Wales a country (which it never has been, only a principality) or Scotland one (which hasn't been independent for over 400 years) seems a ridiculous basis by which to base modern politics over as a justified reason for independence/devolution. If you think that's justified then why shouldn't places like Yorkshire or Cornwall have independence, after all they have their own distinct cultures and history.
I know it's never going to happen that Britain will become a single unified state, but I think to consider Wales a country (which it never has been, only a principality) or Scotland one (which hasn't been independent for over 400 years) seems a ridiculous basis by which to base modern politics over as a justified reason for independence/devolution. If you think that's justified then why shouldn't places like Yorkshire or Cornwall have independence, after all they have their own distinct cultures and history.
It really depends. It's largely a historical question - there's very little we could do about it at the moment.
However, realistically, the UK Government could have eliminated subnational identities within the UK to some degree if it had made the effort. It chose not to, instead being relatively comfortable with the differences and distinctions. Indeed, modern Scottish identity was largely invented by the Victorians who were, of course, heavily pro-UK but also romanticised Scottish history and culture.
Would things have been easier to govern? Historically, no, probably not. In modern times, yes. Let's say you had tried to chisel away at Scotland as a country - would you have tried to merge the Church of Scotland into an Anglican UK-wide church? That would have been necessary to align the education systems, which are largely divergent because they grew out of the church.
Too many variables really.
However, realistically, the UK Government could have eliminated subnational identities within the UK to some degree if it had made the effort. It chose not to, instead being relatively comfortable with the differences and distinctions. Indeed, modern Scottish identity was largely invented by the Victorians who were, of course, heavily pro-UK but also romanticised Scottish history and culture.
Would things have been easier to govern? Historically, no, probably not. In modern times, yes. Let's say you had tried to chisel away at Scotland as a country - would you have tried to merge the Church of Scotland into an Anglican UK-wide church? That would have been necessary to align the education systems, which are largely divergent because they grew out of the church.
Too many variables really.
Original post by ihateocr
I know it's never going to happen that Britain will become a single unified state
It's entirely possible in the long-run. It's already legally a single unitary state. There will probably always be levels of local government, but there's no reason that Scotland, Wales and so on couldn't - in the long run - become as meaningless as Mercia is to us now.
British culture has never been more homogeneous and British people have never been as subject to the same national influences as today. Regional identities are becoming less significant. I've seen it in Scotland: modern British identity there is evolving into more of a clear-cut national identity than, as in the past, a vague notion tied-up with the empire.
Original post by Sheepish153
Are you implying that it doesn't function as it is? and what about Northern Ireland? Everyone always forgets us
Well half of us, including me, would be happy enough with that.
Bar the inevitable violence that would ensue
Original post by Ruthless Dutchman
Couldn't they just say UK? I mean, isn't that just being a bit misleading and lazy for the commentator calling it GB?
If the three countries WERE to be put together (and all the fights have calmed down), NI would probably feel more excluded. If anything I'm sure they'd try to join NI in it too, possibly causing further grumbles from SI? I'm not too sure about how the situation over there stands currently to this day..
If the three countries WERE to be put together (and all the fights have calmed down), NI would probably feel more excluded. If anything I'm sure they'd try to join NI in it too, possibly causing further grumbles from SI? I'm not too sure about how the situation over there stands currently to this day..
Why would the South care because it's not being recognised as part of Britain?
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