UK or England thread?

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Ah, the moniker "British..." I hadn't thought about that one in detail, but I had a notion that it was the referent for anyone from the U.K. At the same time, I wouldn't have used it for someone I knew was Scottish or Irish. IS there a proper word for a... "UKer"?

I hadn't noticed competitors in the Olympics hailed from Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom. How odd!

I think the English use British and many of them think everyone else in the UK should, and the Scottish (apart from the Rangers fans) and Welsh don't lol

In a related, yet controversial, subject, I have always found James McClean's situation interesting. Professional footballer from Derry who refuses to take part in anything relating to Remembrance Day. Gets dogs abuse from the crowd and people in the street, gets told to 'go home' etc but it's his right to do what he does.

What is Remembrance Day?

I disagree. We (English) don't care what you call yourselves, we just use the term British to mean everyone in the UK because there isn't another word for it. We call ourselves English or British depending on our background and the situation we are in.

I don't think the word British has a strict definition it was always more of a philosophy, a belief in unity, than a nationality, and includes people outside of the UK, and doesn't include everyone in it.

We could call ourselves UKs pronounced youkays but I think I like uuks best.

Of course pre Celtic it is believed to have been known as Albion

Once upon a time there was a giant called Neptune. When he was quite a tiny boy, Neptune loved the sea. All day long he played in it, swimming, diving, and laughing gleefully as the waves dashed over him.

As he grew older he came to know and love the sea so well that the sea and the waves loved him too, and acknowledged him to be their king. At last people said he was not only king of the waves, but god of the sea.

Neptune had a very beautiful wife who was called Amphitrite. He had also many sons. As each son became old enough to reign, Neptune made him king over an island.

Neptune's fourth son was called Albion. When it came to his turn to receive a kingdom, a great council was called to decide upon an island for him.

Now Neptune and Amphitrite loved Albion more than any of their other children. This made it very difficult to chose which island should be his.

The mermaids and mermen, as the wonderful people who live in the sea are called, came from all parts of the world with news of beautiful islands. But after hearing about them, Neptune and Amphitrite would shake their heads and say, "No, that is not good enough for Albion."

At last a little mermaid swam into the pink and white coral cave in which the council was held. She was more beautiful than any mermaid who had yet come to the council. Her eyes were merry and honest, and they were blue as the sky and the sea. Her hair was as yellow as fine gold, and in her cheeks a lovely pink came and went. When she spoke, her voice sounded as clear as a bell and as soft as the whisper of the waves, as they ripple upon the shore.

"O Father Neptune," she said, "let Albion come to my island. It is a beautiful little island. It lies like a gem in the bluest of waters. There the trees and the grass are green, the cliffs are white and the sands are golden. There the sun shines and the birds sing. It is a land of beauty. Mountains and valleys, broad lakes and swift-flowing rivers, all are there. Let Albion come to my island."

"Where is this island?" said Neptune and Amphitrite both at once. They thought it must indeed be a beautiful land if it were only half as lovely as the little mermaid said.

"Oh, come, and I will show it to you," replied she. Then she swam away in a great hurry to show her beautiful island, and Neptune, Amphitrite, and all the mermaids and mermen followed.

It was a wonderful sight to see them as they swam along. Their white arms gleamed in the sunshine, and their golden hair floated out over the water like seaweed. Never before had so many of the sea-folk been gathered together at one place, and the noise of their tails flapping through the water brought all the little fishes and great sea monsters out, eager to know what was happening. They swam and swam until they came to the little green island with the white cliffs and yellow sands.

As soon as it came in sight, Neptune raised himself on a big wave, and when he saw the little island lying before him, like a beautiful gem in the blue water, just as the mermaid had said, he cried out in joy, "This is the island of my love. Albion shall rule it and Albion it shall be called."

So Albion took possession of the little island, which until then had been called Samothea, and he changed its name to Albion, as Neptune had said should be done.

I agree. I think that a pretty high proportion of Scottish and Welsh people are happy to regard themselves as British, they just aren't as loud and ideological about it as the nationalists. I absolutely loathe Scottish and Welsh nationalism as horribly divisive phenomena, and have no time for English nationalism either. I regard myself as British rather than English, and view the UK as one nation.

I agree. I think that a pretty high proportion of Scottish and Welsh people are happy to regard themselves as British, they just aren't as loud and ideological about it as the nationalists. I absolutely loathe Scottish and Welsh nationalism as horribly divisive phenomena, and have no time for English nationalism either. I regard myself as British rather than English, and view the UK as one nation.