U.K. is not a synonym of England

[FBM]

Please correct this for stoopid people like me:

England = England.
The U.K. = England + Northern Ireland + Wales + Scotland.
Great Britain = England + all of the above + any other place that they've conquered?

OK, I know this is all wrong and fucked up, but if someone would be so kind as to straighten out those 3 definitions in that simple format, I'd be ever so grateful.

Nearly right, until you got to Great Britain.

Geographically, Great Britain is the greatest (largest) of the British Isles. Politically, that is expanded to include the islands of England, Scotland and Wales. So, Great Britain = England, Scotland and Wales. Great Britain doesn't include Northern Ireland, technically. Sometimes, however, Northern Ireland is included in the shorthand, when someone is using G.B. and U.K interchangeably for the same thing... although it isn't correct.

U.K. includes Northern Ireland.
G.B. excludes Northern Ireland.

Any clearer?

I'm choosing to answer "Yes" to that final question.

[Red Celt]

The British Union (it's the only union in the British Isles - so does not have to include every part of the British Isles).

Obviously Oswald Mosely did kinda taint that name.........


But a good question

The B.U. is an interesting option. Either way, it's going to be annoying when installing operating systems or applications. Normally, the default is United States, and we just have to scroll up one for United Kingdom. In a post-independence position, B.U. people will have to scroll to the top near Bulgaria. Scots will have a few mouse-wheel scrolls upwards to find ours.

Not the most important of post-independence annoyances, but the geek in me thought it worth mentioning.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Greater Britain?

[Cormac]

Please correct this for stoopid people like me:

England = England.
The U.K. = England + Northern Ireland + Wales + Scotland.
Great Britain = England + all of the above + any other place that they've conquered?

OK, I know this is all wrong and fucked up, but if someone would be so kind as to straighten out those 3 definitions in that simple format, I'd be ever so grateful.

Nearly right, until you got to Great Britain.

Geographically, Great Britain is the greatest (largest) of the British Isles. Politically, that is expanded to include the islands of England, Scotland and Wales. So, Great Britain = England, Scotland and Wales. Great Britain doesn't include Northern Ireland, technically. Sometimes, however, Northern Ireland is included in the shorthand, when someone is using G.B. and U.K interchangeably for the same thing... although it isn't correct.

U.K. includes Northern Ireland.
G.B. excludes Northern Ireland.

Any clearer?

...except that this island (Ireland) has never been, and is not, a British isle. Some people on this island are British, no doubt, but that does not give the island any kind of historical Britishness.

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

Britannia?!

[Red Celt]

*And when I say American, I of course am referring to the United States, as no other countries in North America are worth noting. Or you could say Canada is The Northern U.S., in essence, and Mexico for all intents and purposes is The Southern U.S.

I used to be bothered by the term "American" being applied solely to the peoples of the US. But on digging I found the usage is at least two hundred years old, so I don't sweat it any more.

Yes, I did some software translation work with a Spanish woman... when I used the term "America" for U.S.A. she wasn't happy. So I learned to not use it (as much) as previously. I will refer to a U.S. citizen as an American (because that is still true), but use North American and South American when referring to the people within the different continents.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

When do they start building a wall between England and Wales?

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

Airstrip 1

[Red Celt]

...except that this island (Ireland) has never been, and is not, a British isle. Some people on this island are British, no doubt, but that does not give the island any kind of historical Britishness.

Ah, you're confusing geography with politics. All of these islands are the British Isles... including Ireland. That isn't a position of ownership (never has been), but of geography.

[Svartalf]

When do they start building a wall between England and Wales?

No need, Englishmen in Wales are repelled by the language.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

*And when I say American, I of course am referring to the United States, as no other countries in North America are worth noting. Or you could say Canada is The Northern U.S., in essence, and Mexico for all intents and purposes is The Southern U.S.

I used to be bothered by the term "American" being applied solely to the peoples of the US. But on digging I found the usage is at least two hundred years old, so I don't sweat it any more.

Yes, I did some software translation work with a Spanish woman... when I used the term "America" for U.S.A. she wasn't happy. So I learned to not use it (as much) as previously. I will refer to a U.S. citizen as an American (because that is still true), but use North American and South American when referring to the people within the different continents.

"Custom with the force of law". Protesting that it's not accurate won't change the way it's used, so I said fuck it. I still say "US citizen" when I'm writing something that needs accuracy, otherwise I'm meh.

[Svartalf]

...except that this island (Ireland) has never been, and is not, a British isle. Some people on this island are British, no doubt, but that does not give the island any kind of historical Britishness.

Ah, you're confusing geography with politics. All of these islands are the British Isles... including Ireland. That isn't a position of ownership (never has been), but of geography.

Ireland never was populated by Britons, ergo, not british.

[Red Celt]

When do they start building a wall between England and Wales?

That has already happened. Offa's Dyke.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don't care about who she eats.

[Red Celt]

...except that this island (Ireland) has never been, and is not, a British isle. Some people on this island are British, no doubt, but that does not give the island any kind of historical Britishness.

Ah, you're confusing geography with politics. All of these islands are the British Isles... including Ireland. That isn't a position of ownership (never has been), but of geography.

Ireland never was populated by Britons, ergo, not british.

Again, you're confusing geography with politics.