UK or GB?
Author
Discussion

matchless

Original Poster:

1,105 posts

252 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
what's with all this UK nowadays?, I live in England a Country in it's own right that also happens to belong to the collectively known group of Countries known as Great Britain, so why oh why do forms on the internet only give the option of the UK as your Country, there is no such Country as the UK!, it's the united Kingdom of etc........... it's NOT an actual Country

(rant mode off)

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
UK refers to all of it, Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the islands.

GB is just the main land mass

Frik

13,690 posts

273 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
UK refers to all of it, Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the islands.

GB is just the main land mass


England isn't a country.

andy mac

73,668 posts

285 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
Frik said:
Plotloss said:
UK refers to all of it, Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the islands.

GB is just the main land mass


England isn't a country.

England is merely a province of GB... It has no parliament, or seperate representation, unlike Scotland, wales, and NI...

matchless

Original Poster:

1,105 posts

252 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
it is surely?, as is Wales Scotland and Ireland, they are all Countries but part of Great Britain, the UK is not a Country but a group of Countries

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
Read your passport...

matchless

Original Poster:

1,105 posts

252 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
then isn't it time we had a voice after 1,000 odd years?

up-the-dubs

4,282 posts

259 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
matchless said:
it is surely?, as is Wales Scotland and Ireland, they are all Countries but part of Great Britain, the UK is not a Country but a group of Countries


Excuse me?

andy mac

73,668 posts

285 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
It says it on your passport, certainly, but England does not have any decisions made for it obn a purely England basis. Scots, Welsh, etc, can all vote on matter concerning ONLY England, such as top up fees, and foundation hospitals. Voted against for Scotland, yet voted in for England, by MP's from countries that it would not effect. A tangent to the thread, but it's true.

Encyclopeadia Brittanica said:

Outside the British Isles, England is often erroneously considered synonymous with the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) and even with the entire United Kingdom. Despite the political, economic, and cultural legacy that has secured the perpetuation of its name, England no longer officially exists as a governmental or political unit—unlike Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which all have varying degrees of self-government in domestic affairs. It is rare for institutions to operate for England alone. Notable exceptions are the Church of England (Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, including Northern Ireland, have separate branches of the Anglican Communion) and sports associations for cricket, rugby, and football (soccer). In many ways England has seemingly been absorbed within the larger mass of Great Britain since the Act of Union of 1707.' Encyclopedia Britannica

grahamw48

9,944 posts

268 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
England is a province of Europe.

victormeldrew

8,293 posts

307 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2006
quotequote all
Nice reference here

This bit is especially useful:

alt-usage-english.org said:
Concentric Circles
If, like me, you live in England, you are part of all of the following entities (listed in order of increasing size):

England
England and Wales
Great Britain
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom and Islands
The British Isles
The Common Travel Area
The European Territories of the United Kingdom
The European Union
The United Kingdom and Colonies
The Commonwealth

andy mac

73,668 posts

285 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
Breat britain is merely the Island consisting of England, wales and Scotland. UK is the GB plus NI...

tallbloke

10,376 posts

313 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
grahamw48 said:
England is a province of Europe.

I think you'll find the people in charge pronounce that "Yorp"
"England?, that's just outside London, right?"

matchless

Original Poster:

1,105 posts

252 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
so as the UK is not a Country I have no official Country of birth?, am I a Gippo?

up-the-dubs

4,282 posts

259 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
Gazboy said:
up-the-dubs said:
matchless said:
it is surely?, as is Wales Scotland and Ireland, they are all Countries but part of Great Britain, the UK is not a Country but a group of Countries


Excuse me?


I thought the UK was NI, Scotland, Wales, England, plus the major islands, and GB was the whole lot???


It is, but he made no reference to Northern when listing Ireland as a member. Extremely annoying and ignorant if he doesn't know the difference.

cowhead

254 posts

250 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
Think Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland.

Our passport sayes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

edited to say i realise i have just completely copied what everyone else said - i just type slower...

>> Edited by cowhead on Wednesday 4th January 00:06

tallbloke

10,376 posts

313 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
Great Britain is the big Island between Ireland and France.

Called "Great" because it's bigger than Brittany.

It's name comes from it's original inhabitants, the Pretani or Pritani.

nonegreen

7,803 posts

300 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
Read your passport...


Its not mine its the parasites. One day I will be a citizen of somewhere and she will get hers back covered in excrement.

tallbloke

10,376 posts

313 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
nonegreen said:
Plotloss said:
Read your passport...


Its not mine its the parasites.


Are you talking about Mrs Saxe Coburg Golgotha?

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Wednesday 4th January 2006
quotequote all
UK = The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.


So, the UK is your country of birth. If you don't believe me, look at the Union Jack.