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Eddy Vluggen wrote: we are as much part of Spain as of Germany
That could confuse him as we also sing about being of German blood 
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OriginalGriff wrote: And isn't the Netherlands part of Spain?
How old were you again?
We ditched Spain over 300 years ago 
Our National Anthem goes a little like... "Wilhemus van Naussau am I of German blood, something something, I have always honored the king of Spain."
And then a whole lot more verses that most people don't know.
For some reason we usually sing the first and sixth verses from a total of fifteen.
I'm not all that chauvinistic though. Last time I sang that anthem was on Queensday back in elementary school.
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William of Nassau,
I am of Germanic blood,
Dedicate undying
Faith to this land of mine.
A prince I am, undaunted,
Of Orange, ever free,
To the king of Spain I've granted
A lifelong loyalty
Verse 1 IIRC
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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That was so funny, I actually spat up my coffee. I feel the same way about the US national anthem (Star Spangled Banner). I do remember "O say can you see.." and "land of the free". What's in between I'll fake as best as possible. Considering that it was actually sang as a tavern song with different words long before the US adopted it and its new words, I ain't doing so bad.
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That presumably dates from when one of the Hapsburg's - AKA Habsburg - ruled both Spain and the Low Countries.
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Long live the Empire!
Decrease the belief in God, and you increase the numbers of those who wish to play at being God by being “society’s supervisors,” who deny the existence of divine standards, but are very serious about imposing their own standards on society.-Neal A. Maxwell
You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun
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Yeah - but...which bit?
cheers
Chris Maunder
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The bit that strikes back! (Star wars)
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Chris Maunder wrote: GB is short for Great Britain.
No, it isn't. That's where you're making the error. It's not an abbreviation or an acronym. It is, as you rightly state elsewhere a code. Moreover it is a code for autonomous or semi-autonomous regions not necessarily full sovereign states. The code for Antigua and Barbuda is AG but presumably you wouldn't suggest that that means that Barbuda is excluded? The Aland Islands is AX which includes a letter that's not even in the name and is actually a Finnish region albeit autonomous.
Chris Maunder wrote: Great Britain is an island, not a country. Except that it's made up of 4 other countries. It doesn't have a country code. The United Kingdom is a Sovereign State and has a country code "GB".
No, it isn't. It's a group of islands made up of three previously independent nations and a number of autonomous territories such as the Isle of Man. Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain though it is part of the United Kingdom and for the purposes of some sports is included in Great Britain teams. Really I can't understand why you have a problem with this!
If you want a real puzzle, try working out why Rule Brittania praises the upstanding virtues of Britons when any true Britons now live only in remotest parts of Wales and, as you might expect, Brittany, having long ago been chased away by Celts, Saxons, and then Normans many centuries ago!
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Member 9082365 wrote: Moreover it is a code for autonomous or semi-autonomous regions not necessarily full sovereign states
I get that. However, I would bet that GB, at some point, derived from Great Britain.
Member 9082365 wrote: No, it isn't. It's a group of islands made up of three previously independent nations
Sorry - you're correct. 3, not 4, and yes, I should have mentioned the other bits.
Did I mention that it's a fair chunk to get your head around?
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Just use PL for Pompey Land
Should cover everything..
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Island? Should that be Ireland?
What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?
The metaphorical solid rear-end expulsions have impacted the metaphorical motorized bladed rotating air movement mechanism.
Do questions with multiple question marks annoy you???
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It's Northern Ireland NOT Island! You will certainly attract some Irish ire with that mistake!
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 and 
I can't believe I wrote that. Bad typo of the year.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Chris Maunder wrote: Great Britain and the United Kingdom
Oh dear, those are two different things?! Who knew? 
You have just been Sharapova'd.
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Agent__007 wrote: Who knew?
Well, me, Griff, PompeyBoy and er, well I'm sure one or two of my neighbours have a fair idea.
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The Channel islands are even more bizarre. Part of the British isles, not part of Great Britain, not part of the UK, but has the Queen as their head, and yet Jersey and Guernsey have different statuses and different currency.
We like quaint stuff in Britain, it doesn't matter how ridiculous it is, the more the better in fact, provided it is rooted in ancient history (and confusing to foreigners). 
The term Britain stems from the Brythonic tribe of Celts, who inhabited what is today England and Wales. When the Saxons invaded, creating eventually England, many of these Celts went to France, and set up a new country call little Britain, Brittany, and speak Breton. However Big Britain went on to speak English, and then called, as an ultimate insult, the original Britons, 'foreigners', or 'wealah' in Saxon, the 'welsh' today.
Of course whether or not the Goedelic celts in Scotland should be part of Britain or not is questionable, but they ended up being included anyway.
And the other Goedelic Celtic land, Ireland, is also called part of the British Isles, which the southern Irish hate, since they hate the English.
England takes its name from Angeln, in Denmark by the way. East Anglia in the eats of England shows the link more obviously.
Anyway, so that's why the Bretons and Welsh speak the same language, and we have the geographical/political mess we have today!
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Of course many places have the queen as the head of state.
And why does Hawaii have the Union Flag [don't forget the same flag has 2 different names depending on where it is flown] on it's own flag.
Last time I was in the USA I was asked about a city in England called Glasgow. Oh well.
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Wastedtalent wrote: Of course many places have the queen as the head of state.
But not because they are the territory of the Duke of Normandy.
Wastedtalent wrote: don't forget the same flag has 2 different names depending on where it is flown
Does it? Union Flag is its only name as far as I know.
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Munchies_Matt wrote: Does it? Union Flag is its only name as far as I know.
AKA the Union Jack, maybe they can be used interchangeably, maybe only the Union Jack when flown at sea, who knows, there's many conflicting reports on this so depends who you believe.
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Union Flag is a slang name, the official one is Union Flag.
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Munchies_Matt wrote: Union Flag is a slang name, the official one is Union Flag.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde
Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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It was a slow morning.....
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Munchies_Matt wrote: (and confusing to foreigners).
Tell me about it
See my reply to Chris, just after yours.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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