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Yes, it's complicated. I am English, but would generally answer that I was British. Similiar I live in England but I'm from the UK.
English as a nationality is used less these days because it goes against the idea of multiculturism. British encompasses people who live in Britain, whereas English is more of a 'race' I guess.
England flags have a slight undertone of Nationalism about them, so are generally less in favour than the Union Jack which is England/Scotland/Wales flags combined.
Britain isn't the same as the UK of course.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Rob Philpott wrote: Britain isn't the same as the UK of course.
Britain == England?
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Ah, well, now you're asking! Where's Dave when you need him?...
Last time I checked it was England/Scotland/Wales. The UK is that but also includes Northern Ireland.
If it seems confusing, it is to us too.
EDIT: yes I spelt Ireland wrong originally.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who lives in a complicated country. 
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"...rural yokels who spend too much time with their sheep." 
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Christopher Duncan wrote: "...rural yokels who spend too much time with their sheep."
Or "Griff", for short.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Here we go again:
Britain is an island (plus some lesser islands round Scotland) comprising the three countries: England, Scotland, Wales. It is often referred to as Great Britain, to distinguish it from Less Britain, which was a part of Northern France a few hundred years back. That's the geography, now for the politics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the nation referred to as UK, and is Britain plus six counties in the north of the island of Ireland. There are various other islands (Man and the Channel Islands) which are loosely connected to the UK while not being complete parts of it. Most people who live here think of themselves as British, apart from the Welsh and the Scots, and some of the Irish, and the French, and the ...
[edit]
Thanks to Andrew for reminding me about Berwick on Tweed.
[/edit]
Veni, vidi, abiit domum
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Rob Philpott wrote: English is more of a 'race' I guess
Which of the races which inhabit England would you say were "the English race": the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans, the Vikings, one of the others...?
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Well, the word comes English comes from Anglo-Saxon and I believe they are the main influence. As I understand it the Celts who were here before have a hispanic heritage and fled to the extremities of Scotland and Wales. There's bin a bit of inter-breeding since then, so who know now?
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Rob Philpott wrote: Well, the word comes English comes from Anglo-Saxon
Specifically it comes from the Angles, and not the Saxons.
The Angles were just a smaller Germanic tribe that settled here, the Saxons were much larger so why we got named after them instead no-one seems to be sure.
“I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks
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Quote: hispanic
"Hispanic" does not mean Latin origin, it means Spanish(ish) which is a subset of the Latin originals. For example, people from Italy are not Hispanic but are of Latin origin. The Celts originated from Asia Minor and central Europe (around the northern Danube area) so aren't very Spanish in origin either.
Obviously there is a lot of cross breeding in everyone's past so being precise is impossible. I am technically English but could be called half English, half Scottish (or more precisely two-quarters Scottish) as both my grandmothers were Scottish - but then one (or both of them) may be part Viking so I might have some Norwegian, Swedish or other snowy-landscaped ancestry - perhaps some roaming Mongolian got involved way in the past! I may be Celtic, Anglo-Saxon or possibly Pict; who cares really?
I think of myself as English, British, European and Human (possibly Solarian).
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I live in England, but I am British; my Mother is Irish and Dad Irish/Scot[ch]. I [generally] use the country, England, rather than the whole United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as it's shorted. If I'm in a hurry it's UK.
While on this subject, I wish web nobs could work out the difference between nationality and country. I am sick of seeing a drop down for Nationality and have "United Kingdom", it should be "British" or titled differently.
speramus in juniperus
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: While on this subject, I wish web nobs could work out the difference between
nationality and country. I am sick of seeing a drop down for Nationality and
have "United Kingdom", it should be "British" or titled differently.
Seems to me that Nationality would relate to nation.
Empire: United Kingdom
Nation: England / Scotland / Wales / Northern Ireland (technically Nation Lite, I suppose)
Race: Irish / Scot / Welsh / English(?)
Right?
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You too are a Heinz 57 variety as well? My dad was an Afrikaner. I was born in London, spent many years in SA and my mum came from a long line of Scots. Using the moniker UK is convenient to using England.
Most of the Septic Tanks know about the UK but would not be able to point to England as a country on a map and what they'd make of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland is anyone's guess. The UK is also convenient for another reason; it reminds the Septics of what they aspire to and could have been if they hadn't pulled the plug in 1776.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: my Mother is Irish and Dad Irish/Scot[ch][s]
Although, if he read that, a better description would probably be "scot[kicking Nagy's @rse]".
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Its really simple . The United Kingdom is made up mainly of England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland . Where as the island of Great Britain consists of England , Wales and Scotland . And the island of Ireland consists of Northen Ireland which is part of the UK and the Irish republic (Eire) , which used to be part of the UK , but not any more. Now people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland often consider themselves to have almost dual nationality , Welsh and British , Scottish and British , English and British and Irish and British ( except for a sizeable number of those in Northern Ireland who consider they are Irish ( as in the republic) or British and Northern Irish ). However this is complicated by the English who often use the term English interchangeably with the term British . Which can annoy the Welsh , Scottish and Northern Irish . This is an old habit where the terms used to be synonymous for a period of time , and unfortunately many Americans also talk that way . When talking externally we tend to use the term Brits ( except some in NI) , where as internally we often use Welsh or Scottish . Of course this ignores complexities introduced when talking of the bailiwick of the channel Isles and the Isle of man , and the less said about Berwick Upon Tweed the better .
The Empire tends to get referred to as the British Empire , oddly because that was its name . England never had an Empire in the sense that we know it . The Brits as a whole did . Which for most of the time included all the Irish .
See - simples !
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It seems to me that referring to the smaller entity gives more detailed information.
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I would lay a wager now that it won't be the last time it will be asked, however. 
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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You Brits are such a touchy lot.
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I agree with that but some of my Dublin friends refuse to acknowledge that Ireland is in the British Isles .
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I am British, I live in the UK.
English is a language, not a nationality, and England, Scotland and Wales are only countries for some sporting purposes.
“I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks
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Fair enough.
Don't remember having those options on the forms I fill out though.
“I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks
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