Stupid UK Question

[Metryll]

Originally Posted by redcoat

Have I ever stated that.
Anyone who claims that the UK is not a European country is as guilty of imposing their political views on a geographical issue as those who wish to rename the British Isles.

Redcoat, my point was not aimed at you but an humorous notice

[E.D. Morel]

Originally Posted by redcoat

Anyone who claims that the UK is not a European country is as guilty of imposing their political views on a geographical issue as those who wish to rename the British Isles.

No, Europe is called Europe by everyone. There are two countries in what you call the Brtish Isles. One of them accepts the name and the other one doesn't. Hardly the same thing.

[redcoat]

Originally Posted by sebfrench76

Let's call you "the people that don't eat snails"

That moniker could apply to anybody in Europe, with the exception of the French.

[redcoat]

Originally Posted by E.D. Morel

No, Europe is called Europe by everyone.

But the borders of what is Europe are disputed by some of the more one-eyed little englanders.

[Naffenea]

Originally Posted by E.D. Morel

No, Europe is called Europe by everyone. There are two countries in what you call the Brtish Isles. One of them accepts the name and the other one doesn't. Hardly the same thing.

I thought Scotland and Wales were also countries in the British Isles, along with England, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

[Selous]

Originally Posted by Naffenea

I thought Scotland and Wales were also countries in the British Isles, along with England, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

I believe he means states (often understood as countries); Ireland (republic of) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

[Naffenea]

Ah, that would clear things up.

[Scupio]

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/removal-lvcr.htm

No lesser person than her Majesty's Treasury has decided (at last) to apply VAT to imports into the UK from the Channel Islands

For the uninformed, this racket had been running for a long time. The UK Government (or maybe it was the EU?) had waved the imposition of Value Added Tax on items of low value imported from the Channel Islands. Hence everything from CDs to Vitamin Pills started to come via the Channel Islands. In addition, aided by an agreement between the Jersey Post and the Royal Mail to apply a lower rate of postage, English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish (and I believe Irish Republic) suppliers were under cut by over 20%.

Nice to see it closed but too late to save a local firm in my neighborhood who found out too late that Jersey is not part of the UK.

[billscottmorri]

Geographers and politicians talk different langauges creating all sort of confusion, and also give the English language a word and it will wander off and acqure new meanings

People in the UK talk about "travelling to Europe" when it is obviously part of the European continent. Anyone who lives in any of the UK, NI, Channel Islands and other bits and Pieces like Isle of Man can reasonably call themselves "British" if they want, or if they prefer they can equally claim to be Irish, Scottish or even English.

The situation for Berwick Upon Tweed has been resolved though. In the declaration of WW1 all the bits of the UK were named as beig at war with Germany including Berwick as a sparate entitiy. The declaration of peace did not mention Berwick so technically Berwick is still at war with the Kaiser.