My discussion with Indonesian students got me thinking about British National Identity. I have done some research which is interesting, and I now realise the following:
The whole issue revolves around definitions of a “ Country”, “ Nation”, “State” ,”Citizenship”, “Nation States”, “Dependant” or “Independent” Countries. What is an Independent Country, Nation,or State? What National symbols define a Country or Nation?
Despite what a lot of people think:
“Britain” technically and historically consists of just England and Wales. There is no flag for “Britain”. “Britain” is not a Nation or one Country.
“Great Britain” is not an Independent Country, a Nation or a State but comprises 2 Countries (England and Scotland) and a Principality (Wales) (or 3 Nations – England, Scotland, Wales). It has a National Flag (Union Jack).
“The United Kingdom” of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an Independent Nation and Sovereign State. It is very much disputed whether it is a Country in its own right because it comprises 2 Countries, 1 Province and 1 Principality. It has a National Flag (Union Jack).
Some people say the UK is a Country, others do not. I personally do not believe the UK is a Country. But the ambiguity is very frustrating when trying to describe to others where I live or where I come from. Surely I should KNOW definitely whether the UK is a Country, one way or the other? If I do not know, how can I begin to explain to others?
But let us look at issues of National Identity, Nationality and Citizenship.
The following comments are qualified by exactly where in the world you are asked these questions. Many people from overseas have not heard of, and do not understand, the concept of “The United Kingdom”, although they have heard of the abbreviation “UK”.
If someone asks you: Where do you come from, or Which country do you belong to?
You are more than likely to say: “I Come From/Belong to – England –Wales—Scotland – Northern Ireland… WHICH IS IN BRITAIN” than “I Come from Britain” or “I Come from the United Kingdom”. This is because we IDENTIFY strongly with the particular Country/Nation and culture into which we were born. Foreigners are not likely to know the meaning of the United Kingdom but have usually heard of Britain and England.
If someone asks you: What Nationality are you?, it is more than likely that a Scotsman will reply “Scottish”, a Welshman will say “Welsh” and the Northern Irish will say “Northern Irish”. Again this is due to National Identity. The Home Nations of the United Kingdom are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, an Englishman will, I think, be more likely to reply “I am British” or “I have British Nationality” than “I am English” or “I have English Nationality”. This is because historically the English have always associated and IDENTIFIED themselves with the wider powers, territory and international reputation of Britain or Great Britain than just England. The percentage of those English likely to say “I am English” is steadily increasing each year, I would guess the percentage is roughly now 60% would say “British” and 40% would say “English”.
Interestingly, if someone asks you: ‘What Citizenship do you have?’ Almost all Nationals of the UK would say “I am a British Citizen”. This is because, consciously or sub-consciously, we want to convey that we LIVE IN a BIG country. We want to emphasise or maximise the attributes of the Country we live in, so we all use the term “British Citizenship” because we know that term conveys geographical size, population, military strength, political power and international reputation better than the use of our own Country’s name.
The same way, a Frenchman would say I am a Citizen of the French Republic, or an Italian would say I am a Citizen of the Republic of Italy.
Having said that, it is only really at International Airports that the question of Citizenship would be asked.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ,The Queen of England, is Head of State of the UK (The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). But that does not mean England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland on their own are individual Sovereign States in the internationally accepted terminology of Statehood. They are TOGETHER part of the Sovereign State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“Wales” is a Principality (not a Country) and a Nation. Wales has a National Flag (the Welsh Dragon) and a National Assembly but no national government. The Welsh Head of State is HM The Queen of England. Its Tax affairs, Defence and many other matters are decided by the UK Government. It is a Dependant Nation (on the UK)
As far as I can see, Wales ON ITS OWN is NOT a Sovereign State.
“Scotland” is a Country and a Nation and has a National Flag (the Saltire of St Andrew). The Scottish Head of State is HM The Queen of England. Ìt has its own Parliament but most of its Tax, Foreign and Defence affairs are decided by the UK Government, not its own MP’s. Despite political moves towards Independence, it is still a Dependant Nation (on the UK).
As far as I can see , Scotland ON ITS OWN is NOT a Sovereign State.
“Northern Ireland” is a Province, not a Country, and is a Nation. It DOES have a National Flag (the Union Jack). The Head of State of Northern Ireland is HM The Queen of England. It is a Dependant Province (on the UK). Northern Ireland is NOT a Sovereign State.
“England” is a Country and a Nation and her Head of State is HM The Queen. England has a NationalFlag (The Cross of St George). England has no central government of its own. All its affairs are decided by the UK (or British) Government as a whole sitting at Westminster (MP’s of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). This seems unfair to many when Scotland’s MP’s largely decide their own affairs.
It is a Dependant Nation. England is dependant on Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) for its total Tax Revenue and Armed Forces. There is no such thing as an English Armed Force, it is a British Armed Force and all military action involves of necessity the peoples of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
As far as I can see, England ON ITS OWN is NOT a Sovereign State
The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom but also Head of State in the Commonwealth, including the Commonwealth Realms and Sovereign States of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
In 1953 on Coronation Day when The Queen of England was Crowned, news came that Mount Everest had been conquered by the British, and in some national papers the man who first stepped on the summit was described as a “Briton”. Although it was a British-led Expedition, it was in fact a New Zealander, Edmund Hilary, who had been the first to reach the summit together with Sherpa Tensing from Nepal, but British National Identity in those days extended to Commonwealth countries and the British liked to associate themselves with such an epic achievement. There were no objections from the New Zealanders to this description. Coinciding with the Coronation, the “conquest” of Mount Everest ensured that that Mountain would always be regarded as the “British” mountain. It would have been interesting to know what would have happened if an Australian had been the first to summit the mountain and been announced in the press as a “Briton”.
It is possible, but most unlikely, that today a foreigner would ask ‘Are you a Briton?’. This is because the concept of ‘Briton’ is mostly lost in the above complexity of what is ‘BRITISH’. I suspect that the answer to that question would still be: ‘Yes, I am a Briton but I come from England – Wales – Scotland – Northern Ireland’.
All the above shows just how difficult it is to explain to foreigners what “Britain”, or being “British”, is.
At the Olympic Games, if an individual Citizen of England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland wins a medal, it should be the National Flag of each constituent Country/Nation of the UK that should be raised, NOT the Union Jack. Why should the UK be allowed to have ONE flag covering 2 countries, a Province and a Principality?