Many of us toss around the term of the UK without really knowing what the country is comprised of. And when is someone from Britain and when are they from the United Kingdom? Part of my fascination with this part of the world is, that while its civilisations are ancient and the land-mass is compact, there is much overlooked in such a complex history. We all know of the royal family and the subsequent tabloid industry they feed these days. Castles and manor homes are scattered across the land just as you expect to see. The arts, particularly literature, owes much to writers such as Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Dickens, Austen, the Bronte sisters and many others. But is there anything else worth learning about this busy little island…or islands? First, let’s get some definitions out of the way. Please try to keep up.
According to the Oxford dictionary, Great Britain is defined as being the island that is formed by the countries of England, Wales and Scotland. If you add Northern Ireland you end up with the United Kingdom. Things start to get a bit more fuzzy when you refer to the romantically endearing term of The British Isles. We take the United Kingdom that we have come to so far and add 136 odd islands including Ireland, The Isle of Man, The Shetland Islands, The Orkney Islands and the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Are you still with me?
So we’ve got some of the more technical definitions out of the way, but it’s still not so clear cut as you’ll see. And I’m not just talking of the cardinal sin of telling a Scot in Glasgow that it’s ‘nice here in your country, England, isn’t it’? The first time I visited Edinburgh I met a young Canadian man who casually said to me ‘really, they’re just a bunch of different states, aren’t they’? Hmmm, I’m not so sure about that…and I wouldn’t say that so loudly either as it could result in a quick - perhaps violent - response if you said it to the wrong person.
The UK, or even Britain, is a small, but complex country that gets infinitely more interesting when you pull apart the sum of its parts.
Scotland
In addition to being the land of kilts, haggis and fantastic whisky, Scotland is a beautiful country in its own right. In spite of its low population density and some of the most rugged and harsh patches within Britain/The UK, Scotland has some of the most turbulent and diverse history within it’s mainland and islands.The capital of Britain may well be London, but much of Scotland is nearer to places such as Norway, The Faroe Islands and Iceland. Some of the regions of Scotland that share this geographical relationship have strong historic ties to the Vikings who passed through, establishing settlements that linked to the those more obvious Nordic lands mentioned above. The unique identity of some of these areas, particularly the Shetland and Orkney Island groups, shouldn’t be understated. Not only are they physically some distance from London, but there is some suggestion that they can even distance themselves from the Scottish mainland as I’m about to explain.
Scotland, and its future, is currently of the UK’s big current talking points, nestled between the recession and who has survived the cut on X Factor. In 2014 residents of Scotland will vote on a referendum on whether or not to tear away from the rest of the UK. Politically, Scotland has already taken a step in that direction with its own Parliament that governs much of what happens in Scotland; politically, it is common to hear of the grouping England and Wales, highlighting their combined governance, but excluding Scotland.
To further muddy the waters - and I hope you’re still keeping up with this - the Ministers responsible for Shetland and Orkney have raised the possibility that should their own motherland of Scotland break from Britain and the UK, they may break away from Scotland to retain the benefits that exist from the big family as it currently exists. These island groups argue that their identify and history is more to the eastern land of Scandinavia rather than the Scotland to the south. The Shetland Islands were part of Norway until 5 centuries ago and place names such as Valsgarth, Unst and Brae highlight how removed such lands are from Westminster and 10 Downing Street. But there is also a famous historical quote from the Shetlands that gives a view of the island group’s relationship with Scotland: "All the Shetland ever got from Scotland was dear meal and greedy ministers." The Orkney Islands also had 6 centuries of Norwegian rule. The Viking culture and legacy - and that of the Pictish tribes who pre-dated them - has a bit impact on both of these island groups; The Orkney and Shetland flags have a distinct Scandinavian look about them. Although only just over 40,00 people live over these islands they are a good example of how diverse and complex Britain and its people are.
Wales
Where does one start with Wales? A beautiful, rugged (and often rain-drenched) land, Wales has its own distinct culture, history and language. Wales is the land that gave us some of the world’s most common surnames throughout the English-speaking world including Jones, Williams, Smith, Davies and Hughes. Things get a bit more complicated after that though, it is fair to say. To listen to the Welsh language being spoken fluently is a beautiful thing. Perhaps it’s the reason I have such a man-crush on the naturalist Iolo Williams. But to read it is not like playing Scrabble with too many consonants and not enough vowels. My Welsh vocabulary is rather limited. I know that: Cymru = Wales, Croeso = Welcome and Hedlu = Police. I can’t imagine too many situations where a combination of those three words would come in useful…or a situation that I would want to find myself in at least.While approximately 1.2% of Scotland’s population speak it’s traditional language of Gaelic, the Welsh native language is spoken to some degree by over 20% of Wales’ population. The country is bilingually Welsh and English throughout, but the native language is very much driven as being more than pure novelty value. I’ve applied for work in Wales, but I get tripped up with my vocabulary limited to ‘Welcome to Wales Police’…or another combination of those words. I’d be in real trouble if I had to direct people to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll via Dolgellau or Porthmadog. I once worked in a call centre where I had to verify basic name and address details around Britain - I’m sure that it was an intricate and elaborate practical joke to hear me try to speak Welsh.I n many jobs it’s a ‘nice to have’, but in some it’s listed as essential.
England
The most prominent of Britain’s countries is, of course, England. It’s the obvious focal point when we start to think of Britain or the UK. The land of the Queen, Big Ben and a great deal of history and industry seems pretty straight-forward as a country. But what if Cornwall wants to be its own place, the north and south of England are two distinctly different regions, Berwick upon Tweed doesn’t know if it’s English or Scottish and each of the country’s numerous cities and towns have their own distinct mood - and accent - even if there is only 20 miles between one and the next.Cornwall, considered by many of the English as their country’s own utopia can perhaps be seen as Cornish first, English secondly. A look at the Visit Cornwall site refers to the tourism board’s British Travel Award wins and the county’s presence as the UK’s foremost holiday destination. But you will not find any reference to England, the country of which it is the most southerly county. Things have been more political in the past though. Five centuries ago thousands of the Cornish marched all the way to London to demonstrate against the oppressive that they were subjected to like the rest of England - whether they recognised themselves as part of it or not. And earlier this year the Cornish were again political when pasties - famously originating from Cornwall - were to be subjected to a ridiculous tax courtesy of the current day government. The tax was soon overturned, although I’m not sure it was due to a Cornish uprising. The Cornish, like the Welsh and Scots, also have their traditional language.
I have barely hinted at the complex nature of this land that we think we’re all already very familiar with. I have probably raised more questions than given answers. I often wonder ‘what makes a country’? Is it a distinct language, is it the Welsh language, is it the Scottish bank notes, is it the presence or absence of haggis and other foods, or is it more likely to be the mood and mindset of the people that live there, do people feel British or English/Welsh/Scottish? It’s questions like these - and the search for their answers - that keep me fascinated about this country - or countries - that we think we’ve already seen everything of. I don’t know how many answers I’ll find, but I hope to have fun and discover what I can along the way.
