MagicSailor wrote:falkbeer wrote:It´s like saying that Wales isn´t a part of the UK.
But is it a part of England?
Owen
NO.
Never has been. Some border bits have been switched to and fro between the two nations through history, but Wales as a whole has always had a separate identity.
"Great Britain" is a geographical label that is tolerably neutral politically and can be applied to the whole of the mainland of Scotland, England and Wales without tending to raise much objection or cause offence. "United Kingdom" is a political/legal entity including England-and-Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is correct legally/constitutionally but politically obnoxious, at least in Wales and Scotland, to refer e.g in postal addresses to the UK, but many of us (and without necessarily being separatist, rather just anti-imperialist) even in England would prefer to be labelled by constituent nation and "GB" than by "UK". (OK, I know there are many folks, mostly English or Unionists in Scotland and Ulster who prefer "UK".) I'm English born, long term resident in Wales and think of myself as "British" with adoptive Welshness (I play Welsh trad music, support the Welsh rugby team, sent my children to Welsh language school, etc....) - but there are plenty who'd disagree with my doing so! Joyous, ain't it?
To summarise, Wales is (and has been since the Anglo Saxon conquests of what became England) a nation in its own right, is technically a Principality of the United Kingdom and is geographically part of Great Britain, but has never in any way been part of England!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Edit: just to add that "UK" is NOT synonymous with "England" - see above.
We are all good friends in scandinavia nowadays!
