Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 134 total)
  • should the word Great be removed from Great Britain ?
  • ton
    Full Member

    because we clearly are not any longer.

    what do you think?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I think that you probably know that’s not what it means

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    I think we should remove the Britain, just call the place Great. 😆

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    tmb467
    Free Member

    Maybe remove the United from United Kingdom as well

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Mediocre Britain?

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    If France enlarged Brittany would they have to? Can you imagine the gammon rage!

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    It will be.

    Its a geographical name. Britain is the landmass consisting of England and Wales. The whole island including the Scottish mainland is Great Britain.

    There’s even more to it when you include the islands. Ordnance Survey had a nice explanation of it a few years back.

    But as we Scots like to point out, once Scotland is independent the UK can no longer be called Great Britain*, the Greatness leaves with the Scots. 🙂

    .

    .

    *That’s a play on words, the whole island will still be Great Britain because it is geographical description, not political.

    ton
    Full Member

    I think that you probably know that’s not what it means

    says who pal……….. ;o)

    chewkw
    Free Member

    No.

    Just too much hassle and nitpicking for no reason.

    Just keep the “Great” in Britain even if it means GB is no longer great as I rather have that to remind me of the once great nation.

    p/s: in the far east they only know England … Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland are considered as villages … 😃

    Northwind
    Full Member

    ton

    Member

    says who pal……….. ;o)

    Me!

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    I stopped using the term years ago. Now I just say I’m British or English or from the UK.

    benv
    Free Member

    Britain is the landmass consisting of England and Wales. The whole island including the Scottish mainland is Great Britain.

    First I’ve heard them separated down into parts like that. Don’t think there is such as a thing as Britain being England and Wales.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    I think you should do some reading (or stop trolling).

    The “great” in GB doesn’t mean wonderful despite what flag-waving racists would have you believe, it means greater or bigger, the largest island in the British archipelago. As opposed to little / lesser Britain which is Brittany (or if you go back far enough, Ireland).

    This sort of nomenclature is commonplace in the UK. Near me there is Great Harwood and Little Harwood, that doesn’t imply that Little Harwood is a bit shit. (I mean, it is, but that’s nothing to do with the name.)

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    By that dint, is there a singletrackmoon forum?

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I stopped using the term years ago. Now I just say I’m British or English or from the UK.

    I just pretend I’m from America, much less embarrassing 😉

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    I think we should either use “Great” (as in put it in quotes) or decapitalise the “G” and have a small g.

    And the word itself should be pronounced with a sarcastic tone… as in “yeah, like greeeeaat Britain”

    🤠

    🤷‍♂️

    As is, I very rarely hear anyone use the term anyhoos… most people I knock about with call it UK… and even then with a hint of sarcasm.. since we most certainly aren’t “United”

    Cougar
    Full Member

    First I’ve heard them separated down into parts like that.

    Great Britain geographically is the mainland island. Great Britain politically also includes various islands like the Isle of Wight (basically most of them bar the Isle on Man and the Channel Islands IIRC).

    “Britain” as a term in isolation isn’t consistently defined anywhere as far as I’m aware, it’s colloquial at best.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    I think we should either use some “Great” (as in put it in quotes) or decapitalise the “G” and have a small g.

    Calling the island “Greater Britain” would probably a) have been more accurate and b) perhaps lessened our sense of arrogant self-importance in the world.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Mediocre Britain?

    I was going to suggest OK! Britain

    Then I thought since it’s all ruled from London why don’t we just call the whole lot England

    chewkw
    Free Member

    As is, I very early hear anyone use the term anyhoos… most people I knock about with call it UK… and even then with a hint of sarcasm.. since we most certainly aren’t “United”

    We seldom use the term UK because it is an abbreviation for Ulu Klang … meaning village of the “damn”, well actually the true meaning is a remote backward village. When people refer to England they refer to the entire GB. 😆

    UK = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulu_Klang

    Drac
    Full Member

    First I’ve heard them separated down into parts like that. Don’t think there is such as a thing as Britain being England and Wales.

    When you do your GCSE’s you’ll hear all about it.

    ton
    Full Member

    i think Britain would be fine, just Britain.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    despite what flag-waving racists would have you believe,

    Like these?

    E46DTH

    Or are they not racists?

    chewkw
    Free Member

    i think Britain would be fine, just Britain.

    That is acceptable but I still prefer GB to remind people of past.

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    I stopped using the term years ago. Now I just say I’m British or English or from the UK.

    It would never ever have occurred to me to say I was from Great Britain. Britain perhaps, England probably.

    ton
    Full Member

    That is acceptable but I still prefer GB to remind people of past.

    i would rather forget our past.

    chewkw
    Free Member

    i would rather forget our past

    The past is what makes you/us today.
    Having the term Great will remind people of the past good and bad.
    Without knowing the past you have no future (cannot remember the bad deeds done etc) and will do it again.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    I have always understood it as British Isles is a geographical term that includes Ireland and all the small islands ( now obviously not used for that). United Kingdom is the next division down – all the islands including channel islands and isle of man and NI as well as the mainland. great britain is the mainland but includes the western and northern isles but not the channel islands or the isle of man. Britain is just england and wales. At points Scotland ( or alba) was known as north britain but again obviously that is archaic. the railway hotel in Edinburgh was the north British hotel but now the balmoral

    However when a bunch of brits cannot agree and make blunders in this stuff ( as I bet I have here) then how the heck can anyone from outside the UK get it

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Pretty sure many non UK people who used to think Great meant ‘good’ are no longer under any delusions after watching three years of Brexit induced paralysis / stupidity on a Trumpian scale.

    Delusional Britain would be more apt.

    chewkw
    Free Member

    However when a bunch of brits cannot agree and make blunders in this stuff ( as I bet I have here) then how the heck can anyone from outside the UK get it

    We only know England coz the rest are villages. If I told my home town village folks that I was going to Scotland they would laugh at me for exchanging a nice warm village for a remote cold village. Therefore, everything in GB is England … no point explaining to them coz they would laugh their heads off. 😆

    Also the only cities the folks know in GB is London and Manchester, the latter due to the Manchester Utd. When I told folks I was going to Newcastle I got some funny looks and look down on … dammit …

    Try it next time you visit the far east … tell them you are from Glasgow or Cardiff see how they react. They will ask you how far are you from London and the further away the more they think you are poorer than them. 😆

    benv
    Free Member

    When you do your GCSE’s you’ll hear all about it.

    You have a link to anything that shows Britain = England and Wales? They don’t do GCSE’s in my country.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    Wiki has a section on it
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminology_of_the_British_Isles

    I have never heard of the subdivision they use of ” the british islands”

    and also on the debate about the naming especially refering to the british isles

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_naming_dispute

    Drac
    Full Member

    Britain is just another name for the U.K.

    That is acceptable but I still prefer GB to remind people of past.

    Its’s not changed in size.

    woody2000
    Full Member

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    The past is what makes you/us today.
    Having the term Great will remind people of the past good and bad.
    Without knowing the past you have no future (cannot remember the bad deeds done etc) and will do it again.

    Well, it seems we’re going down some past historic rhetoric.. Great France? Great Portugal? Great Spain? Great Germany? All have islands (not Germany) under their “colonial” amass, some taken by force, some given up, some still aligned to their “greater” governmental controls..

    S’pose we ought to just bring out that good ol’ Pink Map of the Planet and be done with it all and just shout louder in English and finger wag at everyone else.

    Nope.

    Lets not.

    I do wonder what the royal family think of the current state of the nation, obviously her Maj won’t address the nation and say something like “You lot, go get a wash, be nice, stop fighting and lets kick out the current crop of inbreds in parliament and create a republic” which is what I do think she’d rather like ATM.

    (apart from Andrew, he can **** off)

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    benv

    First I’ve heard them separated down into parts like that. Don’t think there is such as a thing as Britain being England and Wales.

    ……

    You have a link to anything that shows Britain = England and Wales? They don’t do GCSE’s in my country.

    From Ordnance Survey’s blog 3 Aug 2011

    Great Britain

    Great Britain is the official collective name of of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands. It does not include Northern Ireland and therefore should never be used interchangeably with ‘UK’ – something you see all too often.

    Here at Ordnance Survey, we’re responsible for mapping Great Britain, which is why we don’t make maps of Northern Ireland.

    Technically, if you lose the ‘Great,’ Britain only refers to England and Wales.

    .

    ton

    i think Britain would be fine, just Britain.

    No, not until it is just Britain. 🙂

    chewkw
    Free Member

    Its’s not changed in size.

    Don’t think it about the land mass but me think it is in preparation of Scotland leaving. Yes?

    chewkw
    Free Member

    I do wonder what the royal family think of the current state of the nation,

    The last monarch of England/GB/UK whatever will be Prince George of Cambridge according to the crystal ball prediction, and the first president will also be Prince George. Then after that the end …

    johndrummer
    Free Member

    Britain is just another name for the U.K.

    I guess it is, sort of, but the people that use the terms interchangeably may not be aware of the ‘and Northern Ireland’ part of the full official term.

    Anyway, bollocks to all of that, I’m from Yorkshire, me. Anywhere that plays cricket is aware of Yorkshire, and the rest can just bugger off

    Especially Lancashire

    benv
    Free Member

    As I was taught in school in 90s (west of Scotland).

    Great Britain = mainland Scotland, England and Wales.
    British Isles = as above plus Ireland (the island) Scottish Islands, English Islands, Welsh Islands and the Isle of Man.
    United Kingdom = Great Britian, Scottish Islands, English Islands, Welsh Islands and Northern Ireland
    Ireland (the island) = Ireland (the country) and Northern Island
    Channel Islands = not part of UK but Crown Dependencies
    Isle of Man = not part of UK but Crown Dependency

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 134 total)

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