Why do so many posters on here seem to be struggling to accept that the U.K. doesn’t just include England?

[Rhine]

And that we have different rules regarding Covid?

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve seen so many comments from posters asking rather aggressively why others posters are still meeting up, going for meals, to the pub, for drinks, to the gym etc ‘when we are in lockdown’? Well actually no, England is in lockdown. I’m in Wales and we are not in lockdown. Scotland is not in lockdown. I believe Northern Ireland wasn’t but is about to go back into it. The U.K. doesn’t begin and end at the borders of England...

I’ve just seen one thread where a poster continually pointed out she was in Scotland but that didn’t stop the ‘ we are in lockdown’ remarks.

Please educate yourselves. It’s annoying.

@Dishwashersaurous

Well of the 66 million people in the UK, over 56 million live in England.

Therefore the majority of people live in England and it is a sensible assumption to make.

If someone is not in the majority position, same as living overseas when this is a UK site, it makes sense to include location in first sentence

^this!!

Some of the time it's quite clear that the OP is not in England, or the UK - especially at the moment.

If someone posts about being sat in a busy pub having a drink or being at a wedding with 100 other people then they're not in the UK.

It's not beyond the capabilities of adults to read what's written and realise that if it's not allowed where they are then the OP likely lives somewhere different.

A lot of the time where the OP lives is also irrelevant. The drinks one in Aus was a prime example. The question was about a certain incident. It was entirely irrelevant what the rules were in that place at that time.

the term British Isles is very controversial and not recognized by the Irish Government

Yet strangely they do recognise Brittany, with the same etymology.

Case in point with Butchyrestingface's post there

Apologies butchyrestingface I quoted the wrong person!

I meant niceandcalm

@Ifailed

the term British Isles is very controversial and not recognized by the Irish Government

Yet strangely they do recognise Brittany, with the same etymology.

Yet strangely they do recognise Brittany, with the same etymology

Well, Brittany isn't linked to Ireland in the same way is it? Be a bit weird if they were going around claiming that a term for a part of France doesn't represent them. You'd assume that was a given.

Or maybe you just wanted to miss the point? That's ok too.

SionnachRua

Indeed, I was careful not to use it! 🙂

Well at least the Daily Express is accidentally inclusive albeit in the course of making a story. At least two days a week the weather is one of the most important stories. "Country set to be pummelled by worst Atlantic rainstorm in 10 years" turns out indeed to be a pretty tough storm that just touches the Outer Hebrides. Meanwhile some bloke in Kent is wondering why, at the end of the week, his roses need to be watered.

@oneglassandpuzzled

SionnachRua

Indeed, I was careful not to use it! 🙂

Oh I know, it wasn't aimed at you - I just like to mention it when it's relevant as so many people here don't know.

Yet strangely they do recognise Brittany, with the same etymology

What has that got to do with anything?

SionnachRua

I have wondered what the Irish term is for the group of islands off the north-west coast of Europe? I was actually emailing an Irish friend about weather and wanted to say something about how we were to a degree united by language and weather as we were members of the [same group of islands]?

Western European Isles or The British and Irish Isles, or usually just "Ireland and the UK".

But if the term British Isles is ever used, it means the Isles of Britain, and excludes the Island of Ireland.

The Celtic Isles is also used in retaliation

I’m from London and am married to a Scotsman. Being completely honest, before I met him, I never really considered Scotland, Wales and NI to be much different from England. I just never gave it much thought and thought the English government and system applied all over the UK.

I knew Scotland had a different legal system, and ran things different when it came to things like schools, tuition fees, prescriptions, etc but I just assumed that’s the only type of thing where things differ and Nicola Sturgeon was more of a figurehead but otherwise everything is all the same. I just never ever gave it any thought and assumed everyone in the UK is the same.

You can imagine DH, as a very proud Scotsman, setting me straight on that!

@oneglassandpuzzled

SionnachRua

I have wondered what the Irish term is for the group of islands off the north-west coast of Europe? I was actually emailing an Irish friend about weather and wanted to say something about how we were to a degree united by language and weather as we were members of the [same group of islands]?

I don't think there is one tbh. The UK and Irish governments use "these islands" afaik. A lot of people use Britain and Ireland but that's leaving out a lot of islands!

I once saw Atlantic Archipelago...can't make my mind up on that one

There is. See above.

@BashfulClam

I did actually correct someone on the day England began lockdown when they posted on Facebook ‘ok well the UK is back in lockdown!’ No it isn’t just one part.

I remember a poster being my accused of being a troll as she says her children were at school in August. Scotland has different holidays ffs!

The most ridiculous was when someone was told not to bother buying shoes for her son during the first lockdown due to the extremely hot weather. They were in the far south and in Scotland it was raining and struggling to get into double figures. Also the poster who felt sorry for Scottish kids back at school in extreme heat and suggested we change our education system. She was told that it was really ok as 17c and drizzle wasn’t too hot.

My favourite was the woman who started a thread asking, during lockdown, if she would be able to drive “from the UK to Glasgow”.

From the UK to Glasgow?

Perhaps people don't know what the letters U and K stand for?

Or maybe England is so different regionally it considers itself to be United - but that would be United England?

Also the poster who felt sorry for Scottish kids back at school in extreme heat and suggested we change our education system. She was told that it was really ok as 17c and drizzle wasn’t too hot.

That one was quite spectacular. Imagine being so full of yourself you think you're the first person to ever realise that poor Scottish children were being roasted alive in school and term dates should change and not even take a moment to wonder why that would be.

All those neglectful Scottish parents who never realised or thought of it...

Ooooh this grinds my gears as I'm Welsh and hate people referring to the UK as England. To make it worse my English child does it as well. I beat him soundly with a big stick and lock him in the cellar until he repents correct him gently.

@lyralalala

Also the poster who felt sorry for Scottish kids back at school in extreme heat and suggested we change our education system. She was told that it was really ok as 17c and drizzle wasn’t too hot.

That one was quite spectacular. Imagine being so full of yourself you think you're the first person to ever realise that poor Scottish children were being roasted alive in school and term dates should change and not even take a moment to wonder why that would be.

All those neglectful Scottish parents who never realised or thought of it...

That one was hilarious.

I’ve always thought that Scottish summer holidays were better. By the time schools in England and Wales break up the weather has already gone to shit!

Well, I suppose it is because the population of England is considerably larger than all the other countries put together, so the overwhelming majority of UK posters are in England.

In 2019:
England 56.2m
Scotland 5.5m
Wales 3.2m
NI 1.8m