4 of 18

Write now Article Tools

Well, who cares? I am English, British and I come from the United Kingdom and it really does not matter at all. It gives me some advantages in life and some disadvantages. One of the main advantages has got to be that I can tell a stranger that I am English. This will remove any expectation that I am likely to a) Invite them round for dinner before I have known them for thirty years. b) Tell them I love them. c) Lend them money.

If I want to go for a bit of oneupmanship, I tell them I am British. Then I can call on all the achievements of the Scots, Irish, Welsh and English in order to make them feel envious. Stuff like "We invented Penicillin and the telephone, defeated Cholera, won God knows how many wars and had the biggest and best empire ever" is bound to do the trick. It was not the "English" empire it was the "British" one. It was ruled by Queen Victoria. She was Queen of England, also known as the BRITISH monarch.
Migrants to the United Kingdom who are lucky enough to get to stay, become citizens of the UK, get a British passport, and never get to call themselves "Scottish", "Welsh", "Irish" or "English". They become British, never to have the benefit of association with quaint cottages, Cricket on the village green, Shakespeare or Morris Minors. The British are linked with a small, damp collection of islands which were once part of France. So it is really difficult to pinpoint the difference between UK, Britain and England. Perhaps the differences are all in the mind of people who are not UK-ish.

Learn more about this author, Roger Whittle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Britain and England??
We want to hear your view. Write now!