I don’t think either of you are appreciating the crux of my post which is that this is a personal identity crisis. I am vexed at the loss of EU membership, sure, but that’s out of concerns for the economy than any vague Europeanism on my part. But becoming ‘English’ and losing my British is just depressing to me.
Which is why having a simple referendum with a yes/no answer is a very very very bad idea on Constitutional Affairs. I mean even Computer Programmes ask “Are you sure” before deleting files.
Ok fair enough but even if Scotland leaves it’s still England, Wales and Northern Ireland so you’d still be “British”. Britain is the entire UK “mainland” no matter what, so even the Scots are still “from Britain” even if they leave the UK. Maybe that’s some consolation?
Hah, amen.
Not really. Not in the sense that matters to me, anyway. My passport and my government will call me ‘English’, which is not what I feel I am. My identity is bound up with being in a country which spans nationalities - specifically, the English, Welsh and Scots ones.
Funnily enough I don’t feel I would feel the same way if, say, Northern Ireland left. As you point out, it’s to do specifically with this island.
Huh? My UK passport says “British Citizen” on it, it doesn’t say English or Welsh and that’s not likely to change, even if Scotland leaves you’ll still be a British Citizen. I see no reason why the remainder of the UK would stop using the term “British”.
I think there may be factual problems with that if a country calls itself ‘British’ while not having control of the entire British island. Nominative determinism.
Regardless, it wouldn’t be the same.
I think you’re overthinking this. US Citizens call themselves ‘American’ but they’ve never controlled the entirety of even North America. There are many valid reasons to be depressed about the potential breakup of the UK, but loss of the term British seems like an odd one to me.
The US has called itself that for centuries, and was an early aspiration to taking over Canada in the Revolutionary War, too.
The naming thing, anyway, is only a tiny aspect of how I’m feeling about this. I identify with a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, encompassing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all the values of Britishness.
‘Englishness’ is associated in my mind with UKIP.
I hear you, although I’m alternating between despair and fury.
And Northern Irishness, surely? 
Which is odd, given their name.
It’s certainly unfortunate that ‘England’ is mainly associated with football violence and white racist thugs, vs Britain which is pretty much free of that connotation. But personally I’ll still be British even if Scotland leaves the UK.
Absolutely. But then, this whole mess results from UKIP seemingly threatening the Conservative and Unionist Party’s hold on its position as the English national party, and as a result, potentially not actually conserving the United Kingdom, let alone securing its independence.
The Union of the Parliaments in 1707 had little if anything to do with the Crown(s). I’m not terribly happy about it, and would prefer a republic, but as I am not in charge, Lizzie is Queen of Scots, as well as all the other things. (We have the oldest Crown Jewels in Europe, doncher know).
Oh, it’s not true that England is mainly assocated with football violence and racist thugs. There’s Morris dancing! Jellied Eels! 
And cricket.
Identity is complicated!
Yes, although there is a huge overlap over Englishness and Britishness. It doesn’t surprise me that a ‘UK’ identifying party ends up not giving two hoots about anything outside England. The Conservatives certainly seem to be thinking the same way lately.
Wromg, Article 2 of the Act of Union 1807 specifically create a new monarchy of Great Britain and confirms the succession of Sophia of Hanover and her descendants.
The Act of Unions made a new Crown, that of Great Britain. The Act of Union of 1801, made another one, the Crown of the United Kingdom. When Ireland left the Union in 1922, they had to recreate the Crown in Ireland for King George V.
EIIR is not Queen of Scotland anymore than she is Queen of Northumbria.
Scotland elected one UKIP MEP. UKIP most certainly did not ignore Scotland.
Really? Can you back that up or are you engaging in wishful thinking?
The Tories seem to be reviving in Scotland. They have something like a quarter of the vote, which is only slightly less than what Thatcher had at her lowest (she was a lot more popular in Scotland than popular history likes to admit).
The SNP seem to have taken over as the party of the Left. As Mhairi Black said in her maiden speech, it wasn’t she who left the Labour Party, but the Labour Party who left her. Corbyn may change that. The Lib Dems seem to have collapsed. This leaves the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party as the Other Party. We’ll see.