# U.K. Woes - A Little Help? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671 "2001-02-01T03:40:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/41 "2001-02-03T15:37:27Z")
While we’re on the topic of sports, I had to mention that usually only Scotland makes it to the World Cup of Curling. Does anyone know if England and Wales enter teams, but don’t make it through the elimination process? ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/42 "2001-02-06T08:11:14Z")
## I’m getting here late but I notice that no one posted the reason that it is known as Great Britain instead of plain old Britain. The island was called Greater Britain to distinguish it from Lesser Britain. The latter being the home of those Britons displaced by the invasion/expansion of contracted settlements ( take your pick ) of the Germanic people who were to become the English. Today, Lesser Britain is the French province of _Bretagne_, known in English as Brittany. Perhaps I shouldn’t mention this but according to a poll commisioned by Michael Moore, a majority of Americans believe that the first person to call it Great Britain was probably joking. :: d&r :: * * * Just my 2sense _When I refer to my 2sense, I’m actually talking about my weird fifth sense. Not sixth. By some tragic accident, I was born without taste buds._ - sig courtesy of **Surgoshan** ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/43 "2001-02-06T08:22:38Z")
Good telepathy, **2sense**! I’d been thinking of that but I suppose I figured that poor **Sneeze** had sort of got enough to mull over, and it had turned into the deeper mysteries of sport anyway. Still , we might as well be thorough, eh?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/44 "2001-02-06T09:13:06Z")
Ah yes, sports ! Is it too late to mention the British Lions Irish contingent ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/45 "2001-02-06T09:24:47Z")
Actually **Hibernicus** already did, but I think only in passing. I’m sure it needs explaining too.🙂 Are you volunteering? (And, being ever so frugal of bandwidth, making double use of one post, **Kabbes** sorry I neglected your question further up the thread, but, yes, you’re quite right about my name meaning holly.) ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/46 "2001-02-06T16:15:02Z")
OK, the British Lions are a team that is made up of players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. They are referred to these days as simply the Lions, but they still have “British” on their jerseys. Then again, I’d love to see someone call Keith Woods “british” 😉 I doubt that in 50 years they will still have the title United Kingdom, as the rest of the nations will have totally devolved. And Stonybridge will be an autonomous republic. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/47 "2001-02-06T20:00:46Z")
Geographically, isn’t the entire group of islands known ans the “British Isles”? Thus, the “British Isles” would include the island of Great Britian, the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and other nearby islands. Would it include the Channel Islands, or are those geographically part of the European mainland\*? This says _nothing_ about the arrangement of the political entities on those islands. \*I know that the Brits would _never_ refer to the large central landmass of Europe as “the mainland”. Britain: the Quebec of Europe (half in and half out…) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GRJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d07c76/32.png) [@GRJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GRJ)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/48 "2001-02-06T20:50:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by They Call Me Sneeze \* > > England is really in control\*\* England is not in control! Tony Blair is Prime Minister of Britain, not England. Parliament is in England, but England does not _control_ the UK. The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly were founded in 1999 and are simply part of an attempt to feel more independent; in reality, many people consider them to be a waste of money. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/49 "2001-02-06T21:13:31Z")
I am SO sorry I opened (and read) this thread. I think I’ve used all available brain memory for today. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/50 "2001-02-06T22:49:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Geographically, isn’t the entire group of islands known ans the “British Isles”? Thus, the “British Isles” would include the island of Great Britian, the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and other nearby islands. > > Would it include the Channel Islands, or are those geographically part of the European mainland? The Channel Islands are usually considered part of the British Isles. As noted earlier, many folks on this side of the Irish Sea object to the term. I dunno how the Channel Islanders feel about it. > [@](#): > > The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly were founded in 1999 and are simply part of an attempt to feel more independent; in reality, many people consider them to be a waste of money. Hi, GRJ. What part of England are you from? It’s true that the powers of the Parliament and (especially) the Assembly are limited, but they were approved by the majority of voters in those countries. If you’re suggesting that sentiment in Scotland and Wales has now turned against devolution, I’d like to see a cite. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how the amount of money being spent on the Scots and Welsh bodies compares with the amount that goes to support the royal family? ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/51 "2001-02-07T01:14:06Z")
Sorry, I didn’t see the earlier reference to the Irish players and the…………………Lions. Actually **Twisty** , I’m a bit concerned Keith Woods might not make the squad. I hope he does because he’s a great morale booster as well as a great player. Fingers crossed. BTW, when we meet up I’ll regale you with stories of the old days when Jason Leonard used to come over to the flat for all night drinkies. And a Good Star to **ruadh** for possibly the most mischievous disguised-as-an-innocuous-aside comment so far this year: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ruadh \* > Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how the amount of money being spent on the Scots and Welsh bodies compares with the amount that goes to support the royal family? LOL - Holy Mother of Mercy… ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671/52 "2001-02-07T01:53:56Z")
Yep, clever **ruadh** altogether.🙂 Of course, there’s a tiny difference of A being democratically chosen and B not being, but I daresay **GRJ** can open a new thread to discuss wastes of money if he/she chooses. Hmm, I wonder. Hell, sport is incomprehensible enough without getting into numbers. Does anyone else fear that citizen **Sneeze** may have died of a surfeit of confusion by now? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-k-woes-a-little-help/52671.md?page=2)