Names and geopolitics - England, Wales and Scotland

Having set out the relationship between UK, Britain and British Isles, the finer point now rests within Great Britain and its three constituent sections. And a demonstration of British arrogance and self-importance.

Again, history plays a great part. Great Britain being just a big island, it was separated into 3 kingdoms and cultures in ancient times - England to the south, Scotland to the North and Wales to the West. They were gradually put together into a soverign and formed Great Britain.

The idea of three cultures/distinct geographies lived on. So people will identify themselves as English/Scots/Welsh, and put a heavy emphasis on this identity when communicating with inhabitants from other part of Britain.

Given that Great Britain is small, that seems peculiar. By now, the three geographies are no longer distinctive, arguably less so than Hong Kong vs. Beijing or Texas vs. New York, yet inhabitants of these mentioned nations are more likely to describe themselves as 'Chinese' and 'Americans' than the British are ready to identify themselves as 'British'.

And then comes the idea of how the describe these three geographies. They call them 'nations'. Yes, as though they were three separate soverigns somehow governed by one common overarching government. That is shear arrogance and self-importance. If they are nations, then what should Great Britain be? In the US, it's states and the nation, very clearly set-out with no ambiguity in which one is the overarching force and which is a more local entity. If the British are using the word 'nation' liberally to assert a similar status as 'state' in the US, then they shouldn't - it is confusing and doing the English language no good. If they are not using the word 'nation' in this sense, then they are muddling up the concepts of local and national governance.

So when there is the 'Six Nation Rugby', it means England, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy and Ireland. Can't see why France is in the same league as Scotland in political and soverign sense.

It is very saddening to see a nation making self-important statements of oneself. A manifestation that it hasn't learned its real position in world geopolitics.