"The Horny Goat" wrote in message
news:iq5572dltnmf4v9fkdht03hp7nnfrfqmec@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 22 May 2006 00:35:58 +0100, "allan connochie"
> wrote:
>>Most Scots are happy to be called Scots or Scottish,
> >and British - but they tend to dislike Scotch and English is a complete
no
> >no.
>
> Hmmmm. My "Protestant but not Orange" relatives in Northern Ireland
> describe themselves as both Irish and British with emphasis on
> British. They tend to share the Scottish view of themselves as
> somewhat superior to the English rather the way Canadians tend to see
> themselves in comparison to Americans. This includes those of them
> (two or three) who have Catholic wives. For the most part they go to
> church on Sunday but typically the way the average Englishman is C of
> E if you know what I mean
Of course every part of the UK is different and Northern Ireland has some
issues which result in a very strong Britishness which is not really
mirrored by the modern British in GB and certainly not in Scotland. Your
relatives of course see themselves as British which is not the same as
seeing themselves as English! In Scotland very view see themselves as
primarily British or only British. The question was often asked in polls in
the run up to the Devolution debate. The combined amounts who saw themselves
as 'only British' or 'primarily British' or 'had no thoughts on the subject'
usually came to under 10%. Most of these 'I suspect' were probably English
or other incomers. There may be a few British nationalist (with a small n)
Scots but they are a tiny minority.
In the url below 29% saw themsleves as "equally Scottish and British" whilst
35% said they were "more Scottish than British". The remaining 28% saw
themselves as "Scottish only". This last group are probably thinking more on
political and constitutional lines only rather than geographic and cultural
lines. For instance even if Scotland went independent we would always be
British in the way Swedes are Scandinavians. Again though the point I was
originally making was that British is not the same as English.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/scotland_and_devolution.htm
cheers
Allan
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