Originally Posted by Richard the Lionheart:
So if/when NI becomes part of Eire, what should the UK be referred to then?

The United Kingdom of Great Britain?
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Originally Posted by Richard the Lionheart:
....if I'm going to Germany on holiday, I say I'm going to Germany. I don't say I'm going to the Federal Republic do I?

Although I am pro-German - I do not think how they refer to the name of their country should be compared to how we refer to our land. We have our own way of doing things and we have rightly chosen to call our nation the United Kingdom. I would also add that, up until 1990, people in Germany used the names DDR and Federal Republic widely when referring to what was then 'East' Germany (DDR) and 'West' Germany (Federal Republic of Germany). "I am from the DDR" were words often heard.

Just as today someone says they are from "Saudi Arabia" (i.e. "I am from the Kingdom of Arabia") we say when abroad that we are from the United Kingdom (or from England/UK).

Many French people when in France talk about their loyalty to 'the republic' - over here in Enlgand we are loyal to our ancient Kingdom.
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Originally Posted by Richard the Lionheart:
So if/when NI becomes part of Eire, what should the UK be referred to then?

Northern Ireland is not going to be become a part of the Irish Republic.

I notice that some anti-UK people on this forum who claim to be English keep on making this claim.

If the current UK dissolved tomorrow (i.e. if Scotland and Wales quit the UK Union) Northern Ireland would remain in Union with England through an amendment of the 1801 Union of Ireland with Great Britain Act or she would establish a new direct Union with England which would most probably be called the United Kingdom of England and Northern Ireland.
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Originally Posted by Eurosceptic Atlanticist:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain?

What I meant was, would we refer to it as Britain, or Great Britain, or the UK, or GB?
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Originally Posted by Eurosceptic Atlanticist:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain?

Richard really does not like the name United Kingdom does he? Even thought it is a worldwide 'brand name' recognised around the globe - probably one of the most widely known nation names there has ever been.

I think it is a very elegant name - perfectly suited for this ancient UK Union of ours.
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Originally Posted by Britannist:
Richard really does not like the name United Kingdom does he? Even thought it is a worldwide 'brand name' recognised around the globe - probably one of the most widely known nation names there has ever been.

I think it is a very elegant name - perfectly suited for this ancient UK Union of ours.

The UK union you speak of isn't all that ancient, 301 years old to be precise.
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Originally Posted by Richard the Lionheart:
What I meant was, would we refer to it as Britain, or Great Britain, or the UK, or GB?

It's not going to happen - Northern Ireland is not going to quit the United Kingdom Union. There will be no long queues of people in Northern Ireland outside polling stations desperate to vote in a referendum to give up their United Kingdom/British Passports.

The name United Kingdom is secure.
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Originally Posted by Richard the Lionheart:
The UK union you speak of isn't all that ancient, 301 years old to be precise.

I call that ancient - even if you don't. The original Union - the font of the Union formed in 1707 which we have now - was formed between England and Wales centuries earlier.

As for 301 years (to which you refer in the quote above, Richard) - that is longer than a clear majority of today's nation states of the world have existed: including the USA.
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If we got rid of UK here are the things that would suffer.

FCUK
UK Drum and Base in your Face.
UKIP
Yahoo UK & Ireland
Anything.co.uk
UK Top 40
Dogging UK
UKDNA
UK Indymedia
Diabetes UK
Excite UK
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United Kingdom - it's a great name for a great and ancient Union which we must keep. And the best way of doing that is it set up an English Parliament so that anti-UK feeling in England rising any more. Labour are putting our UK Union at risk by not giving England equality with Scotland within the UK. The longer Labour holds down the people of England the more anti-UK feeling will rise in England.
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