Identities and the Four Nations
“There’s no such thing as British, only English, Irish,
4 nations ‘different identities’, butWelsh and
not really. Scottish”
Most people have stronger attachments to other
identities. Many foreigners confuse British with English, but so do people in the UK.
Politically devolution has been pushed to the front nations have been getting more
independence/power:
have their own power, own parliament, make own decisions,…
o Scotland, Ireland and Wales
o England doesn’t have its own independence parliament of the UK, not separate
“West-Lothian question” = Why do we need to vote on English matters? modernized question =
English votes for English laws. No plans to resolve it and give England own parliament.
UK is an island nation isolation
Stress on differences with Europe (everything litres except beer, miles instead of km,…)
Why? Always an outsider Brexit
most sports: no British team but
Flags national teams
England
St George’s Cross
Scotland
St Andrew’s Cross combined
Ireland United Kingdom
St Patrick’s Cross Union Jack
Wales? Union jack was made before Wales
separated from England
later Wales was recognized as a
Wales separate nations but no representation in
the flag
Y Ddraig Goch
(Welsh dragon on the field)
Northern Ireland
English cross, crown representing English monarchy
Star = six pointed representing 6 counties of northern
Ireland 1
Hand = only symbol that both Christians and protestants use
,National Symbols
Patron Saints: Flowers:
- England: St George (23 April) - England: rose
- Wales: St David (1 March) - Wales: daffodil
- Scotland: St Andrew (30 November) - Scotland: thistle
- Ireland: St Patrick (17 March) - Ireland: shamrock
Coins St Patrick is only day to celebrate
Wales also had other flower ‘leak
On the coin it’s not Wales daffodil but leak, and the queen
Symbol of the prince of Wales
National Figures
- Britain: Britannia
Female warrior with triant
- England: John Bull / bulldog
(Winston Churchill)
- Scotland: Robert Bruce
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Robert Burns: poet, most popular in Scottish mind celebrated on burns night
Customs and Food
Scotland: Hogmanay1, Burns’ Night, kilts, tartan, bagpipes, haggis 2, whisky,…
Wales: Eisteddfod3, Welsh rabbit (rarebit)4, Welsh pancakes, bara brith5, male choirs,…
Britain: reputation of bad food, now undeserved you can eat very well there
National dish is not English Indian food (curry) is most popular now (chicken tikka masala)
‘Let’s go out for a curry’ let’s get some Indian food
Language
Many regional varieties and other languages
1
New year’s eve, heavily celebrated
2
Mixture of offal (intestines of animals)
3
Cultural festival with music singing and dancing
4
Not rabbit, but hot-cheese bread
5
Sweat bread with raisins
2
, Three types of languages:
1. forms of English:
- standard English (‘RP’, ‘BBC English’, ‘Queen’s English’)
- regional/social/ethnic accents
2. other British (Celtic) languages:
- Welsh, Gaelic, (Scots)
3. immigrant languages (‘new’ languages)
Gaelic
language of the Gaels
became main language in Ireland and Western Scotland
today: 1.1% of Scots, revival in Ireland
Welsh
Celtic language Wales officially bilingual
about 500,000 native speakers - Caerdydd = Cardiff
most successful of the non-English - Abertawe = Swansea
languages - Casnewydd = Newport
problems in 19th century ‘Welsh-speaking Wales’ vs. ‘Radical Wales’ vs.
since 1960s: revival ‘English Wales’
50% of radio/TV output in Welsh
Scots
separate language?
from Northumbrian dialect of Old English
under threat for a while
now: certain status
New Languages
since 19th century: black, Chinese and Indian communities
post-war: immigrants from West Africa, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan…
1948: Empire Windrush
complex identity
English often not first language
West Indians: Jamaican Creole
Wales History
Celts driven into Wales by Romans Angles and Saxons keep them in ‘Weallas’
799: Offa’s Dyke
11th century: Llewelyn unites Wales 20th C: industrial decline leads to poverty
the English fight the Welsh devolution rejected in 1979, approved 1997
Edward I crowns his son ‘Prince of Wales’ most important nationalist party: Plaid Cymru
last Welsh rebellion: Owain Glyndwyr culture and media:
16th century: under English administration Eisteddfods
18th-19th centuries: industrial revolution radio and tv in Welsh
Welsh Parliament
6 May 1999: first elections, voted for own parliament 60 elected members
3
