I know in modern Britspeak one would say, e.g., "the government have ordered..." as opposed to the USn "the government has ordered...", but I was recently listening to Ewan MacColl, who was a card carrying Britspeaker, singing the Scottish version of the song The Banks o' the Nile. He sang the line: The government has ordered, the King he doth command....

My question: How old is the Brit construing of such words as government or company as plural, or is the USn (and The Banks o' the Nile) version the later, in which case when did it happen?

I know in modern Britspeak one would say, e.g., "the government have ordered..."

I wouldn't say that. Generally speaking I'd think of the government as a singular entity despite the clear differences between many of its members.

"The Labour Government has increased taxation exactly as predicted"

"The Government has failed to achieve unanimity on this issue"

Nope, I can't think of a time when I would treat government as a plural, though I can imagine that it may make sense in certain contexts. Incidentally I can never imagine Parliament being treated as a plural.

Interesting. I google "government have" bbc and I get articles with it both ways. Some of the "government have"s are parts of phrases like "Blob industries and the government have..." but I'm seeing it with the simple subject "government", too. But in the same article I'll see "the government has..."

It's "has". A lot of ignorant people write stuff which winds up referenced on the Web.

ignorant people write stuff

These ignorant people worked for the Beebe

... and your point is ... ?

Hidden, as long as I wear a hat.

True. I'd forgotten that ...

Generally speaking I'd think of the government as a singular entity despite the clear differences between many of its members.
Well, then, why doesn't the same logic apply to 'family' and 'team'? We've discussed team have vs. team has before, and I still see British writers putting family have. You have a family, or a team: its members do xyz; it does xyz.

USns do this by form, e.g., Kentucky is expected to wipe up the conference in this season's gridiron warfare. The Wildcats are favored by ninety-nine out of ten of the nation's collegiate sports pundits.

You have a family, or a team: its members do xyz; it does xyz.

I think those are a little bit more flexible, Jackie, depending on context.

"My family has a nice house"

"My family have nice houses"

But I would have expected that to be transpondial.

I reckon where singulars are treated as plurals there's an implicit "members of" stuck in, it's as simple as that.

I reckon where singulars are treated as plurals there's an implicit "members of" stuck in, it's as simple as that.
Now, how in tarnation did y'all come up with an idea like that?Thanks ever so for the straight line, Fisk!