Here are some links which try to explain the history of the words “United Kingdom” as defined by Jackie and Rubrick. If you get a chance to read some of the following links (some of the first I found with a Google search), you will see that the issues involved are highly political. It would be easy to spend a few hours on the Internet and gather together a number of different points of view as is always possible with history.

Great Britain was formed in 1707 when the Act of Union was passed joining Scotland with England and Wales. http://www.scotclans.com/clans/1707.htm

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established in 1801 after the Act of Union was passed joining Ireland to England, Wales and Scotland. http://www.dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/adw03/peel/ireland2.htm

You may be interested in the following extract from Hansard, the official record of the United Kingdom Parliament http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199697/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds00/text/00207w02.htm

Act of Union of 1801: Bicentenary
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to celebrate the bicentenary of the creation of the United Kingdom through the 1801 Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland.[HL742]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: None.

As Rubrick says after partition in 1922 it became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland http://inac.org/history/partition.html


Our passports show us as living in the United Kingdom and having British nationality - which is why many of us live most of our lives in a state of confusion.

In Scotland, for example, many people will describe themselves as “Scottish” or “Scots” and will answer to “British” but will get quite upset if they are referred to as “English” which tends to be used generically.

Lots of English people live their lives in blissful ignorance of this fact, especially those who live a long way from Scotland or who don’t have any links with Scotland, so it easy to understand that people from other countries will have difficulties getting the terminology right. In the same way, in a previous discussion, people from the USA tend to refer to themselves as Americans, which can be construed as ignoring the presence of Canada, Central and South America. I suspect this is a common problem where one country or region is bigger than another.

We have the same problem with flags. Many English people do not realise that the Union Flag is not always viewed with sympathy when flown over buildings in Scotland and Northern Ireland. http://www.flaginst.demon.co.uk/fiunionflag.htm

I have noticed a big difference in the teaching of history, now that my children are at school in Scotland. My (very limited) history lessons were about the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians; daily live in Tudor times and other relatively non-controversial topics. My children’s lessons seem to cover a great deal more about the life of Mary Queen of Scots (in particular her death at the hands of Queen Elizabeth I) and the Scottish Wars of Independence.

So next time you wonder what the difference is between The United Kingdom and Great Britain is, make sure you have a few hours to spare!