What's great about Great Britain?

[dosxuk]

Do you mean England or the United Kingdom, as we now incorporate all the neighbouring countries, the only time this country is referred to as England is when the national teams play.

 

This country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

We are universally known as Great Britain

 

Not by a long way. The letters UK are far more commonly used than GB.

 

"Team GB" only exists at the Olympics because Northern Irish competitors can enter either the UK or Irish Olympic teams, and "Team GB" is a bit snappier than "Team GB&NI" or "Team UKoGB&NI".

 

I thought we only got called United Kingdom in Eurovision Song Contest fella/lass, so as not to offend.

 

Offend who?!

[Bypassblade]

 

 

Offend who?!

 

You my friend I posted someone the other day as fella, and was wrong I didn't want to make the same mistake twice, it's easy on here to assume wrong with the sexes of people that's all I meant.

 

Pete

[dosxuk]

You my friend I posted someone the other day as fella, and was wrong I didn't want to make the same mistake twice, it's easy on here to assume wrong with the sexes of people that's all I meant.

 

Pete

 

Oh, no worries (it's fella btw), I thought you were saying we were called the UK in Eurovision so as not to offend someone!

[Bypassblade]

Oh, no worries (it's fella btw), I thought you were saying we were called the UK in Eurovision so as not to offend someone!

 

Job sorted fella, I'm a fella also; not hitting on you the wife'd kill me :hihi:

[tzijlstra]

Great Britain is a great place to live.

[jezzyjj]

As I said above it is a size reference, nothing more.

 

"After the Anglo-Saxon period, Britain was used as a historical term only. Geoffrey of Monmouth in his pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) refers to the island of Great Britain as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"), to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain"), the continental region which approximates to modern Brittany, which had been settled in the fifth and sixth centuries by Celtic immigrants from the British Isles."

[Mister M]

What makes Britain great for me:

 

The British sense of humour, it's irreverant full of irony and mocking of those in authority. Some American businessmen have complained about the 'tall poppy' syndrome, where the British, who sensing that people are getting too big for their boots, quickly cut them down to size. Perhaps it helps us cope with our notorious class system.

 

Our landscape and the country's temperature. I come from a Pennine town - lots of hills, brooding landscapes and moody weather. I also liked the fact that on occassion we have cold winters and warm summers, though of late the seasons seem to be merging and the weather can often seem much of a muchness.

 

Our lanuage and its idiosyncracies, it is said to be a hard language to learn, possibly because there are lots of rules, and lots of exceptions to those rules.

 

The BBC, and some of the other channels too. I especially like Radio 4

 

The fact that we have something like a welfare state and a National Health Service, though it seelms to be permanently under attack.

 

I like our civic society - that we have libraries, museums and many of their facilities are free to use. I also think the voluntary spirit that underpins British society makes it great too.

[Longcol]

I believe Great Britain simply means Large Britain to distinguish it from the somewhat smaller Brittany.

 

Yes - in french "Grande-Bretagne" and "Bretagne".

[aliceBB]

Well said, Mr M.

 

Britain's great because it has produced great people, especially writers.

 

When we do something, we generally do it well. (Except for food, and transport).

 

And because we have a self-deprecating sense of humour and can laugh at ourselves, unlike most other nations.

[SpikeMac]

It is a very tolerant place.

 

For example, we tolerate dullards who whinge and ask tiresome old questions, that have been done to death.