An Old Firm Match

[steepholm]

So, I thought to myself, why rant here for nothing when I could be ranting in a national newspaper for money? Thus was born this contribution to the debate over the current constitutional crisis, in which I propose moving the capital of the UK from London to Glasgow in the event of a No vote in September.

Unfortunately, it was published on the Guardian site just as I was leaving to catch a coach to (ironically) London, where I spent yesterday evening at a fabulous concert given by my brother and the folksinger Chris Wood. It was a great evening, but one devoid of internet (bar 15 minutes at a cafe) so I wasn't able to keep up with the comments, of which there are now around 500. They divide between those that think I'm being serious (which I am) and those that think I'm joking (which I also am) - so, just what I would have hoped for, really. One thing that did surprise me was that some commenters appear to believe that the English don't habitually conflate the UK and England. I was glad to have it Engsplained that the innumerable occasions on which I'd observed this happening were all in my imagination, and if I were on Twitter I might be considering a #notallsassenachs tag.

Comments

[lilliburlero]

I enjoyed that enormously, thanks for linking, and congrats on provoking so many comments!

In my experience, by the way, conflating England and the UK is an English vice, but people from the Republic of Ireland also often confuse England and Britain. An Irish friend who has lived and worked in all the countries of the UK except England (and now has been resident in Scotland for about a decade) is regularly asked questions like 'so when did you get over from England?' or 'how are things in England?', 'when are you heading back to England?' by his Irish friends and relatives when visiting the republic. The Welsh and the Scots seem to be able to keep it straight, proving that it is not, as English and Irish offenders often say when gently corrected that it is all impossibly complicated. because you know, it really isn't.

[steepholm]

I'm more forgiving of foreigners in general than of people who actually live in the UK. The Americans too are frequent offenders, and in Japanese the word for someone from the UK is "Igirisu" (guess what English word that comes from?). But in the case of the English - it's just our old friend privilege at work, I fear.

[lilliburlero]

Oh, I don't mind it at all in people who aren't from the archipelago--I'm sure there are lots of equivalents in other countries that I'm not aware of. But the same people are often deeply indignant over Northern Ireland being considered 'British' or part of 'Britain', which is fine as long as you don't also cheerfully wipe Wales and Scotland off the map with a casual comment.

[steepholm]

Fair point!

[hunningham]

I love the idea of moving government out London and shoving it up north somewhere (Glasgow, York, Hull?) - London just holds all the cards for art, money, power.

[steepholm]

Though I didn't expect my plan to be welcomed universally, I was actually quite surprised at the numbers of people who found the idea of London ceasing to be the "centre" of the country in any respect almost literally unthinkable. The Ideological State Apparatus has done its job well!