coun·try
ˈkəntrē/Submit
noun
1.
a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
"the country's increasingly precarious economic position"

Seems like it is crucial to have your own government to be called a proper "country" - thus Scotland may be a country and perhaps Wales and Northern Ireland but not England?

ah the English second-class citizens in their own country!

Now granted the English parsing of the term may be different from here!

PalenQ"Seems like it is crucial to have your own government to be called a proper "country" - thus Scotland may be a country and perhaps Wales and Northern Ireland but not England?"

RUBBISH

Definition

"The term "country" is frequently used to refer to sovereign states. There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world, since a number of states have disputed sovereignty status. There are 206 total states, with 193 states participating in the United Nations, two observer states and 11 other states. All are defined as states by declarative theory of statehood and constitutive theory of statehood.
Although not sovereign states, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are referred to as separate countries, which collectively form the sovereign state known as the United Kingdom.

As usual Kenny Everett had something to say about it in 1984

"When England was an empire, we had an emperor, when we were a kingdom, we had a king, and now we are a country, we've got Margaret Thatcher."

To return ti PalenQ's statement: "Seems like it is crucial to have your own government to be called a proper "country" - thus Scotland may be a country and perhaps Wales and Northern Ireland but not England?"

Scotland has a parliament, Wales and Northern Ireland have assemblies.None of these are governments. They are bodies elected by the people who live there, and have certain powers devolved to them by Westminster. This is what is known as 'devolution'. Westminster still keeps the majority of power. This is what the vote for independence was all about. Scotland wanted to become an independent country with its own government.

>> "Seems like it is crucial to have your own government to be called a proper "country"<<

Not in my dictionary.

>>I am not sure that there is any prohibition as such on jews, moslems, hindus or atheists becoming monarch<<

The text still in force is:

<i>Provided always and it is hereby enacted That all and every Person and Persons who shall or may take or inherit the said Crown by vertue of the Limitation of this present Act and is are or shall be reconciled to or shall hold Communion with the See or Church of Rome or shall profess the Popish Religion or shall marry a Papist shall be subject to such Incapacities as in such Case or Cases are by the said recited Act provided enacted and established And that every King and Queen of this Realm who shall come to and succeed in the Imperiall Crown of this Kingdom by vertue of this Act shall have the Coronation Oath administred to him her or them at their respective Coronations according to the Act of Parliament made in the First Year of the Reign of His Majesty and the said late Queen Mary intituled An Act for establishing the Coronation Oath and shall make subscribe and repeat the Declaration in the Act first above recited mentioned or referred to in the Manner and Form thereby prescribed</i>

So, RCs out, but anyone else who can in conscience take the oath (and live up to it) is OK.

Phew, Patrick, that's a relief. As a lapsed Methodist, I could be in with a chance, if I can sort out the hereditary requirements.

seems like any entity claiming to be a country should have its own postage stamps - Q - why does Scotland have its own banknotes and not its own postage stamps - all the same really based on the Britihs pound and HM Mail Service.

Why don't Scotland have its own stamps if it is a country - ditto for other constituent parts of the U.K.

Sark, Alderny, Jersey, etc have their own stamps why not Scotland or Wales or England?

"Why don't Scotland have its own stamps if it is a country - ditto for other constituent parts of the U.K."

The Royal Mail issues stamps for each of the four home nations.

http://shop.royalmail.com/definitive...es/icat/cat161

Scotland (the country) doesn't have its own notes but seven banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are authorised to issue banknotes backed by the Bank of England (the central bank of the United Kingdom).

Does the USA issue its own driving licence?

Anywhere that doesn't issue its own driving licence can't be a country surely?

sofar - under the definition of a country in the UK each of our 50 states would be countries - much more so under that definition than the 4 countries that make up the UK.

the more a central authority like the UK central government controls things - like driving licenses the less its parts deserve to be called countries - each of the 50 states has a lot lot more self-rule than any part of the U.K.

Ah the State of Michigan!

This thread is getting silly. England, Scotland, Wales and Norther Ireland are countries. Whatever anyone says on the subject on this forum, nothing will alter these facts

England IS a country, the BBC says so.....You can't argue with that!!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18023389

we're only arguing over the meaning of the word 'country' is to each place.

>>seems like any entity claiming to be a country should have its own postage stamps<<

No, again. A "country" is a description of a geographical entity, which may well, but does not necessarily have to, map directly on to statehood, nationality, ethnicity or cultural identity, each of which can be a separate part of a complex Venn diagram.

PalenQ -must be along winter!!!

thats the best I can do reguarding this thread.

I will petition fodors for an emocon of a hand rolled cigarette with a wisp of smoke burning out the end of it.

Even if the UK had a football team it would be terrible! jajaja

No, again. A "country" is a description of a geographical entity, which may well, but does not necessarily have to, map directly on to statehood, nationality, ethnicity or cultural identity, each of which can be a separate part of a complex Venn diagram.>

again then the U.S. has 50 countries in it.