On the Importance of the United Kingdom

Originally posted by WonderStuFF
I'll save a lot of time here Portuguese..I have read through your'e post several times and to put it simply...I disagree with you.
I'm sorry to put it so briefly after you spent so much time writing all of that but there really isn't anything else to say.
Yes ellie this is dragging on to no avail but i at least thought that Portuguese deserved an answer for posting no matter how brief.
WS~
Thx by the reverence.
Hope to have helped somehow, although you have puzzled me with your post. :confused:

I, myself, am from a former-empire and Portuguese ppl always fell pitty that Port is no so great as it once was (even though Sid Meier don't recognises it...). It's sad, but we can only accept it and work for the best of our country and the world in general...

There should be a smiley for :saudade: to use him here.
I wonder if US-UK fellows, or others, know what that means...
 
Originally posted by emu
portuguese when the hell did portugal own all of africa and all of asia they never owned that much.

Originally posted by phoenix_night
i don't know much about this topic, but i'm sure portugal did have quite an empire at one point and was rather powerful.

I know. And you all should know also.
In 1494, in the max of Portuguese power, Port and recented-formed Spain signed the Tordesilhas Treaty, in which they divided the world in 2: the wealthest for Port (from Brazil to Philipines, includin all Africa and Asia) and the other to Spain (essentially Latin America other than Brazil plus all territories till Philipines (not much I know, but they didn't ;) ). Portugal reached the max of the empire in 1520-1580, in which all Asia and Africa were Port by force or diplomacy. Normally Port was much less brutal than Spain and controlled the territories like US today: using a favourable government. The treaty with Spain, the wars in Europe and the technology advantadge with the rest of the world granted Port wealth too great to be told. :D

Just for an example, Port influence in JApan was so great at the time that Jap history books speak of XVI century as the "CHristian Century" (because of the way Port deal with them, by the "Jesus's Company".

I have noticed many under-estimate Port importance in history, but that don't make it smaller: it only shows who know and who don't know global history...

:p
 
Originally posted by gael


Some of us in the north are'nt too fussed about it either.;) :)

Aren't these the British Isles - geographically speaking? And all the inhabitants of these Isles are Britons, as originally defined by the Rman invaders.

Of course, the sub-sets of Britons (English, Welsh, Scots, Irish and arguably Cornish and Gealic Scots) have spent many centuries scrapping amongst themselves, usually as result of the English picking fights. On occasions the English establishment have tried to suborn the 'British' label to themselves.

But, rightly, all inhabitants of these blessed isles are true Brits and - for one - I'm proud to acknowledge a close kinship with my Gaelic cousins!
 
Originally posted by gael


I think you got it back to front there phoenix_night. N.I is polically British but not geographically. Ireland its self is not part of Britian.

The origins of the name Britian come from the Roman Britiannia. Scotland would be Caladionia, and Ireland would be Hibernia.

The British isles was a term that was applied much latter and was meant as a political term. Geographically it makes no sense.

no, i haven't. ireland is part of the british isles, just as canada is part of (north) america.

but politically people from northern ireland aren't british. northern ireland isn't part of great britain, it's part of the uk but not britain.

people from northern ireland are british in the same sense that people from canada are american.
 
Originally posted by Portuguese

Thx by the reverence.
Hope to have helped somehow, although you have puzzled me with your post. :confused:

I, myself, am from a former-empire and Portuguese ppl always fell pitty that Port is no so great as it once was (even though Sid Meier don't recognises it...). It's sad, but we can only accept it and work for the best of our country and the world in general...

There should be a smiley for :saudade: to use him here.
I wonder if US-UK fellows, or others, know what that means...

No i know portugal were a major power

I believe they were generally an ally of britain,

Most the european countries exploited other countries at some point in time
 
Just curious, but is there something wrong with Scottish Nationalists?
Nothing that a good 'ole fashion burning at the stake can't cure.
people from northern ireland are british in the same sense that people from canada are american.
This is just pure nonsense. People from Northern Ireland and Gilbrator are British, end of story.
northern ireland isn't part of great britain, it's part of the uk but not britain.
UK and Britain are pretty much interchangable.
 
Originally posted by MrPresident
This is just pure nonsense. People from Northern Ireland and Gilbrator are British, end of story.

Considering a sizeable amount of people from Northern Ireland would disagree with that statement, indeed, flatly reject it, I think that it's a bit presumptuous.

Originally posted by MrPresident
UK and Britain are pretty much interchangable.

You once brought me to rights over using 'Britain' and 'UK' interchangerbly, if I recall correctly.
 
Originally posted by phoenix_night


no, i haven't. ireland is part of the british isles, just as canada is part of (north) america.

but politically people from northern ireland aren't british. northern ireland isn't part of great britain, it's part of the uk but not britain.

people from northern ireland are british in the same sense that people from canada are american.

Canada is a part of the American continent, but politically they are Canadian.
Politically the people in N.Ireland are British. N.Ireland is part of the UK/Great Britian, as in 'greater' Britian, an extension of Britian.

Geographically Ireland is not a part of Britain. The British isles is a political term that is used to lump all the region together under British/English authority.

If your going to use the Latin terms to decribe the islands, Britian stops around the Sottish border (Caladonia). Ireland (Hibernia)is'nt even a part of the island. Most Irish people don't recognise the term British isles.

Ps. I hope I don't come across as being anti-English here, I'm not.
But to me and many others the British Isles is an outdated term, but it will still always be called that.
 
Originally posted by MrPresident

This is just pure nonsense. People from Northern Ireland and Gilbrator are British, end of story.

UK and Britain are pretty much interchangable.

i'm just saying that, technically, they're not, that's all.

if you look closely.
 
Originally posted by gael


Canada is a part of the American continent, but politically they are Canadian.
Politically the people in N.Ireland are British. N.Ireland is part of the UK/Great Britian, as in 'greater' Britian, an extension of Britian.

Geographically Ireland is not a part of Britain. The British isles is a political term that is used to lump all the region together under British/English authority.

If your going to use the Latin terms to decribe the islands, Britian stops around the Sottish border (Caladonia). Ireland (Hibernia)is'nt even a part of the island. Most Irish people don't recognise the term British isles.

Ps. I hope I don't come across as being anti-English here, I'm not.
But to me and many others the British Isles is an outdated term, but it will still always be called that.

i think what your missing here, is that the 'united kingdom' and 'great britain' aren't just two different names for the same thing. northern ireland is politically part of the uk, that does not make them british. overseas territories would be different though.

remember the uk consists of great britain and northern ireland.
 
Considering a sizeable amount of people from Northern Ireland would disagree with that statement, indeed, flatly reject it, I think that it's a bit presumptuous.
A sizable amount of people from Turkey would disagree that they are Turkish but that doesn't change the fact that they are. Everyone in Northern Ireland is Northern Irish unless Ireland reclaims that country.
 
Originally posted by D' Artagnan
The funny thing about this thread is that only UKers seem to post here ;)
They probably are the only ones who are able to see any importance in the UK :D

(j/k for the ones who forgot their humoUr back at home)
 
I don't think Americans understand or really care about how you administer yourselves.
 
The reason english is spoken in most countries isn't because of Britain. The international language on a world stage started with french up until the 20th century. But it's not the great british who spawned world dependence on english it's the americans. Dollar diplomacy since TR and Taft has made it necessary for the receiving end of the U.S. dollar to know what the rich american businessmen are saying.

Although the former colonies speak english for the reason of being influenced by britain, that being granted. But the -influental- part comes from America.

European policies are dictated as much by the germans as they are by the french because they both pledged to cooperation after wwii and germany is many times more economically competent than france but still they value french input as much as theirs.

I think the British economy is going to waste and isn't on a level to compete with anyone of importance. They could have had the same boom that germany and japan had but the work ethic in those countries is far superior to the rest of the world which is a reason why they are the only ones to be able to compete with the U.S.

In my view, the top of the pile is the U.S., Germany, and Japan.
 
Hmm.. there could also be the fact that most industry in Germany and Japan was destroyed during the war and as such was rebuilt using the latest techniques and machinery. Both countries also recieved a lot of financial support to rebuild their shattered economies. Britain was also hurting badly from the US loans incurred during the conflict that it took a hell of a long time to pay off. America didnt exactly help the British for free during the war.
 
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