h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Without getting too involved with any political machinations, could I suggest adding Anglesey to your list of islands consituting 'The British Isles' subheader - being as how it's pretty big and quite important.

Nice entry, though.

B

If you are going to list Lundy and the Isle of Wight I agree it makes sense to include Anglesey as well in the list of British Isles.

CHawke please consider at least some of the changes made in post 93 - I think it reads better with the 'head of state' section up with the discussion of Crown Dependencies, not down amongst the legal niceties. Also the replacing of British Dependencies with British Overseas Territories for consistency with the rest of the entry.

Pimms Lettuce

Incidentally a footnote defining bailiwick might be appropriate if you go for including that part of the name to the Channel Island CDs - dictionary.com suggests "bailiwick \BAY-luh-wik\, noun:
1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff." which seems to imply there is/was a Bailiff for each of the two areas which divide up the Channel Islands - any comment Happy Dude?

Pimms Lettuce

Haven't there been some quite famous Channel Island bailiffs in the past? One of the Cromwells, I think.

**spends a few minutes scribbling down Testicle Mump on a bit of paper**

Oh, it's you, Pimms.

B

how about

Crown Dependencies are geographically part of the British Isles (see below for what the British Isles are) but are autonomous states, they are; the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the three independent jurisdictions of Guernsey, Alderney and Sark that comprise the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Unlike British Overseas Territories the government of the United Kingdom in Westminster has no legal duty or responsibility with respect to the administration or running of these islands except where agreed by international treaty. In practice like British Dependencies the British Government takes care of foreign affairs and defence-related issues, but this case it is done for a small fee instead of out of a legal duty. The UK Monarch is also the head of state in these islands but not in their role as the British King or Queen. In the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) it is as the Duke of Normandy, in the Isle of Man it is as the Lord of Mann. On rare occasions the UK parliament in Westminster will pass laws that will apply to Crown Dependencies, these are normally to do with foreign affairs and defence-related issues effecting the UK. In these rare cases the Bill will state the dependencies it applies to and the Crown will consider the bill in all their applicable rolls as head of state before giving Royal Assent to the Bill.

Nah, I prefer (though ultimately it is up to you of course CHawke) my version (post 93) note post 102 for a couple of the changes I think are particularly relevant.

The only change I can see you've made is to the Bailiwick of Guernsey bit "...the Bailiwick of Jersey and the three independent jurisdictions of Guernsey, Alderney and Sark that comprise the Bailiwick of Guernsey."
This is effectively the same as I suggested in post 93, so no objection from me on that.

Pimms Lettuce

slight reworking that might keep Mr Lettuce Happy...

Crown Dependencies are geographically part of the British Isles (see below for what the British Isles are) but are autonomous states. Their more tenuous political link to the UK is as Crown Dependencies, they are; the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the three independent jurisdictions of “Guernsey, Alderney and Sark” that comprise the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Unlike British Overseas Territories the government of the United Kingdom in Westminster has no legal duty or responsibility with respect to the administration or running of these islands except where agreed by international treaty. In practice like British Dependencies the British Government takes care of foreign affairs and defence-related issues, but this case it is done for a small fee instead of out of a legal duty. The UK Monarch is also the head of state in these islands but not in their role as the British King or Queen. In the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) it is as the Duke of Normandy, in the Isle of Man it is as the Lord of Mann. On rare occasions the UK parliament in Westminster will pass laws that will apply to Crown Dependencies, these are normally to do with foreign affairs and defence-related issues effecting the UK. In these rare cases the Bill will state the dependencies it applies to and the Crown will consider the bill in all their applicable rolls as head of state before giving Royal Assent to the Bill.

Opinions?

Crown Dependencies are geographically part of the British Isles (see below for what the British Isles are) but are autonomous states. Their more tenuous political link to the UK is as Crown Dependencies, they are; the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the three independent jurisdictions of “Guernsey, Alderney and Sark” that comprise the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Unlike British Overseas Territories the government of the United Kingdom in Westminster has no legal duty or responsibility with respect to the administration or running of Crown Dependencies except where agreed by international treaty. In practice like British Dependencies the British Government takes care of foreign affairs and defence-related issues, but this case it is done for a small fee instead of out of a legal duty. The UK Monarch is also the head of state in these islands but not in their role as the British King or Queen. In the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) it is as the Duke of Normandy, in the Isle of Man it is as the Lord of Mann. On rare occasions the UK parliament in Westminster will pass laws that will apply to Crown Dependencies, these are normally to do with foreign affairs and defence-related issues effecting the UK. In these rare cases the Bill will state the dependencies it applies to and the Crown will consider the bill in all their applicable rolls as head of state before giving Royal Assent to the Bill.

very slight change...

Arrggghhhhhh

(no not at recent posts) but read

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Hty_Sct/Treaty_1707.html

The text of the treaty of union 1707 - which uses the term United Kingdom so some re-wording of

"he 'Kingdom of Great Britain' was formed in 1707 by the Act of Union that created a single Kingdom with a single (The Westminster) Parliament.

The Kingdom of Great Britain lasted until 1801 when Ireland was formally incorporated and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. This name was changed when the Republic of Ireland and Northern Island were formed - see below."

Needed.

CHawke

Know the feeling ..

given the comments in post 106 I think it is "safe" to use the text in post 108

and declared that the crown and regal government of the Kingdoms of England, France, and Ireland, and the dominions thereunto belonging

from an act passed in 1701

what happened to France in 1707

I don't want to stir up another 'Crown Dependencies' debate, but
you haven't addressed my other comment in post 80;


in the Sealand section,

&gt which is further than the 3 miles off official territorial waters. It is therefore considered in international waters. <

Might be better as;

which is further than the 3 miles of official territorial waters. It is therefore considered to be in international waters.

was it an oversight or do you disagree?

F S

Happy Dude I am not trying to be obstructive (I might be failing ), but your latest amended section still leaves unaddressed some of the alterations I offered in post 93 (eg British Dependencies> British Overseas Territories, rolls>roles, and cutting out cliched persiflage to be more direct)

Pimms Lettuce

cool - forgot, your's is better - never liked my wording, changing now.

CH

Crown Dependencies are geographically part of the British Isles (see below for what the British Isles are) but are autonomous states. Their more tenuous political link to the UK is as Crown Dependencies, they are; the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the three independent jurisdictions of “Guernsey, Alderney and Sark” that comprise the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Unlike British Overseas Territories the government of the United Kingdom in Westminster has no legal duty or responsibility with respect to the administration or running of Crown Dependencies except where agreed by international treaty. In practice like British Overseas Territories the British Government takes care of foreign affairs and defence-related issues, but this case it is done for a small fee instead of out of a legal duty. The UK Monarch is also the head of state in these islands but not in their role as the British King or Queen. In the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) it is as the Duke of Normandy, in the Isle of Man it is as the Lord of Mann. On rare occasions the UK parliament in Westminster will pass laws that will apply to Crown Dependencies, these are normally to do with foreign affairs and defence-related issues effecting the UK. In these rare cases the Bill will state the dependencies it applies to and the Crown will consider the bill in all their applicable roles as head of state before giving Royal Assent to the Bill.

now?

The problem with post 93 is that is does not emphasise the independent nature of the jurisdictions that form Bailiwick of Guernsey. These days the Bailiwick of Guernsey is essentially a geographical notion in similar manner to that which the British Isles are.

Pimms Lettuce, I'm happy with the factual data in post 115 (wich has moved on somewhat since post 93), if ya not happy with the presentation give it a reworking, post here ... let's see if we can get something weare both happy with. I did try and incorperate some of the issues ya raised with post 92.

Sorry for not replying more quickly I've been otherwise occupied.

Post 115 looks a lot better to me than early versions. I'm not one to quibble over minor points ( yeah right). If CHawke (tempted to think of this researcher as 'Chalky') is happy with this I'm not one to object.

Pimms Lettuce

ok, so all we have do now is wait for post 115 to be incorperated into the article

just done a bit of code cleaning to make life easier for the sub-ed's ...





For even those who live in what they call The United Kingdom, there is a very limited understanding of what the name means and what makes up the country that they live in. To add extra confusion there are the remnants of the Empire that many consider British, as well as other place people are confused about? So let us start with the basics.


The United Kingdom

The full name of the 'UK' is 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. So simple isn't it? The UK is made up of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so what's the problem? Well the problem, really is, what makes up Great Britain.


Great Britain and the United Kingdom

First off, although you may not believe this, there is no such thing today (politically speaking) as Great Britain. OK - there may be sports teams that are 'British' and many other bodies that represent 'Britain' but as a political entity it doesn't exist.

So what does the 'Great Britain' in the full name of the UK refer to?

The term Great Britain seems to have first been used in the reign of King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) to refer to the separate kingdoms (England and Scotland) on the same landmass that were ruled over by the same monarch. There seems to be some debate as to whether the term refers to simply the main landmass or the main landmass and those islands that are part of each kingdom. However it is defined, there are some parts which cause confusion.

The 'United Kingdom of Great Britain' was formed in 1707 by the Act of Union that created a single Kingdom with a single (The Westminster) Parliament.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain lasted until 1801 when Ireland was formally incorporated and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. This name was changed when the Republic of Ireland and Northern Island were formed - see below.


What about Wales?

Wales is a Principality. In the medieval period, there were many European states that had a Prince as head of state (some still exist, such as Monaco). Wales was one of these. Wales wasn't really invaded by the Normans in 1066 like England, instead a gradual campaign was fought which culminated in 1282 when King Edward I of England defeated Llywelyn the Last who was killed. To demonstrate English dominance over the Welsh, the English King gave the title of Prince of Wales (the title of the old Welsh rulers) to his eldest son and the eldest son of the Monarch retains this title to this day. Wales, it should be noted, was annexed by England and, unlike Scotland, has no separate legal or other system.

So by the time that the term Great Britain was first used in the reign of James I(VI) Wales was no longer treated as a separate country in any way. Many years later in 1999 a devolved Welsh Assembly was established. This Assembly has limited powers over secondary legislation Primary legislation is effectively the type of law passed currently at Westminster in that it lays down the scope of legislation. It might, for example, say that there must be a national curriculum in schools. Secondary legislation governs the way the laws work in practice. (taken from Welsh Assembly Powers</LINK&gt. Importantly it has no tax raising powers. When the referenda were held in Scotland and Wales over devolution, the Scots were given a chance to vote to allow their parliament to have such powers, the Welsh were not given such option. The Scots voted for these powers to be given to their parliament.


Northern Ireland

The history of Ireland is long and controversial, but for our story here we need only consider the recent history.

Northern Ireland is a recent invention. The uprisings of the early 20th century eventually ended in Irish self-government and then independence. However, part of the North of Ireland had a protestant majority and wanted to remain as part of the UK. As a result, a 'compromise' was reached whereby most of the regions of Ireland would form an independent Irish state (the modern Republic of Ireland) and the remaining regions would comprise a new 'province' of the United Kingdom (modern-day Northern Ireland).


British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

As well as those parts that are part of the UK there are parts of the world that are in some way 'British' British Overseas Territories (formally known as British Dependent Territories) and Crown
Dependencies.

In British Overseas Territories the United Kingdom is responsible for foreign affairs and defence-related issues. The executive authority of the United Kingdom (and the Crown's authority) in most British Dependencies is represented by Governors, but in some cases it is by Commissioners, Administrators or Residents.

The following are British Overseas Territories; Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,
Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St Helena and its dependencies (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha) and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Additionally there are two UK Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus these are Akrotiri and Dhekelia. A UK Sovereign Base Areas is a British Overseas Territory the same as any other with a Crown appointed Administrator except that in this case the Territory is a military reservation formed from land kept by the UK when a former colony was granted independence.

Crown Dependencies are geographically part of the British Isles (see below for what the British Isles are) but are autonomous states. Their more tenuous political link to the UK is as Crown Dependencies, they are; the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the three independent jurisdictions of “Guernsey, Alderney and Sark” that comprise the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Unlike British Overseas Territories the government of the United Kingdom in Westminster has no legal duty or responsibility with respect to the administration or running of Crown Dependencies except where agreed by international treaty. In practice like British Overseas Territories the British Government takes care of foreign affairs and defence-related issues, but this case it is done for a small fee instead of out of a legal duty. The UK Monarch is also the head of state in these islands but not in their role as the British King or Queen. In the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) it is as the Duke of Normandy, in the Isle of Man it is as the Lord of Mann. On rare occasions the UK parliament in Westminster will pass laws that will apply to Crown Dependencies, these are normally to do with foreign affairs and defence-related issues effecting the UK. In these rare cases the Bill will state the dependencies it applies to and the Crown will consider the bill in all their applicable roles as head of state before giving Royal Assent to the Bill.

An important difference between British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies is that Gibraltar, being a British Dependent Territory and part of Europe is also part of the European Union (EU) under the UK's Treaty of Accession in 1973, whilst the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, being Crown Dependencies are not considered part of the EU apart from customs purposes and for trade in agricultural commodities. The population of Gibraltar is not large enough to form a constituency for the European Parliament and they never had a vote in European elections. In 1999 it was ruled that their Human Rights had been violated and that they should be allowed to vote for European elections and plans were made to enable them to do so. In August 2003 it was announced that Gibraltarians would be considered part of the South West England European Parliament seat. This will not apply to the UK Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus as they have no indigenous population.

Citizens of British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies (with the exception of those cases where citizenship is connected to Sovereign Base Areas) are entitled to British citizenship (in this instance "British" means "of the United Kingdom"), and with it the right of abode in the UK. However British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies do not have to give such rights to British citizens


Other names frequently used.

The British Isles

This is often used to mean Britain, the United Kingdom or a vague 'that blobby bit off mainland europe'. It is not a political term. The term has a physical geography definition as Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Islands, Lundy Island, the Channel Islands and many other smaller islands.

The British Islands

The British Islands is yet another term, and has been formally defined as United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man by the Interpretation Act 1978.


So that's it then?

In short yes - but then there are all the problem bits that people don't fully understand. To clear confusion here are some of them.


The Isles of Scilly are part of England, have representation in the Westminster Parliament (St Ives constituency) and are classed as a Unitary Authority - although not formally one, but for many local services are part of Cornwall and the South West.

Cornwall, despite a small but vocal nationalist grouping, has not been independent since 936, when Athelstan finally invaded all of it.

All the Scottish Isles, Hebrides, Shetland etc are part of the Kingdom of Scotland and therefore part of the United Kingdom

Attempts have been made to extend the United Kingdom - the small rock Rockall was claimed by the United Kingdom in 1955 when the navy landed by helicopter. This was to remove any claims by the Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Iceland. It was further made secure by an ex-SAS soldier, Tom MacLean, who camped on it for 40 days in 1975. This was to ensure the 12 mile exclusion zone, and to make sure its potential Oil/Gas reserves remained British. John Ridgway also lived there in the 1980s.

Attempts have also been made to leave the United Kingdom - the World War II naval fort of Sealand (originally called Roughs Tower) is now considered by many to be an independent state. It is situated 7 miles off the mainland coast (out from the Thames estuary) which is further than the 3 miles of official territorial waters. It is therefore considered to be in international waters. In 1967 Paddy Roy Bates occupied the then abandoned fort (which meant that from a legal point of view the UK had no claim on it) and declared himself Prince of his own country. In 1968, after he fired upon Royal Navy ships and was placed before a UK court, the judge ruled that the court had no jurisdiction - thereby, in the Sealanders' opinion, gave de-facto recognition to their state. Further recognition was gained after Germany sent a diplomatic mission to Sealand to attempt to rescue 'Prisoners' of War' after a failed attempt to take over Sealand. The issue has never been resolved and now Sealand hosts a IT company that will host any sort of web page as long as it doesn't break Sealand law - which apart from banning Child Pornography has no other limitations.



Interpretation Act Schedules

Sealand Government
Act of Settlement, 1701

Gibraltar gets European vote
Alderney
Guernsey
Jersey
Sark
Isle of Man

Anguilla
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory

British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Montserrat
Pitcairn
South Georgia
St Helena
Turks and Caicos Islands


UK Online
Great Islands