Britain is right
October 28th, 1995
A letter to the Daily Telegraph which was published on 28th October 1995.
It is certainly a novel idea of John Russell that the word “Britain” refers to Wales and England only (letter, Oct. 24th)
The official handbook of our country published by HMSO starts off: “Britain comprises Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) and Northern Ireland.”
Britain is, in fact, a political not a geographical description and things pertaining to it are British: thus, unsurprisingly, British citizens are citizens of Britain.
Great Britain, a term first adopted by James I to describe the union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603, was commonly used at the time to distinguish the largest of the British Isles from Brittany.
At present times, American politicians such as Bill Clinton continue to use the incorrect term, Great Britain, to describe our country for fear of offending the Irish Republican lobby in the United States, which understands perfectly well that the correct term, Britain, includes Northern Ireland.