[the scotsman]

Thanks for your post.

Most British people, like myself, manage to have an identity as both Scots/English etc and British. Its bizarre I suppose, but fascinating and complex.

As to 1707, I was perhaps kind to Scotland when I said sweet-talked. Scotland was bankrupt after the failed colony in Darien, and we NEEDED the chance to join the UK. We got financial security, the opening to a then English empire and trade, and the rest of the UK got our genius, hard work, our soldiers and navy.

[odds]

As part Irish descent (father side, from County Cork - though Australian), I tend to like the Scots. Though I think the division of Ireland & related tensions in Northern Ireland are very unfortunate. You know, the entire Protestant vs Catholic conflict. I realise there are multiple issues regarding that situation, but the fact that Northern Ireland is still headed by a British ("English") monarch, who is also head of the Church of England - "Defender of the Faith", IMO, adds yet another unhelpful dimension to the conflict, and reinforces the ongoing hostility. True, it is a complex situation.

[Cronos]

Thanks also for the Darien information — I didn’t know that!