Sociology

There as been a wrong perception that there is something like British nationality. In the reality there is no British nationality, what we have are several British nationalities which include English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh.This make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Merriam Webster dictionary defines nationality as a status of belonging to a given or specific nation through a process which can either by birth or naturalization. It is a group of people who are united by several factors which include a common language, culture, geographical territory and history. According to this definition it is clear that a British nationality is non existence since the groups represented in the United Kingdom have different cultures, different languages, history and live in different territories. The English have own culture and history which is totally different form the Irish and Scottish. All citizens in the United Kingdom have a British citizenship but they belong to different nationalities.

People have been educated that English is the same as British something which actually is wrong. England is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The people in this part of the kingdom are referred to as English, they have an English nationality. On the other hand British refer to the people who live in the four constituent countries of United Kingdom. The people in these constituent countries may speak in a common language which in this case is English but they belong to different countries where they have their own culture, language and a common history. There are usually distinct differences between groups who live in the constituents countries of United Kingdom. This is because each group has developed their own ways of life and customs which have unique characteristics. (Hastings, A.1997 23)

National identity and citizenship are different things in United Kingdom. All the people in British have a common citizenship but have different national identities. The Welsh and Scottish people usually get angry when they are referred to as English. They have their own culture, parliament and other characteristics which are totally different from England. They have an identity which is distance apart from that of English people. Most of the white people who have acquired British citizenship through birth usually do not regard themselves as British although they are British citizens. They prefer to be identified with their nations. There are several people who have blood connections which cut across the different nations, therefore a question arises how they would be described in terms of their national identities. For example we have a large percentage of people who have parents from two different nationalities within the United Kingdom. Sometimes it becomes difficult to classify them as one given nationality. The decision to chose one own identity falls on the individual as they have a choice either to identified as  English or Irish depending on their circumstances. (Woodward, Kath.2004 142)

To understand this concept clearly it is important to look at the background of each constituent country in United Kingdom. England is the largest of the four countries in terms of size and population. This is the region which is occupied by people who are referred as English .They have an English identity as they share a common history, have similar history and ways of life. This nationality is the most dominant of the four and this may explain the reason why people confuse English for the British. These are totally different words as each has a different meaning. English refers to the people who have n English identity and belong to England through birth. On the other hand British refer to the four nations which make up the Great Britain. Therefore describing English as British will be a disservice to the other nationals in the United Kingdom. They have a different national identity which is totally different from that of England. (Happit, Julian.2003 3)

The Welsh people are associated with the Welsh language and the Wales region. This is a group which has suffered most as far as their national identity is concerned. They are usually thought to be part of English nation but they have a different identity. The Welsh prefer to be identified through their own nation as opposed to the British nationality which in reality is non existence. This emerged during the 2000 national census when a controversy emerged due to the absence of a box for the Welsh where they were supposed to state their identity or ethnic background. Though most of them choose the option which was close, that is white British, this was not their choice as seventy eight percent of them preferred to be identified as a group on its own as was the case with the Scotts and Irish people. In this census despite the fact that the option was not available they went ahead and indicated that they belong to Welsh ethnic group. According to the labour survey which was carried out in 2001 it was found out that eighty seven percent of the people who were born in Wales claimed to be welsh nationals while those who resided in the area but were not born here were factored it was found that sixty seven percent of them claimed to be welsh or welsh British. This greatly indicated that they prefer to be identified through their national identity rather than being conglomerated as British nationals. (Nairn Tom.2003 81)

    Most people who live in Scotland say they are Scottish rather than British. They have an identity which they would like to retain despite being citizens of the larger United Kingdom. The same applies to the Irish nationals. These two nationals are the most independent compared to the other two constituent countries in the Great Britain Empire. They have their own governance system which is to some extent independent form the main United Kingdom system. They enjoy some level of autonomy. When it comes to the population census the two groups are given the leeway to indicate their own nationalities or ethnic background. This is an indication that even within the planning circles there is a clear distinction that people from different constituent countries have their own identity which should be respected by all standards. (Hachey, Thomas, Herman Joseph and McCaffrey Lawrence.1996 56)

    Studies conducted over a period of time indicate that the issue of national identity in Great Britain is highly valued. People tend to choose their national identity in relation to their place of birth. They have a strong feeling about their backgrounds this is more common to the people who reside in Scotland and Ireland who see themselves as different nationals form their counterparts in Wales and England. This is proof that there is nothing like British nationality what we have are different nationalities within the Great Britain (Berrington.Hugh.1998 143)

    England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland are different nations within the United Kingdom of Great Britain .Each nation has its own distinct history and culture. The people in these constituent nations have a sense of belonging and owe allegiance to their give national identity although they are British citizens. Nationality and citizenship may be related terms but in British they have different meanings. All the people who reside within the boundaries of the United Kingdom and the law allows them to be citizens of this larger country have a British citizenship but they belong to different nationalities. To them British is an umbrella which covers them all but have different homes where they belong. These are their nations which define their identity and origin.