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BADM 633 - Wk 2
The British Isles
Terry Ryan
How Many Countries in the British Isles?
Slide 7-8
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UK Flag
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Great Britain
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
60.2 M
51.1M
3.0 M
5.1 M
1.8 M
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The Isle of Mann
The Isle of Man is part of the Norwegian Kingdom of
the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was
ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British
crown in 1765.
Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct
Manx Gaelic language.
Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not
part of the UK. However, the UK Government
remains constitutionally responsible for its defense
and international representation.
Population is 76,000.
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UK
 The capital, seat of government, and the largest city in
the United Kingdom is London, the largest city in the UK
 All of Great Britain has been ruled by the UK government
in London since 1707. In1999 the first elections to the
newly created Scottish Parliament and National
Assembly for Wales took place leaving England as the
only part of the Great Britain with no devolved assembly
or parliament.)
 Government is a constitutional or representative
monarchy.
– Members of Parliament : Lower House (646 seats)
– Prime Minister is leader of majority party (Labour)
– House of Lords
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UK
 Ethnicity
– White: 92 %
– Black: 2%
– Asian: 3.1%
 Religion
– Christian: 72%
– Muslim: 3%
– Hindu: 1%
– None: 23 %
 Languages
– English
– Welsh (~ 750,000)
– Scottish Gaelic (~ 60,000)
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UK
Government
 Chief of state: Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952);
Heir Apparent Prince Charles (son of the queen, born 14
November 1948)
 Head of government: Prime Minister Gordon Brown (since
27 June 2007 – replaced Tony Blair)
 Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime
minister; uniqueness of Wales and NI
 Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is the prime minister
 House of Lords - no elections (500 life peers, 92 hereditary
peers and 26 clergy)
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UK
 Political Parties:
– Conservative
– Democratic Unionist Party (NI);
– Labour Party
– Liberal Democrats
– Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru)
– Scottish National Party or SNP
– Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland)
– Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (NI)
– Ulster Unionist Party (NI)
 Cabinet Ministers in Wales & NI
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UK
 Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law
and practice.
 Voting: 18 yrs (includes drinking alcohol)
 Legal System: Based on common law tradition with early
Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding
judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human
Rights Act of 1998.
 Member of European Union (elects MEP’s)
 Currency – Pound Sterling, NOT Euro
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UK
Economy
 The UK has a trillion dollar economy, ranked seventh in the world.
 Beginning in the 1980’s, the government has greatly reduced
public ownership (BA, electricity, gas, steel, rail) and contained
the growth of social welfare programs.
 Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by
European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with
less than 2% of the labor force.
 The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil resources, but its oil
and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK became a net
importer of energy in 2005; energy industries now contribute
about 4% to GDP.
 Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services,
account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry
continues to decline in importance.
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UK
Education
 Private schools (like Eton) are called public, but public schools as
we know them are in the vast majority
 K-6: start learning French; then, take “11’s”
 At 16, take O Levels (A levels in Scotland) and LEAVE school
 Strong VoTech system – Education for Life
 16-18: if going to university, study specialty subjects for two
years; then, take A levels
 Depending upon desired major, apply to ten universities, starting
with “Oxbridge” (Oxford and Cambridge)
 If no schools select a candidate, start searching for openings at
lower tier schools (Mid-Majors?)
 University education was free until 1995; now pay modest tuition
 Trivia – student unions are truly UNIONS, as we define one
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ENGLAND
 London is also is the capital of England.
 English is the official language of the UK and the first
language of the vast majority of the population. Both
Wales and Scotland land have their own languages but
English is spoken in both countries more.
 Most of the world assumes that British people are
"English" unless specified otherwise.
– This of course is wrong. British people can be
Scottish, Welsh, Irish (living in Northern Ireland) or
English.
– The Scots and the Welsh are proud of their separate
identities and tend to be more forward about referring
to themselves as Scottish or Welsh. But, most are
“Brits” first, regional identity second
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ENGLAND
Briefly
 84% of total UK population, with most in the middle
(London estuary to Birmingham, Manchester and
Liverpool)
 Very diverse (Africans, Indians, South Africans)
 Primary sports are football (soccer) and rugby; cricket is
popular amongst all classes, but tends to be upper class.
 Food is basic, but very diverse in the larger cities
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Scotland
Briefly
 Sparsely populated, with majority of people in the
Lowlands between Glasgow and Edinburgh – the capital
of Scotland - along the River Clyde.
 Fairly homogenous population, but culturally different
from west to east.
 School system is rated highest in the UK
 Primary sports are football (soccer) and football; rugby is
played, but not as popular. Did I mention football?
 Food is basic, with some interesting variations.
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Scotland
Briefly
 Its fresh water lochs (lakes) – there are over 600 square
miles of them. One of the most famous is Loch Ness
where a mysterious monster is said to lurk in the depths
of the water.
 It is also famous for its clans, kilts, medieval castles
(MacBeth!), as well as poetry and songs of Robert Burns.
Trivia – many Scottish business people are not totally
pleased with this image of Scotland, but they like to export
Scotch Whiskey and textiles.
Golf is a great attraction for tourism (as it is in Ireland)
Theatre lovers from around the world come to Edinburgh for
its famous theatres festival and the Tattoo
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Wales
Briefly
 Wales has not been politically independent since 1282,
when it was conquered by Edward of England.
 Until 1999, Wales was ruled directly from London; that
year saw the first elections to the National Assembly of
Wales, which has limited domestic powers and cannot
make law. Cardiff is the capital of Wales.
 Wales does not issue its own currency and is not in
control of any armed forces. These are the powers of the
national government of the UK.
 Historically, coal was the primary industry; now, it is
trying to move towards high tech.
 The national game of Wales is Rugby – singing is the
second most popular pastime.
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Northern Ireland
Briefly
 In 1801 the whole of Ireland became part of the United
Kingdom, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland.
 After years of civil war, Ireland became a republic in 1921. At
this time, Britain negotiated with Ireland to keep the six
counties in the north-east of Ireland. These six counties now
make up what is known as Northern Ireland or Ulster. The
southern part of the island is the Republic of Ireland, or Eire.
 1927 - The current name of the UK, the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted.
 Like Scotland and Wales, historical heavy industry is
struggling, but still have Bombardier Aerospace, Caterpillar,
DuPont and Emerson Electric.
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Northern Ireland
Briefly
 In 1801 the whole of Ireland became part of the United
Kingdom, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland.
 After years of civil war, Ireland became a republic in 1921. At
this time, Britain negotiated with Ireland to keep the six
counties in the north-east of Ireland. These six counties now
make up what is known as Northern Ireland or Ulster. The
southern part of the island is the Republic of Ireland, or Eire.
 1927 - The current name of the UK, the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted.
 Like Scotland and Wales, historical heavy industry is
struggling, but still have Bombardier Aerospace, Caterpillar,
DuPont and Emerson Electric.
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Republic of Ireland
 Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C.
Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th
century were finally ended when King Brian BORU
defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in
the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries
of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and
harsh repressions.
 A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off
several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in
independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six
northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK.
 In 1949, Ireland withdrew from the British
Commonwealth
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Republic of Ireland
 Ireland joined the European Community in 1973.
 Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification
of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against
terrorist groups.
 A peace settlement for Northern Ireland is gradually
being implemented despite some difficulties. In 2006, the
Irish and British governments developed and began to
implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the
Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.
 In Northern Ireland, both sides recently agreed to disarm
and destroy their respective arsenals.
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Ireland
 The capital, seat of government, and the largest city in
Ireland is Dublin.
 Ireland’s present population pales in comparison to what
it was estimated to be 160 years ago.
 The Potato Famine in the middle part of the 19th
Century killed many and drove others to emigrate,
primarily to the USA.
 The Easter Rebellion of 1918 finally led to
independence, but not before Civil War broke out
between differing Irish factions.
 Finally, in 1921, Ireland became what it resembles today.
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Ireland
 Ethnicity
– Irish: 88 %
– Other White: 7%
– Black: 1%
 Religion
– Roman Catholic: 87%
– Church of Ireland: 3%
– Other: 5%
– None: 4 %
 Languages
– English
– Irish or Gaelic is spoken mainly along west coast
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Ireland
Government
 The government is a republic, parliamentary democracy
 There are 26 counties in the south (with six in NI or Ulster)
chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11
November 1997)
 Head of government: Prime Minister Brian Cowen (since 7
May 2008)
 Cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the president with previous
nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House
of Representatives
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Ireland
Government
 Elections: president elected by popular vote for a sevenyear term (eligible for a second term
 Mary Aleese was appointed to a second term when no other
candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime
minister (taoiseach) nominated by the House of
Representatives and appointed by the president
 Bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate
or Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members elected by the
universities and from candidates put forward by five
vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister;
members serve five-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
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representation to serve five-year terms)
Ireland
 Political Parties:
 Fianna Fail [
 Fine Gael
 Green Party
 Labor Party
 Progressive Democrats (disbanding);
 Sinn Fein
 Socialist Party
 The Workers' Party
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Ireland
 Constitution: adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective
29 December 1937
 Voting: 18 yrs (includes drinking alcohol)
 Legal System: based on English common law substantially
modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in Supreme Court
 Member of European Union (elects MEP’s)
 Currency – Euro (formerly, the punt)
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Ireland
Economy
 Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. GDP growth
averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply in 2008
and Ireland entered into a recession for the first time in more than a decade
with the onset of the world financial crisis and subsequent severe slowdown
in the property and construction markets.
 Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and
services. Although the export sector, dominated by foreign multinationals,
remains a key component of Ireland's economy, construction most recently
fueled economic growth along with strong consumer spending and business
investment.
 Property prices rose more rapidly in Ireland in the decade up to 2006 than in
any other developed world economy. Per capita GDP also surged during
Ireland's high-growth years, and in 2007 surpassed that of the United States.
The Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic
programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, invest in infrastructure,
increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment.
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Ireland
Education
 System is similar to the UK, with many parochial schools
 One unique aspect of public education:
– Because the south of Ireland has no manufacturing base
and few natural resources other than people, the
government decided to capitalise on the resource:
people.
– In the 1970’s and ‘80’s, technology was stressed
throughout the Irish education system.
– In 1995, the government added even more resources
with an initiative aimed at heading off potential skill
shortages in the information technology sector.
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Ireland
Briefly
 Very close ties to the US
 Most population is along the east and south coasts
 Other economic regions are called BMW – the Borders, the
Middle and the West
 Not diverse at all
 Primary sports are football (soccer), Gaelic football, Hurling and
rugby; until recently, no “English” derived sports are played at
Croake Park. However, with Landsdowne Road (stadium)
being rebuild, this policy was temporarily rescinded.
 Food is basic – meat and potatoes, but expanding
 Guinness is made in Dublin and it is rumoured that poteen is
still distilled in the rural areas. The Gaelic word for water (or
water of life) is Ousike!
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Translating English to English
British
 Athlete
 Banger
 Boot (of a car)
 Crisps
 Ex-Directory
 Fringe (hair)
 Ginger-haired
 Punter
 Queue
 Sleeping Policeman
 Turn-ups
 Zebra-crossing
American
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Translating English to English
British say
Americans hear & say
British Hear
Trousers
Pants
Underwear
Condom
Rubber
Eraser
Braces
Suspenders
Garter-belt
Waistcoat
Vest
Undershirt
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Q&A
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