English + Scottish + Welsh = British?

I was recently asked on BBC Three Counties whether I think British people were selective about when they choose to identify themselves as British. For example – Scottish people usually recoil at the thought of being accused of being British. Poor Andy Murray was identified as being an English tennis player in much of the US press. An honest mistake but he strongly corrected reporters “I’m Scottish not British”.

What does the British citizenship test say about regional identity? The concept of regional identity is something that was touched on in the British citizenship test. For example some of the peculiar regional New Year’s traditions were included as questions such as “What might you be asked to bring to a Scottish home in the New Year?” the answer “Coal, bread and whiskey”… apparently!

Unfortunately these quirky yet charming questions were removed by civil servants in a later review of the test. Questions about regional differences in schooling and devolved administration now remain.