I Should Know That: Great Britain

‘I love England, especially the food. There’s nothing I like more than a lovely bowl of pasta’.
NAOMI CAMPBELL, 2006.

MAN’S BEST FRIEND

A survey conducted in the late 1990s found that 60 per cent of dog owners in the UK preferred the company of their dog to that of their spouse.

Public rights of way are usually accompanied by signs and symbols: a yellow arrow indicates a public footpath open to walkers only and a blue arrow indicates a bridleway, which are open to walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. An acorn identifies one of fifteen long-distance routes in England and Wales, which provide outstanding walking, cycling and horse-riding routes

‘There are more crimes in Britain now, due to the huge rise in the crime rate.’
NEIL KINNOCK, FORMER LEADER OF THE LABOUR PARTY, ON BBC RADIO IN 1985.

According to the 2011 census for England and Wales, Wales has the highest proportion of people who claim not to be religious (one-third of population), and Norwich is the local authority with the highest proportion of people with no religion (42.5 per cent). London is the most diverse region in terms of religious affiliation, with the highest proportion of Muslims (12 per cent of London’s total population

Students must pay for their own living costs, usually through loans provided by a student loan company. Most students will finish their studies with an average debt of £21,000.

In 1981, new conditions for British nationality and redefinitions for British citizenship were passed stipulating that acceptance for settlement in the UK did not mean automatic British citizenship. More specific requirements were made in 2002 – anyone seeking British citizenship was required to sit a test to demonstrate their knowledge of life in Britain. They were also required to attend a citizenship ceremony and swear a citizenship oath and pledge to queen and country, and reach sufficient proficiency in the English language. This requirement was extended also to include people seeking to settle permanently in Britain

The five most common countries of birth in the UK calendar years 2007–11 were (in order): India, Poland, Pakistan, Republic of Ireland and Germany. The five most common nationalities are Polish, Irish, Indian, Pakistani and American

A rousing British song, strongly associated with the Royal Navy, ‘Rule, Britannia!’ is based on a poem of the same name written in 1740 by Scottish poet and playwright James Thomson (1700–48), and set to music by leading theatre composer Thomas Arne (1710–78)

GARDENING
A favourite British pastime on a public holiday is to potter in the garden. The British love to garden whether it’s in their own backyard, patio or garden in hanging baskets and window boxes or on a rented parcel of land known as allotments (see here). There are numerous gardening television and radio programmes and every May, crowds flock to the Chelsea Flower Show in London.