[johnm]

In the highly unlikely event I was to put a flag on my car it would probably be this one

[PeteSpencer]

Yes but why was it ever GB in the first place?

I'm not absolutely sure but it may be that when the letters were established in the early 20th century Irish home rule was relatively new and up to then Great Britain and United Kingdom were sort of synonymous.

Internationally, people understood Britain and British but perhaps not so familiar with United Kingdom? I think that's probably true to this day.

The French have called it Le Royaume Uni for as long as I can remember...................

[OCB]

The French have called it Le Royaume Uni for as long as I can remember...................

You are being too kind, based on my experience it’s pretty much always “les Anglais”. When corrected, they say “Britanique”, but first chance they have - it’s Lez English

[johnm]

While French officialdom has been known to use Royaume Uni and Grand Bretagne, it's not common parlance...

[Paul_Sengupta]

The French have called it Le Royaume Uni for as long as I can remember...................

At least as long as the Eurovision Song Contest has been going...

[OCB]

While French officialdom has been known to use Royaume Uni and Grand Bretagne, it's not common parlance...

..indeed, common parlance is/was "les RosBif".....

[PeteSpencer]

Or ‘nul points’.

[PeteSpencer]

While French officialdom has been known to use Royaume Uni and Grand Bretagne, it's not common parlance...

..indeed, common parlance is/was "les RosBif".....

Yep the people are les rosbifs but the country is Le Royaume Uni.

[johnm]

Grande Bretagne or Angleterre is more common than Royaume Uni

[map5623]

What was used in the international version of 'Its a knockout'?

[johnm]

[Pete L]

Is anybody else hearing an echo or is it just me?

PW

This sort of stuff is normally done by international standards committees, and there would have been other countries with an opinion. I think you're spot on with the timing.

[kanga]

<continuing drift >

In '82 I got my FAA PPL 'on the basis of' my then UK one by walking into the FAA Field Office at BWI (without an appointment). The bored FAA folk there could not have been more helpful: free coffee and doughnuts, presumably USG-paid, while they looked up what to do, found the right forms, and started to fill them in... But I do remember them being about to write in the field marked 'country of issue' (of the applicant's PPL) 'England', and so I had to stop them to say it should be 'United Kingdom'. They had not heard of that, so I had to explain that there had been no government of 'England' since 1707, which surprised them!

We were one of 2 Brit families with sons in a local Boy Scout troop. We decided to have a UK-themed evening to educate the other boys and attending parents (mostly fathers; it was commendably routine for fathers there to join the Leaders in many Scout activities), including explanation of the composition of the UK. ISTR it ended with the Americans, after coaching in pronunciation and melody, singing Hen wlad fy nhadau

Of course the UK Olympic team uses the abbreviation 'GBR', but there are separate teams for the constituent nations (including IoM and individual CIs) in the Commonwealth Games. Analogously, ISTR Norfolk Islanders compete for Australia at the Olympics, but have their own team at the Commonwealth Games. There may be other examples.

<further nerdish swerve >

Until the 1928 ICAO meeting on the topic, it was not only UK aircraft which had a large G on the tail, but also some Commonwealth and Empire ones: Canada had G-C registrations. At the meeting it was agreed that only UK would use G (but have exclusive use of all the Gs, and of the Ms); and USA monopoly of the 'N's*. Most of the Commonwealth/Empire went to Vs (which they still use), including Newfoundland with 'VO-' (until Confederation in 1949), but Canada started on 'CF-'s with anticipated control also of at least 'CG-'s.

*briefly but unofficially some Newfoundland aircraft had had 'NF-'s </>

</>

Back to topic: it seems clear that the IVR change from GB to UK for vehicles is a UK government initiative, properly but AFAIK without fanfare notified to the UN a while ago. Any discussion why this may or may not have been a Good Thing might quickly get political ..

[Propwash]

Any discussion why this may or may not have been a Good Thing might quickly get political ..

I gave the answer to that some time back:

to rectify an historical anomaly.

That is just factual not at all political.

PW

[Flyin'Dutch']

That is just factual not at all political.

PW

Being factual doesn't preclude things being political, does it?