Wales, Scotland and England make up Britain. Britain and England are not synomous. Scotland is every bit as British as England. As for the 'pride' matter, of course you can be proud to be Scottish/Welsh/English and British. It's like being proud to be Scottish and European, or being proud to be a New Yorker and an American.

Being from Northern Ireland (technically part of the UK) I consider myself Irish, not British. British identity in Northern Ireland is contentious. You'll find a lot of people who are staunchly proud to be British, because they feel their identity is under threat. Most of these people are descendents of settlers from Britain, who feel that Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK.

Personally, I feel Irish because I was born in this country. It is the land of my ancestors, my history and culture. Ireland has never been part of Britain, although we have fallen under British rule. So the case of Ireland is different to that of Scotland and Wales, and feelings are probably stonger on the matter.

It's not a simple case of who should 'have' Northern Ireland. And the situation bears no resemblance to the division of Germany.

Britain doesn't particarly want it - it costs the country a lot of money. The majority of people in NI want to be part of Britain. However, this majority was artificially and intentionally created by the border. The majority of people on the island of Ireland do want a united Ireland, so it's hard to judge what the democratic solution is.

There is little chance that the country could be united without a civil war - and an imaginary line on the ground isn't worth dying over, particularly when Northern Irish citizens are already secure in an Irish identity, or a British one, under the present circumstances.

Actually free speech is guaranteed in the Irish constitution.

The new law is ridiculous, unwanted and unneeded.