You have made my point exactly. You always think we are talking about England. Even the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) from the North = North of England. When the media talks about 'this country' it can mean Britain or England and is completely confusing for non English listeners. When I see any reference to the north in a 'national' newspaper (and I mean the Gusrdian and the Telegraph) I can safely assume they mean the north of England. When did London become the capital of the UK? And who decided upon this status? I would like to see England with a parliament and possibly a con-federation within the UK rather than the present Anlgo centric setup we have at the moment otherwise Scotland should break with the UK and join Europe as an independent country.
I'm assuming your last sentence was a compliment to our invention achievements but don't forget your which are quite numerous.