A shrinking Britain gives us a golden opportunity. And people were having fun with it all night [TWEETS]


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Now Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed another independence referendum is on the cards, Brexit Britain may shrink even further. But its people have seen the news as a golden opportunity. And they’ve been working on it all night.

Change is coming

Prior to Sturgeon’s announcement, a national election in Northern Ireland saw shock gains for republican party Sinn Féin. Those gains mean unionist parties no longer have the numbers to veto legislation. And it makes a Northern Ireland independence referendum more likely.

Following these events, writer Will Black tweeted:

And as Sinn Féin called for a Northern Ireland independence referendum and Leanne Wood said Wales should have an independence debate, this search for a new British identity spiralled quickly. One suggested sticking with Black’s theme, with a slight variation:

A name that’s been floating around for a few months aptly resurfaced, too:

Other name-makers chose different angles:

Some suggestions, meanwhile, targeted the Tory government for its role in the UK’s demise:

There was, however, one idea that people repeatedly offered up, in various forms:

Black claimed his initiative led some to call him unpatriotic. But most commentators seemed to welcome it, as the humour of the hunt provided some much-needed light relief:

Stranger things

There is, of course, no guarantee that the Conservative government will adopt any of these names. Even if much of the country gets behind one of them. The majority of people in the UK don’t want the Tories to privatise the NHS or negotiate a Brexit that’s damaging to citizens’ lives. But the Conservative government is steaming ahead with both of those things.

Nonetheless, we can never say never. Especially when Boaty McBoatface is alive and well. Granted, the Science Ministry didn’t bestow the name to the ship the public voted for. Instead, it called that the David Attenborough. But that ship is now accompanied by the Boaty McBoatface submarine. So we achieved a small victory after all.

And small victories are all we need, right? Given the tiny size Leavy McLeaveface is about to obtain.

Get Involved

– You too can #SuggestANewNameForTheUK.

– Support The Canary if you appreciate the work we do.

Featured image via Garry Knight/Flickr

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