[Trebbinsa]

Which European country is most culturally similar to the UK? I wouldn't say Ireland really counts as it was subject to direct rule by the UK and thus it's culture could be considered somewhat artificial, and not due to natural development.

[AlabamaBoyz]

The Catalan Countries

[BqTyG9eS]

Belgium, Holland, Germany...something like that i guess...depends though as UK isnt all culturally uniform if you ask me.. there is much variation between various regions..

[RagonaCon]

Frisia.

[h0ldem]

Probably the Netherlands?

[MrsGoo]

Malta. Most definitely.

[seekfrieddy]

Germany

[Antelpebabe]

The Netherlands

[lollypop]

Nah.

Nearly all the people on Malta are bilingual, English is an official language, all of the local TV stations are in English as well as half of the radio stations, and half of the population support the English national football team, while the other half support Italy. Many Maltese people have Anglo given names mixed with Siculo-Arabic surnames.

[paratayoma]

It's the same case as with Ireland. The Netherlands would be the non English speaking European country closest to England. Also the weather is pretty much the same and people share alot of ancestry.

[Duseshoug]

Ireland isn't the same as Malta. Yes, Malta was a colony, but they kept their native language intact and were never formally incorporated into the UK as Ireland was.

The Netherlands was under Personal Union with England after the Glorious Revolution yanno.

[g4YthYXx]

Did you mean England? Then Denmark and Frisia.

[fashikn]

The Low Countries.

The Further north you go (northern Netherlands), the more like eastern England it looks, the further south you go (to Wallonia) the more like western england/wales it looks, with its faded industry, valley and red bricks

[bubborn]

France. In the sense they let anybody come in.

[payowlirriply]

I don't like admitting it, since British boasts of 'exceptionalism' annoy me, but the UK is in its own category and is different from the rest of continental Western Europe. It's not necessarily a good thing, though.

One of the things that set British culture apart is that it is defined by sharp class distinctions; there is the cultured, even snobby upper middle class and then there is the working class, still easily identified and sizeable. As a result, the UK tends to be a more violent place than the other Western European countries, because their white working class is quick to display anti-social behavior. Hooliganism is a good example. This is a problem in the other countries too, of course, but it's more marginal and isolated there.

That said, I can see why other posters are mentioning the Netherlands; the history of religious dissent, the libertarian undercurrent, and even the accent - people from the Netherlands speak Dutch with an accent that is reminiscent of English; for example, they pronounce their r's in much the same way, while Flemings will pronounce that letter much more neutrally, similar to German and in some cases French. Despite all this, there is still alot that separates them; the UK is in its own league.

[LookSe]

I don't like admitting it, since British boasts of 'exceptionalism' annoy me, but the UK is in its own category and is different from the rest of continental Western Europe. It's not necessarily a good thing, though.

One of the things that set British culture apart is that it is defined by sharp class distinctions; there is the cultured, even snobby upper middle class and then there is the working class, still easily identified and sizeable. As a result, the UK tends to be a more violent place than the other Western European countries, because their white working class is quick to display anti-social behavior. Hooliganism is a good example. This is a problem in the other countries too, of course, but it's more marginal and isolated there.

That said, I can see why other posters are mentioning the Netherlands; the history of religious dissent, the libertarian undercurrent, and even the accent - people from the Netherlands speak Dutch with an accent that is reminiscent of English; for example, they pronounce their r's in much the same way, while Flemings will pronounce that letter much more neutrally, similar to German and in some cases French. Despite all this, there is still alot that separates them; the UK is in its own league.

I'm not sure if class is really that big an issue in the UK these days though. As far as the government is concerned, the UK government is like every other Western European socialist state - ethnic minorities and the working class have more entitlements, rights and privileges than the middle classes. It may also be worth mentioning that the UK was the first country in the world to introduce some form of socialised medicine for the working classes.

I don't disagree that there are class devisions in the UK and a very clearly defined working class, but equally I think there are in countries like Italy and the US too. For example, most middle class Americans are quite snobby and wouldn't find themselves anywhere near "ghetto" areas and wouldn't ever want to associate with "trailer trash".

[Uvgsgssu]

No European country is similar to the UK. No way is Holland or Germany like the UK. Your goggles must be seriously fogged up if you think so.

The Anglo countries, in Europe and abroad, aren't like continental Europe. They're something else altogether.

[avaincmolla]

Hup Holland Hup!

[GaxyGroordrep]

people from the Netherlands speak Dutch with an accent that is reminiscent of English; for example, they pronounce their r's in much the same way

I think it's more like American. I even bet that the American accent originally comes from the way the Dutch settlers spoke English.

[mensforyouthis]

I think it's more like American. I even bet that the American accent originally comes from the way the Dutch settlers spoke English.

Nope, the American accent comes from the English accent of the 1600-1700s, which was similar to modern Irish.