It is, in its entirety, a jingoistic term. From its origin with John Dee onwards it is designed to lay a claim upon Ireland and recreate a new English world called Britain. It is a terminological construction central to the myths that underpin the modern British state and British identity. To deny this is as futile as denying that the people who use this term most in British society are the same people who are on every eurosceptic bandwagon going. When they use the term "British Isles" they are expressing an alternative British (or is it English?) world view that is in contrast to what the EU means to the same people. 86.42.99.141