You are quite correct - my comments were not meant to be an insult, I was trying to point out that any treaty when signed changes the status of the signatories. My apologies to those who couldn't understand that.

As for England not being a Country, it is obvious that some people do not want to accept that the United Kingdom is made up of four Countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Nothing I nor anyone else can say will persuade them otherwise.

You cannot talk to someone who doesn't want to hear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states

You may want to read this one - it states that there are 203 Sovereign States, not the 163 as stated by the ISO. It also describes the UK as a Commonwealth of four Countries, which I believe is a true description of the relationship.

It also lists all of the Dependencies, including the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and those of the Netherlands and all nations. These are in addition to the 203, so how many states are there? Who knows. It all seems to be a personal decision on what you believe.

I believe that I live in England and was born here. That will do for me.