For rugby union fans there are few better sights than the British Lions taking on one of the southern hemisphere giants every four years. This week sees the start of the Lions’ tour of Australia, which they last toured twelve years ago. For the players this represents the pinnacle of their careers and the anticipation will reach a climax when the first team steps out to meet the Australian national team for the first of three tests later this month. Yes, this is rugby union at its finest. It’s such a pity that it’s tainted by political correctness.
You will have noticed how I made reference to the British Lions rather than the modern “British and Irish Lions”. This is no disrespect to Ireland, who consistently produce some of the finest players in the world despite their relatively small population. The British Lions were, and are still, chosen from the best rugby union players in the British Isles, a geographical term as opposed to political or nationalist. The British Isles comprise Great Britain, Ireland, the Hebrides, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and many others. In total there are well over 6,000 individual isles.
However, it was decided in 2001 that this was unfair to the independent and sovereign Republic of Ireland and so the British Lions became the British and Irish Lions. This was nothing more than political correctness and an example of bored liberal bureaucrats sticking their oar in something that neither concerned them nor seemed to bother anyone else. Certainly, I personally have never met any Irishmen who objected to the name British Lions since they were fully aware that the word “British” was simply a geographical and factual reference to the islands which we all share rather than a slight on their own nation. It is for this reason that many people will continue to refer to the Lions as the British Lions.
Taking the politically correct argument further, shouldn’t the Lions’ title be extended to embrace the other nations who take part? Why should the term British be used to cover Wales, Scotland and England and nobody else? Shouldn’t they correctly be called the Welsh, Irish, Scots and English Lions (the W.I.S.E. Lions, now there’s a thought!). And what if the tour party includes players of Manx or Channel Islands extraction? Shouldn’t the title be extended to include them as well? Clearly this is ludicrous but no more so than the current name.
Rugby union like all sport should be a joyous celebration of skill, strength, athletic prowess and the exuberance of life itself. It has and never should have anything to do with politics and should certainly not be corrupted by political correctness. So come on you Irish, Welsh, Scots and English, come on you Lions, come on you British Lions! Have a great tour and make us all proud to be a part of the British Isles!
Common Sense 
I share many of your views on the great game that represents the playing of the four nations together. Clearly, we share a great sporting past as well as a shared common history in many areas. This said, perhaps I am the first Irishman you have heard of that appreciates the distinction of British and Irish Lions but I can attest to the fact that we do really prefer the new term, which better represents two equal states. Perhaps we are too polite to say it directly:-) In Ireland, we no longer commonly us the term British Isles even as a geographical term, using Britain and Ireland instead. However, I want to share with you that we feel that is is less about political correctness and more about a growing and deepening respect between our two great states over recent decades. This is something to be proud of and something we can cherish together.
The Irish have fought too hard and too long for their own national sovereignty and their independence from Britain not to have their separate identity acknowledged and recognised. "British" is an adjective denoting a nationality of which citizens of the Republic of Ireland are not members. The term "British Isles", which is inclusive of the island of Ireland, even if a purely geographical term, as some claim, does clearly imply British sovereignty over the entirety of Great Britain and Ireland, which is wrong and inaccurate. It is therefore obvious why the Irish reject the term and it fails to find currency in the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere. The title British and Irish Lions is therefore accurate and is correctly used as the official title of the international rugby team representing Britain and Ireland.
i know what you mean and I think, if I was Irish I would probably feel the same way. In fairness most people just refer to the team as "the Lions" anyway.Let's hope we can clinch the series!
I understand and respect your viewpoint fully. I do feel however that the geographical description is still valid and accurate. Anyway, after the way we Lions struggled in the first test maybe we should consider taking a leaf out of golf's Ryder Cup and convert to the European Lions. With the cream of France I think we could be pretty nigh invincible!