For the last 400 [barely 300 actually] years the were part of the same country The same Empire, you mean. Are you saying that all empires that ever existed ne

For the last 400 [barely 300 actually] years the were part of the same country The same Empire, you mean. Are you saying that all empires that ever existed need to be maintained into perpetuity? They speak essentially the same language Absolutely not the case. Are Spanish and Portuguese "essentially the same language?" And use the same national origin story Nope. I think its totally fair to call it a civil war. You really are very misinformed. After 250 years of British history, calling that a civil war would be totally reasonable. And if you tried walking into a bar, and telling an Irish person that the whole situation with England has been just a "civil war" and that they really ought to get over this idea of Irish independence -- I think you know what would happen.