2) Language =/= nation. You have maybe 5% of Irish Gaelic regular speakers in Eire, the rest of the country being largely english-speakers, and yet they're not British or English nationals.
I disagree very strongly here. The British Isles are pretty much the only place in Europe where language doesn't equal nation. Look at the Germans*, the Italians etc.
*Yes I'm aware that nowadays Austrians and Swiss Germans don't regard themselves as Germans, but prior to 1945 and especially during the peak of romantic nationalism in the 19th century they did. Though of course that doesn't mean they wanted to be ruled by the Hohenzollerns.