The language, the religion, the political regime, the absense of geographical continuity are just some obvious facts.
Languages and religon would be issues, yes, though depending on the PoD, religion may not be.
Geographic continuity is essentually null though, throughout history and in the modern world their have been and continue to countries that are'nt geographically contiguous.
That's the intelligent way to preserve and make the most of the good things others have. England was allways a powerfull nation, but always had this great wisdom.
England only became powerful in the 15th/16th centuries, with its real power only coming in the 19th century.