What is the most socially conservative country in western Europe?

[Colin]

That's also what you said in our AIM convo, but like I pointed out, Switzerland has legal pot and prostitution.

It doesn't matter if it's legal. It only matters if the population greatly practices that behavious or not. You, just like everyone else, has a very legalist view of the world.

How does that matter? I believe we are looking at governments and not the people themselves. Many countries have legalized prostitution but those services are not used often by the locals. It is hard to actually gauge the local usage of such businesses and such but it is much easier to see the policies of the government. In respects to government policies and the like I would have to say that Ireland is probably the most socially conservative place in Western Europe. Switzerland is one of the most libertarian countries in the world and will probably stay that way for quite some time. Granted the pot and prostitution in Switzerland is not as out in the open or well-known and idealized, especially in the United States, as the Netherlands but its still their.

[Colin]

Ireland isn't really part of Europe.

Yes that's the main problem I was thinking when I was writing my post. Ireland is, though, on the European continent and is in the western portion of it. Thus making it a western European country.

[Colin]

No it's not on the European continent. That's why it's not really part of Europe. Neither is the UK.

Actually its part of the European continental plate, thus it is in the continent of Europe.

[Colin]

Ireland is part of an island. By definition islands are not part of any continent. Long Island is not part of North America, although it part of the United States of America. So is Hawaii, but that's not not part of North America.

Actually islands that lie on the continental shelf are usually considered part of the continent in which self they are on. Thus Long Island is part of North America as well as Ireland, since it is on the European continental shelf. Also geographers continually add Ireland to the continent of Europe since it is on the European sub-plate, which is itself part of the larger Eurasian plate.

The only point in the statement above that has validity is Hawaii which is not part of the continent of North America since it is on the Pacific plate. It is usually labeled as part of Oceania or just the Pacific.