| @abprindle: I assume you're from the US? Counties in England (and indeed Scotland and Wales) serve a similar function to the US states, only on a far less important scale. Counties are not subject to local interpretations of national laws in the same way as US states, they serve more in terms of civil law (taxation, land and property issues etc) as well as its own police force, enforcing national laws. For instance, where (for example) Texas will have its own age restrictions on selling alcohol and legal age of consent compared to Louisiana, Wiltshire will not have a different set of laws than, say, Shropshire. |