Yes, the Brits might say, "The government are," using a collective noun as a plural where we use it as a singular.
I do not think, though, that they would say, "The British people is supportive of the Queen," which would be the reverse-- using the collective noun as a singular where we use it as a plural.
Perhaps jbe can clarify this.
In any case, I do like the literary effect of "The people, Sir, is a great beast," as the verb does emphasize his metaphor, which converts the mass of individual citizens into one great beast.
This is of course, an academic discussion, GWB being neither ancient nor British. |
