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Northerners / Southerners - Are we really any different?

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northwichcat

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From my experience southerners in large places seem to push their way through crowds rather than waiting or saying 'excuse me.' I thought it was just London initially but I've experienced the same thing in other places as well.
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Parts of Nottinghamshire are geographically more "Northern" than "Midlands".

The usual North definition means North of England opposed to North of Britain. With Gretna being in Scotland and Berwick being in England the line that separates the North and Midlands goes further north the further east it goes to compensate.
 

DarloRich

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Northerners are much nicer, friendlier people with and understanding of what proper ale should look and taste like. Living amongst the cockney I see my situation as akin to missionary work with the heathens! Plus someone has to show them what hard work is. They also cant deal with blunt honest northern common sense and take offense when you call them love!

Anywhere south, west or north of the north east is suspect, anyone south of Doncaster is a cockney. The midlands dont exist as they are all cockneys. And they talk funny. London ( and by London i mean anywhere in the area bounded by Portsmouth, Dover, Norwich, Oxford) is the source of all evil. And they talk funny. Wales and the west country is basically off the map and simply marked there be dragons. And they talk funny. And they are cockneys. Scotland. Who knows? They talk funny.

So all in all anyone not from the north east is a wrong un.
 
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Butts

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Northerners are much nicer, friendlier people with and understanding of what proper ale should look and taste like. Living amongst the cockney I see my situation as akin to missionary work with the heathens! Plus someone has to show them what hard work is. They also cant deal with blunt honest northern common sense and take offense when you call them love!

Anywhere south, west or north of the north east is suspect, anyone south of Doncaster is a cockney. The midlands dont exist as they are all cockneys. London is the source of all evil. Wales and the west country is basically off the map and simply marked there be dragons and they talk funny. And they are cockneys. Scotland. Who knows? They speak funny.

So all in all anyone not from the north east is a wrong un.

I take it you have not gone "native" yet then, being absent from your beloved Darlington for an extended period :p
 

jon91

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Didn't realise you'd taken up "Holy Orders" :p

Those "Southern Heathens" will be a hard task to tackle !!!

Firstly their chippies don't do gravy or scraps, on those alone I'd class southerners as a lost cause.

Don't get me started on the watered-down effluent they drink in place of ale... <(
 

Clip

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never - as i said missionary work. These poor people deserve to have a better life and decent ale

Theres been decent ale down south and in London for many many years - maybe you just arer not very good at looking for it?

And my Northern credentials are more Northern than yours, southerner ;)
 
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DarloRich

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Theres been decent ale down south and in London for many many years - maybe you just arer not very good at looking for it?

And my Northern credentials are more Northern than yours, southerner ;)

there may be but the publicans often dont know how to keep it or serve it ;)
 

WestCoast

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I'm working my way south; born in Scotland, grew up in Lancashire, now living in Birmingham for University. Personally, I think the North/South divide is apparent, but there are also far, far more divisions within it. For example, the South East has a vastly different atmosphere to the South West. I don't subscribe to the everything south of X is a Northerner/Southerner, for me the North ends at Crewe. The Midlands takes over down to about Banbury/Northampton-ish. Then the South.

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Yes, as far as I'm concerned Birmingham (and I did live there for a few years) is part of the North.

Personally, to me it doesn't quite have the same approach as Northern cities like Leeds or Manchester. Maybe it's the lack of Pacers!! :D

One thing I have noticed is about the "Midlands" is that people who live in so-called "posh" towns or consider them self posh, seem less likely to have a Midlands accent and have a generic Southern one instead! Everyone in the proper North tends to have at least a slight hint of whatever Northern accent in their dialect!
 
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fowler9

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I'm working my way south; born in Scotland, grew up in Lancashire, now living in Birmingham for University. Personally, I think the North/South divide is apparent, but there are also far, far more divisions within it. For example, the South East has a vastly different atmosphere to the South West. I don't subscribe to the everything south of X is a Northerner/Southerner, for me the North ends at Crewe. The Midlands takes over down to about Banbury/Northampton-ish. Then the South.

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Personally, to me it doesn't quite have the same approach as Northern cities like Leeds or Manchester. Maybe it's the lack of Pacers!! :D

One thing I have noticed is about the "Midlands" is that people who live in so-called "posh" towns or consider them self posh, seem less likely to have a Midlands accent and have a generic Southern one instead! Everyone in the proper North tends to have at least a slight hint of whatever Northern accent in their dialect!

I think the slight southern accent is Estuary English making its slow progress north.
 

talltim

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As a counter offensive, Greggs (blaugh) and Morrisons are making their way south
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As a southerner who has lived in the north for 15 years, I would say that people are pretty much the same, some just talk funny.
 

bb21

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Anywhere north of Winchester Cathedral is the north. ;)

That said, some of the rudest people I have met are from my hometown, including some of the rudest OAPs from Boscombe, and some of the rudest bus drivers with Wilts & Dorset, but I don't think you can generalise.

West Country is a much nicer part of the south I generally find within my own definition of "south".
 

Arglwydd Golau

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As someone who grew up slightly north of the Home Counties of Welsh parentage, and has subsequently lived for most of the rest of my life in Wales, I can honestly say that the friendliest place I lived was the four years spent living in Yorkshire...still fondly remember one of my erstwhile work colleagues asking me, in all seriousness, 'did you have special lessons to be able to talk like that?'
 

Clip

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As a counter offensive, Greggs (blaugh) and Morrisons are making their way south

Greggs have been down south for years man. Though I watched that programme where he got stotties into his shop in reading or somwehere and was meant to be rolled out but Ive not seen one yet :(
 

Muzer

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including some of the rudest OAPs from Boscombe

Boscombe? Where's that? Don't you mean Pokesdown for Boscombe (between Christchurch and Bournemouth)? ;)

No, seriously, my mum's from up north but I've lived down south for all my life. I agree with others that it's less of a north/south divide, but more of a villages/towns/cities divide - but for whatever reason, northern cities seem to be more similar to southern towns in behaviour of people, etc., than southern cities - and I'm not saying this in a bad way. Generally people in smaller towns, as well as in northern cities, seem to be a little more polite (saying excuse me rather than pushing through). This is obviously a huge generalisation, and I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions.

It's worth noting that the only people in London who apologise if they step on your feet are immigrants, in our experience at least. This does rather say a lot about the special kind of politeness that all native Londoners seem to have - "avoid speaking at all costs" ;)
 

fowler9

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I just think its the same country wide, some people a rude buggers and some aren't. The centre of London may be a bit different as it is (As much as it sticks in my throat) a global city and has a lot more influences and is a lot more busy than say my home city. There are still nice people everywhere though. I remember in Hong Kong being stupid enough to walk backwards whilst taking a photo in a street and nearly mowing down a young lass. I instantly apologised but she was apologising to me. It was my fault! We both smiled and went our own way. I don't doubt for a minute though that when the barriers opened on the Star Ferry if a similar situation occured she would have mown me down. Ha ha.
 

bb21

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Boscombe? Where's that? Don't you mean Pokesdown for Boscombe (between Christchurch and Bournemouth)? ;)

Pokesdown and Boscombe are the names of two neighbouring suburbs, but tbh all my mates and I have always referred to the wider area as Boscombe, since it has a pier, and the football club is named after it (or was rather), therefore more famous.
 

Welshman

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As far as England is concerned:-

The north [Northumberland & Durham], is where you're called "Pet".
Yorkshire is where you're called "Luv".
The Midlands [Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire], is where you're called "Me Duck"
And London and the South is where you're called "Dear".

Simple.
 

IanXC

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I was surprised the first time I looked at the Network Area map, as it corresponded pretty much exactly with my definition of "the south". Having grown up in Worcestershire I always felt "on the border" somehow, south of us was Gloucestershire and the south west with their friendly ways and accents, north of us was Birmingham which always seemed rude and abrasive when I visited. Having subsequently lived in the East Midlands, and then Yorkshire I've always felt the North was sufficiently different to the Midlands not to group them together.

I'd therefore mess the whole theory up and have "the South", "the North", "the Midlands" and "the (South) West"...
 

DarloRich

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Greggs have been down south for years man. Though I watched that programme where he got stotties into his shop in reading or somwehere and was meant to be rolled out but Ive not seen one yet :(

i haven't seen one neither, i asked in the one down the road and they looked at me like I had asked for foie gras! They dont know what they are missing!

As a counter offensive, Greggs (blaugh) and Morrisons are making their way south

How can you NOT like Greggs? If it can be wrapped in pastry they will cook it and sell it! These fancy southern metropolitan ways :roll: It would be all poncy rosemary infused artisan foccacia bread with rocket, buffalo mozzarella, sun blushed tomatoes and hand cut air dried prosciutto but for the good people at Greggs!

How i long for breakfast stottie, a stottie dip or decent sausage roll! And you cant get a parmo for love nor money
 

Harlesden

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In Grimsby/Cleethorpes (up north) people politely queue at the bus stop. Kind of mandatory, so it seems.
In London and the south it seems to be "every man for himself".
 

northwichcat

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Sadly, this is right. Alongside, though probably not related to, the Northwards spread of Waitrose.

The only place I've experienced a South of England accent trying to take over from the local one is Gibraltar.

One thing Waitrose needs to be careful of in the North West is Booths Supermarkets who are renowned for providing high quality produce sourced in the North West, so Waitrose will have difficulty winning over the people who like purchasing local produce.

Just as an idea of how local some suppliers are. Delamere Dairy Ltd supply goods to Booths Knutsford store. This involves transporting the goods a whole 1.4 miles: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sadd...qYra1R6SDEs1F8i1dLIjQ&gl=uk&mra=prev&t=m&z=15
 
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