North and South (of UK)

[Miss Madam]

I'm in a bit of a quandry about this, I'm originally from Yorkshire but have lived in Oxford since I started uni here (bar a brief stint in London ...urgh, and Finland and South Africa). I agree that the south has a better climate. And, up until the credit crunch I would have said that Northerners had less of a sense of entitlement, but omigod, on trips home, seeing the amount of MEWing that's gone on, with every chav and his Nan driving SUVs and installing chromey shaker kitchens - because they're worth it - I'm not sure anymore. The North seems to have gone on a massive conspicuous consumption blow out and everyone I know seems to be deep in hock to the materialist gods, and now seems to be more spoilt than the average southerner. I grew up near Hull (urgh....), and ok, Hull is a little bit, how to put this politely 'special' but the sense of entitlement that the government will provide, whether a council house, paying for children had by 14 year olds, paying for new furniture once your house has been flooded even though you couldn't be arsed to get insurance etc and there is no real culture of working for yourself and looking after your own by your own labour. Already high levels of petty crime, higher rates of violence and and large number of sink estates don't feel like plus points in a post peak world, and whilst population density is less in the north, the population is poorer and has been well and truly duped by the credit crunch. I dunno, in Oxford there is only really one 'bad' estate, and lets face it they're southern pussies and outnumbered by the city's population as a whole. Which I can't help but think is a good thing. Plus, community doesn't exist in the north in the way it once did, its probably better than many areas in the south but not what it once was. The biggest difference I noticed when I moved down here was that up north if someone likes you or dislikes you - its very clear and transparent, whereas down south people are a lot more opaque and polite, but you never really know where you stand. I think I'd rather be pitted against soft middle class social mores who you could at least try to reason with, than a horde of pissed off chavs whose benefits have been cut off and are out of fags. Ok these are massive generalisations, but I would rather be in Oxford than in Hull. Even when considering the floods from last year, in Hull we see people still in caravans whinging about losing their flat screen tellys (despite the fact that they didn't bother with insurance), whilst in Oxford people have got on with it and moved back in, probably because their higher levels of affluence meant they had a 'comfort zone' and savings to fall back. Places that are already hanging on by their fingernails, financially, have a lot less slack, and in my mind will be the first to go bang.

[PS_RalphW]

I voted south for the mundane reason that PO will be a bottom up event - it will hurt the poor far more than the middle classes. And the south is generally better off at present.

[mikepepler]

I voted South, but it was tricky. South is warmer, more sunlight for solar PV (check out the met office climate maps), longer growing season, etc. However it is also drier (in the east, at least) and more crowded than the North.

The main reason we ended up in the south is that there were no coppice woodlands for sale in the north when we were looking...

[RevdTess]

In the spirit of the careful analysis demonstrated in this thread, I propose the entire conflict be determined by a pitched battle between Leeds and Millwall football fans played out somewhere amongst the roundabouts of Milton Keynes.

[RevdTess]

I'm originally from Yorkshire but I'd have to say my heart is more westwards into the hills, valleys and moorlands than north or south. I like going up north and in some ways I still feel like I'm coming home when I pass Sheffield on the M1. But it does all seem rather parochial and run-down and uninspired as if a large proportion who had any kind of spirit just upped and left.

[Miss Madam]

I'm with Tess on that, out of my school most of the folk who wanted to get qualifications (the significant minority) left Hull as soon as they could, and most have not returned, leaving those intent on getting a Hair and Beauty NVQ / up the duff / a call centre job, to enjoy Hull's fine cultural ambience. The covert prestige and anti-education attitudes up there still stun me, there is no real awareness of anything in the wider world as Look North and the Hull Daily Mail are about as close as most folk get to current affairs. Unsurprisingly several of my classmates are just getting into BTL as the bubble bursts as a sure fire winner, because of this lack of awareness. Am soooooo glad I'm not still living up there, that is a city with one nasty underbelly of violence (highest % of teen pregnancies, domestic abuse, and amongst the lowest levels of literacy in the country - with no ethic majority to speak of, so this isn't to do with folk struggling to learn English as a second language) that I wouldn't like to be near WTSHTF.

[Mitch]

In the spirit of the careful analysis demonstrated in this thread, I propose the entire conflict be determined by a pitched battle between Leeds and Millwall football fans played out somewhere amongst the roundabouts of Milton Keynes.

Great idea! Hang on while I get me soup pot helmet and pop gun.....

[biffvernon]

a city with one nasty underbelly of violence (highest % of teen pregnancies...

Not too sure about that connection.

[clv101]

I voted south for the mundane reason that PO will be a bottom up event - it will hurt the poor far more than the middle classes. And the south is generally better off at present.

I'd agree with this thinking. The North is poorer, will be more impacted in the near term.

[Miss Madam]

Sorry, yes not meaning that violence = teen pregnancies! I was thinking of the domestic violence levels, which are shocking, but my muddled sentence structure / rant didn't make that clear.

[biffvernon]

Aye, we're used t' plain speaking oop north.

[Miss Madam]

Plain speaking? Have you heard the Hull accent? (I still have a hint of one), all of the vowels are nasal and seemingly interchangeable.... My southern mates need a translater when I get drunk (why do accents become pronounced when tipsy?).

[landyowner]

My southern mates need a translater when I get drunk (why do accents become pronounced when tipsy?).

I don't know but I have a friend who has a Scottish accent when drunk, but otherwise has no family connections with Scotland and has a perfect Estuary accent normally. 'Tis strange but hilarious.

[RenewableCandy]

re. comments about Hull. There's always Eastney (bit of Portsmouth) if you're down south and want a similar ambience.

[Miss Madam]

re. comments about Hull. There's always Eastney (bit of Portsmouth) if you're down south and want a similar ambience.

Well that's my holiday plans sorted, cheers Candy. Now where did I put my kappa slapper shellsuit and 6 inch 'gold' earrings.... you never know I might pull....