An Irish person would never say this

[yodelehoho]

"I'm thinking of moving to the north east, where can you recommend"

Neither would a Scottish person, not a Welsh person.

Why do English people seem to think that everything revolves around England? I see this time and time again on Mumsnet. People assuming that "North East" is flipping England.

[thewooster]

Do you mean they should say I am thinking of moving to the North East of England?

[StinkPickle]

YANBU

The north east to me means Aberdeen but I assume the posters mean Newcastle 🤔

[Idontevencareanymore]

Well if I'm in england in therror southouse, I'm going to say I want to move to the north east.
Otherwise I'd state I want to move to Scotland or Ireland.

I say I live down south. There's a lot of the south. It's just generally.

[HouseworkIsAPain]

Well it’s because an English person, in England, has England as his or hers frame of reference. The north east by default means the north east of England to that person.

[VladmirsPoutine]

Yabu. People speak relative to where they're based. Yes a Welsh or a Scottish person may not use those exact terms but so what. I used to live in France and would always say, 'I'm going back up' when talking about coming back to England.

But when in England, Manchester specifically (when I lived there) I'd say I'm going 'south' when I meant Devon or some such a place.

In London I'd say 'I'm driving west today' to describe driving back to Bristol. It's all circumstantial. If the question is whether or not there's too much focus on London being all of the UK then fair enough. But that's not what you've mooted.

[TheStoic]

Would an Irish person say that on an Irish site?

[yodelehoho]

What I'm saying is that a Welsh person or a Scottish or Irish person would not be so presumptious as to think that everything evolves around their country.

[SumThucker]

An Irish person wouldn't say "I'm moving down south"? Or do you mean they'd mention the exact area rather than a general direction? I don't understand your AIBU.

[TheStoic]

Well neither would an Australian, unless it was on an Australian site.

This site is predominantly English, isn't it? Whether you like it or not?

[Mammysin]

I am Irish living in Ireland. I will be moving to the North East of England. I say I am moving to England.

[SumThucker]

I'm English and don't believe everything revolves around my country, I just live here so it's obviously the first country I think of if I hear NW/NE, South etc...

[AuntLydia]

Oh actually I do hear people refer in Wales to just 'the North' and 'the South'. It's a context thing surely..if you're in England talking about North or south then it's assumed you mean of the country you are in.

[SilverySurfer]

Honestly, who gives a damn.

[Isetan]

What! I don't live in London anymore but when I did, for me and my teenage friends (who never ventured far from London at that point in our lives), 'going up north' meant Highgate. It's all relative! This apparent recent trend to be precious and offended by anything and everything, is getting really old, vey quickly.

[PerfumeIsAMessage]

Fuck! I'm in the south of EUROPE! The North East to me would be Croatia I suppose.

And I forgot to be professionally offended!

[nNina22]

Well I suspect it's because demographically most people on Mumsnet live in England. I'm sure no ofence is meant to the Scots or Irish

[Phosphorus]

Well if an Irish person said they were moving to the west, I'd assume Mayo or somewhere.

If a Welsh person said it, I might guess wildly at Holyhead?

If an English person said down south, I'd wonder about Devon.

[yodelehoho]

Oh, so this is an "English" site is it??

[Buttercunt]

You must have worked your way through a long list of complaints about English people to get to this one.

[RoryGilmoreWasAwful]

I'm Irish, when we moved to Manchester I said I was moving to England.
When I said I was moving to Dundalk I said God help me I was moving to Louth. I wouldn't say "the north east" because I rarely hear Irish people say that about Ireland but I would also never say "the north east of Ireland".

[PerfumeIsAMessage]

I worry though for the OP- there are lots of threads naming shops and things that do not exist in Ireland. Or indeed where I am.

We must protest forthwith that no further mention be made unless there is the name of the country in brackets next to it.

Or perhaps not.

[yodelehoho]

Phosophorous - exactly. If you were in their country. However posting on an international website is different. I can guarantee that no one in Australia, Canada, Scotland etc etc would say that on an international website.

Only the English do.

[Si1verSt0rm]

Well Newcastle and Sunderland etc are known for being "the North-East" regionally. Just as Birmingham is "The Midlands".
I'm in London and tbh, I would refer to anywhere abive Birmingham as "The North".
If I was going to Scotland I would say I was going to Scotland.

[Backingvocals]

So you mean you get annoyed if someone in England says 'Housing is so expensive in the South East' and they haven't specified 'of England' because they might mean 'the South East of Northern Ireland'...?

If so I apologise for my presumptuousness but I think this will be how people talk and I don't expect to change this at any time