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.

Is it because I'm English that I really, really don't care?

I would write the NE of England but if I refer to the south east I never mention England. No idea why and didn't realise it was such a source of irritation. I am happy to add "of England" as required.

But am perturbed by the Irish question - because I call it Eire not the ROI is that wrong?

Purple said it was a UK website, which last time I looked meant Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England so you can stop frothing.

I frequently say I'm going up North or out West. Also I'm going to the islands. I (sadly) don't mean the Caribbean.

Should have added, I'm in Scotland.

Have been away and come back to a lot of dribble. People not reading my post. But thank you OVO. I probably could have worded it better?

The Op isn't talking about in RL, but online when you have no idea where anyone else is from. It's completely different to standing in bloody Glasgow and talking to a colleague - when you say up north in that situation of course they know you mean Inverness (or wherever) since you're sharing the same square metre of ground at that time!

Im off now to the north (of our office) for a meeting.

And I'm just off down south to North London, England, UK

Theres some British solidarity for you then DiegoMadonna apprantly we're a little to foregin for you not being English then.

And people wonder why there are referendums on independance and such like when this is the typical attitude portryed.

notonthestairs Eire is not wrong as such but the offical name is ROI.

If I go into the centre of London I call it the west end, I am fully aware that London extends further west than Marble Arch, and indeed that you can go even further west than that(I myself have been to Heathrow!) in fact I have been to Wales, and did not fall off the edge of the world. it's how people orientate themselves in relation to where they are and who they are talking to.

Is it because I'm English that I really, really don't care?

I’m English and I do care, but I live outside England so I have a different perspective. Surely, though, you can see why people who live in Scotland, Wales and NI get a bit peeved when someone talks about them as “foreigners” who live “outside” the UK?

The nine regions of England. All except the North East has a population equivalent or larger than Ireland.
I don't think it is rational to expect roughly 80% of the British Isles to sit down, shut up and pretend they are one amorphous group.

I don't think it is rational to expect roughly 80% of the British Isles to sit down, shut up and pretend they are one amorphous group.

Nobody asked for that!

I think the OP isn't complaining about people saying "northeast" when chatting to their friends who know where they live but people saying "northeast" on a UK website where they expect everyone to know that they mean "of England" where as I would automatically add "of Scotland".
It is a type of arrogance, assuming that because England is more populous people in England don't have to specify which country they are talking about when talking to strangers on the net.

That chip on your shoulder will leave an awful grease mark.

rightnowimpissed I honestly don't know what you're going on about.

OP asked if this is an English website, and so I told her that it is.

Then you started talking about not using it just because of that. Seems a bit OTT to me but you're an adult, you can do as you please. I didn't even use the word foreign.

Surely, though, you can see why people who live in Scotland, Wales and NI get a bit peeved when someone talks about them as “foreigners” who live “outside” the UK?

Well yes, that would be understandable, but that that's not what this thread is about and not what 99% of people are saying.

Mumsnet describes itself as a UK website, FYI. “The UK’s biggest network for parents”

I do agree that a lot of people on here assume you are English unless you state otherwise (and accused of drip feeding if you don't do it in the very first OP).

I posted a thread a few months back (something to do with subletting a house) and got moaned at big style as I didn't specifically mention I was in Scotland in the original post. Apparently it was a massive drip feed and you are automatically assumed to be in England unless you specify otherwise .

First off it's a UK site so I would never assume which part of the UK someone lives in. Secondly I had no idea subletting was not allowed in England (or other parts of the UK for that matter). I just went with the knowledge that it's perfectly legal and loads of people do it for various reasons. My question was nothing to do with the legalities, more the practicalities.

Any way to the point of this thread. In real life I would say Up North to talk about the highlands, on here on wouldn't as people would just assume I was talking about the North of England (which is actually down south to me). I might say up north if I was posting on the Scotsnet section but that's about it.

I also remember one poster getting called out as a troll because she said it was a bank holiday in her post (it was in Scotland not England) and that the kids where back at school in August (again true I Scotland but not England) but these two facts meant she was a fake and a troll.

But am perturbed by the Irish question - because I call it Eire not the ROI is that wrong?

When I saw the thread title, my first thought was that Irish people would never say "Eire" or "Gaelic". We just say Ireland and Irish. Eire is the name of the country in Irish (although generally in a sentence it would become Eireann). Unless you would also talk about Deutschland, just say Ireland. If it's not clear from context and you want to be unambiguous, ROI is fine. But there was a long thread on this recently, best not resurrect it.

@JoWithABow you've just committed a mortal sin. There's no such place as Southern Ireland

I really don't think that people say 'north east' without adding 'england' out of arrogance but because there is an assumption that most people they are conversing with are in England. I do understand the frustration of people that live in the rest of the UK that everything seems to revolve around England though.

@butnotonthestairs yes, saying Eire is incorrect.

I'm paraphrasing, but I think the OP is trying to say

the English are all bastards who think the world revolves around them

But at the risk of being too blunt, has cunningly disguised it as a convoluted post about geography.

Pumbleton, I think you've hit the nail on the head...

I have heard many a Welsh person say they are from 'the valleys' should I be offended that they assume I know they mean the Welsh Valleys not an English one.

Equally, if a user says they're from the highlands, I would not gasp with offence and ask "Oh, you mean the Pennines?"

Obviously.