To be irritated by the constant references to the UK lockdown when it’s only an English lockdown.

[Baws]

Why are the media referring to the current 4 week English lockdown as a UK lockdown when it only applies to England?
I live in Wales where we are about to come out of a 2 week firebreak lockdown and I’m being bombarded with media reports about the second U.K. lockdown. I’ve had 2 emails today from chainstores telling me what services will be available to me while they are closed. No you won’t, you’ll be open as normal where I live on Monday! 🙄
Don’t get me wrong, I do think there should be more consistency between the 4 nations but England is not the only country in the U.K.!

It has always been thus.

Yes. Agree. Everything is very England-centric. It’s very irritating (but then I’m finding my own bloody shadow irritating today). Am starting to get cabin fever again now. And all the moaning about it when, in Wales, we haven’t been able to meet with anyone outside our extended households indoors since March 23rd!!! I don’t mind it - it is what it is - but it does grate a bit when I hear folk moaning about the English rules after they had a summer of relative freedom.

Oh I know, it's annoying isn't it. I've been getting the emails too. I live in Scotland. I mean these shops have my address.

Yes, it's bloody annoying. I'm in Wales and looking forward to coming out of our 17-day lockdown on Monday. Radio4 PM did it again on Wednesday, talking about 'Health Secretary Matt Hancock'. Health Secretary FOR ENGLAND you mean, you numpties! (And don't get me started on 'NHS test and trace') 😡

yup i agree the amount of emails or notifications ive had saying we are still open for takeaways or online orders during lockdown is pissing me off

it takes me back to the old school summer holidays when i was a kid and all the emphasis was on england and the holiday tv programs started despite scotland having started their holidays weeks before and you end up missing the end of things cos we went back to school
yes 30 years later that still pisses me off

I'm in one of the other UK nations and some of our chains have closed HERE because of Englands "lockdown"
Example before someone asks.. travelodge. Not in lockdown here but closed to all but key workers for work purposes. Ruining my friends' planned birthday stay tomorrow.
Bloody ridiculous.

A scot here who's fed up too! We've a few chains that are closing up here, emails all over the place telling me about their lockdown plans. Erm, your shops are open where we are!

I’m from N.Ireland but have lived in Manchester for the last 20 years. The anglocenticity of England never fails to impress and appall me. In fairness, now I live in the north of England, I realise it’s even worse - it’s only the South of England which really gets a look in.

YANBU

I’m in wales, and the welsh government just ushered through legislation to stop us entering or exiting wales until 19/2/21. They will review every 3 weeks, apparently - but I don’t hold much hope.

It’s been broadly ignored by the news.

I think this has flown under the radar with all the media focused on the US Elections or ‘uk’ (england) lockdown.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54777431

www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2020/1219/contents/made?fbclid=IwAR37mii7e7ofhR-li5OIkK4IrBVvKwacixm0ZBFvPBc8tHMh2bwFy--ht5A

I’m in wales and I emailed a local hotel that does various kids sports activities to see if they would be reopening after firebreak next week and got an email that ‘due to government restrictions they will be closed until 3rd dec’!!!

Today the CEO of Argos.co.uk sent such an email out which was very confusing until I realised he was mainly talking about England and then had a link reference to the other 3 nations further down the text.

He couldn’t even be bothered to get Northern Ireland’s name correct ( the link refers to NI. ROI separately uses Argos.ie and they have their own restrictions )

“You can find more information on our website about changes we’ve made to stores in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland to keep you and our colleagues safe. You can also find information about your local store on our store locator page”

Glad it’s not just me then! My area went into local lockdown and then straight into the firebreak!

Prob because 60 million live in england and some larger chains may be shutting in other parts as the head office may be in england and people that help run it , it may not be financially viable to run etc if they think no one is really going to stay .

Yeah I'm a member of a Facebook page (it's just a group set up by a smallish clothes company but with a strong sense of community, lots of devoted followers) that totally ignored the Wales and NI lockdowns but now England has one they have a daily thread for everyone to talk about their feelings if they're feeling low and so on. Where were they 3 weeks ago when the rest of us needed it? Put me off a bit.

Yes. It's making me so cross I've started arsily asking for clarification on threads and Facebook uk groups to clarify if they mean the English lockdown when referencing 'THE lock down' / 'this lockdown' etc. I'm not proud, but I am furious that 3 other countries are totally left out of the discourse alarmingly frequently.

Yes. I’ve even send English people saying ‘UK lockdown’ on social media. I have noticed many
English people use UK and England interchangeably....

It was ever thus. Wales doesn't exist to London news. Last Friday the sports people on BBC News for rugby said it was a record breaking day on Saturday. And then failed to mention AWJ. Not sure which other records were broken

It’s not confined to the UK either.

While living abroad I got into a huge argument with an immigration official who tried to issue me with a residency card stating I was English. I stated (in his native language) that I am in fact Scottish. He pointed to my British passport and informed me that it meant I was indeed English. Cue a speech from me explaining how he was wrong. Forty minutes later after consulting the internet and a world map he conceded and reissued the card stating I was Scottish.

@SummerTimeSunshine

It’s not confined to the UK either.

While living abroad I got into a huge argument with an immigration official who tried to issue me with a residency card stating I was English. I stated (in his native language) that I am in fact Scottish. He pointed to my British passport and informed me that it meant I was indeed English. Cue a speech from me explaining how he was wrong. Forty minutes later after consulting the internet and a world map he conceded and reissued the card stating I was Scottish.

TBF there is a word for English in most languages which fail to have a commonly used word for British. Even in French anglais or gallois etc. are used far more than britanique.

Horrible! I’m Irish living in London and it annoys me too! I feel like I correct people all the time and say Englands in lockdown not The whole of U.K.

But tbh a lot of people in England seem to think the republic of Ireland is also Part of the U.K. too - So I dunno tbh 🤞

@Helocariad
Yep! It doesn’t help that BoJo refuses to clarify that the rules are for England when he addresses the nation! I’m looking forward to Monday too. My area was in local lockdown from the 27th of September.

@adagio
Seriously? I haven’t heard this! 😩
I was hoping to see my family in Scotland for Christmas.

@BashfulClam
Yes I’ve noticed this too and it drives me mad!

I think its media rather than people. Im in England and i am and everyone i know is well aware its only here that is in lockdown. I have to say as much as i love our group of countries and that we all have our own devolved rights but would prefer for just this thing to have some consistency between us all. Not so we lockdown at the same time, but that there was consistency in messaging.