Why do so many posters on here seem to be struggling to accept that the U.K. doesn’t just include England?

[Rhine]

And that we have different rules regarding Covid?

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve seen so many comments from posters asking rather aggressively why others posters are still meeting up, going for meals, to the pub, for drinks, to the gym etc ‘when we are in lockdown’? Well actually no, England is in lockdown. I’m in Wales and we are not in lockdown. Scotland is not in lockdown. I believe Northern Ireland wasn’t but is about to go back into it. The U.K. doesn’t begin and end at the borders of England...

I’ve just seen one thread where a poster continually pointed out she was in Scotland but that didn’t stop the ‘ we are in lockdown’ remarks.

Please educate yourselves. It’s annoying.

Meh. My sister lives in Wales and was confused when I said our two families meeting up would be breaking the rule of 6. She didn't know that children count in England. I didn't quietly mutter 'Welsh bigot' under my breath.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

British Airways forgot this yesterday when wishing the English rugby team good luck in their game against Wales.

How bloody annoying Oor Nicola is making the most of this very problem up here in Scotland. I don't want independence but part of me thinks 'Good for her'

Yeah I saw someone posting yesterday and people kept saying to her "have you missed we are in lockdown?" The poster was in Wales.

I am from Scotland and I am currently in a tier 4 area so lockdown for me however I don't automatically assume all posters are in England or Scotland etc.

As a child/teen I struggled to know the difference between England, Britain, Great Britain, UK (United Kingdom). I thought it was all one and the same thing. I think a lot of people still do.

I'll probably be shot but I think if you come from Wales, Scotland or Ireland - just bloody say so, if it's relevant. If different rules/laws apply then it's very important. Be proud of where you come from.

@NiceandCalm do you state you are from England on every post you make? So why should those of us not from England have to do so?

I think if someone has posted their location it's annoying and stupid (but people don't read the full thread if it's pages long, so take that into account - not so much when it's only on the first page).

But otherwise it's not that unreasonable to expect the posters on a UK site to (a) be in the UK and (b) be in England, as its population is much larger.

Also don't assume that people are being stupid for the sake of it. I know for example that school holidays in Scotland are different because I used to go there a lot, and I also grew up in a tourist area so I knew that even within England school holidays varied, but otherwise I don't think it's that unreasonable not to realise.

The British Airways thing was mega cringeworthy though. There is absolutely no excuse for that.

[quote dancemom]@NiceandCalm do you state you are from England on every post you make? So why should those of us not from England have to do so?[/quote]
Actually a while ago with a different username I did start posting that I was in England on every post I made. Precisely because of this issue!

I'm in Wales and have absolutely no idea what the rules are in other parts of the UK so I suppose I should educate myself as well. Maybe if everyone said where they lived it would solve the problem and people wouldn't be offended.

What was the British Airways thing?

@dancemom - if it's to do with Covid rules then yes it's relevant, I didn't say otherwise for every post.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

British Airways forgot this yesterday when wishing the English rugby team good luck in their game against Wales.

I was coming on here to post this!

news.sky.com/story/british-airways-sorry-for-posting-support-for-england-rugby-team-against-wales-12144884

I'm not in the UK. I do live in a large country with different regions.

My experience at home, and my observation of MN, is the same. Which is that people in general tend to speak from their own experience, and often either forget that i's different elsewhere. Or - they know, but they forget or don't think it's necessary to include exceptions in what they are writing about.

People who live in a smaller region are always less likely to forget that there is a bigger group of people next door. But they, in turn, will forget about the smaller group of people next to them.

Then people in small places will also say "You should know that's not relevant in (rural places/Scotland/French speaking regions Etc) when actually the context should make it clear that the individual is really just talking about their own area, and it just seems peevish.

So while I see

It annoys when people assume the poster is in England and post their stupid little faces as if they have achieved some amazing 'gotcha'. The poster you refer to who was meeting her friends in a cafe, why would you not just assume that wherever she is she's actually allowed to do that rather than arrogantly assume you know better than the op what the rules are in her local area and start challenging her on them - despite it being irrelevant to her thread.

It's the same when someone posts about some school issue but it's school holidays in England, the same old arrogant muppets will post their little 'erm, how are they in school when it's the school holidays ' responses.

Fair enough to expect posters to clarify where they are if it's relevant to the advice they need but if its not then don't make a twat of yourself with your irrelevant assumptions.

@NiceandCalm

As a child/teen I struggled to know the difference between England, Britain, Great Britain, UK (United Kingdom). I thought it was all one and the same thing. I think a lot of people still do.

I'll probably be shot but I think if you come from Wales, Scotland or Ireland - just bloody say so, if it's relevant. If different rules/laws apply then it's very important. Be proud of where you come from.

We do. But many people in England routinely ignore the naming of location because they blithely assume anywhere else in UK is just like England only smaller.

I see that some posters think because most posters live in England it's safe to assume they are English . Would it be safe to assume posters are straight white females , married with 2.4 children too . That would be pretty offensive . maybe they should state their sexuality and race too when asking for advice . It's an arrogant attitude .

I do agree but a lot of people seem to refer to the English as simply being the home counties.

People seem to forget that the weather is very different in different parts of the UK.

Mumsnet gets a lot of London and South East posters complaining about 30 degree heat (which I agree must be insufferable in London) when it is cold and grey in most other parts of the UK.

YANBU, I find it embarrassing when people do this. I try really hard to not refer to England unless I actually mean England.

I am sure that lots of English people are just annoyed that England is looking liek the worst-run bit of the UK right now, plus it is the only bit that can;t ever have a vote to get away from Westminster!

And in some threads, particularly one in the corona section, the posters location isn’t even relevant so they have no need to clarify where they are from until other posters chastise them for breaching lockdown!

They're not actually struggling to accept that the UK isn't just England at all though, are they? It's just thoughtlessness. They forget that the rules aren't the same as where they are (and that probably includes other areas of England as well as other parts of the UK).

The school holidays thing is a good example actually. People saying "Why aren't your kids in school", only for it to be pointed out that Lancashire, Kent or wherever have different weeks off.

I think if a poster is outside of the U.K. it is reasonable to state that but I certainly don’t think a (say) Scottish poster should have to announce this at the start of every post (puts me in mind of “Man here!”)

YANBU op, but it happens all the time. I see it on school holiday threads too.

@SuitedandBooted

I'm Welsh, but currently living in England.

When English people say "England", they often really mean the UK.

When the rest of us (Welsh, Scots Irish) say "England" we mean just that, only England.

T'was ever thus...

I can tell you in Ireland UK/Britain/England are used interchangeably when the speaker means England or UK.

Scotland is not in lockdown

Glasgow and the surrounding area is in lockdown. Restaurants and bars closed. Non-essential retail closed. Just the same as England.

There are lots of people who do indeed talk about "England" when they mean UK, or UK when they mean England - lots of threads about how the UK's education system is X or Y when in fact they mean England. But if you're going to have a moan, get your facts straight first.