To be a bit dismayed at the anti London sentiment I keep seeing here

[Tier4billion]

Not sure if it just happens to the threads I’m on, or if I’m being a bit sensitive - but reading on here at the moment you’d assume that the streets of London are something akin to scenes from 28 days later, and all of us are out throwing parties.

[quote FrostyChocolateMilkshake]@MrsKoala really sad to hear that is how some Northerners were treating you. I am a Northerner and wouldn't dream of speaking to a Southerner/Londoner - or anyone - that way (trust me, the Yorkshire town I live in has very very few southerners; your accent would stick out like a sore thumb ). If anything I like to chat to different folk about where they are from.[/quote]
I’m sure the majority of people are nice and wouldn’t be rude, but I think you get a very vocal minority with an axe to grind. I found Halifax, Leeds and Hebden Bridge to be the most friendly, but Liverpool, the Wirral, Manchester weren’t so kind and Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham and North Wales could be fairly abrasive. I still maintain Londoners are on the whole a friendly and helpful bunch.

Yes it's about London remaining in tier two when it had higher rates than some tier three areas. Also when Leicester and the NW had go into lockdown the government support packages were crap. Yet when the lockdown extended nationally and affected London and the SE, the furlough scheme was extended/upped.

I never believe the Media now.... inflammatory .. they should have been booted into touch with all their Fear mongering headline... I hear you OP 🌺

I also think it was a bit rich to complain about Londoners ( people in London not necessarily Londoners ) travelling north before Christmas lockdown when Cornwall was so full at October with people from Manchester & Liverpool when they were Tier 3
Oh yes. All of us in the North West couldnt wait to get in our cars in the depths of winter to travel 7 hours to Cornwall. We all just decamped there . Batshit

People where I live are angry that London was in tier 2 for so long when it was pretty obvious it shouldn't have been. While we've been stuck in tier 3 for months when numbers have dropped and are now in 4.

@Toddlerteaplease

People where I live are angry that London was in tier 2 for so long when it was pretty obvious it shouldn't have been. While we've been stuck in tier 3 for months when numbers have dropped and are now in 4.

Ok, but a small group of self centred politicians make that decision and nine million Londoners have no say over it whatsoever.

As an outsider (I’m overseas and have never been to London) it makes me laugh.

All the ‘classic! London just gets what it wants again!’ 😂😂😂

Didn’t know you could be anthropomorphic about a city.

I think what people are resentful about is seeing the news reporting Londoners enjoying all the activities that were banned elsewhere. It seems unfair and favouritism because other places had lower numbers but weren’t allowed those same freedoms.

Oh yes. All of us in the North West couldnt wait to get in our cars in the depths of winter to travel 7 hours to Cornwall. We all just decamped there grin. Batshit

If you consider October to be the depths of winter you should maybe consider a move down south - doesn’t really get much below 10 degrees. St Ives was thronging with families from the north east in October so I guess they managed to dig their way out the snow drifts and onto the motorway.

In the UK divebar October is Winter. I lived in London for 8 years and its still fucking freezing, not a time you would drive 7 hours to a seaside resort (especially when you have a beach on your doorstep). I very much doubt St Ives was packed with people from the North East in October but in any case Liverpool and Manchester aren't in the North East so maybe look at a map?

Really? Wait until you read what they say about northerners.

@user686833 - what who says about Northerners? The government? The right wing press? I hope you don’t mean Londoners because I really think you’re wrong. There are many problems with London, such as wealth inequality etc, but one thing we tend to be good at (not everyone obviously) is valuing diversity. I honestly don’t hear people saying unkind things about people from the north. For example, Tier 4 London primaries won’t be opening next week and I hear lots of Londoners asking about other Tier 4 areas and why it’s fair that they still have to open. Nobody is being rude or unkind, but are very aware that some areas have been locked down longer than London and aren’t being treated very well.

I think there are a few issues.

As a northerner, I and many around me found it incredibly frustrating that we were pushed into tier 3 without the correct financial support, whilst London had higher rates than us and stayed tier 2. Of course when the decision was taken to move London to tier 3, all of a sudden the financial support was there. It gives the message that the North doesn't matter.

The amount of things reported on the news about London which just aren't reported about anywhere else is probably not apparent unless you're from somewhere else. Things like snow in London, and yet London isn't hearing on the news that it snowed in Carlisle.

Incredibly London centric policies and spend- public transport in most northern cities and towns is fairly crap. Then HS2 comes along to shave off half an hour of the travel time to get to London. Completely disregarding the fact that the issue isn't the intercity travel, its the fact that you'll probably still miss the London train because the local trains are so shit.

And as a northerner who has had to travel to and spend time in London I have never found it particularly friendly. Sure there have been some friendly individuals but the general vibe is very much every man for themselves with little awareness of anything or anyone. It's a stark contrast with my northern town where people are very friendly. I took my dog for a walk yesterday and everybody was wishing happy new year to those they passed etc.

And with regards Grenfell, I can assure you it hasn't been forgotten. But the promise to rectify the buildings retrospectively to remove unsafe cladding in the North seem to have been.

@Bourbonic Excellent post, you've summed it up exactly. 👏

It's just ignorance and parochialism, same as I've seen Londoners go on about "thick Northern racists" when talking about Brexit.

@Toddlerteaplease

People where I live are angry that London was in tier 2 for so long when it was pretty obvious it shouldn't have been. While we've been stuck in tier 3 for months when numbers have dropped and are now in 4.

Why take that out on the people that live there though? A few politicians made the decisions on tiers, not millions if Londoners.

I think the issue is that London is where a very high proportion of the rich and powerful live, and some of them are acting above the law.

The restaurant gatherings disguised as business dinners (pre tier 4), continued holidaying abroad etc etc is very public and, rightly, causes resentment.

It is very unfair on most Londoners who are behaving responsibly (including me!) but I do get it.

From seeing posts of northerners complaining about the south getting special treatment it is equally annoying that the whole of the south is seen as London. We are 3 hours from London and more southern, the London centric focus impacts us too!

I’m with you, I’ve been in London for 15 years but I’m not from here originally.

I seem to remember it was similar during the first wave though, it was if we were dirty infectious Londoners when in reality it’s only now I’m hearing about people with Covid.

Ironically where I’m from has he much worse case numbers than my borough and the new variant hasn’t gained a hold there yet. I do wonder what the new variant will mean for places when the original one ripped through?

If people outside of London feel so badly let-down and under represented by the Government, why do they continue to vote for the same tranche of politicians, from the usual parties? Instead of sitting around whinging - do something about it.

I don’t live in London but I teach in it, in one of the most deprived boroughs. The talk of London privilege sometimes assumes that all of London is somehow well off. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

If people outside of London feel so badly let-down and under represented by the Government, why do they continue to vote for the same tranche of politicians, from the usual parties? Instead of sitting around whinging - do something about it.

I think a lot of people feel that things don't change for them no matter who they vote for. And even as someone who always votes myself, I have some sympathy with that view.

Oh God all this tedious English ‘north vs south’ thing, yet again.

People, you live 100 miles apart. And none of you are in the north.

This is just such a tribal debate it's almost laughable 😬

Why is everyone solely blaming people living in London for travelling to other areas at Christmas without mentioning the family/friends that must have agreed to host them? They are just as much to blame, I would say almost more so as they have encouraged COVID risk to their area when they really should have a vested interest in keeping it out!