A divided society-what can be done?

Read what you will into the news- the BBC this evening said that 'people in the north are 20% more likely to die than people in the south'.
I didn't realise that some southerners had achieved immortality.

The rest of the report did clarify what was meant of course and the report is based on the past five decades of statistics.

NUTS doesn't have a Midlands in this survey. The East and West Midlands are in the North.

Talking about drinking and smoking, did anyone else see this photo of Cameron with a cig in his hand?

www.instagram.com/p/BXeKv_rD2_m/

I thought the north was very much 'when the boat comes in' ?

Oh crikey yes it is Anniebach very much so. No one should go there, it's truly awful. Spread the word. Please.

It wasn't me who mentioned the Wash to the Severn Estuary being the dividing line in the first place - it was maryeliza I think.
And I was just responding to djen in the same lighthearted vein as her, sorry rigby, if you want me to leave the thread just say so outright.

If that is the line djen it assumes that all those living in expensive Cotswolds, lovely Herefordshire etc are living in the more deprived North and surely that can't be right? Is leafy Cheshire deprived?
There must be a different definition of the divide - is it city -v- country?

I'd agree that the drinking culture is dreadful up here, but if I visit my home town in Essex at a weekend the youngsters (and not so young) seem equally as sozzled.

I lived in Sheffield for a number of years and considered it to really be on the verge of the Midlands..(and I'm a Southerner..)

Now that I'm in the North East I know that Sheffield is in the Midlands.. (It's also becoming a close relative of those places in the Lord of The Rings where all the trees were cut down..Sheffield's street trees are being cut down in droves )

I've never lived in the south of England and so have no anecdotal evidence to offer. However, in many of the towns and cities in the north, there is a very heavy drinking culture amongst many younger people. This could well be the same in the south of England too, but as I said, I have no experience of that, but it most certainly the case in Manchester, Leeds and other cities I'm familiar with.

Peterborough is counted as in the east, according to NUTS, so that's an extra ten years down south.

Phew, I was almost to fearful to post it Chewbacca, but I got it right ?, thank you

What I found interesting about the report is that premature mortality is under 75.

And going by that line as well, we spent a lot longer down south than I thought we did. It depends on which side of the Wash is used, as we spent ten years in Peterborough.

Yep Annie, it is! God's own county apparently!

Chewbacca, my little knowledge extends to Yorkshire , which i assume is in the North?

It's pretty much next door durham but Knutsford likes to think that's even posher than Altrincham! Altrincham has an excellent high school but Knutsford is more rural and prettier.

Is Knutsford not near Altrincham?
It was when we lived over there. About as far away as we are from Durham.

Is there a section anywhere which has the Gransnet posters unwritten posting rules explained?

If one poster objects to what another poster says do we really need a third one (or fourth and fifth even) to wade in? Can't we let them sort it out between themselves?

Osborne is for Knutsford. And they'd be even more upset!

All you need is a map to see where the Wash goes across to the Severn Estuary.
The Severn Estuary is south of Wales. That's what makes it confusing.
The idea of the people near Altrincham living in little terraced houses. Osborne would be most upset.

Maryeliza It's actually a very interesting report. I've been out this evening and just catching up on the threads, but at first glance through, I think they've found something interesting.

Nearest boat near here*Anniebach * are the tourist barges on the canal!

I thought the north was very much 'when the boat comes in' ?

Jalima, we let all the southerners think we wear clogs and cloth caps; live in little squalid back to back terraced houses and live on chip butties and fags so that we can keep the real beauty of the North to ourselves! don't tell 'em!

Apologies, Jalima, they do use that line, which I am surprised about.
They reckon it equates to two more or less equal halves of the population, which again I am surprised about.

She's right, there are plenty of "light hearted threads around", but people will post wherever they wish and they don't need scolding for being pleasant. Just because it's "serious research " doesn't mean pleasantries cannot be exchanged.

By the way, Jalima, I think your line is a bit too far south.

Maryeliza didn't say that, chewbacca.
She just said there were lots of light hearted threads around.
She's right.
Do you live up north?
It's quite serious research.