Recently moved back to the NE and very happy to do so. Was a bit disconcerting when someone smiled and said hello. As an ex-Londoner I realised it was a trick to distract me while they stole my wallet, so I quickly crossed to the other side of the street to safety. Apart from that, all good 🙂
Was a bit disconcerting when someone smiled and said hello. As an ex-Londoner I realised it was a trick to distract me while they stole my wallet, so I quickly crossed to the other side of the street to safety.
My BIL & his partner have just moved up from London to Northallerton, he’s from Durham originally she’s from Darn Sarf.
She made a comment that she thought Northerners were weird cos they were staring at her. My Mrs pointed out that it was eye contact, something she hasn’t experienced much before.
Turns out she’s a paranoid weirdo anyway.
For those who’ve said they wouldn’t visit – that’s great news as you can continue living with your bias and prejudice.
For some balance, as the OP of this thread, I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time in Northumberland recently for the first time in a long time. Every time I go there I am stunned by its beauty and magnificence! That and the people are mostly very friendly, the beer doesn't tend to be watered down in the pubs and people seem to value the more important things in life (friendships, family, the outdoors etc.) much more than down south...
So the whole "Blue Wall" thing was a bit of a shocker in the first place when it happened, but Thursday Night's QT audience was absolutely disgraceful!
The company that makes QT for the BBC are, well, selective rather than objective… in many ways, including how they choose the audience. Anyone who thinks that any audience chosen by them is in any way genuinely reflective of the area they are drawn from should probably stop watching the programme. It’s a good idea anyway. You’ll think better of people if you give it a miss. I used to watch it every week… not seen a single episode for four years now. It became just trash. Whereas Newcastle and the people there are a bloody treasure trove of aceness. Love it.
Any intelligent person who thinks the audience on QT represents the average or typical view of the populace of the area in which the program is shot, really isn't very intelligent at all.
Newcastle and the people there are a bloody treasure trove of 8-aceness.
FTFY
Wether people feel the QT audience was representative of the people of the NE that they know personally or not, what we can say is that they were broadly representative of how the NE voted the last time they went to the ballot box.
The shift from Labour to Nationalism that has occurred in the Red Wall seats is the most significant shift we have seen in our lifetime. Would you rather the BBC had stuffed the audience full of liberals (which they are often accused of)? Or do as they did and assemble an audience that represents the political shift that we have seen in the region?
Newcastle is a stunning city, as is the surrounding countryside and swing as neither get the opportunity to vote I would advise that anyone can visit either with a clean conscience.
Doesn't mean the knuckle daggers of Newcastle don't exist though.
Every time I go there I am stunned by its beauty and magnificence!
Lies. Utter, flagrant lies. Its grim. Grimy. Wet. Dank. Miserable. Not worth considering a visit ever... Honest guv 😜
Well said ben.
But yes please stay away its horrible leave us to suffer the horribleness...😇😇😇
I worked on the elections in the polling stations for many years in Sunderland for the pocket money (and a day off work...) a while ago.
I'd say from experience a lot of the 'hardcode' Labour voters back then probably held 90% of Tory values if truth be told but were often told what party to vote for - many shouts of 'Dad, who do I vote for again?' could be heard. As generations pass 'dad' isn't there to decide and I'm not surprised the Tory vote is rising in these areas.
a bloody treasure trove of 8-aceness
👏🏼
Doesn’t mean the knuckle daggers of Newcastle don’t exist though.
Newcastle is still overwhelmingly Labour. And full of open hearted people. All your comments may be partly true about areas of the “NE”, but not Newcastle.
I used to live there as a child. From about aged 4 till 6 when we moved to Glasgow.
Here we are, No62 Southway.
https://www.google.com/maps/ @54.9807133,-1.6983362,3a,41.7y,292.34h,89.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-Sw5AQhOXP6NX-WERUcApA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Not sure what the area is like but it looks quite nice. I think the area is Denton, possibly east Denton, but i admit I know little about it.
Denton is rather nice, yes.
Newcastle is still overwhelmingly Labour. And full of open hearted people. All your comments may be partly true about areas of the “NE”, but not Newcastle.
Yup it has had a labour council for decades. I’ve no idea how people come up with the conclusion a few people on TV represent several counties.
I think it flip-flops between Lib Dem and Labour.
Liberals don't get much of a look in round here. Not sure why qt selected that crowd, it's very much redwall still east of the A1. West of the A1 is blue nowadays but the population is thin out in the boonies where we are. Newcastle, Gateshead, Washington, Sunderland still all labour. Farther south in Redcar / Stockton the conservatives broke through in those urban areas in 2019, but again by population it's still the thin end of the wedge.
It's worth noting most areas have been conservative within the lifetimes of many people. It's only Thatcher era politics that cemented labours stronghold, and whether better or worse for voting intentions, most people I meet have moved on from those days. Banning fake tan, that would cause outrage. Closing mines, not so much nowadays.
For all you that live that way. Do they not do school trips to the mining museum? Can’t believe anyone would vote for Boris after a trip there.
After a few trips North of the Thames it’s certainly not representative of what I have seen there.
For all you that live that way. Do they not do school trips to the mining museum? Can’t believe anyone would vote for Boris after a trip there.
Yeah to Woodhorn. It’s almost 40 years since miners strike, it’s probably time to move on.
I think it flip-flops between Lib Dem and Labour.
They held it for a few years in early 2000s
It’s worth noting most areas have been conservative within the lifetimes of many people
When I was at school The Evil Rotter (Neville Trotter) was our MP. As a radical communist (in my head anyway) in sixth form I remember going out for lunch and bumping in to the Rotter's crew in Monkseaton campaigning. I managed to get told to move on by the 'security' as I, and a couple of mates, armed with chips threatened civil disturbance by shouting at him.
Interesting to hear breatheasy's perspective / experience. I think it underlines the general theme of the issue not being wether people vote for the Tories or Labour but how underlying values in the NE have always been more conservative than we have allowed ourselves to believe.
Anyhow, I don't really see them as voting for the Tories as such, they voted forJohnson and the Nationalist s**t-show that his administration offers. It is the least diverse region in the country yet it seems to respond to every anti foreigner policy put forward by the government with greater enthusiasm than any other region.
As has been mentioned before, the old divisions of left and right don't cut it anymore as the axis shifts to Nationalist vs humanist.
Yeah to Woodhorn. It’s almost 40 years since miners strike, it’s probably time to move on.
I think it'll take my generation's (b. 1975) dying for that to start happening. I was born in and grew up in North Shields and remember one of my sister's friends staying with us for a couple of nights when the Meadowell riots were happening. I live in East Durham now, very near Easington Colliery and the miners' strike and bitterness over the closures are still very much at the fore of my generation and older's minds (not mine, it didn't affect us at all because nobody in our family worked in the mines.) My OH's dad voted to leave the EU 'because of Tony Blair', ffs.
Sunderland still all labour.
I work with a lad from Sunderland, 49 years old and thick as two short planks, still lives with his mother, extremely racist, loves Boris and Trump, totally supportive of Brexit yet has just voted for Labour at the local elections. When I asked him why the answer was ' me daar (dad) would turn in his grave if I voted for anyone else'. Sunderland voted overwhelming for brexit yet the recent elections saw Labour increase their hold on the council. A lot of people these days don't have a clue what they're actually voting for
I was watching a youtube video by ADiffentBias last week that had something else I'd not really thought about - The Redcars/Hartlepools etc. (and to be fair a lot of other rundown towns) - the youngsters who are more likely to vote Labour start leaving for unis/better jobs darn sarf/better areas start draining away the pool of Labour supporters and you're left with a dried out town with predominantly Tory elderly voters so its in the Tories interests to keep them run down.
And to be fair Labout have some blame in this too, took them for granted all those years too, the usual pin a red rosette on a donkey and it'll get elected and they've let/kept them run down too.
I’d say from experience a lot of the ‘hardcode’ Labour voters back then probably held 90% of Tory values if truth be told
I think there's a lot of truth in that. My grandad was a Mail reader and if you looked into his opinions on any topic you'd quickly come to the conclusion that he was a natural Tory, but he voted Labour because .. some tribal allegiance? Dunno, and it's too late to ask him now.
I was watching a youtube video by ADiffentBias last week that had something else I’d not really thought about………………
Been happening for years in Dumfries & Galloway, it’s little more than a retirement home for Tory voters, out of 26 houses in my mums street in kirkcudbright 17 have been bought by folk from down south as holiday lets at vastly over asking price so poorly paid locals don’t stand a chance.
"A lot of people these days don’t have a clue what they’re actually voting for"
After the last few years do any of us?
I think it’ll take my generation’s (b. 1975) dying for that to start happening.
Nah! I’d say our generation are bored of hearing about them. The ridiculous thing is it was a small percentage who voted to strike and wasn’t an official national ballot.
