What is the North/South Divide? (In General Terms)

The North/South divide runs deep into the psyche of the nation. It is a gaping metaphorical Chasm that slices through the country. But is it simply a label for economic discrepancies, geography or does it run deeper into culture?

The traditional definition was that the longitude of The River Trent signalled the divide between North and South. But that definition concentrates solely on England and forgets the economic problems blighting the South West, Midlands, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Should the modern definition of the North/South divide therefore be The South East versus the rest?

If for the purpose of this we use the traditional definition of the divide, we can still see vast discrepancies in income levels, life expectancy, house prices, welfare reliance levels, job prospects and many other tangible indicators.

And what about the North/South divide indicators that aren't so tangible? These are said to include; (amongst others) culture, humour, friendliness, dietary patterns and even happiness levels. But what is the truth? And anyway, could todays globalised, highly connected world make cultural differences irrelevant. Will we all share a homogenous and uniformed corporate UK culture in 50 years’ time anyway? Making this discussion ultimately irrelevant.

On a personal level I have to admit that I feel antipathy towards the south, almost as a reflex action. I feel the reasons for this are socialisation. The messages you receive from a young age can have a big affect on the opinions you formulate later in life. I also find myself having to mentally back track from my initial response to a north/south issue and introduce more critical thought to the issue, therefore ensuring my opinions are based on facts and not emotion. This is important because I feel modern discourse in general is weighted towards emotion over fact and feelings over truth. Therefore I try to be vigilant and guard against slipping into such a mind-set.

I am in no doubt that the divide exists and that the north bears the brunt of the negative effects. I also feel that the divide can be defined as the economic and cultural disparities between the North and South of the UK. I feel that the only argument for the modern day debate is how we define the divide. In other words, we know there are economic disparities, but what geographic areas should be included? And also, do modern circumstances make the north/south divide in the way we currently see it a redundant concept?

And if as I believe, the modern North/South divide is incorrectly labelled and is really London and the South East versus the rest of the UK how do we redefine the debate? Do we need another label for the debate? How do we ensure the debate is inclusive? And how do reconcile the fact that if the modern divide is between London and the South East versus the rest of the UK, the traditional cultural aspects of the debate (Northern England Versus Southern England) have become redundant.

 
There is a lot to think about and in the near future I will put some real meat on the bones of the concepts I have outlined above.