I’m sick of the way Northerners are portrayed down South. The North
is not overrun with flat-capped whippet fanciers. When are people going
to realise there are large amounts of cash firmly anchored in the North
of England and, importantly, massive amounts sailing in from
outside?
All right, I’ll come clean, I do come from that part of the world, but
how many people still think the North is all about mining and factories,
mushy peas and chip butties? Why are people still surprised to find that
many Northerners have taste and style and sizeable disposable
incomes?
In truth, money makes money is much more accurate than the old muck and
brass scenario.
There’s no such thing as the North/South divide. Civilisation does not
start and end at the Watford Gap. It’s a popular myth fuelled by
Londoncentric Southerners to protect their sense of superiority. Leeds,
Manchester and Liverpool have all filled Sunday supplement pages with
their urban chic, the 24-hour initiative, clubbers driving up from
London to go to Cream, Up Yer Ronson etc, etc. Popular culture aside,
there’s a thriving arts scene as well. Far be it from me to quote
statistics, but every night Manchester sells more seats than anywhere
outside London’s West End.
And if you thought our interest in clobber begins and ends with a ferret
down the trousers, think again. Harvey Nichols opened its first store
outside London in Leeds. Harrods and Selfridges are following suit, to
say nothing of Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Donna Karan. And never
mind mushy peas and chips, we’ve got serious restaurants, too. Mick
Hucknall has a place in Manchester, so has Bill Wyman.
Now about that ferret ...
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