A divided society-what can be done?

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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'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.

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 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.

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/

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.

No!!

Surely not stressed now?

I rather enjoyed the photo of him and Samcam photo bombing a young couple at a festival. He looked miserable as sin!

Same festival.

The weather map tomorrow shows the north/south divide exactly.
We've got the sunny bit. Down south have the thunder and lightning. I feel sorry for the athletes.

"Richard Wilkinson, co-founder of the Equality Trust and emeritus professor of social epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, said he was not surprised by the results, pointing out that inequalities rose during the 1980s, and added that austerity was making the north-south divide worse. “The main cuts are to the cities, the labour areas, which need [money] most,” he said.

A government spokeswoman said: “The causes of health inequalities are highly complex but we are taking action by addressing the root social causes, promoting healthier lifestyles and improving the consistency of NHS services etc.

“This government is committed to creating a society where everybody gets the opportunity to make a success of their hard work - regardless of where they are from.” "

That's okay, then. May's government has it under control.

England in a mess isn't it? One country so divided, one half so bitter against the other half ,

Well, you will be just like Venezuela when Corbyn takes over No.10. Utopia will arrive

Thinking of Corbyn, perhaps England should take the Corbyn cure, talk to each other, just sit and talk nicely

You do spend a lot of time thinking about Corbyn don't you Annie?

There are certainly divisions in society- and on GN.

i don't know which are worst - Remaners v Brexiteers, Guardian readers v Daily Mail readers or Corbynites v anti-Corbynites in the LP.

I'm not a Corbynite, I have never been a Corbynite. I am a socialist who sees the Labour Party as it is now as the best hope for the poor, the disabled, the disenfranchised, young voters, the NHS and public service workers. In other words for helping those who have suffered most and creating a more equal society. Jeremy Corbyn is the elected leader of the party- ELECTED not like some other leaders.

Well said, trisher.

England in a mess isn't it? One country so divided, one half so bitter against the other half

I think you're right anniebach - however, perhaps not just England because there seems to be inter-generational warfare, one part of the UK wanting freedom from the rest, Brexiteers -v- Remainers, north versus south.

Will HS2 help with regeneration of the North or would the money be better spent on alternative methods of regeneration and help if the North has such problems.

Years ago I was very impressed by Newcastle area NHS as it seemed to be a centre of excellence and was making huge strides forward in research and in the treatment of patients from a very wide area - is that still the case?

Still a centre of excellence and treatment for many things but going through some difficult times because of the introduction of CCGs and the awful mess that became up here.