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When English people talk about the “UK”, they really mean England. You’ll notice that even though they will talk about the UK throughout their post they will me

When English people talk about the “UK”, they really mean England. You’ll notice that even though they will talk about the UK throughout their post they will mention “the north”, by which they mean the north of England so they aren’t really talking about the UK.

eesmith 3y ago
Yes, I know about their "country of countries". Before commenting I did an HN search and double-checked that benj111 consistently uses "country" to mean "UK", such as using "in my country (UK)", at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20995793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20995793 . As for "the North", we have a similar historical construct in the US, where "the North" does not include Alaska or even North Dakota. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_United_States . Similarly, while Miami, Florida is geographically in the southern US, it is not culturally part of "the South". I think it's more likely that benj111 simply did not know that detail about the Glasgow, rather than knowing that detail and deliberately excluding it because it's in Scotland. It is, after all, a rather small system without the international fame of London's underground.
benj111 3y ago
Or maybe I just wasn't aware of the regularity of Glasgow tube trains? When I talk about the UK, I really mean the UK. 'The north' is a name not necessarily reflective of geographic boundaries, if you want that, use 'the north of England'. 'Yorkshire' also necessarily excludes Scotland. I'm also geographically closer, and emotionally closer to Scotland than London, so why would I exclude Scotland?
- thebruce87m 3y ago
  > if you want that, use 'the north of England' The rest of us do, but it’s mostly English posting here so you’ll just see “the north” so it’s unclear if they are really talking about the UK or not. I came across some beer from “the north” in Stirling recently and it was from Leeds.
  - benj111 3y ago
    By default I talk about the Britain (geography, UK the country). If I'm talking about England I'll mention it specifically. It could be English bias but to me the North is a concept that can mean something between north of Watford gap, to specifically northern England. As you say, most British people on here are English, and I'd guess most of those are from the south, so if I'm invoking some sort of concept of 'The North', it's probably in contrast to those southerners. Personally I feel culturally closer to Scotland than London, so I'm not looking to exclude Scotland here. The problem is the language. I've conflated the south and London, and I've described my self as British rather than UKish.

eesmith 3y ago

Yes, I know about their "country of countries". Before commenting I did an HN search and double-checked that benj111 consistently uses "country" to mean "UK", such as using "in my country (UK)", at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20995793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20995793 . As for "the North", we have a similar historical construct in the US, where "the North" does not include Alaska or even North Dakota. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_United_States . Similarly, while Miami, Florida is geographically in the southern US, it is not culturally part of "the South". I think it's more likely that benj111 simply did not know that detail about the Glasgow, rather than knowing that detail and deliberately excluding it because it's in Scotland. It is, after all, a rather small system without the international fame of London's underground.

benj111 3y ago

Or maybe I just wasn't aware of the regularity of Glasgow tube trains? When I talk about the UK, I really mean the UK. 'The north' is a name not necessarily reflective of geographic boundaries, if you want that, use 'the north of England'. 'Yorkshire' also necessarily excludes Scotland. I'm also geographically closer, and emotionally closer to Scotland than London, so why would I exclude Scotland?

thebruce87m 3y ago
> if you want that, use 'the north of England' The rest of us do, but it’s mostly English posting here so you’ll just see “the north” so it’s unclear if they are really talking about the UK or not. I came across some beer from “the north” in Stirling recently and it was from Leeds.
- benj111 3y ago
  By default I talk about the Britain (geography, UK the country). If I'm talking about England I'll mention it specifically. It could be English bias but to me the North is a concept that can mean something between north of Watford gap, to specifically northern England. As you say, most British people on here are English, and I'd guess most of those are from the south, so if I'm invoking some sort of concept of 'The North', it's probably in contrast to those southerners. Personally I feel culturally closer to Scotland than London, so I'm not looking to exclude Scotland here. The problem is the language. I've conflated the south and London, and I've described my self as British rather than UKish.