Breaking News: There's Life Up North!

(Note: Sheffield is near York and curiously lacking on most maps)

Last January I was down in Exeter for a university interview, a lovely placid place compared to my hometown of Sheffield. In the depths of winter I could walk about without only a jacket, what a wonderful experience! Now, I'm not that northern comparatively, but its worth mentioning I was one of the most northern people sat about waiting to be interviewed.
I soon found my kinsfolk, a Lad from Barnsley, and also a girl from 'Baarth', known as Bath to those such as myself. Now, I wouldn't normally pick up on accents, my own leaves much to be desired, but in conjunction with a certain comment she made, I think this detail is worth sharing.
'Are there any Universities in the North?' She asked innocently. Me and Barnsley boy quickly disabused her of the Romantic notion that the North was nothing other than abundant moors.
I'm not going to list all the Universities up North, Russell group ones included such Sheffield University itself (for the moment barring Scotland), I only want the reader to reflect on the sheer ignorance of one half the country of the other. And I have to say, this is not confined to small minded 18 year olds. When I read papers such as the Guardian it feels as if I've accidentally picked up the London times. The relatively famous film 'Four Lions', set in Sheffield, was referred to as being set in 'a Northern city', despite the fact that Sheffield by most counts comes as about the fourth largest city in England, Manchester beside it. In the countdown of the 50 best restaurants there were only 7 counted that were in this half of the country, and about 40 in the list were in London. The Guardian started off as a Manchester paper, so why is it so London-centric?
I'm going to dig into my historical knowledge for this one, to try to explain why this is the case. Kings and Queens have been, as a general rule, situated in London. This naturally made London the place to be if you wanted to be involved in Law making and the general governing in the country, a little unfair considering its so Southern. Through the years following the crowning of the first Tudor (who fought the northern Yorkists for power) the royalty became increasingly suspicious of us lot. Elizabeth Tudor never came as far as Yorkshire in her travels, and significantly Mary Queen of Scots was sent here as a place of banishment. So historically the county has been South-centric. But in our increasingly modern times, why should this persist?
The BBC some time ago launched a scheme to move their headquarters around the country. There are buildings in Manchester, Norwich, Cardiff, making the BBC truly a wholly British television station. So why can't our newspapers follow suit? People like that Southern girl should have an awareness of the entire country, she should have a national identity which truly is national. She should have the same awareness of Manchester and Sheffield that I have of Exeter, otherwise our full potential as a country, to recognise universal talent, will never be reached. Then what will happen to our 'gloriously advanced' civilisation?

What I'm reading:
50 Shades of Feminism Edited by Lisa Appignanesi, Rachel Holmes and Susie Orbach The poor boy behind the counter looked terrified as I pushed this towards him. 'Oh god, not another militant man hater' I'm sure he thought. But this collection of essays, sometimes stories, is interesting because its not simply man hating. Sure, you get a few whiny essays on how women are constantly oppressed, but most acknowledge that most men in the western world want equality as much as women. A few congratulate our progress. But the best examine problems which prevent equality without placing blame, simply saying how we can improve without saying we should all become lesbians. Lovingly decorated with Posy Simmons illustrations and little uplifting quotes, this book is darling. I only wonder about the exclusion of male authors. I know male feminists, I've met them, so surely we should let them contribute, for real equality.

What I'm watching:
Horrible Histories CBBC Don't let the fact it's on a children's station fool you, this is one of the few unpatronising comedy programs out there. The show is comprised of various sketches about history. Nobody is too precious not to be made comical, even our Grand Priest of literature Dickens sings a whiny song about his sad old life rendering him ridiculous. The show is up to date and simply conscious of what the target audience is exposed to, even Can I has cheezburger is utilised in a sketch about the Egyptians. And the best thing is, the facts stick in your mind, making the endless problem of topics of conversation a thing of the past. You know 'Hullo' was originally an expression of surprise, only used as a greeting because of Edison making it the official telephone greeting...

What I'm listening to:
 These Streets Paulo Nutini What a relaxing uplifting album. Nutini's voice is rugged and delicious to listen to, his lyrics poetic. I admire anyone who can switch from the longing Grant my last request to New Shoes, utterly frivolous and exciting. It's hard not to be seduced by this album.