It’s telling though that talking northern identity draws non-northerners to frame it as class. Because we’re all w/class in the NE eh. Except we weren’t - miners who loved opera, who painted: poor beyond class. NE was English wealth creation, until they eyed Columbian wages.

And when I include Liverpool, and Wales, and Scotland, and Ireland in my notion of Northern identity it’s because I am speaking to people who *understand* what it is not to be English but to be put down by them at every turn.

So if you *don’t understand* northern identity, that’s absolutely fine - nobody expects you to be the expert here. But at least do not attempt to silence those who do.