Which is better? The North or the South? There's only one way to find out.FIIIIIGHT!!!!

I have been fascinated to read the articles in the student newspaper at UCLan this week about the North versus the South. It made me think about these two areas of England and which is better, if either.

Being a southerner living in the North now, I've certianly had to put up with my fair share of 'southern fairy' quips from people. I've never understood where this has come from. I'm pretty sure walking round certain streets of London you would find people who would really object to being called a fairy, and let you know about it!

I do find the people in the North though to be friendlier and more approachable than southerners. Certainly the area I come from, everyone power walks all the time with their head down giving off an impression of, 'get out of my way you bastards. Don't look at me or talk to me, just leave me alone so I can go and make a quick buck somewhere.'

Looking out of my bedroom window as a kid watching middle aged men in suits with briefcases head to the train station in the morning certainly gave off that impression.

The weather up in the North though is just rubbish the majority of the time. It rains a lot more than I'm used to. There's an old saying that summer comes soonest in the South, I reckon it's true! It's just wet here. I don't mind the rain, but it is a little miserable seeing those grey skies day after day.

I saw a comment on the UCLan student paper website where the person writing for the South tried to claim football for the South because of Oldham and Blackpool. Come off it, who are you kidding?! The most successful teams are northern, end of story. Manchester United and Liverpool are the most successful English teams ever. 35 league titles and 8 European Cups between them says it all. And do not say the Chelsea are a successful southern side. They were just good before Abramovich but never in the hunt for trophies season after season.

One of my northern friends said to me earlier, 'Lewis Hamilton' and then laughed. Yes, the south produced the current Formula 1 World Champion and his team, McLaren, which are the most successful British team in F1 second only to Ferrari who have been around twice as long.

How about music though?

If I had to chose I would take the music of the South over the North. As much as I like bands such as Stone Roses; Oasis; The Verve; The Beatles; The Smiths etc it can't, in my opinion, compete with the music of Queen; Led Zeppelin; The Who; Pink Floyd; The Police...I could go on...

So I shall.

The Kinks; Blur; Kasabian - yes they're a southern band according to research; The Clash; The Rolling Stones; Sex Pistols; The Jam and Paul Weller; T-Rex. That's quite a list.

And although Liverpool gave us the Beatles, it also meant that every concert where many artists join together (Live 8, Party At the Palace etc) is now cursed with endless fucking repeats of 'Na na na na na ,na na na, hey Jude...'. Thanks Liverpool!

Speaking of Liverpool. Does any city in the world possess a more annoying accent? I'm sure the people of Liverpool are lovely, in fact going by the ones I have met they are, but they accent does my head in. They all sound the same to me! all really high pitched and as if they got a mouthful of phlegm in their throats. Listening to an interview with Jamie Carragher or 'Stevie Gerrard' is just annoying.

It just about beats the Essex accent into top place as the most annoying accent.

Overall Liverpool is much better than Essex and East London. Yes welcome to the home of the 2012 Olympics. Hackney. Doesn't sound good. Of all areas of the South the could have picked, they chose there. It says a lot for somewhere when the Eurostar train dives under all of it rather than run along the surface. To be fair if I was a foreigner arriving in London the last place I'd want to see first a place where the most famous export is Eastenders.

Ah, television. I'd agree the North has the better soap opera. Coronation Street is streets ahead of Eastenders. I don't remember any popular sitcoms being filmed in Albert Square recently. Apart from that though I think television from the South is better. One of Britain's most popular shows, Top Gear, is filmed in Surrey. The evergreen Only Fools And Horses is a southern product. Excellent TV shows which will forever remain popular with the British people.

Anyway that's enough. I'm heading home soon and I know that summer will come soonest in the South. Yet despite the television and music, the South doesn't have the friendliness or the community that you get up in the North.

And I don't think the South can compete with scenes like this...