On Thu, 24 Dec 2009, David A Stocks wrote:

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
rth.li...

I do wish people would stop referring to East London as Essex. As
someone who is actually from Essex, it is highly distressing.

What's more distressing - coming from London or Essex?

London. Specifically, deep East London.

I was born in Wanstead

No offence!

which, in 1964, was in Essex. If I'm asked what county I was born in I
can reply either "Essex" or "London", although I would say I was *from*
Surrey or Sussex because that's where I've spent nearly all of my life.

Historically, East London *is* Essex. Similarly all of London to the
south of the Thames is Kent or Surrey.

Right, but what you might have missed is that we don't live in history, we
live in the present. Otherwise, you might as well say it's all just
Provincio Britannia.

Surrey County Council has its HQ at Kingston-upon-Thames and Surrey
County Cricket Club is based at The Oval, neither of which are in the
present day county of Surrey. The rest of London - including the cities
of London and Westminster - is in Middlesex, still used by some people
on postal addresses. Middlesex Guildhall still stands in Parliament
Square - I think it now houses the Supreme Court.

It's not worth getting distressed about.

Until roughly the millionth time when, on revealing that you're from
Essex, you're asked "So have you got a pair of white stilletoes, then?
Been up Faces for some discount champagne and a fight lately?", etc.
Because this is the result of idiot westerners somehow thinking that Essex
means Romford, or Basildon if i'm lucky, and tarring me with their idiot
brush. When there's nothing wrong with the real Essex - it's not big or
clever, in fact it's quite quiet and backward, but it's relaxed, it's
beautiful, it's got history and soul, and i'm quite chuffed that i'm from
there. But there's no way to communicate this to anyone because the name
is immediately associated with LOL WHITE STILETTOES AND A FORD CAPRI WITH
BLUE NEONS!! At which point, one becomes distressed.

Anyway, nurse, my medicine please!

tom

--
Big Bang. No god. Fadeout. End. -- Stephen Baxter