Surely that’s the wrong way round.

Study after study shows that traditional distinct English accents are dying off – whether cockney, scouse, mancunian, brummie, yorkshire or whatever…

…as the population which all watches the same crap on TV drifts all towards a dreadful estuary accent. Immigration has been a major factor as well.

The local identity thing is a lot more important than it was and the Tories do now tend to pick local candidates when they are good enough – as do the other main parties – but in the past most Tory MPs representing northern constituencies used to have southern or BBC accents

It’s less prenounced nowadays, primarily because the Tories have so few seats in the North – but I always notice how less prenounced people’s accents from the older generations are compared to today’s chav-speaking rabble

As I said upthread, its ‘chip on shoulder’ syndrome again isn’t it…or perhaps we’d be better off describing it as insecurity.

Northern electorate’s are often so obsessed with class that they are naturally biased against local MPs that do not share a northern accent (although as Merseymike suggests, Liverpool West Derby is clearly uniquely immune to this factor). This shows an insecurity about themselves. It indicates that they may subconsiously feel inferior to people from the south (wrongly).

Similarly, Scottish electorates will not generally tolerate MPs who originate from England as their local memebers. Again, it is linked to insecurity about themselves. They may subconsiously feel inferior to the English perhaps because their country is much smaller and dominated politically, economically and culturally by England (again in my view wrongly).

In these cases, opposition to MPs without a northern accent or to non-Scot’s in Scotland is an expression of an identity that they feel is in some way under threat.

By contrast, southerners do not on the whole feel their identity is threatened by northern or Scottish MPs as their local members. Indeed, why should they.

Again, just some thoughts on the matter. I’m not saying that its necessarily correct. Just a theory.

Not sure about the class issue but I’ve always found it strange that you get MPs who represent areas they aren’t from

You get plenty of Labour MP’s in particular with Northern/Scottish & Welsh accents representing seats in London – Frank Dobson for example

And likewise you get plenty of wannabe Tory MPs who conform to all the toff stereotypes running in working class seats from Liverpool to Glasgow

I thought the whole idea about being an MP was being an effective champion of YOUR local community – and if you’re not from your constituency can you really do the job – although examples of first-class MPs like Edmunton’s Andy Love, a Scot, show that whilst this isn’t necessarily the case it certainly isn’t a vote winner

Really? I would never have guessed that.

Labour supporters must see that having most of their leading lights from this kind of background is going to be a major problem for them in terms of connecting with their voters going forward.

How did the party of ordinary working people come to this – being hijacked by a bunch of useless pointy-headed second rate academic wonks?

Blair was hardly the horny-handed son of toil but at least he was pretty good.

Who exactly are the Labour MP’s who have gone prole to please their constituency?