Evening Press leader

In many ways Tony Blair may be right when he says that the concept of a North-South divide is out of date.

There is little doubt that to draw a crude line across the middle of the country and say to the south are the haves and to the north the have-nots is an oversimplification.

His message - that there are haves and have-nots in every region - is an important one. In our own region, Yorkshire and the Humberside, there are clearly areas of great need and deprivation, not least in deputy prime minister John Prescott's own Hull constituency. In York and North Yorkshire, however, it is fair to say that we are, by-and-large, sheltered from the worst effects of poverty.

Mr Blair must be careful, though. Although the socio-economic map of Britain may be more complicated than a simple North-South divide suggests, there is a real perception among the people of the region that it does contain an underlying truth.

When the economy starts to fail the first places to lose jobs are in the North East and North West. Salaries are undoubtedly higher in the south - and while there are obviously local differences in house prices, few could argue that in London and the south they are generally far higher than in the north. These are real differences.

The danger is that by dismissing talk of a North-South divide, Labour will be able to close its eyes to these differences.

It is good that Tony Blair has raised the issue. But during his two-day visit to the North he needs to listen to the very real concerns of the people of the region as well.

see NEWS STORY 'PM puts focus on Yorkshire gap'

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