The interesting things about Geordies is that the stereotype began in the late 19th century when Geordies were probably the wealthiest working men in the world — so wealthy that their wives did not need to work, they could dress up, and go out drinking and ‘having a laugh’ long before most other people.

But these men worked very hard and long hours in coal mining, ship building and other heavy industry; they also had a highly organized culture of trades unions, self-education lectures etc, and a range of fanatical hobbies such as growing food (especially leeks) on allotments, keeping pigeons, racing whippets (small greyhounds) etc. They were tough but had strong morals, and went to Nonconformist chapels.

The modern underclass chavs (or charvers as they are called on Tyneside) live on benefits and consume alcohol, drugs and the mass media. They are passive and dependent — their ‘culture’ bears near zero relationship to the working class Geordies of 100 years earlier.