Everybody’s heard of ‘Irish Stew’, right?
Most have heard of ‘Lancashire Hot Pot’.
In Liverpool, the land of one syllable, a variation on this stew of leftover meat and vegetables is called ‘Scouse’. The word fits perfectly within the vocabulary of Liverpudlians as they pronounce their ‘c’s as a kind of clearing flem from the throat noise and their ‘se’s as a shrill elongated whistle. But most importantly it’s really just a single syllable. Liverpudlians don’t like using more than one.
Historically, defined by the eating of this favourite local stew, Liverpudlians like to refer to themselves as ‘Scousers’. Well, ‘Liverpudlian’ is far too much effort to say. Far too many syllables.
So, Scousers are Liverpudlians, yet for some strange reason there are pockets of neighbouring areas that are trying to steal the label. This is very noticeable on television too.
I hate to refer to the X Factor, but last year a contestant Rebecca Ferguson came from the Anfield area of Liverpool. Yep, she actually was a Scouser, and so it was right for the show bosses to script the judges to encourage ‘the whole of Liverpool’ to vote for her. Well, that’s all assuming that encouraging voting based on ‘race’ or ‘neighbourhood’ rather than talent is a good thing.
However, this year, two contestants were being labelled by the show as ‘Scousers’. Winner Marcus Collins actually comes from Crosby in Sefton, up the coast a bit from Liverpool. The crooning ex-biscuit factory worker Craig Colton who was voted out before the semi-finals actually comes from Kirby in Knowsley, to the North-East of Liverpool.
Neither comes from Liverpool, yet both have been referred to as ‘Scousers’ and both have had the usual thing of the scripts encouraging ‘the whole of Liverpool’ to vote for them.
But why should Liverpudlians vote for non-Liverpudlians just because they come from neighbouring areas over voting for any of the other non-Liverpudlians?
There is a bizarre habit of people wanting to be Scousers. I suppose it’s complementary, but it is as odd as somebody from North-West London wanting to be called a ‘Cockney’. They just aren’t.
To the South of Liverpool there’s the River Mersey. South of that, there’s ‘the’ Wirral. Some of them call themselves Scousers. To the North of Liverpool is an area called Bootle. Some of them call themselves Scousers.
Yet none of them are. They are not from Liverpool.
If they are not from Liverpool, they are not Scousers, end of. They are trying to dilute and steal the Scouse identity. It’s time that true Scousers rose up against these pretend Scousers and said, “Noooooo!”. It’s time to protect the local identity and to stop it being eroded and stolen. It’s time to rise up and … Ok, who just said, “Calm down! Calm down, lad!”? You better have been a real Scouser.
England's England 
Saying people from Bootle, Kirkby and Crosby aren't Scousers is a joke. I am from Walton by the way, as Scouse as you get and would class all 3 of them as Scousers. North of Crosby though, not Scousers (FOrmby, Southport etc)
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Sefton is Sefton.
Knowsley is Knowsley.
And Liverpool is Liverpool.
If they ain't from Liverpool, they ain't Scousers. How can they be?
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You're obviously not from the area or you'd know better than to say people from Crosby and Kirkby are not Scousers. You're talking through your arse lad.
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I live in Southport, does that mean im not a Scouser. but I was born and bred in Liverpool, im Scouse and proud of it. to say people from Crosby and Kirkby and the Wirral are not Scousers,is pathetic, forgive me but dont they have a Liverpool postcode.
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This is a load of rubbish. Agree with anonymous on this one, you're clearly not from the area. I think you're basing this off Crosby and Kirkby not being within the City of Liverpool council area? They are undoubtedly suburbs of Liverpool. By this logic anyone from outside the square mile of the City of London council area could not be a Londoner.
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There are 32 London Boroughs, and the area they occupy is also one single London-wide administration. In this sense, the London Borough of, say, Waltham Forest is in London and is part of London.
In contrast Sefton is not in Liverpool, neither is Knowsley in Liverpool. Both are in Merseyside, as is Liverpool.
Therefore people from Sefton and Knowsley are nothing to do with Liverpool.
Scousers are from Liverpool, not from Sefton or Knowsley. We have to stop these outsiders trying to steal the Scouser name.
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This is the most rediculous thing I have ever heard! I live in Crosby and have met Marcus a few times. Crosby is a village, Liverpool is the COUNTY! My address states; Crosby, Liverpool, L23. Crosby is a part of Liverpool, under no point does my address say Sefton. Just because it's not the city centre we live, we are still classed as scousers.
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Actually, Liverpool is not a county. Liverpool is a city. The county is Merseyside.
Liverpool is in Merseyside.
Crosby is in Merseyside.
Crosby used to be in Lancashire.
But Crosby is not and has never been in Liverpool.
If you ain't from Liverpool, you ain't a real Scouser.
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Scouser means Wirral as well. Jay Sperling is from Wallasey and is way more authentic than most people from Liverpool.
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This is silly. There are no hard and fast rules and strict borderlines when it comes to a local / regional identity, it is all down to a central core which has an influence however far that influence naturally stretches; this cultural force does not know to stop at Bankhall Station or the Pier head or Fazakerley Hospital. Scouse / Scousers in late modern times really does cover the three areas the owner of this pages says does not. The people who live there gravitate socially and economically to the core, ie, Liverpool City Centre, they do not gravitate towards Skem', Wigan, Southport, Preston or Chester. Plus, it's odd to say this I know, but if you went into the roots and origins of the words Scouse and Scouser, rather confusingly it applied more originally, to Irish settlers on the Wirral, more so than this coincidental Norwegian stew business. Just read Tom Skipper's schooldays for more. Finally, do all of us over here think of folks from Sunderland and Middlesborough as Geordies? Watford – Cockneys? Walsall – Brums? Paisley – Glaswegians? Yes, or at least an overwhelming majority does.
Identities like this always reflect cities and suburbs / hinterlands or smaller equivolents. They do not and cannot run out at a dual signpost when leaving one municipal area for another.
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Yes, they are scousers. Crosby is a suburb of Liverpool and when I was growing up there was no such thing as the borough of Sefton. It's Liverpool 23 postcode. That's like saying people from Huyton are not scousers because it's in Knowsley.
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It's nonsense to deny people from Bootle, Kirby and such from being Scousers. John H is quite right in his remarks. I'm from Aintree, and as scouse as can be. I've lived in New Zealand since 1969, and now regard myself as a scouse kiwi!
Scousers forever!
dave
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Oh, and by the way…the picture the purports to be a pan of scouse is nothing like the proper stuff! That photo just looks like a lousy soup with lumps in it.
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I know that those on the Wirral stare enviously across the river at Liverpool, but it don't make them Scousers even slightly. They don't even have the same accent!
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Crosby has nothing to do with Liverpool, and never has. Neither does Huyton. People from those areas don't even have Scouse accents. They are just Scouse wannabies.
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Aintree is not part of Liverpool. It is in Sefton, on the outskirts of Liverpool. People from Sefton have to learn to stop trying to steal the culture of the true Scousers and claim it as theirs!
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You mean that Scouse isn't just a lousy soup with lumps in it? Scouse is just Irish Stew by another name, there's nothing special about it, hence why the photo shows it for what it truly is.
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Enviosuly? Jay Sperling has way more an authentic scouse accent than edwina currie or the fuckin beatles.
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I am from Bootle and have never considered myself a scouser. When abroad, I tell people I am from Bootle. If they ask where it is, I say near Liverpool.
Bootle was a part of Lancashire up until 1974. In 1974 Bootle became part of Sefton. It has never been in Liverpool. It has a Liverpool postcode because the post for the town is sorted in Liverpool, the same as Ormskirk which also has a Liverpool postcode, but is in Lancashire. So postcodes have nothing to do with defining were a boundary exists.
In 1974 the government changed the boundaries politically, not geographically. So technically, Bootle is still in Lancashire, but most people now put Merseyside.
If people in Crosby, Formby, Huyton, etc, are happy to put Liverpool in their address, that's their choice, albeit incorrect.
I love Liverpool by the way.
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Educate yourself.
The word scouse was originally used as a somewhat derogatory term (quite like Pom) to identify families who were a product of cross cultural marriage/mixing.
Who were those families and where did they come from? The area now commonly referred to as Merseyside.
The area where nearly everybody spoke with a lancashire type accent before the docks opened 🙂
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So, you're mister Scouser himself are you? You sound like a wannabe yourself mate. There is such a thing as the Liverpool urban district and all those place you mention are part of it. I bet you're a wooly back
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Are people on here thick? scouse is an accent not a city!! if you speak with any scouse in your accent even if its weak or strong then your a scouser! doesn't matter where your from you thick thick people!
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don't like to drag out the debate/cause excess blood pressure, but I note that Wikipedia seems to uncannily mirror the words of guys claiming scouse is an accent prevalent in Merseyside. will you doctor the entry?
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Wikipedia is a dangerous tool. People accidentally think it contains the truth. Yet it is written and re-written by those who shout the loudest and are usually completely wrong about everything or anything!
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This is funny this thread. Technically you are right, those areas are not part of Liverpool. I would still class Crosby, Kirkby, Huyton and Bootle as proper Scousers though. The Wirral definitely not – “Don't be mistaken and don't be mislead, you're not proper Scousers you're from Birkenhead” 🙂
If you are going here though – what areas of Liverpool are the most Scouse 😉
Has to be North Liverpool. Dodgy areas like Walton, Anfield, Scottie haha
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Wirral is deffo scouse. Crosby and kirkby arent. Kenny is most scouse.
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This is deffo written by a wool. Probably from Wallasey or Birkenhead.
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Christopher England you are spot on with your comments. I reckon 100% of these people commenting, saying they are scousers, are wools. There is nothing more annoying than hearing some wool saying they are scouse coz they live next to Liverpool. If you aren't from Liverpool you're not scouse. Simple as that. The old purple wheelie bin test should do the trick.
People from the Wirral are not scouse, no way. If you have to drive through a tunnel or cross a river to get to Liverpool, you are not scouse. It's like French people in Calais claiming to be English because they can see England across the water F*ck off you wools.
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Bootle and Kirkby are deffo Scouse. Those claiming Crosby to be Scouse are wools. Bootle to Speke and everything in between is Scouse territory. Outside of that, sorry lad, you're a wool
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This is how I remember Christopher England at his impish best. Pure genius Chris – keep going. Only one question though; What is a 'Wool' please?
I live way down South but I have been to Liverpool and Merseyside so I know where it is. It's full of scousers, you know. .
Ciao
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A 'wool' is short for 'Woolly Back'. 'Woolly Backs' are outsiders, as in everything but Scousers, or, the inhabitants of a neighbouring area called St Helens. The definition is dependant on the age of the person describing a 'wool', and, of course, their belief in their own credentials as a Scouser.
The shortening to 'wool' is because Scousers are not capable of speaking in much beyond single grunts, and so abbreviate everything to single syllable words.
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