WE'RE Lancashire and proud of it.

So were thousands of others until they were snatched from the borders of their beloved county and thrust into exile to become Greater Mancunians, Merseysiders and Bury, Wigan or Bolton Metropolitans.

Now, Lancashire MPs are battling to bring them back into the fold by recreating the ancient County Palatine.

On Monday, Bolton North MP Peter Thurnham is asking all Lancashire MPs and supporters of the historic boundaries to wear a red rose to mark his campaign on the 700th anniversary of the arrival of the first Lancashire MPs in Parliament.

He has secured a half-hour debate to put his plea for boundaries to revert to those of ancient times for geographical and postal purposes only.

These are boundaries which have never ceased to exist in the hearts of, say, Greater Mancunians who never think of themselves as anything but Lancastrians.

Their postal addresses were severely interfered with under 1974 local government reorganisation, despite assurances by the powers-that-be that their status would remain unchanged.

They were promised they would always be part of Lancashire - then the map makers moved in with relish and their homeland became peppered with ungracious signposts bearing the words "Bury Metro" and "Greater Manchester".

Mr Thurnham has the support of Burnley's Peter Pike, Hyndburn's Greg Pope, Pendle's Gordon Prentice and Chorley's Den Dover who all believe that recreating the true Lancashire would bring a big boost for morale.

So do we.

At a time when the Local Government Commission is reorganising administrative boundaries throughout the country, it would seem little trouble for the Lancashire boundaries to be sorted out too, if only for postal and geographical purposes.

Such a move would show that at least someone down south is listening to us here up north.

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