I suppose one could read it as meaning that England north of the Tyne and West of the Tamar are exempt from his criticism, and have never lost touch with their "roots". I can't comment about folk culture in Cornwall, but it certainly seems to thrive in the north-east in a way that it doesn't in most of the rest of England. I can't get over the enormous fifteen-deep crowd that turned up to watch the local rapper side near Pellinor's family's home one New Year. Compare the scattered 15 or 20 people who turned up to watch the Morris on Boxing Day near my parents'.