I don’t do the removing. If you have a problem with that then I suggest you take it up with the people that do @cat @james @Stella
Good grief… I’ve only been away for a few hours and the place is buzzing…
For general information, the word Hate comes in many strengths. The strength I use is middle-of-the-road to indicate a preference for something other than the thing I am currently “hating”. 
(didn’t mean to cause a furore)
An unnecessarily unpleasant response. Yes quite agree & the use of dear, dubious???
Oh, and in the 21st century referring to a woman as “dear” is condescending and sexist.
You’ve just written off all of the South of England as being condescending & sexist? My Mother calls me love, dear & duck. My Mother calls everyone dear or love or they address her as dear or love. i.e Mother in the in the butchers shop, butcher, “yes love ‘or dear’, what can I do for you”, Mothers, reply, “2lb of steak & a 1lb of sausages dear, or 'love / duck”. I Can’t see any condescension or sexism.
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My brother in law calls me Rosbif when we insult each other by text during the 6 Nations rugby tournament - especially when France are playing Wales.
I have to remind him that I am Welsh and maybe he should refer to me as rosagneau!!!
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I recall turning up at a Novotel near the Severn Crossing in the early hours feeling frazzled, grotty and ancient as the hills.
The young receptionist beamed at me when I asked if I could have a bed for the night, and this being the West Country, she said “Course you can, my lovely!”
What a beautiful regional term of address that is! I hope it never wears out, especially in a West Country accent. Same is true of the East End (of London) “darling” and the Brummie “duck” IMO.
Their use is generally to convey non-gendered and ageless friendliness to a relative stranger in a very time-limited relationship, like au revoir which doesn’t imply another encounter will take place, but just respects another’s need not to be ignored.
I have continued my habit of addressing very small (and anonymous, accompanied) children as “ma poule” or “mon poulet”, and it always seems to elicit a smile from them and their mums.
Maybe it’s because I’m old, and little children and tiny babies seem to have no fear of the elderly, only an intense curiosity. I can’t imagine why.
The football club I played for here were known as the ‘Rosbifs’ because half the team were either English or English speaking and two weeks ago I sat in a pub in Bordeaux called the Frog and Rosbif, I don’t see either example as being insults to my nationality simply a bit of humour.
Calm down please, it was hidden by the system.
Yeah well, I’ve got a friend who calls me Mme. Brexit to wind me up. Which in my opinion, is way, way worse!
Cornwall - my love, my lover
North East - pet
Glasgow - hen
Three places I’ve visited regularly.
None of the above is sexist or condescending as it was the male ticket collector on the train from Truro to Falmouth who said to me, “Can I see your ticket, my love? Thank you, my lover”.
‘Pet’ is used by sister-in-law to my brother but ‘hen’ is, admittedly, only used by men to women and has never, in my experience, caused offence.
Now that is just disingenuous, context is everything as we all know perfectly well, cf Cameron telling Angela Eagle to “calm down, dear”.
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Oh come off it Warren. Context is everything as you well know and in this context the use of the word “dear” is inappropriate.
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The french call you rosbifs, but Boris Johnson calls us “turds”.
Merci ma gueule !
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He really knows how to further Anglo French relations, doesn’t he 
He is an étron.
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hahaha !
It would be really unfair to label all british in the same bag than Boris.
At the end of the day, french are exactly like the brits, we don’t have the politicians we would like. Let’s drink to forget and work out the old anglo french rivalry hips !
And less and less under 20 eat it.
I think the Frog and Rosbif might have been (is?) a chain. I vaguely remember one in Paris and one in Grenoble in the eighties.
The further the better? There’s something to be said for ‘knowing thine enemy’?
I know I would never visit my brother in Wigan in my French registered car after 68% of the place voted for Farage -i.e hating foreigners - notably the French and Germans.
Mind you and on reflection I can’t really think of ANY reason I would want to visit Wigan.
I have read it many times in old books - History and historic novels - Conan Doyle’s 'Adventures of Gerard being a good example. Curiously I don’t ever remember it being remarked as an insult just as the English calling the French ‘Frogs’ I haven’t heard the expression in conversation at all in the almost 30 years of living here.
I do think many English really believe the French have a fixation with them, which I also haven’t noted on a daily basis.
Sorry Poms, the world really doesn’t revolve around what you think and do!