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Progressive West Belfast Joins the Eurozone
In the spirit of welcoming our European neighbours to west Belfast, the businesses in the area are to accept the Euro as a form of payment. Needless to say, this has nothing whatsoever to do with nationalist pettyness and attempts to prove their Irishness by undermining anything remotely British.
Follow up:
120 businesses have already signed up to this "tourism scheme" promoted by the West Belfast partnership. "There is nothing political about it" said Gerry Carson of the partnership. There are a lot of tourists, apparently, from somewhere called "the 26 counties" who come in over the summer.
Tourists interviewed for BBC Newsline tonight said it was a great idea, as it saved them the inconvenience of changing their money to the currency used in the location they've chosen to visit. I don't expect to be able to spend my pounds when I travel to Spain or anywhere else on the continent, and doubtless the Parisians (famous for their customer service) would look at you in disgust if you asked them if they accept Sterling.
Plenty of border-region businesses, logically enough, already accept the Euro. These businesses have clear markets in the area over the border in the Irish Republic, which is often just a few miles away.
What's the need of the Euro in West Belfast though, other than to overcome certain people's insecurity with their sense of Irishness? There's a bank machine in the city centre that only dispenses Euro notes, and regularly it will go unused as a queue of half a dozen or more people queue up for the sterling machine beside it - and that's in the city centre, where people from the Republic might actually come to go shopping.
I really despair. Next thing we'll have WARN telling us their instructions that immigrants moving into west Belfast shouldn't approach the police to deal with crimes was just "friendly advice" - because republicans aren't bigoted. None of them.
I know this shouldn't annoy me, it would be no more than mildly amusing if they actually admitted their motives, rather than disguising their bigotry behind "tourism".
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10 comments
I am all for cross border business but this is purely a political statement.
They'll be asking for benefits in Euro next.
Its important Protestants don't go the same way, or go any further than they already have.
A duel society is exactly what these toe rags want.
Pure and unadulterated bigotted bollocks.
Republicans simply want to eradicate anything British from here.
Disgusting, and pedantic in the extreme.
I wouldnt be surprised if they ask to be paid in Euros next , either....
If southerners want to visit Northern Ireland on a Sunday we should let them spend their money.
The euro ATM in town isn't used because no where accepts euros. If the people of West Belfast want to waste money trying to turn the area into a tourist attraction let them.
It seems to me that you are afraid of anything non-british.
We have found out who the real bigot is today haven't we?
Anyway, I'm not stopping them accepting Euros, the point is tha I wish they'd admit that it's down to their distaste for anything that differentiates them in the smallest way from the Irish Republic.
"If the people of West Belfast want to waste money trying to turn the area into a tourist attraction let them."
I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to, which I don't. It's much better that we let them exercise their own bigotry, so we can expose it for what it is.
At the last European elections there were fianna fail posters on the andersonstown road. If someone in the south thought there were enough GAA fans to bother with electioneering then i'm sure there must be enough to make accepting euros worthwhile.
What is the matter doing the same thing in Belfast ... it's much more easier ...
You should probably sort that out before spouting out about the euro in west belfast. If they wish to use the barter system there so be it. What do you propose, making everyone switch to Sterling when there is no real need??
Bollocks
HMG can start paying the pensions, social security payments and the dole in Euros. Should be fun seeing them trying to spend it in about 90% of the city.
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