Is it just me?
I don't care what you say, I've had it up to here (points to chest) with all the England flags in stores and pubs in Wales and billboard adverts telling us to get behind 'our' team. I'm all for the English flying their in England and am surprised at the snobby remarks aimed at patriotic English fans by certian parts of the (English based) media, but why do firms insist on treating customers in Wales as though we're also English?
I'm not suggestig an out right ban on English merchandise as Matalan have imposed on their stores in Scotland, but just treating England gear the same as they would with any other country's stuff. Here's a picture of a sport's shop in Aberystwyth
I get the impression this doesn't happen in Scotland, as one Digbeth takes exceptin to the Mars 'Believe' campaign also being run in Scotland. But Digbeth points out "The Mars thing is notable because it's a clumsy exception". You lucky, lucky bastards! ;-)
I'm not suggestig an out right ban on English merchandise as Matalan have imposed on their stores in Scotland, but just treating England gear the same as they would with any other country's stuff. Here's a picture of a sport's shop in Aberystwyth
I get the impression this doesn't happen in Scotland, as one Digbeth takes exceptin to the Mars 'Believe' campaign also being run in Scotland. But Digbeth points out "The Mars thing is notable because it's a clumsy exception". You lucky, lucky bastards! ;-)
posted by Rhys Wynne at 1:29 pm
8 Comments:
Oh dear. Sorry Rhys, & all other Welsh people, for our (English) cultural insensitivity. After all, it's not as if Wales don't have a decent football team.
I personaly like pub on the pond's (swansea) attitude they've been given a banner probably by the brewers, about watching world cup games there with associated picture of england fans with face painted with the flag.
the only thing is they have decided to fold over the picture of the england fans and try to represent the banner as a nationally neutral advertisement.
The shop seems to be closing down - is that in anticipation of the result? are they emigrating back to England? We should be told
probably a result of the reduced sales.
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*Lights blue touchpaper & runs!*
I'm not keen on the almighty display of St.Georges cross either. It just reeks of a really creap marketing ploy to get more people to enter the shop/pub.
"Look at us, we've got an England flag up, come and drink here during the game"
Thing is, I've hardly seen any other flags up? The George, Cardiff, has every single nations flag up - which is great in my opinion.
The tacky flags on the car? If anyone can tell me where to find a Swedish, Korean or Australian flag - that'd be great. Surely there's not only one flag being manufactured?
I've just looked at the pictures.
Cardiff isn't even that bad. There's almost no trace of an English flag in Swansea (bar the car flags).
The supermarket and that the car outside the National Library REALLY grated me.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I've just been away in Canada for over a week. I personally don't have a problem with English folk with St George car flags in Wales, I'm sure many that Welshmen/women who live in/visit Enlgand would fly the red dragon if we ever made it to the finals (sadly, we'll never know!).
What I object to is being treated as though we're all English or that we should support England. A billboard for London Pride next to Western Avenue beneath the Gabalfa flyover in Cardiff says 'Whatever you do, take pride -support English football'
The sports shop in question Peter, Gilesport is or at least was Welsh owned -it may well have been bought out a year or two back - strangley the branches in Cardiff and Blackwood have no big St George flag outside or bunting inside, so it must be down to the store manager rather than company policy.
Fine if he/she thinks they can shift lots of Enlgand shirts to the students and ex-pats who've moved to Aberystwyth, but I think it's a bit over the top.
And to accusations that we're being over-sensitive I'd like to see the response if sprot shops/pubs in Chester, Shrewsbury and Bristol were decked out in red dragons and the locals being told to get behing 'their' team (Wales).
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