"Colombia is one destination the robbers may consider"

I think Lassie's trying to tell us something.

Sometimes you can do a little to well?

I would not mind having 22million to dip into whenever I fancied something.

Surely those in the Northern Bank that allowed this farce to take place should all be arrested and charged with gross misconduct and theft.

God Save The Queen.

The Irish edition of the Sun has a front page "exclusive" today claiming the IRA are responsible for the robbery. Any of the SF/IRA fellow travellers on Slugger care to come out and deny it?

Keith M

The Sun? Have they any evidence or are they just guessing like everybody else?

According to The Examiner;

REPUBLICANS connected to the IRA have blamed disaffected members of the British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries for the Belfast bank raid.

An Phoblacht, the news service with an inside track on the thinking of the IRA, claimed the robbers had access to precise information on the bank's security. It also reported the gang "confidently operated with local knowledge of the County Down countryside in an area associated with unionist paramilitaries".

The report further said: "The raiders will experience considerable difficulty in capitalising on their success. The haul largely consists of cash in the North's peculiar local currency - although legal tender, is not accepted in Britain and can even be difficult to spend in the North."

Henry 94, I think I'd (just about) have more confidence in the Irish Sun than some annonymous "Republican connected to the IRA". However none of this answers my question. Do YOU think that the PIRA could have been responsible? (A simple yes or no will surfice).

Keith M

think I'd (just about) have more confidence in the Irish Sun

You pays your money and you makes your choice.

Do YOU think that the PIRA could have been responsible? (A simple yes or no will surfice).

No.

An Fleabite is wonderful- never let the truth interfere with the journalism lads! One of the few that manages to mske the Sun look respectable !

Northern bank notes can be difficult to use in NI ? yeah ?

Northern Bank notes not accepted in Britain ? I have never had a problem with spending any NI money in Scotland.

Maybe the peelers should be scanning Cavehill for signs of wispy white smoke?

This robbery has highlighted a previously unacknowledged advantage of NI banks printing their own notes.

In fairness Davros it can be kind of difficult to spend Ulster/First Trust/Northern/BoI notes in Britain. I've been turned away many times and even made the mistake of keeping an emergency stash whilst on holiday to be told (after much leafing through the big book of bank notes) in foreign banks that they weren't legal sterling currency. Which is nonsense.

You need to be more persistent, Donnie.

Donnie, It can be difficult in England, sure. But it's dishonest to claim that Northern Bank money is not accepted in Britain. I would also like to know where Northern Bank money isn't accepted in NI.

Willow, I'm the shy retiring type who gets shoddy service and moans to all and sundry about it rather than to the people that matter. I'm trying to get better on that score though :-)

But it's dishonest to claim that Northern Bank money is not accepted in Britain. I would also like to know where Northern Bank money isn't accepted in NI.

It isn't strictly true so you are right on that point. The second point is nonsense. I know some places don't take the plastic fivers if they can help it, but EVERYWHERE to my knowledge accepts Northern cash in NI.

Donnie, an P does a lot of damage to the SF cause by
it's blatently dishonest journalism. It's hard to take SF seriously when their rag puts out that sort of cobblers. Fair enough to have a republican slant, but obvious dishonesty reflects badly on the party they represent.

Out of interest does anyone know how many people actually read it? I remember years ago people used to come round the doors selling it but I don't think there were many takers.

NI notes are generally quite difficult to spend elsewhere in Britain. I go to England often enough and generally people like taxi drivers, restaurants etc will simply refuse to accept them, though larger chain shops will usually take them after a little bit of quibbling. If you go to any of the airports in NI (eg Belfast City) you'll often find the bank machines have a big sign - "This machine dispenses Bank of England notes" for precisely this reason.

It is a little misleading to say that NI banknotes are flat not accepted elsewhere, but it is on the other hand true to say that they are not legal tender in England and Wales (in fact, NI banknotes are not even legal tender in NI) which means that people are perfectly and legally entitled to refuse to accept such notes in settlement of a debt.

Donnie, I suspect it's main function these days is to keep the dollar donors convinced that but for their contributions there would be widespread pogroms.