Tory MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have spent so much time in Brussels that they now cannot tell the difference between Birmingham (nicknamed "Brum"), West Midlands, and Birmingham, Alabama...
Tories mix-up American Birmingham with ours
By Bob Roberts
Political Editor
10/01/2008
Birmingham, UK - Birmingham is Britain's second biggest city
Birmingham, Alabama - Takes its name from Britain's Birmingham
Birmingham UK ... Brum’s Bullring centre is a landmark in Britain's second-biggest city
Birmingham, Alabama ... people playing silly boys' rounders
The real thing ... Birmingham City football team's St Andrew's stadium
Tories mix-up American Birmingham with ours
By Bob Roberts
Political Editor
10/01/2008
Birmingham, UK - Birmingham is Britain's second biggest city
Birmingham, Alabama - Takes its name from Britain's Birmingham
Bungling Tory MEPs put a shot of Birmingham, Alabama, on their website instead of the one they claim to represent in the West Midlands.
Visitors to the site were stunned to see skyscrapers towering over a southern US sprawl rather the Bullring and Spaghetti Junction.
Labour MP Tom Watson said: "These MEPs are obviously spending so long in Brussels they've forgotten what Britain's second city looks like.
"If they can spare the time to come back I would gladly give them a tour to remind them of the place. If they are lucky they may even get to meet a Tory voter."
Birmingham UK ... Brum’s Bullring centre is a landmark in Britain's second-biggest city
The gaffe, on the website of Philip Bradbourn, Malcolm Harbour and Philip Bushell-Matthews, was spotted yesterday and changed.
Their spokeswoman said: "Mistakes happen. Our web designer got his Birminghams mixed up." Mr Bradbourn boasts on the site how he promotes Birmingham in Europe.
Apparently, he loves the cookies and mom's fried green tomatoes.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
POPULATION: 229,424
Major Industries: Banking and insurance
History: Centre of the black civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s
Climate: Humid and subtropical where the average temperature is 90F at the height of summer
Birmingham, Alabama ... people playing silly boys' rounders
Sports teams: University of Alabama American Football Team
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BIRMINGHAM, UK
POPULATION: 1,006,500 (Britain's second-largest city)
Major Industries: Now commercial and retail.
History: Former Anglo-Saxon village (Birmingham takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon "Beorma ingas ham", meaning "home of the people of Beorma" - Beorma was a notable Anglo-Saxon who founded the place) which grew to become "workshop of the world" and birthplace of Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne.
Climate: Temperate. Average 68F in summer.
The real thing ... Birmingham City football team's St Andrew's stadium
Sports teams: Birmingham City and Aston Villa football clubs and Warwickshire County Cricket Club
bob.roberts@mirror.co.uk
mirror.co.uk
mirror.co.uk
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