Robbing Peter to Pay Enda

There is a curious irony about the the current flags protest in the North. Those behind them from the Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist (PUL) community who wish to see the Union flag on display every day of the year at Belfast City Hall have inadvertently hoisted the Irish tricolour over economic fortunes.

Head of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA), Glyn Roberts has claimed that that retailers south of the border have seen a significant increase in shoppers from the North who wish to do their purchasing in a climate less volatile than currently exists in the North. To make matters worse there has also been a reported decrease in the shoppers from the Republic heading north.

The North's political leader, Peter Robinson, must rue how his counterpart in the Republic, Enda Kenny, is the beneficiary of a strategy meant to enhance the Union with Britain.

Retailers in the Republic can be expected to make hay while the sun shines and will be stocking up to take advantage of the new unanticipated market.

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