Piggy bank pork pies

express front page
Remember the political-correctness-gone-mad story about the Halifax and Nat West banning piggy banks so as not to offend Muslims? The Daily Express led with it, as did several internet news sources and a few of the more intemperate blogs.

Well, Australian Mediawatch reveals that it wasn’t true.

The Halifax press office said in an email to Mediawatch:

Halifax has not withdrawn any piggy banks from branches. As a matter of fact we have not used piggy banks in our branches for a number of years.

And the media relations office of the Nat West wrote:

There is absolutely no fact in the story. We simply had a UK wide savings marketing campaign, which included pictures of piggy banks, running until the end of September.

Piggy banks have been and will continue to be used as a promotional item by NatWest

Which just goes to show you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the Daily Express, and that blogs can sometimes contain factual inaccuracies. Who’d have thought it?

(Via Al-Hack at Pickled Politics)

UPDATE: Peter has a suggestion: “Anyone want to join in a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission? Clause 12 (Discrimination) and Clause 1 (Accuracy) should cover it.”


8 Responses to “Piggy bank pork pies”

  1. Andrew Nixon says:

    blogs can sometimes contain factual inaccuracies

    Apart from this one of course! And mine, I hope……

  2. […] Guess what: It’s bollocks. […]

  3. […] They said it themselves: It’s hogwash. The Daily Express, that is. […]

  4. […] Guess what: It’s bollocks. […]

  5. FJ says:

    The mail’s recent story on Lambeth renaming Christmas Lights ‘Winter Lights’ was a load of baloney as well. You might like to add that to any PCC referral.

  6. Waffle says:

    Caning a diabetic dog

    A repeat performance from Andrew Rilstone in which he demolishes another "PC Brigage" story, taking off with the headline”Yes, it’s hard to believe, but now Santa AND Christmas lights have been banned.”. Upon closer examination, the actual…

  7. […] is not making it up, but British tabloid the Daily Express did, as was widely reported several weeks ago. Ferrigno also thinks that British Christianity is in a bad way: Last week the […]