I am not making this up. The news was in my local paper, and I'm quoting various accounts.

quote:

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The EU's Investment Fund Chief Francis Carpenter this week demanded that places such as London's Waterloo Station and Trafalgar Square be re-named in case the thousands of French who arrive on Eurostar trains feel insulted at the reminder of Britain's historic defeat of Napoleon.

He wants London's Waterloo to be renamed Europe Station, and Trafalgar Square to become Concord Square. He wrote: "Why not give them a more European theme?"

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But wasn't that the whole point of having the Eurostar trains come in to Waterloo station?

So this guy's going to go round the whole of Europe, wiping out any trace that the member nations ever went to war with each other, is he? That shouldn't be too difficult...

It's not that different from taking the "Indian" mascot away from the Illini teams. I definitely think it is hypersensitivity.

There has been much discussion about this on the travel boards. The general opinion is that the man's a thorough pest who's obviously being paid too much and doesn't have enough work to do.

As he's working for the EC, that seems likely to be 100% true!

Richard English