I used to have to work with them. None of them could "read" or so they said - but show them an amount of money written on a piece of paper and they knew how much it was straight away.
This isn't racism by the way to any politically correct Aber out there. This isn't sterotyping a race this is an in bred (take that as you will !!) trait thats passed down generation to generation. I have never come accross a law abiding, tax paying (whether it be car tax, income tax etc)national insurance paying "traveller" as they wish to be called - and I've worked with hundreds. The ones who dont travel unless it's reclassified as being "chased" by the police - then they always go off to Ireland (for Ireland see Birmingham or some other "travellers" site. They will pinch anything that's not screwed down - then they would take a wrench to it anyway.
If anyone thought they were above the law it's travellers, pikeys, gypos - call them what you will. They dont pay car tax insurance or anything that the normal motorist pays - they cost me �30 per insurance premium I pay to pay for their uninsured recklessness. They do have permanant addresses - their's plenty of sites around here where they "live".
Viz had it exactly right about them !!