The Bank of England’s plastic banknote drive will soon include the £50 note, and the people at Sky News have reported “A new more secure version of the £50 note is set to enter circulation, with added features to prevent forgeries … The money will be printed on thin, flexible polymer that is cleaner and more durable than paper”. There was more.
“The Bank of England has announced the public will be able to nominate British figures to appear on the note”. And what kind of figures might be nominated?
First suggestion is Diana, Princess of Wales: “The Princess of Wales would be a controversial choice owing to the difficult relationship she had with the Queen (who will appear on the other side of the note). But her legacy of extensive charity work, which included fighting against the use of landmines, means many will believe she deserves a place on the new £50”. Another is Stephen Hawking.
Or how about Emmeline Pankhurst? “The leader of the suffragette movement which helped win women the right to vote. She set up the Women's Party which worked to achieve gender equality in public life”. Those who work in and around IT might favour Ada Lovelace, or indeed Alan Turing, “widely recognised as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. He worked as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War”. But then the right-wing has had to stick its oar in.
Yes, someone has suggested Margaret Thatcher, friend of totalitarian dictatorships, seller-off of so much of the public sector, squanderer of North Sea Oil revenues, bringer of more than 3 million unemployed, despised by whole regions of the UK, but revered by the right, and especially those who never experienced her leadership.
And who might be in the vanguard of the movement to effectively canonise the woman Norman St John Stevas once called “The Blessed Margaret”? As if you need to ask: step forward the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines of Guido Fawkes infamy. Yes, Mrs T is just the kind of leader favoured by a peddler of borderline Fake News whose CV includes running guns to aid and abet murderous régimes, backing Apartheid South Africa, a series of alcohol related convictions, a willingness to lie for his supper, and propensity to sell his services to the dodgiest of buyers (including the Russian Government).
The deeply unpleasant Staines has even started a petition on his increasingly piss-poor blog. But his choice is not shared by many others, with disquiet and even horror at the idea voiced across social media this morning. But there would be one advantage.
Seriously, though, there are more deserving candidates for the new Fifty than Mrs T. And any choice favoured by shysters like Staines just has to be opposed. End of story.
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16 comments:
I'm sure there's a rule that whoever appears on the notes (save the monarch) has to have been dead for a certain number of years, precisely to avoid this sort of problem with divisive figures.
Tim, I know and understand why you won't post this, but it's how I feel anyway:
If that loony cunt gets onto banknotes it will show just how much decency has been lost in this country.
As you were.
Thatcher by the roll on eBay - Soft and absorbent. Cuts down those unmentionable staines.
Time for an ethic minority to appear. The polymer is halal . .. ...
Can't remember the last time I saw a £50 note, and this would be one way of phasing them out of circulation - I mean, defacing them with devil horns and a speech bubble explaining how she still hates us would soon have individual notes withdrawn until they learn their lesson.
The day she died, all alone and unloved, was, I feel, a rather satisfying day for most of us.
Great news. I haven't been this excited since I pre-ordered the Schutzstaffel commemorative stamp collection from the Daily Mail supplement.
Thatcher was the logical consequence of the 'women on banknotes' kerfuffle of a few years back. It's too soon now, but it's still possible, because of the fact she was the UK's first female PM. Maybe we'll all have to be dead before it happens.
Has anyone found a counter petition for this?
When the day arrived for ' it's ' funeral. 16 of us left and went off to France for the day. A couple of people had guitars. This was sung...a lot!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xy3-R97wDKs
Considering the £50 note is used mainly by money laundering Russian oligarchs and tax dodgers, Thatcher will be right at home with those who just use the UK as a cover for their high crimes and dodgy vices.
Maggie's favourite minister Cecil Parkinson and former old boy of the Grammar school round the corner from us would have loved it if his heroine would be a welcoming figure to the crooked.
I would propose Harry Enfield an icon for these times.
Actually I should have clarified my comment in that it should be Enfield's "loads a money" character.
Awful idea. And so is the disgusting glee at her death displayed by certain other commenters, who I see remain anonymous throughout. Shame.
It would be fitting I suppose, since most working class people will never see one- partially because of the Tory policies. Can't remember who came up with that. Heck, I'm middle and I've barely ever seen them...
Noor Inayat Khan is the leading muslim candidate, l'd go for Edith Cavell or how about a lighter touch on our currency Dame Vera Lynn, Gracie Fields or Winifred Atwell, who covers the multicultural, equality and diversity bases?
Only a few in the Gnome Counties want this.
The rest of the country wants to dig up her bones and piss on them.
What about a threesome: Saville, Prince Charles and Margaret all sitting down having their Xmas dinner? Got to be the winner.
Cheers and bottoms up!
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