UK to drop historic figures from banknotes and change them to images of wildlife

https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/03/uk-to-drop-historic-figures-from-banknotes-and-change-them-to-images-of-wildlife/

232 points · 33 comments · view on lemmy.world

33 Comments

anothermember@feddit.uk · 36 pts · 178d (9 replies)

Critics, though, have described the decision as “bonkers” or “not their finest hour”, lamenting the removal of iconic figures like Churchill in favour of creatures such as otters or badgers.

That's a really silly take, but predictable, designs have always rotated every 10-15 years or so. The Churchill note has only been around since 2016 for instance so is coming up due to be replaced. Just that this time it'll be nature instead of another historic figure, if it turns out they're better to prevent counterfeiting then that's the obvious choice since that's the reason they're rotated. No doubt the usual not-too-bright suspects won't understand any of that and call it "woke" I'm sure.

HaunchesTV@feddit.uk · 24 pts · 178d (7 replies)

No surprises...

daychilde@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 178d (4 replies)

I'm so tired of the fascist rhetoric. Fuck it, I'm fucking woke. I'm not a backwards regressive hateful spiteful jackass. Fine. I'm woke. Now fuck off?^[the assholes calling everyone woke, not the comment to which I've replied]

margaret_erine@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 178d (3 replies)

Lolz, I like that you're woke.

daychilde@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 178d (2 replies)

Might as well own it. I'm sure they've called things "woke" that I don't stand for, but most of what I hear boils down to tolerance and human rights. So fuck it. lol

margaret_erine@sh.itjust.works · -4 pts · 178d (1 reply)

Lolz, really? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

daychilde@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 178d

Do you have anything to contribute to the conversation?

anothermember@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 178d

Haha, brilliant, on cue!

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 176d

What's wrong with beavers, Nige? What are you into instead?

Kepion@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 10 pts · 178d

Joke reality

ol_capt_joe@piefed.ee · 33 pts · 178d (3 replies)

Bruv owes me 20 squid

dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de · 8 pts · 178d (2 replies)

Icl this had me rolling. Gimme 10 monkeys (£50 note) to pay back that monkey you owe (monkey as cockney rhyme for £500).

how_we_burned@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 178d (1 reply)

Give me 10 clams

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 176d

Pony up.

pancakes@sh.itjust.works · 28 pts · 178d (5 replies)

That's sweet. Money without people on it is the best, it shows what your country values when you don't have to pick influential figures.

northface@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 178d (3 replies)

Yeah - it values money.

TownhouseGloryHole@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 178d (2 replies)

Money with pictures of money on it!

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 176d

Quidception.

northface@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 177d

Gold, Jerry — it's gold!

margaret_erine@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 178d

I agree

khannie@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 178d

Hear me out.... Animals on everything except the 100 note. That goes to Attenborough as a surprise on his hundredth birthday later in the year.

Pricklesthemagicfish@reddthat.com · 9 pts · 178d

Oh no not my favorite pedos and war criminals !

Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 178d

And then you can count down as they go extinct.

ywain@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 178d

Now do chuck!

DarkCloud@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 178d

Churchhill... A big advocate of chemical weapons, which he used on the Russian Bolsheviks... But when it damaged his popularity he dumped a bunch of them into the ocean! They're still there... Just waiting to poison a bunch of stuff I guess.

TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 178d
[ removed ]
yermaw@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 178d

On Scottish notes there are animals, and the fish scales and otter fur light up so cool under UV. The Bank of England notes just have the 5/10/20 number hidden in UV.

I hope they make cool designs.

58008@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 178d

They should do this, and after putting various animals on various denominations, have one with Nigel Farage's face on it. Just leave it as-is, no caption or anything.

Amphibians need love, too.

daychilde@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 178d (1 reply)

Naturally…

margaret_erine@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 178d

They should drop it off asap..

HubertManne@piefed.social · 1 pts · 178d

I would so like to see this here. to much politcal naming and figure usage. I would like to not use any historical figures and use national scenary. maybe would give a bit more incentive to keep our natural areas in good condition to.

AmidFuror@fedia.io · 0 pts · 178d (2 replies)

As long as the animals and plants consent to having their images used in this way, it's probably fine. But please I hope they don't honor those asshole squirrels that are always raiding my bird feeders.

dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 178d

Damn grey ones did away with most of the nice red ones.

hector@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 178d

I have fed the birds for a few years, squirrels got 98 percent of it, there were dozens. I don't mind, I saved baby squirrels from a roomates cat and raised them, feeding them formula through a syringe then nuts and releasing them in spring, it was late in the year in the north I saved them.

Anyway, they all disappeared. I use no poison, neither do my neighbors, no one is shooting them, some predator just murdered like two dozen squirrels in my backyard. 100 yards away there are a few left. Pine Martin, perhaps an owl, idk.