The public is weighing in on who should be on the new £50 note, with surprising results

The debate on whose face belongs on the new £50 note rages on. The Bank of England announced earlier in the week that the £50 note won’t be discontinued, but will be replaced with a new polymer note. Since then, the suggestion to have Margaret Thatcher on the new note hasn’t gone down well:

https://twitter.com/trotty_jj/status/1053199411495473152

Oh dear. Some nobs are petitioning for Thatcher to appear on the £50 note. Have we literally been through everyone who has ever been born cos if we haven’t I cannot understand why we would put the most evil woman in British history on our bank notes? Just use Po from teletubbies

— Tony Padilla #JFT97 Don’t buy the S*n (@DrTonyPadilla) October 19, 2018

Alternatives

Along with Po from the Teletubbies, people have come forward with several other alternatives for potential candidates. Some suggestions came from pop culture and sports:

Imagine being able to pay for something with @Louis_Tomlinson's face 😆😍 https://t.co/LBEL79CiKq

— Capital (@CapitalOfficial) October 18, 2018

We need to make this happen. What's more poetic than replacing the Queen with @QueenWillRock on the new £50 note. 💷? #FreddieMercury pic.twitter.com/O0NA3auMfm

— Sky Arts Awards (@SkyArts) October 18, 2018

It’s worth noting that a petition to put England footballer Harry Maguire, atop an inflatable unicorn, on the new note has gained considerable support:

If the petition for Maguire riding a unicorn on the new £50 note receiving more signatures than Thatcher, makes you proud to be British, please RT. https://t.co/5r3yVk4rAy

— Nicola James (@NAJ562) October 18, 2018

And there have also been some truly sensible suggestions, such as the late MP Jo Cox:

#bbcqt My vote for the person to be on the new £50 note. Please let it be Jo Cox. "We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” pic.twitter.com/gnOYUe6vII

— Paul Dreczko (Recycle Now) 🇵🇱 🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@Paul_D1963) October 18, 2018

Having an iconic Black woman on the new note would be a welcome change, too:

3 iconic black British women who should be on the cover of the new £50 note – Face2Face Africa https://t.co/NyKVFEmXZe

— Farida Farouk (@FaridaDawkins) October 19, 2018

Petitions

Supporters have started petitions for various personalities to receive the honour:

We completely reject the idea that Thatcher should be on the new £50 note. Here’s our version of what we’d like to see: the creator of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan becoming the first Welsh person on a bank note. #nyeonthenote

We support the petition too: https://t.co/Tk2F244vFP pic.twitter.com/nzVJ3VaegJ

— Merthyr Rising 🚩 (@merthyrrising) October 19, 2018

And there’s a particular desire for minority representation on the new note, including nurse and community worker Mary Seacole:

"… a fitting tribute to her contribution to the nursing and caring profession as well as a historical role model for women and for people from African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic communities in Britain."

Get Mary Seacole on the new £50 note: https://t.co/ACUyPf42Gh

— Ethnicity Awards / Investing in Ethnicity (@EthnicityInvest) October 19, 2018

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi is backing the campaign to have Muslim WWII spy Noor Inayat Khan on the new note. Although not everyone is convinced:

A Muslim patriot who gave her life defending us from facism. Support @Zehra_Zaidi in her campaign for Noor Inayat Khan to be the face of the £50 note https://t.co/Xe4OL05kHD

— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) October 17, 2018

The whole discussion around “Muslim patriots” +“Muslim armed forces personnel” is so problematic. Patriotism is only ever expected/demanded from marginalised groups.

— Afroze (@afrozefz) October 17, 2018

The pattern appears to be: we prove our commitment to British Values by having a Union Jack all over the building owned by the muslim org in question, and regular invites to the armed forces.

We need a better understanding of difference betw a citizen and a subject

— CAGE International (@CAGEintl) October 17, 2018

“Muslims are only to be valued and promoted if they serve an interest of the British establishment” and that be recognised by putting them on a bank note.

— Abdul-Hannan (@drhannan) October 18, 2018

But ultimately, whoever goes on the new £50 note, it’s important to remember the bigger picture:

I don’t care if Thatcher is on the new £50 note. Thanks to her I’ll never see one.

— Mr Ethical (@nw_nicholas) October 17, 2018

Whatever happens, we can likely agree on one thing. Any of the proposed alternatives would be a considerable step up from Margaret Thatcher.

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Featured image via Flickr/Images Money.