Thinking Allowed

Monday 11th August

A reminder that our next meeting will be next Monday, when the subject will be ‘What should appear on our bank notes – and why?’ Some background notes can be found here.

As the notes indicate, this topic was prompted by a public consultation by the Bank of England to help decide the very topic we will be considering. The chief cashier (who signs each of our bank notes – what a time-consuming task that must be) comments in the consultation (the full comment is in the notes for Monday): ‘Banknotes are more than just an important means of payment – they serve as a symbolic representation of our collective national identity and an opportunity to celebrate the UK.’ So our bank notes carry more than a guarantee of payment: they say something about who we are.

Those coming to the meeting are invited to think of what they would like on the back of our bank notes and the reason why they would like that particular image. There will be an opportunity for those who wish to speak about their choice. All are welcome whether or not you bring any suggestions. Furthermore, if there is anybody who will not be at the meeting but have ideas about what should appear on the back of our bank notes, you can email me with your ideas and the reason why it should appear there and we can include it in our conversation (brianc@briancastle.org).

As usual we meet at 7pm in the Villagers’ Stores. The bar will be open from 6.30pm. Stimulating conversation and poetry will be among the ingredients of the evening.

Brian Castle
Mary Noble