Be Excellent To Each Other

From that link:



I can understand why the Scottish felt the need to add a Scottish flag to their version of the UK coat of arms, but why swap the pointy donkey and the cat around? They're just being awkward.

I love that there's a bit for England, a bit for Scotland, a bit for Ireland, and a bit for Wa...nah, fuck it - just do England's bit again.

Just like the flag, isn't it.

I do think a big fuck off dragon on the Union Jack would be good, though.

Actually, just a dragon. A live one. On a flag pole.

Not sure how you'd do half-mast with that, though.

Close enough

The 2p is from some kind of animal-themed goalkeeper game.

Wales don't get one anything - only full kingdoms get a mention on the flag, apparently (although Ireland "kingdom" claim is pushing it a bit now ). Wales are only a crappy principality, so they get zip.

I like the fact that we had France on the Royal crest until 1801 - we still desperately claimed that we were in change of France as well, despite not owning any of it for about 300 years.

It used to be two unicorns. They then added the English flag and the corresponding 'Imperially crowned golden lion of England'. Apparently.

Wales and England had formed a union when the Union Jack/Union flag (whatever) was created, and as Wales was a principality and not a separate kingdom it did not qualify to have it's own place on the flag. I saw this on the news (or maybe QI) a few months ago.

I think I've spotted what's wrong with this country. It's got unicorns in the emblem thing.

That's because it represents England, Scotland, Ireland and Narnia.

The unicorn symbolises Scotland. Are you implying the Scots are what’s wrong with this country?

Racist!

The Scots are symbolised by a horse wearing a party hat on its nose?

No. The Scots are symbolised by a chained up horse wearing a party hat on its nose.

They were chained up in their own scottish heraldic device too, though. So did the Scots see themselves as chained up even before they capitulated to their Southern neighbours? Maybe by their reliance on the French?

I think they saw themselves as tamed.

True, this is also why Wales has "An assembly", like the local London one and not a Parliament (Like Scotland)

I believe the difference between having an assembly or a parliament is to do with the legislative powers that have been devolved.

True.

I like pointing out to Welshmen that Wales isn't a country and never has been. It makes them even more angry.

And, IIRC, the Union between England and Scotland came about because of Scots. So they've only got themselves to blame, really.

I think it was a combination of Scotland being broke and England wishing to ensure that Scotland didn’t make alliances with anyone against them.

I liked Sir Christopher Frayling's pre-emptive rebuttal on that point: "There are 806 million Britannias in circulation at the moment."

In other news, the Americans have apparently been doing some redesigning, too—somewhat less successfully:

Keep watching.




Note to sub: Check thread.

Shall I email them and tell them that they've forgotten to make a £2 coin?

This future money is acceptable.

It's not as good as the new £20 is, but it's acceptable.

I love the new coins. I think that they are eye-catching and well designed - modern, but without losing the traditional symbolism of our coinage.

I think they're brill. They're not changing the £2 coin, btw.

I guessed that. I think it's a same - I'd have liked a full matching set, and the £2 is my favourite coin in size and shape.

Why oh why oh why have we still not ditched coins in favour of Doozers? Eh? EH? If a better currency system exists, I'd like to hear about it.

Doozers?

Doozers. Yes.

Oh, OK. I'm up for that.

That or livestock. I quite fancy going to the newsagents accompanied by a camel, three sheep and a goat. Not sure how you'd break a goat for change, though.

Anyway - back on topic, I think the new coins look quite good. I heard the bloke from the mint on Today the other morning (before they officially told the world what the new coins looked like) and he said that they would please both traditionalists and (I forget his phrasing for the next bit so I apologise if I've not quite managed to capture the gist of it) modern trendy arty twats.

They do indeed seem to have been able to be all things to all people with these (except the Daily Mailspress, of course, who would only be happy if the reverse of every coin and note had either Diana or Maddie stabbing a Frenchman in the face).

So - I approve, and shall be buying some.

Like the design, but the fact that the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p combine to form the design of the £1 sort of suggest that they also add up to £1. When they actually add up to 88p.

When you arrange them there are little gaps between the coins.

That's your missing 12p.

Excellent answer! They've thought of everything.

I like the 5p best, but hate 5p coins.

When can we get rid of 1 and 2 pence coins? They're just a bother.

I'd have redesigned them for £34,995, and they'd have blinked too.

I'd have put a portion of fish and chips on the back of the 1p, a cup of tea on the 2p, a pearly king on the 5p, a bulldog biting a poodle on the 10p, someone being sick on the 20p, some rain on the 50p and some sort of trumpet motif on the £1.

What's on the back?

The Maj's Chevy Chase, innit. In jigsaw form. And her nose is missing.

Various face parts of Queen Lizzie. Add them together like a Mr Potato Head.

Do we get to make up some cool slang for loose change now?

We need a really obscure word for 'shields'.

"Scutum", said with a broad cockerney accent (thus dropping the "t" to a partial glottal stop).

Buckler is pretty cool.

"Awright guv, spare some bucklers?"

Only a matter of time before someone shortens it to a 'buck' though.

Gok Wan

A few folk on the BBC website have raised the very valid point that having no numerals might be a bad omission- both for visitors who don't speak the language and the blind.

Well, Johnny Foreigner can jolly well learn it then, can't he, what?

The blind should be fine, since the coins are all very different shapes and/or weights. The lack of numbers might be an issue for some, I guess.

That's easy - it's usually three hens.

<Looks at RHS side of the screen>

That's that Devonshire joke fucked, then.

EDIT: LHS of screen, you oaf, maliA!

/me slaps Mali A