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Anger in UK over wildlife pictures on banknotes

Some people in the UK are angry that pictures on British banknotes will change. Their anger has been caused by the Bank of England replacing famous historical figures with wildlife. The process to make this change was democratic. More than 26,000 people voted after a public discussion. The theme of nature was the most popular choice. This means national heroes like WWII leader Sir Winston Churchill, writer Jane Austen, and artist JMW Turner will be replaced by animals and birds. Sustainability expert Ali Fisher said: "This is a powerful reminder of how deeply people feel connected to and value British wildlife." She added: "It's a beautiful opportunity to put biodiversity in all our hands."

The Bank explained that images of wildlife would make faking banknotes more difficult. It said nature was a great choice when looking at the security of banknotes. Despite this, many leading politicians are very unhappy about removing the historical figures. The head of the Conservative Party said: "Removing Churchill from banknotes is erasing our history. Changing the pictures to put wild animals on them is a silly thing to do. I absolutely do not support it." The Liberal Democrat Party leader said: "I can't think of a worse time to do this with a war waging in Europe." However, Churchill's granddaughter had no problem with an animal replacing her grandfather.

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Talk about these words from the article.

 angry / banknotes / bank / democratic / discussion / choice /

artist / biodiversity / bird / wildlife / nature / politician /
      historical figure / history / silly things / war / grandfather

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Discussion

1) Did you like reading this article? Why/not?

2) What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'banknote'?

3) Is the British English word 'banknote' or American English 'bill' best?

4) What do you think of the design of banknotes in your country?

5) Do you like banknotes, or is digital money better?

6) What are the pros and cons of using cash?

7) What do you think of the anger in the UK over the wildlife pictures?

8) Which are better to put on banknotes, wildlife or national heroes?

9) How connected do you feel to nature?

10) How much do you worry about biodiversity?