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New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

bbc.co.uk

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Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#151

Post by carmen_sandiego »

Symbiote wrote: post #141
carmen_sandiego wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true, the one place I see them most often is being smuggled out of China. Actually I have gotten them from cash machines in Covent Garden before as well. Since then I've wondered what criteria they use to pick denominations for each area.

It's probably difficult to find something to buy for £5 around Covent Garden, and no problem to spend £50. I'd much prefer some £50 notes than an empty cash machine. There's also a high cash demand from tourists, and a high nighttime demand (when machines won't be refilled). > smuggled out of China That's unfair: completely honest tourists often have £50 notes, regardless of where they come from. The currency exchang…

Sorry, when I say "smuggled out of China", I don't mean it was illicitly gained cash or anything. China doesn't allow the export of currency above a certain (pretty restrictive) amount, so people sneak it out. I don't agree with that rule and it's not illegal to import that money to the UK, so I didn't intend any negative meaning with my comment. But since it is illegal in China, I think smuggling is the right term.

Anyway, the relevance to our conversation: since value density is highest with £50 notes, that's what they tend to bring.

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#152

Post by vkou »

notahacker wrote: post #67
vkou wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless the UK has undergone a revolution in the past 80 years, I'm afraid to say that it is still the same government. The people involved are different, but just like in a company, it doesn't matter if the C-suite changes over the years - its still the same organization. Like a corporation, that government definitely feels bound by the obligations made by its predecessors, and, likewise, feels entitled to receive an…

There are many valid criticisms of the present government including in human rights areas, but considering it to be morally culpable for the legally-sanctioned harassment of a gay man before most of its MPs were born (and before the actual PM backed his party's pro gay-marriage faction and its MPs passed a law to formally pardon people convicted of Turing's "offence") simply because it respects its predecessors' debt…

If governments don't inherit guilt, why do they occasionally feel the need to apologize and compensate people for past repression? Why do other governments being up old disputes, to justify current antagonism?

The UK's recent actions towards Turing were very much not an apology, however.

Nearly all repression was the law of the land at the time it was carried out. If the German or Russian, or American government 'forgave' the ethnic groups it's predecessor mistreated, there would be an incredibly justified uproar about it (Because as the transgressor, the government should be the one asking for forgiveness, not giving it. And for two of them, it would not even a direct successor of the government responsible!)

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#153

Post by lifeisstillgood »

ragnese wrote: post #86
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was not exactly inaccurate, more dumbed down. The film covered the basics well I thought, his early life, the impact of a relationship with a boy named "Christopher", the use of Bombe in breaking Enigma and the secrecy needed to keep the code-breaking from everyone. His personal life was I thought fair - it certainly compared role of women and gay men, and said something about need for brain not brawn. It did dumb…

I was very disappointed in the portrayal of "Christopher"! They have him say "boy" but they never clarify that the "boy" was 19 years old. I have little doubt that some people left the movie thinking that Turing was a pedophile.

Not that boy - Turing had a ... love affair (?) / crush (?) on a fellow school student (christopher) in their teens at boarding school. The boy died tragically during a summer vacation, having a profound effect on Turing.

Christopher was the name he gave to the first Bombe I think.

I don't think any part of the film implied pedophilia - not at all.

NB - all above is from memory.

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#154

Post by laurencerowe »

inglor_cz wrote: post #142
strong_opinions wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She's a very old woman now and will be dead soon enough. It would be nice if that precipitated the end of the monarchy here. Depose them, seize all their land and other assets, it's only fair. Useless scroungers, the lot of them.

And welcome to the world where complete idiots win presidency with 51 per cent of the vote, or even after losing the popular vote, because federalism says so. Imagine something like the Brexit referendum every four years. Shitty leaders are an universal plague.

In Britain, it was often said the argument against ending the monarchy could be made in three words: President Margaret Thatcher...

Ireland and Germany seem to have done okay with their ceremonial presidents though. There’s no way the House of Commons would ever allow the dilution of their power by creating an executive presidency like France or the US.

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#155

Post by bananapear »

holistio wrote: post #103

I've lived in London for a while, and I'm still fascinated how uncommon £50 notes were. You try to pay with one and they look at you as if you were some kind of drug lord. Hop over to Switzerland, and you can buy a coffee with a 1000 franc (GBP780) note without any issues.

There are certain cash machines in the Square Mile which reliably dispense £50s

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#156

Post by ksec »

holistio wrote: post #103

I've lived in London for a while, and I'm still fascinated how uncommon £50 notes were. You try to pay with one and they look at you as if you were some kind of drug lord. Hop over to Switzerland, and you can buy a coffee with a 1000 franc (GBP780) note without any issues.

I still dont quite understand the psychology behind it. £50 notes isn't even that much money in modern day. And there are no £100 notes either.

I guess everyone is so used to Digital Payment and do not want to deal with the hassle of cash.

Personally I love cash.

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#157

Post by nvoid »

billpg wrote: post #53
nvoid wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Citation needed

The UK occasionally makes tributes to historical figures by producing new series of bank notes with their picture.

That's not what I was querying. I was wondering why you thing the UK will move to the Euro? We just left the EU and even when we were in it, we kept our currency.

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#158

Post by smegger001 »

yumraj wrote: post #147
gherkinnn wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's quite extraordinary. She's met so many heads of state over the years. They all came and went and yet she remains. The first list I found of her meeting US presidents: https://time.com/5333083/queen-elizabeth-trump-visit-preside...

> They all came and went and yet she remains. She didn't have to be elected..

She may not need to be elected but there has been on going push to do away with the monarchy for her whole reign. She is still around as head of state only because she has managed to not say anything politically divisive and not stick her foot in her mouth for 70ish years.

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#159

Post by smegger001 »

tim333 wrote: post #149
strong_opinions wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She's a very old woman now and will be dead soon enough. It would be nice if that precipitated the end of the monarchy here. Depose them, seize all their land and other assets, it's only fair. Useless scroungers, the lot of them.

Aw. They're fun for the tourists. Also look at our neighbours who got rid of their royals and ended up run by Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.

more than that the royal family owns the crown estates as personal property. (its not a royal thing, it a thing that happens to be owned by the royal family) They lease it to the UK government and bellow market value rate. it is worth over 5 pounds. if the royal family were to have the crown removed they could end their current lease similtanously causing the government to have major problem and crater the uk realestate market

Re: New Alan Turing £50 note design is revealed

#160

Post by ragnese »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #153
ragnese wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was very disappointed in the portrayal of "Christopher"! They have him say "boy" but they never clarify that the "boy" was 19 years old. I have little doubt that some people left the movie thinking that Turing was a pedophile.

Not that boy - Turing had a ... love affair (?) / crush (?) on a fellow school student (christopher) in their teens at boarding school. The boy died tragically during a summer vacation, having a profound effect on Turing. Christopher was the name he gave to the first Bombe I think. I don't think any part of the film implied pedophilia - not at all. NB - all above is from memory.

I'm sorry- I had my wires crossed.

I'm also speaking from memory, but I remember being pretty upset that they weren't more explicit about his crime being strictly homosexuality and not about the partner's age.

I found the clip on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RQBPs5Dkzg

The only actual description of his crime, if I recall, was that single sentence: "[...] accused of intriguing a young man to touch my penis [...]" at about 50 seconds into that clip.

I don't know. Maybe not everyone would interpret that description badly, but it doesn't even sound consensual to me. It sounds like he's describing himself as being accused of manipulating a child.

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