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Scottish Banknotes
Have you ever been embarrassed when you were abroad by a refusal to accept your
Scottish banknotes? That’s what happened to Bill Lawns’ 71 year old mother during a
flight from Prestwick to Poland last April.
Here’s what happened
Bill and his brother Danny had taken their mum and her three pals on a holiday break to Slovakia, travelling with Hungarian company Wizz Air.
During the flight Bill’s mum wished to treat them all to teas and coffees – but when she
offered a Scottish twenty pound note the flight attendant said she could only take
Zlotys, Euros or ‘British money’. The elderly lady was rather taken aback by the
situation she found herself in; fortunately one of the party managed to produce a Bank
of England £20 note whereupon the stewardess informed them categorically “this British
money” pointing to it and “this not real money” indicating the Scottish note.
Bill was very upset by the embarrassment caused to his mother, and after some
discussion with the chief stewardess on the flight he decided to take some action after
returning from holiday. Luke Farajallah, manager of the airline, offered a humble
apology and the absolute assurance that in future Wizz Air staff will be trained to accept
Scottish banknotes. (Great result –well done and thanks to Wizz Air - now you know
which airline to choose for your next trip to Warsaw, Prague etc!)
However despite the satisfactory outcome with the airline, Bill’s anger and sense of
injustice had been aroused, and he began to research what was behind the situation most
of us have found ourselves in at one time or another when our money has either been
refused or we have had to pay a premium for using a Scottish note.
And that’s when his campaign started, of which an E-Petition to Downing Street is the
start. - - - - - ! (Sign the petition – see link below)
Bill contacted the Scottish Government, members of all the main Scottish parties, the
Scottish Daily Express (which had been running a ‘save our Scottish banknotes’
campaign), and researched the history behind what “legal tender” actually means.
Bill did this, not for any chauvinistic reason, but because he could not understand why in
Britain we rightly bend over backwards to be inclusive in every area of life; yet his
mother was discriminated against and the Scottish and UK Governments do not take the
same robust stance to protect a Scottish Banknote ‘User’ as they do with protecting the
cultural differences of the many foreign residents and visitors to our country.
Bill found that Scottish bank notes could be exchanged in Poland, Slovakia and the
Czech Republic – but at a lesser rate than Bank of England money – that is if they are
accepted at all! Bill’s argument is that if Scottish money is good enough to be exchanged
in the banks of these countries, then it should be exchanged at the same rate as Bank of
England notes.
BACKGROUND HISTORY
“The problem lies with the terms of the original Act of Union in 1707; although Scotland
was allowed to continue printing its own bank notes, only coinage is legal in Scotland.
Bank of England notes are not even ‘legal tender’ in Scotland. Interestingly, cheques and
credit cards are not legal tender anywhere in the UK although they are universally
accepted” said Bill.
“So, even though as a country Scotland has no ‘legal’ tender banknotes, Scotland has a
proud and distinct cultural heritage of using its own banknotes for over 300 years. This
tradition needs protecting and laws put in place that ensure that in the rest of the UK and
in Europe, a Scottish banknote ‘User’ cannot be discriminated against over a Bank of
England banknote ‘User’. Europe puts many laws in place to protect the distinct
differences of its nation states and the Scottish banknote needs to be protected, as does
my right not to be discriminated against when I use Scottish banknotes in England and
Europe” he continued.
Decisions regarding the status of Scottish bank notes now lie with the Westminster and
Holyrood Governments and as a starting point the E-Petition, which Alex Salmond has
been requested to sign, is Bill’s kick off point to address the whole issue. If there are
more than 200 signatures, the UK Government will respond to the petition!
So – if you want to change things, or at least open a debate on the subject – go to the
website NOW and register your name! (see link below)
Bill has also stated that although he is angry and passionate about this subject his
campaign is in no way anti-English. His English friends and other English people he has
spoken to agree that resolution of the situation is long overdue. What was an
embarrassment and inconvenience whilst travelling to England is now a divisive and
ludicrous situation for any Scot in Europe. He is gathering support from people of every
political persuasion. He says, “None of the political parties will give any of their
parliamentary time to address what is basically a discrimination issue. Why should I as a Scot be refused or given a lesser rate of exchange in Poland or Slovakia than my
counterpart from Manchester or London? Moreover, why are the UK and Scottish
Governments not doing anything about it?”
Bill Says...
“I am grateful to dunoonpeeps.com for this interview; it has provided an opportunity for
me to focus on my next step. My own mother laughs when I say that we have no legal
banknotes in this country, and I daresay that most Scottish people think the same. I
believe that our ‘Scottishness’ has allowed us in the past to be able to deal with any
situation where we have come across refusal in England; you either walk away if your
money is refused, or make a fuss, or give in and use English money. Yet, I believe this
situation with Europe has to be dealt with and that it is intolerable that Scottish money is
refused when Bank of England money is acceptable. I manage a multi-cultural centre in
Glasgow and our Polish, Slovakian and other Europeans members that I speak to
exchange all their Scottish money to Bank of England notes before they return home, as
their respective Countries banks and exchange bureaus will give them a lesser rate of
exchange and in some instances will charge a commission for Scottish money which they
do not for Bank of England banknotes.”
“It is intolerable that as the countries of Europe learn to live with and better understand
each other, at the same time they look on Scottish banknotes as being of a lesser value in
Europe to those of the Bank of England. They are not and this fact needs to be
proclaimed by every Government in Europe.”
“My initial approach with Holyrood and Westminster was designed to raise debate but I
hope to light a fire under every Scot and English person and every European to no longer
accept this divisive practice.”
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