We are all, in some way, homesick for a place that no longer exists. I cannot remember who first said that, but when I heard it, the world suddenly seemed a little easier to understand.

The country many of us grew up in feels different now. Not because the buildings have changed or the streets have moved, but because the spirit of it seems dimmer. There is something less colourful and a lot more bleak about today’s world. People seem more self-centred, more desperate, more driven by greed than by purpose. Inspiration feels harder to find, and courage even harder to act upon.

And yet, at a time when a sense of national identity might matter more than ever, the government has announced plans to remove several of Britain’s most beloved figures from our banknotes and replace them with British wildlife.

National icons such as Sir Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, and William Shakespeare — individuals whose ideas, words and actions shaped not only Britain but the wider world — may soon give way to images of hedgehogs or badgers. However charming those creatures may be, the decision feels baffling. It is difficult to see how replacing the faces of historic figures with wildlife strengthens our cultural identity.

Over time I have developed a thick skin when it comes to the daily news cycle. Scrolling through headlines has a way of dulling the senses. But this decision goes beyond the usual frustration. It leaves behind something closer to disbelief.

Because this is not simply about the artwork on a banknote. Symbols matter. They always have. The figures we choose to honour reflect the values we wish to remember and the achievements we hope to inspire.

The men and women who appear on our currency did not pursue greatness in the hope that one day their portrait might sit in someone’s wallet. They are there because their contributions shaped the country we inherited. They remind us of the creativity, bravery and sacrifice that helped define Britain.

Take Sir Winston Churchill. He was not merely a prime minister. He was a symbol of national resolve at one of the darkest moments in modern history. His presence on our currency is not simply decorative; it is a quiet reminder of those who stood against tyranny and paid the ultimate price to defend this country.

And yet today, figures such as Churchill, Shakespeare and Austen are increasingly described in some circles as “outdated”. Outdated? By whose measure? The idea that individuals who reshaped literature, politics and history itself could somehow expire with time seems deeply misguided.

This is not about resisting change. Nations evolve, as they always have. But progress should not require the quiet erasure of the people who helped build the foundations we stand upon.

Because when we remove the symbols that remind us who we were, we risk forgetting what we once aspired to be.

Patriotism is often praised in theory yet criticised in practice. We are told it is good to love our country, but increasingly discouraged from celebrating the people who made it remarkable. That contradiction cannot hold forever.

Banknotes may seem like small things — pieces of paper passed between strangers every day. Yet the faces printed upon them tell a story about what a nation chooses to remember.

The question is whether we still believe those stories are worth telling.