Off with her head

	The Penny Black and the new bardcode stamp Click photo for larger image.

As of this week, Britons are able to use their debit or credit cards to buy postage online, then print out a unique barcode directly onto envelopes. Progress, right? You may very well think that, but it could mean you haven't lived in a monarchy recently. The problem for many is, the barcode is not shaped like the queen's head. And so, for the first time in 166 years, since stamps were invented, the royal head will not grace all British postage. London Daily Mail readers were apoplectic:

"Another nail in the coffin of our once-great country. I bet Labour and its closet communists are pleased with themselves."

"How sad it all is. Our lovely royal tradition is disappearing. What is the point of destroying it?"

"Will somebody remind these people who are removing the Royal from institutions that we are not a republic and hopefully never will be?"

"Sack the Government and all its cronies. What a betrayal. Come on, you genuine Brits. Let's stand up and be counted."

dailymail.co.uk

Penny Black

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What you wouldn't know from these Daily Mail readers is that business mail has been sent without the queen's head for years, and there's been no uproar. And holdouts can still stroll down to the nearest Royal Mail post office and get a stamp with the royal visage.

The world's first official stamp, the Penny Black, was issued on May 6, 1840, and featured the young Queen Victoria. The reigning monarch's head has graced British stamps ever since. Britain is the only country that has seen no need to put its name on postage stamps. Penny Black? It cost a penny and was black.

Creeping de-royalism

It's true that officialdom is gradually removing the monarchy from the names of the country's public institutions. Her Majesty's Prison Service has been renamed the National Offender Management Service. Her Majesty's Stationery Office is now The Stationery Office. The staff of the new Serious and Organized Crime Agency, which includes police officers, immigration and customs officials, are not asked to swear allegiance to the Crown and the Queen. This is at odds with the oath traditionally sworn by police officers. It's only a matter of time before the Royal Mail becomes Letters 'R' Us.

These people happen to like it

From the scotsman.com:

"This is extremely cool and is a genuine move forward by the Post Office in that it focuses on customers' needs ."

"The U.S. has had this service for years, plus you can design your own stamp and I don't believe they have gone off!"

"This will save me having to queue up behind all the benefit-scrounging, soap-dodging types one finds in post offices."

"WOW! Next you'll be able to print out envelopes, too. To think how technology has moved forward during my lifetime. (Actually a very good idea although so are the stamp machines, like they have in Germany. They are in 10 languages and print out any value you request!)"

"This will also be much better than putting your money into a stamp machine, watching it roll back out, trying again, and again, eventually money taken, then no stamps, having to queue at the post office, explaining what happened, being looked at as if one is trying to get one over on them."

Stiff upper-lip, philatelists

The Daily Telegraph (London) called it a bad week for the world's 30 million stamp-collectors. "It is hard for even the most ardent philatelists to get excited by a series of black lines or by starting a virtual album. So does this spell the end for stamp collections? Of course not. The Stanley Gibbons 100 Index, the experts' guide to the price of stamps, has risen by 50 percent in six years. If no more are issued, those that are left will become more valuable. The real loser will be the Post Office, which won't have collectors rushing to pick up the latest first-day covers, and those of us who cling to the art of letter writing. Some communications -- condolences and major thank-yous -- still require formality, and modern technology, be it barcode or e-mail, seems inadequate."

On with her head!

Tim Dowling of The Guardian:

"As a potent symbol of officialdom, the Queen's head will live on, and there are several proposals that will keep the brand fresh:

"Queen's Head Film Guide. A range of five haughty expressions provide a quick visual reference for a new set of ratings by the British Board of Film Certification: RG (Rather Good); TM (Terribly Modern); UI (Utterly Incomprehensible); NOCOT (Not One's Cup of Tea); and N (No).

"Police Fast-Track Badge. Time-stamped sticker featuring a smiling Queen and the words 'I Have Been Stopped And Searched Once Already Today,' to be issued by the police in order to allow previously profiled commuters to continue their journeys without further hindrance.

"Her Majesty's Pleasure Range. A speciality range of prison-made organic jams, soaps and scented candles, all carrying the Queen's unmistakable profile alongside the warning 'May Contain Spit.'

"Aging Queen Food Freshness Hologram. Every likeness of HM Queen Elizabeth II ever used on a stamp has been incorporated into this foodstuff freshness indicator: the older she looks, the longer those eggs have been in the fridge.

"Anti-Crime 'Demon Eyes' Queen's Head Billboard. Portable billboard featuring a stern, watchful monarch and the flashing slogan 'One False Move, Sunshine, And You'll Be Making Jam This Time Next Week.'"