House of Commons to vote on recording upon vellum
It would seem that the significance of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta was not sufficient to convey the true value of this most ancient of materials. When the House of Commons vote they will decide whether ‘recorded history’ will be accessible to those who follow many generations into the future.
I am told that the rationale is ‘cost saving’. To that end I have calculated the cost of Magna Carta at todays prices. It is the stunningly frugal sum of £0.63 per year. £6.40 per decade. £64 PER CENTURY. I will not try to determine how many tourists flock to see the Domesday Book or the Mappa Mundi, or the value of this revenue stream into the nations coffers. Nor will I ascertain how much it costs to burn unwanted skins or send them to landfill (an all too common final destination for unwanted skins).
I know of no other medium that offers excellent ‘data integrity’ with nigh on ‘maintenance free’ after-care for such a paltry sum. No air conditioners or hermetically sealed rooms for vellum! Historians have long since praised the importance of parchment and vellum. These writing mediums have provided more detail of earlier civilisations than any other artefact.
Whether you’re a calligrapher, book-binder, artist or musician. If your work or hobby bring you into contact with these wonderful materials, I encourage you to contact your MP and ask that he supports the continued use of vellum. It is extremely cost effective, has excellent ‘green’ credentials and has been recording our democracy for 8 centuries. The real question ought to be “Give one good reason why you WOULD stop using it?”
800 years ago, the will of the people was made known. Let it be so again.
Please contact your MP via the link below
http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/contacting-your-mp/
Very best regards to all,
Paul