WAS John Lennon more important than Shakespeare? Was Churchill greater than Nelson? Readers in Sydney or San Francisco may be blissfully unaware of the fact, but in recent weeks people in Britain have been sucked into a national debate over such questions. The BBC has been urging people to vote for the greatest Briton of all time.
There are 10 candidates – Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell, Princess Diana, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Newton and Darwin, as well as the aforementioned four. Each is sponsored by a television personality. And the story so far is not so much of a rigorous debate…
