Hertsscot Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 In the light of Charlottesville: 1) Do you think statues in public places should be removed? 2) If yes, then are there any in particular that you would like to see go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 That's a great question. That involves lots of stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 The thing with Charlottesville and a lot of the confederate statues in the South is they don't date back to the Civil War era or even the period shortly after, the mostly date to the 1950s and 1960s and were essentially a GIRFUY to the Civil Rights movement. For that reason I think they are a lot more contentious than if the statue had been there since say 1870. As far as Scotland is concerned I can think of many statues to people who I don't think are worthy of gaming a public monument but I wouldn't advocate tearing any down as I think that for good or bad they are part of history and that we should always remember our history. Also, who am I to say who's statue should be kept up and who's should be torn down. In an independent Scotland - as Angry Salmond would put it - I certainly wouldn't advocate tearing down any statues or changing street or town names as they did in Ireland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironbrew Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Interesting questions. Likewise for street names. When I was younger I`d have been in favour of removing statues, changing street names etc but now I think it should only be done in extreme cases (statues of dictators etc)as I don`t think it`s necessary or even positive to remove history even if we don`t like it. I`m in favour of independence but that doesn`t mean that we should remove statues with connections to rest of UK after independence or disown or discredit Scottish writers, sports people, scientists etc just because they weren`t known nationalists. In Catalonia recently some more extreme nationalists were wanting to change names of streets in a village with names of famous artists and writers including Salvador Dali for maybe having Spanish sympathies too. Dali (as anyone who`s seen his Cristo in Glasgow) is world famous and brings a lot of prestige to Catalonia years after his death. Walter Scott was really a Scottish nationalist in a time when nationalism was not given much importance. If he`d expressed anti nationalist ideas and pro UK ideas in his writing would people suggest removing his monument or maybe changing the name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 I was in Windhoek last week, and noticed they had a Robert Mugabe Avenue - - wtf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 (edited) Whoops Edited August 19, 2017 by Eisegerwind crap joke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 It's a curious time to debate statues in the states, in any case local communities should be allowed to debate and then decide as a community if the want to remove one. Both sides are getting played to a certain extent. Same in a Scottish political context, especially in terms of nationalism / unionism, difficult to keep both sides happy with whatever you choose, in anyways, worshipping political figures can't be healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Just now, ParisInAKilt said: , worshipping political figures can't be healthy. If ScottyCTA is up for playing I'm sure he'd have a view on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Jim Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Street names do annoy me. Down our way there is a housing development called Georgetown. Is cool though as it's named after the local WW1 munitions works, in turn after Lloyd George, that kent ma faither. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Donald Dewar in the Weeg. Eyesore of a cvnt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Any Brit monarch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Boghall gonna throw a peluri come independence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hertsscot Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 I've been fortunate enough to have a couple of breaks in Prague and Budapest in the last few years. In both cities great big imposing statues of Stalin (possibly Lenin) have bitten the dust and I felt that was a good thing. Of course statues of slavery supporters aren't confined to the USA. There are plenty of statues here of people who were heavily involved in the slave trade, Henry Dundas is one who springs to mind with Edinburghs equivalent to Nelsons column. Adam Hochschild' s book "Bury the Chains" is good in outlining his opposition to the abolition of the slave trade. I feel that there should be at least some plaque to all those who suffered and died because of people like him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 12 minutes ago, Hertsscot said: I've been fortunate enough to have a couple of breaks in Prague and Budapest in the last few years. In both cities great big imposing statues of Stalin (possibly Lenin. Yeah Stalin /Lenin same difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/A_brief_history_of_facial_hair_(communism)_in_the_20th_century Think this covers it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 See when the founders of America were working their black slaves to death in order to build the greatest free country in the world do you think that there were any people looking at it saying this is not right. Obviously yer Christians were OK with it cause they had the mark of Cain. Do you think that maybe there were some people, sort of working class people just trying to make a living, looking at the exploitation and thinking this ain't right. Obviously they wouldn't have much of a voice as it'd be drowned out by capitalist exploiters and their Christian church enablers. I'd like to think that maybe there was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 1 hour ago, Hertsscot said: I've been fortunate enough to have a couple of breaks in Prague and Budapest in the last few years. In both cities great big imposing statues of Stalin (possibly Lenin) have bitten the dust and I felt that was a good thing. Did you go to Statue Park in Budapest? Interesting place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 This statue park in Lithuania is said to be bigger and better than Budapest's. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grūtas_Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 More unescessary expense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stocky Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 14 hours ago, euan2020 said: I was in Windhoek last week, and noticed they had a Robert Mugabe Avenue - - wtf Mugabe was the man who freed his country from British Rule... hes a khunt now, but in the 70's and early 80's he was the guy who removed colonial rule.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 15 hours ago, euan2020 said: I was in Windhoek last week, and noticed they had a Robert Mugabe Avenue - - wtf What took you there if you don't mind me asking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hertsscot Posted August 20, 2017 Author Share Posted August 20, 2017 12 hours ago, Toepoke said: Did you go to Statue Park in Budapest? Interesting place... Unfortunately I didn't visit - have to leave that to next time. It is one solution as to what you do with old unwanted statues. The only problem I can foresee with that approach is that in some places it could actually become a focus for extremist groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hertsscot Posted August 20, 2017 Author Share Posted August 20, 2017 Another solution? This is from Budapest. Fairly recently the Hungarian govt put up a memorial to the victims of the Nazi occupation. Jewish groups were unhappy however as it glossed over their suffering and Hungary's complicity in it. As a result there is an unofficial memorial drawing attention to the plight of Hungary's Jews comprising photos, family relics, letters, suitcases etc. No guards there when we went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 3 hours ago, DoonTheSlope said: What took you there if you don't mind me asking? visiting family - my wife is south affrican Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapofGlencoe Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Leaving things 'upto the states' led to the south carrying on for nearly 100 years with their nonsense. This idea you need statues to learn history doesn't wash with me. Not many SS statues i'm aware of. I suppose people who have lived in a town their whole lives don't want it all changed - I get that. but surely, you have to see the bigger picture here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.