What is the point of labour ?

[Crùbag]

Saw in the stooshie over the Elgin Marbles that Labour would back the Tories, no surprise there, and keep them in Great backward Britain. Since when was retaining the proceeds of plunder a central plank of social justice/ socialism? Surely it should be fairly easy to say 'Yes, we'll return the stolen cultural wealth to where it belongs'?

[Wee-Bey]

They should be returned to Elgin.

[MazzyStar]

Elgin should be returned to Greece. 

[btb]

56 minutes ago, MazzyStar said:

Elgin should be returned to Greece. 

No the marbles should be sent to India and Greece can have the Koh-i-nor!

***************

On a more general note it is clear that Labour is going to match each Tory step between now and the next GE, I feel the period since Truss imploded has been a missed opportunity for them and that Labour would have been better off in terms of representing traditional Labour values and in electoral terms by trying to  halt the rightwards march at this point as I don't think the people they're pandering to will vote Labour in the end and that the pledges made in the meantime will hinder them if/when they do win.

Edited November 28, 2023 by btb

[Fullerene]

"Elgin City loses their marbles"

I can see it now.

[welshbairn]

4 hours ago, Crùbag said:

Saw in the stooshie over the Elgin Marbles that Labour would back the Tories, no surprise there, and keep them in Great backward Britain. Since when was retaining the proceeds of plunder a central plank of social justice/ socialism? Surely it should be fairly easy to say 'Yes, we'll return the stolen cultural wealth to where it belongs'?

I heard on the radio yesterday that Starmer would be happy to lend them to Greece indefinitely, without conceding ownership and thus not setting a precedent for all the other looted plunder. Also that the decision is in the hands of the museum, not the government, the British Museum chair being George Osborne who wants to return them. If this is all true it sounds like Sunak is preparing for a backlash when they're put on a ship to Athens in the near future. 

[oneteaminglasgow]

1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

I heard on the radio yesterday that Starmer would be happy to lend them to Greece indefinitely, without conceding ownership and thus not setting a precedent for all the other looted plunder. Also that the decision is in the hands of the museum, not the government, the British Museum chair being George Osborne who wants to return them. If this is all true it sounds like Sunak is preparing for a backlash when they're put on a ship to Athens in the near future. 

I think the museum would be allowed to loan them out, but not return them permanently, unless an act of Parliament is changed.

Something like that anyway.

[welshbairn]

8 minutes ago, oneteaminglasgow said:

I think the museum would be allowed to loan them out, but not return them permanently, unless an act of Parliament is changed.

Something like that anyway.

That's why it would be called a loan instead of handing them back. Presumably the museum could extend the loan ad infinitum.

[Brother Blades]

Apart from the fact they should definitely be returned, to allow something like that to affect meetings between country leaders is absolutely farcical, tbh it’s actually just a sad reflection on how pitiful the UK actually is. Is Sunak now our foremost statue defender? 

[callum-g]

Just don’t see what all the fuss is about

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

That statue going into the Bristol river has still got gammons rattled

[DeeTillEhDeh]

The Tories playing to their geriatric racist voters.

[Mark Connolly]

4 hours ago, callum-g said:

Just don’t see what all the fuss is about

The Elgin Marbles are shite tbh.

They're not even round

[BFTD]

John Oliver had a nice segment on the UK's hypocritical arseholery around stolen artifacts like the Elgin Marbles.

 

[Salt n Vinegar]

7 hours ago, Brother Blades said:

Apart from the fact they should definitely be returned, to allow something like that to affect meetings between country leaders is absolutely farcical, tbh it’s actually just a sad reflection on how pitiful the UK actually is. Is Sunak now our foremost statue defender? 

It's ok. I heard on the radio earlier today that apparently the Greeks have made a  magnanimous gesture of goodwill to Britain in the shape of a beautiful gift. An enormous wooden horse has been delivered to Downing Street.

[RuMoore]

18 hours ago, welshbairn said:

That's why it would be called a loan instead of handing them back. Presumably the museum could extend the loan ad infinitum.

Which is a far better stance than the Tories even though ultimately I think we should just give them back anyways.

[Dunning1874]

https://unherd.com/2023/11/did-labour-rig-its-selection-votes/

[Hedgecutter]

15 hours ago, Mark Connolly said:

The Elgin Marbles are shite tbh.

They're not even round

It gets worse:

Portsoy marble isn't even marble.

[KirkieRR]

Everybody is really careful about this as it's a test case: obviously they should go back, but if they do, every museum in every country could be emptied of stuff from abroad.

[DA Baracus]

19 hours ago, KirkieRR said:

Everybody is really careful about this as it's a test case: obviously they should go back, but if they do, every museum in every country could be emptied of stuff from abroad.

Yes.