You’ve just described what’s already happening.

COYP

Crikey, is Caterham living in a time warp?

Now that you mention it ...

Nope

I just see the scale of what happened and am appalled. As were the Victorians.

Opposition to slavery was the main evangelical cause from the late 18th century, led by William Wilberforce (1759–1833). The cause organized very thoroughly, and developed propaganda campaigns that made readers cringe at the horrors of slavery. The same moral fervour and organizational skills carried over into most of the other reform movements.

Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, only four years after the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. The anti-slavery movement had campaigned for years to achieve the ban, succeeding with a partial abolition in 1807 and the full ban on slave trading, but not slave ownership, which only happened in 1833.

It took so long because the anti-slavery morality was pitted against powerful economic interests which claimed their businesses would be destroyed if they were not permitted to exploit slave labour.

I believe that you are now trying to cancel the massive efforts undertaken by the Victorians. I say remember your history and learn from it. Follow in the footsteps of those brave Victorians and let us not forget.

I guess you would rather do so. And also the Holocaust really wasn't that bad was it...

The four people charges with toppling the statue were all white and from Bristol by the way. Interestingly a jury agreed with what they had done, rather surprisingly, and acquitted them despite pretty damning evidence. So who got the zeitgeist right then, you or those young people?

[Link]

Why are you waffling on about slavery?

It has no bearing on the irrationality of removing statues. Neither does it alter the fact that mass immigration is at the heart of yet another issue that we now have that we happily lived without before.

No one alive was involved with African slavery, and those people who benefited did it legally until it was halted.

No one alive can take any credit for that either.

Erasing history will change nothing and moreover, it is bonkers to retrospectively condemn people, and their statues, for doing something that was legal and accepted by most in their day.

What we think now has no bearing on their deeds. It all happened several lifetimes ago.

Get a grip.

Is it? Not David Livingstone’s non-existent connection to it?

I have read this thread. I have to agree that living people are most suitable to select statue subjects. Once the statue has been erected the public recognition of that individual will start to fade, and the statue will become a historical reference point, acting as a lead for people to research for important events in their family's past.

Sadly the woke people seem to resent anyone having having roots.

The current Crystal Palace Manager has many claims to fame none so far have resulted in a statue. To recap he is highly respected in France and he was a member of the Arsenal team that one season won the league without losing a game.

He is now the respected Manager of Crystal Palace. Croydon Council are aiming to create a town square in front of the town hall. I suspect that only were he to guide us to winning the Premier League three years running, would Croydon people start thinking that a statue of him should be erected in the town square.

A percentage of woke people need to get a life; with a good start being thinking of others.