Hysteria over statues is fast getting out of hand

THE nonsensical drive to pull down all statues of historical figures whose ideas don’t tally with those of 21st-century “progressives” is getting out of hand. This outbreak of mass hysteria has now spread to Australia.

Here in Britain this week one Leftwing commentator seriously suggested that Nelson’s Column in London’s Trafalgar Square should be toppled because Admiral Nelson was “an unashamed white supremacist”.

Down Under the latest target is Captain Cook. The Sydney authorities are considering the fate of a statue erected to him in 1879. The base of the statue carries an inscription reading “Discovered this territory 1770”. This, it is feared, could be offensive to Aboriginals who got there first. Losing patience, the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described these moves as a “Stalinist” rewrite of history.

A statue reflects the values of the society that puts it up. It is a piece of history in itself. Many of us pass by statues without having a clue who these people are. They have ceased to matter to us and we have other concerns. But that doesn’t mean that they should therefore be pulled down. Many books contain sentiments which we find unpleasant. Should they be thrown on a bonfire to spare our feelings?

The fact that we worry about what statues represent is not in itself a bad thing. But without their continued presence on our streets and in our public places we would not even be having these moral debates. We must learn from history – not pretend it never happened.