London Socialist Historians Group
17th January
Contact Dr Keith Flett @kmflett
Historians say Minister’s Trumpian language is not the way to discuss the future of historic monuments
The London Socialist Historians Group, which organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London, has said that the language used by Minister Robert Jenrick in a newspaper article, was not the way to discuss the future of Britain’s historic monuments and statues.
In the Sunday Telegraph (17th January) Jenrick used Trumpian hyperbole to claim that those who wanted to take down or move statues of slave traders were a ‘baying mob’ and that decisions made by democratically elected local Councillors were in fact those of a ‘cultural committee’ of town hall militants and woke worthies”.
The historians have accused Jenrick of trying to start a culture war to distract from failures elsewhere in his department.
In fact there are few proposals to take down or alter statues current. Around 12.500 statues already have listed status and are protected. Jenrick doesn’t mention this, possibly because he doesn’t know.
London Socialist Historians convenor Dr Keith Flett said, now is not the time for a such discussion. The priority is to get down COVID infections and vaccinations up not argue about statues. The Minister’s intervention is both unwelcome and entirely misplaced.
Leave a Reply