Statue of disabled pregnant woman in Trafalgar Square...

[London Irish]

But why must everything stay the same? It's not the 19th century any more. Trafalgar Square is not seen as a monument to our military victories. It's a place where drunks get wet, tourists take photos of themselves next to statues of people they don't know. Why not have something that means something to people now rather than wallowing in a past bathed in blood?

Exactly. Trafalgar Square has always meant to me a place of freedom of speech, where protest marches down the age have always finished and where the injustices of Britain have always been exposed. And of course, it's the scene of the poll tax riot in 1990, where a lot of heroes helped bring about the far-from-premature end to the Thatcherite junta

 

[fatboy]

:thud:

That one been done already then?

 

[Robot Chicken]

That one been done already then?

No one DARED say it...

 

[London Irish]

Never invade Russia in winter. Hitler should have learned that one.

....and never invade a Muslim country in spring?

The Russians learnt that with Afghanistan, we're now learning that in a neighbouring land

 

[fatboy]

No one DARED say it...

Sorry I must have lost my head.

Or been to the pub and come back legless.

I'm going now before anyone tells me off!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

....and never invade a Muslim country in spring?

The Russians learnt that with Afghanistan, we're now learning that in a neighbouring land

Shouldn't we have learned a lesson about Afghanistan from our own history, and we didn't seem to learn much from our early twentieth century experience in Iraq either

 

[Mr C]

And as yet, none of the advocates of the statue have told me what she did

 

[London Calling]

most amazing thread initiating from an average statue to cutting remarks about invading Iraq.

Lc

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

And as yet, none of the advocates of the statue have told me what she did

She is not that famous, or at least that isn't the point of the statue. It could be any disabled pregnant woman.

She is an artist, and she and her son Parys were / are featured on a TV programme following the life and development of children born in the year 2000 presented by Sir Robert "I'm a bit reactionary and patronising and look at my moustache" Winston. The bits with her were quite moving, especially when she had to trust her 2 or 3 year old to cross the road with her, and she couldn't hold his hand. Very nervewracking stuff.

As I think she said disabled people don't normally get much of a look-in when it comes to art exhibitions, and to show a disabled woman, who is naked and pregnant, is an amazing thing. She loves that it has caused debate.

Surely it's not so different from the Venus de Milo is it

 

[Mr C]

She is not that famous, or at least that isn't the point of the statue. It could be any disabled pregnant woman.

She is an artist, and she and her son Parys were / are featured on a TV programme following the life and development of children born in the year 2000 presented by Sir Robert "I'm a bit reactionary and patronising and look at my moustache" Winston. The bits with her were quite moving, especially when she had to trust her 2 or 3 year old to cross the road with her, and she couldn't hold his hand. Very nervewracking stuff.

As I think she said disabled people don't normally get much of a look-in when it comes to art exhibitions, and to show a disabled woman, who is naked and pregnant, is an amazing thing. She loves that it has caused debate.

Surely it's not so different from the Venus de Milo is it

Thank you.

Nice for someone to take the time out rather than getting embroiled in mutual sucking-off activities, cunningly disguised as a debate.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

A documentary about the making of the sculpture of Alison Lapper, resident of Shoreham Beach, is on BBC1 tonight 22:45 - 23:30.

 

[Mr C]

A documentary about the making of the sculpture of Alison Lapper, resident of Shoreham Beach, is on BBC1 tonight 22:45 - 23:30.

Even better

 

[Dave the OAP]

To get back to the original point of the debate, before as usual it was hijacked by LI - look at me I am a clever left wing shop steward and can debate the arse of all of humanity - is the statue in its best position for a work of "art"?

Some argue that the best place for it would be outside the Tate Modern. There is a huge area by the entrance to the wobbly bridge and I would hazzard a guess that most people who would see it in Trafalgar Square would look at it as a curiosity, something for Japanese tourists to snap, whereas the arty farty people who would appreciate it asthetically head for the Tate Modern anyway as do gangs of school and college kids ( Making a din outside our offices every day), therefore perhaps they would appreciate it more being there.

Personally I am more for having Trafalgar Square for what it was intended, a place to honour war hero's. Like Nelson etc. I would have moved the statue of Wellington from outside the Bank of Endland and put it on the plynth.

Just a personal opinion really

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

I think we should have a statue of Margaret Thatcher there. Preferably stamping on the head of some white-rasta braided, unwashed, balaclava wearing poll tax rioting rent-a-mob lowlife.

 

[Highfields Seagull]

I don't think that art should be displayed in only areas near art galleries.

Art has a place anywhere IMHO.

 

[shingle]

England does not represent and has not represented a love of freedom. English is one of the languages of repression and slavery.

Yet another NSC idiot rears his head.


I am not sure wether to respond to this drivel, but Young shingle says just send it, they're just imaginery people

 

[Vlad the Impala]

Yet another NSC idiot rears his head.


I am not sure wether to respond to this drivel, but Young shingle says just send it, they're just imaginery people

Well, I don't know if I would go as far as to say you are an NSC idiot, but thank you for raising your head anyway - and you could be right. Meade's Ball is spot on. How can you possibly disagree?

 

[shingle]

Well, I don't know if I would go as far as to say you are an NSC idiot, but thank you for raising your head anyway - and you could be right. Meade's Ball is spot on. How can you possibly disagree? [/QUO


FFS Just who in the modern world would regard English as what was it ' the language of Oppression and Slavery.

 

[London Irish]

To get back to the original point of the debate, before as usual it was hijacked by LI - look at me I am a clever left wing shop steward and can debate the arse of all of humanity - is the statue in its best position for a work of "art"?

Some argue that the best place for it would be outside the Tate Modern. There is a huge area by the entrance to the wobbly bridge and I would hazzard a guess that most people who would see it in Trafalgar Square would look at it as a curiosity, something for Japanese tourists to snap, whereas the arty farty people who would appreciate it asthetically head for the Tate Modern anyway as do gangs of school and college kids ( Making a din outside our offices every day), therefore perhaps they would appreciate it more being there.

Personally I am more for having Trafalgar Square for what it was intended, a place to honour war hero's. Like Nelson etc. I would have moved the statue of Wellington from outside the Bank of Endland and put it on the plynth.

Just a personal opinion really

You said all that on the first page of this thread

 

[Vlad the Impala]

Well, I don't know if I would go as far as to say you are an NSC idiot, but thank you for raising your head anyway - and you could be right. Meade's Ball is spot on. How can you possibly disagree? [/QUO


FFS Just who in the modern world would regard English as what was it ' the language of Oppression and Slavery.

Well, some would mention the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the treatment of the developing world. Some would point to the slave trade of previous centuries, the persecution of the Irish, the extremes of the British Empire (for example, the treatment of native peoples), the US in Vietnam, the British in the Middle East, etc etc etc.