Simon Schama, the leading historian said when discussing the removal of statues like Colston’s , that “history is not a trip down memory lane, it’s a dangerous and incendiary place”. He too is very uncomfortable with the hagiography that “civic” statues often represent. Unfortunately much of the activism around bringing such important historical narratives as presented here to light appears to want to “cancel” history and encourage apology and atonement for past wrongs rather than discussion and understanding. Fortunately many of our museums are now giving a rounded and nuanced appraisal to their exhibits which is exemplary and encourages reflection rather than guilt. History is possibly one of the most engaging subjects on our curriculum and one of the most important in encouraging debate and critical review of our modern experience. We must always learn from history, especially as we can’t change it. Thought provoking article. Thank you.
Thank you Harry for a very interesting article about another Liverpool philanthropist, who may not have been as good as we all thought. I visited the village after a friend moved there and was amazed at the way it was designed and the facilities it had in its hey day. A bit like the Eldonian Village and we all know what’s happening there. I think once we know the facts we can reflect and move forward knowing the faults that were made. I’m not trying to justify the vile actions taken by people of that time but to be honest things haven’t changed even now. Some people are driven by the belief they are doing the right thing but there are others that are driven by pure greed and just don’t care about their effect on others.
It’s also a shame Leverhulme’s memory is being besmirched by Levers trying to build 100s of houses in the green belt on the Wirral. They pushed and pushed before the election, going to the court of appeal and now they will be back 😫
Really good read, Harry. In ‘1984’, George Orwell wrote “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” In other words, if a society can rewrite history, it can control what happens in the future.
Of course it is important that so-called “great lives” like Lever’s, Cecil Rhodes’ or Coulston’s should be continually re-evaluated by historians. Indeed to quote Orwell a second time (on Ghandi) “All Saints should be considered guilty until proven innocent”. But rewriting the historical records (something which is Winston Smith’s job in ‘1984’, as an employee of the ironically named Ministry of Truth) can also have sinister outcomes and that’s why I prefer debate and explanation (apology, even) over cancellation.
A very interesting piece about a man who, for the most part was considered to be a very decent employer and was looked on as being benevolent. I Suppose it's slightly inevitable that anybody who was involved in employment in Africa back in the Colonial days is likely to be "Whiter than white" (no pun intended)
Excellent, I would appreciate a fast 'important' word on this topic, can you please drop me a email with a telephone number and a time to call. It will be brief.
Simon Schama, the leading historian said when discussing the removal of statues like Colston’s , that “history is not a trip down memory lane, it’s a dangerous and incendiary place”. He too is very uncomfortable with the hagiography that “civic” statues often represent. Unfortunately much of the activism around bringing such important historical narratives as presented here to light appears to want to “cancel” history and encourage apology and atonement for past wrongs rather than discussion and understanding. Fortunately many of our museums are now giving a rounded and nuanced appraisal to their exhibits which is exemplary and encourages reflection rather than guilt. History is possibly one of the most engaging subjects on our curriculum and one of the most important in encouraging debate and critical review of our modern experience. We must always learn from history, especially as we can’t change it. Thought provoking article. Thank you.
Thank you Harry for a very interesting article about another Liverpool philanthropist, who may not have been as good as we all thought. I visited the village after a friend moved there and was amazed at the way it was designed and the facilities it had in its hey day. A bit like the Eldonian Village and we all know what’s happening there. I think once we know the facts we can reflect and move forward knowing the faults that were made. I’m not trying to justify the vile actions taken by people of that time but to be honest things haven’t changed even now. Some people are driven by the belief they are doing the right thing but there are others that are driven by pure greed and just don’t care about their effect on others.
It’s also a shame Leverhulme’s memory is being besmirched by Levers trying to build 100s of houses in the green belt on the Wirral. They pushed and pushed before the election, going to the court of appeal and now they will be back 😫
Not forgetting that Lever Bros was also found guilty of exploiting its customers by selling short weight bars of sunlight Soap!
Very interesting and nuanced article, thank you
Really good read, Harry. In ‘1984’, George Orwell wrote “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” In other words, if a society can rewrite history, it can control what happens in the future.
Of course it is important that so-called “great lives” like Lever’s, Cecil Rhodes’ or Coulston’s should be continually re-evaluated by historians. Indeed to quote Orwell a second time (on Ghandi) “All Saints should be considered guilty until proven innocent”. But rewriting the historical records (something which is Winston Smith’s job in ‘1984’, as an employee of the ironically named Ministry of Truth) can also have sinister outcomes and that’s why I prefer debate and explanation (apology, even) over cancellation.
Cheers Jack. Well yes, be careful what you wish for in rewriting history.
A very interesting piece about a man who, for the most part was considered to be a very decent employer and was looked on as being benevolent. I Suppose it's slightly inevitable that anybody who was involved in employment in Africa back in the Colonial days is likely to be "Whiter than white" (no pun intended)
Excellent, I would appreciate a fast 'important' word on this topic, can you please drop me a email with a telephone number and a time to call. It will be brief.
harryt@journalist.com
Of course, as Jeffery Sachs points out, we’ve just evolved into new ways of exploiting the same people
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-tqtldIkii/?igsh=MXJxZjFvdm92eGt0bw==
Thank you for the Sacha clip - brilliant!
Sums it up really. Whenever we have the power to exploite others we will