In the increasingly polarised society during which we live, it’s easy to see something really shocking and to conclude, “That’s got to be fake. It should be fake news put out by the far-right/far-left.”
Such was my response upon reading that Parliament can be replacing a portrait of Lord Nelson with certainly one of the present Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper. It’s got to be a troll. It is nonetheless completely true.
As a part of an effort by Parliament to make its artwork more diverse, national heroes like Nelson are out and mid-level politicians are in.
Nelson’s famous victory at Trafalgar, during which he died for his country, was apparently outweighed by the proven fact that he was a straight white man and can have been a supporter of slavery.
Oliver Cromwell’s portraits have also received similar treatment for similar reasons.
Yvette Cooper, unsurprisingly, is in favour of the changes. Last 12 months she said, “Westminster is a changing place, with more women MPs, people from ethnic minorities and other people with disabilities.
“It could be great to see this alteration increasingly represented within the artwork across the estate, providing encouragement and inspiration for future generations of politicians.”
What she has completely failed to grasp is that Parliament and other British institutions are usually not about her.
The reason portraits of Nelson, Cromwell and other such characters were there in the primary place is to remind the people there that they’re a part of a protracted history. It is to remind them of the glories that might be achieved – often against great odds – and the struggles which can be often endured along the best way. They are usually not for one’s personal validation.
Personally, I’m not a terrific fan of Oliver Cromwell for all types of reasons. Yet I don’t begrudge him his place within the pantheon of British historical figures. A portrait or a statue will not be an endorsement of each motion taken or statement uttered by an individual, nevertheless it is recognition of some great service or significance to the nation’s history.
Parliament’s portraits should say something greater than just “Yvette Cooper woz ‘ere, 2025.”
 In the increasingly polarised society during which we live, it’s easy to see something really shocking and to conclude, “That’s got to...){kind=link}