British Museum a "can of worms" says UK Culture Secretary
Michelle Donelan pours cold water on the possibility of a "deal" to return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens
It was kind of predictable, wasn’t it? Over recent weeks the broadsheets and tabloids have been effervescing over how George Osborne, chair of the Trustees of the British Museum, is on the verge of closing “a deal’ over the Parthenon Sculptures. Really?
Osborne, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer and starchitect of austerity, who went on to parlay himself into the handsomely remunerated role as editor of the Evening Standard, has encouraged speculation that he was close to agreeing a solution to arguably the most controversial issue in global cultural heritage.
Needless to say, the rumour-mill inspired a rump of swivel-eyed Establishment types to fire off stupefyingly ill-informed comment pieces to the broadsheets, decrying the imminent denuding of the British Museum.
Stuck records offer more easy listening.
It now seems that no such “deal” is likely to be forthcoming since it has emerged that Osborne’s proposal was couched in terms of a loan rather than a full return in perpetuity.
How would you feel if the person who had stolen your car offered to loan it back to you?
Today, January 11, on BBC Radio Four’s The Media Show we heard the Conservative Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan argue that returning the Marbles:
“…would open a complete can of worms. It would be a slippery slope where you’d end up with so many amazing artefacts under question of whether they should go back to another country.”
The British Museum, a can of worms? What an unpleasant image. She went on to repeat the ‘slippery slope’ point when pressed by BBC presenter Katie Razzall, saying,
“This would open the gateway to the question of the entire contents of our museums. This is a very slippery slope to go down.”
Hang on a sec. The entire contents of our museums? What is Ms Donelan smoking?
If the “can of worms” hasn’t persuaded you, she seems to believe all our museums would be emptied by pesky calls for return. This is scaremongering designed to disguise Ms Donelan’s poor understanding of our museum culture.
Every culture minister should be forced to attend evening classes on the fundamentals of cultural heritage before taking up the post. Yes, it’s true that during the age of empire the UK and other colonial powers stocked their treasure houses with the material culture of so-called subaltern nations and communities, often against their will.
But not everything in our museums was looted or acquired under dubious circumstances. To suggest that the entire contents of our museums is potentially at risk of alternative claims of ownership is manifest nonsense. It merely underscores how poorly briefed are most British culture secretaries, lamentably few of whom seem even remotely suited to the role.
The Radio Four conversation also revealed how the Parthenon Sculptures are still at the centre of the evasive parlour game played between the British Museum and the British Government.
When asked why it cannot return the Marbles to Athens, the British Museum has traditionally hidden behind the British Museum Act of 1963 which prohibits deaccessioning except under very specific circumstances (none of which, needless to say, apply to the Marbles). For any return to happen, it would require the Government to repeal or amend the Act.
Conversely, whenever the British Government is asked why it cannot amend the Act, successive culture secretaries (and Prime Ministers) invariably refer you back to the British Museum, arguing that it is a matter for the Trustees. This cynical political ping-pong has long proved an effective way of retaining the Marbles in the UK. George Osborne and Michelle Donelan are just the latest players of the game. Ms Donelan spelled this out on the radio:
“Sending them back is a dangerous road to go down and one that is prohibited in law and we’re not about to change the law to facilitate that. It’s important that we stand up and protect our culture.”
Our culture? Has Ms Donelan ever been to the Acropolis Museum in Athens? Does she have the slightest inkling of what the Parthenon temple and its sculptures represent? If they are in any sense part of our culture here in the UK, it is only as a reminder of the philistinism of certain members of the British aristocracy during the imperial age.
“They weren’t looted,” insists Ms Donelan, exposing her cosmic ignorance of how the Marbles were acquired.
So, how were we led over recent weeks to believe that a “deal” was imminent?
“George Osborne’s view has been misinterpreted and portrayed wrongly,” explained Ms Donelan.
“In what way?” asked Ms Razzall.
“I mean, he’s not about to send them back, basically. It’s not his intention. He has no desire to do that. He would agree with me that we shouldn’t be sending them back. They do belong here in the UK.”
So that’s it, then. The former Tory Chancellor George Osborne is not close to a resolution of the Parthenon Marbles issue. Some of us knew it was too good to be true.
Cans of worms, gateways, slippery slopes, dangerous roads, floodgates. How about a plague of locusts?
Osborne…back to banking.
Donelan…back to school!