Stephen Fry likens removing Parthenon marbles to Nazi Germany taking the Arc de Triomphe
Or like France taking the Obelisks of Luxor, maybe?
Stephen Fry likens removing Parthenon marbles to Nazi Germany taking the Arc de Triomphe
Or like France taking the Obelisks of Luxor, maybe?
Well, except Lord Elgin bought them off the Turks and didn’t drive a load of panzers about the place first.
“What that junk ?” Asked Artur Daleyogucu. ” You can have it for 500 dinars, ship it yerself though squire.”
Fry was given the great honour of being President of the MCC and responded by shitting on the club, its members and its heritage. Now he grasps another opportunity to whine about his native land, this time being paid for his tired shtick.
Incidentally….
In 2021, Fry was appointed a Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by Greek president Katerina Sakellaropoulou for his contribution in enhancing knowledge about Greece in the United Kingdom and reinforcing ties between the two countries
Whether that makes up for being one of the few “national treasure” luvvies not to get awarded a proper gong is questionable.
As we have said before Greece can always make a cash offer to buy them back, but should the offer be based on them being near worthless discarded building rubble or incredibly valuable ancient artifacts?
Stephen Fry is Quite Stupid.
I wonder what Starmer thinks of the issue?
More importantly, what do the people who Starmer will rely on as advisors think about it?
Tim, that comment needs as Asterix.
Fry’s conduct at the MCC was appalling. If he was upset by the club being full of rich, fat, old, red-faced, pompous twats, he ought to have resigned and improved the demographics.
As Julie Burchill said: a thick person’s idea of a clever person.
rich, fat, old, red-faced, pompous twats
Fry should have felt quite at home there.
Fry is much cleverer when he has the answer printed for him on a card.
What makes me laugh about the people who push the ‘theft’ narrative over the marbles, is they gloss over how they were basically a pile of rubble lying around a military compound that nobody cared about, and it took ten years to remove them! It’s hardly a sneaky theft if you take a decade to remove them from under the noses of a garrison of troops, and export them through a port under the control of the same authorities operating the military base. Even years after they went nobody gave a toss, plenty of those ‘priceless’ relics will be scattered around Athens as recycled building material.
East enough to make copies, even with nineteenth century technology.
I’m surprised there aren’t dozens of US museums with plaster marbles, and a debate about whether they should be replaced with marble or modern 3D printed material.
MJW said:
“It’s hardly a sneaky theft if you take a decade to remove them from under the noses of a garrison of troops, and export them through a port under the control of the same authorities operating the military base.”
Oh, I don’t know; I’m now imagining a “Great Escape” style theft, a bit at a time, stuffed down people’s trousers or hidden under the gym equipment.
Pascha : I must say, your lordship, you British like your exercise !
Elgin : Oh er yes… The chaps like doing their PT up here, because of the… er view.
Pascha : Have you noticed how the local peasants keep on nicking this old rubble ( kicks horse’s head ). Doing us a favour though, clears it up, saves on dynamite. Do you need any help with your vaulting horse ? It looks heavy must be bit annoying to get down to Piraeus and on board the ship in this heat.
Elgin : Er..no we’re fine thanks… Oak… Best ships timbers… It is all good training for the lads…
I imagine the job of reassembling the statues after smuggling pieces out in trousers would take a fair bit of time.
I suppose the people who buy those enormous puzzles would be quite keen.
I mean, if the French had let the Arc fall to ruin and were keeping goats in the ruins, sure.
Is there no end to what Fry doesn’t know?