Time for a (welcome) U-Turn!
Perhaps Boris doesn’t have a copy of his manifesto with him out there in Turkey. Those with better ememories may remember a pledge to put a statue of Sir Keith Park on Trafalgar Square’s 4th plinth. Not so any more:
Boris Johnson has made a U-turn over his support for a statue to military hero Sir Keith Park on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth.
Despite backing the campaign to honour the Second World War hero during his election campaign, the new mayor has now said he has to withdraw his support for the scheme.
He will continue the existing rolling programme of contemporary sculptures. But he has promised to talk with the campaigners who want to honour Sir Keith to find an alternative position for a permanent memorial.
Now, I can’t object to this particular U-Turn - I liked the idea of a rotating, modern exhibition. Boris’ own supporters, though, are mortified. From the cultural dullards at the New Culture Forum:
In what some are calling his first blunder as mayor, Boris Johnson has made a U-turn over his support for a statue to military hero Sir Keith Park on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth.
Despite backing the campaign to honour the Second World War hero during his election campaign, the Evening Standard reports that the new mayor has now said he has to withdraw his support for the scheme.
It gets angrier:
Johnson has now acknowledged broad public backing for the plinth art over the last nine years. He said: “I recognise that this revolving programme has proved very popular and I welcome the important contribution it has made in shaping public debate about contemporary art.
Precisely what ‘broad backing backing’? What ‘public debate’?
From his statement, it seems that the mayor has not just withrawn support specifically from the Keith Park proposal, but from the whole idea of a more widely chosen, permenant fixture on the fourth plinth.
The name of the next artist to win the commission for the Fourth Plinth is due to be announced within weeks. The shortlist includes Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor. Great.
Boris has managed to alienate those willing to put up with him. The snobs are furious, and the patriotic brigade will be up in arms, no doubt. How will Boris’ Sun and Standard reading supporters react when they hear that, “RAF hero snubbed as Boris keeps plinth art”?
A good policy kept, and the cultural conservatives furious. If all of Boris’ U-turns work this well, I might begin to like the man…
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