The short timeline below of Ronald Regan's statue stories is a nice illustration of the contested nature of the debate around who are the heros who should be commemorated by statues. Follow the links to read the original stories.
18th September 2006
Polish admirers of Ronald Regan currently living in Poland, Canada and the USA were raising money to erect a statue in Warsaw, opposite the US embassy. They saw Reagan as a hero in the fight against communism, their leader Janusz Dorosiewicz being quoted as saying, "Reagan was the person who defeated the communists and opened to way for freedom in Poland ... The statue is a way for his legacy to live on."
Plans to place a bronze statue of Ronald Reagan outside the US embassy in London were rejected by Westminster council citing a policy saying that people must have been dead for 10 years before they qualify for a public monument. Critics of this decision noted that there was a statue to Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square (pictured below), and he was still alive.
Westminster City Council gave planning permission for a statue of Ronald Reagan to be erected outside the US embassy in London. To allow this the council had changed its 10 year policy. Tellingly the chairman of the planning sub-committee Steve Summers was quoted as saying, "Regardless of politics, nobody can dispute that President Reagan was a true ally of this country. During his presidency the term 'special relationship' reflected not just the close working partnership of our respective governments, but helped reinforce Britain's unquestionable cultural and historic ties with the United States. To acknowledge Mr Reagan's contribution to the end of the Cold War, a piece of the Berlin Wall will be installed in front of the statue. American Chas Fagan will sculpt the 10 foot high bronze statue on a 6 foot Portland stone plinth.
Ronald Reagan - US President
The short timeline below of Ronald Regan's statue stories is a nice illustration of the contested nature of the debate around who are the heros who should be commemorated by statues. Follow the links to read the original stories.
18th September 2006
Polish admirers of Ronald Regan currently living in Poland, Canada and the USA were raising money to erect a statue in Warsaw, opposite the US embassy. They saw Reagan as a hero in the fight against communism, their leader Janusz Dorosiewicz being quoted as saying, "Reagan was the person who defeated the communists and opened to way for freedom in Poland ... The statue is a way for his legacy to live on."
com/archives/ic/2006/9/18/111346.shtml?s=ic
29th June 2008
Plans to place a bronze statue of Ronald Reagan outside the US embassy in London were rejected by Westminster council citing a policy saying that people must have been dead for 10 years before they qualify for a public monument. Critics of this decision noted that there was a statue to Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square (pictured below), and he was still alive.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/article4232170.ece
13th April 2009
The leaders of Congress will join Nancy Reagan when she unveils a statue of Ronald Reagan on 3rd June in the Capitol Rotunda, washington D.C.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/33956-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
22nd May 2009
Westminster City Council gave planning permission for a statue of Ronald Reagan to be erected outside the US embassy in London. To allow this the council had changed its 10 year policy. Tellingly the chairman of the planning sub-committee Steve Summers was quoted as saying, "Regardless of politics, nobody can dispute that President Reagan was a true ally of this country. During his presidency the term 'special relationship' reflected not just the close working partnership of our respective governments, but helped reinforce Britain's unquestionable cultural and historic ties with the United States. To acknowledge Mr Reagan's contribution to the end of the Cold War, a piece of the Berlin Wall will be installed in front of the statue. American Chas Fagan will sculpt the 10 foot high bronze statue on a 6 foot Portland stone plinth.
http://www.scotsman.com/latest-london-news/Goahead-for-Reagan-statue.5294654.jp