A good use for traffic cones

The trial of those in Bristol who pulled down the now infamous statue of slave trader Colston and dumped it in the dock continues. I’ve not yet read whether the defence will cite precedent for their action, that is precedents which were much lauded by everyone at the time, not least rightwing goons in the Tory Party. Remember the jubilant scenes when that statue of Saddam Hussein came down (with American help)? I dare say Colston destroyed nearly as many lives as Saddam (but that’s OK, it was in the name of the British Empire). And who on the right will have lamented downed statues of Lenin or Stalin? None. This tells us something. Some of these Tories aren’t all that bothered about the slave trade. There is another way of course, which doesn’t involve pulling down statues. It’s ridicule. I love the statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow, which has been topped by a traffic cone for many years. It is now an iconic work in a new guise. It probably helps that it stands outside the modern art gallery. Perhaps it’s time for many more statues to to be topped by traffic cones. Perhaps John Major could set up a new service called the 'Traffic Cones Hotline.'