On the statue of Mandela and Trafalgar Square

My own opinion on this is that Trafalgar Square should be reserved for British icons. You might ask why but then again you might also ask why bother preserving any notion of British heritage. It's simply a cultural thing and I believe that British culture is something that should be celebrated rather than eroded.

If Mandela goes up then I suggest that there are also other foreign nationals who are also worthy of the position. Nothing else can be sensibly argued and, after all, the desire to place a statue of Mandela in the Square is a desire based on the perceived worth of the individual in isolation from their nationality and contribution to Britain.

Consequently, if it is about perceived worth then the next logical step is to balance that worth against that of any existing statue. Why argue for the Mandela statue but against the removal of an existing one so that its place might be given up to another individual of world recognised worth? You cannot without playing the tradition and history cards, the very same cards you refused to play in the opening hand.