“Happy New Year with the Parthenon Sculptures back in Greece”

From Lord Byron and George Canning to Chris Montagu Woodhouse and Patrick Lee Fermor, Britain’s enduring contribution to the Philhellenic movement is – self-evidently – great. And if nowadays Old Albion has distanced itself – politically and mentally – from Europe (it’s already been three years since Brexit), this does not mean that its frozen, and recently snow-covered, streets are not still filled with Philhellenes.

There may not be a revolution brewing in Greek territory today, as it was two centuries ago, but there are other noble causes being promoted by our British friends: from reuniting the Parthenon Sculptures and lobbying (not always successfully…) Downing Street for the condemnation of the Turkish provocations in the Aegean, to the promotion and promotion of Greek culture and the strengthening of transnational cooperation in a number of sectors.

“TA NEA” addressed twelve of the most distinguished British Philhellenes of our time and asked them to send, especially for our readers, wishes for the new year.

These are leading figures from the fields of intellectuals, letters, arts, politics and journalism who are widely recognized in the UK.

Not by chance, most of them proposed as the highest pending issue in Greek-British relations – and as a wish – the repatriation of the masterpieces of classical antiquity created by Phidias in the 5th BC. century.

As an “antidote”, let us also wish them “good luck”, as their country in recent weeks has been at the mercy of strikes in dozens of industries, with several media outlets talking – probably exaggeratedly – about a new “Winter of Discontent” ».

Paul Cartledge1

emeritus professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge, president of the Hellenic Society of London, vice-president of the British Commission for the Reunification of Sculptures (BCRPM)

In the last century – to be precise, the last two centuries – Greece has developed into a very important global player. So it is difficult for me to pick a current or potential future issue for which the relationship between Britain and Greece in 2023 will not be of paramount importance. However, in the realm of international cultural relations and soft diplomacy, there is one subject that stands out above all others, which is of mutual interest to Greece and Britain: “the Sculptures”. I sincerely hope that a solution to the matter will emerge from British generosity.

Bruce Clark

journalist, writer, editor-in-chief of “The Economist”

In 2023 it will be 190 years since the Ottoman garrison withdrew from the Acropolis and the Holy Rock was turned into an archaeological site, which has since captivated and dazzled the entire world. I appreciate that as the years go by, the arguments for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, for the benefit of the people of Greece, Britain and many other countries, become stronger and stronger.

Alberto Costa

Conservative MP and Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Greece in the House of Commons and the House of Lords

On behalf of the Cross-Party Group on Greece in the British Parliament, I would like to wish our friends in the Hellenic Parliament, and all the Greek people, a Happy New Year. I am pleased that relations between our countries are stronger than ever and that Greece and its people enjoy very strong support in the British Parliament. We look forward to the new year deepening our relationship based on our shared values ​​and commitments to further strengthen the historic ties our countries have.

Dennis McShane

former British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, former president of the Union of British Editors (NUJ), author

2022 was the year Britain returned to Greece. By last August, three million visitors had traveled from the UK to Greece – a threefold increase on the previous year. The weak British pound, devalued due to Brexit, did not harm the love affair of the English with Greece. But love has its limits.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis told a packed hall at the London School of Economics that he hopes the looted Parthenon Marbles will soon be reunited with the rest of the Parthenon sculptures at the Acropolis Museum. However, there has been no indication from Britain’s Conservative government that London is willing to change its stance.

Pro-Turkish Boris Johnson has been sacked as Prime Minister by Tory MPs. But while French President Macron has voiced his support for Greece at a time when Turkish President Erdogan, inspired by Vladimir Putin, is stepping up his inflammatory rhetoric threatening your country, Britain has remained silent in 2022 on the need to let Europe stand by Greece against Erdogan’s threats and demagoguery.

Sarah Baxter

Director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting at Stony Brook University, former deputy editor of The Sunday Times, executive of the Parthenon Project campaign

Happy 2023! May it be a year of friendship and harmony. I hope that in the new year we will see the Parthenon Sculptures travel home – a journey of no return – while at the same time other wonderful Greek treasures will travel on loan in the opposite direction, the British Museum. We are well aware that, in the end, a “win-win” deal for the Sculptures will be realized. So let’s close it now!

Roderick Beaton

professor emeritus of the Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature “Korais” of King’s College London, president of the British School of Athens, member of the British Academy

I’m going to make a wish that won’t come true: for the UK to return to its place in the EU that it left after Brexit. Not only would we, the friends of Greece, have again the right we lost to be close to you without restrictions; but also the right to the political developments and the critical decisions that will inevitably bring in 2023 the voice of a country that had so much to be heard to offer to all. Just imagine how much more skillfully you Greeks succeeded with your referendum than we did!

Armand D’Angour

professor of Classics at Oxford University, author, musician

It is encouraging that the partnership between the UK and Greece is now closer than ever and that the green light to return the Parthenon Sculptures to where they belong has now been given. In these politically turbulent times, governments should recognize who their friends are and be generous to them, providing both moral and practical support. The return of the Sculptors to Greece will constitute a much-desired gesture of friendship and, at the same time, will boost the morale of both countries.

Hugo Dixon

journalist, analyst at Reuters news agency, founder of Breakingviews website

My wish for 2023 is that Turkey elects a new leader and the West finds a way to embrace the country. This new leader should realize that it is not in Turkey’s interest to turn the West against Russia and vice versa – especially now that Vladimir Putin has failed. If Turkey returns to the heart of NATO, Greece will be one of the biggest beneficiaries.

Janet Suzman

chairman of the British Commission for the Reunification of Sculpture (BCRPM), actor, honorary member of the Royal Shakespeare Company

In a world that seems relentlessly evil, we seek stories of mighty gods ruling over mortals and happy marriages with happy endings. This is my dream for the Parthenon Sculptures: for the Greek Prime Minister to charm the president of the British Museum and lead him to a wedding ceremony at the Acropolis Museum to witness the marriage of the two – now distant – parts of its glorious pediment Parthenon. And this, to the cheers of the wedding guests, who will dance excitedly around the frieze that will finally have returned to its home. I wish…

Kevin Featherstone

professor of the Chair of Modern Greek Studies “Eleftherios Venizelos” and director of the Hellenic Observatory of the London School of Economics

Dear Greece,

I hope that by 2023 we will reach an agreement to return the Parthenon Sculptures. Our countries are linked by long-standing bonds of mutual respect and this is the least we could do after the folly of Brexit – which, among other things, led to higher university fees for Greek students. But we’d like to ask you a favor. Currently, our prime ministers don’t last long in power – a lettuce lasts longer in the fridge! Let some of them have less gray matter than a lettuce. Could you, therefore, send us a Greek politician, if you have any to spare? But not Dimitriadis or Kaili, because in this case we will reciprocate and send you Boris!

Judith Herrin

Emeritus Professor of Late Antiquity and Byzantine Studies at King’s College London

Dear friends, as 2022 comes to an end, I want to send my warmest greetings to Greece, hoping that the new year will bring more health and peace. Admittedly, great momentum is developing around the campaign to return the Parthenon Sculptures to where they belong, in the Acropolis Museum, which recalls the dynamism of the actions of Melina Mercouri and Helen Cubit. Let’s hope that by 2023 a solution will emerge. Happy Holidays!

Victoria Hislop

Author

I wish all my friends in Greece peaceful holidays. We live in uncertain times, but there is one thing I am becoming more and more certain of: opinions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are starting to change radically. I think that the day when they will be returned to their home, in Athens, is approaching. Already, many other museums in Britain acknowledge that they hold objects illegally acquired during our colonial past. The return of the “spoils” of Elgin is already long overdue. This is my wish for 2023. Happy New Year!