As part of an ongoing update of their website & social media strategy, the UK based Marbles Reunited campaign are now using twitter. They have also changed from the old Facebook group (now closed to new members) to a new Facebook Page, which should allow for more frequent updates on what is happening with the campaign.

If you support the campaign & use twitter or Facebook, you are encouraged to follow them / become a fan, to keep up with the latest developments.

Follow them on twitter – here.
Become a fan on Facebook – here.

Their website is still: www.marblesreunited.org.uk

Following on from the event that i posted about last year, a video is now available online showing the debate that took place on the subject of Who owns culture

Anthony Snodgrass has stood down as chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, to be replaced by former MP, Eddie O’Hara. Eddie O’Hara is also the Honorary Chair of the Marbles Reunited campaign.

From:
Response Source

New Chairman for the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles
Friday, 03 December 2010
03 December 2010

New Chairman for the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles

PROFESSOR Anthony Snodgrass retired from his position as the chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (www.parthenonuk.com and twitter BCRPM) and it was announced former MP Eddie O’Hara would take over the position.
Read the rest of this entry »

The latest newsletter from the Marbles Reunited campaign is now available to download from their website.

You can download if here.

You can also browse through all their previous newsletters here.

As part of the annual Battle of Ideas, a two day event organised by the Institute of Ideas, there is a debate about who owns culture, where the Elgin Marbles no doubt feature in the discussion. Geoff White from the Marbles Reunited campaign will be one of the speakers there.

From:
Battle of Ideas

Losing our marbles? Who owns culture?
Sunday 31 October, 12.30pm until 1.30pm, Courtyard Gallery Battle for the Past

The ownership of the Parthenon Marbles has been disputed since their removal from Athens in the early 19th century, by Lord Elgin. Some argue the sculptures belong in Greece, where they were carved almost two and a half thousand years go. Advocates of repatriation insist that the marbles are part of the heritage of Greece, and should never have been taken in the first place. Others feel that the marbles are now part of the history of the British Museum, and point out that in their current Bloomsbury home they can be seen in relation to other cultures, as part of world history. But with the opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, a state-of-the-art centre, claims for their return are growing stronger.
Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Allan, whilst an MP, founded the Parthenon 2004 campaign in 2002, which was later re-branded as Marbles Reunited. Richard stood down as an MP in 2005.

Following the recent General Election, a Dissolution honours list has been released (as happens every time there is a new Parliament), of new Peers & Life Peers. Richard Allan has been named as one of the new Life Peers who will be entering the House of Lords, where he will hopefully be able to resume some of his efforts in lobbying for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.

A number of other former MPs who were strong supporters of the campaign for reunification of the Parthenon Marbles are also due to enter the House of Lords.

From:
Daily Telegraph

Dissolution honours: the full list of new peers
This is the full list of the new members of the House of Lords created in the Dissolution Honours.
Published: 8:00AM BST 29 May 2010

Labour life peers:

Hilary Armstrong, chief whip under Tony Blair, stood down as MP for Durham North West at general election.

Des Browne, former defence secretary, stood down as MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun at general election.
Read the rest of this entry »

Despite promises when they were in opposition, since 1997, the UK’s Labour government has failed to make any meaningful headway towards resolving the situation of the Elgin Marbles in The British Museum. Previous statements from the Conservative party suggest that they would be even less in favour of any sort of reunification deal than Labour is.

Nick Clegg, unknown to many before he was elected as a UK MP in 2005, was previously an MEP & during this time he was involved in organising an exhibition at the European Parliament.

Since 2005, there have been 6 Early Day Motions relating to the Parthenon Marbles. Based on an analysis of the people who signed at least one of these EDMs, the breakdown of support (strong support – MPs only normally sign EDMs when they feel strongly about something) by party is:

Liberal Democrats – 33%
Labour – 15%
Conservative – 1%

The weak support from the Conservative party is particularly troubling – it is only 2 out of 193 MPs who have expressed any interest in the issue. These are: Richard Ottaway (Croydon South) & James Gray (North Wiltshire). There are other members of their party who I know are supportive of the issue, but clearly they are not interested enough in it to want to publicly express their support.

The SNP & Plaid Cymru are also supportive of return, but their results are less accurate as they have far fewer MPs:

SNP – 29%
Plaid Cymru – 100% (of 3MPs)

Other minor / regional parties that are supportive:

SDLP (Northern Ireland) – 67% (of 3 MPs)
Respect – 100% (of 1 MP)

Based on these results, a Liberal Democrat government in the UK currently seems by far the most positive option for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. (although the national parties listed above for Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland are also supportive of the issue).

Below is a press release from the Marbles in Exile conference (Note that The Parthenon 2004 campaign is what is now know as Marbles Reunited):

Embargo: 00.01, Wednesday 29th May, 2002
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SHOWS SUPPORT FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES – RICHARD ALLAN MP

Today, the (Parthenon) Marbles in Exile Conference and Exhibition will take place at the European Parliament. Nick Clegg MEP, chair of the Marbles in Exile Conference, says:

“I am thrilled by the positive response across Europe to this issue. After all, it’s about preserving our common European heritage. It is absurd that the Parthenon monument remains torn apart in this way. Imagine the outrage in Britain if Big Ben’s clock face was taken from Westminster and housed in the Prado museum in Spain.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew George MP, Chair of the Marbles Reunited campaign in the UK has submitted two Parliamentary Questions relating to the Parthenon Marbles. The answers might be predictable, but they do help to clarify that there are no current official negotiations – something that needs to happen for the Parthenon Marbles to get any closer to returning.

From:
Hansard

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 30 Nov 2009 (pt 0003)
30 Nov 2009 : Column 373W—continued

[…]

Elgin Marbles

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Board of Trustees of the British Museum about the future management of its Parthenon marble exhibits. [302468]

Margaret Hodge: Neither my right hon. Friend, nor I have had any recent discussions with the Board of Trustees. However, he has met the Director of the British Museum and discussed the Museum’s capital programme. He has also been briefed by the Director
Read the rest of this entry »

World Focus have published four short videos on the Elgin Marbles and the various campaigns for their return to Athens. The video accompanying the second article includes coverage of the recent protest by Greek schoolchildren outside the British Museum organised with the help of Marbles Reunited, along with some information on the leaflet distribution campaigns and cartoons of the Parthenon Marbles, both organised by Marbles Reunited member Lazaros Filippidis.

As the text on each page is only a brief introduction to the video, I strongly recommend that you visit all the linked pages to view the actual videos.

From:
World Focus

September 15, 2009
Do Greece’s ancient treasures belong in London?

The opening of the Acropolis Museum in Greece this summer has reignited a controversy over some of the sculptures that adorned the Parthenon, the most famous monument of ancient Greece. A number of artifacts, including about half of the Parthenon Frieze, now reside in the British Museum — but many Greeks argue they should be returned to Athens.

Lynn Sherr speaks to a group of students at the American College of Greece, who believe passionately the sculptures should be returned to their homeland.
Read the rest of this entry »

In 1985, film director Christopher Miles (who is also now a member of the Marbles Reunited campaign) made a film about the Parthenon Marbles. The film was shown on Channel 4, but there have also been private viewings of it at the Houses of Parliament & Greenwich University in the last few years.

Thoroughly researched, the film is structured in an interesting way, where rather than a merely historical retelling of the story, much of it is based on the text of the actual letters sent back to England by Elgin – but then the scenes cut back to the modern day studio where the actors discuss the issues amongst themselves based on the information that we know now. It is also the first film to feature a very young looking Hugh Grant (playing William Hamilton – Elgin’s Private Secretary), alongside Lord Elgin played by Nigel Havers.

Christopher has now put a lot of information (original images from the filming, plus his own comments on the film etc.) on his website.

Read more about the film here.

On the eve of the official opening of the New Acropolis Museum, the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures held a meeting to discuss how the issue might be tackled in the coming years & how the organisation could help facilitate the return of the Elgin Marbles. Members were present from organisations in sixteen different countries, all of whose primary aim is the reunification of the surviving Parthenon Sculptures in Athens.

From:
Agence France Presse

Return Elgin marbles for London Olympics: campaigners
3 days ago

ATHENS (AFP) — The 2012 London Olympics would represent a symbolic moment perfect for the return of the long-disputed Elgin Marbles from Britain to Greece, campaigners said Friday.

Representatives of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures (IARPS) — which has members in 17 countries — visited Athens Friday ahead of the new Acropolis Museum’s inauguration on Saturday.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Big Question this morning covered the topic of the Elgin Marbles for the last 16 minutes of the program. You can watch it online at the BBCs website. In the front row guests were representatives from both the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles & from Marbles Reunited. Of the panel, Germaine Greer presented a particularly good knowledge of the issue when it was discussed & appeared to be strongly supportive.

From:
BBC

The Big Questions
Series 2
Episode 22

Nicky Campbell presents the show live from Jack Hunt School in Peterborough. Taking part in the topical debates are writer and feminist Professor Germaine Greer, journalist Fareena Alam and the novelist and religious commentator, Anne Atkins.

This week’s big questions are:

Should there be an amnesty for illegal immigrants?
Can date rape be a woman’s fault?
Should the Elgin Marbles be returned?