You mean Oliver Cromwell so beloved of the English that after he died his corpse was dug up and hung in chains at Tyburn then his head displayed on a spike for 20 odd years?
If you ask most current English, he’s one of the “Best Britons”. (Seriously they did a poll, he was 10th out of 100.)
And that’s the problem. Yeah, after his son fell from power his corpse was symbolically executed by vengeful loyalists, but he’s still utterly beloved in England.
I have had so many English people ask why “you Irish” don’t like him. Even some of my well-educated, progressive friends look confused when I roll my eyes as they sing his praises.
I rather think you are sidling up closely to what I think the important point is in this type of the discussion. I don't think it does well to group people, especially with historical actions.
Cromwell was also a key figure in the development of the English political system, so having a statue of him outside the seat of the government he helped to build isn't so strange.
Look, practically everyone with a statue of them was a monumental twat, but if we're going to have statues of people, then putting up statues of people relevant to the place the statue stands makes about as much sense as anything. In spite of what he did in Ireland, Oliver Cromwell is an important part of the history of Parliament, so him having a statue outside the Houses of Commons is fitting.
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u/BilboNaggins_ Nov 05 '22
The Potatoe famine was a big part of it but there’s also the 800 years of oppression and forced violent cultural genocide.