Statue of David Lloyd George - Parliament Square, London, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Master Mariner
N 51° 30.051 W 000° 07.600
30U E 699423 N 5709438
This statue, representing David Lloyd George, stand close to the north east corner of Parliament Square. A charismatic figure that is reflected in this sculpture. Not everyone was happy about the statue as the BBC reported.
Waymark Code: WMPYTZ
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/13/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 5

The BBC News Wales website carried an article about the David Lloyd George statue that reported:

Criticism of Lloyd George statue.

Anti-war campaigners have criticised the erection of a statue to honour World War I PM David Lloyd George.

The Parliament Square memorial unveiled by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall is the first to the "Welsh wizard" on the streets of London.

A letter to the Daily Telegraph signed by playwright Harold Pinter and others claimed he left a legacy of violence.

But historian Kenneth O Morgan called Lloyd George a great radical and a democrat who deserved to be honoured.

Other signatories include the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and campaigning journalist John Pilger, and former United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, Denis Halliday.

They said Lloyd George's leadership saw bombing by British war planes across the Middle East, and left a legacy in the current violence in Iraq.

They wrote: "All of which makes today's celebration of Lloyd George's legacy highly topical and disgraceful."

But Lord Morgan said: "The bombing of Iraq was part of his government, but so too was the attempt to remake the world after 1919.

"And Lloyd George was the first man to try and bring the new Soviet Union into the commity of nations.

 "This new statue honours... a courageous young opponent of 'methods of barbarism' in the South African war, much cited during the invasion of Iraq and its grisly aftermath."

Prince Charles unveiled the statue as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and two former premiers - Baroness Thatcher and Sir John Major - looked on.

Social reformer

Charles praised Liberal Lloyd George as he unveiled the 8ft (2.4m) bronze artwork. There is another statue of Lloyd George in the House of Commons.

The prince told invited guests, who included many descendants of the statesman: "I feel it's wholly appropriate that David Lloyd George should be commemorated this way in Parliament Square.

"In the course of a decade, beginning approximately a century ago, he established himself as one of the greatest social reformers and war leaders of the 20th Century."

Charles, who is a royal patron of the appeal trust that raised £350,000 to have the statue created, added: "Though he never forgot his Welsh roots, it is as a national and international statesman that he will best be remembered."

Lloyd George was MP for Caernarfon and prime minister from 1916 - 1922.

He is seen as playing a vital role in Britain's victory in World War I and in the subsequent Versailles peace negotiations.

He had earlier been chancellor of the exchequer and was largely responsible for the introduction of old age pensions, unemployment benefit and state financial support for the sick and infirm.

The plinth is cut from a six tonne block of Penrhyn Heather Blue Grey slate and is inscribed, on the front, "David / Lloyd George". The statue, cast in bronze, was sculpted by Glyn Williams and was unveiled in October 2007 by the Prince of Wales.

The statue is around life-size and still has the orange tinge of bronze newness. It shows Lloyd George standing with his right foot planted slightly ahead of his left foot with the toes of his right foot hanging over the edge of the statue base. He is wearing a suit with the jacket unbuttoned revealing a waistcoat that is buttoned. He is also sporting his trade mark bow tie. His left arm is outstretched with fingers extended with the palm tilted at about 45 degrees. He is bare headed and he is hold a hat with the fingers of his right hand that is down by his side. Over his shoulders he has a cape that is billowing behind him as if caught by a gust of wind.

The BBC History website carries a biography of Lloyd George. It reads:

Lloyd George was one of the great reforming British chancellors of the 20th century and prime minister from 1916 to 1922.

David Lloyd George was born in Manchester on 17 January 1863, son of a schoolmaster. His father died when he was young and his mother took him to Wales to be raised. He became a lifelong Welsh nationalist. He qualified as a solicitor and in 1890 was elected Liberal member of parliament for Caernarvon, a seat he held until 1945. He quickly became known for his radicalism and earned notoriety for his opposition to the Boer War.

In 1905, the prime minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, appointed Lloyd George as president of the Board of Trade. In 1908, he was named chancellor of the exchequer in the government of HH Asquith. Lloyd George's 1909 budget has been called the 'people's budget' since it provided for social insurance that was to be partly financed by land and income taxes. The budget was rejected by the House of Lords. This, in turn, led directly to the Parliament Act of 1911 by which the Lords lost their power of veto.

Lloyd George remained chancellor of the exchequer through the early years of World War One. In 1915 he was appointed minister of munitions in Asquith's wartime coalition government. In July 1916 he became secretary of state for war, but was increasingly critical of Asquith. In December 1916, with the support of the Conservative and Labour leaders, he replaced Asquith as prime minister. Lloyd George's achievements in the last two years of the war included persuading the Royal Navy to introduce the convoy system and the unification of the Allied military command under the French general Ferdinand Foch.

At the successful conclusion of the war, Lloyd George was Britain's chief delegate to the Paris Peace Conference that drafted the Versailles Treaty. He remained prime minister, although now dependent on Conservative support. In 1921 he secured the settlement that established the Irish Free State. In the summer of 1922, Lloyd George was involved in a scandal involving the selling of knighthoods and peerages. In October, the Conservatives withdrew from the coalition over their opposition to Britain's foreign policy in Turkey. Lloyd George resigned as prime minister.

He remained in parliament, but was marginalised politically. In 1944 he was made Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor. He died on 26 March 1945 at Ty Newydd, Llanystumdwy, Wales.

Type of publication: Television

When was the article reported?: 10/25/2007

Publication: BBC News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: regional

News Category: Politics

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