Diary: Mandela and the brass necks of Westminster

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/09/mugh-muir-diary-nelson-mandela

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• Continuing grief at the passing of Mandela, with parliamentary tributes befitting a colossus. And amusing to watch those who were unsupportive of Mandela and the ANC running to play catch-up. Much has been said of the discomfort exuded by rightwing Tories, as they massage their positions. But we find the brassiest necks reside in Westminster. "He had a strong connection with people in Westminster and with Westminster itself. He was the only person still living who had a statue in Parliament Square – a true testament to his unique strength, courage and bravery," said council leader Phillippa Roe. Which merely evoked demands for the sickbag from all who remember the titanic struggle by the then London mayor Ken Livingstone to give a Mandela statue the prominence it deserved. Livingstone wanted it in Trafalgar Square. Westminster fought that tooth and nail. The compromise, after much rancour and a judicial appeal by the mayor budgeted at £100,000, was Parliament Square. But that wasn't the only issue. Glynn Williams, an expert fielded in 2005 by Westminster, said the statue itself, the work of sculptor Ian Walters, was uninspiring. "I believe this to be a run-of-the mill mediocre modelling in an attempt to get a mimetic likeness." He said the problem was not just the proposed sculpture but Walters too. "The sculpture proposed is an adequate portrait but nothing more. In my opinion a sculptor of more originality and inventiveness should have been chosen, so a lasting piece of artistic heritage will be left." Williams, then head of the school of fine art at the Royal College of Art, was deployed by Westminster at the height of the battle. Still, that was then.

• But it wasn't the only instance of Mandela push-back. Rewind to 1996, when Labour councillors sought to bestow upon Mandela the freedom of the borough. It was a heady time, says current Labour leader Paul Dimoldenberg. "When Mandela made his visit to London, the then Labour group called a special meeting to award him the Freedom of the City. The Conservatives voted the motion down precisely on the grounds that he did not have any particular connection to Westminster." Twelve Labour votes for, 24 Tory votes against. Still, Mandela already had the freedom that mattered.

• A genuine tear shed by the author Dominic Shelmerdine, with whom Mandela shared brief correspondence. What was Mandela's original ambition, Shelmerdine asked him – a question he asks of almost everyone in the public eye. The letter from Mandela was brief. "My original ambition in life was to become a lawyer," it said. Was everything else that followed a bonus?

• Is there anything to separate PM Dave from his mini-me stand-in Nick Clegg. Not really. The Jewish Chronicle notes that they even tell the same jokes. "At the Downing Street chanukah 'do' last week, prime minister David Cameron said that when he told his cabinet colleagues about one day's oil lasting eight nights, their ears pricked up – and he had to remind them it was a miracle, and not an energy policy," notes the Chron. "Pretty much the same crack made by deputy PM Nick Clegg at this week's party for the all-parliamentary group on British Jews." Perhaps it wasn't a joke at all, more a statement on the cabinet. It isn't the brightest.

• Finally, with Labour's finances more and more like those of an ailing small business, party leader Ed Miliband travelled to Crystal Palace, in south-east London, at the weekend to promote a local initiative on small business day. In the Bookseller Crow bookshop, the Labour leader bought a Tintin book. History does not record the exact title, sources narrow down the choice to either The Blue Lotus or The Black Island. The Black Island tells the tale of a Scottish isle where a ferocious beast repels newcomers. Alex Salmond isn't named but there's a gist of how to handle him. The Blue Lotus is a satire on European views of China. After last week's slapdown, during PM Dave's visit (UK is not a big power in the eyes of the Chinese," said China's Global Times), we certainly know what China thinks of us. Unworthy even of satire.

Twitter: @hugh_muir

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