http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4264683.stm
The Duke of Wellington’s statue on Queen Street has long attracted the attention of late night revellers clambering up to adorn him with a hat.
However, the continuing prank has resulted in damage being done to one of Scotland’s oldest bronze monuments.
Wellington had no connection to Glasgow or Scots, outside of “leading” them either as a commander or a Prime Minister. To plonk a huge bronze statue of an English (italics to emphasise the Scottish pronunciation of the word, i.e. with a snarl) military and governmental figure down in the middle of a city renowned for both its hatred of all things English, *and* its sense of humour, was perhaps not the brightest move; My sympathies are limited.
Perhaps the preservationists would do better to move the statue? Perhaps South of the border, or at least to an intersection requiring less constant roadwork?
(Disclaimer: I stumbled across the behatted statue on my first solo trip to Glasgow, and loved it immensely. Just about everyone passing in the street was chuckling – including a little boy whose mother evidently sided with the historical board, as she was chiding him that “they’re just a pile of silly men.”)