A golden rule of political comms: if you cannot win the moral high ground, then reframe the debate. The backlash of 1816 centred around the morality of the acquisition, a murky issue that the British government could never hope to defend. Better to leave Lord Elgin out in the cold and present the public with a compelling solution: granting the marbles asylum under a free government. Otherwise, the alternative is to return them to the upheaval of Acropolis and risk losing them forever. By moving to present brand Britain as a protector of European heritage, we pacify the international community and galvanise the classically educated ruling class at home. Meanwhile, don’t forget to herald their arrival as a global event, at the O2 of its day, the British Museum.
Ronan Harrington, Corporate Edge
Look at the long term. Make an investment now. Make sure the antiquities are treasured, looked after, protected from the environment. There may be a time in the future when Greece needs real international assistance and would welcome the marbles back to help the country get back on its feet. The UK government would gain incredible kudos for helping Greece get out of a sticky patch, and possibly support a united Europe.
Peter Mills, The Team
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The Elgin marbles are the original PR mistake – a job they continue to do today, as the original “anti-social media”. Part of the staggeringly expensive Parthenon, they were a big reminder to ancient Athen’s “allies” of how their “voluntary” contribution to the “fight the Persians’ (bailout) fund” was being spent. With a gold and ivory statue of Ph allies in a financial fix back then, as they do today.eidias’ Athena inside, just to rub it in, it seems that the Parthenon sculptures were the original PR disaster – upsetting
Lord Elgin could have deployed Romantic poets as guerrilla marketers. Word of mouth and thought leadership verse placements could have placed a positive ‘Save your Marbles’ message, fomented grassroots Greek activism and discredited the occupying Ottoman authorities internationally. After all, wasn’t it the Sultan’s regime whose gunpowder had blown up the Parthenon in the first place? The cause of Turkish accession to the EU two centuries later wasn’t helped – but by 1832, Greek independence had followed a similar strategy of ‘Romantic engagement’.
James Stockbridge, MCC International .
Think of this as the classic custody battle and fight dirty. The government needs to cast Greece in an even worse light than itself. If you can’t be the best parent, be the least bad.
This was shortly before the Greek war of independence, and revolution was in the air– not the ideal environment in which to safeguard such important relics. This isn’t about bragging rights, the government should say. We simply have the marbles’ best interests at heart.
Alan Hughes, freelance PR
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