I can't understand why you have taken this stance Dean, againt Engels. He was a man of the people- the working people , and what he wrote showed the horrors of 19th century working life and living conditions in Manchester.
I was born and bred in Manchester but havent been back for a long time since my retirement in 2001. So I can't identify with the area of the city in which this statue has been placed and I didnt know where it had come from, but the fact that it commemorates someone who cared about how people managed to live in such appalling conditions in those days and recorded what he found for us to learn from, justifies its existence wherever it is positioned.
Angel Meadow was not the only impoverished area in the City and if the statue
promotes queries and discussion in what might seem these days a rather incongruous position, so much the better.
It would be good to have a statue of Engels in a place connected to him, I think. Yes Angel Meadow probably. A more sympathetic likeness would be good. Who would commission it ?
I suppose its just part of the cityscape in that area now, not even noticed apart from walking tour groups etc , I expect it will stay as it provides a talking point to those who are interested.
Great article Dean. I do feel the statue in its current position serves as a bit of a curiosity, and would be better off in Angel Meadow or The People's History Museum.
Appreciate that the statue itself is a symbol of Soviet repression, although I'm sure Engels never intended his doctrine to end up being used for such repression/totalitarianism and he should be remembered for highlighting the terrible conditions many had to endure, with unregulated capitalism causing similarly unjustified repression.
I can't understand why you have taken this stance Dean, againt Engels. He was a man of the people- the working people , and what he wrote showed the horrors of 19th century working life and living conditions in Manchester.
I was born and bred in Manchester but havent been back for a long time since my retirement in 2001. So I can't identify with the area of the city in which this statue has been placed and I didnt know where it had come from, but the fact that it commemorates someone who cared about how people managed to live in such appalling conditions in those days and recorded what he found for us to learn from, justifies its existence wherever it is positioned.
Angel Meadow was not the only impoverished area in the City and if the statue
promotes queries and discussion in what might seem these days a rather incongruous position, so much the better.
It would be good to have a statue of Engels in a place connected to him, I think. Yes Angel Meadow probably. A more sympathetic likeness would be good. Who would commission it ?
I suppose its just part of the cityscape in that area now, not even noticed apart from walking tour groups etc , I expect it will stay as it provides a talking point to those who are interested.
Great article Dean. I do feel the statue in its current position serves as a bit of a curiosity, and would be better off in Angel Meadow or The People's History Museum.
Appreciate that the statue itself is a symbol of Soviet repression, although I'm sure Engels never intended his doctrine to end up being used for such repression/totalitarianism and he should be remembered for highlighting the terrible conditions many had to endure, with unregulated capitalism causing similarly unjustified repression.