Peter Rhodes on preventable vandalism, luxury cars for Russia and our 'dysfunctional' Home Office
You might assume that Trinity College, Cambridge, is simply stuffed with great brains. After an incident a few days ago, I'm not so sure.
We live in an age when desecrating paintings and other works of art is regarded by activists as fair game. We also live in a time when “Free Palestine!” is on the lips of millions, and passions run high. So you might think that a college possessing a life-size portrait of Lord Balfour, the British politician whose Balfour Declaration paved the way for the creation of Israel, would move that tempting target to a place of safety, at least until things cool down.
Not so. It was on show and easily accessible for the Palestine Action activist equipped with a blade and spray paint who savagely ruined the 1914 work. A spokeswoman tells us: "Trinity College regrets the damage caused to a portrait of Arthur James Balfour during public opening hours.” But if they regret the destruction of a masterpiece so much, why was it allowed to happen in the first place?
