Ex Labour MP: ‘I am proud to be linked to scouting and think it would be a travesty to remove any tribute to Lord Baden Powell’

It would be a travesty if local authorities were to expunge honours granted to Robert Baden Powell (honours would include statues, freedoms of the city, and street names etc ).
By Andrew MacKinlay
Published 12th Jun 2020, 12:25 BST
Updated 13th Jun 2020, 14:12 BST
Rover Scouts Chris Arthur (left) and Matthew Trott pose for a photograph in front of a statue of Robert Baden-Powell on Poole Quay in Dorset on Thursday amid an outcry over plans to remove it amid concerns about his actions while in the military and 'Nazi sympathies'. Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA WireRover Scouts Chris Arthur (left) and Matthew Trott pose for a photograph in front of a statue of Robert Baden-Powell on Poole Quay in Dorset on Thursday amid an outcry over plans to remove it amid concerns about his actions while in the military and 'Nazi sympathies'. Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Rover Scouts Chris Arthur (left) and Matthew Trott pose for a photograph in front of a statue of Robert Baden-Powell on Poole Quay in Dorset on Thursday amid an outcry over plans to remove it amid concerns about his actions while in the military and 'Nazi sympathies'. Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

It would be a travesty if local authorities were to expunge honours granted to Robert Baden Powell (honours would include statues, freedoms of the city, and street names etc ).

Bournemouth Borough Council said it recognised “negative” aspects to his life and would put a statue in storage, and then, after a public outcry, said it was only doing that to safeguard the monument.

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Any such removal would be offensive to the millions of people of every creed and race who are proud of their association with scouting.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

In many respects Baden Powell was ahead of his time, creating an enduring worldwide friendship movement of 50,000,000+ members.

There are countless millions of us ‘oldies’ who are proud to have benefited from this all embracing fraternal organisation, whose cornerstone is summed-up in Baden Powell’s words:

I was and remain very proud of the fact that the founder of the scouting movement, Baden Powell preached: “A scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout, no matter what country ,class or creed to which the other may belong.”

This he set out in his book ‘Scouting for Boys’.

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I have always been proud to be a member and associated with the scouting movement; particularly in relation to this Creed of Baden Powell, which he laid down when he founded this wonderful worldwide movement.

Andrew Mackinlay, Former Labour member of Parliament for Thurrock 1992 to 2010

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Related topics:LabourNorthern Ireland