There is substance in the letter last week concerning Lord Palmerston, and by the standards of today he was always a British imperialist first and a "liberal" a poor second.
However, as always, must be cautious with revisionist history based on the current political climate and circumstances.
Palmerston achieved wide spread popularity in the UK over the Don Pacifico incident where "gun boat diplomacy" was used to protect a national from Gibraltar who had a rather questionable background.
Whilst the method used would be abhorred by the standards of today, the principle of defending the rights of a citizen, no matter what their background, would be lauded by the same liberal minded people who would wish to dismantle the Market Place statue.
Martin Moore
Romsey
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