I’ve thought that the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece ever since I first saw them at the British Museum. The display at the museum is fine, but as soon as I saw them in three dimensions I knew it was wrong to keep them. I can’t explain it logically or make any eloquent case in the way Steven Fry has recently done. I just think that they should be back where they came from.
And if you are going to choose a good time to do it, why not now? With their current economic woes I think the Greeks would appreciate being reminded of the bigger picture and the contribution their ancestors made to world culture. Balancing the books is great, but nobody is fighting over accounting ledgers from the 5th Century BC.
Some extra tourist revenue wouldn’t do any harm either.