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		Losing our marbles From the Boston Standard - June 24 2002. A few weeks ago I was invited to an exhibition in the European Parliament calling for the return of the Elgin marbles to Greece. This is a hotly debated issue, and different people take different views, so I was astonished that only one side of the debate was being presented. I was even more surprised to discover that my regional colleague, Lib Dem MEP Nick Clegg, has been busy fronting the campaign for the repatriation of the Elgin marbles. It is well known that he and his Party are seeking to sell our birthright in Brussels so we shouldn't be surprised. But careful consideration must be given to this decision as the effect on our cultural institutions could be highly damaging. Those who wish to send the Elgin marbles back to Greece claim that they are a special case and we should be able to treat them in isolation without opening the floodgates. But this assertion is strongly undermined by recent rumours in the press of demands from Nigeria for the return of the Benin bronzes and from Ethiopia for the return of Christian relics. If we give in to Greece's demand there would be increasing pressure on museums and libraries all over the world to dismantle their collections. The Elgin marbles debate opens a much bigger question of principle. We either believe in having places of culture such as the British Museum in London, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, or the Louvre in Paris, to address an international audience or we decide that the world's great collections should be broken up and sent back. To say that the case of the Elgin marbles is unique defies common sense. If we give them back to Greece, Pandora's box will be opened and museums and libraries throughout the Western world will be emptied.