I AGREE with most of Indigo Pete’s points (Argus, March 26), but adding anything to the image of the Chartist Mural would seriously dilute its impact, its immediacy and its message.
It would add further insult to the memory of artist the late Kenneth Budd and would surely not encourage his son, Oliver, to want to rebuild it.
Instead, it should be accompanied by the following text which would clearly demonstrate Newport City Council’s willingness to operate within the democratic framework so hard won by the Chartist protesters: “This Chartist Mural mosaic is an enlarged copy of the original commemoration by artist the late Kenneth Budd which was demolished in October 2013 to make way for the Friars Walk shopping centre. It has been faithfully reconstructed by the artist’s son Oliver Budd and celebrates the democratic freedoms won as a consequence of the 1839 Chartist Uprising at Newport during which 22 of the protesters so readily gave up their lives for the benefit of us all. The decision to rebuild, in accordance with the wishes of the people of Newport, was taken by Newport City Council in 2014, the 175th anniversary year of the uprising.”
Jim Sullivan Caerleon
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