| Why London is getting a statue of Ronald Reagan By Michael Goldfarb Writer and broadcaster |
| Monday, 04 July 2011 04:38 |
 A statue of Ronald Reagan will be unveiled near the US embassy in London on Monday. How did this come about?
Once upon a time, 4 July in London was the occasion for a grand party at the American ambassador's vast residence in Regent's Park. The diplomatic corps, leading MPs, titans of industry, and we sparrows of the press would feast on hamburgers, hot dogs and crumbs of gossip on the vast back lawn. But this is the Age of Austerity. The party is over. This year, the big 4 July event in London will be held in Grosvenor Square just across from the American embassy and it is a private affair not hosted by the US government. A statue of Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States, will be unveiled. Baroness Thatcher, Reagan's soul-mate in power, has been invited but it is not known if she will be able to attend. However, 2,000 other paying guests will do so and will listen to remarks by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the current ambassador, Louis Susman. The creation of the statue - total cost $1m - did not grow out of a public clamour for a fitting memorial to the late president (though Westminster City Council made an exception to its usual rule refusing permission for statues until 10 years have passed since the subject's death). The event is part of a year-long series of big occasions to mark the centenary of Reagan's birth, organised by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. In the weeks prior to the London unveiling, statues have been unveiled and conferences convened in Cracow, Budapest and Prague.
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The Vice President, John Dramani Mahama has lauded the fast pace at which the Metro Mass Transit service is growing in the country.