Great Britain remains one of our closest allies, as reaffirmed when President Trump met with Prince William at the British embassy in Paris last week. Nevertheless, much has been made in this forum about the deterioration, even downfall, of British traditions and culture -- and rightly so.

London is a city about which Samuel Johnson said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” One can walk around willy-nilly (or hop on and off the busses with a day pass), for some wondrous discoveries. Around almost every corner, down almost every beckoning path or mysterious alley, fascinating history lurks (or perhaps some knife-wielding thugs for extra excitement on a bad day.).

One such historical place is Somerset House, which has been gracing London’s architectural landscape for centuries.

Many different residents have occupied the venerable building. Queen Elizabeth I lived there. Once, it was home for the Royal Academy. It was a Navy headquarters. It was the base for a bunch of civil servants. Now, unfortunately, it houses a motley assortment of artists and supposed “creatives.”

It’s unfortunate because of what they concoct in their fancy digs while they reflect “on the urgent contemporary issues of our time.” Reflection constrained by a weirdly warped, artsy-fartsy perspective, of course. Are they truly “creatives” or just miscreant? A pressing question given that such “urgent” issues include these upcoming exhibits:

“Right to remain.” That’s right -- their artwork will sympathize with immigrants and asylum seekers with dubious statuses, many of whom are polluting British culture rather than celebrating their adopted country. The organization admits that the foreigners face “major obstacles to establishing their legal rights to stay.” That sounds like tricky leftist sophistry. Let them prove their so-called rights, not linger around, consuming British resources, while gradually trying to establish them by default.

“Everyday rituals” of black life. That actually sounds offensive, like they’re into some mystical voodoo, rather than simply going about their daily business like everyone else. Somerset House used to house the Navy, so how about the “everyday rituals” of sailors at sea who assist the U.S. (especially with intelligence gathering) in protecting the world’s trade routes? Or the rituals of just about any other worthy endeavor that’s not entwined with identity politics?

“Salt Cosmologies.” This exhibit will portray a 2,500-mile-long hedge that the Brits used to enforce its Salt Tax in 19th-century India. I’ve got a better idea: Create a display that has a “knife of sugar” as the centerpiece. Many may disagree, but Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the “Grand Old Man of India,” noted that “the genius and spirit of the British people is fair play and justice." Indeed, the natives referred to “the knife of sugar,” meaning British rule wasn’t all that bad; it was often smooth and sweet, even though still a knife.

That’s just a taste of what is to come as the Somerset House Trust seeks to raise its profile in 2025. They are not “cultural innovators,” but deniers and revisionists who remain defiantly committed to noxious notions of DEI.

I’ve got another idea: evict the misguided artists and send the civil servants back.

Even civil servants (who once occupied the complex) are more useful for society than the divisive leftists who may be handy with an artist’s paintbrush, or whatnot. However, public services productivity is yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. One reason is that 98% of civil servants in the U.K. work (or pretend to), at least partially, from home. Get back in the office! Somerset House has a large courtyard to park their cars. But if city congestion and entrance fees are an issue, no worries: Waterloo Station is next door, along with other public transportation.

If the artists want to pursue their ridiculous projects, then more power to them -- perhaps they can sell something and support themselves for a change. Perhaps they can bunk in some bohemian hostels while creating murals and other material to discourage illegal aliens from flooding the “precious stone set in the silver sea.”

Is it sacrilege to suggest a giant inscription of the Red Cross of Saint George embedded into the White Cliffs of Dover? Then how about the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs in East Sussex? Maybe that’s incomprehensible, but there has to be something useful the artists can do to reinforce, in pictures, that illegal aliens do not have the unequivocal “right to remain.”

Jonathan Reekie, director of the Somerset House Trust, enthused about the “interdisciplinary” nature of the arts center. Insidious intersectionality is probably more accurate, as their myopic mindset is contorted by dark DEI devices.

Here’s hoping they have no “right to remain” in such a splendid edifice interminably.

Here’s hoping the unproductive civil servants have no “right to remain” at home during work hours, especially if Somerset House becomes vacant in yet another glorious incarnation.

Image: Emperorzurg123