Saying you were reading Kipling before someone was born and therefore have a better understanding is possibly one of the more arrogant statements on this thread. The counter of course being that those of us "young 'uns" reading him have better memory recall and a more enlightened world view with which to bounce Kipling off.

Rhodes was everything we can aim at him, and possibly more as the man was revered by many so some bits must have been swept under the carpet during his lifetime. (Like Haig or Jimmy Saville.)

But his statue, if it is a reminder of an imperial past, stands with all the other reminders such as most of Westminster buildings. Oh, and those older buildings we stare at in wonder and amazement? Think sugar and slavery.

It would be hypocritical to tear down his statue. Just because we are fed images of despot statues being ceremoniously toppled during revolutions overseas, we don't need to adopt an attitude of monkey see, monkey do.