My own view is that in these more (marginally) enlightened times it would be a great idea to remove all statues of human beings and not erect any more. Let's face it, humans are not perfect and as much as some will inspire some folk, they will disgust others.

Far better to erect statues of aspirations, ideals and intellectual achievements conceptually. Statues like those of the Angel of the North would suffice without having reference to actual people. Those would be better off in museums in context.