The answer to the Parthenon marbles dispute: George Osborne and a 3D printer | Simon Jenkins

If the British Museum chairman is serious about returning the treasures to Greece, making copies offers a face-saving solution

The British Museum chairman, George Osborne, has mooted the possible return of the Parthenon (or Elgin) marbles to Greece. This is thoroughly good news. He is not the first to suggest a “marbles deal”, but he is the first to suggest that “seeing them in their splendour in Athens” is a virtue to be sought. More importantly, he seems to accept that this has passed on from t...