On Tue, 10 Feb 2009, Mizter T wrote:

I'm sure people will scoff, but my take on it is 'why not?'. The Angel
of the North was widely regarded as an extravagant indulgence when it
was being planned and built, but it has since won over a great many of
the sceptics and has become a genuine landmark.

To answer your question, because the Angel of the North was something that
had a deep connection, through being a huge thing made out of steel, to
the community around it, a community which has been through hard times but
maintained a strong sense of self, and was thus ripe for the adoption of
an icon. The Ebbsfleet Big Horse is just a big horse [1], and is being
built in a dormitory suburb of London.

Also, the Angel of the North is a visually striking object and an
interesting piece of engineering, even if you don't think it was value for
money. The big horse isn't even that - it's just a big horse. You can get
the same visual effect for a fraction of the cost by finding a normal
horse and standing close to it.

tom

[1] Yes, a big horse is the symbol of Kent, but if someone built three
hundred-foot-high scimitars in Chelmsford, i don't think i'd get
particularly attached to them [2].

[2] Although that would be pretty cool.

--
GODZILLA PLEASE EAT THE ****IN COLDPLAY -- a poster in Bergen