If museums start returning their items, where will it end?

All parents recall the training they tried to instil in their young children around the concept of sharing. The calm interventions when two go to war over one toy; the sense of panic in one that the other may waddle off with its plastic treasure toddlers

- EMILY SHEFFIELD

Carefully we entreat them with the word "share" and explain to our tearful audience the concept of lending - to varying degrees of success. Often it ends in a row, or tears.

I was reminded of these scenes in this week's comments by the new director of the British Museum, Nicholas Cullinan. In his first interview, he said he would like to see the museum become a "lending library" - that is, to return certain objects to their place of origin on a temporary basis.

Restitution is a thorny issue that many museums around the world are tackling - and Cullinan, the former head of the National Portrait Gallery, has dived straight in, declaring that he wants to "do something positive" with the museum's vast legacy.

It seems on the surface entirely fitting that we should share and lend the many artefacts and historical objects we have as a country collected, or stolen, over the centuries - particularly from poorer countries, who would benefit hugely from their return. Sharing is caring, after all.