For better or worse, we have dominion over the earth, and how we manage that position, whether as bloodthirsty tyrants or as benign patrons, is a core measure of our worth.
They also express confidence in the benign power of the state as patron.
Whatever his views, it's to be hoped he is doing his patron-saintly duty and keeping a benign eye on his industry because as everyone - including the prime minister - keeps telling us, 2008 is going to be a tough old year.
"It's also common to see the flag of St George (St George is also the patron saint of Catalonia), but here it is a benign symbol, with none of the associations with racism or anti-immigration sentiment it has in the UK, nor any assumed relationship with social class.
This benign neglect — or the artful illusion of it — has inspired loyalty in both patrons and staff.
But placed on the architecturally nondescript patio, where there are also shaded areas for patrons of the Roof Garden Cafe, the sculptures too easily turn into benign, decorative accessories.
