And we must have also imposed Islam and Hinduism on the poor souls. The likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India they all love cricket, it’s the number one sport out there. Maybe we should remove it from them with our apologies.
I’m not saying anyone on this forum does, but we have to stop the self-imposed flagellation surrounding our country and its part in the history of the world. At some point every country or nation has tried to impose its own values on another. The modern British, starting in or around the 1500s just happened to be that nation. We have to stop hating our country and to stop teaching our kids and grandchildren that the British Empire was evil. It wasn’t. Did it do things, as viewed through the lens of today, that were bad? Undoubtedly. But that doesn’t make the British bad as a nation. Empires come and go. The British have had theirs and it wasn’t a bad one despite what some academics believe and try and teach.
USA, Canada, Australia etc. It’s not a bad legacy to leave. All liberal progressive countries. I know some yanks and Canadians thank us for it on YouTube if people want to take the time to look it all up.
Really? Tell me about the genocides the British committed and the maniacal way in which they did it. I’m especially interested in the tens of millions the British exterminated similar to Adolph in WW2. Or how about a genocide similar to that committed by our friend Josef Stalin. Which countries are now a lot worse off because of direct British interference/influence? I’ve said it earlier, people have to stop viewing this through modern eyes.
Yes mate but that is for those coming through the youth system now. These “kids” now need dealing with strongly. Not a slap on the wrist, not a tag, but a sentence no matter how long
https://www.fairobserver.com/world-...ls,%2C%20starvation%2C%20and%20sexual%20abuse. I did say it was a long time ago but …
My policy is never a blanket one in any situation ... ... I praise the good and berate the bad. Australia was much better before Europe sent convicts, disease and death ... ... The genocide in places like Tasmania was shameful and brushed under the carpet. Sorry but England being the country of my birth doesn't absolve it of blame. Besides, that wasn't my point, it's that we created a situation whereby we had no option but to take these people we'd 'made British' and now we'd like to put the cork back in the bottle.
Romans committed atrocities on our shores shall we sue Italy. FWIW and IMO, the British Empire did more good than bad, those were a long time ago and Britain now has no issues with those seeking independence, that is the marker for me. We can’t be responsible for what happened in the dark ages, Britain has seen its fair share of invaders too. I thought what was being intimated was that back then it was British influence or nothing. Now those brick head so called “patriots” don’t like it when immigrants practice what they preach over here. We made it easy for their forefathers to come here, we needed them, the NHS is full of them, they are doing jobs that some lazy bastard white honky twat won’t do because it’s below them. But they don’t like it because of their ethnicity, not their work rate, their commitment, their contribution, merely their race. Either that or this thread has taken an unnecessary turn.
I never said it did Smug. What happened in Tasmania should never have happened. It is an acknowledged fact though that life expectancy for Australian Aboriginals has gone up since the British arrived. The country has been enriched by European involvement. For example, the amount of minerals in the ground, prior to the British turning up meant nothing. It was worthless to the indigenous population as they had no method of realising the wealth beneath their feet. Now, if they live in that land, the mining corporations pay them massive amounts of cash for the privilege of mining it. They are given houses and other benefits as well. They are better off than you or me could ever be. What the majority of them do with that wealth is another story. That they were a peace loving nomadic society is also not true. They would regularly fight over land and property. You could argue that if everyone stayed where they were then the world would be better, but it is human nature to explore. How that exploration took place and the methods it took is another discussion though.
I’m born and bred English, but I’m not very patriotic really, only cos it’s not a big thing to me. There’s good here, good people, lovely places, there’s **** here by the same score. You can say the same of anywhere. I do despise the class issue here where kings queens lords and ladies own the land we walk on, have privilege and influence through birth and I do think we have an island mindset - foreigners are invaders and threats. I just see it that some people are threats- those not subject to the right care and control or people who are mentally unwell, sometimes the same people. Just being honest. I don’t know why we can’t see our country and others objectively. It’s not all good. I don’t think foreigners/outsiders are automatically bad, some are, most aren’t but you can say the same of this board, our city, our country.
Well that's really a question of interpretation mate ... ... I'd say, from memory that, apart from extinct species, there's around 500 endangered creatures in Australia. I wouldn't say that's enriching the country and hardly balanced by 'mining for gold' imo. Anyway, let me ask you this ... ... what are your general views on Hitler?
What am I avoiding mate. The problem is you're so vague, and talk in riddles, that I've little idea of what you're saying. You have all these weird internet phrases, and words few people use, that I lose interest.
I generally agree with what you’re saying. The difference is that I am patriotic, so much so that I emigrated, but I’m sure you know what I mean. As a nation the British built their brand on fairness and equality. If you look at any nation that we have been involved with, those principles are still there. I read your link about Kenya. That was the Mau Mau uprising. Academics would say that the actual figure was around 80,000 interred, not the 1.5 million suggested by some. Again, I’m not saying that was right, but it was in response to a specific area of discontent. The vast majority of Kenyans were happy with British administration of the country. The acts of atrocity committed by the British can never be excused or ignored, but it should always be read in context with the attitudes of the time. Not with the attitudes of the present. Like I said though I am proud to be British. I joined the army at 17, although at that time it was to escape the unemployment of 1984, rather through any sense of patriotism, but that is how I take my world view. I’m also an avid reader of British history and because of that I honestly believe that as a nation we have given more to the world than we have ever taken.
You should read your own signature mate, I've still no idea what your point is. Communication is about clarity, not how abstract you can be.
