What’s everybody’s thoughts on this? The reason I ask is this BBC report where it looks like the Caribbean Commonwealth countries are asking for it. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6vy79p750o Whilst the transatlantic slave trade was horrific in what it did, I don’t see anyone asking African countries for cash and who were just as complicit in the ‘industry’ as the Europeans and Americans and saw it as a viable income stream. Secondly slavery is as old as history itself and hasn’t been abolished. The UK, being the first major country, spent quite a bit of its cash in abolishing it and making sure that other countries were prevented from benefiting from it as well. Thirdly, why should any of you as British citizens and taxpayers have to foot the bill for something that you had no control over. And exactly who gets the reparations? Basically, we can’t turn the clock back and make it unhappen. This strikes me as more a game of identity politics and ‘white man bad, black man good’ a la BLM that the whole world wants to play than actually wanting anything meaningful to come out of it. In fact, the report actually says that a judge has already concluded that in order to be fully repararated the UK needs to fork out 18 trillion pounds which suggests to me that it is less of wanting an apology and more of wanting cold hard cash.
I think it's bollox. But if a politician thinks it will make them popular... They'll scream for it Can we have reparations from the arabs who used to raid our shores kidnapping people? No. If we paid reparations would they exclude the Black British from paying too somehow?
It seems to be a way of getting cash from more wealthy countries by the looks of it. Yes things that took place were without thought and affected people's lives at the time but we're talking hundreds of years in the past - how far do we need to go back for reparations? Maybe we should ask Norway and Italy for compensation for what the Vikings and Romans did in this country
Oh and then there's the slavery carried out by black folks too throughout his ... apart from the roads...we like the roads
how far back do they want to go? or is it just back to the black slave trade, because there was quite a bit written about the slave traders from africa being some of the worst but i really want to go back to the viking raiders and the roman empire for killing, raping, enslaving and robbing from my ancestors across hundreds of years and probably more. thing is, that is how it was, it was certainly not good for most of the populations and the major civilisations through history all seem to have 'made use' of slaves...britain put itself into many years of debt to stop slavery (my memory is not great now but i think it was around the 1930's that it was finally paid) so if anyone reckons 'we' should pay out then i guess when 'we' get our pay out we will all end about the same.
Every country in the world have contributed to some horrendous acts against others for centuries. Slavery is just one of them. Why does it get top billing when it comes to compensation? And why go after us? Why dont they go after the African countries which blossomed from the seeds of the tribal leaders who enslaved them in the first place? How can it possibly be fair that I will basically be getting fined over something that a small number of businessmen did 300 years ago? You shouldnt, but if you must go for compensation, go after the direct descendants of those who profited and whose wealth has filtered down through their generations. Why go after me whose ancestors were treated rather shoddily by having no choice but to work in the pits. Who were paid with vouchers of which you could only spend in the shop owned by the pit owners (slavery?). Or conscripted to war, forced into a trench then frogmarched through knee deep mud towards German machinegun nests. If you left the trench without permission you were shot! (slavery with bells on!) You dont hear the descendants of those folk asking for dosh. Just a pardon/apology does them.
My ancestor came over with William the Conqueror. Was given land up here after the Harrying of the North (i bet he was popular ) Does that mean I can expect Mr Anderson from next door asking me for my weeks wages because my ancestor stole from his their pig and rather boisterously trampled on their vegetable patch?
When this form of slavery was abolished there were still miners in Scotland who were working in horrendous conditions without pay. Just as with the black slaves they were given the most basic of accommodation. They had a weekly allowance at the company store for food, clothing and essentials. If a man was killed or seriously injured, and unfit to work again, they lost their job and accommodation. This kind of thing makes me very angry … … it’s history and no one is ever totally innocent.
the world is a cruel dark place and once you turn over one stone, you have to turn over them all. It's swing, roundabouts and a whole lot of whataboutery. it might be worth it actually turn over those stones so that the individuals can be hit with a degree of reality when it comes to them blinding focus on the UK
Good point mate. Why should the working class of the NE feel any guilt when they didn’t benefit in any way. In fact men were were press ganged, in Sunderland, Shields, etc, to sail the slave ships. Women and families were left destitute, this song explains it perfectly …
Are they going to pay us for putting the Royal Navy on slave busting duties for 80 plus years and what about the opportunities afforded to commonwealth citizens to come to the UK to work? Plus Blair said sorry I think so we’re all good on the debit side.
This government is treating the working classes as slaves.what little the workers earn the government are seeking ways to take as much as possible back. Either directly or otherwise.
Absolutely boils my blood all this ****e, white slavery gets brushed under the carpet. And it 100% happened long before the transatlantic slave trade. As touched on how far do we go back, them bloody Vickings, Romans & Dinosaurs owe a fortune and don’t get me started on those Jocks keep coming over the border and invading all the time
In fairness to the government they are saying that there will be no money handed over. Maybe I’m being very simple here but it really should be a case of being blunt to these countries and saying something along the lines of “We’ve already apologised and as much as you want it, you’re not getting any money off us ever. If you don’t like it, well it sucks to be you”. As an ex-pat in a former British colony I get fed up of hearing liberals and do-gooders saying how bad the British were. We weren’t. We built the modern world. No empire is perfect and the British have never pretended to be, but I’m damn proud of where I come from and don’t need to apologise to anyone about my ancestors. We need to move forward as one nation, unfortunately there is a significant and vocal minority who, to progress their own ideology and agenda can’t see that. And if you’ve been watching the King and Queen and their brief tour down under you’ll know who I’m referring to.
They can have have Italy and the Danes give us and we'll call it quits. It's very very difficult. I shudder when I think about colonial Africa or the genocide in Australia but it's ****ing done and dusted. Beyond equality and learning from the tragedies of the past there just isn't much to be done.
Sins of the father. Human history is an unbroken chain of incursions, genocide and brutality. Indo-Europeans, the Mongöls, Mayans and Incas, Islamic spread, the Crusades, Kingdom of Mali and the throne of skulls, Roman Empire, Vikings, the Reconquista, Crimean slave trade, Atlantic slave trade, Ottoman Empire, Founding of Israel. Take your pick, we can play team sports or we can accept all acts are built on previous ones.
Money cannot change history but we must learn from the mistakes, not as a nation but as a race (the human race). The trouble with the world today is everybody seems to want something and will twist agendas and narratives to suit their cause, the real truth is often not reported because the story is not as explosive or controversial enough which in realty really boils my piss.
They reckon Jesus wants to put a claim in because he got hammered with tacks history should be left where it is
I want a signed statement from Sebastian Larsson apologising for his ancestors rapeing and pillaging our lands.
