The Guardian has apologised fornte role played by its founders in creating the money to start the paper (via sugar cane plantations). Now the UN has called for the British Government and the Royal muckers to investigate the role of slavery in the past.
I know there will be shouts of derision from the right wing. I am not sure an apology is worth tuppence, but knowledge of the past is surely sensible. Knowing half the truth means that the full perspective of events in the past is possibly a lie, or at least incomplete.
i have not looked into my family history and doubt there is much of real interest – if however I was rich with inherited wealth that was accrued through the pain and suffering of others it would make me very uncomfortable. In many ways the wealth of the UK is based to a large extent on the suffering of others across the world. Our capacity to inflict sufferering stretches from the satanic mills and mines of this country to every continent in the world.
Loke I said it makes me feel uncomfortable. That is why morally we should do more to help former colonies and those still. sufferong from our past misdemeanours. King Charles yesterday laid a wreath to commemorate those civilians killed in bombing raids by the RAF in WWII, some of the raids were already been seen as pointless, but a wreath does help acknowledge the wrongs of the past.
I have heard many say, as indeed I think I have done so myself, that slavery was the norm for the time. It was only the norm for the small ruling class. It has always been seen and cruel by large nubers of people (if they had time to escape their own enslavement in factories). Other countries were also notably sadistic when it came to the colonies – Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, France. That is no excuse either. Slavery has and does exist across the world – the Arab World was renowned for it – and Qatar paying security agents 30p/hour maybe a midern example of it – but again no excuse for not recognising our not inconsiderable role in slavery.
The buffoons who rule this country believe it is acceptable to accept £10000 a day, Sunak making millions, or $500000 for an after dinner speech by a liar, whilst refusing NHS staff a pay rise in line with inflation. That is the mentality of the ruling class in this country. Why does the Telegraph and Mail so hate the acknowledgment of slavery and the benefits we have gained? It does not fit their culture war – there must be a counter to their sordid attempt to undermine British Culture.