Should the British government apologise for their part in the slave trade?

Apologize. Move on.

 

Give an apology in the best "Basil Fawlty" style

 

Sure ... And so should the tribes that sold their own people to the English.

 

I think they should send Guthry from Blackadder to apologize. In character.

 

I'd like to apologize for everything the English did wrong before I was born.

I'm sorry.

 

Well most of them better take a third or fourth attempt. Because back in the 1800's Europe was pumping a billion dollars into Africa for resources. Did it all go to the Blacks? Probably not but my last reading of European History Book College Edition had a paragraph about it.
I think with some of the jobs if not sports at all. The Ethnic grouping has turned a nice century. Also some of the Blacks were the most feared pirates in the open waters. So it was said.....

 

Institutional apologies are less ludicrous than apologies based on say race, with white people apologising to black people, because the institution of the UK government existed back then wheras no indivdual from that era is still alive. That said I would still object to an apology on two grounds, there's no slaves alive to apologise to and secondly it promotes a version of history which is misleading, the idea that slavery was something that was suddenly invented by Europeans and inflicted on the rest of the world from 1492 until the 19th century rather than the reality that it was practised everywhere for 6000 years at least and was only eradicated because of the Abolitionist movements in Europe and North America.

Incidently the protester at Westminster Abbey appears to head a rather unpleasant individual who organisation, Ligali, which tries to promote racial conflict.

 

If they do, I hope they get around to apologizing for their role in the attitudes and policies that led to the various conflicts between european settles in the US and the Indians.






























I'll be over here, counting nickels.

 

Can I just point out that slavery still exists in places like Burma today. Our efforts would be more worthwhile in pressurising the Junta there into freeing the slaves there than an empty apology. Have the Arabs apologised for the Slave trade, the African tribes who sold their own people into slavery?

People have problems today. Fixing these are more of a priority than apologising for wrongs that someone's ancestors did. Are today's Mongols responsible for the Mongol's sack of Kiev? Are today's German's responsible for WWI? Should Ireland apologise for invading Scotland? Should the Danes apologise for invading England? Should the Persians apologise for invading the Egyptians and the Greeks? Should the Romans apologise to the Germans? Should the Turks apologise to the Austrians? The answer is NO.

Improving the lives of people today is more important. Apologies from people who are not responsible for something to dead people is like a broken pencil... Pointless.

 

You could. But there are too many people who'd rather blame the corpses, than try to fix todays problems.

 

Excellent point Katie...

 

and while we're at it, we should imprison Belgium for the bad acts of King Leopold. or if that's too strict, we should confiscate all their art treasures and flog them off to pay reparations.

 

Who invaded who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_history_of_Ireland#The_Gaelic_conquest_of_Ulster
"The Gaelic conquest also had a significant impact on Scottish history. One of the Ernean tribes of Ulster that had been reduced to vassalage by Niall were the Dál Riata, whose traditional territory was in the northeast of the country. Following their overthrow, some of the Dál Riada crossed the sea and colonised Argyll. In the course of time this colony became the dominant power in northern Britain. The Kingdom of Scotland was created in the ninth century by the union of Dál Riada and the native kingdom of the Picts."
More refugees making good than invaders?

 

Fixed. They haven't stopped.

 

I'd like to appologize for every post before this one.

I'm sorry.

 

What would be the format and substance of this apology. And on whose behalf should it be? I mean, I come from a colonial family, so there's definitely shit my lot could stick their hand up to, but any apology on behalf of the modern nation of Britain would be weird. Does Blair speak on behalf of, or to an African-Briton? Or one of our 2 million Asian Britons?

Just one example of how it doesn't really work on a practical level?

 

I'm glad to see that your peculiar brand of moral equivalence extends to right-wing rubbish as well.

 

what actually was the British Government's role in slavery? It's not as if The Labour Party nationalised the slave trade.

 

Same here, I come from a colonial family aswell and they could stick there hand ups. I see an apology pointless since this government had nothing to do with the slave trade.

 

How about apologizing for football. It's ruined my life.

 

Did tribes of Africa not sell their own people into slavery? Should they not apologize?

Various Ghanaians have apologized ... So I'm glad they share in this peculiarness with me.

 

Perhaps they should apologize, but the point is normally brought up in order to shift blame away from those primarily responsible. If I didn't know better, I would think David Duke stole your password.

 

Good call. Why else would I be reading a msg board at 3 am?

 

as a Czech I'd like to apologize to everyone we ever harmed (yes even Sudetens); Also I have family that is French/Irish; so anyone we've hurt, I'm sorry. Good to have that off my chest; now I no longer have to have my peoples history dictating me as a person and how I get along with others... what a load off my mind.

Seriously though I think a government apologizing for its history isn't a big deal. While I tend to actually support such apologies, I can definately see where it can seem ridiculous. I can only imagine most Britons regret their countries involvement in the slave trade, but how much does it really impact contemporary race relations for most people? Still while its a symbolic gesture, it's also a very simple one.