The Student Room Group

"Does Britain owe reparations to her former colonies?"

[video="youtube;f7CW7S0zxv4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7CW7S0zxv4[/video]
In the Oxford Union, perhaps the world’s most famous debating society, Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP, a Member of Indian parliament explained during a debate recently why Britain owes reparations to her former colonies.

Tharoor began by stating that before the British rule, India’s share of the world economy was 23% but by the time Britain left it was reduced to 4%.

“Britain’s rise was financed by its depredation of India,” says Tharoor. “It’s a bit rich to oppress, enslave, kill, torture, maim people for 200 years and then celebrate the fact that they are democratic at the end of it. We were denied democracy, so we had to snatch it, seize it from you.”

“British aid to India is 0.4 percent of India’s GDP. The government of India actually spends more on fertilizer subsidies, which might be an appropriate metaphor for that argument,” said Tharoor, attracting a round of applause.

Tharoor went onto describe how the British managed to damage India’s cloth trade by destroying local Indian weavers’ business and replacing them with their own ‘dark and satanic Victorian mills’.

He focused much of his speech on the manner in which the British took maximum advantage of India.

He added, “We are not arguing specifically that vast sums of money need to be paid. The proposition before this house is the principle of owing reparations not the amount that is owed and to whom it should be paid. The question is, Is there a debt? Does Britain owe reparations?"

To conclude, he said that the ability to acknowledge the wrong that has been done,to simply say sorry, will go far longer way than some percentage of GDP in some form of aid.

The house concluded that Britain owes reparations to her former colonies.

What’s your stance on this? Do you believe Britain does owe reparations? Or do you believe that British Colonialism was beneficial to the colonies and helped shape the modern world? Or do you feel that there's no need to apologise for what happened hundreds of years ago?

Do watch the video and then let me know what your thoughts are.

Scroll to see replies

India deserves an apology and it's precious artefacts returned. Although any financial assistance is not required as Britain can't afford it any more. If anything Boris, Dave need to continue to suck up to the future superpowers if we want to prosper ourselves.
Reply 2
No. However, it does need to tone down on the whole Rule Britannia/''Fog in the Channel, continent isolated'' mentality and perhaps stop worshiping mass murderers from its history.
Can we charge them for setting up their legal, judiciary, civil service, military and transport infrastructure?

An Indian nationalist playing to the home crowd and blaming today's problems on other people.
Original post by Anunaki
No. However, it does need to tone down on the whole Rule Britannia/''Fog in the Channel, continent isolated'' mentality and perhaps stop worshiping mass murderers from its history.


Is India still having race riots?
Reply 5
Hi, I'm an Indian guy out here, and I don't agree. If we are not growing fast today it's due to our own faults, not taking advantage of post - war growth, too much bureaucracy etc. And anyway, Tharoor's argument hardly applies, considering that the Indian economy is larger than the British by net PPP and by 2020, would be larger than it by net GDP too. (Assuming current rates continue). Maybe we are poor but we are certainly self - sufficient. Thanks.
Nonsense idea. Paying reparations for past wrongs is impractical verging on impossible.
Original post by MatureStudent36
Can we charge them for setting up their legal, judiciary, civil service, military and transport infrastructure?

An Indian nationalist playing to the home crowd and blaming today's problems on other people.


- legal, judiciary and civil service is terrible in India.
- military has arguably been created through competition with neighbouring states
- transport infrastructure? all those loans you gave with wonga interest rates? did you not read the article?
Original post by Bill_Gates
- legal, judiciary and civil service is terrible in India.


How were they before?

Can everyone just stop asking for our money please? The amount of money we're already giving to india is absurd.
Reply 9
Of course. Italy also owes reparations to France for Julius Caesar's conquest . :rant:
Original post by TimmonaPortella
How were they before?

Can everyone just stop asking for our money please? The amount of money we're already giving to india is absurd.


you're giving less than 0.4% of Indias GDP lol, India spends more on fertilizer subsidies . Are you a daily mail reader? Another one who never read the article. :redface:
Original post by Bill_Gates
you're giving less than 0.4% of Indias GDP lol, India spends more on fertilizer subsidies . Are you a daily mail reader? Another one who never read the article. :redface:


Which is a ridiculous figure. We're giving borrowed money to a major economy with a space program.

I haven't read the article and don't intend to. I've no real interest in why foreign politicians think they're entitled to our money. Even if he were absolutely correct in every one of his factual allegations, I wouldn't feel particularly inclined to support our taking a voluntary substantial hit to the treasury to make good damage caused by previous generations.

When we get reparations from the Romans and the Normans I will consider it.
Original post by TimmonaPortella
Which is a ridiculous figure. We're giving borrowed money to a major economy with a space program.

I haven't read the article and don't intend to. I've no real interest in why foreign politicians think they're entitled to our money. Even if he were absolutely correct in every one of his factual allegations, I wouldn't feel particularly inclined to support our taking a voluntary substantial hit to the treasury to make good damage caused by previous generations.

When we get reparations from the Romans and the Normans I will consider it.


Space programme cost peanuts and makes the country money? No point debating with a daily mail reader.
Original post by Bill_Gates
Space programme cost peanuts and makes the country money? No point debating with a daily mail reader.


The point is that it is not such a poor country. I see you ignored the more substantial parts of that sentence, also.

You can make whatever speculations you wish about what media I consume.
Original post by Josb
Of course. Italy also owes reparations to France for Julius Caesar's conquest . :rant:


those Danish & Norweegians owe us big time for the Viking outrages.
Reply 16
Original post by MatureStudent36
Is India still having race riots?


I don't know. I'm not indian, I was just commenting on the general ''british master race is numero uno feel'' you get living in the UK as a foreigner, it gets a little too much sometimes, even when sugar coated with all the middle class over the top friendliness you can find on a perfect Tunbridge Wells lawn on a sunny friday afternoon. Or not accepting the mistakes of its past or the flaws of its ''heroes''. I guess most ex-empires act like this to a certain extent , the US would be the best current example.
The point is, this will set a precedent and then where will it end? You'll have various countries around the world getting payments for past wrongdoings. It's nonsensical imo and I can't believe it even got debated in the Oxford Union. What a waste of time.
Does Rome owe us reparations? Does France owe us reparations? Does Scandinavia owe us reparations?
Original post by Bill_Gates
India deserves an apology and it's precious artefacts returned. Although any financial assistance is not required as Britain can't afford it any more. If anything Boris, Dave need to continue to suck up to the future superpowers if we want to prosper ourselves.


Britain's international aid to India over the years has more than paid for anything plundered, and most of the artefacts were given willingly as gifts by the maharajas.

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