Should present-day Britain apologise/provide compensation for its colonial past?

This question is in-light of David Cameron's statements in Pakistan, and the elderly Kenyan men who are suing the present-day British Government for allegedly being tortured in the 1950s during the Mau Mau rebellion. And, also this is a broader topic of present-day countries apologising for actions that occurred in the past (slavery, mass-murder, and so forth).

What do you think?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 1

Aphotic Cosmos

17

Only if America apologises for Vietnam, France apologises for Algeria, Japan, Italy and Germany for WWII, etc.

Move on.

Reply 2

daisydaffodil

15

Reminds me of the Harry Enfield sketch where the German bloke apologised for the actions of Germany in WW2...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7W7q7pWygU

Reply 3

member520746

A verbal apology is meaningless but I think everyone should be aware of the negative impact (both past and ongoing) of colonialism on the lives of billions.

Reply 4

raspberry93

^ agreed
they shouldn't just apologise, they should help the previously colonised countries many of which are 'developing'. Countries like Britain have caused war and conflict elsewhere, and they just leave when they have expoited the countries without resolving many of the problems .

Reply 5

tieyourmotherdown

14

To be honest I think it's rather meaningless either way. If we apologize it's an apology from people who weren't actually involved nor would condone the events, so it's pretty irrelevant really, and if we provide compensation, again it's going to governments that weren't affected by it.

The best thing we can do is just move on, because heartless apologies and throwing more money at the situation doesn't actually help. If we really want to make a difference we need to invest in these countries, give money to aid agencies to spend and cancel the debts, but just throwing money at the governments doesn't help in the long term.

Reply 6

george..

5

I think we've done more good than harm in some countries (although others might be the opposite).

Even though we have done bad things when colonising other places, it is not as bad as others. (America is STILL illegally occupying Hawaii.).

Reply 7

Sovietpride

9

I dunno if apologies are meaningless. They do carry some political weight.

I mean, Germany/austria seem to have pretty staunchley apologised over the Nazi era, hardly see them getting stick over it anymore besides an actual joke here and there amongst people.

Context that with Japan, warshrine and all. Asia pretty much holds a grudge against them because it scores political browny points.

Bleh. I'm sure someone will find a hole in my reasoning somewhere.

Reply 8

Aj12

18

No I am not paying for something someone I never met did to someone else I never met.

Reply 9

dunnicare

12

Forget what France and America do or don't do. As human beings we should help aid those countries.

If I tortured you 50 years ago and 50 years later I say that you "need to move" on is that acceptable?

No.

No probably would be meaningless since these people weren't involved with those events.

Reply 12

tieyourmotherdown

14

Original post by george..

Even though we have done bad things when colonising other places, it is not as bad as others. (America is STILL illegally occupying Hawaii.).

Please, get some perspective.

Reply 13

Clip

19

No, I think Britain should be congratulated on the brand of colonialism that it exported. Compared to the rape 'n' pillage type colonialism models of those wonderful French. Many ex-British colonies gained independence without protracted bloodshed, on reasonable terms with the UK, with outstanding infrastructure and operating judiciary. No, it may not have been ideal - but imagine half the places that made up the Empire in the hands of the French or Portuguese, and the mind boggles at the smoking crater that might have been India. Think Malaya in comparison to French Indo-China.

Reply 14

boba

not for the things that were more than a generation ago so noone giving or receiving the apology was actually involved. but that man does deserve compensation

Reply 15

concubine

17

Original post by dunnicare

Forget what France and America do or don't do. As human beings we should help aid those countries.

If I tortured you 50 years ago and 50 years later I say that you "need to move" on is that acceptable?

People like you are silly.

And we do ****ing aid these countries.

Reply 16

HittingTheBooks

Original post by Clip

No, I think Britain should be congratulated on the brand of colonialism that it exported. Compared to the rape 'n' pillage type colonialism models of those wonderful French. Many ex-British colonies gained independence without protracted bloodshed, on reasonable terms with the UK, with outstanding infrastructure and operating judiciary. No, it may not have been ideal - but imagine half the places that made up the Empire in the hands of the French or Portuguese, and the mind boggles at the smoking crater that might have been India. Think Malaya in comparison to French Indo-China.

Hmmm, not so sure about the 'sef-congratulation'! Rape and pillage was pretty much how it went in the repression of the Kenyan rebels, people were herded into camps, starved, raped, beaten, and some were even castrated!

I think we should apologise, as one nation to another, simply to show that we know it was wrong to treat people like that, and we are big enough to admit it. I agree to a certain extent that apologising for wrongs committed by someone else often feels a bit off, but it isn't like the Kenyan uprising was actually that long ago. It only ended 50yrs ago, some of the people who beat and raped the Mau Mau people may well be sat happy and healthy at home watching all of this on the news, maybe they should apologise.

No.

I think it's important that it is not swept under the rug and conveniently forgotten. I think it should be at least acknowledged or mentioned in school history lessons.

Reply 19

MrCharmed

Its mealingless to apologise. None of us alive today had anything to do with it and an apology won't go back in time and improve anyones lives. We should act like the hollocaust and merley remember it for what it was in order to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

Should present-day Britain apologise/provide compensation for its colonial past?

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