Should present-day Britain apologise/provide compensation for its colonial past?
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Original post by pol pot noodles
The United States annexed Hawaii. At the request of the Hawaiian government. So no it is not 'STILL illegally' occupying it.
The annexation was requested by a government that had overthrown the monarchy and was not representative of Hawaii.
I can't be bothered to explain it... look here.
On balance would the world be happy to give up the industrial revolution if it meant any of the bad things that happened in the uk's past could be removed from history?
Remember that without the fertilisers from post industrial revolution processes, 40% of the world's population wouldn't be able to feed itself.
If anyone wants payback for the bad stuff, they have to give back all the good things we helped to do too.
Remember that without the fertilisers from post industrial revolution processes, 40% of the world's population wouldn't be able to feed itself.
If anyone wants payback for the bad stuff, they have to give back all the good things we helped to do too.
people should thank britain for its imperial glory.
Only if those bastard Italians pay for what they did to this country 2000 years ago. While we're at it Germany can pay us some money too for what the Anglo-Saxons did, o, and France for the Normans, and let's not forget those pillagers the Vikings, come on Sweden - where's my monay??? I think we can safely hide behind the fact that thanks to our technology there are now a few billion more of them than there ever would have been. What did we get from the Romans? Straight roads, aqueducts and a useless wall that seems to have let far too many Scots in for my liking. The idea that anyone should pay for the 'crimes' of their ancestors who didn't know any better is laughable. It's not like 99.9% of our great great grandparents or great grandparents could have even found Pakistan or Kenya on a map, let alone had any involvement in British foreign policy.
(edited 13 years ago)
Present day Britons may not have carried out the atrocities their White descendants did (such as the murder of 40 million Indian men, women and children during the British Raj), but that does not change the fact that present day Britons have directly benefited from the inhuman deeds of their descendants.
Britain should not pay compensation, because no amount of compensation will ever be enough. Better that the emerging new order never forgets what was done to them and who was responsible.
Britain should not pay compensation, because no amount of compensation will ever be enough. Better that the emerging new order never forgets what was done to them and who was responsible.
Original post by george..
The annexation was requested by a government that had overthrown the monarchy and was not representative of Hawaii.
I can't be bothered to explain it... look here.
I can't be bothered to explain it... look here.
Yes, I know the overthrow of the monarchy was dodgy. What does that change? Why is the subsequent annexation 'illegal'? And why call it an occupation?
Most countries in the world owe their current territorial status to annexation, so why do you single out the United States?
Original post by pol pot noodles
Yes, I know the overthrow of the monarchy was dodgy. What does that change? Why is the subsequent annexation 'illegal'? And why call it an occupation?
Most countries in the world owe their current territorial status to annexation, so why do you single out the United States?
Most countries in the world owe their current territorial status to annexation, so why do you single out the United States?
just an example.
I was just trying to say that Britain may have done some bad things, but in my opinion we were one of the best 'colonisers'/not the worst.
plus, I don't really like the US
Pff. If I were British I wouldn't be apologising.
Only those in Britain who were alive during the colonisation and played an active role in it should apologise.... oh wait that's next to no one. As for compensation, yes those alive today who were tortured should be given compensation and we already give aid to most of the ex colonises who are in bad condition today. What more can the Brits do? I think people do need to move on a little, it is not the fault of modern Britain what happened in the past and very few countries are innocent of not hurting others in their pasts. The past is the past, we cannot change what happened only learn from it.
Should we apologise? No
Original post by JCC-MGS
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.
The continuation of underdevelopment is the fault of the Global South. Corruption, poor investment and war are the SOLE fault of those nations, and not those of the former colonial rulers. I don't care what you say about drawing borders without regard for the different tribes; Britain shouldn't be blamed for that.
It's very easy and convenient to blame countries like Britain but it's no coincidence that the most developed of the former colonies are predominantly white nations (with the notable exceptions of Hong Kong and Singapore) and realistically 1 or 2 others.
I'm in the Classical Development Theory camp.
(edited 13 years ago)
No, it's not as if it happened yesterday. I find it cringey that Tony Blair apologised for the famine. Instead, the colonial history should be taught in a completely objective manner, without glossing over nasty aspects of imperialism. Certainly from threads in forums, the Irish history taught sometimes has a sort of veiled 'the Irish should have been grateful for imperial intervention' attitude. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it differs massively in attitude from what we are taught here.
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