is the u.k really sorry about englands role in the slave trade?

Question

I've just watched the queen on the telly in westminster abbey, there was much " we are so sorry about the slave trade" and so on. but if they are all so sorry about the crimes of our fathers and want to rectify it, why dont they cancel third world debt which is a direct result of european nations involvement in the slave trade? Or would that just be too expensive?

no one is really answering the question. yes we were not born at the time of the slave trade. but you all admit it was wrong yes? It is impossible to compensate the descendents of the slave trade. But third world countries are enslaved to the first world through their Debts. People are suffering there. The Government in the u.k could cancel the debt which i think would have much more meaning than a hypocritical religious ceremony.

OH by the way guitarvirgin, I studied for three years at university, the history of colonialism and the slave trade as part of my degree in cultural studies. i'm not even black. Im irish which at one point was the same.

Answer 1

If you live in the UK then you are benefitting from the slave trade.

Before the British Empire what did Britain have to offer the world? Rain and farmland and coal.
The British Empire was not an altruistic creation. It's aim was to bring wealth to the country by exploiting it's colonies in whatever way possible.

This wealth remains in the county today and we all benefit from it.

Incidently, at the peak of the British Empire, there was not much concern for the poor of Britain either.

Workhouses and 16 hour work days, seven days a week to make the few even richer. But this was a luxury compared to the suffering of the slaves.

If you don't feel that you owe an apology then at least try to imagine the suffering. The slave trade was at a point in human history when we could start calling ourselves civilised so I don't see how this can be compared to the Roman conquests which were much earlier.

Answer 2

Surely the question ought to be are black people sorry for their ancesters role in the slave trade because contrary to popular belief far more black people in Africa were directly involved in the slave trade than white people were.

Afrians have been indulging in slavery for thousands of years and not just hundreds like the whites and Africans are still involved in slavery today. Furthermore, Africans enslave their own people. I must therefore correct you, the third world debt is a direct result of European (and African) slavery.

It is also a fact that European slavery could not have existed if the Africans had not established the trade first.

It is also a fact that European slavers did it with the express permission of the Africans, they would not have been allowed to do it had they not got permission from local tribal chiefs and payed the said tribal chiefs rent for the slave holding forts on the Gold Coast.

The truth of the matter is black people's ancesters are every bit as guilty as white people's ancesters are for slavery, even more so according to some Africans who are directly descended from either slaves or slavers and still living in the vicinity of the old slave holding forts.

And are people of African origen sorry for the million and half white British people who they abducted into slavery hundreds of years before Columbus even discovered the Americas?

Many people are talking about slavery today, black, white, teachers and lecturers in colleges and universities as well as authors on the subject, very few of them actually know the unbiased facts.

Answer 3

How can you know the cause and effect of everything? Oh, if we were all just as omnipotent as you...

And, why should the money go to third world countries? If you're looking for justice, you'd have to find the descendants of the slave owners and make them give money to the descendants of the slaves their ancestors owned.

AND, you only get the reparations if you are willing to go back to your home country to live for the rest of your life. If you want to stay where you are at, then you are admitting that you have BENEFITED from slavery because you're in a better place now.

Answer 4

No it's not sorry. Sorry to say this as it's not very politically correct, but the UK's role in the slave trade is VERY RARELY even thought about or talked about over here. People don't care.

It's not like in America where it's a really big issue, presumably because that's where many of the slaves ended up.

Here it doesnt even feature on the radar

Answer 5

What, you mean being the first country in the world to ban the Slave Trade? As an anti-racist, I feel, our innovative response is one of the few things that the UK can truly be proud of. To blame the British as a whole for the immoral behaviour of a small minority of British subjects would be the same as blaming all Africans for the Slave Trade, as a small minority of African chiefs did very well out of the whole thing.

Answer 6

many human beings have deep sorrow over the U.Ks roll in slavery. yet truthfully that became abolished over 100 years in the past interior the U.ok. As for the crime cost by black human beings. i do not think its any worse than at the same time as the Tory's were in'. except that there is a lot more suitable immigrant refugees, who're undesirable, as you would anticipate. they might want to stay someplace. i imagine many united states of america's have taken lots of them. i imagine its the present fashion or fad to leap on the anti Blair wagon.

Answer 7

You cannot say that third world debt is a direct result of the slave trade. Of course, the slave trade contributed to it (as did many other factors) but the trade existed in Africa long before the whites came along.

Answer 8

All this soul searching is pointless. Should we apologise to the millions that we put in poor houses? Or the descendants of the kids we shoved up chimneys or down coal mines?

Answer 9

I am not going to apologise for something I had nothing whatsoever to do with. Looking backwards like this all the time is no good for anyone - we should concentrate on making things better for the future.

Answer 10

What's the hidden agenda of it? It's over 170 years since the British had slaves. Nobody alives Great Grandfather even had one. How can we apologise for something we've never done? We don't even make criminals apologise for what they've done now.