divert foreign aid to flood-hit British families

It's possible to want to help others, and to do so, without guilt baggage.

Others' experience of Hull will not necessarily be the same as yours, Jen. I don't remember ever going into Hull city centre, though I probably did on the bus occasionally with my mum. It would be occasionally as she had five kids, three of them younger than me.

Our family outings tended to be out of Hull to places like Beverley West Woods and Spurn Point. Far nicer for kids than stuffy old museums and monuments, which are fine in their way of course, but not really infant material. I was four when we moved to Hull and nine when we moved away. I don't think my education missed out by not visiting the Wilberforce Museum at that stage.

Just catching up with this, I understand why rosesarered has wandered in, and wandered out again. I remember learning about W Wilberforce at 13, in history. It was my first exposure to Britain's part in the slave trade, and contribution to it being abolished. I tend to agree with the comments made by thatbags in relation to national guilt and hand wringing about the British Empire. Before I get shot, I'm not in anyway condoning oppression, slavery, colonisation but I do believe the historical context has to be acknowledged. Durhamjen, my great great grandfather was in the British Army in the 19th century, and in India for some time. Our verbal, and more recently, researched family history confirms that he, and his extended family, struggled to find work, children were regularly in and out of the workhouse during periods when their parents simply had no food to give them. I do not feel shame about any of this. I do feel that the same battles for equality and against oppression are alive and well, all over the world. Just to return to the OP - no we should not stop aid to people in need (except we do need to review contributions to India and China)

Dear Jinglebellfrocks I think you will find that if you read my posts you will never find that that I condone:
1. The withdrawal of aid where it is needed
2. Slavery
3. Child employment.
What I have done is put forward a debate based on fact rather than hyperbole.
I do not accept things on face value, I wonder why and I research. Yes I was taught about slavery, but I wasn't taught that we were amongst the last to start using them and the first to stop.
I have worked in a very multicultural environment outside this country and spoken with many ex-pats quite a number from former colonies and they do not have the same sad impression of Brits than many here do. Honestly, many told me that we think we are stupid (their words). They also do not appreciate our condescending attitude to their cultures and staged media portrayals.
There are 'bad' parents throughout the world who 'exploit' their children. There are also many within these countries who strive for the best for their children.

I lived in Hull, Bags, Spring Bank, within walking distance of the city centre, until I was 18 and my parents had four children, so could not afford bus trips out, even though my dad was a bus driver. Going to stuffy museums was part of our holidays. Hull museums have always been free.
Are you saying you never went to Queens Gardens? Wilberforce monument could not be missed if you did.It's at least 100 feet tall. Seemed even taller when I was a child.

Yes, I'm saying I never went to that place, or at least that i don't remember going there. There! now you can disapprove of my parents to your heart's content . We lived off the Beverley Road near Endsleigh College where my dad worked. I don't suppose there was much need for us to go into the city centre.

Re the slavery issue, there's an interesting bit on Joanne Harris's Twitter feed (@joannechocolat) where she is talking about ten things the Vikings did for us.
@Spitefuel comes along with: #TenThingsTheVikingsDidForUs
Built culture around slave trade & then did a good job of hiding that from later pop culture?

She replies:
.@Spitefuel Name a civilisation that didn't...

We are not just talking western civilisations here. Slavery has been a problem everywhere and still is in some places. It was people from "the western world" that you seem to despise so much that got it abolished within their own jurisdiction. The United Nations is another initially "western" concept that is still fighting to improve the (equal) rights of people everywhere.

I agree with Bags posts, particularly with regard to apologising for injustices that are historic, we have to concentrate on the now, the past is gone and it can't be changed and it was often a dog eat dog world for many. Europeans weren't the only culture to take slaves, there were quite a number of people living in coastal regions in the West Country and Northern France who from time to time would have been carried off by raiding ships from North Africa and ended up as slaves there.

The director of 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen, made an interesting point in his acceptance speech at the BAFTAS, about just how many slaves there are today worldwide, which if I remember rightly was a pretty staggering figure. Correct me if I'm wrong anybody, but I perceive that most of these people will be enslaved by cultures other than our own.

On a similar theme, a shocking statistic I have heard about recently, 500 Indian migrant workers have died building the football stadiums in Qatar and Dubai doesn't seem to have much of a conscience as far as migrant deaths are concerned. I like to think that the general public in Britain would be out on the streets protesting if migrant workers had to jeopardise their lives on our building sites.

BAnanas it would be good to think that but sadly not sure many would be on the street protesting! We ( the nation not just us on GN!) have become mush more isolationist I think and only get angry when it affects 'people like us'.. hence the flood anger!
There are 1000s of people in slavery in the UK but they are often not of UK origen but immigrants traficked here.. are we on the streets complaining?

origin not origen..sorry!

We may not be on the streets complaining but we (some of us) are doing what we can to help. Making a noise and being a presence on the streets is not the only way to do something effective.

Do you remember the story of that poor young man with learning difficulties in Sheffield last year, who was kept prisoner by his supposed employer (an ice cream man). The stuff that poor guy endured was heart wrenching.
Thank goodness for the neighbours who reported their concerns to the police.
Today it was reported in our local press that 8 people have been arrested on charges of people trafficking.
I think we all should be aware that it is going on and be prepared to discretely contact the police if concerned.