Britain is as Bad ,or Worse than ,Israel: British Oppression

Today is Holy Innocents Day. Perhaps we could all just pause for a moment to remember and pray for ALL enslaved, murdered, terrified, persecuted children in the here and now, the world over, wherever they may be.

Why havent the Danes apologised to us for invasion. It's history, that was then.!,All this apologising for things we are not responsible for now is ridiculous.

Those of us who may have an Irish passport will be fortunate when the UK morphs into a Brexit-induced outpost of the US of A

The Iridh took it as they wanted to. That doesn't make it so.

Either way it does not set a president.

DaisyAnneReturns

Glorianny

Britain made an apology to the Irish 150 years after the potato famine. www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/20/tony-blairs-apology-for-irish-famine-written-by-aides-papers-reveal
Surely then we should apologise for a massacre and torture in living memory. Or are there perhaps so many of them we would then be overwhelmed? Or is it because it's Africa?

That doesn't seem to be an apology. Why spend all this time on wording? Far better surely, to work out what we would rather hadn't happened, so we can try not to repeat it and then get on with making things better.

The Irish took it as an apology DAR, if they are satisfied who are we to argue? Apparently though no one could draft anything for the Kenyans.

Glorianny

Britain made an apology to the Irish 150 years after the potato famine. www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/20/tony-blairs-apology-for-irish-famine-written-by-aides-papers-reveal
Surely then we should apologise for a massacre and torture in living memory. Or are there perhaps so many of them we would then be overwhelmed? Or is it because it's Africa?

That doesn't seem to be an apology. Why spend all this time on wording? Far better surely, to work out what we would rather hadn't happened, so we can try not to repeat it and then get on with making things better.

M0nica

Our house was built in 1467. the Court rolls show that the owner/builder caused a great deal of disruption to other villagers because he blocked the lane behind the house.

The Manor Court did fine him, but I am wonderin whether I should offer a public apology to my fellow villagers for this selfish act.

When you really can't justify your opinion try posting the ridiculous.
The question is simple Why was it OK for Blair to apologise for British involvement in the Irish famine, but not OK for Charles to apologise for the massacre in Kenya.?

As I am half Irish, half English, all agricultural workers back then, should I apologise to myself for the Irish famine?

Monica 😂 you should also compensate the villagers, a tenner each should do it.
Isn’t it funny that there were nimbys back then as well.
What an old house! I wonder if anyone else on GN can beat it?
My tiny terrace house is only Victorian.

Our house was built in 1467. the Court rolls show that the owner/builder caused a great deal of disruption to other villagers because he blocked the lane behind the house.

The Manor Court did fine him, but I am wonderin whether I should offer a public apology to my fellow villagers for this selfish act.

Britain made an apology to the Irish 150 years after the potato famine. www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/20/tony-blairs-apology-for-irish-famine-written-by-aides-papers-reveal
Surely then we should apologise for a massacre and torture in living memory. Or are there perhaps so many of them we would then be overwhelmed? Or is it because it's Africa?

As far as other countries are concerned it's pure whataboutery. We have a king whose mother was head of state at the time. The state did terrible things to people. People still alive will have lost family members. They have asked for an apology, the least the state could do is apologise.

Curtain Twitcher wrote:
Why is there all this negativity about the British Empire? There were many benefits too....and don't forget the other countries which ruled a piece of Africa....Germany, Portugal, Belgium, France.
I used to live in Kenya and the local people gained a great deal from our presence in the country.
So many Africans have moved to Britain, adopted our lifestyle, given their children European names, so obviously they admire us and want to emulate us. Yet all we hear is negativity."

I agree; similarly I"d agree there was much that was good about the Roman empire where Jesus of Nazareth who was a a Palestinian Jew was persecuted. Victorious empires are always nice to live in if you are a Brit or an ancient Roman; the vanquished peoples become a lower social class whose god is made to be a lesser god . Naturally , we like to do the best we can for our children and free them from poverty and disrespect which are the fate of the lowest social class.

Socialists want to empower the lower social classes (the vanquished, the unemployed, the refugees, the rejected, the despised) and stop the established higher social classes who rule the place having such a lot of financial, political, and traditional power over the poorer or despised classes.

Glorianny The Commonwealth is a voluntary organisation where countries have come and gone and where countries like Cameroun, which were never British colonies have joined.

Exactly M0nica. Countries were building empires then and we have done reasonably well moving forward.

From the 9th to the 15th Century Europe lived under the feudal system. That certainly doesn't look good from where we are now. Who could apologise for that? Equally, I have no doubt our descendents should not be expected to apologise for what we will have done.

M0nica

Glorianny The Commonwealth is a voluntary organisation where countries have come and gone and where countries like Cameroun, which were never British colonies have joined.

As to 'who else' Ever had a look at the relationship between France and its ex-colonies? Some have been made part of France and send MPs to their Parliament. Did you notice that in the recent revolt in Niger, they through all the French out? the French have a very strong presence still in almost all their ex colonies. Then of course there is the USA.......................

I agree with your post too, M0nica

Perhaps visiting farflung and remote countries and finding the Franc is still currency, French is the lingua franca and the French influence is still very much in evidence is enlightening to those of us who may have been; these countries are known as La Francophonie.

Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in the Southern hemisphere and the Spanish and Portuguese influence is far more widespread than English.

Glorianny

So how many more countries have tried to keep their influence by converting their empire into a Commonwealth? The point is that if this country wants to keep a good relationship with Kenya and maintain this "family" of countries shouldn't we at least give them what they ask for.

No. They may stay or leave as they wish.

If the present-day Commonwealth is such a bad organisation, why do countries which were never part of The British Empire apply to join?

The influence of other Empires is still very much in evidence in many countries today.

DaisyAnneReturns

I have never understood the apologising idea, OP. It's like me apologising for what the person who lived in my house a hundred years ago did. You cannot "apologise" for others actions unless you were in a position of responsibility over them. We were, in many cases not even born!

We can and have regretted the way others have behaved and we can show how we intend to act if we are now we in the position of responsibility. But apologise - no. It isn't ours to do. Some might benefit from looking up the meaning of the word apologise.

I agree with you 100% DaisyAnneReturns.

And the heading of the thread is wrong because Great Britain's role in Empire is historical, not present-day. Comparison with a present-day conflict is meaningless.

DaisyAnneReturns

I have never understood the apologising idea, OP. It's like me apologising for what the person who lived in my house a hundred years ago did. You cannot "apologise" for others actions unless you were in a position of responsibility over them. We were, in many cases not even born!

We can and have regretted the way others have behaved and we can show how we intend to act if we are now we in the position of responsibility. But apologise - no. It isn't ours to do. Some might benefit from looking up the meaning of the word apologise.

I agree in this instance.
Apologise-Express regret for something that one has done wrong
An apology is for something one has done wrong. I am not responsible for the actions of people born so long ago, to whom I may not even be related.

Sorry-feeling regret or
penitence -the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong;

I can say I’m sorry that things with remote, or no connection to me have happened - but that does not make it my responsibility, so apologising is an inappropriate use of the word. Expecting me to make reparation for things over which I had no control and to people who no longer exist is equally inappropriate.

Glorianny

So how many more countries have tried to keep their influence by converting their empire into a Commonwealth? The point is that if this country wants to keep a good relationship with Kenya and maintain this "family" of countries shouldn't we at least give them what they ask for.

No.

Blimey DaisyAnneReturns I agree with you once again 😱

Monica I agree with your post also 👍

Glorianny The Commonwealth is a voluntary organisation where countries have come and gone and where countries like Cameroun, which were never British colonies have joined.

As to 'who else' Ever had a look at the relationship between France and its ex-colonies? Some have been made part of France and send MPs to their Parliament. Did you notice that in the recent revolt in Niger, they through all the French out? the French have a very strong presence still in almost all their ex colonies. Then of course there is the USA.......................

So how many more countries have tried to keep their influence by converting their empire into a Commonwealth? The point is that if this country wants to keep a good relationship with Kenya and maintain this "family" of countries shouldn't we at least give them what they ask for.

I have never understood the apologising idea, OP. It's like me apologising for what the person who lived in my house a hundred years ago did. You cannot "apologise" for others actions unless you were in a position of responsibility over them. We were, in many cases not even born!

We can and have regretted the way others have behaved and we can show how we intend to act if we are now we in the position of responsibility. But apologise - no. It isn't ours to do. Some might benefit from looking up the meaning of the word apologise.

Yes, I agree with that. More powerful nations have oppressed and invaded other weaker nations since time began and nothing changes there. We are worse now because the weapons available kill so many more and are much more indiscriminate than in the old days of bows and arrows and horses. I’ve always wondered how the second atomic bomb was justified.

Human history is a history of invasions, empires, movements of people and exploitation - and still is. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the situation in the middle east, and I do not jsut mean the Israel/Hamas conflict, Myanmarand many other countries have internecine conflicts.

When we look at many of these colonised countries today, are they governed any better now than they were when they were ?run by colonisers. Are their natural resources less exploited for the benefit of ruling elites.

We spend too much time these days bemoanng the past and reinforcing the oppressed in their oppression by constantly telling them how oppressed they are, how hopeless their future is, when what we should be doing is putting the past behind us, and encouraging people to make the most of what they do have, what opportunities there are and the possibility of change and opening doors.

Many of us had parents or grandparents who grew up in disadvantaged circumstances and if we are well eductaed and well off it is because they or us, decided birth is not destiny and grabbed the opportunities that came our way and made the most of them.

Instead of bemoaning the past let us instead open peoples eyes to the opportunties that lie ahead and help them take what is available and make more.