Nanny has something of a problem with history, specifically British history. She believes that it needs to be sanitised and controlled, in much the same way that she tries to control the media today.As such she always looks out for opportunities to try to "rubbish" the past, with the intent of trying to make her "brave new world" look more acceptable.
Her chums in English Heritage have been recently doing their bit to expunge history, they are working on a project to highlight the links between landmark buildings and slavery.
Researchers will scour the history of stately homes and other sites looking for connections to the slave trade, which was banned in Britain 200 years ago next year.
FYI, Britain was the first country in the world to ban the slave trade. Oddly enough, it still continues in some parts of Africa and has experienced something of a modern renaissance in the spawning of the sex slave industry in Eastern Europe and the Far East.
However, we must never allow facts to get in the way of one of Nanny's "bright ideas".
One of the English Heritage's commissioners, Maria Adebowale, claimed that the project would help people recognise how much of Britain's historical wealth was built on "human misery".
Maybe so, but then again most other countries have had their wealth built on the slave trade as well, at some stage or another, viz:
- The USA needed a civil war to end it, indeed the civil rights movement was still fighting for decent treatment of black people in the 1960's
- Nazi Germany used slave workers in its factories during the last war
- Blood diamonds from Africa are mined by children and other unfortunates at the point of a gun
- Japan in the last war used sex slaves from China
- Ancient Greece used slaves
- Ancient Rome used Greek slaves etc etc
Will she fuck!
In fact, some of Nanny's ministers are considering whether to issue an apology to coincide with next year's abolition bicentenary.
Opponents of such moves claim historical apologies or compensation make no sense, and point to Britain's leading role in stamping out the slave trade as well as the part played by African tribes which profited from selling slaves to foreign traders.
Many of English Heritage's sites are stoneage monuments, medieval castles or abbeys; which raises the other question as to what the fark is the point of this futile exercise?
Next up, I guess the Italians will be apologising to Greeks for their slave trade?
Maybe England should appologise to the Scots for their appauling treatment of them during the 15th and 16th centuries!
ReplyDeleteAh, but then most of this poor excuse for a government is Scottish.
Okay...consider it quits!
Hmm.
ReplyDeleteIf Scotsman Gordon Brown would apologise for and promise to do something about his Tax Slavery (and then actually do it) I might find a way to bury my opinion about this and become reconciled to the new wave of dubious sentiment.
It's unlikely to happend though so I reckon I am safe.
Odd the people that we get appointed to certain quangos isn't it. Especially if it turns out they might be using their publically funded position to persue personal aims and ambitions beyond their immediate career. Still, at least the job has not yet been outsourced to another country.
Taxpayer could save a fortune if it were though. I seem to recall the the Taliban are rather good at downsizing ancient history.
I might be tempted to apologise (only might mind ye) for the Highland clearances if the Scots apologise for trashing Wembley, the Krankies and mooching off the English taxpayers wrt to education and health, and being over represented politically. Although, on second thoughts, do you really want to have an excess of local members?
ReplyDeleteAs you say, Ken, many other countries practised slavery and some still are. As you also correctly point out, Britain was the first country to actually abolish slavery. Moreover, as Railwayman39 refers to, slavery was carried out by the British with the help and connivance of many African chiefs, who saw slavery as a convenient, not to mention profitable, way of disposing of enemies. I absolutely REFUSE to apologise for events that happpened hundreds of years before I was born or feel guilty about them, and I do NOT wish to be associated with any such apology!
ReplyDeleteApparently we all have to be ashamed of who we are, our country and our history...
ReplyDeletePerhaps Ms Adebowale could advise us of what we can be proud of.
Interesting book I picked up in a charity shop in South Croydon this afternoon. The sub-title is self-explanatory: White Gold - the extraordinary story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa's one million European slaves, by Giles Milton. I wonder when we'll get an apology from Morrocco?
ReplyDeleteLiverpool has a bit of a dark past when it comes to slavery. Some politically correct twerp in the City Cuncil proposed renaming the many streets named after the local "Great and not-so-Good" who benefitted from the slave trade. Then someone twigged that to do so would have done away with the iconic......Penny Lane.
ReplyDeletePete
There is much that could be said about this, but two points seem to stand out. The first is that this sort of undertaking is offensive to people like me not because I am an admirer of slavery, but because it is so obviously an example of the kind of cost-free moral self-congratulation more akin to masturbation (er, can I say that, Ken?) which for whatever reason so many people find irresistable.
ReplyDeleteIf you're so damned outraged about the injustice of slavery, then do something about it where it still exists, rather than beat this dead historical horse. I believe that in the West slavery is already well-acknowledged as an injustice. Go somplace where it isn't, and work against its continuance there. Ah well, that would involve actual persuasion, the risk of cultural offense, personal risk of incarceration or worse, and personal sacrifice.
The second point, alluded to by others, but I will expand on it, is that Africans not only operated the slave trade with the West, but held other Africans in bondage as well. Furthermore, North African enslaved Europeans, for which no apology has been or will be forthcoming (not that I particularly care).
In the US, not only did whites enslaved blacks, but whites were held in indentured servitude, arguably a form of non-permanent slavery, and American Indians enslaved not only members of other tribes whenever they could, but also blacks, whom they worked on plantations just as their white neighbors did. They also held in slavery any white captives in warfare whom they didn't ransoım for release, torture, or kill. Shall we all apologize to each other for the shortcomings of human nature? And afterward, what then?
I remember a little epigram from my days as a university student: "History is a butcher's bench." (Hegel, I think). Yes, it is, and we've all got blood on our hands.
It's a pity 'Anonymous' elected to be..er.. anonymous. That was a terrific and articulate comment.
ReplyDeleteThere's no reason that we should be pilloried for the sins of our fathers, by our own government no less, for things we cannot change.
Even harder to stomach coming from Blair and his little Fourth Reich, especially given their remarkable contribution (intentional or otherwise) to the causes of genocide, injustice, and thievery in the name of 'democracy'.
Everybody's sorry for something... except Blair, who seems to regret none of his crimes. When will he pay his butcher's bill?
"The Highland Clearances were perpetuated by the Scots Lairds after the '45 rebellion"
ReplyDeleteBut, as I (English myself) understand matters, were not most of the attrocities (today they would be regarded as 'war crimes') committed against these same highlanders carried out by 'Butcher' Cumberland and the English army? When I was doing history at school, I wrote a very bloodthirsty essay on the subject, which wasn't well received! Be that as it may, this happened over 250 years ago, so I do NOT advocate apologising for this either. It is important to learn from the mistakes of the past through knowing our history, warts and all but, as I previously stated, I am not responsible for them personally so refuse to grovel before the altar of political correctness!
As things stand at the moment, the indigeonous English will soon be slaves of Islam. Well at least this seems to be the dedicated aim of those seeking sanctuary in these isles. I did not agree with the present day Japanese apologising for their forbears and I certainly would like to give a good kicking to those in this country who say that we should apologise for anything that did not happen on our watch. Bryn
ReplyDelete