Thursday, February 15, 2007
Hain apologises on behalf of Wales and Northern Ireland…
The deputy leadership competition is in full flow and Peter Hain has taken it upon himself to apologise on behalf of all of his charges on the Celtic former Celtic fringe for our our ancestor’s role in the slave trade…
Mick Fealty @ 08:53 AM
Northern Ireland is the successor state of the country that existed when slavery existed.
It’s also the successor state of the country which existed when it was ended.
Well done lads and lasses.
Posted by on Feb 15, 2007 @ 11:45 PM“Which of the great civic buildings of Belfast were built before 1807?” - willis
Shouldn’t you fast forward to Government of Ireland Act, and then claim that you’re blameless because Northern Ireland didn’t exist until 1920? The immense profits of British Imperialism - the systematic extraction of recourses and wealth from the countries and peoples subjected to militant colonisation - raised the taxes that built the Empire. All who embrace that history - who seek to portray its systematic exploitation of the wealth, peoples, and recourses by the use of invasion and violence - as other than what it actually was are acting as parasites on wound that is still very real in its consequences for those regions that were subjected to the criminal campaign. These apologies that are proffered by government (Blair proffered one last November) are aimed at fending off claims for massive repatriations from those countries. Slaves were a lucrative commodity for the British Empire - worth about 25,000 each in today’s money. While ended in the UK in 1807, it was permitted in the colonies of British Empire until 1834 (with slaves having to serve another 6 years as “apprentices” until freed). Since slavery never occurred in the UK, the ending of it there had no effect. It continued for many decades thereafter until Christian campaigners suddenly decided that the bible didn’t endorse the practice as they had previously argued that it did, and it gradually diminished to ‘acceptable’ levels at which it continues today. Ghana, I believe (I may be out on the numbers) is seeking 600 trillion in repatriations. If it gets even a fraction of that, British taxes will rise considerably to repay the debt that is owed. So, it isn’t just about token regret for that which your Empire benefited massively from - and that is why the smarter folks (government) aren’t being so arrogantly dismissive here.
“Indeed, Dubliner, isn’t it great there are no imported sex slaves working in your own city.” - Tochais SíoraíThere are an estimated 8,000 imported sex slaves working in Britain’s sex trade. There is an estimated zero working in the Republic of Ireland. You’ll have to try harder with your failed what-about-ery, alas. Ireland, free from Britain’s sordid history of commercial slavery that is the keystone of imperialism, is also free of the cultural mentality that tolerates the practice on such a vast scale (or on any scale), unlike its afflicted neighbour. It’s also one of the egalitarian advantages that republicanism has over imperialist monarchy. Happily, the British government announced last month that such women would no longer be instantly deported, but would, instead, be flung out of the country within 30 days of arrest. This they proffered as a worthy tribute to mark the 200th anniversary since slavery was officially abolished with the UK. It doesn’t seem to occur to government that imported slaves in Britain’s sex trade are victims of appalling crimes, who need therapy, assistance; and, in many cases, treatments for the sexual diseases which Britain’s males have infected them with.
“Yes Dubliner, but then ancient Irish stories and culture involve using slaves siezed from elsewhere, including Britain. If you take pride and a sense of identity from said ignoble ancient Irish history then you, too, are guilty.” - DKYes, DK. You are absolutely correct - and not even a tad hysterical - to equate a few Celtic myths and legends with the reality of Britain’s ignoble imperial history, a cornerstone of which was the systematic enslavement of tens millions of people. Not even Germans will argue that they share no responsibility for the Nazis and the Holocaust on the grounds that someone from Finland spat on a Jew in 1913. You can now cite Godwin’s Law to claim that you won that argument.
Posted by on Feb 16, 2007 @ 03:37 AMThe Dubliner - couldn’t possibly comment on the number of imported sex slaves in Dublin, although you’ve obviously hunted high and low to work that out but with regards to..
‘Ireland, free from Britain’s sordid history of commercial slavery that is the keystone of imperialism, is also free of the cultural mentality that tolerates the practice on such a vast scale (or on any scale), unlike its afflicted neighbour. It’s also one of the egalitarian advantages that republicanism has over imperialist monarchy.’
... I guess the ‘The Magdalene Sisters’ had absolutely no basis in fact then?
Posted by on Feb 16, 2007 @ 07:51 AMThe history of civilization is the history of slavery. Without the latter there would not have been the former . Every ancient civilisation and Empire was built from the wealth extracted from the labour of slaves .
Britain can take credit from the fact that she was the first Empire to make slavery illegal. This arose from not just the humanitarian impulses of reformers but also due to increased mechanisation in the 18th and 19th centuries which replaced human labour by machine and thus made it ‘profitable’ to end slavery.
Posted by on Feb 16, 2007 @ 09:13 AMLet’s not overlook the fact that slavery is actually still rampant all over the world. I guess we are all guilty to some extent, i.e. How many of us have purchased cheap clothing manufactured in Asian sweat shops? Rather than making useless gestures about events which occurred 300 years ago, we should be trying to stamp out whatever slavery remains in the 21st century.
Posted by on Feb 16, 2007 @ 06:07 PM
