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Starmer says he wants to ‘look forward’ and not talk about slavery reparations (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by RubberDuck@lemmy.world to c/uk_politics

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[–] wewbull 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The British paid huge amounts of public money to other countries to set slaves free. Britain is the country went into armed conflict to force the Atlantic slave trade to cease.

Yes, we were a part of it before then, but we are the only nation which saw the evil of the norm and reversed it's position, putting money and military into securing the freedom of those living the trauma. Not entitled parasites hundreds of years after the fact.

The correct response to people wanting reparations today today is "Bugger off! You're 200 years too late. Go bother the people that we bought your ancestors freedom from. "

[–] Comment105@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

People really don't seem to appreciate that descendants of Europeans took up arms and pens and fight and argued to end slavery. Of course, slavery is ongoing right now. Including in the United States at a small scale. It never ended. We didn't really want to completely end it. We still believe in the idea of slavery, just not generalized enslavement of entire ethnic groups.

Regardless of that, the slaves almost never freed themselves. They never got to a point where them or their descendants got to dictate the terms.

[–] sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

No fucking way

“Slavery is abhorrent … there’s no question about that. But I think from my point of view and taking the approach I’ve just taken, I’d rather roll up my sleeves and work with them on the current future-facing challenges than spend a lot of time on the past.”

So all the resources that were pillaged which puts them in positions whereby they can't roll up their sleeves and work on current issues are just to be ignored.

I don't understand why he has to be so tone-deaf in the way he speaks about things like this. Holy fuck, hire a decent PR team.

And let's not forget the British government paid reparations to the slave owners.

[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

And let's not forget the British government paid reparations to the slave owners.

Which was a very good move?

It set slaves free, put the issue to bed, and prevented large scale wars (where slaves were often drafted in). Just look at the US Civil War.

After that, the UK spent a huge amount of money on actively preventing slavery on a huge scale. Not only banning it, but outlawing trade related to it, actively hunting slavery ships (the policing of which cost many lives), etc.

There literally hasn't been another anti-slavery force in history that even comes close.

The UK's involvement with the slave trade beforehand is obviously bad, but the UK's measures to stop slavery were fantastic.

E: sorry guys, I guess very effectively and efficiently ending slavery was a bad thing.

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago

This is my perspective too. "Compensating" slave owners was terrible, but the loss of life from the American approach was far more terrible.

[–] Jackthelad@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I love that they came up with a figure of £19 trillion.

Definitely a calculated figure and not just a number plucked out of their arses.