Colonial Crime Records Destroyed

[Kromovaracun]

I think it's fair to say that the British Empire (and colonialism generally) can be something of a political hot potatoe in this country, so I'd be interested to hear the responses of ABers to the (somewhat unsurprising) revelation of new evidence suggesting that British governments within living memory have been involved in destroying 'embarrassing' material:

http://www.guardian.c...-crimes?newsfeed=true

It's often said that we should stop guilt-tripping ourselves about the British Empire and its excesses. Personally, I agree. But surely it's extremely difficult to understand the modern world as it is without understanding the impact of European imperialism? If you accept this, then in turn it seems pretty vital to understanding imperialism accurately - in which case falsifying the historical record looks pretty dire.

With that in mind, is this something we should care about? Or should we just shrug our shoulders and accept that all governments do?

[emmie]

I accept that our nation has done things it shouldn't, the same applies to just about every nation on the planet. We can't change it in effect, nor can we keep on apologising. If documents were destroyed or falsified then what can one do. How many ordinary people were involved in the days of imperialism, it was mostly our own lords and masters, who held sway not just over dominions and peoples overseas but those on British soil. It would depend on how far back does one go. I care about the present day, not something i didn't have a hand in, nor can do anything about today. It was unlikely my ancestors had a hand in ruling these lands, peoples. In all likelihood, from what i can glean from my own family history they were Irish who came over to England when times were bad there, which was often. The British empire is long dead, let us leave it that way.

[Old_Geezer]

Ditto, save that my family seem to come from all the UK nations and more if you go back far enough.

[jno]

we can't just forget about things we haven't even been told about. I thought the Truth and Reconciliation process South Africa set up was a good idea: getting the truth out there is a necessary prerequisite to dealing with it.

Until that happens, I see no idea why anyone should be absolved of guilt. Even the Catholic church acknowledges that you can't be forgiven until you've confessed.

[d9f1c7]

Are you Dan Qualye?

[emmie]

jno, so do i get recompense for how my family may have been treated, they could have been thrown off land, or had to come to England because of the potato famine. Unless i am able to delve a lot deeper than i have done into my families history, i can't say for sure how both sides of the family ended up here in England. But why should i apologise for something i did not do, nor would have.

[anotheoldgit]

Surprise, surprise, yet another anti-British report via left-Wing Guardian.

Stop knocking one of the most tolerant nations of the world.

I wonder why they have failed to report on one of their lefties remarks on the US killing of Osama Bin Laden?

http://www.dailymail....n-Laden-happened.html

http://www.telegraph....t-have-been-shot.html

[anotheoldgit]

/// People from other countries are becoming more aware of their past & the corrupt regimes that want to control them. The warning signs were very apparent last year ///

Do you really believe that those who are replacing the corrupt regimes will be any difference, or are these simply just power struggles?

[jno]

so he said Bin Laden should have been put on trial for his crimes? Outrageous!

[emmie]

politics is a dirty business no matter the country, and those in power do some very shady things to keep themselves there. Including suppression of their own peoples. As to colonialism, time that this was put to rest. If ordinary men and women played no part in this, then why should Britain as a whole be blamed. After all isn't that we keep on being told about Muslim extremism in Britain, that it's not the majority who plant bombs and hate the west, but a tiny minority?

[VHG]

>>>Are you Dan Qualye?

Very clever

[youngmafbog]

If the guardian had their way there would be no England and we would pay every single penny to one of the right-on causes they support.

It is all a load of nonsense, I suspect the paperwork was destroyed as they realized right-on liberal lefties like the Guardian and its readers would go over the op on it.

[Gladeian]

The civil servants concerned should get a bo!!ocking for not destroying anything that was prejudicial after the end of colonialism - this will be just serve as fodder for more of the ex-colonial subjects or their families to start proceedings against the UK governement for alleged wrongs going back forty or fifty years.

[sp1814]

It would have been interesting to see exactly what kind of criminal behaviour the Brits got up to in the dying days of the colonial past.

History is history - the good and the bad. Perhaps an understanding of how British subjects behaved would give us a better understanding of why, in some countries, colonialism is held in such low esteem.

We should never bury the past because of embarrassment...we should have the guts to acknowledge evil as well as the good.

[anotheoldgit]

/// History is history - the good and the bad. Perhaps an understanding of how British subjects behaved would give us a better understanding of why, in some countries, colonialism is held in such low esteem. ///

Perhaps some of these countries should also consider the good that came to their countries due entirely to colonialism, but then one never gets to hear of these things.

A point in question was in the recent documentary on the British Empire, an Indian woman when asked by Jeremy Paxman, "was the Empire good for India"?

When the woman replied "the British did a lot of good for India", Paxman nearly swallowed his teeth and replied, "do you know that your answer isn't Political Correct"?

But then what does Paxman know about things?

http://blogs.telegrap...st-be-hearing-things/

[emmie]

most people nowadays don't have a clue about colonialism, or indeed our past. Ask any teen about British history and i am pretty sure you will get a blank look. That goes for most adults too i might add. We were taught significant dates in our history, and all about The Tudors, Stuarts and so forth, lots of other things of course, but it's all such a long time ago. Can anyone remember the date of the battle of Trafalgar, no looking at the internet.....
Or other major events in our long and chequered history, most people can't. Unless you are a history professor, teacher, buff, then it goes over most peoples head.

[tamborine]

Those with ancestral ties to other countries are in UK because of colonialism & imperialism. No one is forced to stay.

[d9f1c7]

well Paxman is an anti British New Labour Blairite puppet who probably made the series so he can go round the world finding people who agree with his views so he can cleanse his soul from the "infection" of being associated with the Empire. He'd have been a terrific Frenchman.

[sp1814]

tamborine

Are you posting to the correct thread, as your comment seems to be entirely random!

[sp1814]

AOG

"Perhaps some of these countries should also consider the good that came to their countries due entirely to colonialism, but then one never gets to hear of these things."

A country is incapable of thought. It's peoples are the ones who will hold opinions, and some will be positive (as evidenced by the woman in the Paxman documentary) and some will be negative.

The problem with this whitewashing exercise is that it destroys any evidence of wrong-doing by the British and therefore leaves those who have (valid) criticisms of the Raj and colonialism with no back-up evidence.

This is basically adjusting history for what is effectively politically correct reasons (I know - who'd have thought eh?).