Compensation to relatives of slaves?

[Simeon]

I see on the BBC news website that discussions have started about awarding compensation to the relatives of slaves. Where the hell will this end? do we pay compensation to the Irish for the potato famine? The Scottish for the oppresion of the clans? Iraq? People who lived in the English Channel who lost their homes when the British ice from the Ice age melted and flooded them? I know i'm being flippant but this is absolutely ridiculous.

Your views please

[brionon]

My wife is Italian,she has just apoplogised for the Roman Invasion etc. she asks 'how she can repay me'--the Prospects are good !!

[WoWo]

I saw a program a while back about Black British youths using DNA to find where there ancestors came from in Africa. Their families were from the West Indies and therefore would have ultimately come from Africa during the slave trade.

It's easy to pin point the male blood lines via DNA so with 100% accuracy a persons male linage can be traced back to particular come points.

The program talked about the general issues but followed one chaps journey, for some reason I think because of other family connections and some physical features he was convinced he was from a particular African tribe and wanted to get confirmation so he could go back to his ancestoral village and find his real roots. He had strong opinions about the Slave trade (which is fine) be he said some rather derogatory remarks about current white people and their links to the slave trade.

Anyway he gets his results back and low and behold his Male lineage links directly back to an 18th Centry White American slave owner, to say he was upset was an understatement.

The point of this is simply to highlight the folly of an apology for something you were not directly involved in and also how crazy a compensation package would be, would this chap for example get any money? Or should he pay himself given his ancestor was directly involved in slavery.

[brionon]

anotherold git, hear hear, I reached the exhaulted rank of SAC. and I expect to be addressed as such.

[Simeon]

It's nice to see a bit of humour even it is a serious conversation.

Oops i nearly typed black humour.

[Carakeel]

I have to say I do think it would be absolutely ridiculous to even contemplate compensating for matters that took place many so generations back! I cannot imagine that anyone is seriously looking into this. Just sounds daft!!!

[sandyg2244]

This is one extremist's viewpoint.It's a sad day when 'sorry isn't good enough'.
Like the other posters have said, where do you draw the line? Why doesn't everyone with Jewish relatives sue Germany for the haulocaust? I'm sorry , but I wasn't around to pay hard-earned taxes back then when Britain f***-up.I'm sure I dont want my taxes paying for mistakes made hundreds of years ago, we're struggling as it is.

[brachiopod]

Before posting your huffy, indignant and ignorant rants - could someone somewhere show me the link that either alludes, or refers to plans, discussions, or intentions (whether they are about to take place, have started or have concluded), that states;

"Relatives of slaves will receive compensation"

It is really rather worrying that people fail to understand that this is a person's published opinion . It is not 'fact', 'plan', or 'policy'

Methinks that too many of you hear the word 'compensation' and instantly assume they are going to be handing out cheques to "anyone whose great...etc grandparent was a slave"

[kev100]

Whickerman, Simeon missed the point with the Westlife joke you also thrust Boyzone on us, I reckon that you owe us at least a billion pounds