Why should Great Britain (or Team GB as we now seem to be called), apologise for the slave trade?

[10ClarionSt]

Did you see Ainsley Harriet last night? What a load of cobblers. The slave trade was an abomination, disgraceful and very regrettable, but it wasn't our fault was it? It happened. It was the way of the world then and thankfully it was stopped. Why should GB apologise to anyone? I know, we'll get the Scaninavians to apologise for the Vikings eh? They were a shower of b4st4rds weren't they? Or make the Italians apologise for what the Romans did to Europe: mass deportations and enslavement. Get the Japanese to apologise for all the attrocities they carried out in the Pacific. The Germans can issue an apology for what the Nazis did. The Turks can apologise for what they did to the Armenians in WW1. Where will it end? That was then. This is now. AINSLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ethel]

?

Who says Great Britain should apologise?

I saw that his great great grandfather was a white slave owner, and other relatives were slaves.

[kempie]

Only those directly involved in an action can apologise for the consequences of that action - anything else is worthless lip-service.

If it is the case that the apologies of a great great (etc. etc.) grandson of a slave trader actually count for something then does that mean Ainsley (as such a person) should be the apologist?

[jackthehat]

I watched the programme last night, and I can't seem to recall Ainsley asking for an apology from anyone...........

[jackthehat]

Well, I happen to agree that apologies now for things that happened in the distant are a nonsense.
However, there are hundreds of people still suffering now from things that happened in the near past, for which some of the protaganists who also are still around would do well to acknowledge and apologise.

[Abdulmajid]

We should not apologise.

Whilst I agree the treatment of some of the blacks was abhorrent it must be said that these people were not human beings as we know them today.

Many of the slaves used to eat each other in their native country, pray to the sun and moon etc, practice female castration and if I am not very much mistaken, some even shrunk other tribesmens'heads for fun!!!

In can be argued that we in fact civilised the savages. It is just a shame it has come full cycle and instead of nowadays shrinking each others' heads, they merely say innit a lot, mug old ladies, smoke "da spliff" and stab each other for fun.

Apologise??? They should apologise to us for putting up some resistance when all we offered them was a home and a wage (albeit with some forced labour and a bit of whipping).

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a racist bone in my body, but these are the facts that Ainsley obviously forgot to mention. And I like the guy.