OT: Something odd about that queue?

[RJH]

Yes, quite, well put.

To suggest that we did India (for example), and her regional neighbours, a favour is laughable.

[charles]

Met this on holiday in South Africa. We were taken to a 'genuine' Zulu village and afterwards had a 'Genuine' Zulu lunch - which included Black Forest Gateau. No idea if this was 'genuine' zulu.

[williamwright]

Brought them civilisation you mean.

Bill

[charles]

Or, in my case, stretch.

[Colin Bignell]

Yet some manage to turn up in the Hall looking as though they have made an effort.

[zall]

No, plenty never got involved in colonial empires.

But plenty didn't.

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

There isn't just the state pension.

Bullshit.

It can only ever come from the taxpayers, stupid.

That last is mindless pig ignorant bullshit too.

Fuck all of that left in the worst of the ex colonies like Zimbabwe, Kenya, Jamaica, Burma etc.

[Jeff Gaines]

Why would we re-distribute the wealth of people who have worked hard and been successful by giving it to socialist scroungers who think having 20 children is a career move?

Why would we nationalise anything? Are you too young to remember how inefficient the nationalised industries were? They managed to produce the worst car in the world for a start and treated you as if you were asking for a favour if you wanted any service from them.

The UK has a proud history of helping to kill the slave trade, efforts need to be expended to kill the modern slave trade.

[zall]

Unlikely those in the Bahamas who were moved there as slaves would see it like that.

[Rod Speed]

Yeah, particular with China. Have read the memoirs of one chinese woman who went to school in a school which had been a school continuously since before the romans nailed up that uppity swarthy fella.

[Rod Speed]

Fark, what sort of operation was it ?

Hard to believe that most operations would have everyone with black clothes that they could do that with. Or did they rent the clothes if they didnt have any black ones ?

[Rod Speed]

williamwright [e-mail] wrote

I know I will never need it.

Fuck that.

Mine doesn't. I can still wear the suit I got for my sister's wedding in

1971 and it isn't even a tight fit, just as comfortable a fit as it ever was.

[zall]

Not convinced about that. It was true to some extent in africa but not true anywhere else.

[Rod Speed]

Don't get that myself, but then I have never been a lard arse.

[Rod Speed]

Plenty hadn't, most obviously with India, China etc.

Not true of China.

Which ones do you have in mind ? Only really true of Zimbabwe and plenty of other civilisations had abandoned some of their citys and had made new ones for various reasons, often climate change.

There were very few that weren't even colonised by someone.

True in spades of england itself.

[Cursitor Doom]

Who's "we"? Certainly my family never did any such thing. If yours did, then *you* are the one who needs to pay the reparations.

[zall]

Trouble is that many of them were involved in a lot more than just the slave trade.

And those involved in looting India is another one very hard to unravel now.

Trouble is that it is very far from clear that it is even possible to put things right now, particularly with the Bahamas etc.

Or the Opium Wars with China.

Or with the looting of India.

Or with those whose relos were killed in the slave trade.

That is very arguable indeed with India particularly.

Or even with the colonisation of what is now America.

[Rod Speed]

Unlikely that China agrees.

Can't imagine why for the life of me.

Maybe something to do with the Opium Wars or sumfin.

Her ancestors didn't even manage that with Scotland either.

[Rod Speed]

That has always been one weirdity.

Some manage to look decent regardless, others look dishevelled whatever they wear.

[Rod Speed]

There is no modern slave trade, it is a flagrant misuse of the term.

[Cursitor Doom]

They were getting around on donkeys before we arrived. Now they've got the infrastructure to expand their economies. Rail and road: both technologies gifted from Britain. And were any Indians/Pakistanis involved in the development of the later revolutionary ideas like microelectronics/computers/radio communication? Nope! They've been gifted those too. Yet they've still got the begging bowl out. And don't get me started on our funding of their space programs when the UK has none itself!