> How about in Africa? Are the people of Zimbabwe >better off under Robert Mugabe than they were >
>under British administration?
Thats like saying are you better of burning to death or being hit by a falling piano.
Anyway, Mugabe may well be direct result of UKs failed policy in Africa. Many African coutries succeded in moving towards some sort of stable economic & parlimentary future. Their problems mainly came from; the cold war, where dictators put in power and supported by one or other of the Blocs; ever more repressive control of thier resources by European and American companies; muslim and christian churches who militated against communities working together and improvements in sexual health. Some Africans were complicit in this tragic events, but the people holding the reins were Whitey.
The only people who benefited from the British Empire were the British - we still do, much of our income still comes from "investments" overseas.
>The areas the Empire "effed up" were Palestine >and the place formerly known as the British
>North American Colonies
Many indigineous populations throughout the world have been wiped out or disapated by the colonial forces or military, commercial and immigration. Colonial policy was 100% based around religious and commercial desires, not a single thought was given to equalising the African health and education to English standards (which on average were pretty low anyway in colonial times), just to save his soul and steal his possesions. Would you live for one second under the rule of people from thousands of miles away who consider you subhuman?
born, live and taxed in the UK, am proud of many of the things we have achieved as a nation (Sinclair C5, Triumph Speed Twin, saving mainland europe from 50 yrs of fascism), but I'm not blind to the long term conseqeunces and the reasons it was done.
ttfn
Richard
Slashdot Mirror
> How about in Africa? Are the people of Zimbabwe >better off under Robert Mugabe than they were > >under British administration? Thats like saying are you better of burning to death or being hit by a falling piano. Anyway, Mugabe may well be direct result of UKs failed policy in Africa. Many African coutries succeded in moving towards some sort of stable economic & parlimentary future. Their problems mainly came from; the cold war, where dictators put in power and supported by one or other of the Blocs; ever more repressive control of thier resources by European and American companies; muslim and christian churches who militated against communities working together and improvements in sexual health. Some Africans were complicit in this tragic events, but the people holding the reins were Whitey. The only people who benefited from the British Empire were the British - we still do, much of our income still comes from "investments" overseas. >The areas the Empire "effed up" were Palestine >and the place formerly known as the British >North American Colonies Many indigineous populations throughout the world have been wiped out or disapated by the colonial forces or military, commercial and immigration. Colonial policy was 100% based around religious and commercial desires, not a single thought was given to equalising the African health and education to English standards (which on average were pretty low anyway in colonial times), just to save his soul and steal his possesions. Would you live for one second under the rule of people from thousands of miles away who consider you subhuman? born, live and taxed in the UK, am proud of many of the things we have achieved as a nation (Sinclair C5, Triumph Speed Twin, saving mainland europe from 50 yrs of fascism), but I'm not blind to the long term conseqeunces and the reasons it was done. ttfn Richard