_Bat_ Posted March 15, 2007 Posted March 15, 2007 Interesting website. Welcome to BritishReparations.org, the official site of the International Coalition for British Reparations. We are a global network of citizens who have suffered injuries at the hands of the British Empire over the last five hundred years. We've banded together to ask the United Kingdom to compensate the world for all the damage they've done. http://www.britishreparations.org/ Opinions? (incidently this website is made by Americans who have probably killed more british soldiers with friendly fire then the enemy have 8O )
localzuk Posted March 15, 2007 Posted March 15, 2007 The concept of 'reparations' is kinda weird in my mind. There is likely not a country that at some point in its history hasn't been involved in some form of atrocity. To choose the UK as one 'empire' and ask for financial reparations begs the question, why is it down to money? Also, if the UK is to be asked this why not Germany, France, Spain, China, or any of the other countries that were at the centre of empire building schemes. Yes, ask for apologies and I am sure they will be forthcoming and 100% supported by the people of the country. If you look at that site they are calling for £71trillion to be spread around the world. Do these people actually have any concept of an economy? Do they realise that the people that that money would come from are mostly normal working people via taxes? I'm sorry but this campaign seems ill conceived and poorly informed. Bankrupting a country for what they see as its historical ills is just as bad as the ills themselves.
mitcheln Posted March 15, 2007 Posted March 15, 2007 From http://www.evilempirebook.com/ So with tongue planted firmly in cheek, Grasse founded the International Coalition for British Reparations. http://www.evilempirebook.com/mp3/download.php?file=44mp3_evilempire_bbc_radio4.mp3
localzuk Posted March 15, 2007 Posted March 15, 2007 Ah, that explains it. With it being American's and having seen similar OTT beliefs for other campaigns it could well have been true... Glad it isn't though!
contink Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 For what it's worth the "why us and not the others?" thing is a bit moot... The japanese, chinese, germans, et al (even the norwgians recently) have all been approached about this sort of thing. So it's really nothing new.
Jake Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 I'm a bit cold hearted when it comes to reparations. Particularly reparations in regards to war. See, in essence..I dont really stand by the geneva convention and such things. To me, anything goes in war, the enemy is the enemy, uniformed or not as far as I am concerned
TechMonkey Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 I'm still waiting for the apology from Rome to my great, great, great, great, great etc parents. Damn those Romans, what did they ever do for us!
Geoff Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 Oh I don't know, Roads, Coinage, Wine, Swimming Pools, Central Heating?
deanc Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 yes but besides the Roads, Coinage, Wine, Swimming Pools, Central Heating what did the romans ever do for us?
witch Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 Just a point - a country cannot apologise for actions taken long before. The people currently running that country can regret the actions of previous incumbents, and state that they would never behave in such a way, but they cannot say sorry for something they did not actually do. And Jake - whilst I understand why you think war is war, in practice, you would condemn any of your own side to a horrible death. You also condone the murder of innocent children, do you? Just look at your own offspring and think.
Golfpapa1 Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 You also condone the murder of innocent children, do you? Just look at your own offspring and think. Children are NEVER innocent.....I know I have two of my own and consequently I have very little hair left
Jake Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 And Jake - whilst I understand why you think war is war, in practice, you would condemn any of your own side to a horrible death. You also condone the murder of innocent children, do you? Just look at your own offspring and think. As I say, I have a somewhat unique outlook on war. I do indeed condone the killing of anyone of the enemy nation. Man , woman or child. Take world war 1 and 2 for example, how many children from world war 1 grew up to be SS officers in ww2. Take the complexities of modern warfare instead if you like, how many armed children killed soldiers in vietnam? or indeed in the current middle east, how many children carry arms and have killed soldiers? Its not so easy these days to tell the "innocent" child in a war from the not-so innocent. As for my offspring, of course I wouldnt like it, but I think I could understand the logic behind it. I would expect my enemy to do as much damage to my nation as they could. Civilian killing makes sense to me, its not the military who make the weapons in a war, its the civilians (much like how the american military production rates were of such benefit in ww2), kill those civvies, and it hampers the military production. Like I say though, I am different in that view to most others, and I understand thats it not a very "correct" view.
Geoff Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 The wiki doesn't appear to have a genocide howto yet, fancy adding it Jake?
broc Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 Presumably the Americans will also pay reparations to the descendants of all of the original natives of North America they murdered, not to mention all the black africans they condemned to slavery in their plantations? People who live in glass houses........ or is it White Houses these days.....
Jake Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 The wiki doesn't appear to have a genocide howto yet, fancy adding it Jake? Hehe..nah its ok, I am not a genocidal maniac, I just see war with a coldblooded logic See..I should have kept quiet, now its gone and tainted the jolly clown image of me that everyone had !
CyberNerd Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 obligatory alien quote: "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. "
ConTheITGuy Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 yes but besides the Roads, Coinage, Wine, Swimming Pools, Central Heating what did the romans ever do for us? Gotta love Adam Hart-Davis Andy
Golfpapa1 Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 [see..I should have kept quiet, now its gone and tainted the jolly clown image of me that everyone had ! Not at all......I still think you're a clown :reindeer:
russdev Posted March 16, 2007 Posted March 16, 2007 First you have to look at the war for example in ww1/ww2 people were forced to go to war so average joe solders where just as innocent. But look at other wars say iraq solders are there by choice. When it comes to it war should be last choice after every other road has been travelled. But these days our leaders are very keen to take us to war at drop of a hat. Russ
Grommit Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 I am proud of my Country, I am proud of the Empire we once had... and I am proud of what we bought to the planet.. English is the worlds official language and I am English Yes there were some stupid mistakes along the way but over all what was done was right at the time.. which country forced the abolution of Slavery ? Britain..! etc.. God save the Queen!
russdev Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 English is the worlds official language and I am English But English is about only 4th in list of languages people speak as a native language. Russ
GrumbleDook Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 Like I say though, I am different in that view to most others, and I understand thats it not a very "correct" view. I have worried about replying to this thread because I am a pacifist (as in I do not believe in violence ... the use of physical force to achieve things that can obtain by other mean) who did serve in the army (I wasn't being a hypocrit ... I joined in a capacity to serve and to see that the use of force was not abused) Jake, without sounding melodramatic, would you still feel that way if you had held a loaded rifle aimed at someone and had to make the decision to shoot, or had to order others to shoot? What happens if this is on mainland UK and you are not sure whether it is someone from the local area and just want to pop onto the base to poach ... whether it is a trainee who has been out on the lash and is sneaking back in ... or whether it is someone attempting to plant a device near a secure data centre to try and do as much damage to the running of the army as possible? PTSD is a serious issue and the moral make-up of most people stop them from doing silly things ... but to actually know that you have killed someone is different to thinking "it's them or us!" and unless you have had to make that choice I don't think you can truly know how hard it is.
Grommit Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 English is the worlds official language and I am English But English is about only 4th in list of languages people speak as a native language. Russ Yep it might be the 4th First Language but it's the 1st Second Language Modern English is sometimes described as the world lingua franca. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945 and is considered by many to be on its way to becoming the world's first universal language. The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the language's initial spread far beyond the British Isles. 1. Mandarin 885 million speakers 2. Spanish 332 million speakers 3. English 322 million speakers 4. Bengali 189 million speakers 5. Hindi 182 million speakers 6. Portuguese 170 million speakers 6. Russian 170 million speakers 8. Japanese 125 million speakers 9. German 98 million speakers 10. Wu 77 million speakers
CyberNerd Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 3. English 322 million speakers That can't be right, the population of US is approx 300Million, + uk 60Million + autralia, canada etc
beeswax Posted March 17, 2007 Posted March 17, 2007 3. English 322 million speakers That can't be right, the population of US is approx 300Million, + uk 60Million + autralia, canada etc Ah, but the first language for almost half Americans is now Spanish.
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