Celebrate or Apologise? (From York Press)

Celebrate or Apologise?

10:12pm Wednesday 4th April 2007

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200 years ago slavery was abolished in the British Empire. This was 70 odd years before anyone in my family was granted the right to vote as we were only common people, but I like to think we were right minded and celebrated in our homes and our churches.

200 years on, did we dance in the streets and celebrate? Did we slap each other on the back and congratulate our ancestors for seeing the light, so long before many other nations? Did we quietly agree that we were proud of our ancestors? Sadly no.

All we seemed to hear was talk of an apology. I found myself wondering how many years go by before an apology isn’t asked for and isn’t appropriate.

As a child in the 1950s the slave triangle was part of the history we were taught and I grew up horrified by the concept of slavery and also very proud that we the British had done so much to eradicate it. If we hadn't abolished slavery in the British Empire don't be under any illusions about progress elsewhere. The American Civil War may never have taken place half a century later without out lead, so where would the world be today I wonder?

I am proud to be English, proud to be British and proud my ancestors abolished the slave trade. The British Navy blockaded the American coast to prevent foreign ships from continuing the vile trade. That cost us money and lives but I’m proud we did it. I hope that here in the UK we will always be proud to be first to do the right thing. Here I have to admit to not being too sure about the "Kingdom" bit, but I am sure that the "United" bit has given us a much bigger place in the world than any of us would have enjoyed independently. The whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. I also recognise that our Nation hasn't always done the right thing and I'm not proud of everything done in the past (or today thanks to Tony Blah and his Iraq War).

Anyway, back on the subject of apologies. Is it wrong to ask for apologies and reparations from our Norman Conquerors, whose descendants still own most of the land in England? Maybe we are learning from the challenge presented by the descendants of the African Slaves. Doubtless, many of my English ancestors were slaughtered or enslaved by the Normans and their descendants still enjoy the fruits of that conquest. So should I get an apology and should there be reparations?

Well I confess I can see the point.

I still think it is a pity we missed the opportunity for all races in the UK to unite, in celebration of a Nation doing the right thing, for the right reasons, whatever the cost, in defence of freedom. Maybe, if only for a moment, it would have felt as though we were all part of the same whole.