Results 1 to 11 of 11
  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Chiang Mai
    Posts
    48,105

    Britain Accused of Whitewashing Colonial History as it Seeks Post-Brexit Trade

    LONDON —
    As Britain begins the process of leaving the European Union, it is trying to rekindle old trade links with Commonwealth countries. However, the push for new commerce has sparked a debate on the historical legacy of the British Empire, with accusations that ministers are trying to whitewash atrocities committed during colonial times.

    British Chancellor Philip Hammond arrived in India for a three-day trip to, in his government's words, "Bang the drum for British business." The quest for new Commonwealth trade links has been dubbed "Empire 2.0."

    International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, on a trade mission in the Philippines, wrote on Twitter recently that Britain "Is one of the few European countries that does not need to bury its 20th-century past."

    Indian lawmaker and former U.N. Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor, author of the book Inglorious Empire, has a different assessment of Britain's colonial conduct: "Of which the highlights, but only the highlights, include the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in India which killed defenseless, unarmed women, children and men; the use of chemical weapons in Mesopotamia; the air-bombing of a number of innocent civilians in Basra; you have the horrendous partition of India; you have the cruelty with which the Mau Mau insurrection was put down in Kenya."

    Despite that history, Tharoor says India is listening carefully to what Britain has to offer.

    "The idea that Commonwealth countries represent a possible alternative area for preferential free trade agreements is welcome, provided of course, as in every negotiation, that there is give and take," he said.

    But Britain must give more if it wants to benefit, Tharoor added.

    India is critical of tightening visa restrictions on its citizens wanting to work in Britain.

    Many people working in the $5.6 billion restaurant industry backed Brexit, hoping it would open the door to more migration from Commonwealth countries.

    Enam Ali, a chef in an award-winning restaurant just outside London, says he feels betrayed, and warns the industry is in trouble.

    "We feel it would be fair policy and we can bring people from outside the EU — from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan — where people can come and look after our business because the industry needs chefs desperately," Ali said. "So this is something now that is happening opposite, because the people we are currently working on, helping hand from the European worker, Romanian and Polish, they are now going to leave. So, what we end up with is nobody to work for us."

    Cutting migration was a central pledge of Britain's campaign to leave the European Union, but countries like India want visa restrictions relaxed as part of any trade deal.

    Indian lawmakers say they are open to rekindling old trade links, but in the 21st century, Britain will no longer dictate terms.

    VIDEO Britain Accused of Whitewashing Colonial History as it Seeks Post-Brexit Trade

  2. #2
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Home
    Posts
    33,543
    "We feel it would be fair policy and we can bring people from outside the EU — from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan."
    Hmm...surprising that this potential benefit doesn't seem to have been mentioned by the brexiters on the forum.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    38,456
    Anyone ever seen a Polish or Romanian waiter in a British Indian restaurant?
    If so, he was presumably enjoying the chicken tikka masala.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    on my way
    Posts
    11,453
    Quote Originally Posted by misskit
    We feel it would be fair policy and we can bring people from outside the EU — from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan
    Fair call, that's what Brexiters voted for.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,541
    Quote Originally Posted by misskit
    Britain "Is one of the few European countries that does not need to bury its 20th-century past."
    Ha. Shades of Thai denial of blame.
    Quote Originally Posted by misskit
    you have the horrendous partition of India; you have the cruelty with which the Mau Mau insurrection was put down in Kenya."
    Lets not forget the Israel-Palestine debacle.

  6. #6
    . Neverna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    21,241
    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    "We feel it would be fair policy and we can bring people from outside the EU — from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan."
    Hmm...surprising that this potential benefit doesn't seem to have been mentioned by the brexiters on the forum.
    It has already been discussed and dismissed in the Brexit thread.

  7. #7
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Home
    Posts
    33,543
    Yes, I'm sure it would be balanced out by the extra business generated by selling Jensen Interceptors in Chittagong anyway.

    Well, maybe if it were still 1972...

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat
    wasabi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Last Online
    28-10-2019 @ 03:54 AM
    Location
    England
    Posts
    10,940
    God this is just opportunist Pakistan shit stirring.
    It is a well known fact that these immigrants come to the U.K. and work in the Indian takeaway and catering industry. But their children won't work in the kitchen.

    Already one of the largest groups of young unemployed British male citizens on welfare benefits are , yes those immigrants children.

    We all know that they are posturing to bring more arranged marriages to cousins in the village back to the U.K.

    Now because of the past genocide in British concentration camps ( helped by Australia and NZ troops) can today's Transvaal Dutch get visas to work in the U.K.
    They can't get jobs in SA because they are white.

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat CaptainNemo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Last Online
    18-07-2020 @ 11:25 PM
    Location
    in t' naughty lass
    Posts
    5,525
    Any news items about any other countries "whitewashing" their histories?
    Of course, it's only Britain... perhaps all these Brexaphobes need deporting to Belgium if they hate Britain so much that they will spread shit day after day.

    Why stop at the British empire? How about them Belgians? http://www.historytoday.com/tim-stan...heart-darkness How about the EU's role in igniting the war in Yugoslavia by recognising Croatia, and then not intervening?

    There's plenty of horrible stories from history, depending on whose version of events you want to believe: https://www.sikhnet.com/news/islamic...-world-history

  10. #10
    Thailand Expat

    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,541
    Quote Originally Posted by CaptainNemo
    Any news items about any other countries "whitewashing" their histories?
    Yeah, plenty... when it's news.
    Trade Secretary makes a statement....it's current news.
    Japan does something about the school textbooks and South Korea complains... it becomes current news.
    Etc.

    "Why stop at the British empire? How about them Belgians"
    Because the Belgian Trade Minister didn't make an outrageous claim, therefore there's no news.

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat CaptainNemo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Last Online
    18-07-2020 @ 11:25 PM
    Location
    in t' naughty lass
    Posts
    5,525
    True:
    https://twitter.com/liamfoxmp/status...387584?lang=en
    About a year ago?

    He probably was thinking about how the EU project was a reaction to Nazism and the Cold War, and that the UK hasn't embarked on that kind of political project with the Commonwealth in response to the Empire. Whoever came up with "Empire 2.0" wasn't helping. I don't think the UK has any reason to try and forget its actions in the 20th century; they have apologised and reached out, and that seems a bit different from Belgium's response to the Congo (for example).

    I thought Shashi was going on about the entire history of India, which isn't quite as cut and dry as he might like... but it is a book, and books need headlines to help sales.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_rule_in_India

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •