British Empire 'something to be proud of' says Jacob Rees-Mogg

[Nick]

Nick you don't have a clue, Britain is hated around the World. (As for me not having been anywhere you don't have a clue about that either, that or your memory is failing.)

You've been to France and Canada allegedly, nobody believes that cause of your ridiculous Visa story. So no, you have not got a clue about how the British are received other than what you've read. I'll be visiting my 70th country in August and have never heard a bad word about the Brits, 5th most popular at the top of Google. 

[papasmurf]

You know nothing of the British Empire and how we are received around the world cause you've not been anywhere. The Brits are liked all over the world, in India for example they acknowledge we did some wrong but also that on the whole we tried to do good and gave them a lot. India's economy is where it is today because of the Brits.

Nick you don't have a clue, Britain is hated around the World. (As for me not having been anywhere you don't have a clue about that either, that or your memory is failing.)

[Nick]

Exploiting "damned native chappies," just to make a few  Brits filthy rich. I will have to think about that.

You know nothing of the British Empire and how we are received around the world cause you've not been anywhere. The Brits are liked all over the world, in India for example they acknowledge we did some wrong but also that on the whole we tried to do good and gave them a lot. India's economy is where it is today because of the Brits. 

[srb7677]

I would hope we all oppose slavery which was a crime of humanity for thousands of years before the Empire and one Britian took  a lead in abolishing not only across the Empire but elswhere due to our supremacy of the seas .

The Empire was a mixture of Settler colonies who had devolved governments ,Crown colonies ruled from the UK that had the direct protection of the Empire and protectorates that were self governing countries that had trade deals with the UK and as the name would suggest our protection when requested  . It was built on pioneers and  explorers who opened trade routes across the globe . There was no military invasion in building the empire though yes the military were deployed in attempt to keep it ,mostly from the Spanish and the French .

The one exception was India where internal rebellion led to the creation of a British /Indian  army Indeed and I believe we may have locked horns on Amristar many years ago on the old forum

Suffice to say India was in the beginings of wanting the India built under the Empire for themselves and Britain didnt , Amristar being ( I think we agreed ) a rather heavy handed response to increasing violence  and the murders of inocents in the area .
As I said in my opening contribution , there were some incidents we could have handled better , Amristar was certainly in that catagory , but in the main the Empire served its people or should that be subjects  well .

We differ somewhat. I think the inherent evils of empire outweighs the good, and much that was good would have come to these places anyway in the fullness of time.

But your response is well balanced so I am not minded to argue with it, beyond pointing out that some parts of the empire were acquired as a result of military interventions, eg in Egypt. And military operations in the name of empire included wars with China over the right to sell opioid recreational drugs to the Chinese, four invasions of Afghanistan, another of Tibet, wars of repression and conquest in India, two wars fought against the Boers in South Africa and another against the Zulus. 

[Streetwalker]

Not if you oppose slavery, military invasions of foreign lands, occupations, and oppressions

I would hope we all oppose slavery which was a crime of humanity for thousands of years before the Empire and one Britian took  a lead in abolishing not only across the Empire but elswhere due to our supremacy of the seas .

The Empire was a mixture of Settler colonies who had devolved governments ,Crown colonies ruled from the UK that had the direct protection of the Empire and protectorates that were self governing countries that had trade deals with the UK and as the name would suggest our protection when requested  . It was built on pioneers and  explorers who opened trade routes across the globe . There was no military invasion in building the empire though yes the military were deployed in attempt to keep it ,mostly from the Spanish and the French .

The one exception was India where internal rebellion led to the creation of a British /Indian  army 

Most of the people's we ruled over by force of arms wanted us gone in the end, even if some of them ended up being ruled by less benign oppressors.

The crimes of empire would fill a very long post were I to list just the ones I know of. To give but one example, do you think the Amritsar Massacre is something to be proud of? Do you even know anything about it?

Indeed and I believe we may have locked horns on Amristar many years ago on the old forum 

Suffice to say India was in the beginings of wanting the India built under the Empire for themselves and Britain didnt , Amristar being ( I think we agreed ) a rather heavy handed response to increasing violence  and the murders of inocents in the area .
As I said in my opening contribution , there were some incidents we could have handled better , Amristar was certainly in that catagory , but in the main the Empire served its people or should that be subjects  well . 

[papasmurf]

I suppose the important point is how can we ensure that we are doing the exploiting and Pappy being the one exploited ?

I think that we would all enjoy that

No-one has ever exploited me. Although they have tried.

[srb7677]

That maybe so but what of the message , Is the British Empire something to be proud of ?

Not if you oppose slavery, military invasions of foreign lands, occupations, and oppressions.

Most of the people's we ruled over by force of arms wanted us gone in the end, even if some of them ended up being ruled by less benign oppressors. 

The crimes of empire would fill a very long post were I to list just the ones I know of. To give but one example, do you think the Amritsar Massacre is something to be proud of? Do you even know anything about it?

[srb7677]

In your opinion.

In the opinion of many Rees Mogg is an absolute arse.

[Streetwalker]

And you seemingly celebrate that.  FFS what will you celebrate next using the same faux excuse, women being raped, houses being burgled?

Do you not realise that the right thing is to take all reasonably practical action to stop bad things happening?

Im not with you , its not a coherent reply to what I posted which was basically historical fact rather than my opinion .

[Borchester]

Thats true , has always been and will always be .

I suppose the important point is how can we ensure that we are doing the exploiting and Pappy being the one exploited ?

I think that we would all enjoy that

[Unlucky4Sum]

Thats true , has always been and will always be .

And you seemingly celebrate that.  FFS what will you celebrate next using the same faux excuse, women being raped, houses being burgled?

Do you not realise that the right thing is to take all reasonably practical action to stop bad things happening?

[papasmurf]

Thats true , has always been and will always be .

You will not be able to stay home, brother
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag
And skip out for beer during commercials, because
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be brought to you
By Xerox in four parts without commercial interruptions
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle
And leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams, and Spiro Agnew
To eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre
And will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs
The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner, because
The revolution will not be televised, brother
There will be no pictures of you and Willie Mae
Pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run
Or trying to slide that color TV into a stolen ambulance
NBC will not be able predict the winner
At 8:32 on report from twenty-nine districts
The revolution will not be televised
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young
Being run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process
There will be no slow motion or still lifes of Roy Wilkins
Strolling through Watts in a red, black, and green liberation jumpsuit
That he has been saving for just the proper occasion
Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction
Will no longer be so damn relevant
And women will not care if Dick finally got down with Jane
On Search for Tomorrow
Because black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day
The revolution will not be televised
There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock news
And no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists
And Jackie Onassis blowing her nose
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Keys
Nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash
Engelbert Humperdinck, or The Rare Earth
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be right back
After a message about a white tornado
White lightning, or white people
You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom
The tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl
The revolution will not go better with Coke
The revolution will not fight germs that may cause bad breath
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat
The revolution will not be televised
Will not be televised
Will not be televised
Will not be televised
The revolution will be no re-run, brothers
The revolution will be live

Songwriters: Gil Scott-Heron

[Streetwalker]

An increasing number of the British population are still being exploited.

Thats true , has always been and will always be .

[papasmurf]

A common response to the question that . What people who say that don't take into account is that we (the general population we ) were all exploited during the era of Empire Building to make a few Brits filthy rich .

An increasing number of the British population are still being exploited.

[Streetwalker]

Exploiting "damned native chappies," just to make a few  Brits filthy rich. I will have to think about that.

A common response to the question that . What people who say that don't take into account is that we (the general population we ) were all exploited during the era of Empire Building to make a few Brits filthy rich . And don't forget there were many who lost their fortune seeking riches with failed ventures .
Some were rich in the first place but for many (like today) it was a gamble , a gamble that yes made some very wealthy but also in the long run improved the lives of the 'damned native chappies'