Hi Marsh, can you unpack this a little? "That other empires might also have been bad, or worse, does not exempt us from a moral reckoning. This is something that, bafflingly, much of England struggles to understand today, as evidenced by the tribalist paroxysm which placed our country in the hands of kleptocrats back in 2016." What would a moral reckoning look like for the average British citizen? (Do you mean progressive tax reform? Or, given the mention of land ownerships, are you talking Mugabe land seizures? Or more in the way of aid overseas?) I remember the expenses scandal in 2009, but what was the kleptocracy that specifically began in 2016? Are we talking Mobutu level syphoning? (I'm not sure whether the Corruption Perceptions Index is reliable, but we are 11/179... no Denmark, but not as bad as the US...). Please forgive any naivety, our biggest local scandal appears to be whether to keep 75 meters of street pedestrianised or not... Thanks
Hey Tom! To be honest, when I said "reckoning" I was thinking of something less grand: more of a candid discussion of empire than any particular act of reparation. (Though, sure, let's reform the hell out of tax while we're at it!) The extent, nature and repercussions of empire are not well taught in our schools and have long been subject to nationalist revisionism and indeed censorship. Operation Legacy, for example, was a 20-year-long governmental program to destroy records associated with empire that might embarrass Britain, including details of crimes perpetrated against the colonised. More recently, government has sought to change the history curriculum to reinforce a vision of Britain's role in history as "distinguished" and a "beacon of liberty". I don't oppose these things out of a desire to self-flagellate: I just think we make better sense of the present by facing the past with honesty.
As for the kleptocrats - I'm afraid that was a crude swipe at the various figures who eagerly claimed they could deliver a nationalist fantasy, Brexit, and its many accompanying impossible promises, because they saw it as an opportunity for personal gain at the country's expense. And, duly, the PPE procurement scandals paint a grim picture of their integrity in office.
Hi Marsh, can you unpack this a little? "That other empires might also have been bad, or worse, does not exempt us from a moral reckoning. This is something that, bafflingly, much of England struggles to understand today, as evidenced by the tribalist paroxysm which placed our country in the hands of kleptocrats back in 2016." What would a moral reckoning look like for the average British citizen? (Do you mean progressive tax reform? Or, given the mention of land ownerships, are you talking Mugabe land seizures? Or more in the way of aid overseas?) I remember the expenses scandal in 2009, but what was the kleptocracy that specifically began in 2016? Are we talking Mobutu level syphoning? (I'm not sure whether the Corruption Perceptions Index is reliable, but we are 11/179... no Denmark, but not as bad as the US...). Please forgive any naivety, our biggest local scandal appears to be whether to keep 75 meters of street pedestrianised or not... Thanks
Hey Tom! To be honest, when I said "reckoning" I was thinking of something less grand: more of a candid discussion of empire than any particular act of reparation. (Though, sure, let's reform the hell out of tax while we're at it!) The extent, nature and repercussions of empire are not well taught in our schools and have long been subject to nationalist revisionism and indeed censorship. Operation Legacy, for example, was a 20-year-long governmental program to destroy records associated with empire that might embarrass Britain, including details of crimes perpetrated against the colonised. More recently, government has sought to change the history curriculum to reinforce a vision of Britain's role in history as "distinguished" and a "beacon of liberty". I don't oppose these things out of a desire to self-flagellate: I just think we make better sense of the present by facing the past with honesty.
As for the kleptocrats - I'm afraid that was a crude swipe at the various figures who eagerly claimed they could deliver a nationalist fantasy, Brexit, and its many accompanying impossible promises, because they saw it as an opportunity for personal gain at the country's expense. And, duly, the PPE procurement scandals paint a grim picture of their integrity in office.