Spare us these liberal lectures
I agree with Prince Charles, and Alan Gleave, that the history of slavery should be an important part of the educational curriculum, provided that it is taught objectively, and not merely from the position that Britain is somehow the exclusive villain.
This evil practice has existed throughout much of human history, and those civilisations of classical times, such as
Greece and Rome, which we are encouraged to admire, were built upon the backs of slaves.
Even looking at the age of colonialism and empire it should be remembered that, not only was almost every major nation involved, but that among the worst of those exploiting human misery were the Arab nations, who were notorious as slave traders, while very many African slaves were in fact sold to the slavers by their own leaders. It is also true that English people, prisoners of war, and those taken from our shores by raiders, endured a subsequent life of slavery, while it was the Royal Navy, at a cost of many ships and men, who finally swept the slaving ships from the seas.
There is a major difference in this subject, and that of the horrors of the Holocaust, in that there are still alive many who were either perpetrators, or victims, of this horrifying
Nazi crime, while those who suffered directly from slavery are now figures from history. We obviously sympathise with what the latter endured, but the Britain of today cannot be held responsible, any more than we would expect Italy to atone for the sins of the Roman Empire.
Of course, those who are most vociferous in their condemnation of our past are like Orwell’s sheep in Animal Farm, who mantra of “Four legs good, Two legs bad” precluded any rational debate, as was its intention. The left liberals metaphorically chant ‘Britain Bad, Opponents Good’, whatever the subject. I have no doubt that Prince Charles is a decent, well-meaning man, whose angst on many subjects is clear, but he should be careful not to identify with the agenda of those who hate their own country, as the British people do not take kindly to being constantly lectured about the faults of their ancestors, while the good this nation has done is ignored. As our future King he should follow his mother’s example, and remain above the fray, else he risks undermining the affection which our monarchy currently inspires. Colin Bullen