What does the UK, France and the Netherlands have in common?

[Rhyfelwyr]

The premise of this topic and the discussion are absurd.

Have I ever owned slaves?

No - ergo I should not be paying for the mistakes of others, not that my sheep-farming ancestors had anything to do with slavery, but even so.

Have I spent any time freeing slaves?

No - ergo I get no props for that.

OK - so what do I win?

I think the silliest thing in this thread is the failure of some people to see the distinction between the Viking raids on the one hand, and the accumulation of wealth by the continuing British state in the slave trade on the other. This is not about individuals, it is about states, and paying reparations for ill-gotten gains. Some small part of the wealth that the British state has today is from historic gains from the slave trade. The British state of today is the same one that played a major role in fostering the Atlantic slave trade. Thus at an institutional level, it should acknowledge some sort of responsibility, especially when it is responsible for the on-going humanitarian disaster that is Haiti, and much of the trouble in Africa.

And while this is not about individuals, every British citizen has in some way benefited from the wealth of the slave trade.