egafd.com

I agree our Government invaded Iraq (against the wishes of the British people). We were also involved in throwing Saddam out of Kuwait 20 years ago, but I can't think of many other things we've been involved in except things that concerned us directly. Suez was to do with British interests. The Falklands War was, according to Thatcher's predecessor the Labour PM Jim Callagham, "completely unnecessary". Whatever people's views on it the place was, and still is, part of our small Empire. Winston Churchill referred in the mid-1930's to 'the gathering storm' of how Hitler appeared to be building a military machine and it seemed inevitalbe this was leading to war all over again - which of course it was - and I think we felt we had an obligation to assist Poland following the German invasion in 1939 as this seemed very likely to be the start of a series of invasions by Hitler in an attempt to take over Europe and the world. Another correct anticipation.

Violent crime has always been in Jamaica, when we were out there last Jamaican friends showed us a colonial house that had torture chambers & much worst.
The British for sport used to chase slaves through the sugar plantations which sliced them to shreds, if this didn't kill them they set the dogs on them to finish them off.
As we said to out friends we can't understand how the Jamaicans can even like us but amazingly they don't hold a grudge, the only thing good (if you can say this) that came out of the British & Dutch slavery abomination is that these people now have an identity of their own.
I would be the first to say America are shits but in this case they have kept these proud people going with help to hospitals, schools etc after we left them high & dry in 1962.

turanhosting wrote:

> Max, with respect, all the infrastructure in the former empire
> was put there for the benefit of the expats, not as a gesture
> of philanthropy. If it benefited the locals it was because the
> place ran better that way.

True, but that does not mean that the infrastructure didn't benefit the locals as well. Question is though whether the benefit was worth the price.

The story was not all that different with the Roman empire. Its purpose was solely to benefit Rome, but the answer to the question "what have the Romans ever done for us" could be quite lengthy.

max_tranmere wrote:

> Winston Churchill referred in the mid-1930's to 'the gathering
> storm' of how Hitler appeared to be building a military machine
> and it seemed inevitalbe this was leading to war all over again
> - which of course it was - and I think we felt we had an
> obligation to assist Poland following the German invasion in
> 1939 as this seemed very likely to be the start of a series of
> invasions by Hitler in an attempt to take over Europe and the
> world.

I'm not quite so sure about that. Hitler was plain about his ambitions in Mein Kampf, and they were specifically about Eastern Europe. The Poland invasion was inevitable, as was the war with the Soviet Union, as Hitler wanted the Ukraine. An interesting speculation - what would have happened if France and Britain had kept out of it and let Hitler & Stalin battle it out in the East? For France, this was probably never really an option though, given the Alsace-Lorraine issue...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8347409.stm This seems like a much better polling. After all, it actually asks the opinion of people who actually witnessed what they're supposed to be desiring.

Imperialism is the most horrific "ideology" that has ever existed, it defeats even fascism and communism combined in all it's horror. Some people here post terrible terrible things, I don't know do they do that out of ignorance or malice but that's how it is.

I was a military advisor in Jamaica in 1980 and my Jamaican counterpart told me then that they had law and order under British rule and dearly wished it was so again.
Then we heard gunshots every night as some poor sod was robbed and shot. The robbers didn't like to leave witnesses.
Arson was rife leading up to the General Election, which Michael Manley lost to Seaga, as to vote you had to be a tenant or householder. If the house was burned down then you had no vote.
You think British elections are dirty, then look at what Michael Manleys supporters did to his opposition.