Richard Gott: Former colonies are absolutely right to blame Empire for their problems - IQ2 debates

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Richard Gott speaking against the motion "Britain's former colonies should stop blaming the Empire for their ills" at Cadogan Hall in London on 17th November 2011.
Event info:
The British Empire has a mixed legacy. On the plus side we brought railways, the rule of law and the English language, the world's lingua franca, to far-flung places. But it's also true that in the aftermath of WWII our rapid retreat from Empire was a bit too hasty: colonial administrators with little understanding of local history or culture created new countries by drawing lines on the map, ignoring the affiliations of religion, tribe or language.
So it's hardly surprising that our former colonies blame us for the subsequent wars and tensions that continue to this day in places such as Kashmir and parts of Africa. But isn't it all too easy for corrupt and unpopular leaders to use the Empire as a scapegoat for their failings? 60 years on, isn't it time for our former colonies to take responsibility for themselves? Who's right? Who's wrong? Come to the debate and decide for yourself.

[@Salsari.Birbhum]

Very good speech! Britain did it on a vast scale. Read what the wannabe imperialist -- Belgium's Leopold II -- did on a smaller scale in Congo.

[@johnnyreality]

"Soviet" should be written with a capital letter you silly goof!!! XD

[@ashoks5317]

Britain should be applauded for creating Mirjajafaras/ Jaichands.

[@Thaddeus28]

Hey, gotta have someone to blame your troubles on

[@timothymichel1677]

Go back to empire. You did much more good. It was expensive but it was worth it. I believe empire collapsed because it was too costly. I think you have an reponsibility to return to empire.