There is a knock on the door.

“Hello, you don’t know me, but your great great great great grandfather both picked on, and was thoroughly mean to my great great great great grandfather. He may also have been responsible for his untimely death.”

“Oh. Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Yes. He was.”

“That is a shock. How unfortunate, and a little embarrassing for me if the truth be told.”

“Indeed it is. I would like to know what you are going to do about it?”

“Do about it?”

“Yes, I feel that I am owed some monetary compensation for the behaviour of your great great great great grandfather, and I expect you to pay up.”

“Really? That seems a little unfair. I never knew my great great great great grandfather, in fact he sounds like a bit of an arse, but if you think I’m about to offer you compensation for his behaviour, then you are sorely mistaken.”

“If you were really sorry you would throw lots of money at me right now.”

This is an unusual conversation, I’m sure you’d agree?  Yet this is essentially what the Pan African Reparation Coalition are asking for after hearing of Tony Blair’s ’sorrow’ over Britain’s history in the slave trade.

Is the history of the slave trade – and our country’s involvement in it – something to be ashamed of? Absolutely. The thought of something like this happening in this day and age is totally abhorrent. It is a shameful episode in our country’s history, but ultimately that is what it is, history. The people who directly suffered are no longer with us. The people who directly perpetrated these crimes against humanity are no longer with us.

So why then, do these distant descendants deserve monetary compensation? Frankly, they do not.

I am not responsible for the behaviour of people who lived 200 years ago.

There is a whole can of worms waiting to be opened if they are given any compensation whatsoever. Trust me when I say that if one single penny of my tax revenue goes towards that organisation, and in doing so denies the NHS or other vital public services necessary funds, then someone is going to get seriously hurt.

It happened, and it was truly terrible, but the people who are to blame are long gone. Get over it.

No tags