Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

Decolonisation for the author does not include decolonising global capitalism, putting an end to - wealth accumulation in the hands of a few - obscene inequality - unequal exchange and monopoly of technology, - uneven development, - overthrowing of dictatorships/bourgeois classes in poor” and “developing” countries”, - debt, - imposition of economic programmes such as privatisation, etc. The author thinks ending discrimination and “reparations and restitution” will bring about decolonisation without touching the structure of the existent ownership and power relations. Colonialism made the modern world. Let’s remake it.

"All the politicians attacking the Bristol iconoclasts for removing the slave-owner Colston's statue---Johnson, Patel, Steer Calmer, Labour's Shadow Home (can't remember his name] and others, share one thing in common. Not a single one of them has called for the reinstatement of the statue. Wonder why? Calmer agrees it shouldn't be there, but numerous governments, Labour and Tory never removed it. Calmer and Johnson would rather it was done 'legally'. (Laughter). Worth remembering that Colston too was a believer in legality. Nothing he did was illegal! Slavery was the law of the land, free trade, etc." —Tariq Ali, 09 June 2020

The question is: why have the British accepted statues of slave traders (and also killers for the Empire) for so long? Miseducation and ignorance, imperial pride, or indifference? Personally, I am against statues. I didn't like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, for example, having one after his death. Hopefully, what is happening will provoke a dew British people to read the history of the British empire so they know theirs before poiting to Arab or Chinese histories and know that violence and plunder played a significant role in making "Great" Britain what it is today. After Colston, figures such as Drake and Peel could be next Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouts movement The history of British slave ownership has been buried Related The Blood Never Dried by John Newsinger Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor

The so-called impartiality of a liberal. "Churchill held opinions that would disbar him f rom political office today - despicable yes, but surely massively outweighed by the scale of his accomplishments." Seeing the dismantling of the empire against his will, killing of the Greek resistance, advocating the use of poison gas against recalcitrant tribes, praising Mussolini for being the greatest legislator in Europe, his racism, etc were just opinions and very small things compared to his "accomplishments". " If we were to denude Britain of all the statues of dead politicians and soldiers who held a few views we now find problematic, the country would be littered with unoccupied plinths." Does that mean there is a lack of people who could have statues, people who were progressives? There are only representative of a bloody and colonial past. "Pity the country that needs heroes." Statues like those of Churchill, Rhodes and Havelock celebr...

Toppling statues? Here is why Nelson's column should be next Note: We should also add another reactionary exploit by Horatio Nelson: In 1799  King Ferdinand was put back again on the throne of Naples, thanks to the English help and of Horatio Nelson, in particular, that had defeated in the Abukir battle the French fleet preventing France. Meanwhile, Russians are erecting statues of the grave digger of the Revolution