HE Winnie Kiap | The British Empire Is A National Disgrace | Oxford Union

March 12th, 2020.
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The Motion: This House Believes That The British Empire Is A National Disgrace.

HE Winnie Kiap: Papua New Guinea High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She was recognised with the Diplomat of the Year Award in 2018.

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[thomaspowell]

The only disgrace is that we try to cover it all up and not teach it in schools.

[michaeltadrous]

As an Egyptian, I think my opinion here might be of value. Egypt was under British rule in the early 20th century. I can tell you right now that the British were no friends and they were known for their quite brutal leadership style. However, to discuss any history, we must separate the sin from the sinner. While the British empire’s history is by no means flawless, like every other civilization, to undermine its achievements as a civilization by calling it shameful is ignorant at best and absolutely stupid at worst.

[MrFideldeleontoledo]

I'm sorry, but would it be possible to number them in order of appearance?

[spennie]

didn't the Empire stop cannibalism in her PNG ?

[TommyMartinezpt]

The British where always far from perfect but also generations ahead of anything known to mankind.

[vulkanofnocturne]

Half the world is still trying to catch up to the moral standard set by the British over a century ago.

[philipdawes]

i have an idea for a history doctorate - some one please publish a series of political world maps, spaced at 100 year intervals for the last 4, 000 years. Then lets hear talk of the supposed eternal sanctity of nation and culture. The 'sad' fact is that both nations and cultures need to stay relevant, effective and adaptive, the consequence of not being so is that they fail, fall, disappear.
Personally, I think that the British empire had it's issues, being at times hypocritical and showing appalling failures at both the government and human level. However, it should be judged by the standards of the days in which it existed, not through 20:20 hindsight based on current politico-cultural 'wishes'.
(Not only directed to this video series, just the general seeming failure of academia to actually understand the principles of human history).

[zacharyscott]

You’re welcome the British empire was the best thing to happen to the world

[I-am-not-a-number]

The British Empire was lost fighting Nazis, Ottomans and the Japanese.
Where are the thanks?

[nigbiker]

Who is she to judge? Easy to reflect on events of the past equipped with our contemprary version of morality, right and wrong. Better to reflect and learn as we move forward, I think...

[alanhaynes]

Its a disgrace by todays modern standards. But what happened back then wasn't modern, it was a different culture and way of thinking.

[byrolyn]

God will judge all of us by our thoughts and deeds.

[franzliszt]

I agree partly with both sides ngl lol

[eshaansarkar]

For some facts and figures, as for the conflicts in Israel and Palestine, the British had spent around 900 million euros for peacekeeping operations.

[paulbradly]

Winnie has made a strong case for her now taking up the case of Uighurs: enslaved within China 🇨🇳

[gene]

I went to Papua New Guinea in 2009. |f its not perpetual support from Australia it would sink into an economic abyss. Dont know why these haters continue with the rhetoric against the West. They wont go back to their historic roots, that's a fact

[nathanielrainier]

I'm personally on the side of proposition however this debate was extremely biased in the way it was conducted u have given right wing and colonial defenders a legitimate reason to ignore this debate rather than hosting a meaningful debate that would show on its own merit that the proposition is correct

[waynewayoaveyard]

why is it everytime we speak of the british empire we forget of the times, we forget what happened all way up to that point. and we also forget in those times if the british empire didnt take that role another would... spain, france, or holland. this appling of inherited guilt is getting old really fast i have to say.

[Jcop]

To-add, I encourage all to seek out a book called 'The making of India, the untold story of British enterprise' by Dr Kartar Lalvani. Filled with glorious facts and offers a much needed alternative perspective on British emperialism during the Raj/ empire than the negative woke-left have to offer. 🤫💪🏻

[danielsaraolu]

I am Romanian by birth Canadian for the last 20 years. My country has been for thousands of years between various empires or invading forces, the Romans the Huns, then the Otomans, the Russians, the Habsburgs. So I can say my people lived and survided very cruel times, wars and various rules and influences. All those empires were bad, very bad. The British were an empire too but at list they civilized indeed the teritories that they conquered. The french dispised them and used their North American colonies to send inmates, prostitutes and eliminate political oponents while the British seen their colonies on a long term timeframe. They are not perfect build tried to build something and sometimes it worked, But they face a major enemy and they don't want to see it coming: China. Dig into everything and you'll discover how China challenges and is at the source of all the slow British Empire anihilation, country by country and leader by leader.