We used to have a post office the envy of the world,

British Gas was a world leading energy company.

British Telecom lead the world in telecomunications (world first digital network) and Cable and Wireless controlled most of the worlds international telecomunications.

All as state run industries.

Today the post office is hollowed out with vastly reduced service, British gas is a shadow of its former self, BT is now a decade behind technologically with other international telecoms providers, and Cable and Wireless as all but ceased to exist.

Privatisation obviously worked wonders.

Erm, did you even read your own link?

• Why, and with what results, was there a growth in imperial expansion during the last quarter of the nineteenth century?
• Reasons for imperial expansion in the late nineteenth century
• The ‘scramble’ for Africa; Treaty of Berlin (1885)
• An entire topic: The Causes and Impact of British Imperialism, c.1850–1939

That syllabus is actually a very reasonable spread of significant historical events. Or are you suggesting it should focus purely on the British Empire? Student are invited to study these topics, during which time they will be all over the internet obtaining a pretty good understanding of the truth.

Do you think that driving home some degree of shame for Britain's Imperial past is the ONLY topic worthy of study? The world is a big place, with lots going on.

FWIW, I am very well educated on the British Empire, the good and the bad, and riches plundered, etc blah blah. I feel zero shame for it. Centuries ago people we have very little in common with took this little island from a miserable bankrupt fractured state to the top of the world tree. Should I feel shame or apologetic for that? Nope. Not because I'm particularly jingoistic, but because that's how the world has worked for millennia: empires rise and fall, people die, territories change, they leave their mark and the world moves on. The world was a much more ruthless, violent and unforgiving place back then. If a dominant power wanted something, they took it. The industrialised world trod roughshod over the rest. Are Italians apologetic for the Romans? Or Mongolians for Genghis Khan? Or in fact any present-day nations for their historical empires? But for some reasons Britons should feel unreserved shame for their ancestors? How odd.

Tell me, why don't we learn about the Belgian impact on the Congo? Over 10 million dead via a mix of violence and disease, all with the keen approval of the Belgian state and Leopold II. Where does that stand on the scale of Empirical outrages? What about the Herero and Nama genocide? Or the Spanish conquest of South America? Or the Armenian genocide? Or the many horrific Japanese war crimes across East Asia, such as Nanking? I could go on.

Oh, and are you saying Germany wasn't aggressive? WW1 they were engaged in an arms race and as a relatively new nation paranoid about encirclement and wondering whether it would be better to fight now rather than later, as war was considered inevitable by many. Once Austria started shelling Belgrade the Germans were only too happy to roll into neutral Belgium to get at the French. And in fact until Britain declared war none of the European powers were certain we would participate at all. As for WW2 - well I'm sure you'll blame the Treaty of Versailles without considering for a moment the utterly devastating impact of WW1 on France, who felt it quite within their rights to make massive demands of Germany. Never mind that the Treaty was renegotiated in 1924 and 1930 and reparation payments were suspended in 1932, it's probably all our fault.


Erm yep, sorry to piddle on your parade but pretty much all of that is common knowledge. In fact - [iin the very syllabus you've linked to[/i, students are invited to study most of those topics, which obviously includes the British influence on events.




None of that is 'hidden' history, whatever you might think. But the fact is, a syllabus is limited in scope. Naturally, educational time and resource are limited and as such the topics chosen are limited. Is Croke Park more important than, say, China 1945-1991? Or the US policy of containment in the late 40s? Or Lenin's legacy? Or the origins of the Cold War? Or [ithe causes and impact of British Imperialism[/i? (all of these taken from the A level syllabus you linked to).

And yes, the story of Churchill and Gallipoli is also very well known. Except he didn't 'leave political life wracked with guilt'. The disaster at Gallopoli forced the Liberal government to join with the Conservatives in a coalition government, but the Tories insisted on Churchill losing any semblance of power and he was demoted to a menial role. 6 months later he quit and headed to France. Within 2 years he was back as Munitions Minister. He was far from wracked with guilt about Gallipoli - in fact, in his later words, "The Dardanelles might have saved millions of lives. Don’t imagine I am running away from the Dardanelles. I glory in it".

You seem to think you're wise to some conspiracy to mask certain events and celebrate the rest with an undercurrent of Empirical jingoism. That just isn't the case. Knowledge of Britain's past is infinitely better and far more critical than when us old codgers were at school and watching Zulu on a Saturday afternoon.

HE'S COUNTING OUR GUNS.....always one of my favourite movie lines!

An older codger like myself saw it in my mid-20's a few days after it's London Premiere at the Plaza in 1964.

About 3 years later,living in South Africa, I visited the site of the battle at Rorke's Drift to see only a few remains of the Mission Station portrayed in the film. No commemoration or graves so pretty disappointing. Also visited Isandlwana the site of the battle just before Rorke's Drift where the British were routed. There was a commemoration to the Zulus killed and that was it. Finally visited the location where the film was made which was in a Natal National Park about 90 miles from Rorke's Drift.

One of my favourite ever films and after seeing it I became fascinated with the history of the Zulus and read everything I could find about them.

I suspect things are very different today. That sounds like a hell of a experience - from Premiere to actual site. I doubt I'll ever get to visit unfortunately.

I still love Zulu, and despite a few historical embellishments (a few character 'enhancements', the final salute, the 24th being a Welsh regiment, the singing of Men of Harlech, etc) it's fairly true to the story. You're clearly clued up on the history of those events but I can highly recommend 'Battle Story: Rorke's Drift 1879' as a worthwhile read.

[i"I'm up on the hill playing little boy soldiers"[/i