Does that include the hundreds and thousand of slaves transported from African nations to toil in the cotton and sugar plantations of the new world and other regions?

LOL you really have swallowed the left wing revised history of the world hook line and sinker.

Look up the Barbary slave trade to find just how daft this constant reference to Britain’s evil past is.

The Barbary coast pirates terrorised Europe up until the 19th century, including the west coast of England and Wales. In that time they sold more people, nearly all white, into slavery than the British, Spanish and French combined. Of course the victims being mainly white takes away the socialist street cred I’m afraid but please don’t let the truth get in the way of that, nobody else does.

So although it’s no excuse for the part we played, the fact is slavery was a worldwide trade and its victims were very far from all being black or it’s perpetrators white. There is simply no need for this national self loathing, just because you’ve seen it on the TV and silver screen don’t make it true.

What should impress you more but won’t because it spoils the hard done by narrative is that the first nation to outlaw the slave trade was, drum roll, Great Britain. God that must stick in your craw. Look up William Wilberforce (think that’s how you spell it), you’ll like him.

Do you know why the Royal Navy became the biggest in the world? Not as is often thought to defend trade in the empire but to destroy the slave trade and totally eradicate the truly evil Muslim run North African slave trade. It’s a fact, I don’t make it up, it’s how it was. History told truthfully has a nasty way of upsetting popular opinion.

You really need to look deeper than the rubbish you’ve been indoctrinated in.

I’ve no flag to fly politically I just like the truth. I don’t blame you for falling for it, the propaganda and misinformation peddled on this subject since the sixties is staggering. Yet you really don’t have to dig deep to find out how twisted the story has become.

Wikipedia despite being constantly bagged is an excellent starting point, it’s all there.

Really poor effort Redscat.

I'll go with the thread drift....and point out that the Arab slave trade was THE largest slaving out of Africa.

Shamefully there is STILL an Arab slave trade TODAY!

The Portuguese slave trade was particularly brutal, and the Belgians' little better.

The British undoubtedly played their part, but were also the nation that ultimately "ended" the slave trade.

No wonder Encyclopeodia Brittannica shut up shop when their biggest competitor can be found on a minority sport forum in a medium sized Yorkshire city. I was forced to learn about William Wilberforce at school as one of our four school "Houses" was named after him in his honour A Hull lad as as I recall.
I think I'll give up trying, vasty






Ps I bet you've never got 23 questions correct on University Challenge as I have.

I thought it was modern day Haiti who banned slavery first or are we using size as the defining factor.
That is all good if we lived in the 19th century luckily in some respects we don’t despite the best attempts of Jacob.
We may have been considered Great but unfortunately it is now 2021 and our position in the world is much diminished. We can all look back but it is today and now that defines a country not what it was over 200 years ago. The Roman Empire could have been considered as one of the great dynasties but would you still apply the same to Italy in 2021, what about the Egyptians and modern day Egypt.

The "ending" of slavery in Haiti, was done by an act of rebellion and uprising.

The British abolition was a universal act of legislature.

BTW - the "Great" in GB, means "big" - it's the big island.

It's a matter of coincidence that the British Empire was so successful and wide-reaching. Nothing to do with the name "Great Britain".

I know but those on here use the word Great to mean something different to big don’t you think. It’s fine to study the past but not to assume the same applies to modern day Britain.

I agree with everything you say about our country being great, but
1) you said we never allowed slavery, which isn't true
2) none of the things on your list are recent.

We are getting way off the C4 discussion though.
Let's get back on track.

I seem to be correcting you again but the Farage fact is wrong because they are not financially motivated immigrants 91% are in fact refugees escaping persecution and war zones for example. I admire that you still believe that we actively allow legal immigration because the government have closed down several schemes to allow people to apply. This even includes those Afghanistan we left behind leaving them no option than to do what they do.
It was suggested that if there were ways to legally apply then the need for the smugglers would decrease.

Sorry I did my recent correction to the world according to Farageman before I read your post. I think I have proved my point that you shouldn’t believe what you hear or see on GB News.

Utter bunkum.

They are safe in France (and every other European country they have travelled through).

LEGALLY, they are entitled to apply for asylum in the first safe country they enter.

And you got this fact where exactly? So someone is keeping perfect record of illegal migrant who land on shore and promptly dissapear into the countryside. Even for you that is beyond stupid.

Real refugees come through the proper channels not the English one.

Tell us this, why does a genuine refugee need to escape France where they are safe and fed. Why risk a sea journey to get to another country that has signed up to all the same treaties?

I mean you claim the EU is gods gift and we were stupid to leave so why come to an inferior country like ours. You’re that used to twisting you can’t even see the contradictions, tragic.

You can’t can you because as ever you just lie.

1. Slavery has never been legal on British soil since Roman times! The British slave trade is a separate issue. There has never been a need as our elite just enslaved it’s own peasant class in all but name.

2. The internet, Astra Vaccine, mobile phone network, DNA and the matching there of. Of course its impossible to say anything is invented in isolation but this GREAT nation played a huge part in them all. You clearly didn’t look very hard.

Here we go again with the arrogant assumptions, I had the same with another poster the other week but at least he was genuine.

So because I defend the right of Farage to have an opinion I’m automatically a fan am I?

So I occasionally watch GB news and suddenly it’s my only source of news?

I defend Brexit so I guess you assume I voted for it.

Well you’d be wrong but so desperate are you to label people with cheap barbs you never ask.

I agree with some of the points Farage makes in the same way I used to agree with some of the points Tony Benn used to make, you don’t have to have a side.

I find GB news a bit clunky and don’t watch it much but I’m delighted it exists and offers some balance. It serves a huge demographic who have been denied a voice in recent times and no true democracy can allow that. This basic tenant seems to be beyond your grasp.

I voted to stay and I would do so again. However as a democrat I accept my side lost and Brexit was the will of the people. Doesn’t matter what I think or how close it was my side lost. You’ll find similar on a rugby pitch.

You and folk like you need to look outside the narrow confines of your own mindset. Free speech and democracy is not about everyone agreeing with you, it’s the total opposite. It’s about listening to every point of view then coming to a consensus. If you do that extremist can never win, shove them into a ghetto and they will grow like a cancer. Live and learn.

I didn't look at all. I know we are a great nation, you just didn't point out any recent things.
Small correction though. We are responsible for the World Wide Web. The Internet is something slightly different that accesses the WWW. But your point is well made.

Yeah that confuses me to be honest, the US military I believe was the starting point for the internet.

I actually think the best one is DNA sequencing, the amount of crime it has solved and evil doers it’s bought to justice in my mind makes it the greatest humanitarian aid in history. Just the shear number of lives saved and minds put to rest, genius.

But your not trying are you.

You’ve totally ignored the point.

Why bring up the slave trade? It was so obvious and predictable and wrong.

Slavery was not an especially British or white thing, so why do you insist we should be especially ashamed.

I could bring up a million issues with empire more relevant and justified than slavery as a bad side. You just picked a fashionable and lazy reference, you clearly have not done tour homework and just took a cheap sound bite.

That’s what disappointed me as I’m sure your better than that.

Put bluntly, compared to most nation GB has a better past than most, warts and all and it’s about time we celebrated it.

Merry Christmas you daft old leftie

Merry Christmas to you too vasty, old chap and in 2022 I promise not to mention my favourite topic: Orgreave, June 18th 1984. Let's join forces in wishing for the best possible season for the lads in red, white and blue.

Thought I was going to read some stuff about channel 4.Instead I get pages of absolute tosh. Keep on topic please!

terrific contribution as ever, especially after you’ve just steered it off topic again

I see our game on Channel 4 kicks off at 1230 on a Saturday.

I think all games on Channel 4 shown on Saturday kick off at 12.30

They probably do, I just found it a strange time. I suppose it is before the racing if they still show it.

Racing is on ITV these days