HanoiVillan Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 12 minutes ago, maqroll said: I think "reparations" is a bit of a hot button term that obscures the kind of basic measures that could've been taken to address the needs of former slaves who suddenly had to craft a functional government out of the ruins of 400 years of total exploitation. As a Commonwealth nation, Jamaica, in my opinion, should have received much more guidance, investment and true partnership than what was offered after 1962 or whenever they achieved independence. The fruits of the British Empire were channeled straight back to England, and Jamaica was not immune to this scheme. It's wealth ultimately never benefitted the Jamaican people, but rather the financiers and industry moguls back in England. Had Britain invested more basic good will and support for it's former gold mine, Jamaica would be in a much better situation than it is now. I guess we're talking about different things. I'm not really disputing the history (I don't know enough to speak knowledgeably on the topic), and I'm certainly not disputing the morality. I'm talking about the path forward from now (which is maybe off-topic for the history thread, so I'll leave it there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Awol said: Decolonization is a process that should have taken 40-50 yrs following World War II, enabling the phased standing up of local institutions of governance and professionalised local civil services. Had we been able to do that then much of the former Empire might look more like Australia than Zimbabwe. Sadly Washington insisted that the UK GTFO of those countries as rapidly as possible, partly so they could move in behind us and partly to ensure a vastly reduced global role for the UK itself. Let's face it, absent Pearl Harbour America would have happily let Britain shoulder the burden of facing the Nazis alone, while emptying our Treasury to pay for the arms our own incinerated factories could not - which it did, completely. So when Americans bang on about the ills of decolonization the only suitable reply is a two fingered salute at the sheer f'ing neck & hypocrisy of it. Passing the buck is too easy...if you want, we can talk about all the horrible injustices perpetrated by the USA, including its involvement in Caribbean political affairs, but just accept the plain facts that Britain's involvement is just as egregious if not more so when viewed in an historical context. Edited December 30, 2016 by maqroll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 I've been obsessing about the collapse of Yugoslavia and the wars there. It is chilling. There are tons of good videos on YT about it all. I'm reading a great book as well, it explains everything in very clear terms, and you're able to make some sense out of a very confusing situation. Those Serbs were total psychopaths. Anyone have some good book recommendations on this subject? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 25 minutes ago, maqroll said: I've been obsessing about the collapse of Yugoslavia and the wars there. It is chilling. There are tons of good videos on YT about it all. I'm reading a great book as well, it explains everything in very clear terms, and you're able to make some sense out of a very confusing situation. Those Serbs were total psychopaths. Anyone have some good book recommendations on this subject? It sounds like you have a good book recommendation! What are you reading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted February 25, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted February 25, 2017 1 hour ago, maqroll said: I've been obsessing about the collapse of Yugoslavia and the wars there. It is chilling. There are tons of good videos on YT about it all. I'm reading a great book as well, it explains everything in very clear terms, and you're able to make some sense out of a very confusing situation. Those Serbs were total psychopaths. Anyone have some good book recommendations on this subject? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted February 25, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted February 25, 2017 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Love old adverts like this: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 1 hour ago, maqroll said: I've been obsessing about the collapse of Yugoslavia and the wars there. It is chilling. There are tons of good videos on YT about it all. I'm reading a great book as well, it explains everything in very clear terms, and you're able to make some sense out of a very confusing situation. Those Serbs were total psychopaths. Anyone have some good book recommendations on this subject? It's staggering that it happened so recently and (maybe i'm wrong) but Europe just seemed to turn a blind eye to it for a long time? I was in Yugoslavia in 1990 on a family holiday. Little did I know that less than a year later it would have all changed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 11 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: It sounds like you have a good book recommendation! What are you reading? Written during the Bosnian War by a Washington Post reporter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 5 minutes ago, maqroll said: Written during the Bosnian War by a Washington Post reporter Ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted March 8, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted March 8, 2017 Interesting "Who Do You Think You Are" tonight - Sophie Raworth, the newsreader. She had nonconformist ancestors in Birmingham who were involved in the Priestley Riots. If you think politically sanctioned violence against minorities - including firebombing churches - is a modern phenomenon, read the Wikipedia article in the above link. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Paddywhack Posted April 3, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted April 3, 2017 So here's something potentially very boring and in the wrong thread, but I think it's cool so I thought I'd share it anyway. A couple of years ago my wife's Nan was approaching 90 and so my mother in law decided to make her a 'this is your life' style book. They lived on Park Lane in Aston for years and she managed to find plenty of photo's of the street in the 1950s and 60s. I didn't realise it was the same street I'd been parking in when going up the Villa and I couldn't believe how different it all was, it's unrecognisable now. Anyway, my mother in law was delighted when she stumbled across this photo showing the street celebrating the Queen's coronation in 1953 outside the Black Horse pub which was two doors down from their house. My wife's Nan is sitting on the front row with her youngest on her lap and her eldest son behind her. So yeah, probably boring for everyone else but I thought it was quite a good find. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 5 hours ago, Paddywhack said: So yeah, probably boring for everyone else but I thought it was quite a good find. I love old photos like that. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) grew up on Park Lane, Aston in the 60's. Number 20 I think. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddywhack Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 15 minutes ago, Xela said: I love old photos like that. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) grew up on Park Lane, Aston in the 60's. Number 20 I think. Yup, my mother in law lived opposite him I believe. I wonder if he's in that Coronation photo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 On 25/02/2017 at 08:08, maqroll said: I've been obsessing about the collapse of Yugoslavia and the wars there. It is chilling. There are tons of good videos on YT about it all. I'm reading a great book as well, it explains everything in very clear terms, and you're able to make some sense out of a very confusing situation. Those Serbs were total psychopaths. Anyone have some good book recommendations on this subject? I'm off to Sarajevo on Sunday ,hoping to do a few of the war areas amongst others looks like I could have done with longer out there but I'm sorta doing a 2 day detour on the way to joining the family in Hungary for Easter .. (just dropped them at the airport so party at mine ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Back from Sarajevo where I've had a good education on events during the war.... Heck it's a complex place , on the edge of Sarajevo ( might even be part of it as its close to the airport and the hills overlooking Sarajevo )you have the Serbian Republic where they are flying Serbian flags and even have a plaque erected to one of the war criminals saying along the lines of Thanks for your good work ... guess it would be like flying a swastika in Jerusalem with a plaque to Adolf saying good work !! sounds like the Bosnians sorta want to forgive if not forget but it can't be long before the Sebs move again ... Bosnia is trying to join the EU sooner rather than later in the hope it might save them you can go up in the hills and see where the artillery and snipers had a clear view of the city as they picked people off , the mortar shell holes are still there in places and the locals pant them red the tunnel of hope is also interesting , you can't walk the full 800m anymore as it's flooded but or was a lifeline for the city , the Serbs found out where it was thanks to the French telling them !! But it was kept operational interesting place worth a visit for those of you reading the books mentioned in this thread 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Sarajevo has a fascinating history, as a city of multiple ethnicities, languages and cultures that was a crossroads for different peoples. Very keen to go one day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Despite the slightly misleading headline ( the bomb contained no explosives or nuclear material ) this documentary on BBC 4 in May looks like it could be interesting Dorking narrowly avoided 'nuclear bomb drop' fiasco The dummy device was being flown to Orford Ness, a top secret military test site in Suffolk, in the early 1950s. It came loose in the bomb bay while over the Surrey town, about 20 miles from London, but the bomb doors held. An engineer who worked on the device said it was then dropped in the Thames estuary, where it remains to this day. Fortunately, the device contained no explosives or nuclear material. The revelation is made in a BBC Four documentary, Britain's Nuclear Bomb: The Inside Story. Reg Milne, of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, told the programme: "One flight to Orford Ness, a bomb came loose over Dorking. It fell off its hook. "Luckily the bomb doors were strong enough to hold it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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