Slave trade: Does UK prime minister have a consensus?

Résumé détaillé

An analysis of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comments on the transatlantic slave trade, questioning his contradictory and undiplomatic stance on reparat Read More:…

I look for patterns in the actions and utterances of political leaders to decide who they are. What I have observed so far of the actions and utterances of the new UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has left me asking questions. First, he indicates he’s a leader who wants to please everyone. I’ve stated here that strong national leaders don’t please everyone; rather, they do what’s best for the nation and leave the rest for history to judge. Lately, the prime minister made comments on the transatlantic slave trade that appeared to be another effort to please everyone, or at least voice what he believed were the thoughts of everyone.

In an opinion piece published ahead of the recent Commonwealth meeting, the UK leader writes thus concerning the transatlantic slave trade: “Some have called for financial reparations for the slave trade…I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part.” Nonetheless, Burnham says he’s “offering a structured dialogue” with those affected by the trade. He also says listening to calls for a formal apology will form part of the structured dialogue.

The prime minister says he’s not averse to tendering a formal apology. What’s the apology about, since his nation can’t be held liable for the issues that warrant the apology? At the Commonwealth meeting, Burnham told a journalist that he wanted any dialogue to be about trade, collaborations, new ideas, adding emphatically that this would benefit the UK. This shows that only the things the PM likes and which will profit his nation are what he wants to dialogue on. More than this, did he consider that the idea of discussing new ideas during the dialogue might just come up with new and innovative ideas about reparation as well?

Début de l'article, extrait de Punch. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.