Quote:
Originally Posted by DVTimes
David Cameron has suggested that Britain and the legacy of its empire was responsible for many of the world's historic problems. But is that view fair?
Answering questions from students in Pakistan on Tuesday, the prime minister said: "As with so many of the problems of the world, we are responsible for their creation in the first place."
Here two historians give their view.
Nick Lloyd, lecturer in defence studies, King's College London
Mr Cameron's remarks about the painful legacy of colonialism could not be further from the truth and they reveal a disappointing lack of historical judgment. The British Empire in India, known as the Raj, was the greatest experiment in paternalistic imperial government in history.
By the time the British left India in 1947 they had given the subcontinent a number of priceless assets, including the English language, but also a structure of good government, local organisation and logistical infrastructure that still holds good today. Far from damaging India, British imperial rule gave it a head start.
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I stopped right there because that's all I needed to see to realize this was going to be
noting more than a "supremacy rant".
As if governments cannot function unless they speak English.
That assertion alone is so absurd that reading more of it would truly be a
waste of time.
To even refer to the English language as "priceless" when Russia, Germany, Italy,
France, Spain, Japan, China, etc... function quite well without it is just insane.
English is only valuable when trying to speak to arrogant westerners who will
not "stoop" to learn any other language themselves.