There are many ways to apologize, with flowers, champagne, chocolates, a surprise breakfast in bed or the more crude gift of jewelry. But in general the word “sorry” or the phrase “I’m sorry” is usually a prerequisite. What would someone who considers himself betrayed by his partner or a friend think, if the person who offended him tells him that it is true that “there have been mistakes”, but old water does not move the mill, to what is done to heart, and it is better to look towards the future. future in a spirit of harmony? Many, surely, who, in addition to everything, are making fun of them.
Well, that is more or less what the Caribbean countries think after King Charles III, in his speech at the Commonwealth summit being held in Samoa, did not say “sorry”, nor did he mention slavery, limiting himself to admitting “mistakes in the past that can no longer be changed but remain painful,” and urged “to learn from history and find creative ways to address the inequalities that persist.”
A study values the debt that Great Britain should pay off with its former colonies at 24 billion euros
Humbly requesting forgiveness is not in any case enough for the leaders of the Caribbean nations, who demand compensation for the two hundred years of free labor that Great Britain extracted from the three million slaves it sent to the American colonies until the abolition of practice in 1833. Calculating the salaries paid for the work they did, taking into account that their life expectancy was lower than that of a free person, and the benefits obtained by the Crown, the Church and private companies, a commission has estimated what the United Kingdom owes at 24 billion euros (Spain and Portugal 22, and the United States 35).
But the oven is not ready for buns in the Great Britain of 2024, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, despite describing slavery as “abominable”, has flatly ruled out the payment of monetary compensation (those 24 billion would be seven times the annual production of the country and, paid in installments over 25 years, four times the annual public health budget). The most that he deigns to contemplate is a reduction of the debt of the Caribbean countries to London, its restructuring, or joint investment and development projects that have no cost.
If its leaders thought that the arrival of a Labor member to Downing Street was going to open the doors to the payment of compensation, in reality they have been a monumental disappointment. Starmer’s position is that a €50 billion hole has been found in the public coffers, and in next week’s budget he will announce more taxes and reduced spending. He has demanded cuts from all ministries (except Health), and the atmosphere in the Government and the Party is not exactly one to sing sevillanas. And even less to offer compensation to Jamaica and Barbados, which were the main destinations of the slaves transported by Great Britain.
In political matters (and this one undoubtedly is), the decision is made by the Government and the king must follow it, hence the words of Charles III in Samoa did not express his personal feelings but the position of Starmer, to whom the opinion Caribbean public does not care, in view of the problems he has at home with the fights between his advisors, the cut in aid for retirees, the extra tax burden that is coming, the disenchantment of the left and the scandal of the free suits and tickets he has received from a patron. There are always gifts involved, in this case not to apologize but in expectation of favors.
Starmer does not want the issue of reparations to appear in the summit’s final communique, and instead proposes “finding a common language that highlights the values of community and respect instead of division, accepting a history we share.” The Caribbean nations, on the other hand, consider that “the time has come to have a substantial and respectful conversation that recognizes the truths.” And that it quantifies compensation, which would be very good for them to improve their infrastructure and economies that have been hampered from the beginning. When Great Britain granted independence to its colonies, it completely ignored them, even though the slavery business contributed to its becoming a superpower. Marshall plan, nothing at all.
Psychologists say that to be forgiven you need six requirements: express discomfort, explain what happened, admit responsibility without valid excuses, show regret, offer reparation and say from the heart “I’m sorry.” Of these, the United Kingdom meets only the first.
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