I would call myself a patriot, but I am forced to conclude that my patriotism is as unreasonable and illogical as other people's national self flagellation. Except for this fact; my country is good to me and I owe it a lot. I should be kind to my country. We should be humble and honest about our country's past. We did not win the Battle of Britain nor did we take part in the Amritsar massacre. Other people did those things.
Being a product of colonialism as my ancestors settled in Southern Africa I can support your views in full. Youngsters in Britain should come out here and see the good that was done but is now being neglected and breaking down
You could say that South Africa was a natural paradise before white settlers arrived. It had very little by way of settled human population. Those that did live there had primitive technology, although they knew their environment very well. Everything modern in SA is a result of settlement by white Europeans, and the same can be said of the rest of Africa. That is our legacy. Exactly the same with Australia and NZ.
The spirit of Rousseau talking? The natural paradise with 50% infant mortality, and I think with Bushmen only a third of surviving males ever reproduced... maybe check out the proportion of male/female ancestors of the current population to verify paradise conditions. Polygamous societies probably not paradises.
@28PBTKH well, you can put some of the blame on the Bantu. After all, it was they who displaced the indigenous nomadic Khoisan tribes not the white settlers. It was also the mass invasion of northern Bantu who created the population explosion. They wanted a piece of what the white settlers had built, so they migrated into the region and set up giant slums outside the white townships where their numbers quickly multiplied into the tens of millions. This is how apartheid started. It was a desperate attempt by white South Africans to preserve the small piece of civilization they had built over several hundred years since the first Dutch settlers arrived. Sure, there's more nuance and morally reprehensible and unethical things went down, but those are the basic facts when you look at the larger timescale of the region's history.
I just preordered the book in the US. It will arrive in May. I’m excited to read it especially after recently reading about the Comanche empire in the American Southwest. It was an eye opening moment of understanding for me to realize we are all equally capable of horrible acts when presented with the right circumstances. Western culture has provided us with so much freedom and opportunity.
Including the right to criticize it to death. Where does the voice come from? the history of the Songhai empire is quite enlightening re: slavery. The shame of feeling less than civilized is IMO the driving force behind this Woke thing used strategically by a very corrupt select few. Strategy used by marxists and nazis. Same recruitment tactics.
1. India become Indian because of UK. India was 1000 small infighting countries. It become a single mighty country only because UK 2. Dalits, untouchables, low castes got liberated from the 2500 years of slavery only because of UK. 3. Modern concepts of humanism, liberty human rights go to places like India only through British. 4. If British invasion never happened half or more of India would be under Islamic rule by now. 5. Indian army, Indian constitution, India laws, ..all because of Uk 6. The missionaries created scripts and developed all major Indian languages Including Hindi( which Hindus celebrate as Hindu language). Read the article "Contribution of the Christian missionaries to the Indian languages" Dr. Amita Esther David. Missionaries also published first dictionaries of all major native Indian languages and also native magazines and news papers.
Been making the same points for years. Hindu-dominated modern India was born of British rule. Don't forget the outlawing of Thugee as well. Perhaps more important, numerically, than Sutee outlawing.
@@golfbulldog Sri Narayana Guru(Ezhava untouchable leader) said , “It is the British who gave us Sanyasam (sagehood) and they are our gurus". Before British they couldn't even come close to public places, temples, or come in the eyesight of Nairs(Shashi Tharoors caste; Check Tharoor in Oxford debates))
Just to say, I was very taken with Nigel Biggar's modesty and shy humour .... "I hope it's readable", and he was not slow to say he was happy to accept criticism. Lovely, interesting man, thanks, Peter.
Thanks so much! I’m a 73 year old Californian whose ancestors came mostly from England in the 1850’s. I’m proud of these pioneers and am forever grateful for the culture they brought with them. I have not been quiet when people lie about my country 🇺🇸 or yours. So much good came from the British and they should be praised and proud. Love your program!
Many thanks. The way the British are often portrayed in US media is bordering on blood libel and deeply offensive. (I could name a certain Mel Gibson film as a prime example but I won`t because it raises my blood pressure) We don`t take all of the credit for making the US the great country that it is but if anyone were to believe the garbage pumped out by Hollywood and taught in some major US universities they would think that British colonialism was a chimera of the Nazis and the Mongol Empire which laid waste to everything it touched. It`s good to know however that there`s still some people on the other side of the pond who know their history.
Any good derived from empire was an unintended consequence of a brutal rape of natural resources and populations by the colonising country by force of arms and discriminating power over law making. Now trying to whitewash this greed and brutaliseation by " it was for the good of the colonised population " is a typical excuse to diminish guilt and avoid responsibility by the offender. The very antithesis of Civilisation.
Thank you Peter, your discussion with Nigel was first class. He came across as clearly a very principled and courageous man, an ethicist who finds himself on the receiving end of a vile and entirely "unethical" campaign, simply for academically approaching a subject which at it's very heart is all about the ethics of empire. What your discussion did reveal s just how shallow and ignorant certain senior academics in our top universities are. I pray that Nigel's light will continue to shine into these very dark corners and start to reverse the rot.
I believe many academics are running scared. They know better but do not want to be on the unpopular side, They do not want to be mobbed perhaps out of employment,
Liverpool and London started the innovation of tropical medicine. Saving countless lives. Rescuing hundreds of millions of lives through 2 centuries from appalling hardship. Discoveries about malaria, river blindness, snake venom etc, etc were. I'm extremely proud and thankful about the one in Liverpool particularly
@@cargumdeu slaves were never brought to Liverpool. around 250 freed slaves were brought from America, they fought for the English during the war of independence. As a thanks. They were brought over round 1750 making liverpool's oldest black community. Liverpool merchants provided much of the finance required to engineer and build the the experimental bespoke machinery that made the industrial revolution. Creating the modern world, lifting hundreds of millions from starvation, appalling penury. It also did away for a slave caste which fuelled prior civilizations throughout the world. It took a little time, but we did get there
@@jazztheglass6139the 1.1 million slaves sailing on Liverpool's ships to the West didnt actually step foot ashore there but let me assure you Liverpool was up to its elbows in the trade, whether you acknowledge it or not. You could just use your favourite search engine to check before launching into more scouse self-aggrandizement...
@@cargumdeu I'm mixed race. Grandfather was Igbo. Initially they were one of the tribes most enslaved in Nigeria. Later one they became one of the biggest slave traders. People forget that Africans from the barbary coast captured and enslaved British people before we bought them from Africa. Before the discovery of quinine British people had to stay on the shore of Nigeria due to malaria, yellow fever the slaves were marched from the interior and sold on the shores.
@@jazztheglass6139 that's a fascinating insight, thank you. And your pride in Liverpool is applaudable. But they were buggers for slaves, nonetheless, and if we cant be honest about this then we cant even begin to dismantle the anti-imperialist leftist narrative.
I think he's wrong about the opium wars, though. See "China a victim? The Opium War that wasn't" by H G Gelber. Frank Dikotter has also written on this.
Those who talk about Bengal famine forget to mention that 70% of so called Hindus are lower castes, Dalits or untouchables. They got liberated only because of UK. Brits pushed the laws because of pressure from missionaries who were living their entire life for poor and suffering Indians. British banned Sati, Child marriage, untouchability, made India a democratic country(willingly or Coincidentally). People like Sashi Tharoor who blame the British(oxford debate) forgets that his own caste was a low sudra caste who treated other castes like Ezhavas(untouchables) and out castes like pullayaas and Parayaas very badly..worse that slavery.. Tharoor's own caste Nairs were brahmin sex slaves. Their women had no concept of modern marriage. They had to live with Sambadham in which Brahmin will come and do his thing and make children without any love or responsibility(search Nair Sambhandham).. Tell me were did all of it go?? What happened? Jesus came with the British !. British missionaries happened .
@@golfbulldog Thanks... Study deeply about Indian caste system and you will love British deeply again. The Portuguese or earlier powers never did much good. Even my own community the Nasrani Christians(native 2000 year old first century Christians) hated brits for liberating the Dalits. Looking back i am ashamed.
A big thank you to professor Biggar for defending Britain. I am fed up with Britain too often being scapegoated and demonised by the world ,and especially by our own people. Sure ,we haven't always been perfect and we have made mistakes but we have made many valuable contributions to the world and we absolutely need to stop flagellating ourselves and accepting blame for things we have not done. Thank you
@Susan Doherty "Eminent Indian economist Professor Utsa Patnaik (Jawaharlal Nehru University) has estimated that Britain robbed India of $45 trillion between 1765 and 1938, However it is estimated that if India had remained free with 24% of world GDP as in 1700 then its cumulative GDP would have been $232 trillion greater (1700-2003) and $44 trillion greater (1700-1950). Deprivation kills and *it is estimated that 1.8 billion Indians died avoidably from egregious deprivation under the British (1757-1947).* The deadly impact of British occupation of India lingers today 71 years after Independence,..."
@@johnstrawb3521: India was never 'free', so his basic premise is absurd. No doubt there are 'experts' who could equally argue that removing the entire Indian population from the face of the planet would have made the world a much better place for everybody else during that same period. Listen to maniacs with agendas at your peril!
This is, of course, true! However, the unavoidable corollary is that you can't take any pride in the accomplishments of the past either for the same reason.
@Jane - - - Well, sure, you can; so long as you are happy being a completely inconsistent moron. I'll let you decide if you are or not. Forgive me for presuming you weren't an idiot.
It’s their loss. It really is a very good read, and a much needed counter to the overwhelming amount of anti-colonial work that has dominated the narrative on empire for the past 50 years.
When the globalist's started on their quest on ruling the world, they knew that control of all Media would also mean book shops and the Publishing companies. This is still in place, all material that is produced from that source will only pass muster if all the boxes are correctly ticked. Remember total control.
I just got the book, and I’m about a third of the way through. It’s excellent, very interesting stuff. Thanks for writing it, and thanks for this interview.
I'll buy that book. I was just scanning through Hansard for its debate on the 1919 Amritsar Massacre (there are these negative bullet-points of Imperial history always brought up and this is one of them), and flicking between that and the Wikipedia version, the differences are staggering. I never knew, for instance, that General Dyer had been made a Sikh by a thankful local community who believed the Central Punjab would have surely gone up in flames had it not been for this draconian action, that had he done nothing, many more would have died. The Hansard account tells that women and children were not in this crowd of lathi-wielding 15-20000 men, as they were not to be found at that time in similar political demonstrations, and that approximately 200 died, a number which has been ratcheted up the further we get away from it, so that Wiki lists it as 1500. Who would have known that Hansard - that the Government of India in 1919 - could have got it so wrong? Or perhaps - as with Partition (as indeed with Covid) the numbers have been politicised upwards.
@@billw7000 Bengal Famine and Partition usually make the cut, but yes youre right, its because history with all its nuances doesnt interest them, just these negative bullet points easy to remember. The fact that they cant name any positive things about the Raj tells you how their minds work: dishonestly.
I remember this event as depicted in the movie Gandhi. Needless to say, the event was portrayed in a manner consistent with Wikipedia article. (Wikipedia for decades has been firmly under the control of the anti-West Left.) The campaign to delegitimize the West has go on since the 1960s; it has vast resources behind it and controls movies, news media, and public policy (unrestricted immigration is enforced across all Western nations). Prof Biggar is misguided to believe that only social media, BLM are to blame. Such are merely the tools of a ruling elite.
@@cargumdeu: Both Gandhi and the British administration were strongly against Partition. It was Jinnah who insisted on splitting the subcontinent so the Moslems could rule their own majority areas. And Jinnah knew he had cancer and wouldn't have to live with the consequences. To get independence through, Nehru persuaded Gandhi to accept their demands, and the British went along with the local wishes. It is the height of injustice to blame the British for the Partition.
Very well done to Prof. Biggar for persisting in having his book published , it's just a sign of the climate we live in if the ignorant do not want to educate themselves .
It would have been interesting to hear the Professor's view on the transformation of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations. Is the Commonwealth an indication that the Empire was not such a bad thing, after all?
Try asking those who live in that Commonwealth. I’ve spent my whole life in a former colony. All the anthropology indicates that it was a very precarious place to live before the British arrived and settled (not invaded) . By the time they’d been there a century, it was one of the best places in the world to live. I’ve read that there is a direct correlation between the standard of living in former colonies, and the degree to which they have retained certain British institutions. The Rule of Law. An impartial judiciary. An impartial civil service.
@@peterwebb8732 I am heartened to hear that from a person who knows first-hand, Academically I knew that was true in most cases, , But local politicians often use " evil Empire" to excuse their shortcomings, Also youth like to believe they are fighting evil for the weak and victims,
Great Britain helped create the modern world we should be thanked not vilified never apologise to marxists or the intersectionals full stop, the anti racists want racism back.
@@mmcc5846 100% The Scots were fundamental ,not sure your new progressive education system will produce and worthwhile people ,they dont even know what a woman is.
Have read the book and thoroughly recommend it. I needed no convincing as I am a child of the empire being born in India to English parents. However, it is a timely reminder of what was once considered a normal attitude to the empire and a useful gathering together of all the crucial arguments for how it came about and its ultimately vital and benign influence on world affairs. In many ways a continuation of the civilising effect of the Roman empire throughout Europe in antiquity.
Yes the Renaissance meant rebirth after the fall of Rome ,,, Also the Christian element brings a measure of human respect to build Parliaments, general education and systems of justice ...Rome was a long way more brutal than modern Empires,... The base values were way less egalitarian ..
One may well argue, the oft repeted example, that the Opium Wars were in some way unjustified or immoral but in the context of China in the 19th century, the Opium Wars, although central to the Communist propaganda, is merely a footnote. The Taiping Rebellion, fought between different "Chinese" factions (Chinese is conditional as it has been redefined and contested throughout history), lasted for 14 years and took the lives of around 30 million Chinese. By contrast the Opium Wars, which themselves are complex and emerge from a complex situation, took tens of thousands of lives. No war is good, wars built on greed are worse according to a Christian ethos, but compared to what the Chinese did to themselves and then the Communist Party of China has done in the 20th century, the Opium Wars are not important.
Why do we need a "balanced view" of colonialism? We have so many books with wholly negative views, I for one would love a book with a purely positive view of it.
When they who take offence approach a publisher or an employer to put pressure on them to 'cancel' an individual let's put it in context. It's blackmail which, as far as I'm aware is still a serious criminal offence.
If we do not understand what it took to build peaceful, prosperous societies, we will have no understanding of how to maintain them. Those who deny the virtues and achievements of the British, expect us to believe that those peaceful, egalitarian, prosperous societies just somehow happened by magic. What else should we expect when slavery and oppression had been the rule for the previous 10,000 years.
Maybe a debate between British and Irish historians on this subject of The Morality of the British Empire. That would be an interesting episode, wouldn't it?
The Brutality in Ireland was carried out as much in England (The Enclosure Acts, The Industrial Revolution.' So Called) and Scotland.(The Highland Clearances and The Run Up).@@jamesclark6487
Britain is single handedly vilified but a lot of people don't understand Belgium and France had colonial histories. We are all guilty and we shouldn't vilify one over the other. Also when we lecture about thirty genders to Qatar that is imperialism.
Why are you telling me that I need to feel guilty ? I don't. I wasn't around back then. It's like telling young Germans that the 3rd Reich is their fault.
@@susannamarker2582 What I'm saying is that Belgium, France and Germany to Italy and Spain to The Netherlands all have committed brutality in places like Sierra Leone or Somalia to Pakistan etc. The UK today is a force for good and the fact that Boris Johnson is seen as a HERO by Ukrainians means we can be proud again of Britain 🇬🇧 Britain is playing a good role in the world and since Leaving The EU we are regaining strength.
@@shanjanusman9974 True, Boris did the right thing in Ukraine, but you and I don't need to be guilty. We need to be mindful of the past, and we don't need the Woke culture to teach us.
I don't the Britian is singled out because people hate the British, they are singled out because people hate America and people blame Britain for the US.
A wonderfully calm discussion. The lasting influence on the world of Britain's Empire can be found everywhere the law protects the individual and its decay in those societies that turn away from it simply highlights the true legacy of the British people.
There are very few places on earth that have never been colonized at some time in their history and most benefited from the experience. Britain for example was colonized several times, one introduced the language that now dominates the world (the Angles and Saxons) , another introduced the religion that now dominates the world (Romans) and the latest one introduce the dislike of chattel slavery that also now dominates the world (Normans). Alongside replacing huts made of twigs covered in shit, introducing laws, traditions customs and skills and perhaps laying the foundations that lead to the Industrial revolution I am happy to be able to cash in on the suffering of my ancestors, their sacrifice at the hands of their colonists has helped the entire world become a much better place.
I worked with a nigerian dude who told me the country went to shit when the brits left he had to quit his studies and migrate due to the situation that built up over there, he always said that he preferred british rule to "liberty". so there you go
I have good friend who is fairly woke. But when climbing in the Himalayas as young man he met an old man in a village who, on seeing him asked politely 'When are the British coming back?'
I hitchhiked across Africa several decades ago. Travelled through places like Algeria, Nigeria, Congo-Zaire, and Kenya. Everywhere I met ‘old-timers’ who said the same thing: it had been better under colonialism. Things worked, there was less corruption and people were happier.
Bought the book today; based on this talk. The fact that The Far Left Guardian newspaper predictably called the book ‘flawed’ cemented by purchase decision.
Some years ago I was privileged to visit some Indian friends in India. Interestingly a young Indian man, a University student said to me “we were better off under the British” and proceeded to explain why he thought this was the case!
Better off under the British? When Empire ended just 16% of Indians were literate.!!. Trillions of pounds were filched from India. That was the reward. This man is defending the indefensible.
"It 'aint half hot Mum" showed the how the British worked under the Indian's. In one of the 1st episodes the chief of police speaks to the army garrison telling them to keep their heads down an stop in barracks as there is an anti-British protest going to happen, the Indian police will sort it out.
Leslie Thomas' 'Virgin Soldiers' (book and movie) does the same for National Service soldiers in Singapore a few years later, going up country during the Malaya emergency.
Empire and colonialism is a fascinating area of research. Unfortunately, the well has been poisoned by wokery, but there are plenty of great histories of the subject out there. I have Nigel's book on my Kindle and I am looking forward to reading it. I'm trying to find serious English language academic histories of French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies.
Poisoned by wokery? I don't think that you have it in you to except that European colonialism in general was nothing more than White supremacy and that very soon the boot will be on the other foot.
Great interview. It’s especially telling to me that ‘A balanced view of colonialism’ is part of Biggars books title. I attended a secondary school in England and recall that I received a very much ‘balanced’ history education including the good, bad and indifferent aspects of the British Empire. But then my schooling was in the 1970’s before the anti-British and political anarchists took stranglehold of the narrative across many central areas of society into the twenty first century. I also recall that our history teacher instilled a modest sense of pride in us in relation to our rich tapestry of cultural, industrial, scientific, agricultural and liberal value political developments over the centuries and the rightly to be acknowledged British contributions to the health and prosperity of peoples around the world. Context and balance is everything for cultural enrichment and civility. In that respect Biggars book should be on the British schools curriculum for essential learning.
There is an old BBC documentary "Railway Journeys through Africa"...The spectacular contrast when they finally make it to South Africa is unmistakable. God save the British.
If not for the British Empire the world would still be run by slavers,the reason that we live in a world that is relatively free of slavery is that we spent twenty million pounds and the Royal Navy spent years a thousands of lives, after 1807 right up till the first world war.
God bless the British Empire- none of us would be here without it!!! It gave us our language, our culture, our religion, commerce, and civilization! Never ceases to amaze me how all those who constantly criticize it are desperate to live and work in the UK (could it be that they backward countries are even poorer and badly run by natives and religious extremism since the end of colonialism???) Long live Brexit and Irexit from Ireland!!!
Yes. The narrative is so negative and so powerful that the Canadian government can get away with using the term 'genocide' to describe the residential school system. Not just 'cultural' genocide, but actual genocide. Given that the last residential school was closed in 1996, we have the absurdity of the current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, effectively calling out his own father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, as a perpetrator of genocide. This is what happens with false narratives. The meaning of the words we need to communicate the truth is lost.
I wonder if any of the people criticizing the British Empire would be so severe against their own father who they know is both good and bad and not perfect. However, he did support them and his family and deserves respect.
Absolutely agree. We arrived in powerful gunboats and cleared out backward, disorganised and unproductive natives. We planted nice, neat plantations. We imported workers who could deal with the heat and trained them to work efficiently. We gave them, and the natives who cooperated, religion, food and shelter. We built smart processing factories and packing sheds. We constructed railways to new ports which we'd built. We built schools and taught all of these people British history, values and traditions. We provided them with a distant and mystical monarchy to look up to. These people were far too unsophisticated to handle democracy, so we didn't complicate their lives with it. And today their descendnts are not grateful for all the wonderful gifts of Empire? Absolutely ridiculous!
A very cartoonish view, and mostly incorrect. Far from arriving with “gunboats” and “clearing out the natives”, it was far more likely that they arrived with a boat full of things that the natives wanted, to trade for the things that the natives were willing to sell. Getting rid of your trading partners is a lousy business model and the shareholders tend to get restless.
The reason that the Spanish so easily conquered South America, was the fact that many Indian tribes who were genocided by the ruling tribes such as the Aztecs who sacrificially murdered them by the thousands, sided with the Spanish invaders. Similar things played out in North America.
Excellent, many thanks. I have wondered where this anti colonialism hysteria has its roots. In particular, the idea of slavery and colonialism. For the most part, the period of the Atlantic slave trade…which was far, far shorter than the Arab trans Sahara and East African slave trade, that lasted for at least one thousand years…and sadly still exists today in modern form, predates the era of colonisation. It wasn’t until the advent of quinine in 1820, that Europeans could even survive in Africa, let alone colonise the place. The colonial period in Africa was only about 120 years, in the case of Nigeria, it was 62 years. So, who stirs up all this gross distortion of history? It always seems to stem from socialist academics and socialist activists. Could this also maybe part of Putins game of asymmetric war.. to so unrest and uncertainty in his perceived rivals by the old divide, weaken and conquer game plan?…It’s just a thought, but clearly there is some sort of guiding hand behind all this which has so suddenly appeared in the last ten years..
No it is American at heart, unfortunately . See the US news any day. The Democrat Party are not descended from British immigrants mostly Irish and Italian. with a lot of German and Central Euopean.
Yes - I think it's a "divide and conquer" tactic, but I'm not sure it's Putin. I think it's more likely to be the likes of those involved in the WEF and the Illuminati...
That caper started with Felix Derzinsky and Stalin in the 1920s, if Putin is utilising it,he is merely following The Script. The Bolsheviks under the aformentioned were a devious and murderous crew.
I completely disagree with the author's premise. But thank you for writing the book, providing notes and sources, and doing the interview so I can understand a perspective different than my own.
We on the so called Right need to be anti Imperialist. The Right embraced Capitalism Individualism and Consumerism when it should of embraced Nationalism. Respecting nation state sovereignty is key and we must be consistent.
The record of the British has been excellent by most measures and certainly by comparison with other European Empires. Compare, for example, the record of the Portuguese in Africa vs the British. Of course there are blemishes. But look at the most successful former colonies - like the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. All pluralist liberal democracies. Look at middle of the road examples like Malaysia or India, both successful independent democratic states. No one remembers that India was not conquered by the British Government but by the East India Company. Its motivation was commercial - but it was certainly motivated by trying to stop the French. People forget that Warren Hastings was impeached by Edmund Burke in the House of Commons for taking over large parts of India without government authority!
As an Irishman I can say that on balance the British empire was a real force for good in the world.The modern World as we know it is a direct result of great Men produced by the empire.
People are not prepared to also accept that England was the first colony of the British Empire (whoever they really are). They stole the land from the English and shifted the populations from the countryside into awful cities and exploited their labor - long before they transferred the same model to india, africa, america etc.
A very large insight into the British Empire xomes from two factors, first the British Didn't have a Large Oppressive Army, like the Continentals used on their Empires to Rule with a Rod of Iron, the Maximum Size of the Army was 160,000 . Though there was a problem with Corporate Military, such as the Army of the East India Cimpany which was out of Cintrol until Queen Victoria Finally Dropped the Hammer on them (that Company now has Indian Owners). Secondly Every Nation Ran its own Affairs under the Protections of Our Common Law Constitution, with a Member Nation Running its own Policing and Justice System, with an Appeals Process starting with the Governor, and a Final Appeal available to the Court that is Supposed to be The British Parliament (as Parliament is presently in Aevere Breach of the Contract Establishing Parliament, it cannot function as the Court it is supposed to be, and we have had the Abomination that is a Supreme Court inflicted on us instead, which is not just a disaster for the British People, it is for the entire Commonweakth, the USA, and International Law itself. So it needs fixing. The Disaster for all of this started with the Boer War, which saw a large number of those trained from Birth to Care for the interests of members of the Empire killed in that War, and the last Straw was killing off the rest of them in the Trenches of The First World War, after which the Empire was flooded with the worst Scum imaginable, with characters in the mould if the utterly Despised by the Victorian Establishment that Malevolent Pile of Shit Called Cecil Rhodes. Just mention of his name had my Great Grandmother spitting Nails in a Furious Rage. She was the Chef of a Government Minister during the late Victorian years, and knew exactly what the entire British Establishment thought about the Bastard, and why. Unfortunately ately today, Britain Has an Establishment that behaves exactly the same way as that Malevolent Dishonourable Twat. I count yself very lucky that my Great Grandmother lived as long as she did, to just shy of a hundred by a few months, with her mind fully functional to the end, and able to pass on such insights. That Properly Trained in Law and Constitution Lawyer Mahatma Ghandhi was a a constant admirer of Our Common Law Constitution, for extremely good reasons, but unfortunately he fell under the Control of Communists in the same way it happened in Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh(a massive admirer of America's Founding Fathers - the CIA as usual Backed the Wrong, utterly Corrupt Side. 🤔😡
@@cargumdeu I had to have my Sanity Confirmed Comprehensively, to qualify for a Firearms !icence (Resulting in my becoming a Qualified Advanced Marksman) . A Mental Health Test, given the Baseless insults a Troll like you throws around, you are clearly unfit to pass yourself ? 🤔
It did a great deal of good, most of the world now conducts itself in our image. It always strikes me that the countries under British rule was peaceful and prosperous since we left most have sunk back to corruption whence they came.
I'm now looking forward to fascinating future research projects coming out of Oxford to get a more "balanced view" of the Holocaust or the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
A brave and intelligent man. Sounds like a fascinating book which I will buy and read. I don't understand the current generation who portray their intelligence by sticking their fingers in their ears and singing 🎵La La La 🎵to themselves rather than discuss things, debate things and research things that disagree with their indoctrinated woke narrative. Hopefully woke is declining because of its weakness when it comes to factual evidence.
This what NCF does best. I have recently been critical regarding the somewhat condescending although from a good place all the NCF presenters seem to come from and give the appearance of treating the working class as almost pets who are never represented during these discussions, this however works marvellously, well done.
When a nation is more or less culturally united , its narratives about itself - which are so important for national solidarity and happiness - are widely accepted , and disagreements about who we are are muted. Once multiculturalism is embraced then the discord and division must inevitably grow.
I am sorry he equated Nazism with Racism. Yes they were, but it is very low down the totem pole of defining characteristics of Fascism in general or the Nazi Party in particular. They had the ideal but they were very happy to have an alliance with Japan, to have an Arab/Muslim SS battalion and to be best buddies with the Grand Mufti of Cairo. Equating racism with Nazism is a modern woke spin.
Having looked into the mechanics of the British Empire to a much greater extent recently, I'm far more ambivalent about it than I used to be. While the idiots of today who want to "decolonise" everything in the name of "anti-racism" are ignorant morons, in many ways, those who cheerlead for the Empire themselves are oftentimes ignorant. Yes, the Empire undoubtedly did a lot of good for much of the world, but it was also, at the level of those controlling it, a money making exploitative scam when looked at honestly from another angle. The thing is, the people at the top who benefitted from colonialism then are the same who are now benefitting from the neo-colonialism project coming in the opposite direction, from the rest of the world into the European world. As always, it is "international finance" who benefit the most, because they set the policy. I have heard it said, and I tend to agree, that the British Empire was, at bottom, basically a front for the Bank of England.
There is enormous confusion between respect and admire. Respect should be a universal right, at least until such point as a person's attitudes and behaviour nullify any right to demand respect. But I feel many people equate respect with some kind of approval, which it isn't. It is simply tolerance and has nothing to do with liking, much less admiring. After listening to this interview i can say I actually admire Prof. Nigel Biggar and wish him well in his efforts to spread truth and combat the rampant biggotry that seems to have taken over the sphere of political and social activism.
An Indian friend of mine says that British colonialism was the best thing that happened to his country. It gave India democratic administration, railways and a common language.
@@sourabhshinge748 Sourabh, I think you need to wean yourself off the political rhetoric and start to take in a wider, more intelligent, viewpoint. The British initially came to India in very small numbers to trade and, obviously, make money (otherwise why bother). Some, particularly in the early days, made money illegitimately, but that was not necessarily the case with the majority. The British had no thought in their early days in India to "conquer" the territory (and remember, India as we know it today, simply did not exist). The fact that they took large parts of India under their control around the beginning of the 19th century was more to do with combatting the French, with whom they were fighting a major war in Europe, and ensuring that they did not acquire control over large parts of the sub-continent, than with acquiring empire. That covers only one aspect and reason for British expansion in India, but it is a legitimate and important one.
Precisely the message we need to put an end to our current, absurd paroxysm of self-flagellation.
I would call myself a patriot, but I am forced to conclude that my patriotism is as unreasonable and illogical as other people's national self flagellation.
Except for this fact; my country is good to me and I owe it a lot. I should be kind to my country.
We should be humble and honest about our country's past. We did not win the Battle of Britain nor did we take part in the Amritsar massacre. Other people did those things.
@@cnrspiller3549 Are you British?
@@Anglo_Saxon1 yes and English too
@Kyle Balmer Naturally, I agree completely
@Kyle Balmer Ah a sarcastic prick, always the sign of low intellect.
Being a product of colonialism as my ancestors settled in Southern Africa I can support your views in full. Youngsters in Britain should come out here and see the good that was done but is now being neglected and breaking down
South Africa looks like hell. Siding with Russia is not a good idea.
You could say that South Africa was a natural paradise before white settlers arrived. It had very little by way of settled human population. Those that did live there had primitive technology, although they knew their environment very well.
Everything modern in SA is a result of settlement by white Europeans, and the same can be said of the rest of Africa. That is our legacy. Exactly the same with Australia and NZ.
The spirit of Rousseau talking? The natural paradise with 50% infant mortality, and I think with Bushmen only a third of surviving males ever reproduced... maybe check out the proportion of male/female ancestors of the current population to verify paradise conditions. Polygamous societies probably not paradises.
@@28pbtkh23 Noble-savage myth.
@28PBTKH well, you can put some of the blame on the Bantu. After all, it was they who displaced the indigenous nomadic Khoisan tribes not the white settlers. It was also the mass invasion of northern Bantu who created the population explosion. They wanted a piece of what the white settlers had built, so they migrated into the region and set up giant slums outside the white townships where their numbers quickly multiplied into the tens of millions. This is how apartheid started. It was a desperate attempt by white South Africans to preserve the small piece of civilization they had built over several hundred years since the first Dutch settlers arrived. Sure, there's more nuance and morally reprehensible and unethical things went down, but those are the basic facts when you look at the larger timescale of the region's history.
I just preordered the book in the US. It will arrive in May. I’m excited to read it especially after recently reading about the Comanche empire in the American Southwest. It was an eye opening moment of understanding for me to realize we are all equally capable of horrible acts when presented with the right circumstances. Western culture has provided us with so much freedom and opportunity.
Me, too, excited to get it.
Including the right to criticize it to death. Where does the voice come from? the history of the Songhai empire is quite enlightening re: slavery.
The shame of feeling less than civilized is IMO the driving force behind this Woke thing used strategically by a very corrupt select few. Strategy used by marxists and nazis. Same recruitment tactics.
Read "The Case for Colonialism" by Bruce Gilley afterward.
1. India become Indian because of UK. India was 1000 small infighting countries. It become a single mighty country only because UK
2. Dalits, untouchables, low castes got liberated from the 2500 years of slavery only because of UK.
3. Modern concepts of humanism, liberty human rights go to places like India only through British.
4. If British invasion never happened half or more of India would be under Islamic rule by now.
5. Indian army, Indian constitution, India laws, ..all because of Uk
6. The missionaries created scripts and developed all major Indian languages Including Hindi( which Hindus celebrate as Hindu language). Read the article "Contribution of the Christian missionaries to the Indian languages" Dr. Amita Esther David. Missionaries also published first dictionaries of all major native Indian languages and also native magazines and news papers.
Been making the same points for years. Hindu-dominated modern India was born of British rule. Don't forget the outlawing of Thugee as well. Perhaps more important, numerically, than Sutee outlawing.
Exactly. British rule gave India a system around which to organize many different tribes and peoples.
@@golfbulldog Sri Narayana Guru(Ezhava untouchable leader) said , “It is the British who gave us Sanyasam (sagehood) and they are our gurus".
Before British they couldn't even come close to public places, temples, or come in the eyesight of Nairs(Shashi Tharoors caste; Check Tharoor in Oxford debates))
I love people who are experts on history that never happened.
@@hooligan9794 Are you challenging me on the facts I have listed ? or Im i mistaken?
Just to say, I was very taken with Nigel Biggar's modesty and shy humour .... "I hope it's readable", and he was not slow to say he was happy to accept criticism. Lovely, interesting man, thanks, Peter.
Exactly. His character is in stark contrast to most of the nasty, doctrinaire leftists who hate him and his book.
Just to let people know who may not have read it: it is eminently readable!
Thanks so much! I’m a 73 year old Californian whose ancestors came mostly from England in the 1850’s. I’m proud of these pioneers and am forever grateful for the culture they brought with them. I have not been quiet when people lie about my country 🇺🇸 or yours. So much good came from the British and they should be praised and proud. Love your program!
Many thanks. The way the British are often portrayed in US media is bordering on blood libel and deeply offensive. (I could name a certain Mel Gibson film as a prime example but I won`t because it raises my blood pressure)
We don`t take all of the credit for making the US the great country that it is but if anyone were to believe the garbage pumped out by Hollywood and taught in some major US universities they would think that British colonialism was a chimera of the Nazis and the Mongol Empire which laid waste to everything it touched.
It`s good to know however that there`s still some people on the other side of the pond who know their history.
killing, rape, theft ...so many good things
@@sea2959 Be more specific so I can laugh at you.
Any good derived from empire was an unintended consequence of a brutal rape of natural resources and populations by the colonising country by force of arms and discriminating power over law making.
Now trying to whitewash this greed and brutaliseation by " it was for the good of the colonised population " is a typical excuse to diminish guilt and avoid responsibility by the offender.
The very antithesis of Civilisation.
@@sea2959 Get Biden's Government to CLOSE the Southern border if you don't like it.......
Thank you Peter, your discussion with Nigel was first class. He came across as clearly a very principled and courageous man, an ethicist who finds himself on the receiving end of a vile and entirely "unethical" campaign, simply for academically approaching a subject which at it's very heart is all about the ethics of empire. What your discussion did reveal s just how shallow and ignorant certain senior academics in our top universities are. I pray that Nigel's light will continue to shine into these very dark corners and start to reverse the rot.
I believe many academics are running scared. They know better but do not want to be on the unpopular side, They do not want to be mobbed perhaps out of employment,
Very good discussion. Look forward to reading Professor Biggar's new book. Thank you!
Liverpool and London started the innovation of tropical medicine. Saving countless lives. Rescuing hundreds of millions of lives through 2 centuries from appalling hardship. Discoveries about malaria, river blindness, snake venom etc, etc were. I'm extremely proud and thankful about the one in Liverpool particularly
mind you, Liverpool along with Bristol was slave-trading central as the rest of the country signed abolitionist petitions...just sayin!
@@cargumdeu slaves were never brought to Liverpool. around 250 freed slaves were brought from America, they fought for the English during the war of independence. As a thanks. They were brought over round 1750 making liverpool's oldest black community.
Liverpool merchants provided much of the finance required to engineer and build the the experimental bespoke machinery that made the industrial revolution. Creating the modern world, lifting hundreds of millions from starvation, appalling penury. It also did away for a slave caste which fuelled prior civilizations throughout the world. It took a little time, but we did get there
@@jazztheglass6139the 1.1 million slaves sailing on Liverpool's ships to the West didnt actually step foot ashore there but let me assure you Liverpool was up to its elbows in the trade, whether you acknowledge it or not. You could just use your favourite search engine to check before launching into more scouse self-aggrandizement...
@@cargumdeu I'm mixed race. Grandfather was Igbo. Initially they were one of the tribes most enslaved in Nigeria. Later one they became one of the biggest slave traders. People forget that Africans from the barbary coast captured and enslaved British people before we bought them from Africa. Before the discovery of quinine British people had to stay on the shore of Nigeria due to malaria, yellow fever the slaves were marched from the interior and sold on the shores.
@@jazztheglass6139 that's a fascinating insight, thank you. And your pride in Liverpool is applaudable. But they were buggers for slaves, nonetheless, and if we cant be honest about this then we cant even begin to dismantle the anti-imperialist leftist narrative.
A voice of calm, and reason, in a sea of chaos, turmoil, and lies.
A man I could listen to for hours.
Just finished listening to the book. Restored some of the nuance to a discussion that desperately needs it. One hopes there will be more to come.
This one, does.
I think he's wrong about the opium wars, though. See "China a victim? The Opium War that wasn't" by H G Gelber. Frank Dikotter has also written on this.
Those who talk about Bengal famine forget to mention that 70% of so called Hindus are lower castes, Dalits or untouchables. They got liberated only because of UK. Brits pushed the laws because of pressure from missionaries who were living their entire life for poor and suffering Indians. British banned Sati, Child marriage, untouchability, made India a democratic country(willingly or Coincidentally). People like Sashi Tharoor who blame the British(oxford debate) forgets that his own caste was a low sudra caste who treated other castes like Ezhavas(untouchables) and out castes like pullayaas and Parayaas very badly..worse that slavery.. Tharoor's own caste Nairs were brahmin sex slaves. Their women had no concept of modern marriage. They had to live with Sambadham in which Brahmin will come and do his thing and make children without any love or responsibility(search Nair Sambhandham).. Tell me were did all of it go?? What happened? Jesus came with the British !. British missionaries happened .
Thank you for your knowledge and passion. Sadly, Britain needs those missionaries now...we have lost out way, partly because we have lost our history.
@@golfbulldog Thanks... Study deeply about Indian caste system and you will love British deeply again. The Portuguese or earlier powers never did much good. Even my own community the Nasrani Christians(native 2000 year old first century Christians) hated brits for liberating the Dalits. Looking back i am ashamed.
Coincidentally. Coincidingly is not a word.
Thank you for this valuable info.
@@susannamarker2582 In the time of Chat gpt mistakes are a sigh of authenticity 😄😄
A big thank you to professor Biggar for defending Britain. I am fed up with Britain too often being scapegoated and demonised by the world ,and especially by our own people. Sure ,we haven't always been perfect and we have made mistakes but we have made many valuable contributions to the world and we absolutely need to stop flagellating ourselves and accepting blame for things we have not done. Thank you
@Susan Doherty "Eminent Indian economist Professor Utsa Patnaik (Jawaharlal Nehru University) has estimated that Britain robbed India of $45 trillion between 1765 and 1938, However it is estimated that if India had remained free with 24% of world GDP as in 1700 then its cumulative GDP would have been $232 trillion greater (1700-2003) and $44 trillion greater (1700-1950). Deprivation kills and *it is estimated that 1.8 billion Indians died avoidably from egregious deprivation under the British (1757-1947).* The deadly impact of British occupation of India lingers today 71 years after Independence,..."
@@johnstrawb3521: India was never 'free', so his basic premise is absurd. No doubt there are 'experts' who could equally argue that removing the entire Indian population from the face of the planet would have made the world a much better place for everybody else during that same period. Listen to maniacs with agendas at your peril!
*_We owe nothing to anyone - Never apologise for our past history, it was what it was at the time, WE WERE NOT THERE ..._*
Very true, Jane. Odd that slavery is still happening today and the reparation-crowd are only vocal about the past.
This is, of course, true!
However, the unavoidable corollary is that you can't take any pride in the accomplishments of the past either for the same reason.
@@hooligan9794
*_"You can't" ? Says you. You're not in any position to tell me that I "Can't". I'll make that decision, not you ..._*
@Jane - - - Well, sure, you can; so long as you are happy being a completely inconsistent moron. I'll let you decide if you are or not. Forgive me for presuming you weren't an idiot.
@@hooligan9794
*_Ah, ad hominem slurs when all else fails to the terminally offended, sigh ..._*
A valuable and important contribution to the discussion. It’s frustrating that bookshops don’t seem to want to stock it.
@Absinthe Conundrum - bookshops complain about Amazon, but at the same time they don’t want to sell certain books.
It’s their loss. It really is a very good read, and a much needed counter to the overwhelming amount of anti-colonial work that has dominated the narrative on empire for the past 50 years.
then use your most effective weapon, and stop buying from there.
When the globalist's started on their quest on ruling the world, they knew that control of all Media would also mean book shops and the Publishing companies. This is still in place, all material that is produced from that source will only pass muster if all the boxes are correctly ticked. Remember total control.
I just got the book, and I’m about a third of the way through. It’s excellent, very interesting stuff. Thanks for writing it, and thanks for this interview.
People like Nigel Biggar are very important in getting a reasonable, balanced view of the UK's colonial past. No empire only does bad.
@@activistbook3809 Debate properly or get off the post.
@@activistbook3809 Teeheee! Keep active, Book.
@JamesJohannes It's not a Fulbright Scholarship I hope.
@JamesJohannes Do you pretend to be academic?
@JamesJohannes Capital Y if you're starting the sentence with 'Your'.
I'll buy that book.
I was just scanning through Hansard for its debate on the 1919 Amritsar Massacre (there are these negative bullet-points of Imperial history always brought up and this is one of them), and flicking between that and the Wikipedia version, the differences are staggering.
I never knew, for instance, that General Dyer had been made a Sikh by a thankful local community who believed the Central Punjab would have surely gone up in flames had it not been for this draconian action, that had he done nothing, many more would have died. The Hansard account tells that women and children were not in this crowd of lathi-wielding 15-20000 men, as they were not to be found at that time in similar political demonstrations, and that approximately 200 died, a number which has been ratcheted up the further we get away from it, so that Wiki lists it as 1500. Who would have known that Hansard - that the Government of India in 1919 - could have got it so wrong? Or perhaps - as with Partition (as indeed with Covid) the numbers have been politicised upwards.
@@billw7000 Bengal Famine and Partition usually make the cut, but yes youre right, its because history with all its nuances doesnt interest them, just these negative bullet points easy to remember. The fact that they cant name any positive things about the Raj tells you how their minds work: dishonestly.
Agreed, sounds like an interesting read. It appears the book will be released in the US in May 2023 but it can be preordered.
I remember this event as depicted in the movie Gandhi. Needless to say, the event was portrayed in a manner consistent with Wikipedia article. (Wikipedia for decades has been firmly under the control of the anti-West Left.) The campaign to delegitimize the West has go on since the 1960s; it has vast resources behind it and controls movies, news media, and public policy (unrestricted immigration is enforced across all Western nations). Prof Biggar is misguided to believe that only social media, BLM are to blame. Such are merely the tools of a ruling elite.
@Kyle Balmer Actually he's making a really SERIOUS point.
@@cargumdeu: Both Gandhi and the British administration were strongly against Partition. It was Jinnah who insisted on splitting the subcontinent so the Moslems could rule their own majority areas. And Jinnah knew he had cancer and wouldn't have to live with the consequences. To get independence through, Nehru persuaded Gandhi to accept their demands, and the British went along with the local wishes. It is the height of injustice to blame the British for the Partition.
Thank you Peter for this enlightening interview with Prof. Bigger - a brave man unafraid of the truth. Many thanks from, Arthur (South Africa)
As an Australian of Celtic ancestry, I’m proud of the Empire.
Greetings from Melbourne.
Very well done to Prof. Biggar for persisting in having his book published , it's just a sign of the climate we live in if the ignorant do not want to educate themselves .
It would have been interesting to hear the Professor's view on the transformation of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations. Is the Commonwealth an indication that the Empire was not such a bad thing, after all?
Try asking those who live in that Commonwealth. I’ve spent my whole life in a former colony. All the anthropology indicates that it was a very precarious place to live before the British arrived and settled (not invaded) . By the time they’d been there a century, it was one of the best places in the world to live.
I’ve read that there is a direct correlation between the standard of living in former colonies, and the degree to which they have retained certain British institutions.
The Rule of Law.
An impartial judiciary.
An impartial civil service.
The fact that countries which were never British colonies seek to join the Commonwealth is even more remarkable.
@@blrbrazil1718 Exactly so!
@@peterwebb8732 I am heartened to hear that from a person who knows first-hand, Academically I knew that was true in most cases, , But local politicians often use " evil Empire" to excuse their shortcomings, Also youth like to believe they are fighting evil for the weak and victims,
An excellent and much-needed contribution! Thank you for this excellent conversation with a courageous man.
Great Britain helped create the modern world we should be thanked not vilified never apologise to marxists or the intersectionals full stop, the anti racists want racism back.
Rodjohn you better thank the scots for creating the majority world with our inventions
@@mmcc5846 100% The Scots were fundamental ,not sure your new progressive education system will produce and worthwhile people ,they dont even know what a woman is.
They looted money from all around the world
Excellent piece, gentlemen. This is why I'm subscribed to your endeavors. Purchasing the book. Thank you.
Have read the book and thoroughly recommend it. I needed no convincing as I am a child of the empire being born in India to English parents. However, it is a timely reminder of what was once considered a normal attitude to the empire and a useful gathering together of all the crucial arguments for how it came about and its ultimately vital and benign influence on world affairs. In many ways a continuation of the civilising effect of the Roman empire throughout Europe in antiquity.
Holy Christ. Unbelievable comment. I supposed ye civilised us Irish with the Famine.
Yes the Renaissance meant rebirth after the fall of Rome ,,, Also the Christian element brings a measure of human respect to build Parliaments, general education and systems of justice ...Rome was a long way more brutal than modern Empires,... The base values were way less egalitarian ..
One may well argue, the oft repeted example, that the Opium Wars were in some way unjustified or immoral but in the context of China in the 19th century, the Opium Wars, although central to the Communist propaganda, is merely a footnote. The Taiping Rebellion, fought between different "Chinese" factions (Chinese is conditional as it has been redefined and contested throughout history), lasted for 14 years and took the lives of around 30 million Chinese. By contrast the Opium Wars, which themselves are complex and emerge from a complex situation, took tens of thousands of lives. No war is good, wars built on greed are worse according to a Christian ethos, but compared to what the Chinese did to themselves and then the Communist Party of China has done in the 20th century, the Opium Wars are not important.
Why do we need a "balanced view" of colonialism? We have so many books with wholly negative views, I for one would love a book with a purely positive view of it.
If you live in a free nation. Thank the British Empire.
When they who take offence approach a publisher or an employer to put pressure on them to 'cancel' an individual let's put it in context. It's blackmail which, as far as I'm aware is still a serious criminal offence.
There's a well known aphorism, 'The truth will out'.
I bloody hope so.
It is a pleasure to listen to the brilliant speaker and writer Professor Nigel Biggar.
If we do not understand what it took to build peaceful, prosperous societies, we will have no understanding of how to maintain them.
Those who deny the virtues and achievements of the British, expect us to believe that those peaceful, egalitarian, prosperous societies just somehow happened by magic. What else should we expect when slavery and oppression had been the rule for the previous 10,000 years.
Maybe a debate between British and Irish historians on this subject of The Morality of the British Empire. That would be an interesting episode, wouldn't it?
The British did wicked things but on a global scale overall good occurred across time. Abhorrent how they shat on Ireland.
The Brutality in Ireland was carried out as much in England (The Enclosure Acts, The Industrial Revolution.' So Called) and Scotland.(The Highland Clearances and The Run Up).@@jamesclark6487
Brilliant analysis- thank you
We need more scholars like Nigel. Not just here in the UK but everywhere. I have always told my children that the truth always outs in the end.
Britain is single handedly vilified but a lot of people don't understand Belgium and France had colonial histories. We are all guilty and we shouldn't vilify one over the other. Also when we lecture about thirty genders to Qatar that is imperialism.
Why are you telling me that I need to feel guilty ? I don't. I wasn't around back then. It's like telling young Germans that the 3rd Reich is their fault.
@@susannamarker2582 What I'm saying is that Belgium, France and Germany to Italy and Spain to The Netherlands all have committed brutality in places like Sierra Leone or Somalia to Pakistan etc. The UK today is a force for good and the fact that Boris Johnson is seen as a HERO by Ukrainians means we can be proud again of Britain 🇬🇧 Britain is playing a good role in the world and since Leaving The EU we are regaining strength.
@@shanjanusman9974 True, Boris did the right thing in Ukraine, but you and I don't need to be guilty. We need to be mindful of the past, and we don't need the Woke culture to teach us.
I don't the Britian is singled out because people hate the British, they are singled out because people hate America and people blame Britain for the US.
@@susannamarker2582 Boris Johnson is a HERO in Ukraine 🇺🇦 🇬🇧 he bought back pride in Britain 🇬🇧
“We won’t be having this guy on”
BBC
A wonderfully calm discussion. The lasting influence on the world of Britain's Empire can be found everywhere the law protects the individual and its decay in those societies that turn away from it simply highlights the true legacy of the British people.
There are very few places on earth that have never been colonized at some time in their history and most benefited from the experience. Britain for example was colonized several times, one introduced the language that now dominates the world (the Angles and Saxons) , another introduced the religion that now dominates the world (Romans) and the latest one introduce the dislike of chattel slavery that also now dominates the world (Normans). Alongside replacing huts made of twigs covered in shit, introducing laws, traditions customs and skills and perhaps laying the foundations that lead to the Industrial revolution I am happy to be able to cash in on the suffering of my ancestors, their sacrifice at the hands of their colonists has helped the entire world become a much better place.
I worked with a nigerian dude who told me the country went to shit when the brits left he had to quit his studies and migrate due to the situation that built up over there, he always said that he preferred british rule to "liberty". so there you go
British rule *gave* them freedom
I have good friend who is fairly woke. But when climbing in the Himalayas as young man he met an old man in a village who, on seeing him asked politely 'When are the British coming back?'
@@ZaydDepaor in first place he was a devout cristian. Secondly you are the only puppet here. Thirdly Islam is not superior to anything.
@@ZaydDepaor get a life punk
I hitchhiked across Africa several decades ago. Travelled through places like Algeria, Nigeria, Congo-Zaire, and Kenya. Everywhere I met ‘old-timers’ who said the same thing: it had been better under colonialism. Things worked, there was less corruption and people were happier.
Thank you for inviting Nigel Bigger on the show!
Refreshing to hear a balnced well argued view thats not framed in a black or white attitude, but showing that all arguments are subtle shades of grey.
im a kiwi and my home town is called 'wellington', so yeah i kinda dig the british empire.
If you support what he say's, as I do---then do your bit, and share it far and wide.
I am currently enjoying reading this thoroughly researched and detailed - yet nevertheless quite a page-tuner - book!
Bought the book today; based on this talk. The fact that The Far Left Guardian newspaper predictably called the book ‘flawed’ cemented by purchase decision.
Unfortunatly for the Gaurdian types Mr Bigger couldnt fit this on a bumper sticker .
Some years ago I was privileged to visit some Indian friends in India. Interestingly a young Indian man, a University student said to me “we were better off under the British” and proceeded to explain why he thought this was the case!
Better off under the British? When Empire ended just 16% of Indians were literate.!!. Trillions of pounds were filched from India. That was the reward. This man is defending the indefensible.
The best thing that ever happened to the world, was the British empire and Christianity.
"It 'aint half hot Mum" showed the how the British worked under the Indian's. In one of the 1st episodes the chief of police speaks to the army garrison telling them to keep their heads down an stop in barracks as there is an anti-British protest going to happen, the Indian police will sort it out.
Leslie Thomas' 'Virgin Soldiers' (book and movie) does the same for National Service soldiers in Singapore a few years later, going up country during the Malaya emergency.
Empire and colonialism is a fascinating area of research. Unfortunately, the well has been poisoned by wokery, but there are plenty of great histories of the subject out there. I have Nigel's book on my Kindle and I am looking forward to reading it. I'm trying to find serious English language academic histories of French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies.
Poisoned by wokery? I don't think that you have it in you to except that European colonialism in general was nothing more than White supremacy and that very soon the boot will be on the other foot.
I love my history, which is being misrepresented and engulfed in poisonous rhetoric. It’s wonderful to hear balanced discourse.
Fabulous interview - a courageous and tremendously well informed commentator on the vexed subject of the British Empire. Will definitely get his book
Great interview. It’s especially telling to me that ‘A balanced view of colonialism’ is part of Biggars books title. I attended a secondary school in England and recall that I received a very much ‘balanced’ history education including the good, bad and indifferent aspects of the British Empire. But then my schooling was in the 1970’s before the anti-British and political anarchists took stranglehold of the narrative across many central areas of society into the twenty first century. I also recall that our history teacher instilled a modest sense of pride in us in relation to our rich tapestry of cultural, industrial, scientific, agricultural and liberal value political developments over the centuries and the rightly to be acknowledged British contributions to the health and prosperity of peoples around the world.
Context and balance is everything for cultural enrichment and civility. In that respect Biggars book should be on the British schools curriculum for essential learning.
I have bought the book.
Me too. When coming makes little difference, how we spend our money matters more. We lend our support by spending wisely.
Yep. Thank you, gentlemen for following my lead and analysis...been saying for years...decades....
It was overwhelmingly good. Let's stop apologising and start being blunt with these people.
There is an old BBC documentary "Railway Journeys through Africa"...The spectacular contrast when they finally make it to South Africa is unmistakable. God save the British.
If not for the British Empire the world would still be run by slavers,the reason that we live in a world that is relatively free of slavery is that we spent twenty million pounds and the Royal Navy spent years a thousands of lives, after 1807 right up till the first world war.
God bless the British Empire- none of us would be here without it!!! It gave us our language, our culture, our religion, commerce, and civilization! Never ceases to amaze me how all those who constantly criticize it are desperate to live and work in the UK (could it be that they backward countries are even poorer and badly run by natives and religious extremism since the end of colonialism???) Long live Brexit and Irexit from Ireland!!!
Yes because your country looted money from all over world.
Should we colonize uk for next 300 years?
Whatever our faults us British have a lot to be proud of.
Still one of the best programmes on TH-cam. Thank you.
This is similar to Canada's residential school controversy. There was good and bad but only the negative narrative is asserted for political reasons.
Yes. The narrative is so negative and so powerful that the Canadian government can get away with using the term 'genocide' to describe the residential school system. Not just 'cultural' genocide, but actual genocide. Given that the last residential school was closed in 1996, we have the absurdity of the current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, effectively calling out his own father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, as a perpetrator of genocide. This is what happens with false narratives. The meaning of the words we need to communicate the truth is lost.
I wonder if any of the people criticizing the British Empire would be so severe against their own father who they know is both good and bad and not perfect. However, he did support them and his family and deserves respect.
Absolutely agree. We arrived in powerful gunboats and cleared out backward, disorganised and unproductive natives. We planted nice, neat plantations. We imported workers who could deal with the heat and trained them to work efficiently. We gave them, and the natives who cooperated, religion, food and shelter. We built smart processing factories and packing sheds. We constructed railways to new ports which we'd built. We built schools and taught all of these people British history, values and traditions. We provided them with a distant and mystical monarchy to look up to. These people were far too unsophisticated to handle democracy, so we didn't complicate their lives with it. And today their descendnts are not grateful for all the wonderful gifts of Empire? Absolutely ridiculous!
A very cartoonish view, and mostly incorrect.
Far from arriving with “gunboats” and “clearing out the natives”, it was far more likely that they arrived with a boat full of things that the natives wanted, to trade for the things that the natives were willing to sell. Getting rid of your trading partners is a lousy business model and the shareholders tend to get restless.
Not very clever . like a smart alec to use a Scottish phrase . Obviously a sociologist
I will certainly buy this book. The fifth column has been winning so far.
Have just ordered the book - can't wait to read it.
My review is now up on Amazon - 5 stars.
The reason that the Spanish so easily conquered South America, was the fact that many Indian tribes who were genocided by the ruling tribes such as the Aztecs who sacrificially murdered them by the thousands, sided with the Spanish invaders. Similar things played out in North America.
This is absolutely fascinating gonna order the book looking forward to reading it
If the Empire was so toxic, why were so many former colonies so keen to join the Commonwealth.
Excellent, many thanks. I have wondered where this anti colonialism hysteria has its roots. In particular, the idea of slavery and colonialism. For the most part, the period of the Atlantic slave trade…which was far, far shorter than the Arab trans Sahara and East African slave trade, that lasted for at least one thousand years…and sadly still exists today in modern form, predates the era of colonisation. It wasn’t until the advent of quinine in 1820, that Europeans could even survive in Africa, let alone colonise the place. The colonial period in Africa was only about 120 years, in the case of Nigeria, it was 62 years. So, who stirs up all this gross distortion of history? It always seems to stem from socialist academics and socialist activists. Could this also maybe part of Putins game of asymmetric war.. to so unrest and uncertainty in his perceived rivals by the old divide, weaken and conquer game plan?…It’s just a thought, but clearly there is some sort of guiding hand behind all this which has so suddenly appeared in the last ten years..
No it is American at heart, unfortunately . See the US news any day. The Democrat Party are not descended from British immigrants mostly Irish and Italian. with a lot of German and Central Euopean.
Yes - I think it's a "divide and conquer" tactic, but I'm not sure it's Putin. I think it's more likely to be the likes of those involved in the WEF and the Illuminati...
That caper started with Felix Derzinsky and Stalin in the 1920s, if Putin is utilising it,he is merely following The Script. The Bolsheviks under the aformentioned were a devious and murderous crew.
Thank-you for this interview! Thank-you to your guest! 🇬🇧
British empire is the best thing that's happened in world history.
Worst thing happend ever in history of humankind
I completely disagree with the author's premise. But thank you for writing the book, providing notes and sources, and doing the interview so I can understand a perspective different than my own.
Ordered a copy, thank you!
Is this Nigel‘s latest book, I was expecting it much later in the year, fab, I’ve been waiting for this for over a year Nigel.
We on the so called Right need to be anti Imperialist.
The Right embraced Capitalism Individualism and Consumerism when it should of embraced Nationalism. Respecting nation state sovereignty is key and we must be consistent.
I agree with your comment. I notice that there is little discussion regarding the fact that Japan and Thailand were not colonized.
I’m going to go out and buy this book as soon as the interview is over. Well done gents.
The record of the British has been excellent by most measures and certainly by comparison with other European Empires. Compare, for example, the record of the Portuguese in Africa vs the British.
Of course there are blemishes.
But look at the most successful former colonies - like the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. All pluralist liberal democracies.
Look at middle of the road examples like Malaysia or India, both successful independent democratic states.
No one remembers that India was not conquered by the British Government but by the East India Company. Its motivation was commercial - but it was certainly motivated by trying to stop the French.
People forget that Warren Hastings was impeached by Edmund Burke in the House of Commons for taking over large parts of India without government authority!
As an Irishman I can say that on balance the British empire was a real force for good in the world.The modern World as we know it is a direct result of great Men produced by the empire.
People are not prepared to also accept that England was the first colony of the British Empire (whoever they really are). They stole the land from the English and shifted the populations from the countryside into awful cities and exploited their labor - long before they transferred the same model to india, africa, america etc.
A very large insight into the British Empire xomes from two factors, first the British Didn't have a Large Oppressive Army, like the Continentals used on their Empires to Rule with a Rod of Iron, the Maximum Size of the Army was 160,000 . Though there was a problem with Corporate Military, such as the Army of the East India Cimpany which was out of Cintrol until Queen Victoria Finally Dropped the Hammer on them (that Company now has Indian Owners). Secondly Every Nation Ran its own Affairs under the Protections of Our Common Law Constitution, with a Member Nation Running its own Policing and Justice System, with an Appeals Process starting with the Governor, and a Final Appeal available to the Court that is Supposed to be The British Parliament (as Parliament is presently in Aevere Breach of the Contract Establishing Parliament, it cannot function as the Court it is supposed to be, and we have had the Abomination that is a Supreme Court inflicted on us instead, which is not just a disaster for the British People, it is for the entire Commonweakth, the USA, and International Law itself. So it needs fixing. The Disaster for all of this started with the Boer War, which saw a large number of those trained from Birth to Care for the interests of members of the Empire killed in that War, and the last Straw was killing off the rest of them in the Trenches of The First World War, after which the Empire was flooded with the worst Scum imaginable, with characters in the mould if the utterly Despised by the Victorian Establishment that Malevolent Pile of Shit Called Cecil Rhodes. Just mention of his name had my Great Grandmother spitting Nails in a Furious Rage. She was the Chef of a Government Minister during the late Victorian years, and knew exactly what the entire British Establishment thought about the Bastard, and why. Unfortunately ately today, Britain Has an Establishment that behaves exactly the same way as that Malevolent Dishonourable Twat. I count yself very lucky that my Great Grandmother lived as long as she did, to just shy of a hundred by a few months, with her mind fully functional to the end, and able to pass on such insights. That Properly Trained in Law and Constitution Lawyer Mahatma Ghandhi was a a constant admirer of Our Common Law Constitution, for extremely good reasons, but unfortunately he fell under the Control of Communists in the same way it happened in Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh(a massive admirer of America's Founding Fathers - the CIA as usual Backed the Wrong, utterly Corrupt Side. 🤔😡
How long have you been insane?
@@cargumdeu I had to have my Sanity Confirmed Comprehensively, to qualify for a Firearms !icence (Resulting in my becoming a Qualified Advanced Marksman) . A Mental Health Test, given the Baseless insults a Troll like you throws around, you are clearly unfit to pass yourself ? 🤔
Thank you , sanity and truth is still alive .
It did a great deal of good, most of the world now conducts itself in our image. It always strikes me that the countries under British rule was peaceful and prosperous since we left most have sunk back to corruption whence they came.
I'm now looking forward to fascinating future research projects coming out of Oxford to get a more "balanced view" of the Holocaust or the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
A brave and intelligent man. Sounds like a fascinating book which I will buy and read. I don't understand the current generation who portray their intelligence by sticking their fingers in their ears and singing 🎵La La La 🎵to themselves rather than discuss things, debate things and research things that disagree with their indoctrinated woke narrative. Hopefully woke is declining because of its weakness when it comes to factual evidence.
We have just added the book to our Audible list so we can counter anti-colonialism fire from within the crucible of truth.
This what NCF does best. I have recently been critical regarding the somewhat condescending although from a good place all the NCF presenters seem to come from and give the appearance of treating the working class as almost pets who are never represented during these discussions, this however works marvellously, well done.
BOOK PURCHASED !
I am so glad that you think the English, have still got a chance
When a nation is more or less culturally united , its narratives about itself - which are so important for national solidarity and happiness - are widely accepted , and disagreements about who we are are muted. Once multiculturalism is embraced then the discord and division must inevitably grow.
Was Cortes right to destroy the Aztec empire and it's human sacrifice and canibalism ?
I dont imagine they could have been talked out of it by social workers, anyway, it would have been racist to try.
Inspiring conversation.
I am sorry he equated Nazism with Racism. Yes they were, but it is very low down the totem pole of defining characteristics of Fascism in general or the Nazi Party in particular. They had the ideal but they were very happy to have an alliance with Japan, to have an Arab/Muslim SS battalion and to be best buddies with the Grand Mufti of Cairo. Equating racism with Nazism is a modern woke spin.
An empire is not something somebody gives you, it's something you give back to them.
The Irish disagree
Perhaps the Northern Irish disagree with that?
#1 Best Seller in Ethics & Morality on Amazon!
Having looked into the mechanics of the British Empire to a much greater extent recently, I'm far more ambivalent about it than I used to be. While the idiots of today who want to "decolonise" everything in the name of "anti-racism" are ignorant morons, in many ways, those who cheerlead for the Empire themselves are oftentimes ignorant. Yes, the Empire undoubtedly did a lot of good for much of the world, but it was also, at the level of those controlling it, a money making exploitative scam when looked at honestly from another angle. The thing is, the people at the top who benefitted from colonialism then are the same who are now benefitting from the neo-colonialism project coming in the opposite direction, from the rest of the world into the European world. As always, it is "international finance" who benefit the most, because they set the policy. I have heard it said, and I tend to agree, that the British Empire was, at bottom, basically a front for the Bank of England.
Since this book seems to set the balance, a spoke may be put, thereby, in the wheel of the bankers' Marxist footsoldiers.
Empire building is always in the interests of the cosmopolitan elites not the long term interests of the working class.
There is enormous confusion between respect and admire. Respect should be a universal right, at least until such point as a person's attitudes and behaviour nullify any right to demand respect. But I feel many people equate respect with some kind of approval, which it isn't. It is simply tolerance and has nothing to do with liking, much less admiring. After listening to this interview i can say I actually admire Prof. Nigel Biggar and wish him well in his efforts to spread truth and combat the rampant biggotry that seems to have taken over the sphere of political and social activism.
An Indian friend of mine says that British colonialism was the best thing that happened to his country. It gave India democratic administration, railways and a common language.
Similarly looted money from india for 300 years
@@sourabhshinge748 Sourabh, I think you need to wean yourself off the political rhetoric and start to take in a wider, more intelligent, viewpoint.
The British initially came to India in very small numbers to trade and, obviously, make money (otherwise why bother). Some, particularly in the early days, made money illegitimately, but that was not necessarily the case with the majority. The British had no thought in their early days in India to "conquer" the territory (and remember, India as we know it today, simply did not exist). The fact that they took large parts of India under their control around the beginning of the 19th century was more to do with combatting the French, with whom they were fighting a major war in Europe, and ensuring that they did not acquire control over large parts of the sub-continent, than with acquiring empire.
That covers only one aspect and reason for British expansion in India, but it is a legitimate and important one.
Love the Show, but, the opening with music, and the Set should be brightened a bit.
I stand with you! 🇬🇧