We are proud to present this special episode of Cheshire Matters in Season 14, an article about Slavery, featuring your favourite 'digital' pub discussion, filled with facts, satire, humour and more than a dash of sarcasm featuring your absolutely fabulous, amazingly brilliant, witty and ridiculously talented 'Ab Fab', the delicious, delightful and delovely digital pub landlord (with the great hair do) and podcast host Jonathan Starkey, with regular panelist Mark Hartley (Stats Man) the man with all the facts.
This evening the subject is Slavery.
The Slavery Special Agenda aims to provide an honest picture of the history of slavery in brief, challenging the notion of solely blaming Britain and America and emphasizing that slavery has been practiced by various civilizations for thousands of years. The discussion begins by questioning why slavery is being discussed, suggesting that it is important to understand history accurately rather than using it to erase or refund past wrongs in an attempt to end racism.
The historical overview highlights that slavery has been widespread since around 11,000 years ago and was practiced by nearly every ancient civilization. Although Saudi Arabia and Yemen abolished slavery in 1962, Mauritania was the last country to abolish it in 1981 and criminalize it in 2007.
The discussion explores the question of who traded in or had slaves, acknowledging that both ancient civilizations and Europeans were involved in the slave trade. It also raises the issue of whether slavery was fueled by racism, suggesting that it did not begin as a race-based decision but rather as a solution to labour shortages. However, the ease of purchasing slaves and the need to distance oneself from the act of capturing them might have contributed to the development of racism.
Reparations for slavery are brought up, particularly in the context of California, where a task force approved a proposal to pay reparations to black citizens. The cost and implications of such reparations are discussed, highlighting the complexities and potential challenges of implementing a fair and comprehensive system.
The concept of who owes what in terms of reparations is explored, suggesting that Africans, Europeans, Americans, Muslims, and even specific ethnic groups owe various debts to African Americans, Africans, Europeans, and others. However, it is acknowledged that attempting to distribute reparations fairly would likely be chaotic and is unlikely to happen.
The discussion touches on slavery in Britain, noting that Anglo Saxon opinion eventually turned against selling their own countrymen abroad. The institution of slavery in England had largely disappeared by 1200, evolving into serfdom. The Somerset case of 1772 ruled that slavery was not recognized by English law.
Britain's role in ending slavery is highlighted, citing the Slave Trade Act of 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. Slave owners received compensation totaling £20 million (equivalent to £17 billion today). The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron, which patrolled the coast of West Africa to suppress the slave trade.
In conclusion, the Slavery Special Agenda criticizes the tendency to solely blame Britain and America for slavery, emphasizing the efforts made by these nations to end the practice. It questions the feasibility and fairness of seeking reparations and suggests that focusing on celebrating historical figures like Wilberforce and the Navy, who worked to eradicate slavery, is a more constructive approach. It also highlights the ubiquity of slavery throughout history and raises the question of who might be next to seek reparations.
Opening Music - Moving ON © and ℗ JMN 2015
Another absolutely brilliant (and we mean absolutely brilliant and better than anything else that jumps out of your phone from Cheshire and beyond) JMN production for Cheshire Matters.
