'I have plenty of reasons not to like the British," the wife of a colleague of mine told me recently, by way of an introduction. "Actually it's not the British I don't like," she quickly retracted, zeroing in on my accent. "It's the English."
The list of reasons that follow – and there is always a long list – often say as much about the person making them as they do about the various atrocities, crimes and misdemeanours enacted in the name of British imperialism.
In this instance, the offences had a particularly North American cast. As well as 18th-century atrocities committed against Native Americans, there was the 1814 burning of Washington and British support for the Confederacy – and that was without crimes committed, she continued, in Africa, India and the Middle East.
Her list reminded me of a book, Steven A Grasse's The Evil Empire: 101 Ways England Ruined the World. Its author, a disgruntled American patriot, marketing guru and self-described lay historian, sets down charges against the English ranging from the fair ("they encouraged and subsidised the slave trade" and "enslaving the world to get their tea fix") to the very partial ("befouling the world's stage with incomprehensible dramas").
There are many more-local reasons for the lady in question to have come to the same conclusion: the British burnt and sacked Ras Al Khaimah, for example, not once but twice, but in trying to make a serious point, I also decided to play devil’s advocate.
Robert Ross, the overall commander of British forces during the Anglo-American War of 1812, was from Northern Ireland, I countered, and is commemorated by a 30-metres granite obelisk on the shoreline of Carlingford Lough in County Down.
As historian Amanda Foreman showed in her book A World on Fire, there was British involvement and support for both sides during the American Civil War.
In the year that marks the anniversary of both the Balfour Declaration and the partition of the Indian subcontinent, it is difficult to say that you are English or even British without also feeling a profound sense of shame, responsibility and guilt, especially when a 2014 opinion poll showed that a significant number of people in Britain still think the empire is something to be proud of.
My feeble attempts at corrections only served to infuriate my accuser, and I knew they would, but my intention wasn’t to absolve the English of any responsibility or to implicate my British neighbours in past imperial crimes.
Now is time to strive for accuracy and honesty when we look at the past with enough knowledge of the actual events to make sound judgments. Whether we are the accuser or the accused, history should never make us feel comfortable about the past or about ourselves. We need to wake up from our fantasies.
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Read more of Nick's columns:
[ This time of year is one for celebration ]
[ Abu Dhabi’s 8th Street is a perfect example of informal urbanism ]
[ Sheikh Khalifa Theatre takes centre stage ]
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SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Small Things Like These
Director: Tim Mielants
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Watson, Eileen Walsh
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Mental health support in the UAE
● Estijaba helpline: 8001717
● UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention hotline: 045192519
● UAE Mental health support line: 800 4673 (Hope)
More information at hope.hw.gov.ae
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports