It goes without saying, that many of the people who made the British Empire so ‘Great’ were pretty unpleasant characters: but, having said that, it is almost impossible to judge them by today’s standards, which is what is happening in the case of the Cecil Rhodes’ statue.
Nearly every town and city in the UK has at least one statue of a ‘conquering hero’ posh pukka sahib or the like. Are they all to be removed ? If so, I suggest that we start with the upper class white supremacist colonialist who said that he was off to take part in …
… “a lot of jolly little wars against barbarous peoples” who had a “strong aboriginal propensity to kill” … “It was great fun galloping about.” … and personally killing at least three “savages” !
He wrote of his “irritation that Kaffirs should be allowed to fire on white men”, and demanded more conquests, based on his belief that “the Aryan stock is bound to triumph”. He also declared that he was “strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes …[It] would spread a lively terror.”
He hated Indians stating that … “They are a beastly people with a beastly religion”. He also believed that “natives” were like helpless children who will “willingly, naturally, gratefully include themselves within the golden circle of an ancient crown”.
So who was this great man ?… No! .. It wasn’t Cecil Rhodes … It was …
… Winston Churchill !
bigjohn 
