Don't Blame the British Public for Old Colonial Horrors- why it's a mistake.
Responsibility lies at the top - not with regular people.
The empire was about big business. Pure and simple. It created huge wealth and now the collective hangover guilt- especially among our more compassionate voters- is clearly messing up - people being arrested for 'thought crime' is apparently actually happening in the UK (and affecting not the terminally rich and spoiled)
It is a tragic and dangerous habit of human beings to mistake the sins of power for the sins of the people. And some injured parties want to see the destruction of the UK as is evident here-
Britain Being Destroyed From Within
When nations inherit the bittero memory of empire, the fury is often directed at those least able to bear it: the ordinary citizens, the neighbour, the single mum, the shopkeeper, the labourer, the soldier who fought and bled without ever once sitting in a cabinet room or signing a trade deal.
People place trust in their leaders. 'Blind trust' a lot of the time- trust that has sometimes been ill deserved -and horribly exploited.
The history of corruption is not the history of *ordinary* average people.
It is the history of those silly elites. The effete. Those with lots of money and no common sense- out of touch with their authenitic selves-blinded by guilt but sheilded by their greed and ego- that messes up our world.
Cultivate self awareness and you won't often go wrong.
It is the story of governments, corporations, charities, and institutions who pursued profit and power under the cover of legality and respectability that's at fault.
And the evidence for this is not speculative—it is written in case law, in court judgments, in criminal convictions.
Consider Britain. The Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful.
The expenses scandal put MPs in prison.
The Post Office scandal ruined hundreds of lives because executives denied the truth about their own failed system.
The High Court has struck down crony contracts—“VIP lanes”—in the awarding of public money.
These are not fairy tales. They are judicial facts.
Look abroad too. Israeli prime ministers, South Korean presidents, American governors, Italian premiers—convicted of bribery, fraud, and plunder.
The Philippines saw its president fall to corruption charges. The same pattern repeats itself everywhere. When power is unchecked, it is abused.
Even charities—those most trusted of institutions—have failed.
Oxfam was found wanting in safeguarding.
Kids Company collapsed under the weight of its own mismanagement.
And the pharmaceutical industry, held up as saviour and science incarnate, has been fined billions for hiding data and promoting drugs unlawfully.
So what is the point? The point is this: the enemy is not your neighbour, not the citizen across the street, and not the immigrant who came to work in your town.
The enemy is corruption at the top. It is the arrogance of leaders who manipulate nations for profit and control.
We must refuse collective blame.
It is lazy, it is unjust, and it blinds us to the real culprits. The sins of empire were not authored by the people in the fields, the shops, and the factories.
They were authored by elites who remain, even now, insulated from accountability.
A handful of decent lawyers, activists and journalists fight this- when desperately overworked and stressed.
The remedy is not resentment. It is responsibility. It is sunlight. It is demanding open government, independent audit, real checks and balances.
It is solidarity with your neighbours and friends- at the level of ordinary life—where most of us want the same things: safety, dignity, honest work, honest leaders.
Liberty is not chaos. It is disciplined resistance to unaccountable power.
And until we remember that, we will continue to fight each other while those at the top laugh at you and tighten their grip.
'The pen is mightier than the sword'
How to address the legacy of historical abuses
• Teach accurate history: distinguish between decisions of ruling elites and the lives of ordinary citizens.
• Build cross-cultural solidarity: recognise that working people everywhere share more in common with each other than with those who ruled them.
• Demand transparency: open records, archives, and inquiries into past abuses rather than burying them.
• Promote restitution through practical means: investment in education, healthcare, and trade built on fairness rather than exploitation.
• Reject collective guilt: no one should inherit blame for crimes they did not commit.
• Focus on present accountability: stop repeating the same patterns of cronyism, secrecy, and power-hoarding today.
Concrete corruption case law and convictions (examples only)
• Miller v Prime Minister (2019, UK Supreme Court): prorogation of Parliament unlawful.
• R v Chaytor (2010, UK Supreme Court): MPs jailed for expenses fraud.
• Bates v Post Office (2019, High Court): Horizon IT system unreliable, Post Office conduct condemned.
• Good Law Project v Minister for the Cabinet Office (2021, High Court): contract award unlawful.
• Good Law Project & EveryDoctor v Secretary of State for Health (2022, High Court): VIP lane for PPE unlawful.
Elsewhere
• Israel: PM Ehud Olmert convicted of bribery (2014).
• South Korea: President Park Geun-hye convicted and sentenced for corruption (2017, upheld 2021).
• Philippines: President Joseph Estrada convicted of plunder (2007).
• USA: Governor Rod Blagojevich convicted on multiple corruption counts.
• Italy: Tangentopoli / Mani Pulite investigations; ex-PM Bettino Craxi convicted in absentia
Corporate/Charities
• Oxfam GB: safeguarding failures confirmed by regulator.
• Kids Company: collapse due to governance failings, scrutinised by courts.
• Pfizer: $2.3bn settlement for illegal promotion (2009).
• GlaxoSmithKline: $3bn settlement for unlawful promotion and hiding safety data (2012).
Closing note- remedy
The remedy is not resentment. It is responsibility. It is sunlight- or umbrellas if in the UK...
It is demanding open government, independent audit, real checks and balances.
It is friendship at the level of ordinary life—where most of us want the same things: safety, dignity, honest work, honest leaders.
Liberty is not chaos. It is disciplined resistance to unaccountable power.
And until we remember that, we will continue to fight each other while those at the top laugh and tighten their grip.
What you can do- support your neighbours, support small business- demand transparency- demand accountablity (in the most pleasant way you can) and above all- educate people.
Transparency and Anti-Corruption
◇Global Witness◇–investigations and campaigning regarding the climate crisis profits
◇OpenDemocracy◇ (UK investigative journalism) –
◇Centre for Public Integrity◇- non partisan non profit news org
◇Transparency International◇ - global movement to end corrupt practice
Civil Liberties and Accountability
◇Liberty◇ (UK human rights org) –
◇Good Law Project◇ resists hate to bring justice and free speech
◇Open Rights Group ◇–rights to privacy and free speech
◇Free Speech Union◇
- Free Speech Union- promotion
◇Whistleblowing International◇ - defending and support
◇Protect◇
https://protect-advice.org.uk/history
Watchdogs on Global Power
◇Human Rights Watch◇ –
Human Rights Watch- legal advice
◇Amnesty International◇- legal & political
Those are the sorts of organisations that align with our messages- plus you can write to your MP online easily here
◇writetothem◇
Tip: Use the 'Tor' browser- Tor Browser (not 'dark web') to see best anonymous search results- top business hogs the top of Google, Bing and others- burying the good stuff.
Liz Lucy Robillard Contact