MR Boris Johnston doesn’t think we should be ashamed of our history? I disagree ... and I’m pretty sure the inhabitants of the many countries invaded and occupied by Great (?) Britain will also disagree (Boris Johnson says BBC Proms should not drop Rule Britannia over slavery link).
I as a Scot have never identified myself as a product of the British empire, but I’m forced by the facts to accept that some Scots participated in and profited from these acts. If ashamed is not the right term, then certainly must be deep regret.
There’s obviously a particular strain of (predominantly) English society who wholeheartedly support the jingoistic, boastful songs lauding the superiority of “the empire” but the omission of these at the Proms is LONG overdue as we no longer live in a vast empire with Queen Victoria at its head. Time to move into the 21st century.
Barry Stewart
Blantyre
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