Gladstone Hall to be Renamed

[PurpleGorilla]

University will rename student halls named after former Prime Minister William Gladstone - Liverpool Echo

The University of Liverpool has agreed to rename one of its halls of residence after a group of students called on it to remove former Prime Minister William Gladstone's name due to "his views on slavery".

Apparently Gladstone’s father; yes that’s correct his father, had slave holdings...

Should Liverpool University remove Gladstone’s name from its building? | Colonialism | The Guardian

[woohoo]

Books and films next. Ridiculous.

[DimPrawn]

HBO Max Pulls ‘Gone With the Wind,’ While ‘Cops’ Gets Canceled - WSJ

[NotAllThere]

They should rename it "Newton Hall", after John Newton, the famous British abolitionist... oh wait, he was a slave trader before he became an abolitionist (and an evangelical Christian), so that won't work, as activists aren't big on grace.

Some information concerning Gladstone and slavery

William Gladstone's views on slavery and the slave trade have received little attention from historians, although he spent much of his early years in parliament dealing with issues related to that subject. His stance on slavery echoed that of his father, who was one of the largest slave owners in the British West Indies, and on whom he was dependent for financial support.

Gladstone opposed the slave trade but he wanted to improve the condition of the slaves before they were liberated. In 1833, he accepted emancipation because it was accompanied by a period of apprenticeship for the ex-slaves and by financial compensation for the planters.

In the 1840s, his defence of the economic interests of the British planters was again evident in his opposition to the foreign slave trade and slave-grown sugar. By the 1850s, however, he believed that the best way to end the slave trade was by persuasion, rather than by force, and that conviction influenced his attitude to the American Civil War and to British colonial policy.

As leader of the Liberal party, Gladstone, unlike many of his supporters, showed no enthusiasm for an anti-slavery crusade in Africa. His passionate commitment to liberty for oppressed peoples was seldom evident in his attitude to slavery.

So it appears these activists don't really have any grasp of history at all. The fact that he wasn't an ardent abolitionist is enough for them to condemn him. Nuanced views of people is beyond them. Quelle surprise.

I think "being an activist" should be a criminal offence. I'd campaign for it, but...

[PurpleGorilla]

They should rename it "Newton Hall", after John Newton, the famous British abolitionist... oh wait, he was a slave trader before he became an abolitionist (and an evangelical Christian), so that won't work, as activists aren't big on grace.

Some information concerning Gladstone and slavery

William Gladstone's views on slavery and the slave trade have received little attention from historians, although he spent much of his early years in parliament dealing with issues related to that subject. His stance on slavery echoed that of his father, who was one of the largest slave owners in the British West Indies, and on whom he was dependent for financial support.

Gladstone opposed the slave trade but he wanted to improve the condition of the slaves before they were liberated. In 1833, he accepted emancipation because it was accompanied by a period of apprenticeship for the ex-slaves and by financial compensation for the planters.

In the 1840s, his defence of the economic interests of the British planters was again evident in his opposition to the foreign slave trade and slave-grown sugar. By the 1850s, however, he believed that the best way to end the slave trade was by persuasion, rather than by force, and that conviction influenced his attitude to the American Civil War and to British colonial policy.

As leader of the Liberal party, Gladstone, unlike many of his supporters, showed no enthusiasm for an anti-slavery crusade in Africa. His passionate commitment to liberty for oppressed peoples was seldom evident in his attitude to slavery.

So it appears these activists don't really have any grasp of history at all. The fact that he wasn't an ardent abolitionist is enough for them to condemns him. Nuanced views of people is beyond them. Quelle surprise.

I think "being an activist" should be a criminal offence. I'd campaign for it, but...

It’s like the Churchill debate. He was no saint; and did lots of bad things. But the good outweighs the bad. The people of the day rejected his peacetime role, but will forever be grateful for his wartime leadership.


Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum

[tazdevil]

HBO Max Pulls ‘Gone With the Wind,’ While ‘Cops’ Gets Canceled - WSJ

Is the American civil war now deemed to be racist? Perhaps the descendants of slaves want to purge history so they can have collective amnesia of what happened and forget about the trials and tribulations of their forebears. Absolute stupidity to indulge in this cultural vandalism and future generations will condemn these actions.

[Paddy]

Books and films next. Ridiculous.

Dam Busters dog renamed

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2020/05/10/dam-busters-dog-renamed/

[Zigenare]

Dam Busters dog renamed

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2020/05/10/dam-busters-dog-renamed/

Is this why young POC call each other "dog" or "dawg"?

I ask because I'm taking the piss!

[Old Greg]

The University of Liverpool could at least have the decency to include a trigger warning. Hopefully the Nightingale Hospitals can be stood up to deal with the apoplexy surge.

[OwlHoot]

Dam Busters dog renamed

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2020/05/10/dam-busters-dog-renamed/

The real laughable aspect is the existential crisis script writer Stephen Fry suffered over the issue of the dog's name, and I think caused the whole Dambusters remake to founder, and probably Fry spent the next six months in therapy to recover from the ghastly ordeal.