Britain caused many of the world's problems

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Britain is responsible for many of the world’s historic problems, including the conflict in Kashmir between India and Pakistan, David Cameron has said.

It's because global empire screws things up royally.

So I assume that the Pakistanis and Indians would rather have been ruled by the notoriously brutal Belgians, for example?

David Cameron is a Britain-hating idiot.

India and Pakistan (and Bangladesh, for that matter) have been independent for a very long time so they can't blame all their problems on their former colonial masters. They wanted them out and the British (eventually) acceded to their wish as they had no will to keep hold of what was a costly and unprofitable endeavour.

I'm sure they would have. However, the desire for independence was never really there in any serious guise up until the 20th century. When they asked for it, they got it.

Don't judge the past by the standards of the present.

When I look at the state of some of the countries (not all) of the former colonies that became independent… I think remaining British would have been better for them.

Go on, I bet you're dying to break out into Fields of Athenry.

Yes, Britain has caused problems. But it's also done a hell of a lot of good. Would Hong Kong have preferred to have become just another bunch of rocks? Or Canada a peaceful and independent nation? Or Malta a stable and democratic republic? Or New Zealand a small but prosperous island? Or would India have preferred not to have the infrastructure built by the British that is the foundation of their modern republic? And so on.

There are places where the British behaved terribly, I agree - but sometimes you just have to let it go. Unfortunately, some people can't do that. Blaming 'da Brits' for ever and ever will get you nowhere but simmering in your own bitterness.

Who said I was racial profiling? Americans go on about the British too, you know. Half of Africa does especially.

My point is that this bitterness should really be put away now - it's bad for the countries concerned. Do they wish to be defined by the past (most of the people who were British officials in the colonies are either very elderly or died long ago) or do they want to move on?

What good is an apology for some of the events anyway? The people responsible are either elderly (for the colonies that were late in achieving independence) or, more usually, long dead.

It's like asking modern-day Germans to apologise for the crimes of the Nazi German state as if to say that they are responsible solely for the fact that they are Germans. It's ludicrous.

Personally I don't think Britain caused the world's problems. I think it was squirrels. Constantly squirrelling things away. Selfish little gits.

The Athenry thing was a bit uncalled for, mainly because I imagined you though I would actually associate with any ridiculous ultra-nationalist "archair IRA" movement. I could throw around the drum beating orangeman stereotype, but given the amount of people killing each other in Ireland over "that sort of thing", I don't find it helpful, or even that amusing.

As for the bitterness, I don't think it's a helpful reaction. An apology isn't that helpful (Cameron didn't conquer the east with a bayonet himself), but an acknowledgement is important.

Britain, or any other nation, cannot sweep the bad parts of its history under the carpet, and triumphantly recall the good parts, calling anyone who points out their less proud moments as being "bitter".

Cameron is prone to saying what people want to hear when he is visiting their country.

I'm also a bit suspicious about his historical knowledge given that he has also said that Britain was the 'junior partner' to the US in WWII in 1940. Given that the US hadn't joined the war at that point it made him look both ignorant and pathetically subserviant.

As someone of mixed Irish and British descent I recognise that England/Britain hasn't always conducted itself in a completely wholesome way. However very few countries have, and I don't see the benefit of the Prime Minister of a country kicking that country when our self image is already pretty battered. We've also done a lot of good in the world.

I doubt what he said will go down well with most in his party. I'm not even a Conservative and it made me annoyed.