Samuel Tapper

I don’t support reparations for the slave trade, but saying people back them because of a “failure of integration” is just stupid. It doesn’t hold up. Most mixed race people in this country are born to black Caribbean men and white women. On almost every measurable metric, black Caribbeans are among the most integrated groups in the UK. Their outcomes are broadly similar to the white British majority, and in many cases other groups outperform them. So the idea that support for reparations reflects a lack of integration just doesn’t stack. Views on reparations follow history. If you’re of Caribbean heritage, even if your family’s been here for generations, the legacy of slavery and colonialism is baked into your identity. You’re reminded of it every time you read your own name. Of course that shapes how people see the issue. Where I take a different view is on how responsibility gets framed. The transatlantic slave trade involved multiple actors, including African intermediaries as well as European powers. If the argument is about accountability, it should at least be applied consistently rather than selectively. If you’re from a former colonial power, you’re far less likely to feel that same weight. That’s not about integration, it’s about perspective. Would Daniel Hannan say British Greeks who support returning the Elgin Marbles “haven’t integrated”? Obviously not. It’s a completely daft standard. I’m sorry to say it, because usually we sing from the same hymn sheet, but what Daniel Hannan has said here is just stupid. This is basic stuff.

Green candidate Jo Dowbor for Arsenal ward in Islington, speaking in Spanish, wants to be the first Argentinian elected in the UK. She has previously said she wants the Falklands handed over to her homeland. Why live here?🧵