Why Was Nelson Mandela's 100Th Birthday Celebrated In London?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5967917/Princess-Eugenie-meets-anti-apartheid-hero-Andrew-Mlangeni.html

[naomi24]

Because a new memorial stone has been laid at Westminster Abbey to mark 100 years since his birth.

[ummmm]

Why not?

[anotheoldgit]

naomi24

Why?

[anotheoldgit]

ummmm

Perhaps it was yet another self flagellation exercise?

[jackthehat]

AOG - Nelson Mandela was a 'huge' political figure of the 20th Century. You (personally) may not approve of him or his politics but he did have an enormous impact on the world stage; moreso in South Africa, a country with which we have/had close links.

[bednobs]

woukld you have prefered it to be in rutland?

[sp1814]

AOG

Many people in the UK have a lot of love for Nelson Mandela. His release from prison was a massive news event here, as too was his sad death.

And why would it be ‘yet another self flaggelation event’?

What have we got to feel guilt about?

[anotheoldgit]

jackthehat

/// moreso in South Africa, a country with which we have/had close links. ///

Some would say "all for the wrong reasons", that is why I question his imprisoners celebrating his birthday.

[sp1814]

The people who imprisoned him are most likely dead now.

We shouldn’t judge South Africans of today by the actions of their forefathers.

[anotheoldgit]

/// What have we got to feel guilt about? ///

Didn't we imprison him for being a terrorist?

[sp1814]

Holy cow. Baroness Floella Benjamin is seventy years old. Just look at her!!!

There’s a woman with a portrait in the attic!

[sp1814]

AOG

Who’s ‘we’ in this context?

Wasn’t it the South African authorities who arrested, tried and convicted him?

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// The people who imprisoned him are most likely dead now. ///

And so is Mandela.

/// We shouldn’t judge South Africans of today by the actions of their forefathers. ///

It all depends on who you class as South Africans, the true South Africans are not treating the white South Africans very good are they?

[ummmm]

And there's the twist!

[sp1814]

ummmm - yes, like you I think I heard a drum roll, and now know what the thrust of this thread will be.

Signing out for a while - will let others deal with the ensuing discussion.

[Prudie]

"We shouldn’t judge South Africans of today by the actions of their forefathers"
There's no way I'm getting involved in another news thread today but I will save that line for the next time the British are getting picked on by our liberal members. Not aimed at you SP, thanks for the quote :-) - fully agree with you.

[douglas9401]

There follows a series of denials and equivocations that, although Mr Mandela struggled and eventually achieved great thing in South Africa, he unleashed a tidal wave of brutality, lawlessness and corruption on that country.

Over to y'all.

[Sqad]

Yes, Nelson Mandela was a terrorist but that was then and this is now, truly a global icon.
From acquaintances i have in South Africa, Soweto and other townships haven't changed....HIV, rape and other crimes are much the same and are still the ghettos of yesteryear.

This is life.....yesterday's terrorist , today's icon.

What next......Gerry Adams?

[ummmm]

I don't that's a fair comparison, Sqad.

[Sqad]

ummmm.....mabe not but it just illustrated my point of
"yesterday's terrorist,today's good egg."