We often hear this question in debates about the Empire: & #39;Is there a single positive thing to be said, in your view, about the British Empire?& #39;

The answer is no - I& #39;m a historian, not a food-critic or a film-reviewer. And no-one would ask the same question about Nazi Germany.

This exact wording was, btw, Michael Buerk& #39;s first question to @NadineElEnany on *that* episode of the Moral Maze. Her answer was brilliant...

There seems to be some confusion in distinguishing between the view of the historian and the view of people in the past. Obviously slave-traders thought slavery was a positive thing; but that& #39;s hardly a reason for us today to argue that there was something & #39;good& #39; about the Empire