There were many negative features of European colonialism but in some cases it was also a force for progress and the British Empire was on average better than the alternatives.
However, it was never going to last forever. The Dominions were drifting away from Britain long before the Second World War. In India there was a strong movement for independence which would eventually have succeeded even without American pressure. Fortunately our withdrawal from colonialism was relatively smooth (compared to the experience of, for example, France).
I am neither 'ashamed' nor 'proud' of the British Empire. It is our historical legacy, not a matter of personal shame or pride for people of today's generation. To hanker after the Empire now would be quite perverse.
As for issues of nationalism and patriotism, we all must look to improving our own societies but the idea that nationalism provides some sort of compelling force is part of the problem. We can so easily be blinded to evil under the spell of a collective hysteria. So Akria's reference to humanity as a whole is not so wrong; we must judge our own societies by some sort of standard and be prepared to say where they are wrong.
The pursuit of personal liberty and the free society is ultimately more important than defending this or that nation state, even though nation states can be the vehicles for progress and defence of liberty at times and the two goals are not necessarily in conflict. Liberty trumps borders though, IMHO.
|