He was a bloke. I'm sure someone will have just cause to say he was either bad or good. He was a bloke. Many people think the world, particularly in South Africa, is better now for his intervention over the preceding 70+ years. Others in South Africa will disagree. If Mandela was still alive, he would be happy they can exercise their right to do so.
There aren't many (or any) great men that have arrived at high order, without their pasts being littered with 'inhumanity' (used broadly) in some form or another. For example: Churchill (warmonger really.......study his armed forces service and his war errors) Michael Collins (Well?) Mao (Hmmmmm) Stalin (FFS) Need I keep on???
For you intelligent historians out there, how does the way Mandela drove change compare to how Gandhi did it?
Do you think that the men of bomber command are war criminals then? Should they have said no to Dresden? I agree that the entire city was not involved in munitions, communications etc, however, there was industry there. I suppose that using your thought process then Hiroshima etc was terrorism? That anyone involved in war is a terrorist by definition?
No, I don't think bomber command were terrorists, I never mentioned war criminals. Nor do I think everyone fighting in wars are terrorists. I was trying in my own clumsy way to use examples of other peoples definitions to show that such generalisations are flawed by providing examples which in my opinion clearly do not support the definitions proposed.
When you see David camermoron bleeding his heart out over Nelson Mandela, just remember he was the head of the conservative student party that produced this poster !
